Model railways aren’t too expensive, you are just poor, buy preowned
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 18 ม.ค. 2024
- There’s a seemingly poor attitude towards people unhappy the prices of starter model railways items via a small contingent of people with the attitude that this stuff isn’t over priced “nooooo no no, you in fact are just poor so buy preowned
The answer isnt preowned
Here’s a video why this isn’t a good answer to this issues - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
![เบิ้ล ปทุมราช - อ้ายกินดอง น้องลาบงัว ft. สแน็ก อัจฉรีย์ [OFFICIAL MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/-OK--KaSPcI/mqdefault.jpg)
Whenever I look at preowned, it always seems to be "Has been run for 20 years and is nearly broken, 5% off of full price brand new price."
😂 very true
I quite enjoy fixing up broken locos but have certainly found a few nasty surprises in pre-owned products, (I've had some bargains as well to be fair) Its one of those risks I wouldn't mind taking for a big enough discount, but the prices are so close to new sometimes its not worth it.
i buy nothing but spares repairs locos , you already know their faults and are often very easy repairs
The state of British model manufacturers is abysmal. They need to come up with a new tool budget range, it isn't that hard really. Hornby can just simplify their top of the range stuff. Their train set Class 395 was pretty nice. I don't see why they can't do the same thing for the Class 800 or the FILRTS. Railroad Plus is a step in the right direction, but the stuff is still crappy old tooling and much too expensive.
Why would they when Simulators are here to stay.
I think there is still something about a tangible train set that those games cannot capture.
Like the ability to use one when the wifi goes down
There is a gap in the market here. Hornby Railroad using old tooling and constant price increase for the same models. Second hand market is all there and great but there are a lot of knackered and battered old wagons, coaches and locos with parts missing. Who would want to buy a model in that state? Even more so if the shop selling it hasn't serviced it before putting it on sale, which I think is quite naughty.
A manufacturer or a new manufacturer needs to come in and create a budget range, down on the finer details like vacuum pipes etc. An experienced modeller can spruce it up if they wanted to but keeping costs down as much as possible is the way to achieve it along with effective marketing. A new entrant for the beginners/budget market would certainly give Hornby some serious competition.
@GWSR7 Exactly, it is madness that Hornby charge extortionate prices for models that have 30-40 year old mouldings. The industry isn't doing itself any favours with how things are at the moment.
I'd like to see starter sets at a lower price. I also wish they'd include a few value extras in these kits like a couple of card kits for a platform or a tunnel or something. They don't have to be as fancy as the card kits on sale, just some very basic ones to make an oval of track a bit more exciting.
Card kits are a great idea! My son was given a Bachmann Thomas set by a family member and when the fun of watching Thomas run around in a circle started to wane he asked me to make a station and tunnel out of cardboard boxes. I'm sure it wouldn't cost a whole lot more to print and die-cut simple card models for stuff like that and it really does make a circle of track a lot more interesting.
The other thing that really enhanced the starter set was picking up a couple of straight pieces of track to make it an oval, so the train had a chance to straighten out before curving around again.
This is why I have to sell my OO gauge and went with N gauge.
I’m loving my n gauge right now I must say
N gauge is more expensive isn’t it?
No its cheaper than OO gauge if you look at the prices but don't get me wrong some N gauge models can be all most the same prices has OO gauge, example OO gauge HST usually cost £363 just for the power cars N gauge HST cost £250 and you get the power cars plus 2 coaches
@@starruler1922Thanks de Nile is not just a river. The whole hobby is about as stable as an Elephant on roller skates.
Getting back into the hobby after many years away. The prices are nuts and I am struggling with the value for money aspect of it. I still have some locos, rolling stock and track from around thirty five years ago and will use what I can. Went to a toy and train fair last Sunday and picked up some wagons - boxed and unboxed + a new loco - Hornby R2912 LNER 2-6-4T Thompson Class L1.
I love model railways but have given up building a layout. The cost of scenery, track, rolling stock, controllers, etc. is just too expensive, even if it is pre-owned.
I've moved on to model aircraft as they are pretty cheap and allow me to model something
I can recommend budget model railways
Model planes are cool, you can hang them from the ceiling too which saves on space. And you don’t need to add extra scenery or rolling stock to them to make them look correct.
