Model Train prices going way up.


I'll give you one for free: 36" Atlas Flex, (2004) 3.75, (2005) 4.35, (today) 4.65. This particular product required no new "tooling" nor has there been any change in design.

If that track is manufactured outside the US, part of the increase will be the foreign exchange in bringing the product back to the US. The US dollar doesn't buy what it used to, especially since the credit crunch.
 
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In my area I also have heard commercials MAJORLY promoting model railroading for kids to get them away from the computer, The NMRA has 2 going on the radio in the Pittsburgh area I have heard also. Another thing is Christmas, cant forget the Lead issue and as already mentioned, petrolium.
All things combined....
makes for a greedy situation.
 
Very good, bill937ca. That certainly is true and something that I'm not used to thinking about. All my life the U.S. dollar was rock solid and I only once had to deal with a lowered exchange rate and that was in Hong Kong, 1971.
 
The American dollar is worth 91 cents in Canadian .The last time that happened was gee I can't remember . But I just love the last seven years of our current Administration .
 
A friend of mine complained when I gave him a Canadian dime. I said that at the current exchange rate, that dime is worth more than a US dime....

Kennedy
 
Recently the Japanese Yen has been gaining in strength after being down for five years. That may push Kato prices up. The Euro is the strongest currency these days, so all those European train lines will become more expensive. I'm glad I bought almost all my Japanese trains while prices and exchange was favourable.
 
Paul,
The last time the Canadian dollar exceed par with the US dollar was 1977, when inflation was 14% and everyone was convinced that the US dollar would soon be worth nothing and the only thing worth having was gold. The dollar is falling today because of the rate cuts by the Feds and the subprime mortgage problems. The dollar was actually too high for too long and having it down at the levels it is at now is a good thing for the US, since our goods are more competitive with foreign goods. The Euro and Yen have moved higher against the dollar because the perception is that Europe and Japan are less exposed to credit problems than the US. I personally doubt this is the case since the Europeans and Japanese have been heavy investors in banks and other financial institutions in the US and will suffer along with us. UBS, the worlds largest bank, put out a research report yesterday that the world-wide exposure to subprime debt of all kinds in 468 trillion dollars. Yes, that's with a "T". If this is true, the price of Kato models will be the least of our problems. :(
 
The American dollar is worth 91 cents in Canadian .The last time that happened was gee I can't remember . But I just love the last seven years of our current Administration .

A friend of mine complained when I gave him a Canadian dime. I said that at the current exchange rate, that dime is worth more than a US dime....

Kennedy
No kidding, a month of so ago, it was 1UDS, 1.04 CDN. :eek:
 
Well if this does not fall into the lines of prices rising... Tower 55 will be renamed T55 due to a lawsuit!

For the last few years, Overland Models, Inc. has been marketing its leading-edge plastic models under the name Tower 55 Products.

Those of you who have had any relationship with Overland Models know well our family liking of and close connection to things relating to Union Pacific.

This connection led to the Tower 55 reference in the name, it being an historical tower of some renown in railroad history, and it continues as a major intersection even today in the Union Pacific system.

A short time ago, we were advised that another company feels that the name we have been using infringes on a name that they have been using.

We disagree with their opinion, but we have elected to put our time and money into continuing to develop and produce some of the finest train models available in the market, rather than spend the time and the money arguing back and forth.

As a result, we will be changing the name that we have been using to market our plastic models.

Unfortunately, this decision has required us to temporarily inactivate our web-site at www.tower55products.com, while we remove any reference to the word tower.

As soon as it is operational, we will send you the pertinent information.

It is essential that you understand that this situation has absolutely nothing to do with our basic business and that it has absolutely no effect on the future of our plastic model projects.

In fact, our last e-mail to you indicated that we had just received at Trainfest the test shots for SD70ACe and SD70M-2 future releases.

Now that we are back in Muncie, we have been able to take pictures of these samples, and they are shown below.

We are very sorry about this totally unexpected development and trust that you will be patient with us while we remove all references to our previous name from the file names and pictures on our old Tower 55 Products web-site. We will shortly reactivate the site under the name www.t55products.com

This will be a temporary web-site address until our new name is formally registered and unveiled in early 2008.

Sincerely,

Brian Marsh
 
We're talking about manufacturing costs, and the assembly the manufacturer has to do, not assembly by the consumer. :)

I prefer to build it myself; pain in the arse to have to take it apart, pull off the plasticy generic stuff, then put on the after market parts. I'm about half-done with WP F7 #913 (second loco), rolling pumpkin with pilot plow, circa 1974. Some chop and cut work on an Athearn single headlight F shell, cut out the side grilles and build up the open area with scrap styrene. It won't be "pretty," but it'll be unique--less than $100 out of pocket. And the rolling stock--twice the price for someone else putting in the screws and metal wheels? Nope, A-Line stirrups, metal grabs, lay a flat car deck board-by-board with stripwood, and scar it up a little. I made a nice 50 and 60-foot WP shop-made bulkhood flat out of some Athearn 50-footer flats, built the bulkheads from styrene forms out of the picture. And add weight, too.
 



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