how low are train prices

[Anonymous]

[Anonymous]

When I first thought about 'G' scale some years ago I picked up an LGB catalogue and was very pleased with what I saw, - THEN I had a read of the price list. ............ Well I must say that the ambulance man was very kind and understanding and he advised me not to read an LGB price list ever again.
I think Bachman's Big Hauler range finally brought some common sense to 'G' scale. Finally it became possible to purchase reasonable looking large scale models at an affordable price. Now before anybody scoffs about price, I'm talking about the days when I was a parent with 2 young children who liked trains, and we had a mortgage and I wasn't paid much. In the end I made a locomotive to 10mm scale from soldered tinplate based on Sir Handel from Thomas the Tank Engine and knocked up a few Welsh ore tippers and open wagons from galvanised steel sheet. I think I used some old Triang '00' coarse scale wheels on homemade axles which worked out nicely for 10mm scale narrow gauge. I suppose too the truth of the matter is that my kids were much happier playing with the trainset I built for them rather than anything off the shelf. BUT it still would've been nice to have had the choice.

Annie

[Anonymous]

Well I cannot add to the survey as i have never paid undr $500 for a locomotive and you only get what youpay for. I have not even seen a sound sytem for such a small amount of money.

Remeber the old saying "The bitter taste of poor quality lingers well after the sweetness of low price is forgotten"


Regards Ian

[Anonymous]

im with ian never bought a new train for under a 125.00 at a real deal. i dont consider battery trains quality the cheap brand.

[Anonymous]

is the price to be 50.00 dollars or 500.00 dollars , i have paid up to 200.00 for an engine , i look for specials ,in garden railways magazine, i just got a good buy at the ECLSTS ,ENGINE RS-3 ,100 TON HOPPER AND A CABOOSE ,WESTERN MARYLAND is the road name,all 3 for 200.00 . ben[:D]

[markperr]

Is this a typo? Fifty bucks for a whole train? I don't even own a loco that comes close to fifty bucks in price.

Mark

[vsmith]

For train items? bunches....

it IS possible to do this hobby on the cheap, I'm living proof of that[;)]
You didnt specify whether these were storebought, swap meet , mail order or ebay, so I'm lumping them all together.

Under $50 each?

HLW Macks (3)
MDC Big Hustlers (5)
LGB Toytrain Porter (3), Cowtrain loco (2), and diesel switcher
B'mann Big Haulers (2)
HLW Minicars
LGB Toytrain cars
A/C shorty cars
Echo/Scientific G scale battery train set.
and an entire Bachmann Big Hualer Blue Comet set at a swamp meat for $40

LGB 12000 switches and boxes of track + individual track pieces can all be got for lesss than $50 a pop. Look around and never be affraid of dumpster diving on ebay[:p]

[TurboOne]

[#welcome] kingclay94. Don't know your name as you didn't fill out your profile. Enjoy the forum, a great bunch of folks here.

I have seen some lower cost locos on ebay for that price. I have a new bright in that range.

I just like trains so it works for me. Vic is the king of finding great deals, listen and you will learn.

Again, welcome to the forum.

Tim

[Anonymous]

Bachmann rolling stock is about the only thing in the UK anywhere near $50, a typical wagon costs about £28-00 from our local model shop.
Cheers,
Kim
[tup]

[Anonymous]

Thats all well and good Vic but i owuldn't be botherd with any of that stuff, I don't think most of it would even run on my layout or be worth converting to MTS which costs over $100 by itself.

Rgds Ian

[vsmith]

QUOTE: Originally posted by iandor

Thats all well and good Vic but i owuldn't be botherd with any of that stuff, I don't think most of it would even run on my layout or be worth converting to MTS which costs over $100 by itself.

Rgds Ian

Ian on some of my engines I doubt if you could even find space under the hood for that equipment[;)]

My layout is unique in that I have purposely limited the size of my equipment to the smallest stuff, but I'm sure it all would run on your layout since you do run an LGB Stainz, but the MTS might be very problematic on some non-LGB engines. Later Vic[:D]

[kstrong]

While Ian does have a point about paying for quality, that equation doesn't hold as much water in the world of large scale trains as it does elsewhere. I've seen $4,000 Aster live steam locos barely limp around the track while a $400 Ruby trundles merrily along. (I've also seen other Asters run like swiss watches, suffice to say it's not price that makes it run well.) I'll take a Bachmann 2-8-0 any day of the week over an LGB mogul. There are some fantastic gems in this hobby for very little $$.

Having said that, the $50 mark is fairly low for retail prices. About the only things you'll find under that line are Bachmann rolling stock, and perhaps one or two offerings from the other manufacturers. There's not much (though you can build quite an empire with Bachmann rolling stock). For motive power, you're largely out of luck at that dollar figure. Still, as Vic and others suggest, there are plenty of avenues to follow to enjoy this hobby "on the cheap." You needn't spend $500 per loco. You're more than welcome to, but it's not at all necessary.

As for the "worth" of adding DCC or other expensive components to the cheaper locos, there's no reason not to. Think of the cheap cost of the locomotive as an advance against the cost of the controlling electronics. That cost becomes the constant, and the price of the locomotive becomes the variable. An example: Two moguls--the Bachmann industrial mogul at $100, and the LGB mogul at $800. Now, my railroad is all battery powered R/C. Neither loco will run as it comes out of the box. I'm spending an additional $300 to add the electronics to get it to run, regardless of which loco I buy. So, do I ignore the Bachmann loco because it's low price makes it not "worth" dropping the equipment in? Not at all. If I want a light-duty, industrial looking loco, then I buy the Bachmann loco. If I want a heavier, more mainline looking loco, then I go with the LGB. If the loco is robust enough to handle the loads to which you intend to subject it, and detailed enough to suit your personal visual tastes, then it's worth investing the money, no matter how much or little.

Think of it like buying gas for your car. Whether you drive a Lexus or a Chevy, you need to put gas in the tank to get it to move. Not putting R/C gear in an inexpensive locomotive is like not putting gas in the Chevy. If you want the Lexus, buy the Lexus. If you want the Chevy, don't buy the Lexus instead because it's the only choice "worth" putting gas in. Buy and run what makes you happy, and don't worry about "worth" beyond that.

Later,

K

[Curmudgeon]

I bought my second trains as a full set for $84.95.
I buy small locos for $50 or so.
I would never, ever use a system that was dependent upon track power, or the need to have railroads I visit have the same system in order to run.
Period.
And I can think of at least 3 that are manufacturer-sensitive in control, and I wouldn't use any of them.
I have converted locos that cost 10X more than the loco to do, but I have everything on-board and it WORKS on ANY #1 gauge railroad.
I consider that far, far more important than thinking I can have "bragging rights" over how many buttons or readouts I have on my handpiece.
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