Credit crunch railroading...
Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2013 12:46 pm
Got into a brief discussion in another place about how this is increasingly perceived as a 'rich mans hobby' - and it pushed me into a lot of musing and pondering.
I definately don't consider myself a rich man, (well, in global terms sure, in UK terms, definately no!) although I do have some disposable cash to spend on the hobby. But I got to wondering what the barriers to entry for this hobby actually are, and how low those barriers could be made if one was flexible with the attitudes taken to the hobby.
For example, I had a discussion with somebody a while back who said to me that the barriers to joining this hobby were very high, as the average person couldn't afford to walk into Model Junction and buy themselves a trio of £300 sound equipped GEVO's plus 30x £40 freightcars to run as a train. £2100 Me neither I thought!
That analogy has never sat easily with me, don't know about you folks, but that wasn't how I started, and i'd be kinda surprised if it was most folks first step into the hobby.
I'd also stress i'm talking about the modern hobby here, with decent quality, nice running RTR products, plus DCC (and maybe sound) - i'm not suggesting saving money by whittling your loco's from scraps of wood and old bean tins.
So, here's a 'starter for ten' entry path.
1. Join an active local group/club like Western Union and take part in their running days: viewtopic.php?f=25&t=274
Cost - £10 per meet attended (they are monthly) - which might feel like a chunk of change, but at least you spread the cost. You don't need to build a layout at this stage, and for a day like the one linked to you don't need any freightcars either as the operating scheme effectively pools them. Value per time involved is very high compared to (say) a cinema trip or especially a footy match!
2. For the WU group you'll need a throttle, pick up a s/h Android off ebay and download Engine Driver (free) - that's assuming you haven't either got a suitable one already or can't blag a used one off a friend/relative. Total cost, £20 (or less). The wifi wasn't actually used on that day, but they do have the gear to run it.
3. Get yourself a loco to run. My suggestions would be:
(a) Limit yourself to one loco to start with, but use your budget to get something well built with a nice mech from a quality make.
(b) Go for the practical one not the pretty one, a lowly RS11, GP38 or MP15 may not be uber-cool, but they are far more useful engines than a DD40X on most model railroads.
(c) Brand-new is not a must for quality products, secondhand/ebay are good sources, especially if you can be flexible with roadname.
Either way, a £100 budget should very easily get you something sturdy and reliable from for instance the Atlas range (or maybe even something like a Kato GP35) plus a (non-sound) decoder to put in it. It may even be possible to get a S/H sound fitted Atlas for that.
An alternative path might be the recent Bachmann range with sound on board (say the GP7, or the upcoming RS3) which would let you get something brand new, sound fitted, and capable of being detailed up further within the same £100 budget. Add £3 or so for a pack of Kadees...
4. This can come a little later if needed as i'm sure you can arrange to borrow the use of one at a meet to set your loco up, but for home use pick up a Sprog and a length of track. Total cost £63. Plus JMRI software (free) - it'll both let you experiment with programming and tweaking the settings on your loco, and can be the DCC command station for your home layout should you build one.
So - one-off costs of £186, (or less,) not all of which need to be spent at once, plus a monthly £10?
Some Upgrade/development paths (in no particular order?)
1. Adding further detail/weathering to your loco to both personalise and improve on the basic product, particularly if you've gone the Bachmann route as they have minimal extra detail. Not only is this not that expensive, but it's also great 'bang for the buck' in terms of hobby time, and can be very satisfying.
2. Freightcars - spread the cost. You don't need to buy yourself a whole train in one hit, pick up a freightcar a month, or as and when you can afford it. Again secondhand is good. Flexible is good, just try and work out the difference between 'cheap as chips' and 'cheap and nasty'.
3. Assuming a group like WU, build a module. Doesn't have to be expensive and complicated. 6' of plain scenery (which is a boon for designers trying to space out the 'towns' in a setup) should be do-able for well under £100, (I would expect under £70, and possibly under £50!) and again, that's not all spent in one hit...although something more involved could also be used as a home layout so may present better value.
So there we go, relatively low cost (especially ongoing cost), but high quality hobby participation.
My thoughts?
* The hobby is very much what you make of it.
* You don't need this years latest shiny new loco (the original discussion centred around the Genesis GP38-2 which, although undeniably gorgeous, is circa £200 with sound) to participate. Don't fall for the hype. Unless it's what you really, really want.
* The UK has a great secondhand market (and the NMRA-BR helps with that!) Good quality stuff is not hard to find.
* Being flexible helps.
* Being focused on what's important to your hobby enjoyment helps.
* Joining a group helps, as it allows you to share resources as well as obtain support.
