Model Railroading > Athearn A-line Fruehauf price hike

I was just made aware that the new run of Athearn 40's Fruehauf TOFC trailers are now retailing for $24.98 for a single trailer, NOT a 2 pack as in the past. Ouch. And I was balking at the price of the last run. Here I just thought this was another announcement for more trailers I might be interested in buying. I guess the old 45' trailers being sold in singles for fairly high prices should have been a portent of things to come - I didn't buy any of those but the old Athearn 45' trailers were rather generic - the Fruehaufs OTOH. *sigh*

Cheers?
Jim Fitch



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 12/10/14 09:54 by SPDRGWfan.

Talk about sticker shock. The most recent release was $26.95 for two trailers. And I was hoping that they would do a 40'drop frame trailer.

Larry

I think it's my fault for the massive price increases on intermodal models. I am one of the fools who bought the $57 3-pack of Atlas reefer containers. (In my defense I got a good discount.) That probably alerted the manufacturers that they could charge whatever they wanted for intermodal items and people would still buy them.

Some intermodal items have gone up a lot, I've noticed. It looks like more are getting pulled into that vortex.

It was sticker shock for sure this announcement. I've been farming the past runs and have managed to find most of the 40' trailers I wanted thankfully. If there is a consolation prize, at least most of the road names offered on that run appear to be repeats of what I already have, mostly.

I was hoping Athearn would offer some of the latter day 40' versions such as the white trailers with green BN logo, Preferred Pool, and Santa Fe, maybe Conrail - basically the pre-stretched versions of what they have already made in the 45' versions. At more than double the price I'd have a hard time justifying anything new-run Fruehauf's.

Cheers?
Jim

Sure makes all of that intermodal stuff I bought 20 years ago seem wise.

$2.98 Walthers 40' containers
$3.98 Walthers 48' containers

$25 for a single trailer is highway robbery...pun intended.

Eric

sd39u Wrote:
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> Sure makes all of that intermodal stuff I bought
> 20 years ago seem wise.

Even the items issued in between 2005-2009 from Athearn are now seeming quite reasonable in light of the price hikes happening in the last few couple years.

> $25 for a single trailer is highway robbery...pun
> intended.
>
> Eric

It sure seems so. It will be interesting to see if the single Fruehauf trailers continue to sell or if that kills off the RTR Fruehauf line. I've noticed no new announcements of the old blue box based RTR 45' trailers which were sold in singles for high prices.

With doubling of prices juxtaposition of wage stagnation, I'd have to think sales of many hobby products are going to be affected. The hobby was never cheap but at least there is a good selection of new and secondary market items, so we can supplement with cheaper items from past runs with treasure hunts and selectively buy a few items from new products - that's what I am doing anymore.

Cheers, Jim

Curious if there is an explanation for the price levels. There was a back story to the highly detailed UPS trailers, although it was quickly forgotten once my pig train had all the trailers it needed.
There has been quite a few super detailed trailer articles. I wonder if this has implied there is a large enough market to justify the price point?

Maybe it is time the think about balsa wood blocks cut on a table saw, wrapped in paper printed on a 2D printer with short pieces of dowl for wheels and axles to load on our $50-$90 flats.

These might not look so bad across the layout. We could use dusk to dawn lighting when so much of the prototype traffic moves anyway. Not everything has to be contest quality.

According to the free market model someone will ramp up with cheaper trailers to fill the void.

Posted from Windows Phone OS 7

Hah hah. It will be interesting to see where 3D printing goes for model making.

Most of my Genesis F89F flats cost me between $18 and $24 and I got my last batch of four Walther's RTR flush decks for around $12 and most of the others for around $18. A few flats cost between $20 and $28; the most I've spent on any TOFC flat cars was about $30 on a few of the BLMA F89F's. If Athearn does again offer Genesis flat cars - they may very well be more than $50 MRSP; last time I asked, they indicated no plans to run more. Weird thing is, they still haven't offered one of the versions they displayed in the test shots, the flat car with the raised side add-on's - for TOFC I assume.

> According to the free market model someone will
> ramp up with cheaper trailers to fill the void.

That would be great to see.

TCnR Wrote:
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> Curious if there is an explanation for the price
> levels. There was a back story to the highly
> detailed UPS trailers, although it was quickly
> forgotten once my pig train had all the trailers
> it needed.

