My 2 cents

I just have to laugh when i see stuff talking about bringing kids into model railroading. Kinda hard when kids can't even afford the trains. I used to buy trainsets, complete trainsets, for under $50. Noww they're over $150. I know the quality has gone up, but still. I have a job and I still can barely afford to buy a locomotive. I have to save money for weeks. I'm trying to limit my cheap trainset locos but the only loco that anyone would say is quality is a BNSF Dash-8 that was given to me as a gift. I scrounge around in bargin bins at train shows for a good loco that don't cost too much. What I'm basicly saying is that prices are getting higher and I want them too go down to appeal to the future model railroaders out there (like me).
I bet some adults hate paying upwards of $200 for a good loco.

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RE: My 2 cents:, cyclone1234, Jun-11-04, 12:29 PM, (1) RE: My 2 cents:, railfan4ever, Jun-11-04, 01:38 PM, (3) RE: My 2 cents:, railfan4ever, Jun-11-04, 01:34 PM, (2) RE: My 2 cents:, bnsfrr, Jun-11-04, 01:51 PM, (4) RE: My 2 cents:, railfan4ever, Jun-12-04, 02:06 PM, (11) RE: My 2 cents:, MasterChief, Jun-13-04, 09:23 PM, (23) RE: My 2 cents:, NewEnglandRailFan, Jun-11-04, 04:46 PM, (5) RE: My 2 cents:, ASR_Q301, Jun-12-04, 02:16 AM, (6) RE: My 2 cents:, Erick_Cantu, Jun-12-04, 09:05 AM, (7) RE: My 2 cents:, UP Wings, Jun-12-04, 10:41 AM, (8) RE: My 2 cents:, Andy J, Jun-12-04, 12:53 PM, (9) RE: My 2 cents:, CWI, Jun-12-04, 01:22 PM, (10) RE: My 2 cents:, MKT1972, Jun-17-04, 11:18 PM, (27) RE: My 2 cents:, railfan4ever, Jun-12-04, 02:15 PM, (13) RE: My 2 cents:, ASR_Q301, Jun-15-04, 01:14 AM, (26) RE: My 2 cents:, Magick_maker, Jun-19-04, 11:23 PM, (30) RE: My 2 cents:, railfan4ever, Jun-12-04, 02:28 PM, (15) RE: My 2 cents:, railfan4ever, Jun-12-04, 02:11 PM, (12) RE: My 2 cents:, XRails, Jun-12-04, 02:19 PM, (14) RE: My 2 cents:, railfan4ever, Jun-12-04, 02:31 PM, (16) RE: My 2 cents:, Richard, Jun-12-04, 03:21 PM, (17) RE: My 2 cents:, railfan4ever, Jun-12-04, 07:05 PM, (18) RE: My 2 cents:, FURX, Jun-12-04, 07:33 PM, (19) RE: My 2 cents:, ILVOEALCO, Jun-13-04, 01:45 PM, (21) RE: My 2 cents:, railfan4ever, Jun-13-04, 03:16 PM, (22) RE: My 2 cents:, Richard, Jun-12-04, 07:50 PM, (20) RE: My 2 cents:, Stew, Jun-14-04, 10:31 PM, (24) RE: My 2 cents:, Ty_train11, Jun-15-04, 00:10 AM, (25) RE: My 2 cents:, Phil C, Jun-18-04, 01:34 AM, (28) RE: My 2 cents:, Magick_maker, Jun-19-04, 11:19 PM, (29) RE: My 2 cents:, Phil C, Jun-20-04, 03:15 AM, (31)

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Prices arn't going up. Try www.hobbylinc.com or www.internetrains.com, for cheaper prices. I have never (and I wont)payed more than $210 for an engine! Walthers makes pretty good engines, that dont gouge your wallet to death. Model Railroading is an expensive hobby, and you just have to deal with it.

Glenn D
Cyclonetrain Railworks
www.cyclonetrain.com
info@cyclonetrain.com

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Athearn makes a lot of good locomotives that don't gouge the wallet either. And the arrray of upgrades for Athearn engines is unbelievable!

SD40-2: the best locomotive EMD ever made!

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Even todays $150 trainsets from Tpys R' Us and Hobby Lobby are CRAP! I remember the old Life-Like trainset I got when I was a kid and the locomotive couldn't even lug itself around! Not even worth mentioning. And yes, high-quality trains do cost a lot. My dad tells me I've spent more money on train stuff than he has on his Jeep! One good trainset I know of is made by Walthers and has an Athearn Ready-To-Roll series P42DC in Amtrack Phase 5 paint, made exclusively for Walthers, 4 Superliner 2 Phase 4, Amtrak cars by Walthers, an MRC power pack (the best made for DC), Atlas track, some of the best you can find, and some other stuff, all for about $200. I bought one of the Athearn Ready-To-Roll series P42DC in Amtrak Phase 5 paint, available separately as Limited Edition, and it cost me about $86.