Do I manage to live by this all the time? Not a chance...
Over to you guys, any other tips?
I definately don't consider myself a rich man, (well, in global terms sure, in UK terms, definately no!) although I do have some disposable cash to spend on the hobby. But I got to wondering what the barriers to entry for this hobby actually are, and how low those barriers could be made if one was flexible with the attitudes taken to the hobby.
For example, I had a discussion with somebody a while back who said to me that the barriers to joining this hobby were very high, as the average person couldn't afford to walk into Model Junction and buy themselves a trio of £300 sound equipped GEVO's plus 30x £40 freightcars to run as a train. £2100 Me neither I thought!
That analogy has never sat easily with me, don't know about you folks, but that wasn't how I started, and i'd be kinda surprised if it was most folks first step into the hobby.
I'd also stress i'm talking about the modern hobby here, with decent quality, nice running RTR products, plus DCC (and maybe sound) - i'm not suggesting saving money by whittling your loco's from scraps of wood and old bean tins.
So, here's a 'starter for ten' entry path.
1. Join an active local group/club like Western Union and take part in their running days: viewtopic.php?f=25&t=274
Cost - £10 per meet attended (they are monthly) - which might feel like a chunk of change, but at least you spread the cost. You don't need to build a layout at this stage, and for a day like the one linked to you don't need any freightcars either as the operating scheme effectively pools them. Value per time involved is very high compared to (say) a cinema trip or especially a footy match!
2. For the WU group you'll need a throttle, pick up a s/h Android off ebay and download Engine Driver (free) - that's assuming you haven't either got a suitable one already or can't blag a used one off a friend/relative. Total cost, £20 (or less). The wifi wasn't actually used on that day, but they do have the gear to run it.
3. Get yourself a loco to run. My suggestions would be:
(a) Limit yourself to one loco to start with, but use your budget to get something well built with a nice mech from a quality make.
(b) Go for the practical one not the pretty one, a lowly RS11, GP38 or MP15 may not be uber-cool, but they are far more useful engines than a DD40X on most model railroads.
(c) Brand-new is not a must for quality products, secondhand/ebay are good sources, especially if you can be flexible with roadname.
Either way, a £100 budget should very easily get you something sturdy and reliable from for instance the Atlas range (or maybe even something like a Kato GP35) plus a (non-sound) decoder to put in it. It may even be possible to get a S/H sound fitted Atlas for that.
An alternative path might be the recent Bachmann range with sound on board (say the GP7, or the upcoming RS3) which would let you get something brand new, sound fitted, and capable of being detailed up further within the same £100 budget. Add £3 or so for a pack of Kadees...
4. This can come a little later if needed as i'm sure you can arrange to borrow the use of one at a meet to set your loco up, but for home use pick up a Sprog and a length of track. Total cost £63. Plus JMRI software (free) - it'll both let you experiment with programming and tweaking the settings on your loco, and can be the DCC command station for your home layout should you build one.
So - one-off costs of £186, (or less,) not all of which need to be spent at once, plus a monthly £10?
Some Upgrade/development paths (in no particular order?)
1. Adding further detail/weathering to your loco to both personalise and improve on the basic product, particularly if you've gone the Bachmann route as they have minimal extra detail. Not only is this not that expensive, but it's also great 'bang for the buck' in terms of hobby time, and can be very satisfying.
2. Freightcars - spread the cost. You don't need to buy yourself a whole train in one hit, pick up a freightcar a month, or as and when you can afford it. Again secondhand is good. Flexible is good, just try and work out the difference between 'cheap as chips' and 'cheap and nasty'.
3. Assuming a group like WU, build a module. Doesn't have to be expensive and complicated. 6' of plain scenery (which is a boon for designers trying to space out the 'towns' in a setup) should be do-able for well under £100, (I would expect under £70, and possibly under £50!) and again, that's not all spent in one hit...although something more involved could also be used as a home layout so may present better value.
So there we go, relatively low cost (especially ongoing cost), but high quality hobby participation.
My thoughts?
* The hobby is very much what you make of it.
* You don't need this years latest shiny new loco (the original discussion centred around the Genesis GP38-2 which, although undeniably gorgeous, is circa £200 with sound) to participate. Don't fall for the hype. Unless it's what you really, really want.
* The UK has a great secondhand market (and the NMRA-BR helps with that!) Good quality stuff is not hard to find.
* Being flexible helps.
* Being focused on what's important to your hobby enjoyment helps.
* Joining a group helps, as it allows you to share resources as well as obtain support.
Do I manage to live by this all the time? Not a chance...
Over to you guys, any other tips?