My wife is a dyed-in-the-wool Elvis fan. When a friend of hers sent her an ad for Hawthorne's Elvis train, she just HAD to have one! She wasn't concerned about the cost (grossly overpriced) or the scale (HO and I have N scale). She just wanted it because it was ELVIS!
I checked on the auction site and found several auctions. Missed on a few of them but got lucky on one. The whole set for less than $100. Needed a few new couplers, but it runs just fine on our Christmas display layout (simple loop built for On30).
Also found a few other auctions with Elvis HO train cars and bought them, too!
You should have seen my wife's face when she opened her Christmas present last year! You'd have thought she'd struck gold! LOL
It's Bachmann train set quality and overpriced. That's usually a deal killer unless you do as I did and buy used.
I'd do it again in a heartbeat just to see my wife's reaction again!
Just in case you do end up with one of these train sets, all is not lost. My mother-in-law who is a mail order junky, gave me one of these sets painted for McDonalds. I lubricated and brush-painted the loco and cars, decaled for my home road and applied dry-brush and chalk dust weathering. It is actually a sweet running little engine. I'm pulling four passenger cars and could pull a couple more I'm sure. We retired the old 0-27 Marx on the wife's Christmas Display layout and replaced it with the repainted Hawthorne Village On30 train. Pics attached.
Chuck
Grand River & Monongah Railroad and subsidiary Monongah Railway
tinman1 I will pass on this as well. Unfortunately, since it has "collectors item" attached, my mother will not. I hope it'll make it at least 5x around the track, because I just know I'm going to get it for Christmas....
I will pass on this as well. Unfortunately, since it has "collectors item" attached, my mother will not. I hope it'll make it at least 5x around the track, because I just know I'm going to get it for Christmas....
Actually it's not junk, it's the same Bachman On30 equipment you would buy from any hobby retailer. It's just painted in ridiculous schemes and horribly overpriced. I got mine as a gift from a relative, a trip through the paintshop was all that was required...
And, yes that is the "Thomas Kinkade Village Christmas" collection in the background.
I have figured out what is wrong with my brain! On the left side nothing works right, and on the right side there is nothing left!
IRONROOSTER Actually, considering that Bachmann has a set with this locomotive and 3 passenger cars listing for $350.00, this set with 2 cars for $210.00 is not that outrageously priced, even granted you can probably get the Bachmann set at a deep discount. Not my taste, but then I collect other things so who I am to criticize. Enjoy Paul
Actually, considering that Bachmann has a set with this locomotive and 3 passenger cars listing for $350.00, this set with 2 cars for $210.00 is not that outrageously priced, even granted you can probably get the Bachmann set at a deep discount.
Not my taste, but then I collect other things so who I am to criticize.
Enjoy
Paul
List prices are more or less useless. Trainworld has the Bachmann On30 trainsets listed for $199.99.
Bob Boudreau
CANADA
Visit my model railroad photography website: http://sites.google.com/site/railphotog/
cacole We had a woman phone me last week asking what the Thomas Kinkade set was worth because her charity thrift shop has had one come in for sale -- I had never heard of it and have no idea what to tell her. Is it really worth anything ?
We had a woman phone me last week asking what the Thomas Kinkade set was worth because her charity thrift shop has had one come in for sale --
I had never heard of it and have no idea what to tell her. Is it really worth anything ?
Well, on E-Bay it's worth $149.99 or best offer plus $14.99 shipping: http://cgi.ebay.com/THOMAS-KINKADE-HOLIDAY-EXPRESS-TRAIN-SET-7118S3-/110556933637?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0
steemtrayn I'm still kicking myself for not ordering the Thomas Kinkade set when I had the chance.
I'm still kicking myself for not ordering the Thomas Kinkade set when I had the chance.
They collect on Tuesdays around my neighborhood.
HarryHotspurSurely it's a collector's item by now.
I our neighborhood, they collect on Wednesdays.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Dave
Just be glad you don't have to press "2" for English.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQ_ALEdDUB8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hqFS1GZL4s
http://s73.photobucket.com/user/steemtrayn/media/MovingcoalontheDCM.mp4.html?sort=3&o=27
They used to have an Elvis series. Surely it's a collector's item by now. Actually, it was advertised as a collector's item when new. So now it's probably worth nothing.
- Harry
But...it's illuminated! Doesn't that make enough of a difference?
If only the JetBlue flight attendant had chosen this way to get his Bud fix instead...
If you can read this... thank a teacher. If you are reading this in english... thank a veteran
When in doubt. grab a hammer.
If it moves and isn't supposed to, get a hammer
If it doesn't move and is supposed to, get a hammer
If it's broken, get a hammer
If it can't be fixed with a hammer... DUCK TAPE!
I never thought Hawthorne Village or any other such similar issuing company products worth much of anything I'd be interested in buying...not even for "just 15 easy payments of..."
I ignor their ads and throw them straight into the trash....AFTER I have shredded the Order card with my name and address on it so no one can "kindly" turn it in for me like once happened before on some books! A lesson for all to learn form me....SHRED the order Cards!!!!!
-G .
Just my thoughts, ideas, opinions and experiences. Others may vary.
HO and N Scale.
After long and careful thought, they have convinced me. I have come to the conclusion that they are right. The aliens did it.
tomikawaTT For just 23.33 per easy payment you get the Budweiser Holiday Express.
For just 23.33 per easy payment you get the Budweiser Holiday Express.
If you read the fine print, I think it's more like 20 or 30 payments.
From what I've seen, Hawthorne Village is good at taking a Bachmann standard line locomotive, having it custom painted in some ridiculous "Rare, Collector's Item" scheme, and charging 1000 percent over the item's actual value.
I don't pay attention to such ads. I'm getting better at filtering out "noise."
Mark
The first of this year's Hawthorne Village wonder offers came as a blow-in in another company's non-model-railroad catalog (of miscellaneous junk at inflated prices.)
For just 23.33 per easy payment you get the Budweiser Holiday Express, broken down (by payment) as:
Somebody into On30 can decide if this might be a good value. The only thing I can use is the 'speed controller,' which might be a possible basis for a tethered throttle. OTOH, I can almost certainly assemble a better one from electronic catalog parts for less.
I'll pass, thanks.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)