This Is Destroying Model Railroading!!!!
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- Опубліковано 3 сер 2023
- Join me as I discuss the end of model railroading!
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My opinion, it’s not the fantasy schemes it’s more of the price of the hobby that scares most people and it’s a chance for everybody to own their own world
I totally agree with pricing. Which for me I look to other mean for buying my railroad equipment. Like EBay. I am strapped for cash. And within cpl years 3 to 5 I have over 330 engines alone of various scales. G, O, HO, N and a small box of z scale track with 7 or 8 electric switch track in 3 types. I started buying lots. 1st lot was 33. 14 worked as they described. Set test track when package came in. Minus needing few parts for them to make trips around I tested cleaned and ended up with 29 that I could put on track and go. Once I seen lot buys started getting more repeats of what I already had started being more selective. Still lot buying would check out other pieces in lot. Paint schemes or engine types I didn't have before would be determining factor how many in it did I not have? Even scenery material. Have enough to do almost entire basement layout. Have an idea of what your looking for. Research read everything pay attention to details on photos and then worry less about prices. But always keep an eye out even on something you need further down road. The price for something maybe cheaper to buy it and set aside until ready which added up can save you hundreds of dollars then to buy full price when you finally need it. I have enough to build 5 or 6 layouts. Dc and dcc. Most of my cluster material, ballist, grass, and other scenery i got in t big boxes at a yard sale for $25. Including n scale Kato small building sets and track bed grade foam rock molding. Hit jackpot there!
Totally agree. It’s taken me many years to be able to get back into the hobby. I don’t think most people that like trains know every model ever built or even what a fantasy scheme is also.
Interesting point. I feel just model your layout the way that brings you joy. 0 scale has a long history of being more toy like over other scales. But for the model railroaders that enjoy 100 percent realism. O scale has them also.
There is a difference between O scale and those toy trains made by Lionel.Lionel always referred to their postwar line as scale derailed.This hobby has gone through amazing changes,with Lionel making beautiful O scale trains and a very diminished line of toy trains in O guage
Expensive express
I’d say what is destroying the model RR hobby is PRICE, Price, PRICE!
I suppose, if price is the issue, that's why we have MPC/Postwar. I've seen some of this stuff, not that expensive.
Price has always been high. In 1954 for example a brand new train set would run about $60. Seems like right? But with inflation it would now cost $680.40. That's actually cheaper then most LionChief's. So when you say "PRICE, Price, PRICE!" Well you are WRONG, Wrong, WRONG!
@@jamesf791 $680 is considerably higher than any Lionchief set to date (unless there was some odd Lionchief+ or 2.0 thing, which is a bit different)… Regular Lionechief sets are usually in the $400-$500 range.
Also, Lionchief sets are generally considered to be starter sets, which are usually bottom of the line products… but the $60 sets from 1954 are actually the higher end products (the bottom of the line stuff was $20-$30 a set).
So even adjusted for inflation, the hobby is considerably more expensive these days.
@@jamesf791the problem is that lack of cheaper sets. It cost you a good amount of money for a decent set.
@@gamerfan8445they are constantly coming out with LionChief's every year, not sure that's the problem
The fantasy scheme is far from my issue with the hobby. It has become the cost that is killing it for me. The so called budget railroad is no so much there anymore. Your layout and collection look awesome
I think the barrier to entry is what’s killing the hobby. A starter set used to be $100-$200 and now you’re pressed to find an a starter set for under $300.
If im a parent im not spending 300+ on something my kid will likely destroy or not be interested in.
This argument is as old as the hills, too. Forty years ago people were saying spending $100 on a trainset was too much for the same reasons. The illusion is that model trains are for kids; they aren't. It's always been an adult hobby and only adults can really afford it, and then only maybe.
@@jkleylein while it’s not meant for kids - expanding the hobby is something that’s incredibly important.
Menards with their very cheap engines are helping but honestly we really do need stuff that’s lower quality and lower price.
