Why are HO scale shipping containers so expensive? Athern ready-to-run box cars are routinely $15 … With multiple plastic parts, applied details, trucks, couplers, packaging.
One would think containers would be <$5 being as they are all the same (far fewer variations) and so simple.
A lot of 8 used containers went for $75 (2X offer orice) on eBay! Routinely new containers are $10+.
Is the market interest and volume so low that production cost are high? What’s the deal-e-o here?
NP
I believe one of the model manufacturers commented once, maybe it was Jason at Rapido, saying that the printing process was one of the factors driving costs up.
With that in mind, maybe you have two or three colors on a four, sometimes five-sided container—some have numbers on the roof? and that might be one of the factors.
Each color has to be hand applied, allowed to dry (more handling in storage) a second, maybe third pass, times four and that can add up to a lot of handling and in turn, costs.
Maybe someone has more ideas on the matter.
Regards, Ed
You can print your own on cardstock but I can׳t remember the site. Also look on ebay.
Yes, the prices for the newest HO containers has gotten pretty insane in the past few years and makes it pretty costly to built a modern container train. As other mentioned, including Jason Shron of Rapido and ScaleTrains both have commented that all the extra printing adds significant cost. If you go to train shows, keep an eye out for used containers - you may be able to pick some up that way for lower cost.
Thank goodness I’ve back-dated to caboose era (1985 and earlier) when containers were much fewer! I do have a few articulated car sets from when I was building a late 1980’s roster; three of those sets are the Gunderson Twin Stacks (Sea Land) and are 40’ container only so I may still try to pick up a few more of those randomly at train shows; they can still be had for around 4 to 6 dollars; even new they go for around 6 or 7 dollars. The newer longer container prices are nutty however.
The cardstock containers is a good idea for a loading dock where you want stacks of them sitting around but I don’t think they would cut it for loading well cars with.
DigCom sells files on line I am VERY happy with mine.
The cost per unit is waaaay less then the plastic ones and when properly assembled (took me a while [:)] ) they are HARD to tell appart from the 3D ones. (There is a mixture of paper and plastic models in the photo’s. Can you pick them out? Does the difference bother you?)
https://www.facebook.com/DigComDesigns.US/
http://digcomdesigns.wix.com/shop
There was also an article in "How to model modern railroads about making photocopies of your containers to use in the backdrop. This saves your real containers for use in well cars etc.
I know containers are crazy priced. And what you see on the prototype, seems to change, and if you trying to focus on particular time period, it can be a challenge.
But, tell me about the Athearn RTR boxcars, with details applied, for $15.00. ? I must be missing something?
Mike.
One site is
http://krafttrains.com/Paper_Struchers_for_Trains/HO/Containers-(HO)/HO_Containers.htm
also
https://au.pinterest.com/pin/847169379874373777/
as well as
http://www.igshansa.de/igsdownloadeng.html
Cheers from Australia
Trevor
The colored International Containers in the front row are Krafttrains. The detail is less than that on DigCom, but they’re FREE! FREE! FREE!
Also, they are vastly improved when powdered chalk is rubbed on the white crease lines.
If you have a photo quality printer, print some out and see how they work for you. Don’t forget the paper can be a stand in until you pony up the $$$ for the plastic models.
[:)]
A container is basically a RTR boxcar minus trucks and couplers. Since boxcars start about $16 MSRP, it makes sense that containers start around $10 MSRP.
Paul
Ha! Someone had to catch that. But seriously, the tanks and hoppers are $20-$25. The RTR box cars are typically $15-17 at my LHS … not the Genesis ones and don’t have opening doors, but these are reasonably detailed and painted in multiple colors. With a little weathering they look great and run great.
Re: printed containers … if you buy them, I still see ~$5 prices. If you print them at home, I agree it’s a good compromise … but I was still curious about why the plastic ones are so expensive.
Why not get Walthers containers they’re under $13.00.
Guess I’ll be putting my Athearn containers on ebay now!
no just sell me [:$]
Here’s a recent post describing my experience with the krafttrains.com paper containers in HO scale:
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/t/257892.aspx
With a shout out to LensCapOn for pointing me to that website.
[Edit: doggone hyperlink function - I can never get it to work! [:(!] ]
.Deleted: By poster…
Take Care!
Frank