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[quote user="riogrande5761"] Yes, you probably saw that discussion on TrainOrders.  Honestly the high price topic of the hobby has truly been beaten to death. <div style="clear:both;"> </div> [/quote]   I resisted the idea of adding to a topic that's already loaded with opinions, but what the heck. Having determined to add my comments, I wasn't sure where. Since I can readily agree with your statement that this topic is overdone, I figured it was as good a place as any. Hope you don't mind.   I think we can all agree on one point. The hobby is, or can be, expensive. I think it's also safe to say that the cost of the hobby isn't going to go down. So, the way I figure it is that it comes down to two basic questions. 1. Can someone afford it? I used to work with guy who loved trains and wanted to get into model railroading. I worked part-time in a hardware store while at college. He worked full time and had a house to pay for, a wife and two kids. He looked into the cost of getting started and soon realized it was out-of-reach. As he put it, he didn't make a great deal of money and by the time he'd paid for the necessities, he just didn't have the discretinary income. It was unfortunate, but I give him credit for having his priorties straight. 2. Is an item worth it? This is far more subjective. I'm not talking about whether you can afford it. I mean do you think a particular item is worth what's being asked. Many times, I've seen something in a store, not necessarily a hobby store, and thought, "That looks nice." Then, I check the price and  think, "Are they crazy?". I could buy it. But I'm not going to at the price they're asking. I'm not sure that there's any point in conductiong a study to determine whether or not the cost of the hobby has gone up in proportion to everything else. It's gone up what it has, and that's it. Ultimately, I'd say the only question that really matters is whether or not your current financial state allows you to get into the hobby or continue to accumulate items you want. The question as to whether or not any item is worth the cost to you personally is something you'll have to ask yourself.
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