Electronically Older Engines...

Luck you Chuck! Looks like a FEF Northern may be in your future with all of those great features. The 844 Greyhound was my first Legacy Steamer. I can remember blowing the quilling whistle over and over and over again. Still one of my favorites.  I'll have to get a Black one now.

I've noticed the asking prices for electronically old engines are quite high, considering. I'm not interested in them, but do they actually sell at near their former list price?

yes and no....

  

Keep in mind this is "Train/ Holiday" Season so prices are more toward MSRP than discounted. The economy and the public's buying power will ultimately dictate the worth.

 

For the Astute hobbyist, they will "stay Clear of this scenario" unless they "desparately" have to have it. for the uninformed....  There is the old Adage... "a Sucka Born every minute"

Good question? I would not be a buyer on a used electronic engine unless the price was really low, and allowed room for electronic repairs.

pre-2008 Lionel engines for me are money holes. I avoid them. I want Legacy.

 

if I bought MTH it would be PS2 low voltage or PS3.

 

Choose a sample item, engine model #, that you observed and perform an advanced search on that number for sold listings. That will answer your question.

 

 

I queue up sales to sell when the prices are high, anyone want some more list price TMCC locomotives?

 

I factor in the cost of replacement electronics when buying used engines. I assume they are bad ahead of time. I have noticed a few older items with asking prices higher than they were new but I doubt many are being sold. 

 

Pete

Yes, I'm seeing PS-1 and Locosounds items that are approaching the original MSRP. I'm wondering if the market has already bottomed out of this generation of items.

For stuff that I know I'll be replacing the electronics, I won't go more than 50% of MSRP, and that's only if they're pristine and I really want it.

I see a lot of PS-1 items offered with ridiculous asking prices, at or near original MSRP. I kind of doubt anything changes hands at those prices. Half or less is the going rate. I've bought PS-1 diesels, excellent to like new in the original boxes, for around $100. 

At the last York, I picked up the MTH Premier Genesis with PS/1 for $130, NIB.  I didn't have a problem with that price, it left room to do the TMCC upgrade and now it's a very nice locomotive.

 

I'm just getting started but this is mostly the market I'm in. I'm pulling the electronics out to swap them for alternative control so price is very important to me. While the scale detail maybe better on newer models, I actually prefer the durability to scale ratio of the Weaver/MTH offerings in the late 90s-early 00s as well as the Scaleking / Trainman models.  

 

Based on my research of past sales, I won't pay more than $130 for a PS/1 premier engine - I'll up it for PS2 but not much. I often will test the waters - make offers on over-priced auctions and provide data - some sellers will come down to reality.  I've bought four MTH Premier engines this year - 2 PS2 and 2 PS/1 all for just under $125 per engine. 

 

As always, the road (and availability at that moment) really effects the price.  

With few exceptions, I will no longer buy older product.  Because my layout is centered around Lionel's Layout Control System, any product I buy now will probably have Lionel's Legacy system and especially with the sensor. The exceptions are items that have not been recently released, or will never again be made, that I want such as 3rd Rail's PRR N1 or Q1.  In these cases, I'll buy them knowing that they will need to be upgraded.

For upgrades, I have to buy it cheap.  Otherwise, not worth the money in the end.  Exception is something I really want, never made in command control, and I 'have' to put in my collection.  But, most of those items have been made by Lionel, MTH, or 3rd Rail by now.

My thoughts exactly. You never know what the poor thing has been through before you purchase it. Figuring in the new electronics from the start, you are covered when they do give out. That could very well be on your first trial run.  

 

And as CAPPilot stated, you need a post 2010-2011 or later Legacy engine to get the sensor for use with the new sensor tracks and control items. Also a good point.

Time of the year is pretty important............  there is a train season corresponding to the white stuff on the ground.......... BRRRRR!

Ehhhhhh...

Not sure about the FEF...looks pretty nice.

 

I would want to buy an H7 if it weren't weathered. Why don't they offer both?

 

I think the weathering is way too much streaking and grime and rust...I don't remember real steamers looking that awful when I was a kid.

cjack - steamers were often even more "awful"-looking than those in the catalogue. Of course, I find proper weathering to be very appealing - the shiny toy look does not appeal to me (Tinplate is an exception, naturally). Some steamers - depending on service and road and when they were last shopped - did look relatively "sparkly" for a while.

All you have to do is look on the Internet to see the real things (NOT excursion locos) to see just how beautifully dirty these things could be.

 

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I have found Lionel (and MTH, to a lesser degree) electronics to be very reliable over the years, and I do not hesitate to buy an older loco if I want it. Some locos are abused, but most of these things are bought by older adults and have been gently used, intentionally or not.

 

Personally I have not noticed a spike in older loco (I pay attention to steam, mostly, so...)

prices on Mr Bay; in fact, I continue to find them hard-to-resist low. Of course, there are many high-priced ones out there - and there they continue to sit, unsold.

 

There is an interesting brass articulated out there right now - over-priced in general plus the seller openly says (as he should) "does not run". I think that the s/h is high, too.

It will stay there, I imagine. Been there a while. He is asking $550 for a $150 (as is) loco.

Not worth $550 in pristine shape.

 

But, the bargains abound, at least on Mr Bay. 

I have TMCC locos with RS 2.5 from 1997 and I have new Legacy locos.

I like and run both groups.

The early TMCC stuff has been bullet-proof for me. No issues then or now.

I