As everyone who shops for trains realizes by now, the prices of rolling stock are rising dramatically. Some of it is the amazing amount of detail applied, metal wheels and of course, the cost of raw materials and shipping to us. For N-Scale, I think the current highest list price for a piece of rolling stock is $69.95 for the upcoming Intermountain Bi-Level Autoracks. These are the old Red Caboose models which were produced starting 20 years (or more) ago. The new ScaleTrains Multi-Max units just released have a list price of $55.99. I believe there are some Bachmann passenger cars with list prices of $59.95. The Rapido Comet cars have a list price of 69.95. The list goes on and on. I would be curious to hear your thoughts.
I don't have the actual knowledge of most people here and therefore just wing it on my rolling stock, and I am cheap too, so I buy bulk here, and at the local hobby shop. My bulk is like 3-6 pieces! I go by look and price, except in rare cases! And I have very little of MT type stuff at this point. But in the future it will mostly be MT type couplers on rolling stock I buy!
Day was I had no limit. Now? Given: * I'm retired * Have more than I need * I'm in the processof de-accumulating. I recently paid $3 each for 10 gondolas and flat cars with Rapido couplers. That is about it.
Even in HO, I feel like prices are getting to be slightly unreasonable. Intermountain is making some rotary coal gondolas using old LBF tooling both in HO and N. The HO models at my local hobby shop are $28 dollars. These are extremely spartan models; very light, molded grab irons, not even a coal load is included. This tooling is probably 20 years old at a minimum. In comparison, the Athearn RTR model is about the same price, with metal plating, separate grab irons, and a load. Even the top-of-the-line Scaletrains Rivet Counter Bethgon is $40, which is only $10 more than the supposed 'value' of Intermountain's car. I can understand the $40 price point for most highly-detailed HO models. I don't buy models very often, so I don't mind paying a bit more for a high-quality model. What frustrates me the most is the fact that prices keep going up on models using 20-30 year old tooling. Even Athearn Roundhouse models are approaching the high $20 mark. These are usually one-piece bodies with molded underframes. I can understand labor costs for highly-detailed models with many separate parts, but for a model with 4 or 5 major components molded on old tooling, there really is no reason they should be this expensive.
What? You can afford to buy new? I mostly get used. New prices are a bit intimidating and I like hunting for deals. That said, I have spent $30 / car for a set of passenger cars new.
Whew! I remember when I told myself that I'd never pay more than $10 for rolling stock. That was about 30 years ago. Recently I paid about $36 for the JTC well cars. That's the upper limit for something I don't really need. I do have some of the IM/FVM autoracks on order, which should be here any day now. I figure those will set me back about $56 each, but after these I will not need any more autoracks. I'm also waiting on the Atlas 53' spine cars. Those I "need". But after that, I'm pretty much done except for wants, and that has a lower price threshold. Passenger cars are a bit different. Maybe $60 is the most I'd pay there, except for an SP 3/4 dome. I'd pay brass prices for that!
When I was originally into N '90-'02 I was making $60K and bought anything I wanted new. Now it's $25K so I'm real cheap. And enjoying it far less.
I buy very little rolling stock these days because, like @Grey One , I'm at the stage in life where I'm ridding myself of things unlikely to be used. The last car I bought was an N Scale Atlas 40' Virginian Boxcar, one that I paid a ridiculous MSRP price of $27.99 for at a Roanoke hobby shop so as to have a souvenir of our road trip. I've no regrets though, as I figured I'd later regret not buying it.
Remember when a bottle of Coke was 10 cents? I stopped buying soda a long time ago but I think it sells for what? 200 times that?
In a away, I don't so much have a limit on the price as I do on what. I'm at the point now that I have the rolling stock I need plus some for the layout, so what I buy now are mainly unusual type cars that really catch my eye. Since I am buying a lot less as each year passes now, that does allow me a bit more wiggle room on price. I really like the JTC well cars that Traindork mentioned but with a street price (not MSRP) of $36 to $40 bucks, I am passing on them since I really don't need them even though it would be cool to run a string of them on the layout. Probably the most expensive car I bought recently was the M/T 60' Railbox On Track for a Cure car. Of course, part of that cost did go to a good cause. and a NSE special run BNSF reefer box car. Total foobie but it really looks cool. Just my two cents worth and that is probably over valuing it by abut three cents.
I quit buying new stuff several years ago. I am convinced that the increase in rolling stock prices is contrived as I do not see the same percentage increase in locomotives. Thirty years ago locomotives retailed for about $95-$110. Today they are about $200. But today they are redesigned to be DCC ready and come with extra parts like grab irons etc. Rolling stock has changed very little. Atlas is still pumping out 90 ton hoppers that retailed for about $5-$6 but now are $28. Why the disparity between the two in percentage increases? This is not the result of inflation or shipping costs. The problem lies much deeper. One good thing about it though is that all the rolling stock I have accumulated over the years is now worth more than I paid for it. Good thing I kept all those Rapido trucks/couplers. I can remove the MT's and sell them separately too.
Well another one who basically has all I need and went through several sessions of thinning out the stock. Got enough to run about ten freight trains and enough to fill most of my spurs and sidings including my car ferry.
This sort of thing plays out with plastic kits too. This Faller crane was priced at $1.00 in my 1973 JMC catalog and today the very same kit is priced at $20.00 on various websites. According to an inflation calculator, it should sell for $6.25.
The most expensive piece of rolling stock I have bought (other than a SP brass caboose that was $65 probably 20 years ago) was the MT SP impact box car which retailed for $60 (I bought one from one of the discount online stores for less), but my max that I will pay for most rolling stock is $30 retail and that needs to be a car I really want. Currently the new Tidewater Southern MT car just came out and while I really want one, I still haven't pulled the trigger yet. Maybe $25 is my max...after all, my inventory now says I have 1200 pieces of rolling stock and probably close to 100 undecs waiting for decals. Ebays new changes in the categories (where they have eliminated N scale as a category and now all scales are listed together) has forced me to cut down on buying anything from them (thanks ebay).
Model scales have moved to the 'filters' tab rather than being a subcategory of 'model trains'. You can still search for specific scales, but they aren't included in the dropdown like 'toys and hobbies -> model trains -> N scale'. Now it's 'toys and hobbies -> model trains' and then you have to go to the filters tab to find 'scale' and select the 'N scale' checkbox.
True on the filters, but it's harder to search for specifics now. Used to be that you could search within the N Scale category and get only N Scale products (well, mostly). Now it's on you to put the appropriate search terms in and hope for a reasonable outcome. As for prices... well, $30 is the new $20, which was the old $10...
I wonder how much the shrinking of the market for model trains (fewer modelers), and thus likely smaller production runs, has driven up the production costs, and thus prices... That, and likely gone are the days of tons of trainsets sold for kids' Christmas or Birthday gifts. So, rather than toy prices for kids, they are now charging "collectable" prices for adults. For a while, the average income of someone in the model trains hobby was going up. Now it's likely going down as most enter or are in retirement. But on the other hand, I'm spending more on hobbies in retirement than I did when I was working, paying for private schools, and then college, for the kids, and saving for retirement. Time to spend on me and the Mrs.!