Thankyou for raising an interesting point about a potential glut for new pre-owned stuff. While I don't think that railway modelling is exactly an old mans hobby (I mean, the majority of employees at Rapido are under 40), I agree that it's becoming less and less of a poor mans hobby.
Speaks of the decline of the British lower middle class
@@OscarOSullivan not exclusively the British middle class but just the middle class in general.
This is why I started modelling my own narrow gauge: I wanted to make metre gauge models but I couldn't possibly afford Bemo or Märklin, so I scratch build in 1:55 scale using HO gauge track and "pre-owned" chassis; this means I can buy something with a tatty body or awful colour scheme because it'll look like I want it to when I'm done.
As an American yankee/cowboy who is very much into British model trains but also very broke, I relate with this so hard. Here we only got American trains that all just got the same mold with a different paint scheme, while British trains are just so different and diverse and they just look so lovely *That and I grew up with Thomas which is.. y’know, British*
And even if you do got enough to buy it, you still gotta account for the shipping/postage, which can raise your 100$ budget to a 200$ budget.
I might just boycott the entire model train stuff just cause they out here like ‘oh, it’s special, it’s a hobby, it’s a collectors item’ let’s be real, it’s just a toy 😭
Meanwhile there's little to no model railway shops in my country and thanks to postage and exchange rates, buying a Model Railway set from a foreign country is also not an option
So buying preowned is expensive to me because, again, exchange rates and postage
Where are you located buddy
@@Steves00gauge Malaysia, I've seen some model shops but looking at their prices, not worth selling both kidneys just for a 4-6-0. There is a chain of stores that sells pre-owned stuff imported from Japan and I've gotten an O Gauge Coach from it which is currently my only model (and before any of the "You're too poor, just buy pre-owned" guys use this as a comeback, not everyone in Japan is selling their used models and I don't go to these stores like every 3 days)
@@TankEngine75Fair enough though there may be a glut of stuff in the next few years
i live in Australia, there are no second hand model shops, if i want them i have to wait for the big model shows to find some bargains. so i have to buy in bulk from the uk to make the shipping prices worth it, and what makes it even harder is that i'm a teen who can't legally work yet. the last model i got was a year ago, and that was a bachmann ROD that was the last at the model shop so they had to get rid of it to me for a really cheap price. since then until recently i took a long time away from looking at model prices and they have gone up by another 50%. so i have completely started to leave the hobby to start model kit building.
Love the Rhod Gilbert style rant👍
I believe prices of new stuff are kept high to make people think they’re worth it …… like Nike
I do end up on the odd tangent now and again 😂
Love it👍
I'm so poor and like trains so much, but everything is so expensive, I've resorted to widdling my locos, rolling stock, and track. Not DC or DCC ready.... EVER! 😂
I’m sorry to hear that. I’m working on a giveaway soon I just need to figure it out. Joined twitter and facebook @steves00gauge too as options for it
When it comes to buying new Model Railroad/Railway related stuff, I usually rely on eBay or online shops like Train World to get good discounts.
Now in my late 50s and looking at Model Railways again. Even accounting for inflation the prices are astronomical. Its no longer a hobby for children to enjoy and seems to be aimed at adults with money to spend.
Compare old model railway magazines with those of today which are now crammed with adverts like "we will buy your collection".Model Railways are now more of an investment than being affordable to everyone unless you go down the second hand route.I have been to a few exhibitions to compare prices, and the halls seem to be full of people my age with hardly any children to be seen. A decent loco on its own is the same cost as a decent games console. If you were to buy a nice new loco (£240 for a Coronation class)with say 4 carriages (£35 each)and 4 trucks(£20 each) you could easily be looking at £400 plus for one train.
No doubt some will say that the quality of models have improved and justify the cost yet Hornby still churn out models made from toolings over 30 years old for silly prices.
Forget the old images of a young lad playing trains with his dad, its now an adult game for those with a decent credit card.
It’s sadly gotten obscene 😢
Saved up for years to get exactly what I wanted. Just need to build the layout....
Little bit of an outsider on the situation as I'm from the states and model in O gauge, but over here it's much the same. New starter sets average in the $500 range, new rolling stock averages $100 each, and top of line locomotives routinely crack quadruple digits, $1000 and up.
