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Post by valenciajim on Nov 11, 2019 19:39:45 GMT -8
Maybe, like most things, old Blue Box freight cars are more expensive in California. Well, sure, that's intentional. Make the made-in-California business model so prohibitively expensive, that they chase it away to Arizona, Mexico, or (in this case) China. I'm sorry but, I don't understand the point you are attempting to make. We are talking about items that are at least fifteen years old, in many cases over 30 years old, being sold second hand at a train show by vendors who travel around the country selling stuff. What does that have to do with the "made-in-California business model?" I suspect that, because income levels in California are higher, the vendors think they can get more for stuff they sell in California. Perhaps it costs more to conduct a train show in California, but the cost of admission is generally about the same. Even considering travel costs to the west coast, why would prices be at least double what things sell for in Ohio?
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Post by bncascadegreen on Nov 12, 2019 3:34:24 GMT -8
I don’t think these are expensive. Brass ones cost more when they where purchased in 2000 and 2001.
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Post by gevohogger on Nov 12, 2019 4:37:15 GMT -8
Well, sure, that's intentional. Make the made-in-California business model so prohibitively expensive, that they chase it away to Arizona, Mexico, or (in this case) China. I'm sorry but, I don't understand the point you are attempting to make. We are talking about items that are at least fifteen years old, in many cases over 30 years old, being sold second hand at a train show by vendors who travel around the country selling stuff. What does that have to do with the "made-in-California business model?" It was a generalization, and a sarcastic one at that. Not meant to be taken literally.
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Post by lvrr325 on Nov 12, 2019 10:28:02 GMT -8
Doing a mostly I-90 New York circuit, I price blue box cars in the boxes at $5-$15 for most common ones. If there's any collector value to it, it goes on eBay. By comparison, new Accurail and Bowser kits are $14-$18, and I have resisted buying any that I'd have to sell for more than that.
Loose without a box is generally the same pricing, with newer and higher end cars getting the higher prices. But not everyone breaks out Athearn or MDC from the Tyco/Life-Like/AHM stuff, and those cars are usually $3-$5, except the eighty billion Santa Fe cabooses are $2 and sometimes I give them away if a kid buys a batch of cars. I have been known to buy other guy's stuff that was too cheap and put it out marked up.
I've tried to get away from selling that old used crap but I may go back into it because that seems to be what's moving right now. Not only that, but the same identical used frieght car at the same price will sell faster loose off a tray than mint in the box. Meanwhile the brand new Atlas, Rapido, Accurail, etc. are mostly ignored.
I also have to price stuff on the higher side because of the guys who will pick up a $3 item and still want to give you $1 or $2 for it. It's one thing to be cheap, it's another to be a jerk about it.
Maybe you should visit one of the 180 or so shows they have in the Buffalo, NY market, there are always people just dumping stuff out there for pennies on the dollar. I can usually sell enough at the show to cover my cost to go there and I make the money reselling stuff I buy there on the internet afterwards. 180 is an exaggeration but there's easily two a month from October through April within 50 or so miles of the city center. There's even two two-day shows on the same weekend in December about 16 miles apart.
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bis54
New Member
Posts: 32
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Post by bis54 on Nov 12, 2019 13:08:27 GMT -8
Usually when Athearn posts a new item its the exact same model with different paint schemes. If you look closely at this new run of cabooses they pretty much are different for each road name. And the UP cabooses look completely different from the others with just a quick glance. Add in the fact that I might buy a bunch of foreign road boxcars for my Maine Central locos to pull, I won't buy a bunch of foreign road cabooses. Lower sales drives up the cost.
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Post by csx3305 on Nov 13, 2019 12:48:31 GMT -8
I’d probably pay 125 street each without any heartburn for a high-end, road-specific, styrene Chessie C-27 and or C27-A, provided it actually lives up to the advertising hype when reservations are taken.
Caveat here is, I don’t need a fleet of them. I’d grab two or three though.
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Post by csxt8400 on Nov 13, 2019 13:35:16 GMT -8
I plan on getting one Chessie myself, Barr Yard needs a shoving platform. CSX ones with the safety chevrons? I guess I could use two
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Nov 14, 2019 4:59:54 GMT -8
The first three cars shown should answer your question. Each was a completely different car. And, they'll do more of those types of releases. The Wrightrak comparison on the Seaboard car is a perfect example. The kit was $50...and you have to assemble it and paint it...plus clean up all the resin parts and sand to fit (which is 90% of resin kit building, btw).
