What has happened to the hobby?

[Larry]

When I started out in the hobby in 1961 most of the cars & some engines were in kit form. Some made out of cardboard, metal & a few plastic ones. When I started working for a hobby distributor in Miami Florida in the mid 60's I started learning about the real nice RTR engines & rolling stock. I then had more time to work on the layout itself.
back then there wasn't many HO layouts in town, mostly Lionel O27 & American Flyer S scale. Most of my friends would come by & just frown at my little trains. No interest.
Then, in about 1978 to 1985 there was a new interest in MRR'ing. More stuff in the mags, lots of hobby shops opening up & then the computer age started & the train shows got shorter & in my area they went from 6 to 8 a year down to 2 & 3 a year.
All Hobbies go thru phases. Roller Skating was my main sport when I was growing up. I use to spend 40 hrs. or more skating. Even skated all the way up to 1990. Now, roller skating has died off completely. I'm still doing DC because it would cost me a fortune to change to DCC. I spend a lot of time on my layout. Not in building kits(shaky hands & stiff fingers) but, in actual layout scenery & such. It bugs me that I have to put handrails on an engine or try to find wheels that actually fit the car that I'm working on.
Headlites that lite up the cab instead of the headlite. I think w/the new inventions coming our way that more young people in their later years(relaxing) will find this hobby a new thing in their lives. When people come to see my layout they don't seem to be looking at the trains, just the buildings & scenery. They don't see those exceptional engines or passenger cars that you've been working on for months. The same person that comes in every month notices something new more than the one time looker.

 

[ChevelleSSguy]

I was out of the hobby for the last 5 to 7 years as well and when I came back, I couldnt believe the changes. Back then, I could walk into any hobby shop and find any kit I wanted and typically had to spend about 5-10 dollars. Now, you can barely get one 40 foot container to to use for husky stack cars for 5 bucks. There is no way it costs even close to that to make things like this. Back then you could populate a layout with 100 dollars in frieght cars. Now, your lucky to make one train with 100 dollars. Not every guy out there needs every single one of the freight cars on thier layout to be super detailed models.

I recently started getting involved in a local modular train club and was talking to one of the guys about this same subject. The consensus we made was that the craftsman was being phased out. Plus the average guy was being priced right out of the hobby. I have to agree with that. Now you can populate an entire layout with ready to run cars and structures. I know there are a lot of guys that arent able to do much modeling due to health or time but to me this hobby is becomming nothing more then toy trains.

And now with everything being on a pre order status. I dont know what I am going to need in the far future and im afraid if I dont dump say. 75 bucks on some kit that I think I might need but I wont even be close to it. Its like your danged if you do and your danged if you dont. You can buy the kit now, which means the money is used on something you dont need at the moment and what you do need now suffers because you spent it on something for the far future to collect dust. Or, if you wait until you are ready for that structure or kit, its out of production now and will cost you hundreds to find it in the secondary market.

 

[NH Mike]

quote: jeffrey-wimberly - By then they might be able to beam the product to you.


And you will build your railroad in a Holodeck by telling the computer what you want it to look like. The head engineer will be a guy named Scotty.

 

[Dsquared_sleeperMSP]

The one benefit I had was with my last g/f. She was really into it too. She's very creative and artistic which became very useful. I would devote more, but between paying bills, buying car parts (exhaust and supercharger), and this hobby (just spent almost $200 yesterday at TruckStopModels.com) I have no more money left...ugh...

 

[UP2CSX]

SSGuy, I'll bet if you go to e-bay right now you can get a 10 car train for less than $100. You can get a 20 car train if you're willing to get older Tyco and Life-Like cars and detail them out and switch out the couplers. I've seen Athearn BB kits going for $2 at thrift shops and $1 at yard sales. There are plenty of way to economize. You don't have to buy that Atlas Gold freight sitting up by the cash register.

As has been mentioned, Atlas has the Trainman line and Walthers has the Proto 1000 line. They are both good looking engines and cars and the modern equivalent of the Athearn BB. They cost more but they already include things like knucle couplers and metal wheels you'd have to buy if you wanted bring Athearn BB cars up to modern standards. Until recently, we've also had a weak dollar, which made Chinese goods more expensive. With the dollar getting stronger now, I expect some of those prices to fall. The effects of inflation, even at only 3% a year, also have to be considered, as does the cost of oil. Remember when it was $150 a barrel a year ago. It has an effect on plastic models. You can buy an Athearn RTR GP38-2 at http://www.modeltrainstuff.com/product_p/ath-79988.htm for $34.99. Better details, better motor, and correct hood width. Is that really a worse deal than the $20 I had to pay for Athearn BB kits that were nowhere near as good?