So most of my fleet is secondhand aside from a few things I found on sale, some of it is approaching a century in age. If I do want new stuff, I tend to go to Menards, a home improvement retailer. Their head honcho is nuts about trains, so they've commissioned a line of affordable O gauge rolling stock, structures, track, and even locomotives.
So maybe there's an executive in the UK that's mad on trains and could use a nudge. If they undecut the competition like Menards does over here, could be quite the money-spinner.
I've been seriously considering switching to O gauge from HO, partially because of Menards offering some actually affordable stuff (no thanks Lionel) and partially because it's easier to build DIY models than smaller scales.
Big attraction for me is the operating cars and accessories, not something you see in the smaller gauges too much anymore. Get a kick out of the loaders/unloaders and animations like the rotary beacon and oil derrick.
If you stick to the semi-scale/traditional locos and cars in preowned, it'a pretty reasonable to be in O. If you're short on space O-27 tubular track can net you a layout in a fairly small space. My first was a 3x6.
@@Shipwright1918 Agreed! I've been finding that I'm attracted to the operating accessories, especially the ones that are operated by hand. I picked up a used Lionel derrick car and I really like how it's just operated by a pair of finger cranks. I'm also keeping an eye out for some Marx tinplate stuff, I love the simple outline and painted details and the way it doesn't take itself too seriously.
Marx is a good make, engines are fairly well bulletproof. Only thing you have to watch out for these days is to get ones with double-reduction gear motors as the singles with the fat wheels don't like going through Lionel/modern O switches.
Have a Marx tunnel myself, just a couple pieces of stamped sheet metal but the lithography decoration on the outsude is gorgeous for what was essentially a cheap thing for kids back in the day. They just don't make stuff like that anymore...
Hard to pick favorites when it comes to accessories, they're all neat to see in action, but Lionel's milk car and the water tower with real water in it are definitely up there for me.
I can totally agree with this video, we need a new Tri-ang Railways to step in
Would be wonderful
@@Steves00gaugeThat I Traveller set locomotive looks great. Shame it is not a DC set. DC for life.
@@OscarOSullivanDcc that's another can of worms.
Yep, agree 100%
I muss 2000-2010.
New 'super detailed' pacifics were £100-125 tops and you could pick them up for £50-85 if you eyeballed around.
Now...£180-280 🙄
And chances are they more than likely worked
@@OscarOSullivan - I heard Hornby were using more reliable factories around then although no idea on what to research a confirmation.
Really enjoying your channel. Luckily I could afford to buy the latest stuff at the latest prices, but I don’t. I started in the 1990s when Hornby top link in the brown box rivalled Lima in the blue box for which one could run the worse! When production moved to China, there was a spectacular improvement in detail and quality of running. Anything made 2005 to 2015 normally runs great has great detail and at normal viewing distance is indistinguishable from the current super detail stuff.
Thank you buddy
I buy lots of new but it’s getting more painful.
I’ve started filming a new series and I’ve done 2 so far “ I bought it so you don’t have too” 🤣
I started out, in 1971 (aged 9), with 1 x RS.88 bumper clockwork set, 1 x Triang Miniville M3 clockwork set, a Playcraft electric #708 0-4-0T steam loco and Jouef power unit.
The problem is that Rovex (Triang Railways / Triang Hornby / Hornby) doesn't have Lima or Playcraft (Jouef) undercutting the on cheap, starter trainsets (because Hornby now owns them!!!),
In the beginning, they started out offering a cheaper and better detailed trainsets than Hornby Dublo & Trix, back in the 1950's. In the 1960's, they took over Hornby Dublo but had to compete with Mettoy''s Playcraft (Jouef) on cheap starter sets. The 1970''s saw Playcraft drop out, to be replaced by Airfix, Lima & Mainline (Palitoy) in the starter trainset market.
Hornby now own Airfix, Mettoy, Lima, and Jouef. Where's the competitior offering cheap, affordable starter trainsets today??
The problem with model railways in my opinion is more to do with the value you get for the price you have paid. It works the same for new or pre owned, as was mentioned in the video. You pay £80 for a model loco on eBay which was probably less than that when it was new 12 years ago! and it's probably completely knackered so you then spend ages trying to get it to run properly. This is where you wish you had gone for new, only to find that what you get for your money is again not good value.
