Model Train Production News

[Sumpter250]

From the point of view of a modular railroader, whose focus is on operations...
I would not run many of the RTR offerings at the club set-ups. At $40+ each, I am not prepared to have others handle them, transport them multiple times per year, and do some "quick and dirty" (although still decent ) weathering on them. For the same reasons, I am not prepared to invest a lot of time to scratch-build all the required cars either.
So the "shake the box" or BB or whatever kits fit the bill. I can bring the requisite cars (the call is different every set-up, but between the members, we generally need 100 - 150 cars) and at ~$10 each, they are fine. The detail is decent from 3+ feet, they run well, are easy to repair, and stand up to repeated handling and transport.
I always look at the Accurail or Athearn kits over RTR when I visit the LTS. Either that, or the consignment shelves...
Andrew

For the modular shows, including Trainfest, I usually bring the relatively unmodified - completely unmodified, "Shake-the-Box" cars to run. I finally reached the point where I was repairing damage, more than building new. " A place for everything, and everything in its place " isn't totally about "organizing". The concept can be applied to the use of something as well.

[jwb]

Larry, I'm still not quite sure what the problem is. I went to M.B.Klein's site, and they list 648 Accurail products in stock, over 22 screens full -- all of it basically HO scale freight cars. Walthers' site lists proportional amounts. Accurail's site catalogs years of old production, and this is helpful, because you can get renumber decals for out-of-production road names. But what Accurail lists in stock doesn't reflect what's been in the pipeline; Walthers and Klein carry stuff that's no longer on Accurail's site. There's nowhere near as much stuff on any site from Athearn, Intermountain, or whomever else -- and they do runs that sell out as well. Is it just that Accurail does runs that sell out, and it might take them a year or two to do another run in a different road number? I don't see how any manufacturer does anything differently -- and if you look back on the bluebox days, Athearn was doing a fairly limited selection that was maybe kept in stock more, though not necessarily. There were many years between runs of things like the 4-truck flat car or the 250-ton crane.

[railohio]

The real question should be why aren't those modelers lamenting the lost of the BB and MDC kits flocking to Accurail?

Or no demand.

[Dave Harris sctchbld]

Capitalism at work, the guys who own Bachmann suck everyone into their production facility.

Then tell the competitors to find somewhere else to make their competitive product.

Ahh, capitalism, Darwinism at it's best. Survival of the fittest.

Harold

Sounds more like survival of the Most Ruthless

[doctorwayne]

Capitalism at work, the guys who own Bachmann suck everyone into their production facility.

Then tell the competitors to find somewhere else to make their competitive product.

Ahh, capitalism, Darwinism at it's best. Survival of the fittest.

Harold

Sounds more like survival of the Most Ruthless

I think that it's pretty much the same thing. The fact that it's occurring in a place other than America makes it no less (select your own preference) 1. admireable 2. reprehensible 3. irrelevant

The real question should be why aren't those modelers lamenting the lost of the BB and MDC kits flocking to Accurail?

Or no demand.

Demand has probably dropped off because many of us who grew up with kits already have much of what we "need". Many newcomers to the hobby aren't necessarily model builders, and are either unaware of what was once available or are quite content with what is now available, especially in the area of r-t-r.
While I lament the loss of Blue Box and MDC kits, I must admit that their upgraded r-t-r versions of these cars are generally improved versions. Unfortunately, I think that many of them are priced unrealistically high for what, in some cases, is simply better graphics. All of this is a moot point for adults entering the hobby with disposable income available, but I don't think it bodes well for kids and teens just coming into the hobby, and with limited funds available. On the other side, though, I don't suppose that there are a great many kids and teens entering the hobby, and manufacturers can't be blamed for going where the money lies.
I still see a lot of these older kits available and, of course, lots of built-up versions of them, too, and not always well-done. This means good value for those of us still interested in modelling as opposed to strictly collecting. I'll occasionally buy r-t-r cars, too, although most of what's available is geared towards more modern eras. Usually, when I'm eager to spend that kind of money, I'd rather spring for a craftsman-type kit, as the value-for-my-dollar is in the modelling afforded by it.

Oh, yeah, I'm also a big supporter of Accurail: they continue to release new stuff and also upgrade their previous offerings. Of the nine cars which I'm currently seeking, all are available directly from Accurail, although not available through Walthers.

