# Rising locomotive prices



## danvan54 (Oct 14, 2020)

I've gotten back into the hobby after many years away and am building my collection once again. I am staying with DC for now, and working 
within a small budget. Most of my locos are Athearn BB's, Atlas, Bachmann Spectrum and a couple of AHM (Yugoslovia). While on the lookout 
for bargains it seems that prices lately have shot into the heavens. A year ago I was able to get Athearns for $30 - $50 shipped to me and now 
similar units are $60 and up before shipping! Same for rolling stock.
Anyone else going thru this and offer any explanations?


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## mesenteria (Oct 29, 2015)

The same thing has happened to milled lumber, motorcycles, snowmobiles... It's Economix 102. Dwindling supply, a lot of bored or re-motivated people left unsupervised.


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## BigGRacing (Sep 25, 2020)

Hopefully, it will get back to normal some day or the hobby might just die off like others


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## Stumpy (Mar 19, 2013)

mesenteria said:


> The same thing has happened to milled lumber, motorcycles, snowmobiles... It's Economix 102. Dwindling supply, a lot of bored or re-motivated people left unsupervised.


Yep.



https://finance.yahoo.com/news/warren-buffett-we-are-seeing-substantial-inflation-and-are-raising-prices-220539307.html


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## cv_acr (Oct 28, 2011)

BigGRacing said:


> Hopefully, it will get back to normal some day or the hobby might just die off like others


Blah blah. People have been predicting the death of the hobby since the 1950s.

The fact is there are more variety of products and companies out there than ever before - yes, some of them are very expensive and fairly limited runs, but there are still more "economical" options out there...


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## BigGRacing (Sep 25, 2020)

cv_acr said:


> Blah blah


I hope you are right


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## briangcc (Oct 11, 2012)

You are still in a pandemic where people are home, cooped up, and wondering what in blue blazes they're going to do to keep themselves from going stir crazy. Some got back into the hobby and started building their empires. Personally, I started an O scale layout in the basement for my 3 boys.

Prices have been on the rise ever since the arrival of DCC. Now you have every bell & whistle, literally, along with operating ditch lights, in some instances smoke, and separately applied details galore....which you pay through the nose on. In my humble opinion, the younger generation, kids, are being priced out of the market as who really can drop $200+ on a single locomotive cutting grass these days? Same goes for rolling stock which now has Kadee-esque (some are absolute junk) couplers already installed along with separate details.

We can argue until we're blue in the face about whether or not the hobby is dead. But look at how its called...."Model Railroading". I'd argue that beyond building a layout, the "modeling" part is largely cut out now as you can simply open a box and drop it on the track. There's no customizing left in that scenario. Gone are the days of milling a Varney F2/F3 shell to accept an Athearn F7 drive. Or working up a Hobbytown kit with the proper gearing and actually breaking it in to run smooth as glass. Or cutting up an Athearn DD-35 frame, extending it, and dropping it under a Bachmann DD-40 shell as that was the best it was going to get as Athearn (Genesis) and Bachmann Spectrum didn't carry it - look for my article in RMC back in the early 90's on the subject 


FWIW: I still prize my Varney, RPP, and Athearn GP30's (Yes I have about a half dozen growlers that I adore).


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## Murv2 (Nov 5, 2017)

New kits are still being sold, see Labelle, AMB, BTS, JB Models. What I haven't found is new locomotive kits. I've been buying used but I don't think anyone made any new ones since the 90's or so. Kind of sad, nothing more satisfying than getting the valve gear working properly.


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## Sideways (Jan 25, 2021)

Like Mes. said, we're in the middle of a pandemic, people are locked at home with nothing else to do, so they get back into their old hobbies or enter into a new one. Just about every market in the world has been crippled in some way or another, and in this scenario, there's both a shortage of raw materials, and people are buying more than in previous years. This applies mainly to retail, but of course the second hand market will happily join in the gouging if they see that people are paying more elsewhere.

I'm not trying to be the "um, actually" guy here, cause I know how you feel. I'm a newbie still getting all the things I need, and if my LHS doesn't have something, then I'm screwed more often than not, because said item will usually be up to double the price online, or sold out, and thats without factoring in the ever rising shipping fees.


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## Severn (May 13, 2016)

Besides apparently surging demand, the manufacturers are upping the fine details and accuracy ... And folks are willing to pay for it. Or that's my take.


