Well, I got all excited, and I was ready to buy this baby, but.... GS https://www.walthers.com/catalog/product/view/id/511637 $63.98
High prices from china made goods start going up in prices several years ago. There was a big jump in server and storage hardware made in china 3 years ago and another jump last Oct. and a large drop in the quality of materials used for these products. Part failures went from 1 every 2 years to 4 a year on average. Same with the chicken watering cups the first batch lasted over 4 years. The batch I just order 3 have already broke in half. A lower quality plastic was used for on this last batch. Same brand at a higher price. Other than Bachmann I wonder if there are any material quality issues that are going to crop up on our models.
Also, don't forget that many of the importing "manufacturers" immediately jacked-up their prices on product already on the way or on the shelves as soon as talk of a tariff began even before it happened or they knew how much the tariff would be. As a general rule, corporate America, regardless of how small the business, will immediately seize any opportunity (real or perceived) to jack-up prices and pass it along to the consumer. That is not going to change. Never mind their posturing and whiny videos they put out about how they are thinking of you and how to best keep prices down for you and the good of the hobby. That's total BS. Andre
The prices of new rolling stock and locomotives are the very reason I buy things from people like David Gaines for a fraction of the cost of the new stuff. It also gives you an opportunity to model. There's an Athearn Blue Box 50' single door boxcar lettered for AT&SF on my work bench at this moment. It needs couplers, metal wheels, and a kadee brake wheel. In addition, I trim the bottom of the door guides, file the roofwalk down to a reasonable thickness and work on the stirrups a little. This one may actually get wire grabs--haven't decided. Plus painting the trucks and underframe. So for $10 I've got a decent car that parts won't fall off of when it runs around the layout. My goal is to only have rolling stock on the layout that I, or a friend, built or modified. Nothing ready to run out of the box--definitely nothing that costs $50-$75.
Incidentally, Charlie Dischinger wrote of modeling one of these in Issue #39 of the Frisco Modeler's Information Group (FMIG) newsletter from February, 1984 FMIG Newsletters along with an amusing anecdote of his switching one of these old cars out at the West Shops. Regarding cost: the price of some items does rankle the Scotsman in me, and prices have also both encouraged me to focus my modeling endeavors more judiciously. Everyone's mileage may vary, I 'spose. I will be curious to see if these cars come with the Allied Full Cushion trucks - I can't determine if they were delivered with them by Pullman-Standard in '45 or if the Frisco added them upon rebuilding them in '48 for express service.