 

[stationmaster]

Stir it up an put it in the Microwave. lol Add water, stir, and nuke it.

Bob

 

[lmackattack]

Well I just want to stop here real quick and thank all the people who have been buying RTR stuff lately. yesterday I went into town to check the local hobby shop for BB kits and there were a few modern cars (10 to be exact) on the shelf next to the 300 or so RTR stuff. So I went home and stopped over at Evil bay. In the last 24 hrs I was able to score a total of 23 freight cars KITS. for a total of $90 shipped. thats about $4 a freight car.

7 / P2K tankers
16 / BB Atherns

and the night is still young!

the down side is...are you ready...you wont belive this






















I have to assemble them...oh my god the thought that I need a screwdriver and glue!!!! LOL

Trent

 

[ChevelleSSguy]

Well I just want to stop here real quick and thank all the people who have been buying RTR stuff lately. yesterday I went into town to check the local hobby shop for BB kits and there were a few modern cars (10 to be exact) on the shelf next to the 300 or so RTR stuff. So I went home and stopped over at Evil bay. In the last 24 hrs I was able to score a total of 23 freight cars KITS. for a total of $90 shipped. thats about $4 a freight car.

7 / P2K tankers
16 / BB Atherns

and the night is still young!

the down side is...are you ready...you wont belive this






















I have to assemble them...oh my god the thought that I need a screwdriver and glue!!!! LOL

Trent

But did the cost of shipping weigh into the price though?

 

[lmackattack]

It was about $82 for all the cars and $22 for shipping on the 3 diffrent auctions. So even at $104 total with shipping that puts it at $4.50 per car to my front door.. thats cheaper than a BB kit at the store! I dont know what a P2K kits go for but I would assume that they are around $20 each. Retail for what I bought tonight has to be close to $300+... without shipping

 

[Beachbum]

Interesting. I came back off about a ten year hiatus from model railroading about a year ago. And yes, things have changed dramatically, including prices. I'd love to go DCC but I won't spend that kind of money as long as my DC runs ok.

I'm lucky in that my two closest hobby shops have boatloads of BB kits on their shelves but the BB kits in no way compare to the RTR level of detail with things like etched metal walkways, etc. I could kitbash / customize but frankly that's not the part of the hobby that holds my interest. To each his own.

I'm also lucky in that my current significant other actually wants to work on my layouts, unlike my last SO who thought model railroaders all lived in their moms' basements. Now if I could just convince her that Pennsy cabooses really don't belong on contemporary Southern shortlines...

 

[Beachbum]

Interesting. I came back off about a ten year hiatus from model railroading about a year ago. And yes, things have changed dramatically, including prices. I'd love to go DCC but I won't spend that kind of money as long as my DC runs ok.

I'm lucky in that my two closest hobby shops have boatloads of BB kits on their shelves but the BB kits in no way compare to the RTR level of detail with things like etched metal walkways, etc. I could kitbash / customize but frankly that's not the part of the hobby that holds my interest. To each his own.

I'm also lucky in that my current significant other actually wants to work on my layouts, unlike my last SO who thought model railroaders all lived in their moms' basements. Now if I could just convince her that Pennsy cabooses really don't belong on contemporary Southern shortlines...

 

[smiley]

quote: jeffrey-wimberly - By then they might be able to beam the product to you.
And you will build your railroad in a Holodeck by telling the computer what you want it to look like. The head engineer will be a guy named Scotty.

Laser cutting and 3D printing may become commonplace. Some of my classmates in architecture school used them to make building models as early as 5-6 years ago and even then the price of equipment time was fairly affordable, one could get a 3D printed plastic model the size of a typical HO locomotive for about $50-100. There is of course a fairly steep learning curve in the CAD software used to program the cutter or printer, however.

 

[Graham Line]

Interesting stuff. I've been in and out of the hobby since the '60s, what with slot cars, girlfriends, marriage, kid, work and on and on.
Someone should have mentioned Accurail. Kits are easy to get off their web site or in hobby shops and are much better detailed than any of the BB kits. Lots of hobbyshops are sitting on piles of LifeLike and Intermountain kits as well. Much of my stock comes cheap from swap meet sellers clearing out their surplus.
There are a lot of very good resin kits out there if you track them down, from places like Southern Car & Foundry, Railyard and others, and they really aren't that difficult to assemble.
As much of my model time is spent on research as it is on building -- lots cheaper than buying stacks of RTR items and I end up with models no one else has. If you can pick a favorite prototype and follow it, your buying needs can go 'way down.
Don't let yourself be brainwashed into buy, buy, buy.
Today's "brastic," factoring in wages and inflation from the 1960s to now, is a lot better and less expensive than brass was in its heyday. Would you rather have an Athearn UP turbine, or one from Alco Models?
Did I mention all the good historical society magazines, and modeling web sites that didn't exist years ago?

