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Never paid MSRP and never will. I don't even pay street price either. Broadway Limited Refurbished Shop, eBay, train shows, and auction houses are where the deals are at of course you have to be patient and tame your instant gratification. It is another hobby in itself to me to try and find the best deal. I was able to buy over 60 locos all high end DCC/Sound factory equipped last year doing this.
I remember looking at the brass section in the hobby shop in the early 1980s and saw $500-$1200 price tags and said, NEVER. Then early 1990s the prices had crept up to $3000+ I thought, "never" until I saw the W&R Northern Pacific Z6 Challenger. I saw that and said, Wow. It looks so good if I could afford it I WOULD spend that much for that beauty. Never got one, had to settle for the Sunset model I picked up at at "name your own price" sale. Then Athearn came out with them in diecast/plastic for a fraction of the cost, so now I have two.
Now a days, when USED Bachmann Northern's are selling on e-bay for $200 and over, then $500 for a brand new, better brand, with electronics seems not so bad.
During the late(?) 1990s when the companies started doing the limited run stuff, I missed several models that I wanted because I had not gotten used to the new business strategy yet. I saw them on e-bay for twice the original MSRP. sigh. So when Lifelike announced the 0-8-0s in NP, I ordered one of each. They did NOT double in price, a year later one couldn't give them away. Soon after that Walthers re-ran them with improved electrical pick up AND sound equipped from the factory. Groan. So yeah, lesson learned, if I have to pay MSRP I'll just go without.
Having said that. I have learned that there are certain stores where if you are a good customer, then you can get pre-order discounts. I am not talking the penny down and then pay retail when it comes in. I mean serious discounts for pre-orders. One dealer actually calls me to see if I want "in". If he can order a larger quantity then he gets a better deal from the manufacturer.
Back to the topic of the thread. Having done hundreds(?) of sound and decoder installations since 1979 I am simply sick of it. Spent so much time and effort doing that instead of enjoying running the trains I don't think I'll ever buy a non-sound DC locomotive again. I also think even if I started now I would not get all my older fleet converted before I die. So time remaining for me is for enjoying not working on.
Im happy with the way my BLI Light Mikado runs, but I don't care for the way the sound is programmed. The sound itself is very good quality, but the sounds are all overdone, in my opinion. I don't need to hear someone shoveling coal... Just give me some good chuffing. I don't need to hear the toilet flush. Ok, that's an exaggeration, but not that far off, lol
Back to the topic of the thread. Having done hundreds(?) of sound and decoder installations since 1979 I am simply sick of it. Spent so much time and effort doing that instead of enjoying running the trains I don't think I'll ever buy a non-sound DC locomotive again. I also think even if I started now I would not get all my older fleet converted before I die. So time remaining for me is for enjoying not working on.
Yep I agree. I sold all of my DC locos that I haven't already or plan on converting to DCC except for my Dad's for obvious reason. Guess I am not a "real modeler" in some eyes because I choose to focus my endeavors in other areas. I am here to run trains not be a repair shop and if I could I'd run a 1:1 railroad in my backyard but my neighbors would be very upset.
Yep I agree. I sold all of my DC locos that I haven't already or plan on converting to DCC except for my Dad's for obvious reason. Guess I am not a "real modeler" in some eyes because I choose to focus my endeavors in other areas. I am here to run trains not be a repair shop and if I could I'd run a 1:1 railroad in my backyard but my neighbors would be very upset.
Back to the topic of the thread. Having done hundreds(?) of sound and decoder installations since 1979 I am simply sick of it. Spent so much time and effort doing that instead of enjoying running the trains I don't think I'll ever buy a non-sound DC locomotive again. I also think even if I started now I would not get all my older fleet converted before I die. So time remaining for me is for enjoying not working on.
Those prices from the BLI website showing their "RETAIL" prices should be used for comparison / a working point price only as most dealers offer 20 to 25 percent off retail. Then, on occasion, some sellers such as Model Train stuff and Trainworld will offer a three day sale with even greater discounts, sometimes offering free shipping with orders over a certain amount. ( I am NOT affiliated with either of these dealers in any way ).
I purchased 2, new BLI 2-8-0 consolidations with Paragon 3 sound/DCC from a dealer at a train show for $229.00 each. This is around $100 less than what they usually sell for. Not bragging here, just saying you can find deals by being patient and shopping around.
BLI brass-hybrid, UP 4-12-2 locos were $799 at Walthers. They are on sale at Trainworld for $649 today. I bought mine from Model Train Stuff last May, 2022, for less than $600 on a three day sale.
As in purchasing anything, you need to be an "educated" shopper.
The fact that BLI is going to offer non DCC units for sale may be a two fold issue. Number one being able to offer locos at a lower price point and number two being that some folks just aren't that crazy about the Paragon sound systems. Some folks complain about consisting with other DCC decoders and others like the sounds available from other decoders on the market.
Well thats just my opinions/experiences. Each to their own...........John
The fact that BLI is going to offer non DCC units for sale may be a two fold issue. Number one being able to offer locos at a lower price point and number two being that some folks just aren't that crazy about the Paragon sound systems. Some folks complain about consisting with other DCC decoders and others like the sounds available from other decoders on the market.
I believe you might be right. I know several people who get a BLI unit and immediately swap out the electronics. Why pay for something that just goes into the trash.
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The fact that BLI is going to offer non DCC units for sale may be a two fold issue. Number one being able to offer locos at a lower price point and number two being that some folks just aren't that crazy about the Paragon sound systems. Some folks complain about consisting with other DCC decoders and others like the sounds available from other decoders on the market.
Well thats just my opinions/experiences. Each to their own...........John
I'm in the second category. I just don't like the Paragon sounds, at least not the sounds that came with my Light Mikado. The sounds are way overdone, and they are complex enough that it's not a simple task to tweak them. The motor control seems to be fine, but the sounds are annoying to me. Volumes are all over the place. I can barely hear the whistle, but the chuffing can be heard from one end of the house to the other. I don't need to hear what sounds like a turbine spooling up... I don't even know what that sound is, but it sounds like something is getting ready to take off from a landing strip. And how do I change the volume of that sound when I don't even know what the sound is to figure out which CV value to change? Beyond frustrating!
By trying to be everything to everybody, they have become nothing for me. I avoid BLI just because of this. Well, add the fact that my loco was DOA, and spent 5-6 weeks getting sorted out in their warranty repair center before I even had a chance to hear the sounds... that proved to be annoying anyway.
I don't think I will ever buy another BLI locomotive with a Paragon decoder. Even when I go to teh online shops, I filter out BLI so I don't even waste my time being distracted by them.
midwestmodelrr.com
