Thoughts In Regards To The Sustainability Of Our Hobby...

[Mountain Goat]

Hound Dog. The opposite for me. I converted to DCC around the year 2000 to 2001 onwards for a few years and later said "This is not for me."
Eric-B. I have not worn a motor out in them as yet but to be totally honest, I have hardly ever run my modern central drive diesels other then a brief test. But the little budget 0-4-0's are supposed to have motors which were said to only last 100 hours (The ones which were from China so had darkened wheels and 3 pole motors with the high top speed). They last a whole lot longer then 100 hours. From what one modeller experienced... He tested his and left it running and running where it did far more then that and kept going and going. Those little 0-4-0's can't half stand some abuse!
I am wondering that maybe, the premature motor failure could be something to do with the weight and torque needed to shift such a weight. Just a thought as the 0-4-0's are relatively light in comparisson and their motors are only slightly smaller in length. (The newer slower versions are said to use 5 pole motors though they look identical).

[glencairn]

I was not going to join in in this discussion, but I guess I shall throw my 'ten pence worth' in.

All the time I have been around model railways they have been expensive - if I hadn't the money. That would be from the time I had a clockwork engine and circle of track, Princess Elizabeth locomotive etal. I could never afford to build a layout bigger than the customary oval.

Many people complained about the crude looking locomotives etc., such as non-existent hand rails and poor finish.

Many people wanted Manufacturers to produce this loco, that loco. Nobody said how much it would cost to produce such locos.

Now, when Manufacturers produce the array of engines, the locomotives have to be in this livery, that livery and every other livery, just to satisfy customers. Each livery is adding to the price. Then there is the cost of DCC, Sound etc. One locomotive can be in six or seven variants.

Gone are the days (imho) when one model would suffice. Those wanting that model to be a little different would alter it themselves (Railway Modelling),

As for the younger generation? Parents (and grandparents) can buy a Thomas the Tank battery operated layout running on plastic track for around £20. It doesn't have to be Hornby or Bachmann. If the child becomes more interested, then they advance to the likes of the two Companies mentioned. That does not mean the child has to have a layout as big as King's Cross. It doesn't mean the layout has to have sound and lights etc. If the child is really interested, the train set will grow with them.

Is railway modelling expensive? Yes -- if you cannot afford the item/s.
It is funny how that money is available when necessary.

Railway Modelling -- Have Fun!

Glencairn

[IanAlan]

Regarding the cost of model railways, it would be interesting to compare price inflation of model locomotives and rolling stock to price inflation of house prices (I mean real houses, not models). Say 1960 to 2020. I suspect that the houses have gone up in price far more than the railway models.

I suppose that most model railway enthusiasts had a model railway in their youth. Therefore, the long term question is whether today's young generation of virtual technology users will be interested in actual railway modelling when they are older and have an income. Perhaps they will build virtual railways. My son builds virtual worlds on Minecraft, so perhaps... . But railways are less glamorous than so many other fields of human endeavour, so it seems unlikely.

If the market slowly dies out (gulp), the companies will have a lot of models that they can continue to manufacture, even when it is uneconomic to design and introduce new stock.

I do hope that when I expire, my wife doesn't just chuck the lot into some black refuse bags.

So let's enjoy it while we can.

[Steve M]

The comparison between model costs and average wages is probably more relevant and has been documented on here many times.
In short, modelling is relatively cheaper today compared with the past.....and we get better models.