It used to be mth’s railking line helped keep prices in check. However now the major player is lionel and their products are getting extremely expensive
You can find plenty of cheap train starter sets for well bellow $100.
The expensive starter sets are obviously not for young children.
@@k.o.h3599 which o scale starter sets new are under $100?
@@thesheq5023 "Lionel Pennsylvania Flyer Battery Operated Model Train Set with Remote
$90.00"
At Walmart.
This was hilarious, you were so salty and I'm here for every minute of it. I also love the people who don't realize this is satire 😂 Genuinely great discussion Chris!
Fantasy schemes are cool in my opinion, the price is what ruins the hobby.
We think the hobby is in a great place too! Since we started our train shop a few years ago, we have seen many people return or get started in the hobby. And it's definitely about having fun!
Chris, I got into HO scale back in the the ‘60s and from nearly day one I’ve heard about how “the hobby is dying”. Here it is 50+ years later, I’m now into 3-rail O-gauge, and it’s still dying! Oh good grief. Hobbies are cyclical, having their ups-&-downs just like the stock market. I will observe that prices need to start coming down though. That will aid in getting new people involved quicker as they won’t have to ponder how to pay their way into a new hobby.
I got started in scale model railroading about a decade later with Athearn blue boxes in the 70s and 80s & while general inflation is a factor, and not an insignificant one, there is also the thing of, the more you want done at the factory the more it is going to cost you at the retailer. Want electronics inserted at the factory? Gonna cost ya. Want stand-apart details applied at the factory? Gonna cost ya. Back to inflation, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index inflation calculator says that basic no frills Athearn blue box 1983 locomotive selling for $27 back then will cost you, here in 2023, $83.49 😲🤔
@@scottfw7169 Sounds about right, I recently bought an N Scale Kato e8 for 69.
The loss of brick and mortar stores and the high costs, both related issues are a big reason for the decline.
I love how you put yourself on your railroad between the two locomotives
I have noticed that the prices of them have gone through the roof in the last 3 years. I now stick with the older models from Hornby and Lima etc as these trains are a lot cheaper than the majority of the new ones 😊.
Very entertaining and on point Chris! I got swept into the hobby vis-a-vis MTH's halloween train! Btw- I hope Munchkin Chris makes future appearances. I lost it when he said, commenting on the fantasy schemes, "this is ridiculous!"
I'm mostly a prototypical runner. There aren't any fantasy engines on my layout. There might be a couple fantasy freight cars, but that it is it. That being said, I don't think the fantasy paint schemes are a bad thing for the hobby. It just comes down to this. At the end of the day, it's your railroad, and you run it as you see fit. That's what is great about this hobby. Oh by the way Chris, I do love that New York Central Pacemaker steam locomotive. That is one sharp looking engine!
Absolutely! Run what you enjoy!
It's your RR run what you want. I am strictly HO. I have way more trains that I just get obsessed with unique things. I do like fantasy items. My RR is PRR but I do have Heritage units, including PRR. I also allow PC or NYC. I also have a Tuscan F59PHI. I also have regional pieces like LV, EL, WM, Ma & Pa I have many RRs in my freight collection. Mostly regional but with some exceptions. I also have NMRA & such cars. I have Reading & Northern equipment, in place of Reading. I buy used cars & put metal wheels & upgrade couplers on them making them like new again. I can't see paying $50 for a freight car or more for passenger cars.
Great video Chris. Like you said, it’s about having fun!
You got that right!
The little Chris is epic. I can see little Chris reviewing while standing by the subject, sitting on a rock with the controller or even the transformer while he controls the train that's passing, getting off the track just in the nick of time. The possibilities are endless.
Enjoyed you take on the issue and especially liked your editing. Very entertaining for sure. By in large I believe the hobby is in good shape and I'm enjoying every aspect of it. While I have always enjoyed the more prototypical look and don't have much in the way of fantasy scheme product, I do have a fantasy scheme locomotive on preorder, lol. Thank you, Chris for a very entertaining video. Bill B.
