In my early 70s I have to say that model railways have always been a bit on the expensive side.

My first layout was a Christmas present aged 8. It was a second hand H/D 3 rail oval with a siding. An N2 loco and 5 tinplate wagons. Anything new at this time was beyond my parents purchasing. Triang in the 60s was also a tad expensive. Therefore nothing has really changed.

Of course back in the day it was produced in the U.K. So much now appears to be made in China.

Many, if not most of us will accept the explanation that the costs of production in China were so much cheaper than in the U.K. Indeed, Peco have said they cannot produce a loco in the U.K. at an acceptable price.

 
Of course, over time production costs in China have increased, along with wages for their production staff. All this will have filtered through to us the potential buyer.

Something tha puzzles me is the 15% discount applied to models that are still in production and not reached our shores. Why not simply have a 15% lower price that applies to all retailers, large and small?

Bachmann Scenecraft buildings.
They start off at a high price when introduced. Over time many appear with the larger retailers at greatly reduced price compared to the oringinal rrp...sometime40-50% price reductions.

I imagine in the current economic situation, many will have become focussed on their purchases, with less "on a whim" purchases. For many, hobbies can become the first area of spending that is cut back or curtailed.

Wot Webbo said.

Chris,

Bear in mind, that the £99 meal provided enjoyment for four persons, not just for you. An equivalent $200 for a decent meal in Australia for four sounds quite alright to me.

I'm happy to hear from both Chris and Roy that there is seemingly nothing to worry about regarding the fortunes of Peco. Thank you  .

Webbo

Quote from: Webbo on March 22, 2026, 05:09:03 AMScott

At least you have the benefit of a strongish US$. Our Oz$ is worth only 70 cents of yours.

EtchedPixels telling us that Peco is a bit wobbly is cause for concern for future track and rolling stock availability.

Model railways can be as cheap as you want it to be, or the opposite.

Webbo

I think there was a click bait element to EtchedPixels video headline. In the end he said he thought Peco were OK. Yes Peco have made a loss the last couple of years and they have closed Pecorama for this year because it was making a loss. We don't know  but its quite probable that the rest of the business is good. Incidentally the Beer Heights Light Railway is still doing experience days and the management at Peco have stated the hope to be able to re-open Pecorama in 2027 albeit in a different format. When you look at the Peco accounts they have cash and cash equivalents of over £4 million and no ongoing debt which means they certainly aren't "wobbly".

Back to the hobby being expensive. It is more expensive than we would like but then isn't everything? I took my sister and her hubby out to lunch at a pleasant but not luxurious restaurant earlier this week and it cost me £99 for the four of us. That's not far off the cost of a Rapido 45 for something that only lasts a few hours. Also I'm taking grandchildren to Statfold Country Park for Thomas Day which has cost the price of another Rapido 45. In comparison to many things in life today our hobby doesn't seem so expensive.

Quote from: EtchedPixels on March 21, 2026, 12:30:37 PM

Quote from: maridunian on March 21, 2026, 08:52:20 AMI agree that prices of new locos and rolling stock are utterly staggering.

I am lucky, in that I probably could afford to buy new wagons for 2-3 hours' minimum wage or locos for 15-20, but I refuse to.

The vast majority of my collection is (at least) second hand, and I enjoy customising it all the more because it's old, worn and cheap (like me!)

Mike

In the past five years I think I've bought 4 half price coaches, one 33% off coach and a 47 with sound on special offer. It's simply too expensive a hobby at this point, and I am certainly not in the lower wealth bracket either.

People ask me why all the kids play train sims or model stuff in them instead, or in minecraft and stuff. There's a really simple pair of answers - cost and space.

I don't see some of the vendors surviving much longer if there is a big downturn. Peco are looking very wobbly, Hornby have problems but are at least trying to get a handle on them.

What evidence do you have to suggest Peco as being "very wobbly" I have heard no such thing, they are and always have been a very well managed business? The closure of Pecorama was a business decision based on the fact it made losses for many months of the year that the core business could no longer justify absorbing. That reflects issues in the leisure industry not their core business and it is a sign of a well run business to recognise the issue and act to mitigate not the other way round. Personally I don't think it is at all helpful making such statements unless there is hard evidence to back it up.

Scott

At least you have the benefit of a strongish US$. Our Oz$ is worth only 70 cents of yours.

EtchedPixels telling us that Peco is a bit wobbly is cause for concern for future track and rolling stock availability.

Model railways can be as cheap as you want it to be, or the opposite.

Webbo 

Quote from: njee20 on March 21, 2026, 11:58:01 PMI would say model railways are actually a cheap hobby. Yes you need to buy some trains and build a layout as an enter cost. But that's it. The ongoing costs are negligible; maintenance costs are very low, and you don't need to buy more trains. If you decide to sell up then you have very strong residuals.

I used to cycle competitively. A top mountain bike was about £6000 (you can easily spend double that now), you could reckon on spending probably £500–£1000 annually on consumables, just to keep the thing going! Then after a year it was worth £3000.

This is a good point. "Start up" costs can be high(ish) but once you're up and running it does/can level off.

I would say model railways are actually a cheap hobby. Yes you need to buy some trains and build a layout as an enter cost. But that's it. The ongoing costs are negligible; maintenance costs are very low, and you don't need to buy more trains. If you decide to sell up then you have very strong residuals.

I used to cycle competitively. A top mountain bike was about £6000 (you can easily spend double that now), you could reckon on spending probably £500–£1000 annually on consumables, just to keep the thing going! Then after a year it was worth £3000.

N gauge toy trains an investment? I don't think so!

Quote from: ntpntpntp on March 21, 2026, 08:35:57 PMnot an investment for the future.

That's never crossed my mind and I reckon it would be even foolish to think of model trains as an investment.