SD40-2: the best locomotive EMD ever made!

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Yes, it may be an expensive hobby, but that shouldn't discourage young people from becoming a part of it. With careful application of funding, i.e. buying with purpose, the necessary items for the hobby can be purchased. Yes, it may take awhile to save for an item, but it would be a better investment than other things young people waste their money on. A trip to the movies and dinner would buy me a high quality ready-to-run fright car, if not two. So the relative expense of the hobby needs to be taken in perspective. Nothing should be discouraging young people from this hobby, they are sorely needed, wither the adults want to embrace them or not.

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Yes, good ready to run cars are expensive. $25-$35 for Athearn Genesis and $25 for Atlas (the Atlas cars are truly free-rolling!)

SD40-2: the best locomotive EMD ever made!

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Mike,I too live in San Diego; been to the RR Museum in Balboa Park a million times. I've been wanting to set up a layout of my own for some time. Can you recommend a couple of model railroading suppliers here in town? I visited Frank the Train Man the other day...Thanks,MC

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Well, here's MY 2 cents:1. For cheap(er) trains I go to Ebay. Even though I have to say, It's still expencive there too. However, I bought a SP GP9 for like $30 (US) a couple of months ago. I also got a NS C40-9W for about $45.2. THAT is why we have MSTS. We can share stuff for little or nothing. Even payware. A pre-built route, Loco's, and rolling stock for 20-40 bucks.-Dave

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Yeah, It is quite an expensive hobby...but if you are passionate about it...you can get a really good looking railway.Now I am college (university)...I find I can fit in more time to work, making more money. This past 6 months, my layout has almost doubled insize and multiple trains running at once. Before then, If I wanted a new locomotive, I had to wait for Birthday presents from my parents, or Christmas presents. Some people might agree with me that 1 big present is better than lots of little ones. This was the case with me. Recently (last week)...I just purchased one of Athearn's new "Ready-to-Roll" AC4400CW's in BNSF H2 paint. It was at a convention, saved myself 30%!! The loco being 160.00 retail, 40% was quite significant!! From now on, when ever I have the money to purchase something large like a new locomotive, or a 5-pack of stack cars...I'll put the money away and wait for the bi-annual convention to come around. You will be supprised by the ammount of money you can save!! >Mike Forster<
Perth, Western Australiapacificnational_nr103@hotmail.com
http://www.trainweb.org/aussiepix

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That's why I gave up on model railroading and took to TS with GMax in hand. I can have any model I want...for free."The Genesis and the F59PHI are the lamest locomotives Amtrak has ever operated. Accept it and move on. Hug an F40."

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Model Railroading isn't that expensive compaired to other hobbies. Take hunting for an example, I have a lot of friends at school that pay $500-$700 dollars for a bow and then buy all of these different arrows and then you have to have licences and you can only hunt a couple months a year. I bought an Athearn Genesis SD70M for $59.99 the other day. To me prices are going down you just have to wait until they do. And I can work on it wether it is raining, snowing (like it ever does in Texas), and no matter what month it is.

-Brian-
As Long As There Are Test, There Will Always Be Prayer In School

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LAST EDITED ON Jun-12-04 AT 12:54 PM (EDT)

