Trains.com

Price of brass track has tripled? Locked

1056 views
14 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: South Western PA
  • 139 posts
Price of brass track has tripled?
Posted by Smoke Stack Lightnin' on Friday, May 23, 2008 1:57 PM

Ok, in fall of 05' a box (12ea.) of 6.5' radi Aristo brass American from a popular outlet was 45.95.  I just called for a price (thinking of expanding) of the same, shocked to find the same stuff is now $145.95.  Yikes, is this a brass thing, or has all G-scale track tripled in price!

Stack 

  • Member since
    October 2006
  • From: silver spring, md
  • 1,232 posts
Posted by altterrain on Friday, May 23, 2008 2:28 PM

Have you been hiding in a cave for the past year?!? Confused [%-)]

Everything is going up, especially the metals market. The price of copper has increased 8 fold in the past five years. This has been discussed to death and then some...

-Brian 

President of
  • Member since
    December 2007
  • From: NJ (Kittatinny Mountains)
  • 436 posts
Posted by SNOWSHOE on Friday, May 23, 2008 8:38 PM
Thats why I have only 60ft of track on my layout.  I looked at Stainless Steel and it was a little more expensive.  I am thinking about making my own track.  I was looking around for just rails but cant find anything.  Does anyone know were I can find just rails.  Does Aristo sell just rails I tried looking on Ridge Road but found nothing. 
  • Member since
    August 2007
  • 20 posts
Posted by bigswede073 on Saturday, May 24, 2008 6:55 AM

Sounds like it's time to dust off the hardwood dowels and build a pole road!!  GBG!

This is not my pic - but one I keep close by for inspiration!

 http://s-scale.org/albums/main.php/v/friends/dmunseyjr/poleroads/widegen+pole+road+3.jpg.html

 don

Don Munsey, Jr S/Sn42 and Hn42 river logging fan Big Sandy & Cumberland RR & VGN Rwy fan Bonsai enthusiast Living in UpperRight Corner of Louisiana

  • Member since
    December 2001
  • From: Smoggy L.A.
  • 10,743 posts
Posted by vsmith on Saturday, May 24, 2008 9:26 AM
user="Smoke Stack Lightnin'"]

Ok, in fall of 05' a box (12ea.) of 6.5' radi Aristo brass American from a popular outlet was 45.95.  I just called for a price (thinking of expanding) of the same, shocked to find the same stuff is now $145.95.  Yikes, is this a brass thing, or has all G-scale track tripled in price!

Stack 

Yeap, kinda of a rude "welcome to the 21st century" isnt it, like $4 a gallon gas. It began after LGB did the Big Hindenburg and went down in flames 2 years ago, (They are now owned by Marklin and not importing to the US currently, in case ya didnt know), shortly after that Aristo announced a 50% price increase, other makers soon followed suit. Today track prices has really gotten stupid. Brass is close enough to Stainless Steel in price one might as well get the stainless, which is better track if your track powered anyway.

   Have fun with your trains

  • Member since
    December 2001
  • From: Smoggy L.A.
  • 10,743 posts
Posted by vsmith on Saturday, May 24, 2008 9:29 AM

 SNOWSHOE wrote:
Thats why I have only 60ft of track on my layout.  I looked at Stainless Steel and it was a little more expensive.  I am thinking about making my own track.  I was looking around for just rails but cant find anything.  Does anyone know were I can find just rails.  Does Aristo sell just rails I tried looking on Ridge Road but found nothing. 

Yes, well at least they and USA used to sell rail only in 5' sections and seperate flex tie strips, try their websites for other dealer listings, try Llagas, or Sunset Creek also.

   Have fun with your trains

  • Member since
    October 2006
  • From: silver spring, md
  • 1,232 posts
Posted by altterrain on Saturday, May 24, 2008 10:16 AM

You can still get AMS brass code 332 flex track for under $3.50 a foot. You have to buy a rail bender to go with it though...

-Brian 

President of
  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: South Western PA
  • 139 posts
Posted by Smoke Stack Lightnin' on Tuesday, May 27, 2008 10:09 PM

I really haven't done much with G-scale track for a couple of years and thought maybe the retail person may have misquoted.  Thanks for your input.

Brian- I guess you could say I've been in a cave, G-scale is not my only interest.  Personally, I would think a man with your obvious forum knowledge base would have scrolled down to a post more worthy of your attention.  My search (track price) did not yield any results, nor did going back to March 08.  Actually, the only beating of dead horses I've noticed is the use of graphics depicting dead horses being beaten.  How original and clever!  Thanks for putting me in my place!