Had a recent episode with a new steam loco ran poorly when first used and found out that the pickups on the tender did not work, so had to pull loads of detail parts off, some of which where glued on, before I could adjust the pickups, and get it working. Plus advertised features such as stay alive did not work!
I don't think model railways can keep going like this for much longer. I have just spent close to £100 for a piece of track work a double slip and point motor's etc, for almost the same price you can buy a RC car that's ready to go with batteries and transmitter! And the build quality and tec in the RC vehicle will be much better than what's in a new OO gauge loco costing over twice the price! Plus you can easily get spare parts and upgrade parts for it.
I agree it's a mess due to greed 👍
My friend. There is another reason for the high prices according to my mind. It’s the same with bus fares, train fares etc. when people stop buying or paying for services etc the owners, or makers say “ Oh dear, our profits are down, Let’s up the prices”. Then the circle of death starts. The less people use / pay the more the profits dip so up go the price. Then of course there are so many different sizes, right down to the mini N gauge. It looks to me that the specialist model makers that have money to burn, they are driving up the prices. For people like me (aged 78 and on a pension) that just wanted a hobby, it’s too expensive. I’m one of your people that have come into the hobby later in life, but I am very limited due to cash flow. I’m happy making my own scenery but am stuck with the one train, unless I buy secondhand.
Love this video. If Rolls Royce pushed out more cars they would be cheaper. From what I see, Kato and Tomix seem good value and made in Japan . And the Kato control even looks like a dead man handle.
I confirm for Kato and Tomix. Got both with Japanese models, correct price, superb quality, runs like a charm. You can add Greenmax to the list, I have a DMU from them, same comments.
@Trainrhys I think, could be wrong but Rolls Royce is the only one that offers Diplomatic service for the right people anywhere in the world.
I started in the early 70’s, there was little option on what you could buy, something like a Hornby/Triang Britannia was almost £10, that would be around £85 today, taking into account higher VAT, and you still had a very basic model, which was bare green plastic, with moulded on, or missing details, also probably not dimensionally correct.
Even by the late 80’s, I was buying cheap Triang engines, and either modifying them, or scratch building bodies from styrene.
Then I could afford luxury plastic buildings such as Dapol/Airfix, card kits were available too, although I had been scratch building using card, paper, balsa wood, plus other scrounged materials.
I’m about to embark on a Lima Deltic, which I bought for £18, and have intentions on detailing and improving it, although I have placed an order for the Accurascale Deltic, which is being bought on instalments.
You can either buy for pennies, which means you will have to improve or build yourself, and it is a good skill builder, or you can buy off the shelf for hundreds of pounds.
I still don’t mind the former.
Spot on, you are right. Simple as that, and it's depressing.
It’s ok, multi millionaires say everything is great with our hobby 👍 😂 very comforting that …
Another problem with new entry level people or people who aren’t massive fans buying pre owned stuff, is that the money from the sale doesn’t go to manufacturers it goes to individuals. So in turn the manufacturers get less sales and jack the price of the next model up to keep up revenue. Which excludes more people.
I'm at the point where I can afford high-end models. I have brass and even live steam models in my collection, but you can bet that's not at all what I started off with. My first train set was made by Life-Like and purchased at Toys'R'Us. It was a little 0-4-0T Docksider, two boxcars and a caboose. It was the cheapest thing you could buy. Life-Like has been out of business for over 15 years now. This problem isn't unique to Britain, all of the American manufacturers serving the low end of the market have all gone under, Tyco in 1993, IHC and Life-Like in 2008, Mantua in 2001 and Model Power in 2014. Bachmann's stuff is light-years ahead of anything those companies made. Yet Bachmann is now considered low end. Meanwhile they just made a $500 model of a New York Central J-3a Hudson that just made any brass model obsolete. Bachmann did this, Bachmann of all people! I also have an interest in British trains and when I purchased a Railroad Hall Class, all I could think was "This is Railroad?" It's a very nice model, but I paid over $100 for what's supposed to be a budget model, though the detail was higher than I expected.
Welcome along. I’m looking forward to heading back to the states for my 40th.
Went on my 30th and I went to a few model shops and gun ranges.
Model shops seemed amazing to me when I went and I’m hoping for much of the same.