Model trains anit too bad, you just need to watch where you put your money down. I have gotten a few nice nearly new Atlas locomotives off of EBay last year for about 35 bucks each! Still in the box! If you pay attention you can find Athearn cars for 3 and 4 bucks a pop, yes they are in the famous “blue box” but with some minor work, weathering, and Kadee couplers they are perfect for “day to day” use. You can get Athearn “Blue box” 1st and 2nd Generation diesels, my model RR has HORDES of SD40-2’s and GP9’s, With a with a few Alco’s and Trainmasters tossed in for good measure. Yes Athearn’s need some basic work out of the box, but no big deal, and you can upgrade both motors and gear sets cheaply when you decide the standard ones are not up to snuff Unfortunately my Layout is still in the boxes in the closet, till I figure out how I am going to fix up my basement. I have been buying the peaces to it for the PAST 10 YEARS, 20 or 30 bucks at a time. You can also catch Accurail kits on sale that cheap too, from time to time. When you do find them on sale that cheap, WIPE THEM OUT!! And buy your Kadee couplers as you go along, that will save you MUCH HASSLE, LOL I have dozens of the good’ol “no 5’s” on standby!There are cheap ways around many hobbies I am also into fast cars. I own and drive an 85 Dodge Omni GLH-T. I have 2,500 in the whole car, there is not to many cars around here that can keep up with it. Yes it will take a Corvette in the ¼ mile, don’t know about an LS1 though. It is amazing what 275 hp does to a 1,900 pound car. NO NAWSSSS, just good ol’ Mopar turbo charging with nice big intercooler and 18 psi boost you should see the looks on their faces when a nearly 20 year old omni cleans their clocks!!You should see them again, when I tell them how much money is in it, and I ask HOW MUCH they have in their ride!! PRICELESSBTW; GLH stands for "Goes like H#LL" that was the name Carroll Shelby gave it when he helped Chrysler design and build the car and the name stuck all the way to the showroom floor!It is great for chasing trains too!!------------------------------------------
R.I.P Norfolk and Western,at least I got to know ya
you MAY find me hanging out on the Pocahontas and Radford Div of NSAndy J

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My defense for the money I spend on model trains is that I don't play golf (anymore). My wife is very understanding so I don't need to haul that out too often. But given what a round of golf costs, I can buy an Athearn RTR engine and have it for the rest of my life.I can see where it would be hard for someone just starting out though. There's so much more available than there was 30 or so years ago when I got serious about it. Every time I walk into the hobby shop, or look at a web site, there's a ton of new stuff I just have to get. Between the train shows and web retailers there are a lot of discounts to be had, but I try to buy from the local shop as much as possible. He's given me a lot of good advice over the years and he's there seven days a week ...that's worth something.Don

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$500 to $700 for a bow?? It better be made of titanium for that price, sheesh a good rifle can be bought for that amount of money. Its sort of obvious I don't bowhunt isnt it? But yes Hunting is expensive...but I know of no better way to really get back to nature than hunting and fishing. I spent nearly every free day last winter hunting pheasant and quail, did some duck hunting also. Loved every minute of it. 1972"I am the game and you don't want to play me." Lemmy Kilmister--Motorhead

http://www.trainsimstuff.com

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I do not believe that Athearn has advertised their "Ready-to-Roll" AC4400CW's in any other paint scheme than Union Pacific, and they did not cost $160. You may be thinking of Kato's new release, for $150.

SD40-2: the best locomotive EMD ever made!

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No. There is UP, BNSF, SP and I think they are working on a CP one. I have the box to prove it is Athearn R2R. >Mike Forster<
Perth, Western Australiapacificnational_nr103@hotmail.com
http://www.trainweb.org/aussiepix

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I've seen one of those units in SP recently. Today in fact. I'm heading back to Hobby Town to check on some stuff i ordered, but I'll see if that's the same unit.

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There are many ways of getting your hands on a new release for cheap if you look in the Model Railroader magazines. I got a steal deal on an Atlas HO scale Dash 8-40B in BNSF Heritage 1 paint for $86 (MSRP is $140). They've even got the new Atlas DCC-equipped Dash 8-40C for $90 (MSRP is $140-$150). Talk about good deals.

SD40-2: the best locomotive EMD ever made!

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EXACTLY! And knowing this, how can people complain about prices? An MSTS payware route costs $30 and includes all kinds of stuff. A layout, the equivalent of a route, can cost thousands of dollars to build, plus the time and space. MSTS allows us to have an unlimited array of locomotives and cars and routes, all in a little box! But model railroading is a great hobby, even if it is expensive.

SD40-2: the best locomotive EMD ever made!

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Go n-scale! You can get a cheapo loco for $>20 (top-notch ones are still only about $100)! Cars are around $5 apiece, track is about $2.50 for a six pack (turnouts are $8-10). Space is no problem. 4x8 in n-scale is a gigantic layout. My 6x3 layout has a huge yard, six industrial sidings, and a branchline! Check it out!

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That's true. I wish I was in N scale so I would only pay $100 for a locomotive that would cost $150 in HO scale, plus N scale doesn't take up much space. But I chose HO scale because of the amout of detail.

SD40-2: the best locomotive EMD ever made!