That car could be converted to the KO&G version by Athearn using pretty much everything on the seaboard and doing new sides only. The roof, cupola, smoke jack, ends, stepwells, underframe, etc., are all identical to the as delivered KO&G and rebuilt MP cabs.
We don't need fleets of these in the 30-40 car range, either. And because of that...the price is higher as well...knowing that people will buy one or two.
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Post by marknycfan on Nov 14, 2019 16:38:01 GMT -8
I'm still waiting for someone to fix the Marklin NYC 19000 series caboose, make it a Genesis quality piece and I'm in for a $100-
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Post by brakie on Nov 14, 2019 19:50:20 GMT -8
I plan on getting one Chessie myself, Barr Yard needs a shoving platform. CSX ones with the safety chevrons? I guess I could use two Like most short lines everybody wears at least two hats.. My second hat is that of a purchasing agent. I thought that Seaboard caboose would look good behind the President/Owner's SCL locomotives so, I called him and informed him of the SAL caboose that will be on the market. He said if I could find one a lower price let him know. I was going to pass but, I would like a prototypical correct SCL caboose since my Athearn WV SCL caboose doesn't match the prototype. I'll wait and see what the street prices will be on the SAL caboose without the sound. .
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Post by grabirons on Nov 15, 2019 9:47:33 GMT -8
Also consider the higher price in terms of car quantity that people will buy vs a covered hopper in six to twelve numbers which is many, many more of the same body reproduced thus creating a cheaper model. It looks like a really nice caboose. There is no road names in this run that i'd like to own so, add that to the higher price that not many people will want one, unless it's their favorite road.
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Post by milgentrains on Nov 16, 2019 18:02:46 GMT -8
Also consider the higher price in terms of car quantity that people will buy vs a covered hopper in six to twelve numbers which is many, many more of the same body reproduced thus creating a cheaper model. It looks like a really nice caboose. There is no road names in this run that i'd like to own so, add that to the higher price that not many people will want one, unless it's their favorite road. I'll admit that the price scared me but to be honest when they come to my favorite dealer I'll be going home with one of the SAL cabooses.
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Post by SD90 on Nov 20, 2019 22:04:12 GMT -8
What sounds would a caboose make that it would need a sound decoder?
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Post by carrman on Nov 20, 2019 22:39:30 GMT -8
Conductor flatulence.
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Post by brakie on Nov 21, 2019 2:31:02 GMT -8
What sounds would a caboose make that it would need a sound decoder? From my experience brake wheel tie down and release and a occasional flat wheel. The main noise would be from the train consist.
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Post by fr8kar on Nov 21, 2019 9:24:19 GMT -8
What sounds would a caboose make that it would need a sound decoder? From my experience brake wheel tie down and release and a occasional flat wheel. The main noise would be from the train consist. Not many conductors would suffer long with a flat wheel on a caboose. That thing would be bad ordered pretty quick. Now as a shoving platform... those things all have square wheels.
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Post by brakie on Nov 21, 2019 19:36:21 GMT -8
From my experience brake wheel tie down and release and a occasional flat wheel. The main noise would be from the train consist. Not many conductors would suffer long with a flat wheel on a caboose. That thing would be bad ordered pretty quick. Now as a shoving platform... those things all have square wheels. While starting a trip between Russell and Queensgate our caboose had a flat wheel.. The conductor advised the DS by radio and stopped the train while we was still in the yard at Russell. It didn't take long for a yard crew to bring us another caboose. Of course the engineer wanted to know why the conductor dumped the air. He was told in no short terms this damn caboose as a flat wheel. The engineer being a well known wag asks "Can you just turn the wheel so the flat spot would be on top? The conductor failed to see the humor in that and filled the radio wave with obscenities that would make a sailor blush.. He did get a written reprimand for improper use of radio.
