HI GIZ,
With high gas prices, what do you think its going to do to our hobby?
Will it kill our hobby or maybe manufacturers will find new technology to make products cheaper? Lets here your opinions?
laz57
I think it might hurt the long distant train show unless we car pool and share gas cost. But I don’t think it will affect the purchase as we have local,well a lot of us, and mailorder. Shipping cost will go up though.
I’m on an extremely fixed income ridgit budget so my train purchases are always carefully calculated. I use ‘E-Bay’ mostly and have seen the s&h costs rising, perhaps the gas prices are reflected in this increase.
[2c] As far as the hobby itself, I don’t think that the ‘gas prices’ will have that much of an effect. If you are really into trains, like any other hobby, like the proverb says: “There are ways!”
I work 27 miles from my home, and have worked there for over 31 years. I attend classes in Columbus every other weekend which is 100 miles one way. This is “mandatory” driving in my judgment. With more of my money going to gas, the increase in fuel prices has cut into my discretionary spending i.e. the train budget is being CUT.
Jim
Plastic is made from OIL.
For those of us with a lower income, say under $45,000.00 a year, most definately. I fall into this catagory and have to budget my purchases and keep down any out of town trips, like to Miami because of higher gas prices. Trips to out of town trainshows are probally going to be cancelled for me until gas prices fall drastically.
The major oil companies are posting record profits and yet the price of gasoline keeps climbing. Something is wrong with that!!! [2c]
Lee F.
I’ve changed my driving habits from running multiple trips per week to consolidating into 1 per week. I’ve also changed where I shop (no longer driving further to go to Lowes/Home Depot) I go to places that are along my route, sometimes this means shopping in less desirable neighborhoods, so I do this only during daylight hours.
I have stopped eating out as much (saves on fuel), but my food budget has increased so this is a wash.
I used to average 375mpt now I’m around 415mpt.
As for spending on trains. That has pretty much stopped, unless you could spending on layout construction components and scenicing material, then it really hasn’t changed much.
Like brent mentioned I consolidate my errends and shopping, go to closer stores or bank.
I may put some of my extra trains up for sale on choochoo auctions, need the money right now, not working but trying to keep some income going by selling stuff from around the house.
Lee F.
Hi Laz,
I wish I had read your question before I posted on “The Next Generation” thread. Manufacturing and distribution costs will drive the price of toy trains up. But I think the hobby will benefit overall if higher gas prices keep us closer to home, bring family closer, and we begin to reassess the home as a refuge from the frenzy of everyday life and the center of our entertainment. I drive about 80 miles a day and my wife 25, so the impact of rising fuel costs has gotten my attention.
Perhaps a longer term effect of higher gas prices might be an inclination to routinely stay closer to the ranch and revive an interest in stay at home family activities and hobbies, like trains. I may be losing a few marbles, but as the years progress I find myself concocting things that our family can gather and do together to unwind from the grind without burning up excessive time/money in the car and money on eating out. My SIL actually said he looks forward to our weekly Saturday afternoon/evenings at my place (with granddaughter) because he can relax and unwind. And my daughter LOVES to cook [C=:-)], particularly when someone else is providing the cleanup. Hmmmm… beer, steaks [dinner], a dishwasher, and trains [tup]. Now if I can just pull SIL away from the TV and his daily fix of the Patriots, Red Sox, and Celtics [banghead].
I’ve read so many posts on the cost of toy trains and how expesive the hobby is. We notice the toy train costs but blindly spend on stuff we don’t need or fully utilize. Rem
Lee,
This is a TT forum, not a political one. I don’t want the heartburn of having to deal with anyone’s crackpot politial nonesense when I’m talking trains.
In some ways, it may make more collections available to the rest of us. I have read several articles that reference not just the fuel prices, but the economy overall. I have seen some more desireable items come up for sale lately on the auction sites and read reports of items being sold at garage sales, etc. I think some folks who have had “grandad’s trains” waiting in the basement or attick for some time, waiting to either pass them along to a future generation or to check the market and see what they will be worth years later, are having to get a quick sale to pay bills.
On the other hand, as China becomes more of a consuming nation as opposed to just a producing nation, the situation will only get worse regarding prices. It may become a point that another nation becomes the producers of our trains as production costs in China increase. Either way, I think it will be a bit of up and down over the next few years.
I agree that folks are less likely to travel for small train shows as they once were. Perhaps the hobby would be better served with fewer but larger shows that more folks would travel to. Also, the dealers will have to lower profit margins at shows as folks will not travel to train shows for more than it would cost to go to their local store and get it. The competition with the internet will only increase. They may have a few more stores requiring larger total purchases before including free shipping.
dennis
palallin,
Sorry about that but i do get fired up over the price of gasoline to say the least. And if we are talking about trains why are we discussing gas prices anyway?
Lee F.
Bob, can you delete my posts to the thread, please. I can’t.
Thanks!
It’s not just the buyer being concerned about gas prices to attend a show. The dealer also has to think twice as to whether or not he’ll make enough to cover expenses. With most shows requiring an overnight stay, maybe two, traveling a few hundred miles with a full sized cargo van, or a truck, loaded to the roof, meals, table fees, etc. a dealer probably has to turn a PROFIT, not just sales, of better than $500, for some convention shows maybe $1,000, to make it worth while. This doesn’t even take into account paying someone to tend the store while he’s away.
I like where RockIsland was going. Perhaps we can put aside our hunter/gatherer tendencies for the time being, and start/finish some of the many projects on our layout/trains. I know I have at least 50 projects waiting for me in my train room.
And I do think of the many vendors that sell at the shows…God Bless them.
Phillyreading - I respect (and read) your [2c]…anytime.
Fife…where I was going was to the liquor store. If the price of beer leaps upward as the result of high gas prices and reduces the amount I can afford to drink while playing with the trains, Bob will have to lock this thread. And we’ll be taking some of our outrage and frustration out on on Anheiser Busch in addition to Exxon and Royal Dutch.[swg]
Jack
I wonder how much greenhouse gas the Clydesdale hitch generates[#dots]
Back to the topic, me & the wifey are driving to Vermont for the TCA convention in June, and I’m fairly confident the price of gas will effect my spending at the train show…[V]
I think the solution would be to build more nuclear plants and mass rail transportation systems that run on electricity. With the money we save riding the trolley to work, we can buy more trains. Additionally, mass rail transportation systems would give children more exposure to trains, thus growing the hobby.
It could have a postitive affect in that people tend to stay at home when the cost of travel gets expensive. Home = train running and scenic building. I agree that train shows may suffer a bit, but then again, a day going to a show is cheaper than a weekend at the beach (try selling THAT one to your wife and kids). Joe