@@Steves00gauge Sorry to burst your bubble, but hobby shops are pretty rare now. A few big ones are still going, as they've also captured the online market. I buy most of my trains online now.
Hobby is even more difficult in Ireland
You are absolutely spot on, I couldn't have put it better myself ❤
Very much agree , hopefully things will change for the better soon , great vid 👍
Thank you and I hope so
Pre owned can be more expensive than new
That’s exactly the point I make here. But “just buy used” is always a reply I get if I critique an over priced product
Hello mate, ive just been browsing the bay, and I'm honestly wondering how it was i was able to build my collection from 2022-23... I just came across a schools class r380 at £90...!!!! And im wondering whats going on... Seriously... When i was picking up locos i never paid more than £50, maybe a couple £60 and trying to put my finger on what's changed. You know, its greed. People selling models now are doing so to try to maximise profit, to line pockets and be able to pay the ridiculous prices. Im not blaming people but ultimately that is what is happening on the 2nd hand market. Your right, it doesnt help that £70 sets arent available but i dont think this all lands on the likes of Hornby.
I’ve not bought any items for a while now. I have a few reviews to post up but for a moment I feel I’m just getting ripped off on the items I like. I love this hobby but I can’t justify spending like I used to abs getting half the amount of stuff. Madness isn’t it
@@Steves00gauge it is mate, I stupidly did a list and looked at total spend to date and I nearly fell off my chair and that's with never buying a single new loco! And then, if like me you are building a layout and trying to get it to look half decent it burns more holes in your pockets. I was listening to iron horse railways view and I respect that but ultimately, the cost of models is far far beyond what they should be for a bit of plastic and a tin motor. £300 for a loco... Screw that!
I am typing this as I listen
The cost of the Engines and Rolling Stock is my my problems
What is
TRACK COSTS for my N Scale layout on an 8 x 4 Plywood layout
20 Remote switches at $34 each is $680
2 30 deg crossings at $14 each is $28
each 5 inch section is about $1 when purchased in bulk, but my layout has 57
57 5 inch straight tracks at $1 each is $57
and the same price for the Turn Tracks of first, second or third radius
74 turns at $1 each is $74
2 Wye Turnouts at $22 each is $44
16 Flex Tracks (min) at $7 each is $112
$995 just for TRACK
No Power, No Wiring, No Controller
I have Engines, Rolling Stock, Buildings, Tunnel Faces and more
Just the Track Cost holding me back as room in my house is Not an Issue
I’ve recently returned to the hobby bought a 2nd hand digital set and 2 extra locos both second hand and I’m already at 400 with I’d say another 300 to do the board it ain’t cheap
Exactly, it’s expensive 2nd hand and used prices rise because new is bonkers
@@Steves00gauge I’m lucky I’ve a very good job as now I’d say with the cost of living it’s the wrong time for them to raise prices so much , it’s self defeating as it will stop new hobbyists and make older one think can I afford this
Thank god for budget model railways
I remember Mike of Budget Model Railways saying something similar back in 2017 so you are not alone.
I have resorted to just having two locomotives I bought myself and a few I got in a buy and sell job lot. One full rake of Hornby Railroad MK2E coaches bought for just over €20 or £20 a couple of various goods vans, brake vans including two Peco kits a meat van and brake van yet to be built and bought for seven euro and wagons including a Peco coal wagon for just shy of €10 that is it no more though if a good pair of Lima class 20’s turn up I may take a punt but severely regret not buying one or two to go along with my Lima class 33 and older Bachmann class 37
I've found it very hit and miss when buying preowned, some are very good and some are just worn out at similar prices. Prices online seem to be going up and up, but toy fairs and the like are generally quite a lot cheaper in my experience. Of course you do have to get there, but at least you get to see things before buying. The trouble with new stuff, apart from the price, is that quality control in factories is not as good as it used to be and even quite expensive new models don't work as intended. I've basically given up doing any railway modelling any more.
as a new model fan ive seen a small shed thats batteredfor 14 pounds its missing loads of parts its only worth 5 pound in my opinion
Sadly very common 🫣
I was on Facebook market place looking for a few bits used.
Messaged a guy selling a train set £10 of the new price but it was used and missing the controller and the points.
He refused to move on the set at all which is his choice but still …..
