Trainworx will bankrupt me

greatdrivermiles Jul 7, 2017

  1. greatdrivermiles

    greatdrivermiles TrainBoard Member

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  2. SecretWeapon

    SecretWeapon Passed away January 23, 2024 In Memoriam

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    OH PLEASE, I've already taken out a loan on this new batch of trucks!
     
  3. Traindork

    Traindork TrainBoard Member

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    Just when I think I have enough....
     
  4. jpwisc

    jpwisc TrainBoard Member

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    I don't think you can ever have enough...
     
    SecretWeapon likes this.
  5. greatdrivermiles

    greatdrivermiles TrainBoard Member

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    Honestly if I hadn't been really wanting the KWs I would Pass on them. They are more expensive than the whole bull hauler.
     
  6. gdmichaels

    gdmichaels TrainBoard Member

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  7. DRGW4EVR

    DRGW4EVR TrainBoard Member

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    I agree...they're creeping ever skyward in price.
    I have the greatest respect for Pat and what he has created with Trainworx and their Awesome products. Hope they release the parts for the trucks soon.
    I too wish they were just a little more REASONABLE in price.
    I just had a thought about the hobby when I was a kid. Would things like this make the Trainworx trucks out of reach for newbies these days and make them discouraged??
     
    mtntrainman likes this.
  8. jpwisc

    jpwisc TrainBoard Member

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    There are multiple levels of the hobby. There are cheaper, less detailed options out there for the entry level hobbyist. You can pick up an Atlas or Kato semi for a fraction of the cost of a TW semi. The TW trucks are designed for a different level of hobbyist, those of us that want a quality item and are willing to pay for it. We need manufacturers at all the different levels of the spectrum. This should give entry level people something to strive towards and work for.

    I give props to Pat for keeping the quality high and not cheapening his product line.
     
    bstitches likes this.
  9. mtntrainman

    mtntrainman TrainBoard Supporter

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    I have seen the TW trucks. They do look REALLY Good. I wouldnt mind having a couple on my layout. I'm just not going to buy a Cadillac at Mazaradi prices...JMO :eek::rolleyes::censored:
     
  10. mu26aeh

    mu26aeh TrainBoard Member

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    As I said on another board, Pat (are you reading this maybe) needs to come out with a " Trainman " like line of these tractors. Like a scene filler, not a scene stealer. Not every tractor on my layout needs to have a cab that opens to show what's underneath the hood. Not having a motor could cut a couple bucks off the price. Hell, just having some of the paint schemes would be nice instead of the all one color Ford LNT's or Kato Volvos
     
    mtntrainman likes this.
  11. jpwisc

    jpwisc TrainBoard Member

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    He offers that already. You can build your own with no motor and less details. I really hope he doesn't dilute his product line. Like I said earlier, if you want cheaper, go buy a Kato, Atlas or Con-Cor. They are all "scene fillers".
     
  12. mu26aeh

    mu26aeh TrainBoard Member

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    While I get your point, I think Trainworx could still do a less detailed line and be successful in both. Atlas has Trainman and Master Line, Intermountain has Value line and their regular line, and the newest manufacturer to the group ScaleTrains does Operator, Rivet Counter, and Museum Quality so it's not like it can't be done.

    And in regards to parts, I had added up $33 in order to build a tractor. Now that included everything on a released built model, where you had posted over on TRW that you usually had $40 or a little more in each of your tractors. And that that doesn't include time to build them.
     
    mtntrainman likes this.
  13. jpwisc

    jpwisc TrainBoard Member

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    You are correct, for $33 each (not counting shipping) I had 2 fully loaded rigs. You don't have to buy all the details I bought. They only take about 10 minutes to assemble. Easiest assembly ever, I highly recommend trying it. If you bought the parts from woo woo woo, you could build a background rig for about $20 and be done even quicker.
     
  14. bman

    bman TrainBoard Member

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    But those you listed do not offer vehicles under the less detailed and less expensive option. At least none that I've found.
     
