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Post by rockymountaineer on Apr 25, 2024 22:06:31 GMT
Right on the heels of York no less, The Train Loft has announced another eye-catching custom-run... this one is a Lionel Legacy H-7 in the Chessie silver/orange paint-scheme.
METCA had already announced their Berk done up in the spirit of Lionel's Chessie Greenbriar locomotive which is all but impossible to find "new" already.
So if you missed out on that original Lionel Chessie Greenbriar, you now have two chances to spend $1,600+ for these alternative models.
I really like the H-7. But dang!!! I also liked the H-7 custom-run from Pat's Trains in the C&O Cincinnatian blue.
And let's not forget about Brady's Trains who is also offering a N&W H-7 custom-run too!!!
Last but not least... Mr. Muffins Trains is offering a Pere Marquette H-7 with a vandy tender, but I haven't seen product illustrations yet.
Mind you... these are just some of the big-ticket custom runs that are based on offerings in Lionel's 2024 catalog. Let's not even mention -- with the exception of METCA -- all of these dealers mentioned above are also offering custom-run Triplexes in the $2,200-$2,500 range. OUCH!!!!!! 
Unfortunately, none of these are just $50 pieces of rolling stock. We're talking some serious piggy bank savings here. And the importers/dealers/clubs are giving us no relief whatsoever by announcing these jewels in dribbs and drabs, day by day. TERRIBLE STRATEGY FOR FINANCIAL PLANNING PURPOSES. And I won't stop saying it. 
To be clear, I haven't pre-ordered ANY of the goodies illustrated above. But I would hate to have ordered one a couple of months ago... only to now see an entirely different slate of offerings available. Very tough on the wallet -- not to mention going back on a commitment to dealers if you change your mind down the road when a newer offering is announced.
I guess these are just more reasons to kick back and relax, when these announcements are made... and then make a decision closer to delivery time. These are Lionel custom-runs, so you know the dealers/clubs are in for at least 40 of them each. And most will order a few more than those backed by customer pre-orders.
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Post by david1 on Apr 25, 2024 22:56:01 GMT
The only way to stop these constant special runs is to stop ordering them. The nice special runs by Metca for instance have had some nice engines and cars that I would have liked to have but because of their pricing I will not even consider buying them.
The problem is us!!!! The train people who cannot control ourselves. I'm all for the free market but it has to stop somewhere.
Being at York last week was really eye opening, the pricing of items that I saw was beyond what people should pay and today it just continued.
Dave
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Post by runamuckchuck on Apr 25, 2024 23:18:29 GMT
Isn't this kind of frenzy reminiscent of the atmosphere that preceded the stock market crash and ushered in the great depression?
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Post by Traindiesel! on Apr 26, 2024 1:08:53 GMT
The only way to stop these constant special runs is to stop ordering them. The nice special runs by Metca for instance have had some nice engines and cars that I would have liked to have but because of their pricing I will not even consider buying them. The problem is us!!!! The train people who cannot control ourselves. I'm all for the free market but it has to stop somewhere. Being at York last week was really eye opening, the pricing of items that I saw was beyond what people should pay and today it just continued. Dave
Let’s keep in mind that these special/custom runs are being offered because people are buying them up! Just because we can’t afford every one of these offerings doesn’t mean someone else can’t. There are tens of thousands of train hobbyists out there that may compete for one of the forty or more models being offered at one time. If you miss out on one there’s plenty more on the way. I’ve missed out on a few, so I just hope to get the next one if I like it. That’s the attitude you have to take. Unless you are able to afford them all.
I think it’s a great thing seeing all these trains being offered as opposed to returning to the 1970s and 1980s when O gauge offerings were desert dry. When it comes to all the new special run trains, you gotta chill, Brah!!
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Post by Traindiesel! on Apr 26, 2024 1:11:01 GMT
Isn't this kind of frenzy reminiscent of the atmosphere that preceded the stock market crash and ushered in the great depression?
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Post by rockymountaineer on Apr 26, 2024 3:09:01 GMT
Isn't this kind of frenzy reminiscent of the atmosphere that preceded the stock market crash and ushered in the great depression?
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Post by Traindiesel! on Apr 26, 2024 9:09:32 GMT
No, that was when everyone was trying to hoard their money. These special run trains are meant for people to spend their money.