 

[iomalley]

For me, things changed (in HO) when Proto2000 came out with the RTR BL2 which was truly done, handrails, grab irons...everything. Followed by their gorgeous (still) 50' double door box...It took another decade for Athearn to include one piece acetal handrails in their engine 'kits'. (still)

The BL2 and soon after the FA2 was talk-of-the-town, where up til then the talk-of-the-town was what local modelers were 'building'...

It's never been the same since...

 

[nwdrummer379]

I've only been in the hobby for 4 years but I must say that the lack of readily available Athearn BB kits really irks me. Ever since I started they were my favorite and thats all I got! Paying $7 for a kit was great since I could get twice as many cars in kit form rather than RTR since I'm on a strict budget. But, there is always ebay right?

 

[UP2CSX]

SGS, the one thing I'll say for being able to buy better detailed models off the shelf is that modelers have a lot more time for things like weathering. I was looking at a 1994 issue of MR today and the striking thing were the pictures of kitbashed and detailed BB kits and engines. They looked good but every one looked like they just came out of the paint shop. Even whole trains looked they just came through a car washer. Many layout photos I see today not only have better detailed rolling stock because they're available, they also look a lot more realistic and less like plastic because of the weathering.

NW, there's not only e-bay, there are yard sales, train shows, swap meets, and thrift shops. I don't know how many BB kits are still sitting in boxes around the country but I'll bet it in the hundreds of thousands. I never have read any figures on how many BB kits were produced altogether by Athearn but I'll bet it's in the millions.

Younger modelers are really in the cat bird seat right now. More and more of us who have been in the hobby most of our lives are getting older or dying. Either we want to get rid of stuff because we no longer have the ability or desire to continue in modeling or our relatives have to dispose of our collections. Gigantic lots of BB kits will be coming on the market over the next 10 years so there's never going to be a shortage. Likewise, there's never been a better time to buy brass engines, for the same reasons BB kits are going to be around for a long time.

 

[malletman]

Yepper, definatly the right time to be in the market for brass engines, older wood freight car kits ect. There have been lots of collections showing up at shows this fall. I will say that 98% of what I have bought in the last year is older stuff, brass engines from the early to mid 60's, wood car kits, Athearn BB stuff. Only a couple of newer pieces, one being a Bachmann NKP Berk so I have atleast one DCC engine to run at my buddys layout. I refuse to put can motors in my PFM brass one, it runs like it already has one, just wouldnt be easy to put dcc in it. Cheers Mike

 

[NYW&B]

SGS, the one thing I'll say for being able to buy better detailed models off the shelf is that modelers have a lot more time for things like weathering. I was looking at a 1994 issue of MR today and the striking thing were the pictures of kitbashed and detailed BB kits and engines. They looked good but every one looked like they just came out of the paint shop. Even whole trains looked they just came through a car washer. Many layout photos I see today not only have better detailed rolling stock because they're available, they also look a lot more realistic and less like plastic because of the weathering.

In response to that take on the situation, I'd refer you back to the views I expressed in my post on page 2. Likewise, I think what we see in the way of loco and rollingstock photos today is largely a caricaturish over-weathering, not more realism. I see real freights all the time and they are far from being made up totally of rolling wrecks. A car here and there, maybe, but not whole trains of them. The pendulum seems to have swung to the opposite extreme from the 1990's.

NYW&B

 

[ICG/SOU]

I tell you what, if it wasn't for DCC, I don't think I'd be as big and back into the hobby. DCC has made playing trains more fun for me.

 

[Gary B]

I for one have embraced the RTR equipment simply because rolling stock and locomotives have never really been my focus in the hobby. I've built my share of BB kits over the years but if asked about kits I've built I never thing to count them. To me, the process is akin to 'Some assembly required', not modeling. I know a lot of you guys take
these thinks alot farther, but ready painted and adding trucks, couples and a few details, well there is little challenge to me. I'm a scenery and structure focused guy. So I guess it's no surprise that ready built structures have little interest to me. I do have several ceramic building I picked up for a steal and have worked into the layout. Otherwise, I seldom build a building stock out of the box. I've never been a craftsmen and I'm certainly not an operator, but I get a lot of enjoyment out of model railroading and that's the only reason I do it.

DCC? Too expensive an undertaking at this time, but maybe one day.