Worthless ?

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I've often thought it would be nice to have a scrappage scheme for old model trains. Might even force the value of the remaining ones up.

 

My father passed away a few years ago, having amassed a substantial collection of books, models and railway related memorabilia… which we've been selling before my mother eventually downsizes her house. Firstly, it's been great going through all his old stuff, and finding funny mementos etc..

Secondly, there's a huge and surprising market for it. Sensible use of Amazon (for books) and eBay for models and railwayana has ensured a significant return to my Mum, who's been able to spend the money received on holidays and the like. So I don't think it's as glum as you suggest quite yet.

I'm more interested in the potential for 3d modelling - the potential to move away from buying RTR models and towards buying digital plans/designs that would be fabricated at home on domestic 3d printers. That would send the existing market into a complete tailspin, I would have thought.

Simon

 

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Some Tri-ang and pre-China Hornby stuff does still command high prices, but as a rule it's the models made for or in overseas markets which sell. The Tri-ang and early Hornby cheap starter sets also command high prices because owing to the nature of the market survival rates are very low. The Tri-ang 'Wild West' clockwork set for example is worth a small fortune even in fair condition.

 

This argument can be used for other collectables. I wonder how long before railwayana price start to drop and loco name plates and smokebox plates start to become in to my price range. With every year going by there's fewer and fewer people collecting railwayana and all items related to our hobby.

 

But the prices for most railwayana seems to be holding if one reads the reported prices of auctions in Railways Illustrated and other journals.

 

I've been collecting railwayana for 20 years - this view has been around for all that time, and it's not happened yet.

 

I agree. The main reason for people "talking down" railwayana prices is the view that, with the last generation that experienced "real" mainline steam reaching old age, interest would wane. Whilst there has been some evidence of falling prices in some areas, such as the more "ordinary" loco nameplates, in many other areas prices have actually risen.

I would think that, on average, prices have been maintained, which is remarkable given the number of specialist auctions and the quantity of items available. "High end" items, such as A4, "King" or "Coronation" nameplates will still command prices in tens of thousands, but it is now possible buy a "Hall", "King Arthur" or B17 for £5000 or less. But the market is very selective; a B17 "Footballer" will set you back several times that! What surprises me is how more mundane items, such as signs, signalling items, right down to pre-grouping buttons, badges and similar "smalls" etc have maintained their values. And, of course, there is a healthy market in "modern image" items, as the generation to whom the "blue diesel" era counts as nostalgia finds that it has big money at its disposal. Another noticeable factor is how prices fluctuate according to the general economic situation.

We may not see the record breaking prices of the turn of the century, but don't write off railwayana yet!

 

To think i sold 3 smoke box numbers plates and i cabside plate for £4 each to a local second hand shop inthe 1970s

 

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A lot of it's tat due to Hornby living in the dark ages and persisting with well know disasters like Ringfield Motors and tender drive until the 21st century arrived, and even then they only acted as Bachmann's standards were starting to embarass them, hands up who else had an A3 that did a scale 90MPH with the driving wheels skidding and locked due to being unpowered with barely any weight over them.

 

Never had any problem with any of my tender drive stuff doing that, but I never had an A3. Always heard about stories of people with engines that locked and skidded but I never saw one do it once.

 

I'm 69 years old and have been into both the real thing and model railways since the age of 7. I started 'collecting' models when i was 17 and built up a huge collection of mint/boxed Hornby Dublo, Triang, Triang/Hornby, Trix, Mainline, Wrenn, Airfix, Lima and a good few Continental makes like Marklin along the way. At the age of 60 i made the decision to retire to Thailand within two years and therefore most of my collection went to auction in 2005/6. After sellers premium, VAT etc etc i netted 26,000 quid and i would say it was well worth all my efforts in the collecting field over the years, which were a pleasure each and every one as i sought and bought only the very best quality to be found....and of course a lot of it was brand new shop bought items of the times i lived through. Example's:- Dublo Barnstaple bought for five pounds fifteen shillings and sold for 138 quid, doubtful the same amount of money in any savings account would have made that much profit. Wrenn 'Dartmoor', bought for 97 quid and sold for 655 quid....and so on.

There is a big difference between 'collecting' and modelling and the key to maintaining the value of any 'collection' is that everything must be in factory fresh condition to maintain top prices when the time comes to sell. These days i model and still buy new Loco's to run as my days of true 'collecting' are over. However; i do still have one or two old favourite's in glass cases that will never be run.

 

The main problem is price. Quite a lot of new locomotives are worth over £120 which is not pocket money or at a reasonable price for children and young adults. I quite often get old carriages and locomotives off eBay as it is cheaper, it may not look the best but with a little bit of imagination it's perfect. I can see modelling declining as it is getting more and more expensive, plus I go to college and know no one who is even interested in trains or modelling (it is all video games and watching TV).


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You'll be surprised how many are when you get to uni though...

...and when you start working with a decent wage your interest will take up again...that's what happened with me anyway!

Plus I did a degree in computing - railway modelling was the least nerdy of the pastimes undertaken by my classmates