Only worth 20 euro cents in my opinion
Buy pre-owned huh, well that and new price hikes just pushes the pre-owned prices up! Agreed. So question. If Hornby/Bachmann are offering £220.00 loco's when Accurascale & to a lesser extent Dapol can offer excellent quality for relative peanuts....How does that work?
dont get me started on this sh1tty starter sets thatuse the same stupid 040 chassis for like 300 dollars😭
Agree with you about starter sets. My last ever non Coca Cola smeared set bought is The Cornish Carrier purchased in now closed Argos Ireland store.
I seen these stupid priced beatles vans like for 35 dollars and they are just the starter set cars with a print on them💀
I don’t spend like I used too as I feel like it’s just tarted up trash mostly these days
You are right second hand is getting pricey now and it's not even funny. I've bought second hand locos from shops which were like £40-£50 for an 0-4-0 or 0-6-0, get it home to run and they haven't been cleaned or serviced after being traded in. I think this is quite naughty of shops to do that because you don't always know if the loco is still a good runner or not. It's as if they're like 'pay for the loco, we won't clean it for you, we'll let you do that'. What if you don't know how to clean locos as a beginner? Also, what if you don't want to try because you think you risk damaging the loco? You'd have to take it to another shop to be serviced also spending money. I feel like the second hand market sometimes does take people for fools.
Compared to the prices paid in the 1970's I do not consider the 4-5 time increase since then to be outrageous...at least in the U.S.. Compare it to what young people do, which is gaming, and they have to buy a $500 - $600 console and then games that cost $70 each...comparing that to model railroad hobby the model railroad hobby is less expensive. Full train sets as you describe are marketed towards children/kids and not older people, that is the reason they're usually the bare minimum when it comes to detail and included items.
Some of the dealers are just plain greedy they give you 30p on the pound then price it at more than it cost when it was new
ive been saying this for the past 2 years !! prices of new stuff these days is ridicules to the point were ive walked away from oo gauge and gone on to something new in the model railway world ...i spent my youth buying secondhand rolling stock and enjoyed my self ..apart from a few of us no body wants to build there own stock anything anymore everyone just wants the new stuff
At last! Someone talking sense.
Hi Steve.
You can get deals from the big model shops. Certainty can't afford the ridiculously prices without a deal.
Had some great buys second hand but also some rubbish.
Wife got me a Bachmann EMU at a fantastic price new. On a deal from TMC. Just did a vlog on it. You have to look around and be patient, deals will come.
Like you say if no-one buys new there won't be any pre-used.
Stay safe.
DELPH JUNCTION (Pete)
The problem that Hornby, Bachmann etc have is that the format isn't exclusive. Look at Sony and Microsoft. They sell their games consoles at cost, or even at a loss, because they know they'll make money out of you once you're in their platform. The model railway companies can't do this... so stuff is expensive.
i brought all my locos pre own. dcc with sound, most cost upwards of £200.
100% agree with the pricing, I am a good earner and I am fortunate to have spare income to still be involved in the hobby but it is ridiculous the increase in prices without the bang for the buck.
I'd argue that Bachmann sets at their current prices although high are pretty good value when you look at the quality of the loco, rolling stock and controller compared to Hornby's. Hornby's offering locos that have 30 year old+ tooling, look and run sh*t by comparison. I refuse to pay full wack for brand new from any manufacturer out of principle, I only ever buy new if its on offer for a substantial saving or I hunt around the pre-owned market but even that is thin on decent quality stuff at reasonable prices, usually just dross at valued by fantasy of whoever is selling it.
spot on, i find these prices are crazy, indeed they are pricing people out of the hobby...........................jpj
Short term gain, long term loss it seems Is the strategy
If you sold a Lima class 33 as an example for 30 odd quid your initial profit overheads may be lower but you would shift far more than a top of the line class 33 and the pay off would be great. Things like plastic signals RTR for a few quid will be great as would injected plastic buildings to name a few stuff.
Plastic moulding must cost cents/pence
@@Steves00gaugeAnother problem apparently is that you must pay royalties as a manufacturer to long defunct railway companies.
