Bachmann 2016 NMRA Announcements

[Catt]

 Joe said,

Several years ago I proposed an industry kit that would take up about 1' of space and the push back was no one had room for anything substantial.  I think differently...

Me too.  Sixteen inches wide at the far end and five feet six inches long.Yard holds 44 cars.Some people have that much room and this layout is a third the size of my old one.

[OldEastRR]

Look at the steel mill buildings on John Columbo's NKP layout thread. Compare them to the railroad cars next to them.

[Specter3]

Yes JD has HO scale models and with a little work for doors and windows they look awesome.

[sundowner]

• Baldwin 2-8-0 Consolidation with DCC Sound Value Decoder - MSRP $399.00
• GE Dash8-40CW with DCC Sound Value Decoder - MSRP TBA
• 72' Smooth side Baggage car - MSPR $49.00
• 85' Smooth Side Coach with interior lighting - MSRP $59.00
• 85' Smooth Side Observation with interior lighting - MSRP $59.00
• 40' Wood side Reefer - MSRP $37.00
• PS-2 Three-bay covered hopper - MSRP $35.00

Are this clown trying to drive up the prices N scale into toy train territory, seriously this MSRP are way to high for what they are making, the 2-8-0 is about $100 to $150 prices to high and the rolling stock is about $20 to high if you compare to the better quality models from Ahearn, Atlas, Rapido and Kato to name a few.

[wes_sutton]

Are this clown trying to drive up the prices N scale into toy train territory, seriously this MSRP are way to high for what they are making, the 2-8-0 is about $100 to $150 prices to high and the rolling stock is about $20 to high if you compare to the better quality models from Ahearn, Atlas, Rapido and Kato to name a few.

I think it's coming from the top. Some of the latest Graham Farish N-gauge in the UK has seen 100% price increase on existing tooling models. $30-$35 (with discount) for a 2-axle freight wagon.

http://www.ehattons.com/107816/Graham_Farish_377_925A_PCA_Metalair_Bulk_Powder_wagon_in_Blue_Circle_livery_weathered/StockDetail.aspx

[wes_sutton]

I think it's coming from the top. Some of the latest Graham Farish N-gauge in the UK has seen 100% price increase on existing tooling models. $30-$35 (with discount) for a 2-axle freight wagon. The falling value of the pound may be having some impact, but prices were heading into dark territory before that.

http://www.ehattons.com/107816/Graham_Farish_377_925A_PCA_Metalair_Bulk_Powder_wagon_in_Blue_Circle_livery_weathered/StockDetail.aspx

They are what they are - just think someone in China has got their sums wrong.

[peteski]

They are what they are - just think someone in China has got their sums wrong.

...or the Chinese labor force is demanding living wages paychecks.

[wes_sutton]

...or the Chinese labor force is demanding living wages paychecks.

Quite possibly - but it doesn't seem to be reflected in the pricing structure of other manufacturers to such an extreme as yet.

I thought I read somewhere that regular pay increases had been mandated by the Chinese Government - maybe Kader are just getting in ahead of the competition with one massive up front sticker shock.

 

[OldEastRR]

Maybe they're looking at Rapido's pass cars and saying "Ours are just as good, so we should charge the same as those guys"

Maybe the recent increased strength of the US dollar has  something to  do with it.

[peteski]

Maybe the recent increased strength of the US dollar has  something to  do with it.

I think you got that backwards. If the dollar strength increased then the prices of foreign goods would be lower.

[OldEastRR]

I think you got that backwards. If the dollar strength increased then the prices of foreign goods would be lower.

Apparently that's not happened.

[thomasjmdavis]

I suggest that some of the MSRP pricing we see has to do with the relative discounts given by manufactures to the hobby shops and dealers at the end of the retail chain.  The MSRP is often just a made up number- what we pay is what the retailer pays plus the retailers markup.  When I ran a business of my own (not hobby related), the discount I received from distributors and manufacturers was anywhere from 40% to 75% below MSRP. The wholesale price for Bachmann cars is clearly low enough that the dealers can sell at a substantial discount to MSRP and still make a profit (not sure how true this is for a mom and pop hobby shop, I am sure that the big online stores get substantial volume discounts as well, that really lower their costs).

So the rise in the MSRP is not all that relevant in and of itself.  The current pricing was probably set months ago, when the Yuan was rising against the dollar.  It gives Bachmann/Kadar a simple way to adjust for currency fluctuations- if there is a big change in exchange rates, they don't have to change MSRP and print a new catalog, all they need to do is raise or lower the dealer discount by 5% in order to adjust for the fluctuations.  If the Dollar varies against the Euro- they can have different discounts for US and European distributors.  My guess would be they set the MSRP based on what they saw as the maximum people would pay for a given class of item- so passenger cars are priced like Rapidos, steam locos like they were BLI, etc.  But it does not mean they actually expect us to pay that much. 

The key for us is to do our homework, find the low price dealers, and not reward people who are trying to take advantage by charging the full high MSRP.  I've noticed on the passenger cars that there have been a couple dealers experimenting on the big auction site, dropping their prices $5 on one or two cars until those cars sell.  Last week, I think one of the P70 clones got down to a buy it now price of $20 before it sold (not to me, BTW).  While I wouldn't necessarily expect that as a rule, I would recommend checking the prices at the large internet retailers before getting into a bidding war or doing a buy it now.

Kato and other do essentially the same thing, they just are not quite so "out of the park" with the top end price.  But next time you buy an F unit on MBK, check the "MAP" (minimum advertised price- theoretically lower than MSRP) and then the actual price you will pay in the shopping cart- big difference.

[Mark5]

Relax, Bachmann list prices have always been insane ... 

On the observation, Bachmann has lettered the car for a PRR class POC70R observation:

http://www.billspennsyphotos.com/apps/photos/photo?photoid=60486126

But the car actually seems closer to the PRR  POS21a (Pullman plan 4080A):

http://www.northeast.railfan.net/images/prr8115.jpg

http://prr.railfan.net/diagrams/PRRdiagrams.html?diag=pos21a_rm.gif&sel=obsl&sz=sm&fr=

Jerry will correct me if I am wrong. 

Mark

[OldEastRR]

It's definitely a POS21a ("View" series). As I converted the Kato obs to match the Pennsy prototype I'm quite familiar with the dimensions. And of course, now that I've built one ....the old Law of Wasted Effort for kitbashing applies.
But be interesting if they offer one in the FOM scheme.

[k27463]

Bachmann MSRP might be insane, but I'm having a hard time justifying their street prices on many items in many scales these days.

Large scale 4-4-0 that used to be $400 street and $250 a year after release?  Pushing $800.

On30 2-6-0s that originally went for around $65?  Now over $150 (admittedly with upgrades such as metal gears, but as they didn't have common issues in the first place why bother?)

HO heavyweights that don't really compare in detail or runability with anything from Walthers?  Near $100 on eBay (Walthers cars are around $30 on sale).

I just don't really understand it.  Their new prices are starting to inflate used prices on older runs of everything they've made and I find it hard to believe that it's sustainable.