  15. mu26aeh

    mu26aeh TrainBoard Member

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    I guess I should have said in their freight car and locomotive offerings. It still shows that a manufacturer can have two different lines of a product and do well with them
     
  16. bman

    bman TrainBoard Member

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    I'm good at pointing out the obvious. I'm guessing that, at least as far as Trainworx goes, as modular as these offerings are the different molds and associated costs drives up the price over a one piece body like the Kato Volvo. But like I said, it's just a guess. Looking at my history with the state lottery, I've a good chance at being, shall we say, not correct. I feel your pain though. After a career in transportation management(that included being a customer of CR and CSX putting trailers on the rail) I am happy to see these trucks. I've so many trailers that sometimes I feel like a 1/160th vehicle modeler. But I've not found the budget to purchase any Trainworx tractors and missed out on most of the parts as they sell out quickly. It will happen someday. Just gotta stash the cash. But Trainworx keeps taking that on freight cars and trailers.
     
    mu26aeh likes this.
  17. cfritschle

    cfritschle TrainBoard Member

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    I have talked to a number of manufacturers of N scale model vehicles over the years, and none have shown any interest in producing vehicle models that do not reflect "state of the art" design and tooling. The N scale vehicle market is just too limited for a manufacturer to risk investing the cost of new tooling for a model that does not offer at least as much as the competition has to offer.

    Plus as mentioned earlier, there are lower cost options out there, such as the Con-Cor trucks, the Atlas LNT-9000, the Kato Volvo or even the TomyTec 1:150 scale Japanese prototype models. A 10-pack of TomyTec tractors and trailers will be in the $100 range, but even with shipping, it will only cost $11.00 to $12.00 per tractor and trailer.

    I am sure most of us would like to spend less money on this hobby, but not having the models to buy is not a desirable path to spending less money. :(

    Carter
     
  18. greatdrivermiles

    greatdrivermiles TrainBoard Member

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    Hence why I will go broke. Some of these I gotta have, and I plan to put in an order for lots of wheels and frames so I can upgrade other manufactures trucks.
     
  19. DRGW4EVR

    DRGW4EVR TrainBoard Member

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    That's true. Can't be happier that we have been so fortunate in the cool releases we've had and have yet to come.

    I'm not bashing Trainworx...just wanting to put it out there that there ARE certain manufacturers out there that plainly "rob" us because they can and we don't want to miss out so we buy and further such unscrupulous practices. Certainly don't want anyone to get butthurt about this topic but take a moment, hold that item in your hand and Really think...was it Worth that amount I paid for it?? That's all I was pointing out. We should expect ethical business practice for our hobby, that's all. Kids are the future of this hobby continuing, that was what I was making reference to earlier. Oh well.

    Saw on Trainworx's web site that truck parts will be available in "Early 2017", just wondering if anyone heard of any updates?
     
    mtntrainman likes this.
  20. cfritschle

    cfritschle TrainBoard Member

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    All of the N scale model railroad companies I have come in contact with have very similar policies for setting the MSRP. They start with what it costs them to acquire the product, and then add a fixed percentage of that cost to establish the MSRP. The manufacturers then establish wholesale prices. Again, this is a fixed percentage above what it cost the company to acquire the product. The wholesale price is the price the hobby shop pays for the product. The hobby shops can then determine how much, in any, they will discount the product to the consumer. Obviously, the hobby shops that do discount will need to have a greater volume of sales to make up for the discounted price (lower profit per item) they get for the product.

    And yes, I have purchased a number of products (other than Trainworx trucks) that I have had second thoughts about whether it was worth what I paid for it. Back in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the mail order catalogs had very few actual photos of the models. Even the manufacturers' catalogs relied heavily on drawings. I remember ordering two Union Pacific 40-ft. gondolas from a mail order hobby shop around 1968 or 1969. One gondola was an Atlas product, and the other was an Aurora/Minitrix product. When the gondolas arrived in the mail, I thought sure there had been a mistake. Both gondolas had the same road number!

    As far as the Trainworx truck parts go, if they made it onto the container with the Custom Trucks that were just released, I would expect to see the 2017 Truck Parts Catalog announcement very soon.

    Carter
     

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