Wayne

[Brakie]

Larry, I'm still not quite sure what the problem is. I went to M.B.Klein's site, and they list 648 Accurail products in stock, over 22 screens full -- all of it basically HO scale freight cars. Walthers' site lists proportional amounts. Accurail's site catalogs years of old production, and this is helpful, because you can get renumber decals for out-of-production road names. But what Accurail lists in stock doesn't reflect what's been in the pipeline; Walthers and Klein carry stuff that's no longer on Accurail's site. There's nowhere near as much stuff on any site from Athearn, Intermountain, or whomever else -- and they do runs that sell out as well. Is it just that Accurail does runs that sell out, and it might take them a year or two to do another run in a different road number? I don't see how any manufacturer does anything differently -- and if you look back on the bluebox days, Athearn was doing a fairly limited selection that was maybe kept in stock more, though not necessarily. There were many years between runs of things like the 4-truck flat car or the 250-ton crane.

Athearn reported on their face book page BB kit sales was down 80%..Maybe Accurail is suffering the same slow sales since there are 648 Accurail products in stock at Klein?

There's no doubt the hobby has changed from generic car kits to more correct cars-I dunno but,something is amiss in kit land.

I recall when Accurail had lots of cars in stock-I ordered several and still have four 50' data only boxcars.

InterMountain like Atlas,Athearn and Walthers has monthly announcements.Not sure if Accurail does since I don't keep track of them.

This I know..When I visited Accurail web page early today I seen far more white out of stock boxes then the gray in stock boxes.

[secondhandmodeler]

I know this thread wasn't really about BB kits, but it is now.

Almost every piece of my rolling stock is Athearn Blue box or roundhouse. The main reason being, they had what I was looking for, 40 foot boxcars in CNW and Milwaukee Road. They also had shorter heavyweight passenger cars for a reasonable price. Granted, I've upgraded the wheels and couplers on everything, but it's still less. When rejoining the hobby, I was floored by the price of RTR anything. The one boxcar I saw in my road name was Tichy, for $30 on Ebay. It was a beautiful car, but I just couldn't justify it knowing that I needed more than one. I know the 'Shake the box' kits aren't much of a kit, but it gives me an hour of modeling for less than $15 a piece.

One reason I can see manufacturers shying away from kits is there are plenty of them out there. With many folks switching to RTR, the rest of us have a steady supply on Ebay while folks sell off their back stock.

[sailormatlac]

Larry, I'm still not quite sure what the problem is. I went to M.B.Klein's site, and they list 648 Accurail products in stock, over 22 screens full -- all of it basically HO scale freight cars. Walthers' site lists proportional amounts. Accurail's site catalogs years of old production, and this is helpful, because you can get renumber decals for out-of-production road names. But what Accurail lists in stock doesn't reflect what's been in the pipeline; Walthers and Klein carry stuff that's no longer on Accurail's site. There's nowhere near as much stuff on any site from Athearn, Intermountain, or whomever else -- and they do runs that sell out as well. Is it just that Accurail does runs that sell out, and it might take them a year or two to do another run in a different road number? I don't see how any manufacturer does anything differently -- and if you look back on the bluebox days, Athearn was doing a fairly limited selection that was maybe kept in stock more, though not necessarily. There were many years between runs of things like the 4-truck flat car or the 250-ton crane.

Athearn reported on their face book page BB kit sales was down 80%..Maybe Accurail is suffering the same slow sales since there are 648 Accurail products in stock at Klein?

There's no doubt the hobby has changed from generic car kits to more correct cars-I dunno but,something is amiss in kit land.

I recall when Accurail had lots of cars in stock-I ordered several and still have four 50' data only boxcars.

InterMountain like Atlas,Athearn and Walthers has monthly announcements.Not sure if Accurail does since I don't keep track of them.

This I know..When I visited Accurail web page early today I seen far more white out of stock boxes then the gray in stock boxes.

I must admit Accurail in stock rate is going down lately... But just like Wayne, it fits my era and the kind of modelling I'm doing. So far, I try to support them when I need new cars to bash. They recently upgraded their cars with crisper details and better paint job. It's a few step beyond what we use to know with BB kits. Just like any plastic kits, you can't ask for prototypicalness, but at least, it's money well spent for what you get and products are upgraded in term of quality and engineering.

There's a tremendous pressure upon modellers right now for prototypicalness. For many folks, that means buying the best RTR possible because they know they won't be able to build up a large fleet relying upon their kitbashing skills. That trend improved a lot the hobby but at a cost that is going crazy. Actually, a "good" model in term of detail start somewhere near 30$. If you need something a little bit less common, prepare yourself to dig up to 50$ per car. At this price, building a train cost a lost. And it doesn't mean your pricy RTR car will provide you a lot of satisfaction and self-fullfilment. For canadian roads modellers, a lot of correct freight and passenger cars are appearing on the market recently, but at incredible price...