@@OscarOSullivan this is what i would like to see,the old lima range would be great at that sort of price , lets have a basic loco at a reasonable price with the emphasis on good running but a basic body shell,if necessary sell a detailing kit, this would i believe be a good idea,best wishes...........jpj
DCC has been in the market since 1979. The cheapest & most affordable DCC system is the Hornby Zero One (1979 to 1988), which can run 16 locos and 99 points / signals / accessories. The master controllers go for £25 and the slave controllers for £5. Loco modules sell for between £5 to £12. I've been running this pioneering and now antique DCC system since 1979.
H&M 5000 & Hornby Zero One DCC systems are 100% cross compatible. I have both Hornby Zero One and H&M 5000 master controllers.
The H&M 5000 DCC advanced power transmitters have a display, variable rate clock, bells and whistles, so sell from between £50 to £100.
Both suffer from keypad contact wear, which is easily fixed by super gluing pieces of tin foil onto the key rubber contact pad, to replace the worn silver paint.
All too perfectly true. While I would always buy second hand if I want rtr or some kits, we just have to accept that the increase in price relative to quality is getting absurd and has left a huge space open for anyone smart enough to realise the impact that having a good budget line would make. I dont know why Hornby cant understand its railroad range. They have huge stocks of old tooling sitting around, and yet they only know how to sell it as Beatles collectors items for kings' ransoms. They could easily release all their old models with minimum mark-up in that range, and double their profits. It would be that simple. In the meanwhile... we should all buy as many decently priced second hand kits as we can while such a thing still exists!
Every single thing on my on my model railway is pre-owned all the trains all the track all the scenery everything hours on eBay sniffing out the Bargains and there are lots of Bargains to be had! I absolutely love eBay it's the biggest toy shop in the world.
You are 100% correct i have said this for the least the last 5 years
100% a gree
I rarely buy new, there might be the occasional loco to stand out on the layout but I'm quite happy with some less detailed stuff.
Besides, when I think about people in the country literally struggling to make ends meet it just doesn't feel right.
Even used might be expensive though if you're not careful, the best sources are fairs or fellow modellers, Ebay or Catawiki show prices sometimes way above the original price.
This is really putting people off of the hobby let alone the prices of new stuff.
Kato, Piko, Walthers, Tomix, and Roco beat hornby in starter kit and entry prices. piko has a . $68.00 starter set, and 3 79.00 sets, they even have a lego compatible starter set for $120
I always had the same complaints. Model railways are too expensive (especially getting UK models in the US) it wasnt until I went to used locomotives on sites like railsofshefield did the hobby become much more manageable for me. I still wait months for orders sometimes but you have to pick your battles.
😮 loving the wide spread agreement. I can’t keep up with the comments ❤
Try Vectis auctions for boxes of wagons, But remember vat plus buyers premium. Good vlog 100% true and dont get on about DCC because thats something else, Loads of people on youtube well you need this and you should really buy this right ok! Loco £300 plus sound chip plus this plus that hundreds and you only have one loco.
Ebay can be very suspect you really do take a chance.
just incase some people haven't seen it the Hornby "iTraveller 6000 Train Set" is currently £79.99 which is frankly a steal. But as others have said in the comments, the Starter sets should be amazing value to get people interested. Loose a bit of money if you have to, you will get it back in the long run.
Preowned, nightmare territory. Im a new , just bought two, one after another, both 'run well', lol had to send both back, they were broken. A lot of lying douchebags on ebay .
THE HOBBY's DROWNING IN A SEA OF SQUALID IGNORANCE !!!
The Hobby is dying all across Europe, & it seems the Brits are playing "Island Monkey" again & haven't even noticed that their beloved Hornby is on the brink of Bankruptcy, because its numerous European brands such as "Electrotren" are already virtually defunct due to plummeting sales.
Very accurate video
It’s completely ridiculous, I‘ve had train sim world and train simulator for a few years, and why would people buy a £150+ model train when they can have it in the game for £20 at most and be able to drive it with realistic controls and routed that are 70 miles long. I personally love model railways, but why would younger generations get interested if it’s completely unaffordable.
I agree with everything you said
I think if you're 45 years old and over you have an interest in the hobby other than if you have or had a family member in the hobby. I think a company should start up making Airfix type models (the model planes type) but includ a motor. How much would it cost. Well I'll tell you £2 for a motor, and 50 seconds machine time to mould it, plus plastic and box £5, so after staff and packaging £10. Of course this is not the tooling but I would say £15,000 upwards. So a model like this could be sold for around £50 after retailers and tax mans been paid, and it would be something to get people interested into what modelling is really about.
