Really, really like the set but $4800 | O Gauge Forum (2024)

In the latest Lionel 2024 #2 catalog is the American Railroads passenger set. Really terrific looking in the blue paint scheme on the GG-1 and 11 passenger cars. The train left NYC heading to Ogden, Utah celebrating the centennial of Americas first transcontinental RR. with John Wayne as one of the invited passengers. 3 locomotives were used with the GG-1 on the first leg out of NYC.

But at $4800 catalog pricing just can't justify pulling the trigger. I wonder how many folks will place an order.

Bill

Bill do you have a copy of the catalog with you?

I will answer that in a different way.

I can buy an electric riding mower for about the same price. I can also get a very nice American made Gibson Les Paul guitar for less.

My gut feel is that the price is 3x higher than it should be but I don’t usually buy premium grade model trains so my internal price gauge isn’t well calibrated to the market.

So that would be $1,600. I am sure that a lot people would buy it for that amount. Is that is a realistic number?

The truth is that from a practical point of view, any money spent on trains is a waste of money. But I guess we are dreamers and not very practical! And I think that there will be enough dreamers out there who will buy this set. I don't think there are any recent high end train sets out there for sale by dealers at "blowout" prices.

How long ago was that?

I looked at the 2019 tinplate catalog...a new 392E was $899.95 and a 500-series freight car was $119.95, so the 2019 price for a loco and

500-series freights would have been $1499.70. If you presume inflation was 10%/year for the last four years, that still only gets you to a bit more than two grand today.

One could, if one really wanted the set. Get a personal loan at 3.33% and for the next 60 months just pay 96.00 a month. Total would just be by time loan is paid off 5760.00. Or wait 60 months and maybe find it for sale on EBay for 1800.00?

I do have my catalog, do ya have a question

Bill

Oooh... Do I have questions??? Any scale Rolling stock? New PS-1 boxcars? Gondolas? Any fantasy scale rolling stock? Area 51? Space stuff?

My advice for anyone who wants a high end item but is leery of the big buck$: Put it on lay away with Mr Muffin. Its zero percent interest to do so. I also think EZ-Catch trains does this as well. If you like the train, you will find a way to buy it.