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## Boris (Dec 5, 2020)

Some products are in short supply which directly results in increased prices until supply catches up with demand or demand declines to the level of supply. Wages are going up, as companies suddenly begin the process of restarting full production...Labor Costs, not retail prices to consumers, are what economists and industrialists like Warren Buffet worry about. Transportation costs are rising as speculators buy into energy futures.
This all took a little over a year to get to this state, and it will take another year for things to settle down, (give or take a few months). 
There are still some bargains around, in answer to the OP's question. Won't be long until train shows resume in real places with real buyers and sellers. As old timers expire, collections go on the market for the best offer...Expand your search.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

briangcc said:


> We can argue until we're blue in the face about whether or not the hobby is dead. But look at how its called...."Model Railroading". I'd argue that beyond building a layout, the "modeling" part is largely cut out now as you can simply open a box and drop it on the track. There's no customizing left in that scenario. Gone are the days of milling a Varney F2/F3 shell to accept an Athearn F7 drive. Or working up a Hobbytown kit with the proper gearing and actually breaking it in to run smooth as glass. Or cutting up an Athearn DD-35 frame, extending it, and dropping it under a Bachmann DD-40 shell as that was the best it was going to get as Athearn (Genesis) and Bachmann Spectrum didn't carry it - look for my article in RMC back in the early 90's on the subject


You are, of course, entitled to your own opinion, but the fact that you don't HAVE to do these things anymore doesn't mean the hobby is dying. Far from it. It's becoming more accessible to more people, and it allows hobbyists to CHOSE which aspects of the hobby they enjoy, and concentrate on that, while leaving the drudgework that they don't find particularly fun to someone else (a factory worker). You are, however, wrong about the "modeling" . A model is a "representation, usually in miniature, of something else". It does not imply that it has to be built personally by the modeler. A model structure is a model because it is a representation of a full size building, not because it is assembled from scratch out of a box of sticks and a photocopied set of plans. There are still opportunities to buy locomotive kits and modify them into something else (or start with a fully assembled model and break it down), but the fact that I can buy that fully assembled model INSTEAD of building it myself doesn't mean anything bad is happening to the hobby. If you enjoy tinkering with the innards of locomotives, or modifying them to make a different one, go right ahead. I don't, particularly, and I'm glad I don't have to.


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## Severn (May 13, 2016)

I don't think it's dying either but some parts are doing better than others. Apparently during the pandemic a lot of folks have gotten interested, or re-interested in it that had been in it before. That doesn't mean they are buying 100s the latest things, but it all adds up. American O seems a bit worst off than the others -- HO seems the most vibrant with N slightly behind that. But that's just a feeling.


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

More than a feeling.....HO and N scale are number one and two in popularity, and have been for quite some time....


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## Boris (Dec 5, 2020)

Agreed. Two things that have kept me out of Scale O, (or for that matter hi-rail O), are cost and lack of space. I'm into HO, and occasionally wish I had gone into N instead. HO has a great variety of products, which makes it very popular....


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## Murv2 (Nov 5, 2017)

Boris said:


> Agreed. Two things that have kept me out of Scale O, (or for that matter hi-rail O), are cost and lack of space. I'm into HO, and occasionally wish I had gone into N instead. HO has a great variety of products, which makes it very popular....


N has always been tempting for me, but the way my vision is now I'm glad I still have HO.


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## MichaelE (Mar 7, 2018)

Same here. I could do a lot in N with the space I have, but N is too small for me to work with. Even with the level of detail that is available these days it's wasted if you can't see it.


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## Severn (May 13, 2016)

Alas I like all the scales -- but I admit for an inside layout in a room which is not a dedicated room that is pretty big but not huge... N is very very tempting. However I stick with HO because not only is it great, it seems to be the vibrant scale. But N is coming along there, no doubt about it.


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## Stumpy (Mar 19, 2013)

MichaelE said:


> I could do a lot in N with the space I have, but N is too small for me to work with.


Likewise. My layout isn't done, but I have everything I need to complete it (unless I do that yard expansion). Then I come across a cool feature that I'd really like to add, but there's no room for it. Then I get to thinking I'll just start over with N. Then I go to the LHS (like I did yesterday) and actually see the size of the N stuff in person and... Uhhh, no.


