Increasing O-Scale costs...

Had another O scaler over to see the layout and he was mentioning the sme fact that things are jumping and quality craft kits are harder to find and more $. Guess we are climbing out of the recession and prices starting to get up with the times. Even Atlas car being near $90. That Sunset E was what 700+. Plastic.

Phil

Yeah its a sad state for sure.  Atlas' switches are ridiculous even with the higher cost of NS....  As for the E's the second run is at $549 msrp....which for the detail offered is not bad IMO.

Up until 5 -10 years ago it was much easier for the average person to buy an item than to sell an item. The last few years there have been internet sales of vast numbers of items that had been stored in peoples closets or basements for years and were hard to find buyers before ebay. That's what kept the prices low. As that stockpile has diminished prices naturally will rise.

Matt

Our current radical socialist government has systematically driven down the value of our money by driving up the debt.   Hence all imports which is nearly all mass produced model RR products are automatically goining up in price as the value of the dollar decrease relative to the yen and whatever other currency. 

as the cost of new stuff goes up, so people can charge more for older used stuff and get it.

Well, the radical socialist PRC government annually dictates a 20-25% increase to all workers.  So going from $1/hour to $1.25/hour is not that bad but when you get from $4/hour to $5/hour it starts to add up fast.   But, those increases allow Chinese consumers to start buying American goods. 

This is the biggest threat to O scale.....$70 freight cars, $85 switches, and $12 for a section of flex track. This will ensure slow to no growth. Wonder if it would be cheaper if production came back to the US?

One of the reasons I'm learning machining, so i can make my own engines and freight cars. that way i can save a ton of money, and enjoy making stuff from scratch as well.

All I can say is I am glad I am not just starting out in O scale. I couldn't afford it!

HO is pretty stiff in costs too. I suppose it beats hauling a 50K boat in a 10K trailer with a 40K truck to pull and winch it along with thousands in gear to maintain same.

=)

Interesting....

I see lots of kits and stuff for under $20 and even more for under $30.  So you have to put it together - ok, but the stuff it out there and it's not in any short supply of anything.  If anything, more and more is going to be coming out of closets and basements and get handed around for another cycle of unbuilt storage in a dark place.

Prices maybe up a bit, but prices are up on just about everything.  Why wouldn't stuff increase in price?  Maybe the demand for kits has slightly increased - maybe folks would rather spend some time vs. money that they can't afford to part with and build a kit and get some fun and time invested in that activity....

Converting cars - not sure why this is so costly - a pair of Athearn trucks and a pack of IM wheesets and a pack of KD's all can be had for under $20.

Iv'e noticed the increase to!!!   some one bought an old atlas F9 chassis and drive for $190.00 certainly it had an aluminium floor and open frame motor but???    then an Adams and Sons E6 for over $400.00, another hundred or so and you have a new sunset E7. Its bad for me EBAY is my only second hand market place from way Down Under. 

(cTr...Choose the Right)     Stephen from Down Under

I think there are many good things available and at very good prices. 40 years ago,  a very nice O Scale loco might cost a few hundred dollars. I couldn't afford it then. Now  a similarly nice loco is $1,700 to $2,000. I suspect when you count in inflation, the cost differential isn't much at all.

I think we all tend to glorify the past. it's like Dana Carvey's "Cranky Old man" character on Saturday Night Live: "We had to walk to school up hill both ways in 10 feet of snow. And we liked it!"

I believe we are in a renaissance period for O Scale. (I also happen to believe that the Atlas O Scale turnouts are a pretty good buy. But then again, I've been accused of heresy before...)

There are and it only takes a bit of patience to snag good stuff at a good price.  Here's a MidWest CERA traction trailer.  These are hand built to order and retail close $100 - that I picked up for under $30.

I actually think that my scratchbuilt ones are a bit nicer, but then I might be slightly biased,

I went to that school.  We didn't have a house then and all 23 of us lived in a hole out in the middle of the road......

Contrary view - second hand O scale steam is down in price..

Mid sized US Hobbies/KTM locomotives such as  a PRR K4s  can be found for around $500   at shows and on eBay.  In the late 1980's they went over $1k.  There is a constant turnover of very nice O scale brass - the key is to be patient and know the market so you don't over pay.  My advice is to attend one of the better O scale shows and just walk the aisles for the first day.  You will be amazed at the range of asking price.  Some sellers will carry the same locomotive to shows year after year and never sell it - other mark them down near the end of the show as they don't want to carry it home.

IMO there has never been a better time to enter O scale for reason of price and availability.  New equipment may be up, but very nice used equipment is always turning over at reasonable prices. 

Ed Rappe

I don't know exactly how much labor goes into an Atlas or MTH unit but cost are up as the Chinese workers demand more for their labor. Soon material, labor, transportation, and tariff cost  will be high enough to bring back production to this country. Saw a story of a furniture co. already make the move.

But still the cars are going to be  expensive in O and one will have to grin and bare it. O I find is special compared to HO where I just bought to own STUFF, as I could. Now I have to be really selective and don't overstep my budget. I carried my HO philosophy into O for the first few years and bought just to own. Now, I am lucky if I buy 3 or 4 cars a year. Heck that is 40 cars in 10 years and I have 140 already in the closet and should start the cull as I won't take that many from their boxes, ever.

But first I need to rid my HO collection. Iam bad at posting bids and such on Ebay and photos are even worse. Will have to look at this forum's for sell site.

   Phill

I agree with Ed Rappe. I bought a US Hobbies H10b 2-8-2 for $871 in November 2005. It was my first eBay purchase. Since then the lowest H10b price I have seen is $480.99 in Jan 2012. On the other hand there was an H10b sale for $1009.99 in Dec 2011. However, the median price for 12 sales between Nov 2007 and Jan 2011 is $704.40. I bought a US Hobbies PRR L1s 2-8-2 for $733 in December 2007. Since then the lowest I have seen is $532 in July 2009. The highest L1s prise I have seen was $1155 in May 2009. The median price for 17 sales between Dec 2007 and Dec 2011 is $639.99.

Although I don't buy that often, I look at eBay almost every day. My impression is that prices vary a lot for freight car kits, ready to run freight cars, and other O scale items but that the trend for used stuff has been downward recently.

Regarding the exchange rate, the most relevant exchange rate for new equipment is with the Chinese Yuan. This exchange rate is controlled by the Chinese government. See:

http://www.oanda.com/currency/historical-rates/

Note that the rate remained constant between July 2008 and July 2010.

Larry Kline

With hundreds of Intermountain kits selling for $10 to $25 at shows it is easy and fun to put together a highly detailed train for very little money.  Also, has as been mentioned, patience pays.  At OSW there was a wide range of asking prices for similar items.  New Pecos River ATSF waycars were available for $400 plus while the same car lightly used was $220.  USH ATSF waycars for $150.  There were many vendors selling parts for next to nothing.

Allan