Stack   

  • Member since
    October 2006
  • From: silver spring, md
  • 1,232 posts
Posted by altterrain on Wednesday, May 28, 2008 12:08 AM
I guess I get a bit annoyed at the pages of forum threads at folks getting *** off at rising track prices. If they only spent a tenth of that energy getting angry at the current administration's starting needless wars killing thousands of our troops and pissing off most of the world in the process while giving the top 1% of the rich and oil companies tax breaks while they earn record upon record profit with no sense of morality off the backs of hard working Americans. I guess I'm a bit bitter from the lack of priority. 

-Brian

 

President of
  • Member since
    February 2004
  • From: Notheast Oho
  • 825 posts
Posted by grandpopswalt on Wednesday, May 28, 2008 2:41 AM

Brian,

I agree woleheartedly with everything you say except the price of gas. It's time we came to accept the fact that cheap and inexhaustable energy is a myth. We need to be shocked into giving up our Hummers, 20 foot long SUV's and V-10 pickups and start conserving. The excess profits should be taxed and the money channeled into research to find new sources of energy and to fund mass transit.

I admit I'm no better than most Americans, there's just the two of us now but we live in a 2500 sq. ft. house and drive two full size vans, ridiculous! Well, if these prices continue, we'll probably have to make some adjustments to our lifestyle, and maybe it's high time for most of us to do just that.

Walt 

"You get too soon old and too late smart" - Amish origin
  • Member since
    December 2006
  • From: Florissant, Missouri
  • 493 posts
Posted by hoofe116 on Thursday, May 29, 2008 10:38 PM
 altterrain wrote:
I guess I get a bit annoyed at the pages of forum threads at folks getting *** off at rising track prices. If they only spent a tenth of that energy getting angry at the current administration's starting needless wars killing thousands of our troops and pissing off most of the world in the process while giving the top 1% of the rich and oil companies tax breaks while they earn record upon record profit with no sense of morality off the backs of hard working Americans. I guess I'm a bit bitter from the lack of priority. 

-Brian

 

I applaud the tolerance you've shown to the unhappy poster's putatively sarcastic reply. While I tend not to agree with your political analysis, I really, seriously value your posts. And FWIW, folks complaining about gas 'n brass I tend to find offputting. Your restraint helps make this board what it is: a place to pose--at least in my case--'dumb questions'. Sometimes more than once. And not get jeered off the forum.

For my modest RR, I realized early on that brass wasn't an affordable option. So I went to the web, to this board, and eventually concluded that 'strap-iron' and wood rails would do very nicely. I'm in the process of working out the production details of same, using copper strips instead of 'arn' (iron) straps, and wood rails. I find the challenge enticing.

Les W.

  • Member since
    September 2003
  • From: Centennial, CO
  • 1,192 posts
Posted by kstrong on Thursday, May 29, 2008 11:36 PM

 hoofe116 wrote:
  I'm in the process of working out the production details of same, using copper strips instead of 'arn' (iron) straps, and wood rails. I find the challenge enticing.

I'm afraid your copper strip theory won't be as cost-effective as you may think. It's the cost of copper that's driving brass prices up so much. Case in point, I was at Home Depot the other day looking to buy some copper pipe for a project. 2' of 1/2" ID pipe cost me $4! Yikes! No wonder construction sites keep their copper pipe under lock and key nowdays.

Later,

K

  • Member since
    February 2008
  • From: Western, NY
  • 245 posts
Posted by enginear on Friday, May 30, 2008 7:38 AM
reply to altterain: The most beautiul answer I've seen in these posts ever,  yes I'm a stubborn democrat who still thinks highly of Clinton! So not to get into politics and to keep on the train side of things, I want MTH to build me a G scale special edition SD__MAC with Bill Clinton and stars and stripes markings!!!!!!!  What, you'd rather buy the Bush thing?
  • Member since
    February 2005
  • From: Vancouver Island, BC
  • 23,330 posts
Posted by selector on Friday, May 30, 2008 10:33 AM

Gentlemen, a gentle reminder to keep the discussion tightly on topic when it is prudent to do so, and to refrain from political topics in any case.   Thanks.

-mods

  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Friday, May 30, 2008 12:30 PM

Going to lie that it did not have relations with a GPEEEE-9?

Toad

Search the Community

FREE EMAIL NEWSLETTER

Get the Garden Railways newsletter delivered to your inbox twice a month

By signing up you may also receive occasional reader surveys and special offers from Garden Railways magazine. Please view our privacy policy