Weaver Values?

Well, I dunno, but I should have bought more K-Line aluminum passenger cars...

Same thing that happened to K-Lines pricing, most will continue to fall in price. The secondary market is loaded with K-Line and Weaver stuff.

 

    Bill T.

Man, I hear that...it's cost me dearly.

 

Who knows about value of stuff...you guys are trying to predict the future.

 

I'm not worried about subtracting from the 'value' as you can tell:

 

 

 

This was a WEAVER FEF-3.

While I think Weaver had great products and is a great company, I would treat the remaining available stock like any other train purchases. I would only rush out and buy what I like for my layout and for my own use. I wouldn't buy any of it with the idea it will go up in value.

Like most businesses in this hobby that close, the desirable  high end stuff will go quickly but don't expect gold for your ultaline freight cars- unless it was a special run like the hsc beer cars or the prr 40' flat cars.

I dunno. 

 

The price for K-Line stuff was really down after they went bankrupted and their excess inventory was liquidated.  Then, the last couple of years, the price of a lot of their stuff has rebounded.

 

Personally, I'm not really excited by any recent Weaver offerings, but they previously put a lot of cool stuff on the market, some of which I would still like to buy secondhand.

 

Jim

Prices should decline but the product will remain in the market place for a long time just like K-Line

Dunno...as it is Weaver cars usually sell in the teens if good used and hover at $20 +/- each N.I.B. at our 2 rail shows.

 

However, currently, there is a guy doing our local 2 rail shows now who is dumping hundreds of brand new Weaver late model stuff for $10. each in multiple purchases.

 

He was buying to build a layout but alas has thrown in the towel.  He will be in the engine bay at the next Strasburg PA meet.

When Andy Petersen would truck out to York from Portland, Oregon he would bring a load of new Weaver without boxes. Prices were dirt cheap.

 

  Bill T.

Geeze Bob, good question.  I think it is a shame and am sorry they are closing, but the troop car debacle kind of soured me a bit.  They have always been very nice people to deal with, particularly the repair tech.  I only have one of their engines but have a number of their B60's, hoppers, and troop cars which are quite nice.  The troop cars were nice until all five self-destructed while in storage.  Hate to see a domestic company close its doors .  (I know some engines were built abroad).

 

Rich 

Rich, Self destructed??......  Explain please.

Tom tee- think zinc rot.

I will miss them; not so much for myself as I do traction but for memories; my brother's layout during his residency was largely Weaver.....

Yes, am aware of that!  How old the model? 

 

I was afraid you meant plastic body failure.

I will miss Weaver as well.  I have many of their boxcars, tankers,  and open top hoppers... many of which I have weathered.  I also have two of their troop sleepers which are very nice cars!   As soon as I read, here on the forum, that Weaver was closing I quickly purchased a B&O piggy back flat car and trailer ( which I have been wanting for quite a while now ) .... which arrived yesterday and it looks absolutely stunning on my layout!!!  I'm strongly thinking of purchasing another as well... real soon

"I was afraid you meant plastic body failure" well with the floors warping it did tend to cause cracks in the plastic.

James

I've posted elsewhere, partly jokingly, that "Weaver is now collectible". Well, it is. But, there is a bunch of it, and it will never be "State Set" expensive, and scarcity, when it occurs, will be years from now. By then, really, will there be anyone who cares any more?

 

I am, however, already looking at Weaver product with a more "Hm-m-m - not going to get any more of these...at least in this incarnation - and at this price".

 

All I mean is that: as the saying goes - "stick a pin in it" and keep an eye out. Once the liquidation is over, it will probably never get any cheaper. (Except for this one caveat: though liked, respected and purchased, for years Weaver has produced RS - and some locos - that were and are perceived as "cheap", "flimsy" and "lightweight"; this low-end reputation will hurt "collectibility", partly because there is a bit of truth in it.) 

Predicting the Value of any given Product is a Supply Versus Demand issue. I must say, I lost my job, similar to the Folks working for Weaver, and it's no fun losing your Livelyhood. Losing a job, a change that you have no control of is very hard. I pray for the folks that made Weaver a wonderful product to buy. What kind of Value can one put on That? Your Question of Resale Value is Simply, Unanswerable....Lets just hope everyone involved Survives...Nuff Sayd. 