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Post by fr8kar on Nov 21, 2019 20:44:39 GMT -8
Not many conductors would suffer long with a flat wheel on a caboose. That thing would be bad ordered pretty quick. Now as a shoving platform... those things all have square wheels. While starting a trip between Russell and Queensgate our caboose had a flat wheel.. The conductor advised the DS by radio and stopped the train while we was still in the yard at Russell. It didn't take long for a yard crew to bring us another caboose. Of course the engineer wanted to know why the conductor dumped the air. He was told in no short terms this damn caboose as a flat wheel. The engineer being a well known wag asks "Can you just turn the wheel so the flat spot would be on top? The conductor failed to see the humor in that and filled the radio wave with obscenities that would make a sailor blush.. He did get a written reprimand for improper use of radio. As soon as I read what the engineer said I knew the conductor's reaction! He probably told them what they could do with that reprimand, too!
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Post by thunderhawk on Nov 21, 2019 23:34:10 GMT -8
All I know is Internationals are loud as hell inside at 50mph with a mildly flat wheel.
Soo (CP) had zero interest in maintaining them in 2000 for the one mainline wayfreight that still used a caboose. No lights, opaque windows in the cupola and no heat.
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cvacr
Full Member
Posts: 123
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Post by cvacr on Nov 26, 2019 12:47:57 GMT -8
What sounds would a caboose make that it would need a sound decoder? Diesel electrical generator.
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Post by Artur on Nov 29, 2019 18:22:17 GMT -8
What sounds would a caboose make that it would need a sound decoder? Diesel electrical generator. You could probably use the ScaleTrains refrigerated container sound circuit. You can find used ones for $10, a lot cheaper than a decoder.
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Post by 12bridge on Nov 29, 2019 18:36:12 GMT -8
How many roads ever used a Diesel generator on a caboose? I cant say I have ever seen that first hand.
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Post by sd80mac on Nov 30, 2019 6:16:51 GMT -8
Didn't they all run basically on batteries that were charged via one of the axles? And the stoves were either oil or coal fired.
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Post by Funnelfan on Nov 30, 2019 11:32:43 GMT -8
Being that Athearn "Placed the order" already, lets hope they don't bomb out like the Genesis SP ones did. Those were so overproduced its not even funny (And this was confirmed by a former representative of the company), they were trying to see if they could keep stock of them so to say. Needless to say it did not work, and Lombard could not give the Lighted ones away for 30$ (It was a score for SP modelers!). I laugh when I see them at train shows with 80$ tags on them (Literally, just yesterday saw that). I won't say they "bombed", but they did flood the market with 8 announcements in just a little over a year. That really should have been spread out over a 5 year period. I ended up with three of those cabooses and use them frequently.
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Post by brakie on Nov 30, 2019 12:17:35 GMT -8
Didn't they all run basically on batteries that were charged via one of the axles? And the stoves were either oil or coal fired. All of the caboose I rode in had a pully on one axle that was connected to a generator.. This recharged the caboose batteries.
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Post by bdhicks on Nov 30, 2019 15:57:30 GMT -8
The DMIR used internal combustion generators when adding radio to their wooden cabeese back in the 30s and 40s, and I think I've seen it at least once on a work caboose or shoving platform in the post road caboose era, but I don't know of any examples for the era being represented by the new Athearn models.
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Post by thunderhawk on Nov 30, 2019 21:05:17 GMT -8
How many roads ever used a Diesel generator on a caboose? I cant say I have ever seen that first hand. Note the muffler on the roof and the louvers.
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Post by edwardsutorik on Dec 1, 2019 10:34:01 GMT -8
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Post by brakie on Dec 1, 2019 19:43:33 GMT -8
How many roads ever used a Diesel generator on a caboose? I cant say I have ever seen that first hand. Note the muffler on the roof and the louvers. Those must have been very noisy to ride in.. I don't think I would like a generator equipped caboose since your standard caboose was noisy enough from the sound of the freight cars. Our A/C was open widows and doors then those had to be closed in urban areas thanks to rock and bottle throwers. We cold get by just by closing the anti rock screen if the caboose was equipped with them.. The open doors was a risk factor and against the safety rules but,we got by with open doors on hot days.
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Post by edwardsutorik on Dec 1, 2019 20:45:30 GMT -8
Larry,
At least on the Santa Fe radio cabeese, I think the crew used the generator to only charge the batteries--they didn't run full time. I can't imagine someone could talk on the radio with a diesel generator running under their butt. Which was where the generators were on the Santa Fe cars.
Ed
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