I am a member of this forum for over 8 years now and I have given up on counting how many times this topic has popped up in those years. There is absolutely nothing to be gained in kvetching about how expensive the hobby has become.
The Ford Model T once sold for $370, which, according to Wikipedia, equates to $7,800 in today´s money. Show me a Ford you can buy these days brand-new for this kind of money!
If you can´t afford or are not willing to cash out the prices asked, well, then the only way to stay afloat in this hobby is to make things yourself. Thta´s what folks did when Al Kalmbach published the first copy of MR, which was certainly not a bad way at all!
Darth Santa FeThe problem is a combination of inflation plus rising manufacturing costs in China.
Agreed.
I often see greatly reduced prices on recent-run cars and locomotives. Perhaps not in the road name you wanted or the options, etc. But you CAN save some money by being diligent, patient and willing to compromise a little.
The thread is locked but you can read all about how expensive the hobby is here:
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/t/245773.aspx
Personally, I believe today's model railroad products are some of the best ever offered and for all the "Bells and Whistles" a very good value, too.
Good Luck, Ed
First of all I model ho & n scale. I bought my engines with dcc & sound about 15 years ago. The cars are older. Is it just me or have quality model trains steadily climbed in price just beyond the reach of a model railroader on a fixed income? I know I can go to the shows and pick up used cars here and there but these often have problems that cant be fixed unless you spend more money say for kds or trucks or missing parts etc. Not too many years ago you could get dcc engines with sound for around $179.00 & the cars were about $15.00 with decent detail. Now I know all about added features like smoke,more rivet detail, anti stall electronics,more sounds etc. but over $300.00 for one engine is out of my reach. Cars for $25.00 up is also out of sight for me. Now I know somebody is going to say settle for the ones that are cheaper with less detail but they look cruddy next to the ones bought not too many years ago with more detail. The only answer I see is to buy a few engines instead of a fleet. Same goes with the cars. Im not even going to get into the price of good flex track & quality switches. If I have to replace my peco 3 way switch I will have to eat pork and beans for supper for a couple of months. Just curious as to what others do about this problem.