PC: Re: now you know...

["Bill K." <pontiac@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Gee just wait untill they die in the market and buy them for cost on eBay
if it's such a big deal...   

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From: weldon <weldon -AT- fastol.com>
To: Penn Central List <penn-central -AT- smellycat.com>
Subject: PC: now you know...
Date: Friday, April 28, 2000 6:14 PM

Just as I predicted, the manufacturers are starting to gouge the HO crowd
the way they've been nailing N scalers for years.  The announced price of
the GP40 (the F unit of the 70's) needs to be explained.  I was starting to
accept the idea that N scale's smaller market share drove up costs due to a
limited number of buyers.  For crying out loud, how many HO modelers would
buy a decent GP40, about a zillion, that's how many.  The production cost
spread over a sizable run, which will sell out no matter how large, can't
be more than $20 a throw.

The SD35 just announced in N looks like a dynamite model, and I'm sure its
a good runner.  It is available in the "bookend" paint schemes of PRR and
Conrail, but once again we PC junkies have been overlooked again.  So, if I
want to run my time frame, not only do I have to hope that the pre-orders
don't decimate the run before the container even hits the shore, I have to
drop close to $100 (okay, with a chip), then dismember the thing so I can
paint it the way I want it.

These companies have to recognize that this is a hobby, not a capital
expense.  Maybe this will be the straw that does in the camel.  With viable
and more affordable alternatives by Bachmann and Athearn, maybe these Atlas
motors will spend a lot of time collecting dust on the shelves until the
price comes back to earth.

Irv Athearn must be spinning in his grave.
Lee