RBP Trains Collection at Trainz.com

I saw this post earlier today and hesitated to make a comment hoping to hear what others think as I'm not familiar with the owner or 'RPB'. (am almost 80 yrs old and perhaps 'out of touch'? ). Curious, but what is so special about this collection over any other nice group of modern equipment please?  Not to be disrespectful, but the prices seem rather high from what we all see in other instances...

C Sam I  must agree, close to list price for used (NO WARRANTY) engines is a stretch no matter how good the condition.

Gunny

c.sam - What you are almost 80 and don't watch YouTube videos about trains? Chris' channel RBP trains is very popular and he has over 50,000 followers of his videos. He is like a movie star on the Internet!

Gunny - Hmmm. Except when you buy trains from Trainz! We guarantee that they work! At least for 30 days anyway.

I'm genuinely impressed that we've finally reached a point in this hobby where the weight of having a decent social media presence can translate to a higher selling price for items. We have our own new generation of notable figures in this hobby. I tip my cap to both Scott and Chris for developing a partnership that benefits all involved.

Scott @ Trainz

'Certificate of Authenticity'?

All items listed will come with a signed Certificate of Authenticity for your records.  ....don't delay on buying - once these one of a kind trains are gone, they're gone for good.

Thank you Scott for your kind comment and answering my inquiry here, I think I understand what is meant by this wording now!  Lol.      I guess at some point 'down the tracks' these younger fellas will command the same 'awe' that we had for Frank Sinatra's collection, or Jackie Gleason's, or Rod Stewart's, Neil Young's, or even Richard Kughn's vast array of items - both cars and trains.  And yes, I do watch a few train videos too - especially enjoy Norm Charbonnet's beautiful scale layout, his prowess with realism, and motive power. Guess I'm more laid back and avoid much of the frantic style and hyperbole I see from time to time!  :-)

I do like Trainz very much (have bought product before and was treated well) and can attest that you guys are a good outfit!

@Scott@Trainz posted:

For those of you that missed the York TCA show this April, we've brought the RBP Trains collection to Trainz.com to give you a second chance. All items listed will come with a signed Certificate of Authenticity for your records. Make sure to check back often as new listings become available, but don't delay on buying - once these one of a kind trains are gone, they're gone for good.

Check it out today!

So let me get this, this guy buys trains and puts them on internet? So they are valuable why? While I buy from Trainz with no issues, this is a stretch.

Enough already on this. It's been one long commercial with many glorifying RBP trains!

I am 74 and I have never heard of this internet "sensation" either.

I now Chris and have communicated with him over the past year and I did see him at the York show. I did look at the collection at the show and everything is in pristine condition. I had really considered buying one of the locomotives but when looking at the price it was higher than list when it was brand new. I might say $250 higher, true beautiful excellent condition but I think it’s a bit much. Be it Lionel or MTH built to order so limited amounts, I just couldn’t pull the trigger.

If you're a fan of the RBP YouTube videos, now is your chance to own a piece of his collection (with a certificate of authenticity). If you are not a fan, then the premium price isn't going to be your cup of tea. This sale caters to those who follow Chris and want something they know was featured in his videos.

One thing is for sure, if you do buy an RBP item from Trainz you'll get a well-kept model in excellent shape that will run just as well as it looks and you'll also get a warranty to ease your mind.

@ThatGuy posted:

What a great deal out of warranty expensive toys…………….yea I feel better already lol

ebay same engines with same warranty from EBay or PP…..less money. Things are getting out of hand in this hobby.

Craig

PennCentralShops

(it’s TMCC 4,5 or 5.5 or nothing)

These are for specific people who want something from a particular collector that has celebrity status (at least to them). If these were from Mike Wolfe's or Joshua Cohen's personal collection (or belonged to someone of significance to you) then you may change your tune. At that point, the age and warranty status don't mean anything. Obviously, it went over well at York because there was very little to feature on the TRANZ website after the show vs. what RBP advertised in his YouTube video.

A collection is usually something someone accumulates over a period of time, often decades spent searching out rare or unusual items that can fit a theme or represent a period of manufacturing. Most of these beautiful pieces shown here seem to be of fairly recent production from Lionel, MTH, and a few of the others. Yes, the two handsome Weaver brass hudson's are from 20 or so years ago but not so 90% of them. Everything I saw in the video should be easily available today with a little effort expended. Not knowing 'the back story' or any other mitigating circumstances, why would this nice young man be selling off something that he 'collects' so soon relatively? Especially if he's "Not getting out of trains".  Wouldn't many of his pieces likely perhaps become 'genuine collectibles' in future years?

Whew - it's odd feeling like I really am getting old now!  Have been in denial for the past several years...