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## Severn (May 13, 2016)

Yep, N is small. And I have a little bit of trouble with HO as far as that goes too. But it doesn't come up too often. I guess it depends -- well this is the way I think about it. It depends how much you really like the actual layout building, populating it with buildings, trees, grass shrubs and -- how big of an area you'd like to cover there. If you are lucky and you have a very large room or space -- perhaps just not an issue. But if you have limits ... the space I have is pretty big I admit but if I went with N, I could probably cram a lot more into it for all that "layout stuff" and take up less space. And since its a dual use room -- that's appealing. Not doing anything yet though, maybe never will -- but its an idea. (a simpler option than a complete redo is to build a actual real but limited small N layout sometime and just how I like it)


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## Boris (Dec 5, 2020)

Spent the past weekend with my son and his family. He has as much HO, (at least), as I do, plus some Lionel O he inherited from his grandfather. He also has his "starter" N scale Atlas RS3, Northeastern Caboose and several cars. Not for nothing, but i think mt Athearn HO Ford Fire truck is larger than the RS3. I now have difficulty working on HO stuff, let alone N scale...But I can't help what I could have, operationally, in the same space.


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## trainguru (Jun 28, 2011)

As one of the "younger" generation of Model Railroaders, prices are a painful part of the Hobby. Having been on MTF for many years, and in the Hobby for longer. I look at prices from the aspects of:


The Item itself.
What Purpose it serves for the Pike.
Price over Commonality (lower the price and more uncommon it is, the best; more leeway for rare items, as long as taxes and shipping are justified...).
Is it a "Hill I'd die on" for?
90+%, I go for classic DC models, as modern DCC is too much for me to wrap-around, as there was more creativity and fun, rather than the _demi-hegemony of model ranges, _available today.


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## Railroadinovations (May 25, 2011)

Hi,
Our program, Imagination Station Kids On Track Model Railroad And Train Safety Program has been promoting model railroading to nearly 7 million children and their families in 33 years of service in mainly G scale presently, as well as HO, O and N scales. We've done this in both the past and present and free of charge to everyone in that time. Kids actually get to operate our trains and accessories under supervision and momentum control no matter what train it is, what scale, how long it is, how expensive it is and who the manufacturer is.
We've been involved with almost every model railroad or related manufacturer in the world during that time and although I may not be fully qualified to state this, I firmly believe that the model railroading hobby has taken more of a dip in the G scale market than anywhere at all. Between Rising costs in China, the closing of Aristocraft Trains, Kalamazoo, Hartland Locomotive Works and recently Mike's Train House and others, plus the rediclous prices for used or new products and shipping on Ebay and other sites, families with interested children can't afford to buy these products anymore, if they're even available. 
As far as N scale, HO scale and O scale go, I have to say that I still see a future in it but it will have to compete with electronic media and that's a big uphill battle. I've actually had kids trying to operate our trains on our layouts at events and still play games on there media devices at the same time. It wasn't that they were not interested in the trains, it was a battle of which type of entertainment was of greater interest at the moment. From my experience, I don't see the hobby going under because there are too many people still interested in it and probably will be for a long time but as smartphones, tablets, gaming, computers and other electronic media take over more and more, I do find the interest dwindling and that is why our program has been around as long as it has been. We are trying to expose children, not just to railroad safety but to the hobby as well, therefore trying to keep it alive. There will always be somebody interested and hopefully what we have done has sparked a whole new interest in a new generation of model railroaders.
Now, back on subject;
Against our better judgment and because product will no longer be available very soon due to the closure of Mike's Train House, we took the dive and purchased a new G scale, MTH SD70ACE (BNSF). 
Talk about expensive prices, this locomotive cost us $667 plus substantial shipping cost, which has gotten excessively ridiculous also but we won't get into that right now. 
So when you talk about prices going up, you're absolutely right. I personally think it's ridiculous because it prices families and children out of the market, unless they're independently wealthy. In the G scale market it's become a rich man's only hobby, and really, the same can be said about the other scales because even the used products are being sold for double what they sold for originally new. I saw an very old O scale model on eBay the other day of an SD-45 that looked like it had been dropped from a 20 ft ladder and the price on that was nearly $300 and get this, it's actually sold for that price!
In summary, the hobby is still alive and kicking and I don't think it ever will completely go under.
Now what will happen with the future of G scale is anybody's guess but the smaller scales will survive in my opinion.
With Piko, Bachmann, LGB/Marklin, Accucraft and a few others in G scale that are still in business and still producing trains, it may keep the g-scale market alive, hopefully. This is only if they use good sense and bring prices down to an affordable range because without families and kids being able to afford the product, there isn't much chance of keeping a company open and thriving as we've seen in the past. 
Let's face it, collector's can't pay all the bills! 
When people have kids and families to take care of, trains take a backseat immediately and especially if they cost a fortune! 
There's really no excuse for trains to cost as much as they do because they don't cost that much to build, with some exceptions of special runs and I've seen some of those that are way overpriced too. 
Interesting fact! 
I've noticed that you can have several different paint schemes of the same model that a manufacturer charged the same price for originally and when you go on to EBay or other sites to look at the different paint schemes of the same model, everyone has a different price, even new. And another interesting fact, anything that sells on EBay that is green in color sells for a much higher price and always has bidding on it. 
Shouldn't the same models in the same condition that have different paint schemes cost the same like the manufacturers charged when they originally sold them? 
The only exception should be added electronics or details, not the paint scheme! Amazing and astonishing how $0.14 worth of paint will raise the price of a model hundreds of dollars and it seems the bright colors sell the best like red, green, blue, Etc. I've been watching it for a lot of years and it's strange but true.
Greed never pays off in the long run and seeing a product actually sell at a reasonable price to someone who really wanted it is what keeps the hobby alive. Let's face it, if your not independently wealthy and you have a kid that's interested in model trains and he/she sees a locomotive they would really like to have but the price is $700 and you could buy them a decent smartphone, game system or computer to keep them entertained for $300 or less, I mean really, which would you choose in this economy?
For those of you who are going to tell me that some smartphones and other media devices can cost over $1,100, you're right but what parent pays that in MOST cases for their kids.
Model railroading teaches kids hands on, electronics, engineering, mathematics, carpentry and building skills, railroad operations, momentum and stopping distance, designing, business operations, organization, mechanics and repair, safety, maintenance, cooperation & sharing, team building if applicable and many, many other great things not mentioned here. 
It also allows them to dream, design and build their own world as they see it. 
Love to see electronic devices do all that and especially hands on!
Share this hobby with your child, grandchildren and any other child, young adult or young at heart person that may be interested and maybe we can all work together to keep model railroading alive for years to come, if EVERYONE doesn't get priced out of the market that is!
Ken
Imagination Station Kids On Track Model Railroad And Train Safety Program 
E. Helena, Montana


