I have factory weathered locos and used TMC for weathering locos and freight wagons. I have  on the way 2 class 44's weathered by @Ensign Elliott. I prefer weathered stock and don't purchase with an eye to sell on in the future.


Chris

Quote from: Western Exile on March 21, 2026, 11:51:45 AM

Quote from: willike1958 on March 21, 2026, 07:21:50 AMStill waiting for that Class25/3 

You're not alone. I'm still waiting for a skinhead 31 as well.

Skinhead 31 is a bit of minor violence with some sharp tools and filler then a repaint. It's not a difficult conversion. The class 30 variant is hairier as you have to change the exhaust area if you rivet count.

IMHO it depends on the model and weathering

Factory weathered makes no difference to anyone I think. It's the product as sold. DIY weathering depends on the quality.

All of it though depends on context. A nicely weathered Dapol 9F is a different kettle (sorry) of fish to a weathered Minitrix one, where it's mostly collectors buying and the box is worth as much as the model 

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.

if the weathering is really good (and nothing too over the top) i'd pay about the same as pristine. 

generally though i prefer pristine because i can choose what level of weathering i want to apply.

i have tried removing weathering twice before and it went wrong (i used ipa and cotton buds and paintwork went streaky) so i won't do that again!

i think generally weathering decreases value though, unless it is really good!

but that shouldn't put people off trying to weather items themselves. you have to learn somehow.


tim

Quote from: willike1958 on March 21, 2026, 07:21:50 AMStill waiting for that Class25/3 

You're not alone. I'm still waiting for a skinhead 31 as well.

I think it's all in the eyes of the buyer. I don't like factory fresh stock as it looks like what it is, a model, but that's my opinion. I have weathered all of my stock and will weather all of the buildings, scenery, and track on my layout as I want to copy the real thing rather than make something that is a model railway but is not lifelike. I have happily paid to have stock weathered and have done a lot of my own, and have bought nicely weathered stuff from ebay and dealers in the past. I've also seen a lot of dreadfully weathered stuff which doesn't work for me at all.

I suspect that weathering, when properly done, can enhance the value of something, while if badly done it can reduce the value. Again, it will always all depend on who's buying it.

Dave

Interesting question Mick.

Personally I prefer pristine models. However, in the past, I have bought certain factory weathered models, & had them repainted by Gideon. I have been able to buy them a little cheaper on Ebay than pristine models. Is this because they were weathered, or just 'that' moment in time?

Generally speaking, in my opinion, 'factory' weathering by Farish/Dapol etc., is okay & seems to just be designed to give the impression of light use & grime.

In contrast, the bespoke weathering by the likes of TMC, @Ensign Elliott , @mk1gtstu is a completely different standard of weathering that offers a very realistic & more organic level of finish. Indeed, some of the 'amateur' weathering, & I only use that term to differentiate between trading companies & personal home-based work, has been displayed in some photos where you actual find yourself struggling to tell if you're actually looking at the real, life-sized loco or a model.

In summary, if it's factory weathered I wouldn't expect it attract a premium, but if it's weathered by TMC, or our compadres mentioned earlier I WOULD expect it to attract a premium.

Quote from: Newportnobby on March 21, 2026, 10:58:07 AM

Quote from: chrism on March 21, 2026, 10:51:34 AM

Quote from: Newportnobby on March 21, 2026, 09:43:34 AM

Quote from: chrism on March 21, 2026, 09:24:34 AMAnother example; I'm currently making some walkabout controllers for the club. A Gaugemaster one costs around £70 with a power supply or £55 without. The ones I'm making are costing in at £35 with a power supply, £20 without - and that's including postage for the various bits individually, if I were to shop around I could undoubtedly get them for less.

@chrism What you don't say is how many hours it takes you to build said walkabouts and what your hourly rate is.

It's called "fun time", no charge 

It wouldn't be for you, of course, because it involves, ahem, soldering 

 

But then the comparison is wrong because Gaugemaster don't do it for fun. They do it for commercial gain

Which is, of course, why they charge what they do.

Quote from: chrism on March 21, 2026, 10:51:34 AM

Quote from: Newportnobby on March 21, 2026, 09:43:34 AM

Quote from: chrism on March 21, 2026, 09:24:34 AMAnother example; I'm currently making some walkabout controllers for the club. A Gaugemaster one costs around £70 with a power supply or £55 without. The ones I'm making are costing in at £35 with a power supply, £20 without - and that's including postage for the various bits individually, if I were to shop around I could undoubtedly get them for less.

@chrism What you don't say is how many hours it takes you to build said walkabouts and what your hourly rate is.

It's called "fun time", no charge 

It wouldn't be for you, of course, because it involves, ahem, soldering 

 

But then the comparison is wrong because Gaugemaster don't do it for fun. They do it for commercial gain