These things are literally my childhood and I almost forgot about them at one point so that's why I always come back to these videos so i don't forget.
Been in the hobby for 57 years. The thing killing the hobby is the price of everything.
I agree with you very much, but also please keep in mind that a third rail down the middle coupled with grossly oversized rail is not prototypical either.
As someone who has always wanted a train set/room since I was a child, I can safely say that fantasy is the last thing hurting the hobby. I recently bought a vintage Shell diecast locomotive set with a spare tank car, that's an engine, tender, two tank cars, and a caboose. All unpowered, with plastic frames, trucks, and wheels with diecast metal bodies modeled after the USRA 0-8-0 heavy yard switcher. And it cost me right at $50. And I spent the next four days cutting a gluing popsicle sticks together to make my own two-foot-long set of tracks to display my new model train on. So all in all, I have 5 units (unfortunately one of the cars was missing a whole truck and set of wheels so I can only display the full train without the extra tank car), and two feet of track for around $52 in total cost.
Now what was the cost of a similar sized motorized steam engine with tender again? $300-$500? Yeah. One guy I watch calmly estimated his layout to be around the $2,000 mark in just track and landscape, that price could triple if not quadruple once you add his engines and rolling stock. I just don't have the money for a hobby that cost more than what I paid for my used truck, when I have two games where I can drive existing trains (RailRoads Online), or just build my own trains (Stormworks) however I want. And in both I can pull more than a couple dozen cars at a time to make really long trains. Both of those games together cost less than my new trainset did.
If anything is a threat to the trainset hobby world, it's the large number of train-based games coming out and the ever-growing cost to participate in the hobby at all. In today's day and age, its a bit much to ask someone to spend half a month's worth of rent for a single car or engine.
Very nice video. Thanks for posting and have a nice day too.
Great commentary and much genuine LOLing on this one! We need to remember, ultimately, we are ALL people playing with toys. Enjoy the hobby your way!
Good point Chris. I’ve always avoided fantasy scheme locos but the ones you showed do look really nice. Thanks for posting.
Great video Chris, I think any train that gets people into the hobby is a great one. Who cares if it’s not a real train that was in service. If someone says they didn’t make them in real life and complain, I say, these trains run on 3 RAILS! And I don’t remember a Lionel Lines railroad!!! We do it all for fun at the end of the day!
Hey Chris, Very good job mate! I loved the graphics and the message. I agree we need more channels and more education so people understand this amazing hobby. Keep the videos coming.
Thank you!
I have a Michigan Central gondola that is the sole survivor of my first HO set-Lionel HO! It had a PRR F7 as I recall that was lost to the ages long ago with the “operating” reefer and everything else. I intend to replace the wheels and install body mounted couplers so that I can put the gondola into revenue service. What I like most about this car is that on either side in addition to MC logo and reporting marks are the words “BUILT BY LIONEL.”
Your on the platform in scale was the coolest video trick I’ve seen,! How did you do it ?
Greetings from the UK 🇬🇧 I have subscribed as I enjoyed watching your video and agree 100% with take on the hobby.
Welcome aboard!
Great video. I just subscribed. My layout is small compared to yours. My 5 year old son loves the old Santa Fe locomotives with war bonnet red. My 10 year old daughter loves Union Pacific Alcos. We have four vintage diesel locomotives. My kids love the hobby. If they’re happy, I’m happy.
I think what's actually killing the hobby isn't the fantasy trains it's the boring starter sets. My first trains set was the Tyco Chattanooga Choo Choo, that was back in the 1970s, so I don't remember that set very well, I actually too young for it, but I do remember the sound box that came with it for the whistle sounds, and I also remember my uncle put some chemical in its smoke stack to make it smoke, all of that stuff came with the set. The last train set that I got was in the 1980s, it was a modern for its time Union Pacific diesel engine with quite a few cars and a figure 8 track with trestle overpass for the figure 8, I think that set was only $80 at the time. I understand there's inflation and the devaluing of money over time, so understand the prices being more than they are, but I still think for what you're paying for you're not getting a lot out of it, throw in a working train crossing arm like some set had back in the 1970s and 1980s, cargo stations, something beside just a round track.