I don't own any Weaver but I always liked their trains. I wonder who will get some of their tooling?

Weaver items depending on what they are will go up. Ultimately it will be what the market will bear. Many sellers will be disappointed.

I agree.  The asking prices will rise because of the perceived increase in value.  In actuality, unless the item is truly rare, and very sort after, it isn't worth any more after Weaver's demise than before to most buyers.  

They had some niche products that may be scarce.......I like Army trains....I have 2 of their US Army ALCO RS units with sound and TMCC....Unless someone starts doing similar, those will be hard to find on the secondary market.....I can see these demanding a good price. The only real competition are some US Army diesels with MTH made in the last few years......a scale Genset and a RK GP-20.

 

The rest of my Weaver collection is more mundane.

A US Army Northeastern caboose.

2 Weaver 50' flat cars. I have them decked out with military loads. I'll miss their availability....but any scale flat will do.

3 Weaver TOFC's

2 Weaver boxcars, NH and Conrail.

 

Peter

I would guess that Weaver had already ended the China pipeline for their locos before announcing a closing date.

 

    Bill T.

Their PS-2 covered hopper couldn't be beat. It was always my favorite.

 

Speaking of which, I just picked this up yesterday:

 

 

 

One of your (Jim's) custom runs.

 

Had to get it because of the markings -- "Return to Charleroi, PA."   My brother lives in Charleroi, and now I have to track down another one with the same markings to give to him as a gift. (I'm keeping this one )

 

The wide variety is one of the biggest things I will miss.

 

As far as value, other than the occasional bidding war for a rare item, I don't see the values of common pieces going much higher than they are now.

 

Andy

I see tons of Weaver stuff at train shows that never seems to sell even at low prices.  I don't expect this to change.

 

I have several Weaver engines that I really like.  Probably the most valuable Weaver products that I have (at least to me) is a set of scale "American Flyer" New Haven coaches and a brass NH I-5 to pull them.  Weaver was the only company that made these scale NH products.  I will miss Weaver's NH models.

 

Joe

Yes Bill T., locos have not been made since August of 2014

Agreed, I don't think it does either and the reason I asked for the auction number. All I saw were very reasonably priced Weaver rolling stock when I searched after seeing that post.

 

 

Weaver brass structures should increase in value!

 

Time to buy at closeout prices.

 

 

Maybe some of the small run items will go up but what has not been mentioned here is all the special runs that Weaver did for clubs. Their minimum order was much lower than Lionel or MTH so we may lose the opportunity to have some of these special cars.

Makes me wonder what will happen to prices on locomotives like the PRR BP-20..??

 

Alan

Oddly enough, it is just that simple. 

 

Some of the brass items are rather decent and will be in some demand - some of the cabooses and some structures.

 

There were a handful of special run CVRR cars that I look for and buy when not prices above silly. 

 

And, I do buy the older RSS3, FA/FB, and GP38 engines to cannibalize the drives to build what I want to build.  Those used to be cheap,

I think Weaver products will maintain their value especially the "high end" brass items.

Now that Weaver is gone, I'm much less inclined to let go of any of my Weaver rolling-stock. In the past year, I've given a couple of really nice Weaver cars to friends. While I will still may give away a car, it'll more likely be Lionel or MTH.

 

Given the law of supply and demand, if more people "hold" their Weaver items the price ultimately should rise.

I think you'll be lucky to get 50% of street price for Ultraline freight cars.  I only once bought brand new Weaver 50ft tank cars (three at once) and I know I'll never get what I paid for them. (sigh - I was still pretty new to the hobby at the time).

Let me know when your giving the cars away buddy, friend, pal!!!



       

Andy,

Thank you for posting the picture of the Carborundum PS-2 covered hopper. Andy, Carborundum use to have a plant in Charleroi. Maybe they still do. Anyways that's why I had Weaver put that on the car. I believe they did (150) that way and a (150) with Buffalo, N.Y.

Probably the same thing that happens to everything after you buy it...The price will continue to go down.

 

Jeff Davis

YUP! Look at K-Line items. This post sounds like wishfull speculation.