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Back when I was in HO, I would by undecorated Athearn Locomotives. I would then buy the appropriate detail parts from Details West and Details Associates for my prototype, and the decals from Micro-scale. Lastly I would buy the correct paint from the Floquil POLLY Scale and get the Ernst re-gear set for the locomotive. After taking the time to apply all the super details, and redoing the mechanism, I would then paint my engine and apply the decals. If you take your time and do the job right, you end up with a very nice looking model to run on your layout, plus the time you invest putting it all together definitely gives you the bang for your buck. Now that I'm in N scale I still do the same, just most of my engines now are from Atlas.Take care,
Rich S.

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Really? How big of a pain in the a$$ is it to add grab irons to a snowplow in N scale?

SD40-2: the best locomotive EMD ever made!

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Well, if you save your money, even doing something like mowing lawns, you can really get some nice stuff.Infact, just by mowing 2 lawns (one paying $10, the other $20), in just 3-1/2 months, I saved up enough to by a pair of Overland brass Chessie/B&O C-27-A cabeese!Even with that, I had enough money saved previously that in early April, I bought a Atlas -dual-mode Chessie-B&O GP40....with detail parts...!You have to have good work ethics, and put your money away, but when you've EARNED what you buy, you are rewarded TWICE;1-You get to play with that cool train work worked your butt off for2-You know you earned every penny, and that it was worth itI prioritized. I would go to Best Buy, see a CD, or game I liked, then I would ask myself, "B&O C-27-As, or a CD?".Again, by prioritizing, I was able to save money in a short period of time. One habbit I have is making major purchases on my own with my own money, then asking for smalled things (like a CD) for holidays, and birthdays.Since July 2002, I have bought with my own money saved;Atlas dual-mode GP38, B&O--------$76
Atlas dual-mode SD35, WM---------$115
Atlas dual-mode GP40, B&O--------$85
Atlas/Roco SD35, WM--------------$45
Atlas dual-mode, WM Custom SD35,-$70 (!)
RPP Custom C40-8W, Conrail-------$70
RPP Custom SD50, CSX-------------$95
LLP2K Custom GP9, B&O------------$60
LLP2K SD7, B&O-------------------$4 (!)
LLP2K GP30M, C&0,----------------$35Plus approx. 55 freight cars, (estimate value, $200, Intermountain, LLP2K, Atlas, etc)5 cabooses, including 2 Overland Brass C27As, $520 worthPlus detail parts (Horns from DW and Overland, wind deflectors, sunshades totalling about $30.Plue Kadee #58s about 15 packs ($43.05)Plus Intermountain and LL2PK wheel sets ($50)Plus 20 sections of flex track and cork ($50)Plus non train related items.........etc........I'm not rich. I'm far from it, but I learned that if you save like crap, you will go very far. This is from mowing lawns in the summer, a bi-weekly allowence of $5, and odd jobs every few months, like cleaning out the gutters, and dishes, etc. Yes it can be hard work, but look at all this cool stuff I have, everything is of high quality, so it will last.Like I said, yeah, it can be frustraiting waiting to earn money, but formulate a budget at every income, plan ahead, and put money in the bank.I know I sound like a old man, but it works. So, go out there, mow a lawn, clean some gutters, or clean your room spotless. You might end up with some very cool trains-Jeffrey

Courteous Future Engineer
NKP 2-8-4 #765. www.765.org
Chessie System Historical Society. http://moosevalley.org/cshs/
My Website; www.xanga.com/csxd765

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Another good way to get cheap HO diesels ( $20-$60 US ) is the Life Like Proto series form www.trainworld.com . They have great prices on just about everything. They regularly sell Rivarosi Steamers for about $100 or more less than the list price in my Walthers 2003 catolog. As far as cars go buy regular Athearn, they have fairly good detail and a price tag that won't kill your wallet. It does'nt help when you have two hobbies though.
Us farm kids learned early that helping farmers with hay pays fairly well. I can make $5 an hour, usally they want you to come after noon, and it helps keep you in shape ( not that I like girls or anything ).
If thier doing small squares, haying can take a week, of coarse it is helps when the weather plays nice. The bad thing, which there always is, is that it is hard work. I also understand that city kids might have a problem finding work on a farm.But this is just my apinion. At any rate Proto is the way to go when it comes to diesels.

Josh S.

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Hopefully, by helping my dad with moving into his new house I'll be able to make enough money to buy a pair of Proto 2000 ex0Santa Fe BNSF GP60's or a couple of sets of Athearn new Ready-To-Roll series BethGon Coalporters.

SD40-2: the best locomotive EMD ever made!