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## Chops124 (Dec 23, 2015)

If there is a model train show/sale in your area, try that. I find most vendors quite willing to bargain, particularly on the last day in the last hours and the less they have to pack up the better. I've got stuff half off for the asking, which on Day 1 they might have told me to go to Heck.


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## Boris (Dec 5, 2020)

Unfortunately, most model train shows/sales over the last year have been cancelled due to the pandemic, which along with commodity shortages, and work place restrictions has had an impact on prices and service.

Interesting comment about the color having an impact on prices though. My observation has been that of late the supplyer offerings have narrowed down to the same (Western) color schemes. This is not universal, and probably just my perception. But if it's a trend, it may cause a revival in the hobby paint and decal market.


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## GeeTee (Dec 23, 2020)

danvan54 said:


> I've gotten back into the hobby after many years away and am building my collection once again. I am staying with DC for now, and working
> within a small budget. Most of my locos are Athearn BB's, Atlas, Bachmann Spectrum and a couple of AHM (Yugoslovia). While on the lookout
> for bargains it seems that prices lately have shot into the heavens. A year ago I was able to get Athearns for $30 - $50 shipped to me and now
> similar units are $60 and up before shipping! Same for rolling stock.
> Anyone else going thru this and offer any explanations?


I presume you are talking about the used market. both supply and demand fluctuate substantially on the used market . Prices also vary according to the goals of the sellers , some want to try to sell at a fixed price ,well above the market price , while others want to turn their inventory much faster and are willing to sell at market prices. When the "quick turn" sellers run out of inventory prices can jump 2X - 4X . The only alternative is patience , wait till the market becomes saturated again. $30 -$50 is almost certainly a saturated market. 

Always check sold listings to see what prices have done over the last few months.