What's killing the hobby isn't so much the fantasy scheme but pricing and technology, look at the prices of each individual piece that it takes to build a layout, either way it's hundreds to thousands of dollars to create a descent layout. I'm glad I get things second hand on ebay and train shows and don't mind scratch building or restoring old trains and accessories. You have to have severely deep pockets to enjoy this hobby, even a basic trainset is out of reach for most folks, the way things are a person has to decide, do I spend $40.00 or more on a single piece or do I stock my shelves with food. It's a no brainer, the industry is not truly looking out for the average working stiff in pricing or marketing.
Great video good point made good job 👍
Thanks for sharing!!! Enjoyed the video!!
The prices are why! A company that starts with a "W" jacked everything up in the 90's, and everyone else followed. Not everybody wants $500 computerized engines, when the old Athearn ones did just fine!
Love your trains and layout. Very nice collection. Enjoyed your video.
Great video! Love the implement of the green screen! Very creative!
Would a modern auto rack that is clean and without graffiti be a fantasy scheme? 😂
Now that’s a question!
I see them from time to time 😊
Usually in Jaw Tooth (Ohio area) and Wide World of Trains (Buffalo NY area) videos. Sometimes they manage to sneak in a few trips before the taggers find them 😮
I love the O-Scale Chris on the station platform.
I’d say the problems are
1) the cost of the hobby (Trains / Tracks / framework / scenery / electronics / real estate)
2) the need for a lot of dedicated real estate for the layout
3) the confusing electrical setup with locomotive chips / controllers for different brands and age of locomotives
4) and the poor quality control and customer service from some manufacturers
Love the fact you ran the NYC pacemaker I have a few in Ho scale
I remember Athern came out with a paint scheme that the NP never had. That was back in the 60's. Price is a concern. RTR is great, but I find RRing is about education of all aspects construction electronics art research
I agree have fun 🤩
$360+ for a single HO scale diesel locomotive is the reason for that scale. I refuse to pay that ridiculous amount. Never mind the $60 or more for a single freight car. Screw that! Glad I built my collection up long ago before these manufacturers went full retard on the prices.
Just enjoy the hobby with what you like!
Amen!
Correction the Lima built Pierre Markette 2-8-4 berkshire 1225 was the model they used for the polar express, it along with Nickel Plate 759 & 765, C&O 2716, 2760, and others, all built by lima to the Van Serwegen Design.
I like the Pacemaker and the greenbriar sitting here trying to figure out it 0-60 is a possibility in my layout space
Limited runs keeps prices high and the hobby only caters to the 1% wage earners and collectors. This is especially true for O gauge.
Not true williams makes a good line of locos and their afordable but made in China
Service the key. Postwar owners self serviced but lack of electronic support deterring purchases.
My ho scale southern pacific ge u28c costed $229 dallors thought the speaker has slight problems and the southern pacific GE ac6000 costed $279 dallors
That was pretty funny! Clearly the answer is for model railroaders to pool together and buy enough shares of real railroads so we can force them to paint their locomotives in more colors. Old, retired locomotives, too.
More seriously… I’m pretty new in the hobby and I’d say the most counterproductive advice I see from the experienced crowd is, “Woah, woah, you can’t run that HO passenger train on anything less than a 30” radius or it’ll look terrible!” Yeah, one day we may reach the point where we take over a whole room, but “start huge or not at all” is going to result in a lot of people not starting at all. Especially when kids are involved - they want colorful trains big enough to handle and we grown-ups will squeeze in the realism where we can but it’s not a priority.
Up in New Hampshire there’s a real caboose with Lionel as the road name. I guess someone hated fantasy enough to turn it into reality! I think you make a really good point that the hobby is actually in a pretty good place. The Amherst show up in Massachusetts attracted around 18,000 people this year. If that’s not proof I don’t know what is.