@c.sam posted:

A collection is usually something someone accumulates over a period of time, often decades spent searching out rare or unusual items that can fit a theme or represent a period of manufacturing. Most of these beautiful pieces shown here seem to be of fairly recent production from Lionel, MTH, and a few of the others. Yes, the two handsome Weaver brass hudson's are from 20 or so years ago but not so 90% of them. Everything I saw in the video should be easily available today with a little effort expended. Not knowing 'the back story' or any other mitigating circumstances, why would this nice young man be selling off something that he 'collects' so soon relatively? Especially if he's "Not getting out of trains".  Wouldn't many of his pieces likely perhaps become 'genuine collectibles' in future years?

Whew - it's odd feeling like I really am getting old now!  Have been in denial for the past several years...

Not old experienced!

craig

PennCentralShops

As far as I'm concerned this collection is no more valuable then any other used train collection of the same items.

Most, if not all of the items for sale are not even rare or hard to find!

Not much of a pedigree as far as I'm concerned.

@H1000 posted:

These are for specific people who want something from a particular collector that has celebrity status (at least to them). If these were from Mike Wolfe's or Joshua Cohen's personal collection (or belonged to someone of significance to you) then you may change your tune. At that point, the age and warranty status don't mean anything. Obviously, it went over well at York because there was very little to feature on the TRANZ website after the show vs. what RBP advertised in his YouTube video.

My buddy owns a 1985 Delorane, nothing special, worth about $30,000... he also owns another one, with signatures and pictures with of all the cast from BTTF, the same car, appearance, and age... worth a whole lot more.

Wow, then Eric's Trains must be worth a fortune.  Not only has he been doing internet videos for a very long time he also writes for OGR.

Now that's true celebrity status!!

@ThatGuy posted:

I would be surprised if any of them work in 20 years. But as my father would say there is an *ss for every seat.

I and many others have trains well over 20 years old that work just fine. Trains go up and down in value also. There are plenty of collectible trains worth much more today compared to their original MSRP.

An ordinary 5-year-old UP SD70ACe is only worth market value, but if it is signed by Mike Wolfe it's worth considerably more, and that price will only go up post-mortem. While Chris is alive and well today, what he is doing to further the hobby and promote model railroading makes him an icon. His legacy and the mark he is making today for other enthusiasts will promote the value of his collection. Maybe that doesn't mean much to you but to those who have already purchased items from his collection feel differently.

If you don't like the seat offered to you then don't put your *ss in it but you don't need to complain about those who do.

I can’t believe the angst this sale is causing!!! There is a segment of the collectible collecting market which finds a perceived additional value to owning something which was once owned by a “celebrity”. People will pay a premium for a home, or car, or jewelry, or clothing that was once owned by someone well known. Electric trains are no different. If that’s your thing, enjoy it. If not (like me) just let it pass. I wish Chris the best of luck with his sale.

Like anything else, it's worth whatever someone will pay for it.  I'm not a celebrity worshipper and certainly not an "influencer" follower, but if those who are want to pay a bunch of extra money to get one of these items, more power to them and kudos to Trainz and Chris for figuring out how to cash in on it.  The way I see it, that just leaves more reasonably priced trains for the rest of us.

@c.sam posted:

why would this nice young man be selling off something that he 'collects' so soon relatively? Especially if he's "Not getting out of trains".

Just a guess....but...

In order to be a successful youtuber, you must have new content.

New content that draws the most interest in O guage is new trains. When you buy trains out of every single catalog, you run out of room.

Eric Siegel rents a storage space just to hold his empty boxes, lol!

You know you have too many trains when......

But, to each his own.

"These are for specific people who want something from a particular collector that has celebrity status (at least to them)."

You should probably have quit there and moved on.  I am not putting down either Chris or Eric, both of whose videos I enjoy.  If an item came out of Mike Wolf or JLC or Frank Sinatra's personal collection I wouldn't pay extra for it.  If it came from Rod Stewart's personal collection I'd pass because my wife would never let me put it on the layout.  I buy trains to run them.  For me what matters is how well the item runs and how it looks.  The item's pedigree does not affect these.  In that respect Trainz reputation and liberal return policy means more to me than who owned the item before I did.

I wish you and Chris the best in your marketing endeavor.  As you say this is for "specific people".  And I am just not one of them.

Chris is a great asset to the hobby,  hope the sale is a success for Trainz and RBP. 

I've stayed out of this thread primarily because I am amazed it lasted this long.

Bottom line for me is if you want something that is from Chris's collection and you have a desire to own it based on his YouTube channel then that is your business.  They say an item is only worth what someone is willing to pay.  If that's not you then move on.  Neither Chris or TrainZ are forcing anyone to buy it.  I suspect, as someone else mentioned, that to keep things fresh on the channel and to make room Chris decided to sell off what he feels he no longer needs or wants.  It may be a win for someone who missed out on something he has.  Personally I know it takes a lot to keep a channel fresh and some of the costs to do that which is why a lot of my videos are based on past purchases.