Build a big factory possibly close to home in the UK keep the salaries of senior people in reason.
The death of Maschima motors was a blow to the hobby.
If only Peco gave us motors in their locomotive kits
@OscarOSullivan Yes,with metal rims, it would be a start. 5mm a foot with shunting stock would be nice for smallish siding layouts . It would be nice at a slightly larger than 4mm /foot. Someone with a 3d printer and then make a casing mould could set up a small business from home. Someone needs to have a go, I think.
There seems to be a lot of people grumbling about model railways, maybe they need to look at the real modelling of people like George Iliffe Stokes and John Ahern when after the war there wasn't any. RTR models they made everything for themselves and created their own freelance railways which still exist today.
But the more people looking to buy second hand stuff will just drive the prices up !
Hattons was my best source for preowned and that marketplace yoke they had going was such a bargin on somethings. Like eBay ain't an option for it here in Ireland between the shipping and customs cause of fucking brexit. Hatton's trunk atleast saved the silly shipping costs and helped reduce the overall cost. I reckon now with hattons I won't be able to buy half what I would have otherwise just cause the costs have gone up for every item.
You think UK preowned prices are bad have a look at Irish oo gauge preowned those prices are above RRP like €200 for a loco that's 15 years old (admitedly a very good reliable loco) that would have sold for more like €120. Even old lima coaches going for silly prices.
Or even before Brexit not shipping to Ireland like we did not have the internet
@@OscarOSullivan Yes but that was easy enough to circumvent with addrespal or parcelmotel. Anything from eBay is about 23% more expensive now after Brexit than just shipping to the UK regardless. Makes it far too expensive to do.
We need to get back to near enough is good enough. This constant chasing of absolutely perfection is not good for the hobby. Some may wish to indulge in it but it shouldn't become mainstream and maybe responsible for depression amongst modellers constantly chasing something they'll never achieve and they get depressed about it. We need to get back to being satisfied with what we have not what we must have and then bemoaning that we can't have it. The rivet counters have done damage to the hobby in demanding everything being correct right down to the tiniest detail and many internet reviewers have jumped on their bandwagon roasting manufacturers when models aren't perfect in every way.
I don't like spending anymore than £100 or £130 for a locomotive, and I've been wondering just how the hobby could have gotten so bleeding expensive (just look at the prices of Hornby's newer releases). And considering that even Hattons is going under, coupled with the higher prices pushing more and more people away, it doesn't look good for the future of the hobby.
Incidentally, most of my recent purchases have been second-hand (such as a pair of Bachmann Class 47s; 47209 and 47973). Sometimes you can find a bargain on the second-hand market, but I still see crazy prices (on-par with the latest releases) from time to time.
I've certainly heard of Hornby's Railroad Plus range, and I think it's a good concept. Or at least, it would be if they weren't just rehashing decades-old toolings (like the Class 47, if I recall correctly); I reckon there should be newly-tooled yet still basic models for the Railroad Plus range.
The future of the hobby is bright.
You seem to be appealing, or at least hoping, for corporate capitalism and their cronies in government, to spare model railway hobbyists the exploitation and abuses that are currently being inflicted on the whole of the rest of our society.
Good Luck. :)
last new loco i baught was iin hornbys sale where they reduced it from 110 to 65 quid , otherwise far over priced for the terrible chinese quality , i have the money to buy new but i expect quality for it and the quality isn't there , people today confuse quality for being slow running and super detail which just isn't the case , i have around 200 locos of which about 2% are new as i buy older quality items i can service , get spares for and are well built
Chinese quality is not terrible and just you refusing to see the truth.
stripped and repaired enough of them to know i have 200 locos of varying ages including new hornby ,, i know what i see and other reviewers do extra detail and making something run smooth for the first few hours doesn't equal quality , materials , design , finish , quality control reliability have all been issues with hornby many models have started breaking in the box many reviewers have many issues with out of the box locos there is enough proof on you tube no matter how you bitch to the contrary @@LNER985
answer these 2 questions before idiotically saying it isn't cheap chinese quality .... 1 where are hornby products made ?? 2 what reason are they manufactured there for ??
Europian model train industry is doing really well i think brexit has stagnated models over in uk.