I’ve heard that complaint on this forum and others for many years but is it really true. If you adjust for inflation, I don’t think it is. In fact, it’s probably a little cheaper. Back in 1985, I bought a Rivarossi Big Boy through a catalog (remember those?). The MSRP at the time was $500 but the catalog price was $300. I ran that figure through my inflation calculator and found that would be $906.84 in today’s dollars. I went out on ebay and found two Big Boys with DCC and sound selling for $750 and $800. Not only are these less expensive than the 1985 model, they are a much better product with better detail, sound, and DCC.
I realize that is just one item but I’ve done similar comparisons in the past. I used to buy the Walthers catalog every year and I saved the 50th anniversary edition from 1984 and the 75th anniversary edition from 2009. Some items such as structure kits had not changed in 25 years although some were being sold under a different name. It allowed for an apples-to-apples comparison, I found that most items were comparably priced after adjusting for inflation, some a little cheaper and some a little more expensive. Interestingly, Instant Horizon backdrops were selling for exactly the same price without adjusting for inflation.
I would bet that if one did a similar comparison to today’s prices, one would get a similar result. So no, the hobby has not gotten too expensive. Your dollars are just worth a lot less than they used to be.
I don’t care how expensive anything is, I can either afford it or I can’t. If I can’t afford something and want it, I just have to go make more money, it’s not complicated that’s just the way it works.
Well first you can’t really compare buying used (EBay) to buying new (catalog).
The comparison year can also make a difference. I started in December 1971 and my 1st Walthers catalog was 1973 issue. Athearn reefers/boxcars are $1.98 each, inflation adjusted to #15.12. Athearn’s current website shows these at $37.99/$39.99. Even granted the new cars have metal wheels and knuckle couplers, it’s still alot more.
Other years may show some differences. But prices have gone up. Even though some of that is due to tariffs - it’s still more for the consumer to pay.
The other thing that has happened is that many economy lines have disappeared - Accurail is currently the cheapest I know of. Their prices seem to be $22.98 for reefers and boxcars. Most lines are higher quality/detail, but with higher prices. DCC sound has added significantly to the price while the selection of DC no sound has dwindled as has DCC no sound.
While not directly affecting model train prices, many things like education, housing, etc. have increased more than inflation. This reduces funds available for the hobby for many people.
1950 and 2014 were key years when it comes to inflation calculations. In many cases you could take the 1955 price and simply add a zero to determine what the MSRP would be in 2014. So, a 5 dollar Lionel freight car in 1955 would (should) cost 50 dollars in 2014 and often that was a good way of understanding exactly what the cost was like for consumers in 1955. (I use Lionel as my example because #1 that’s what I know the most about and #2 because they’ve been around for 126 years.)
But it’s not entirely accurate. When you apply the same logic to things other than model railroad equipment you start to see that the cost was more dear in the past than it often is today. I wasn’t there, but let’s say a hamburger cost 10 cents in 1955. Then that same burger should have cost 1 dollar in 2014. How many 1 dollar burgers do you remember seeing 12 years ago?
Quality is often expensive. In 1937 the first mass produced full 1:48 scale Lionel Hudson would have cost you as much as a refrigerator. No smoke, no sound effects, obviously no electronics. Just an air whistle and a mechanical drum type reverse aka E-Unit which was developed by IVES in the 1920’s. The 700EW was as detailed as die casting technology of the day would allow and had many separately applied parts including coupler chains and a movable bell. Many were converted to 2 rail or fitted with outside third rail shoes by scale model railroaders. At the very least it was a very labor intensive model to manufacture.
I haven’t looked at appliance prices lately but I do know Lionel’s high end locomotives have all been “Built-To-Order” for several catalog years now and the prices are between $1,400 and $2,000 with the highest prices being applied to Big Boy’s with full command control, smoke from not only the twin stacks, but also from each cylinder timed properly to rod motions and have “whistle steam” when that effect is operated.
There’s no chance in h-e double hockey sticks that I’ll be having 2 grand to spend on a fancy locomotive any time soon. Even forgetting that I’d need O72 (36 inch radius) track just to run it around in a circle forever chasing it’s tail.
But is the Lionel Big Boy worth major appliance money? It’s not just about being ABLE to afford something. It’s about how many customers can afford to buy it and would.
I’d rather have the well made high quality refrigerator and stick with the locomotives I have. And I suspect many hobbyists think the way I do. So in my opinion, yes. $85 for a boxcar using a mold originally created in 1957 is too expensive when only the paint has been improved over those years.
I worked as a helper on an ice cream/ice ball truck and could buy four of those $2 car kits with my daily pay. I doubt that anyone with a similar job today can buy four of even the lowest priced kits.
I know that I cannot afford to get four Menards cars (cheapest new ones in my scale) on my daily pay–though I can certainly do so on my actual paycheck, which is biweekly.
Plus the old one was a kit, the new one is ready to run with Kadee-compatible couplers instead of hornhooks. If the old kit was pre-dec, it was rather poorly done, not too accurate and…well, you remember how Athearn boxcar red boxcars had white lettering that was almost transparent? Kinda like they used milk instead of ink or paint. The new ones don’t have that problem.
Adding in the price of new couplers, metal wheelsets, and the price of paying someone to custom decorate the car to the standards of one of today’s Athearn cars - and then, pay them to assemble the car for you - I think the cost of today’s car isn’t all that bad.
Recently I saw a very professional analysis of this subject with the conclusion being, it depends on your comparison. For instance if comparing an early post war Lionel (1961+) to something with today’s price tags, very comparable. On the other hand if you are comparing the 50’s decade cost, then and now, the gap grows wider, mostly due to collectability. There are still lots of options depending on your affordability.
I don’t worry about it. I have enough of everything. If I want more, I go to train shows and look for more old stuff. I’ll probably be dead within 10 years anyway.
I believe that’s where the hobby is headed. It won’t be long before home printed components can be produced in full color and, if you want it, fully weathered. The future of the market is going to be in designing the data so hobbyists can print at home. Sure, motors and any non printable components will still require a manufacturing base, but other than metal drivers and cast frames most parts can be made exactly as you want them to be. It’s only a question of when.
The early Varney box, car and reefer kits had paper printed sides made from photographs taken in the yard. Someone’s gonna do that real soon. Silver Streak kits are going to show the way.
And as far as affordability. If someone had restraint and would model a short line with two locomotives and 15 or 20 cars, I don’t think that it would be that expensive.