Great vid and message Chris. Can’t a guy pull a NASA crane with a Conrail switcher without getting a comment about how that can’t happen 😂
I know, let me enjoy my Southern Fishbelly Hudson in peace!
Well said, Chris 😃
THERE IS A FINE LINE BETWEEN A HOBBY
AND A MENTAL ILLNESS 🤣😂🤣
@@ohiosteamandsteel
I ADMIRE YOUR ENDEAVORS TO PRESERVE 🤤
A lack of competition between manufactures is what is killing high-rail; Weaver and K-line are gone.
I agree! Realistic paint schemes for our realistic 3rd rails!
I've been saying for years the hobby is not dying. It IS, however, changing. Plenty of younger guys in the Washington DC area into trains, regardless of gauge. Look at those kids clubs by the TCA and another in New Jersey. Plenty of kids in the National Capital Trackers too (I was one...a long time ago!). The hobby will always be around. Will we see another surge like we did in the 1990s and 2000s? Maybe some day but who knows.
Same can and should be said for York. Yes, I was lucky to experience what many would consider the golden years of the 1990s and early 2000s. I think York is going back to it's roots as a members trading event rather than the "trade show" event it grew to. Not a bad thing but I realize that may not be what many who came to expect in the "golden years" with professional and extremely large displays by the major manufacturers wan. Lionel, MTH, Weaver, Atlas, etc had some really first class displays back then. I'm 31 and have been long considered "the kid" but I was very pleased to notice a strong increase in similar age numbers at York in April. Hope it continues, it is a good thing.
Social media is another huge thing that has changed this hobby in the past 10 years or so. UA-cam and Instagram have become huge. I set up my Instagram (@matts.train.room) about 18 months ago mainly as I thought it could be kinda fun...I have something like 770 followers now. Not much in the grand scheme of things but that absolutely blows me away. Not to mention, I've met some really solid dudes in the DC area and beyond. Guess I need to get off my rear end and host another Train and Dinner night...
As Bob Dylan once sang, "The times, they are a-changin'".....
It's tinplate, what did you expect? 13 minutes of my life that I can't get back.
I'm just glad that i watched it until the end 👍🏻
I agree with you. Fantasy schemes definitely do bring a different aspect in catch different attentions. I think my main fantasy scheme that I'm collecting his black bonnet. That's because that's what it does for me. But hey little Chris is pretty cool.
Three rails? When I was a kid this absurd configuration was always a deal breaker for me.
Me too! To each him own I guess. Lional also looks cheesy to me. Some of their newer stuff looks ok, but others?
For me it's not just the price that keeps me from getting any deeper in the hobby but the lack of places to get specific trains or rolling stock. How many companies are making N or HO scale Big Boys currently? Where can get various rail guns? Sure if I wanted just normal stock and didn't care what engines I ran then there is a lot of selection but when you start looking for specifics the field is very shallow. It also drives the prices to insane levels like buying a single HO rail gun car for over $300.
Chris.... spot on. had me laughing too. great layout. agreed, hobby not dying but changing. great job.
My model railroads(HO & N scale) I model is a mixture of real and fictional railroads. Chris I love how you model your O scale three rail layout. More realistic speeds and scenery. The typical O three rail I see is pack with building, accessories and trains flying down the tracks.
The detail of models are fantastic
The whole deal about the fantasy schemes is sales. This isn't uncommon in three rail O scale. It happens in many scales. Just look at all of the old Tyco engines in HO scale which were painted in railroads that never had that particular engine in which Tyco decorated. As one former hobby shop owner said, "If it is painted in a red and silver Santa Fe Warbonnet scheme, it will sell not matter if it is not prototypical."
I think its in a good place. I really like what Lionel is doing with the lionchief line. Ive been in n scale modeling for 5 years now and im about to sell off everything to go O scale so I can enjoy it with my two boys.