Many of the YouTube folks seems to have an association with TrainZ so it only makes sense he has gone through them.  I'm sure they have a formula on what something will sell for and whether Chris's channel can draw more.  Frankly it's really none of our business.  The only people that need to be concerned are TrainZ, Chris, and the folks who purchased his trains.

Chris has some beautiful equipment and I hope for all the best for those parties involved.

Me personally, with few exceptions, buy based on what an item is and not who owned it.  If there was something in Chris's collection that was on my list and I felt the price was right for me then that is the deciding factor.  For others having Chris's certificate and maybe a signed box might be icing on the cake.  The great thing is we all get to decide, for the most part, how we spend our money.

Very well said marty

@MartyE posted:

I've stayed out of this thread primarily because I am amazed it lasted this long.

Bottom line for me is if you want something that is from Chris's collection and you have a desire to own it based on his YouTube channel then that is your business.  They say an item is only worth what someone is willing to pay.  If that's not you then move on.  Neither Chris or TrainZ are forcing anyone to buy it.  I suspect, as someone else mentioned, that to keep things fresh on the channel and to make room Chris decided to sell off what he feels he no longer needs or wants.  It may be a win for someone who missed out on something he has.  Personally I know it takes a lot to keep a channel fresh and some of the costs to do that which is why a lot of my videos are based on past purchases.

Many of the YouTube folks seems to have an association with TrainZ so it only makes sense he has gone through them.  I'm sure they have a formula on what something will sell for and whether Chris's channel can draw more.  Frankly it's really none of our business.  The only people that need to be concerned are TrainZ, Chris, and the folks who purchased his trains.

Chris has some beautiful equipment and I hope for all the best for those parties involved.

Me personally, with few exceptions, buy based on what an item is and not who owned it.  If there was something in Chris's collection that was on my list and I felt the price was right for me then that is the deciding factor.  For others having Chris's certificate and maybe a signed box might be icing on the cake.  The great thing is we all get to decide, for the most part, how we spend our money.

Well said Marty, people get upset when people question prices based on  YouTube fame? I just thought these things cost to much now and it did remind me of the NFT craze a year ago and we know how well that played out.  For those of you who don’t know a NFT stands for non-fungible token. It was art work done on a computer and you bought the program/item that only existed on the computer and only you could own it. They went for millions of dollars everybody went gaga and now they worth about eight cents.

Craig

PennCentralShops

I would like to see Chris have a table or two for the October York meet. This way we could meet him personally and enjoy talking with him about his successful you tube  channel promoting the hobby. Offer the engines at 20 or 25% off of resale would certainly help him with his goal to thin his collection.

I am reminded by some of the comments how wonderful and supportive this forum can be. A few have already said it but in a nutshell, if you have nothing kind to say then it's probably best not to say anything at all. Everyone has a right to their opinions but the author posted this for those who might be interested not for those who are not. How does your comments about not paying the higher prices contribute to the purpose of this thread? Also, does it support the hobby and help people to see the support we provide for one another? I do respect those who had questions about pricing and honestly didn't understand what all of the fuss was about.

I agree, that Chris, has done much for the hobby in his relatively short time on YouTube. Though, I believe, he has tough skin some of these comments are what push some away from the hobby. Along with having a full time job, a family, he puts a lot of time into making quality videos for our viewing pleasure. That's a lot!

Chris if you have been reading along, know that many of us appreciate what you have been doing for this hobby. Along the way, there will always be those who don't but don't let that overshadow all of us who watch your videos and those who would want to have one of your models. I know this is not about Chris's videos but it is about how his dedication to the hobby has positively affected some. For them, this may be a way of showing their support for Trainz and Chris's affiliation with them. Just be nice.

Dave

Merciful heavens!  

OK...now it is time for me to add some valuable information that perhaps some of you don't know.  After talking via phone with Scott at Trainz, he informed me that he purchased the entire collection of trains from Chris...so Chris has nothing to do with this thread in terms of any kind of joint effort to sell these trains.  Simple put, Scott bought the collection and it now belongs to him for re-sale and Chris frankly did not know that Scott posted this thread (at least in the beginning as he may know now).  Scott also told me that about 60% of the collection was sold at York so pricing didn't seem to be a problem there.  Scott and Chris agreed on a price, Scott bought them from Chris and then sold them at York and now is selling the remaining items as presented in his post above ... plain and simple.

Now, lets stop the speculating and "opinions" of who is a "celebrity" and who is not and get back to discussing specific comment and questions about the items that Scott is offering in the remaining inventory of this collection.

Guys....like I said above....keep your comments and or questions about specific items that are for sale by our Sponsor...Trainz.  Any further new comments other than that are being deleted by moderators.  Thanks for your understanding.

In case it wasn't clear in the original post, we are working through the collection we have left and listing them each day as they finish our processing system. For those who are interested, make sure to check back daily. As of May 1, we now have everything listed!