I'd like to say I'm independant of all this trend, but that would be a complete lie.

Matt

[iis612]

I am not going to defend any company or business practice. I have watched my hometown/state get decimated by similar practices. Here is just something to think about...
Businesses are not in business to create a product or provide a service. Those are merely a vehicle, a means to an end. They are in business to make money. In order to make money they have to trim overhead costs. They also have to pander to a specific market, model railroading being our market. More specifically, they have to pander to the consumer. We, as consumers, demand more product for less money. For a company to retain their market share they have to provide what the consumer wants, and it is best to do so over a wide area. Bachmann does just that. They market TONS of products that appeal to many sub groups within our market group. In order for them to do that, they have to create reasonably priced decent quality models. If they have to ship production overseas to make a profit, then that is what they are going to do. Same thing with GM, Ford and Chrysler. There is no shortage of skilled workers in North America, but we demand a higher wage.
I am amazed at the number of people who buy everything RTR. I am not above buying RTR, but I like to build stuff. We are living in an instant gratification age. By and large the consumer group wants what they want, when they want it and it had better come out of the box ready to go.

Just my $.02
Matt

[Green_Elite_Cab]

I am amazed at the number of people who buy everything RTR. I am not above buying RTR, but I like to build stuff. We are living in an instant gratification age. By and large the consumer group wants what they want, when they want it and it had better come out of the box ready to go.

Just my $.02
Matt

To be fair, I don't think RTR is entirely the result of "Instant gratification".

The fact is, that most of us don't have the time to sit there and tinker with such things. Perhaps if you're retired and have nothing to do on a wednesday night, then putting some work into a kitbash or craftsmen kit doesn't seem like a big deal.

However, I'm busy with classes, internships, and other priorities (like spending time with my girlfriend), and after all of that is over with, my time for actually building a model is short. I'm willing to bet its the same for most of the people who buy RTR.

While I'm sure there is a high contingent of people who are to afraid to take a razor saw to a perfectly good locomotive, there are probably just as many people saying "If I start this project I may never finish it"

It is at that point were RTR makes sense.

[faraway]

... While I'm sure there is a high contingent of people who are to afraid to take a razor saw to a perfectly good locomotive, there are probably just as many people saying "If I start this project I may never finish it"
It is at that point were RTR makes sense.

That's me. And that is the sense my append some days ago was meant. I did not want to go back to engine kits like blue box but I think entry price models like the some Bachmann Geeps are a good starting point to do your own enhancement without the fear to destroy a high value model. We do see here a lot of members starting with nice priced cars and convert them to great models.
That was my idea why a draining supply of high class/high price models might be also be a trigger to many of us to do more enhancement on low end models.

[Brakie]

I am amazed at the number of people who buy everything RTR. I am not above buying RTR, but I like to build stuff. We are living in an instant gratification age. By and large the consumer group wants what they want, when they want it and it had better come out of the box ready to go.

Just my $.02
Matt

Matt,I also suspect many of us got tired of tweaking Athearn BB car kits in order to have the #5 coupler to come out at the correct height.

I finish gluing a bunch of scale 4x4 bracing for my gondola loads..Cutting and gluing those 4x4 isn't my idea of having fun.

[iis612]

GEC and Larry,
My comment was not intended to be a blanket statement. There are some people who buy RTR because of time, physical, space, insert whatever cause, issues. As I said, I am not above buying RTR. A large portion of my rolling stock and most of my locos are RTR. Further, there is nothing wrong with going RTR. If it keeps people in the hobby, then I say have at it.
My Instant Gratification comment is applicable to most areas of life and civilization. Even there, it's not a blanket statement.

Matt

[Brakie]

My Instant Gratification comment is applicable to most areas of life and civilization. Even there, it's not a blanket statement.

Matt
-------------------
I'm incline to believe that will become a blanket statement in a few more years.

Maybe its just me but,everybody seems to be in a hurry to do nothing and wants everything handed to them on a silver platter.

[sailormatlac]

My Instant Gratification comment is applicable to most areas of life and civilization. Even there, it's not a blanket statement.

Matt
-------------------
I'm incline to believe that will become a blanket statement in a few more years.

Maybe its just me but,everybody seems to be in a hurry to do nothing and wants everything handed to them on a silver platter.

Brakie, we hear often that. And I say it myself countless time. I would just be curious to do some real serious searches in the "good old time" if it's true or just bias. But I can't discard it's partly true.

What is ironic is to hear so frequently in mainstream thinking that what counts is the process, not the results... While in fact it totally contradicts RTR and other ready-to-consume things.

Matt