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Actually, it's not as hard as you think

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Why do people balk at the cost of model trains claiming that it's an expensive hobby. Compare it to what is spent on buying and/or upgrading a PC and software every few months or years.Of all the locomotives and rolling stock that I've collected over the past 20 years there's still a lot of monetary value left in them, and some have even appreciated. I've probably invested around $5000 on trains over all that time. Oh, and the oldest ones still run as well to day as they did 20 years ago. I know that I've spent much more than that on computers and software over that time. Very little if any of it has any resale value. What's the going price today on the original Railroad Tycoon? Oh, and it doesn't run worth a tinkers dam on my current PC that cost over $1000 a year ago.Stew

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You Think Model Railroading is Exspensive? Try Motocross.
Good Helmet: $150+
Goggles: $20+
Jersey: $50+
Pants : $70+
Gloves: $35+
Chest Protector: $100+
Knee Braces: $100+
Boots: $130+
Brand New Bike: $5,000+
Used Bike: $1,500+
Plus Maintainance like spark plugs, Oil, chains, sprockets,
air filter, tires (which are expensive), and it becomes exspensive.Not that I'm saying it's not expensive, I know it is, because I have a small set and layout.

Ty

NS(it's in my area)
e-mail: tyburl@netzero.net
NS Grant County Area
Track: 30%
Scenery: 0%
Overall: 5%

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"I have never (and I wont)payed more than $210 for an engine"
thats a shame cause my best engines have all cost over that... my BWLtd GG1 and Hudson engines as well as my proto ABA sets of FA-FB's and my prize possession, my brass EF-4 Little Joe are all pieces i will NEVER get rid of, and will have till i die.. yes they were expensive, yes it took a while to save up but they are well worth the wait and price..

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many moons ago, I read an article in Model Railroader which nearly caused me to give up on model trains in general.Basically, the author said something like: "Bill understands that Model Railroading is an adult hobby, not for kids; and built his layout accordingly."Ok, there's more to it than that, but I found that MR; which had always tried to encourage young people to get into model trains, truthly didn't care if we were doing anything or not.Another perfect example of this attitude came later when a 16 year old was featured in Great Model Railroads. The author of the article talked more about the kid's DAD's layout than anything, and made a point to note that the kid hadn't built everything, but his dad had.
I guess, it's that attitude (along with prices) that drove me into scratchbuilding. Currently, I have a nice little stock of scratch built On30 cars, with my newest addition being a spectrum master builder wooden gondola. I just finished painting it today and will start weathering it with chalk probably tomarrow. Most of my stuff is museum quality; but that again stems from having to make due with scratch built.Something the younger modelers ought remember (and try) is kitbashing. Head down to the local hobby store and pick up one or two old kits. Stuff that's 8 or 9 dollars a box and combine them. One such example I made (which you can try at home) was to take an old timer boxcar, remove the trucks (this is HO scale) and replace them with N scale 4 wheel passenger trucks. While it takes some wrangling to fit, you can make a reasonably good HOn2 boxcar doing that. Or, take an O scale short wooden box car, and replace its trucks with HO Pass trucks and O scale wheels, and you get a On30 box.See, it's not so hard to kitbash. Maybe later, i'll post pics of the progress of my next scratch built car. I'm making a very freelanced pulp wood car, guaged in O, for 30" track.

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i guess im on both sides of this ; These stores have to make money someplace and the markup that they are suggested to charge makes the prices high, but at the same time if you drive the prices too high than only the affulant people, and those with jobs (ie adults) can afford to become model railroaders... but where would they become rr'ers? If you cant intorduce a child into a hobby how can you expect them to carry it into adult hood?i work in a hobby store so i know how much and to whom things are price and geared to, but i am also a hobbiest. If it wastnt for my parents support and financial help when i was young i wouldnt be such an avid model RRer now that i am in my early 20's.
i know that the cost of things have gone up, thats just inflation but you must always keep somethings (ie trainsets, locomotive models) within reach of those in order to get new people into the hobby and keep those olds hats interested. Once you have someone hooked, and they know that the more they spend, the better the quality thats their problem not the manufacturer.I say this because several times at work i have been told that i am the "youngest" person that the particular coustomer knows of that is a model RRer... im very proud that i am carrying on a hobby that my dad had when he was young and that he got me interested in when i was a youngin', and when i have kids, i will DEFINATELY get them involved with model railroading as well..
i hope that the prices dont discourage anyone frrom becoming a model railroader. It would be a total shame if this hobby died out because of the price of things... I dunno if thats a bunch of non coherent thoughts, but its how i feel. i will always bee a model railroader, and will try to get anyone and everyone involved with the hobby i can, in one way or another, but at the same time i understand that people are being forced out because of the prices of the supplies...

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