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Post by seayakbill on Apr 26, 2024 9:44:17 GMT
Apparently the train shops are cashing in on the concept so it will continue as long as they are bringing in the bucks. Bill www.youtube.com/user/seayakbill |
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Post by superwarp1 on Apr 26, 2024 11:56:17 GMT
Special runs are good, or I wouldn't have gotten this or will get this in July hopefully. Bring on special runs.
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Post by Country Joe on Apr 26, 2024 12:38:20 GMT
I don’t see how these expensive special runs hurt the hobby. It’s obvious that there are enough guys willing to buy them at the asking price. It’s also obvious that these locomotives are not aimed at hobbyists like me, but that’s OK.
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Post by runamuckchuck on Apr 26, 2024 13:16:20 GMT
Uh... not quite Brian. The "roaring 20's" was marked by a period of economic growth and massive consumerism. Those with money were spending like there was no tomorrow. Any hoarding you might be referring to didn't cause the stock market crash. Rather the economic disaster marked by the stock market crash gave folks no faith in the banking system... which led to people stashing what money they did still have in their homes and as folk lore would have it, "stashed in their mattresses", rather than safely secured in banks. There was no FDIC back in those days.
Would that be the Teapot Dome scandal you are referring to or the Mad Hatter's tea party in Alice in Wonderland? 'A very merry unbirthday to you, and you, and you.'
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Post by madockawando on Apr 26, 2024 13:46:17 GMT
I love these custom runs and it sure beats the alternative of not having any new trains to buy!
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Post by steveoncattailcreek on Apr 26, 2024 13:58:33 GMT
Uh... not quite Brian. The "roaring 20's" was marked by a period of economic growth and massive consumerism. Those with money were spending like there was no tomorrow. Any hoarding you might be referring to didn't cause the stock market crash. Rather the economic disaster marked by the stock market crash gave folks no faith in the banking system... which led to people stashing what money they did still have in their homes and as folk lore would have it, "stashed in their mattresses", rather than safely secured in banks. There was no FDIC back in those days.
Fair enough . . . but financial bubbles come in all sizes, and for those affected, the resulting crash and retrenchment can be just as devastating. The one major distinction here is that IMHO most in our hobby are buying special-production runs more for what they are, rather than in anticipation of future financial gain. The Dutch tulip bulb bubble, by contrast, was driven more by the expectation that today's bulb purchase would be worth *much* more tomorrow (and on into the future indefinitely) than for any inherent love of tulip blooms! OTOH, if anyone is bidding up such issues and storing them NIB in the hopes of escalating future prices, history does indeed counsel caution . . .
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Post by frankmulligan on Apr 28, 2024 12:44:33 GMT
I suppose that if they couldn't sell them, they wouldn't make them. Somebody must be buying these. I understand the frustration when you spend your limited train funds on a product, and then an item is announced later that you would have purchased had you not already met your budget limit.
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Post by runamuckchuck on Apr 28, 2024 14:04:57 GMT
Regardless, comparing any of that to a small niche group of people buying trains is a tempest in a teapot! Fair enough . . . but financial bubbles come in all sizes, and for those affected, the resulting crash and retrenchment can be just as devastating. The one major distinction here is that IMHO most in our hobby are buying special-production runs more for what they are, rather than in anticipation of future financial gain. The Dutch tulip bulb bubble, by contrast, was driven more by the expectation that today's bulb purchase would be worth *much* more tomorrow (and on into the future indefinitely) than for any inherent love of tulip blooms! OTOH, if anyone is bidding up such issues and storing them NIB in the hopes of escalating future prices, history does indeed counsel caution . . . That anticipation of future gain from sold out custom runs has already struck with some recent listings of Train Loft's Rio Grande Big Boy; asking price right at or near $4,000 on Ebay and at York. But there is a catch for want of a different term I will call the next big thing syndrome. It happens in all hobbies which are in current production for their so-called and real limited edition offerings. There is a window sometimes very brief where the memory of a recent sold out item commands attention and secondary market price upticks until the next big thing comes along. It is within and after that watershed that really indicates whether that previous limited item is the real deal dare I say classic or if it was a flash in the pan. (I hate it when I write in cliche!) Compared to the number of limited edition albums in the vinyl record business model trains custom runs are a drop in the bucket. Unfortunately the cost of custom run train items generally make the cost of limited edition vinyl records look like chump change except for the most limited audiophile records. Unfortunately I have experience and money spent in both hobbies/pastimes.
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