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## cv_acr (Oct 28, 2011)

Railroadinovations said:


> I've noticed that you can have several different paint schemes of the same model that a manufacturer charged the same price for originally and when you go on to EBay or other sites to look at the different paint schemes of the same model, everyone has a different price, even new. And another interesting fact, anything that sells on EBay that is green in color sells for a much higher price and always has bidding on it.
> Shouldn't the same models in the same condition that have different paint schemes cost the same like the manufacturers charged when they originally sold them?
> The only exception should be added electronics or details, not the paint scheme! Amazing and astonishing how $0.14 worth of paint will raise the price of a model hundreds of dollars


You're talking the secondhand market, not new, so supply and demand of individual schemes play in to it. When new from the manufacturer they would have all been the same. On the secondary market, anything could happen.

e.g. Union Pacific is a common railroad that will sell more easily. A small regional railroad may be harder to unload on general modelers, or conversely, if a smaller number of them were made originally (logical for a less-demanded roadname) then they may be harder to find by collectors/modelers of that railway years after the original production which could push up price if it seems there's no chance of them being re-run any time soon.


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

I think the modellers location, and/or favourite road, plays into price too.....up here, talking used trains, US roads tend to sell for less than Canadian roadnames (CN, CP, etc).....could be that less Canadian roads are produced as well.....that’s why Rapido has seen such a speedy rise in popularity and sales....they make prototypical Canadian pieces, and thats what we up here are starving for....used prices for Rapido are far higher than their origin MSRP.....


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

cv_acr said:


> Blah blah. People have been predicting the death of the hobby since the 1950s.
> 
> The fact is there are more variety of products and companies out there than ever before - yes, some of them are very expensive and fairly limited runs, but there are still more "economical" options out there...


1960s...slot cars are killing model railroading 
Me...buys first N scale train set at age 9

1970s...Disco is killing model railroading
Me... scratch builds first wood buildings

1980s...VCRs are killing model railroading
Me...builds first true railroad with cookie cutter benchwork and wicked scenery

1990s...marriage is killing model railroading
Me...bride buys large lot of model train parts for me, spends time admiring my work 

2000s...Obamacare is killing model railroading
Me...builds two more layouts, starts several web pages and online tutorials, builds collection of dream locomotives and rolling stock from junk boxes of other people's "toy junk" while they're buying Paragon, BLI and MTH DCC equipped Sounders.

2010s...iPhones are killing model railroading
Me...less money buying, more time tinkering older models back to life.

2020s...model railroading is dead 
Me..."Honey...could you pick me up some Testor's glue at Hobby Lobby for these old Jordan kits I squirreled away while you're out?"

Hobbies never die, fads do.


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## Boris (Dec 5, 2020)

shaygetz said:


> 1960s...slot cars are killing model railroading
> Me...buys first N scale train set at age 9
> 
> 1970s...Disco is killing model railroading
> ...


Can't argue with that!


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## Boiler-man-UP (Mar 15, 2020)

danvan54 said:


> I've gotten back into the hobby after many years away and am building my collection once again. I am staying with DC for now, and working
> within a small budget. Most of my locos are Athearn BB's, Atlas, Bachmann Spectrum and a couple of AHM (Yugoslovia). While on the lookout
> for bargains it seems that prices lately have shot into the heavens. A year ago I was able to get Athearns for $30 - $50 shipped to me and now
> similar units are $60 and up before shipping! Same for rolling stock.
> Anyone else going thru this and offer any explanations?


You think the loco prices are high now, wait until the plastic industry catches up to the crude oil industry due to the reduction of crude at the refineries like years past when plastic models jumped about 30 % in cost all thanks to the new regime in the Whitehouse.


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## BigGRacing (Sep 25, 2020)

Many excellent points made by many of you, still only so many dollars to go around for the average Joe. I will not drop the hobby by any means as it is enjoyable to me. That does not change the fact that many items are well out of reach cost wise for sure. Either Christmas gifts or saving and like some have said, only buy what you are really going to need/use.

PS . beautiful collection and track Shaygetz


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## Boris (Dec 5, 2020)

BigGRacing said:


> That does not change the fact that many items are well out of reach cost wise for sure.


Not for nothing, many things have always been out of reach cost wise, the whole time I have been in the Hobby. There is a whole list of products, that though highly desirable, were not affordable when offered. This has never affected my enjoyment of the hobby either.


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

BigGRacing said:


> PS . beautiful collection and track Shaygetz


Thank you...it all came to me over the years...trades, box lots, freebies. There really isn't a whole lot of money in it...maybe enough to buy two Paragon or MTH units. Box lots I bought had pieces I wanted removed, then I turned around and sold the remaining units. About a third of it was given to me, and I NEVER sell gifts. Another third are repaired rejects from the island of lost toys.