I honestly don't know what justifies the Fruehauf prices when everything else seems to be holding the line or having modest increases. The UPS trailers as I recall had a royalty fee which was paid to UPS for the rights to sell models with their logo etc., so that caused the prices to be rather high on those, but even the UPS were a little less than these 40' Fruehauf's To put it as my wife would say, Athearn must be rubbing their hands together over those!

Cheers, Jim



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/10/14 09:31 by SPDRGWfan.

Just get some A-LINE kits and build, Paint and decal.................be a modeler its kind of fun.


Dave Dane

grandeguy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Just get some A-LINE kits and build, Paint and
> decal.................be a modeler its kind of
> fun.
>
>
> Dave Dane

Time is they key Dave - most of my limited free time is working on the layout right now. But I picked up an air compressor on Black Friday so I may do just that. First thing is to paint the roofs and side sills on many of my Front Range/McKean/Accurail Brae trailers, and a few others.

Cheers, Jim

Agree, time is getting to be an issue. A blend of rtr and kit built would be nice. I still have boxes of simple kits to build, some nice, more complex kits as well. Then there's that layout thing, some weathering, oh and paint the house too.

Agree with the licensing thing, forgot about that until I had some time to think during my commute.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/10/14 10:20 by TCnR.

"I would argue that each is equally valid as modeling."

Not my point............instead of paying the big money, why not build your own for less money?There are great decals available for most eras. Please post photos of your layout 4th district. Heres part of my Layout...........your right code 83 flextrack and Fast tracks turnouts.

Dave Dane



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/10/14 10:28 by grandeguy.

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If you need modern-day HO pig trailers, Trucks 'N Stuff (Tonkin)can be a good source. For $15-$17 and a little modification, you get a decent 53' dry van or reefer, plus a truck thrown in. Great variety of modern roadnames, unlike Athearn which keeps repeating the same roadnames on theirs.

My guess, and it is just that, is that Athearn saw how well the royalty inflated single UPS trailers sold, so their thinking why not try
the pricing on non-royalty trailers?

Jay

Posted from Android

My only big gripe with the A-Line 40' Fruehauf trailers are the landing gears and tandems.

Both those layouts are great looking.

Very rare is the modeler who is good at all aspects of this hobby, be it design, electrical, carpentry, trackwork, scenery(trees, water, grass, cliffs, ballast, buildings, backdrops or other artistic skills), model building, weathering, lighting and any other item I left off the list. Even if they have all the skills they usually fall in the category of "jack of all trades but master of none".

Yet all are still modelers with each choosing to focus on their specialties. Usually what one excels at is what they enjoy doing the most. This does not make one less of a modeler in comparison to the other, it is just wise use of time.

Jay

I find the statement by the fellow who said save money build your own kits doesn't have a handle on what some of us are now unable to do. I cannot do fine work due to my eyesight, one bad, have no depth perception which even makes soldering a chore. Other modeling things impossible so I am forced to buy RTR or have someone build it for me. It makes me a little sad that I am now unable to build kits like I used to so some have no idea that a statement like that hurts some. RTR in my scale ON30 is expensive so being retired it is very hard to have what one really wants.
By the way to the fellow who hand laid his track and turnouts, it is excellent work along with the scenery I don't know which is better but do hope I can do even half that good a job. The big thing about our hobby to remember is don't put others down for what they can or cannot do, most do the best they can and enjoy what they are able to do. It may not suit someone's eyes but don't put them down. Money comes hard for some easier for others I have been around those who have plenty and those in the same hobby that have none both are modelers so lets all enjoy the hobby.

TCnR Wrote:
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> Curious if there is an explanation for the price
> levels...

The explanation is simple: People are willingly paying for models at current price levels. The "question" of model pricing has been around as long as models have been sold. It's just supply & demand, capitalism.

grandeguy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> "I would argue that each is equally valid as
> modeling."
>
> Not my point............instead of paying the
> big money, why not build your own for less
> money?There are great decals available for most
> eras. Please post photos of your layout 4th
> district. Heres part of my Layout...........your
> right code 83 flextrack and Fast tracks turnouts.
>
>
> Dave Dane

Time is money. Time has value and that value is different for different people. If you value your time at $100 per hour, it makes sense to buy something that someone who values their time at $10 per hour might not buy.

Great looking modules!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/11/14 09:31 by Geodyssey.