I remember in ho there was a steam locomotive done with amtrak
I would love to see a 'Daylight' Big Boy.
1:45 It seems a bit odd to argue for prototypical engines when the track itself is not prototypical.
neat shots of miniature you by train
I like inventing shortline names for my trains. Montana Wyoming railroad, Nevada Western, Utah Western. Short Line .
I had an idea for a Jade Green New York Central 4-6-4 Hudson that Lionel could make !
“Fantasy” isn’t causing low fan participation,
it’s $$$
That sd24 looks great tho
I'm not into the "fantasy" stuff either. I have a hard enough time finding Soo Line items I need already. I hate to admit that I had to "bite the bullet" recently and pre-ordered the "Fantasy" Pere Marquette F-19 Pacific as I'm getting tired of finding a reasonably priced Legacy Pere Marquette #1225 on the secondary market. This may have to be the substitute until Lionel ever produces another run of the #1225. My LionChief version has a hard time pulling my 7 Pere Marquette passenger cars. :)
Didn’t you notice he had 50 fantasy schemes locos?
It's just that watching a thing go around and around in circles is boring for this generation. I can go to my PC and manage huge railroad companies with routes that are ever evolving. Many railroad games are also challenging logistics puzzles and I can still sit and admire the cool looking trains if I want to relax. And computer gaming as a hobby takes up less space as a bonus. Right now I'm into Railroad Corporation, it's the closest modern game to the famous Railroad Tycoon II that I miss so much. Even Railroad Tycoon III has a modding community update patch that gets rid of the huge mistakes that the original release had, although it's harder to get the graphics to work right because the software is so outdated.
I'm fortunately an old man and have no problems with fantasy on my pike.. it's all 1946- heavy steel, Lionel Locos and painted, decaled, wooden boxcars on an oval track on the den floor. No Pixies, magic woke stuff, and just as much fun for me and my grandkids. And that dude is spot on.. it all costs too much bread nowadays. With the present state of our economy, I'd be surprised if sales went up anywhere. The two most satisfying sounds of a Locomotive from my memory are just running over the tracks and the 5 or 6 reed mournful call of the air horn. Peace out.
The prices have ruined it for me. I moved back to building model car kits.
There seems to be 95% more fantasy paint schemes then prototypical paint schemes. Rosy also kinda reminds me of me neighbors dogs from our previous neighborhood
The reason I even wanted to get into painting my own engines was because I wanted equipment that either never made it into certain paint schemes or keep a railroad alive that ended in the mid-90s.
I paint them for a custom railroad.
The fantasy scheme locomotive that has always stuck in my mind was the Conrail 4-6-2 steam engine.
Fantasy schemes are a good concept but the way they’re executed sometimes isn’t the greatest. I’m no expert in design but I wish Lionel didn’t just slap a random paint scheme. I wish they took the time to make it look good
I do like the Fantasy Schemes but most are too expensive for me. I spend quite alot the way it is. But if prices keep going up then I've got to draw the line in the sand. Thankfully me and Jebb have enough that we can run for a very long time.
The large problem has been the limited choices of real freight car paint or graphic schemes and road numbers from LIONEL over the past 40 years. It seems like somebody wanted to make people lose interest so they can cancel most freight cars.
The way I look at is, new designs, fantasy or realistic, will be successful if people buy them. Bad sales mean it was a failed design.
I used to be a person who was pretty much if it’s not Prototypical I don’t like it.
But I have changed some what over the years !
yeah i agree. i hate fantasy schemes they ruin the look of the layout. i hate them so much that i just got a williams class j in the pennsy road name because i didnt want anyone else to have to bear with it
Amazing video
Jokes and satire aside I think this is why I unironically thought the purple repaint of 9F Taw Valley for the Queen's 80th centenary was not only amusing and absurd yet cool at the same time.
It's such an obscure colour that isn't seen on locomotives often if at all, and it did look like a fantasy loco was turned real.