I learned long ago that the price of the hobby goes up with fidelity to prototype, so one of the things that helps the collection is that Im not devoted to any one road or type of rolling stock and locomotive. Mantua and Rivarossi dominate my steam roster, good diesel models from Bachmann, Athearn and AHM, plus many old school...HObbyline, Marx, Tyco...make up my diesel stable. I have some trolleys, but the remaining electrics I sold off long ago.


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## danvan54 (Oct 14, 2020)

Thanks to all for the excellent input and sometimes funny replies. I will continue to patiently shop for bargains and add to the collection as I can. I do enjoy getting older units and servicing or repairing them into usable units again. I will keep following MTF for news and great advice.


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## Eilif (Nov 6, 2017)

Interesting how many folks referred to new locos


danvan54 said:


> A year ago I was able to get Athearns for $30 - $50 shipped to me and now
> similar units are $60 and up before shipping! Same for rolling stock.
> Anyone else going thru this and offer any explanations?


Interesting how many folks referred to new locos, scales, etc, but didn't actually look at the prices of older used stuff.
I have noticed some of the same trends. My theory on why 
has a few aspects.
1) According to a couple of local train shop owners I spoke too, there has been an increase in interest in used product even before Covid
2) Throughout Covid, Ebay dealers have not had to compete with Train Shows.
3) Based on the above, the existing used stock in online dealers has been shrinking at the same time as demand has been increasing.
4) A fair number of imported train items have become harder to source and scarcer.

Smaller contributing factors to the above might include
-Increasing prices of new equipment driving folks into the used market.
-Certain "toy" quality trains are becoming mildly collectible, especially certain less common items

I don't think prices will drop too much, but I also don't this upward trend will necessarily continue.
-Covid restrictions will lift and train shows will continue
-Imports will get straightened out and product from overseas will increase again.
-Even more older hobbyists will begin to age-out or pass-away and there are alot of large collections of old and newer items just waiting to flood the market.

I've been helping my club liquidate donated equipment that the club doesn't need. We are seeing a steady stream of donated items from folks leaving the hobby, passing away, etc. Especially older Blue-Box'ish stuff but also some nice newer items from the 2000's as well.


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## BigGRacing (Sep 25, 2020)

as pointed out by some, here is my email deal this week:








it will be a long time saving before most can ever afford this beautiful engine.
but a beautiful engine for those that can get it for sure....


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

BigGRacing said:


> as pointed out by some, here is my email deal this week:
> View attachment 559654
> 
> it will be a long time saving before most can ever afford this beautiful engine.
> but a beautiful engine for those that can get it for sure....


My $35 Rivarossi Dreyfuss is pretty enough...


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## BigGRacing (Sep 25, 2020)

Wow....$35, that is so unreal and depressing.....lol


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## Lemonhawk (Sep 24, 2013)

That's what a locomotive is supposed to look like!


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## MacDaddy55 (Aug 19, 2008)

Ebay has become overpriced but FB Market Place is the new Happy Hunting ground for used HO and O scale Railroading! Now that Hobby shops have opened to more traffic the demand has become huge...and we are talking all kinds of Modeling, Gaming, Arts & Crafts, you name it...yes something good has come out of this Pandemic. At the Title Town Train Show in Green Bay the turnout was exceptional and sales for both New and Old scale equipment were very brisk.....and prices weren't too bad considering!! NO this Hobby isn't dying far from it it's exploding and we just started up again with lesser CDC restrictions for the time being....Fingers Crossed for this Autumn and Pre Christmas Train Shows!!


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

Lemonhawk said:


> That's what a locomotive is supposed to look like!


Unless you want a CPR Royal Hudson..... 🤣


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## artfull dodger (Nov 19, 2016)

The first couple local train shows as covid restriction ease, had excellent prices and lots of trains if your hunting older models and brass. Never seen so much brass at shows till these first 2 post covid shows. While prices for the new fangled stuff with all kinds of electronic wonders keeps going up and up. The prices for the nicer older stuff is a buyers market, from locomotives to older freight car kits and building kits. I mostly hunt for older craftsman kits from Suydam for buildings. I have gone over to the "dark side" of traction modeling using mostly Suydam/Soho/MTM brass import cars and older craftsman kit buildings. I have most the cars I need, so the costs are not to bad and gives me hours of enjoyment building kits thru the colder months of the year. Mike


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

Welcome to the dark side...model railroading pretty much does not exist after 1985 for me.


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