Purists were up in arms about how "locomotives shouldn't be painted like that!" but c'mon, it's harmless fun and I think it's cool to see a real preservation line experimenting like that.
I'd love to see more preservation lines come up with unique liveries for real locomotives to wear for a while even if they never wore them in service, you can't even argue that it's "taking the locomotives heritage away" since most operational locomotives have had multiple repaints over the decades, so why not get creative with some of their liveries?
I remember when atlas released CN GP60 and they were sold out very fast.
The main reason is that they had a wide cab and look like GP40-2w.
Then many modelers kitbashed their models,then few years later,they released the accurate GP40-2w.
But the real thing that killing the hobby are the high prices for a train set.
Who doesn’t remember these Bachman, Tyco or Life Like starter kit including everything to start for less than 30$?
Now we can find some starter kit but all over 150$ and can’t find them in any toy store like it was before
Other things that if you look on any F7 on CN paint scheme. Whenever if it’s athearn,life like Bachman or some other manufacturers,road number are most of time 9162. So buying two of them for a beginner will automatically bring two locomotives with the same road number.
What is killing model railroading: 1) nobody rides trains anymore, so no kids getting fascinated. 2) entry price of train sets. 3) too many old guys doing trains - not a cool hobby for kids…and 4) the old guys are dying off and not replacing themselves with new interested kids to build the hobby.
i think its mostly the fact that an HO starter kit is $350 and comes with barely enough yet is called a starter kit not to mention my "starter kit" literally exploded on me as i placed it on the track
As a Life long model railroad enthusiast, I do agree that the prices are what is the worst in the hobby. I mean $40 for an H.O. Scale 40' boxcar? And $60 for an auto rack car? The HO trains I see in some UA-cam videos has 30 to 60 of them on one train. This tells me, the man who built the layout is very comfortable or rich. Imagine paying for 30 to 60 Auto Rack cars at $60 a pop. I understand that the freight car details have come a long way since the 70' when your average HO Scale freight car went from, 99 Cents to $4.00. And forget about the locomotives made for the hobby today. DCC And all of the bells and whistles. They cost a fortune. In this day, it is almost impossible for me to rejoin the hobby with limited means. The only way I see myself back in the hobby is, ordering old and used lots off of Ebay. Maybe now and then, a new freight car. But no DCC. Just basic model railroading
3 things are killing it. Price, price, and price. It's now the realm of rich retirees.
I'll take the cost of the hobby for $10,000 - $25,000 for a decent layout, Alex. Remember those old Tycos, Bachmanns, and Lifelikes? The "toy grade" HO. There's a whole sector of the hobby dedicated to buying these toy grade locos and rolling stock on the cheap, and putting in some sweat equity to make them run better with wheel and coupler upgrades, as well as simple cleaning. Plus a large layout is something that ties you to your house, because if you have to move and you have to dismantle that monstrosity....
LOL
As has been said over and over, it's the entry price that's killing it. One thing we, as modelers, can do to help is to get decent starter locos into the hands of people that really are interested but hindered by the cost. This could be children or adults - not all adults can afford a $250+ DCC loco, but if you have one you don't use, why not give it or sell it cheap to a beginner that shows some real interest.
As for "fantasy schemes", people need to remember the first & second rules of model railroading: 1) My railroad, my rules. 2) If you're not having fun, you're doing it wrong. (There are people that get their engineer's caps in a wad over non-proto things like railroad names, anachronisms (mixed time periods), and graffiti. They need to get over it!)
Rivet counters and price of models for example nearly £300 for a class 319 electric multiple unit
It's okay to have fun, lol!
#1 is price imo. I understand inflation, but our salaries haven't completely adjusted for it.
As far as fantasy schemes, I don't own any. I only like prototypical locomotives. But I do like that they offer them. Some are absolutely beautiful. I just couldn't bring myself to buy one. Yet, I do own some fantasy scheme rolling stock. Halloween and Area 51 cars, as well as Coca Cola.