Preowned windfalls

[mahoganydog]

Why dishonest Jim? If anyone else wanted them I'm sure they could have done the same.

Mac

Hi Mac,

It stems from back when models came out as limited editions and some staff at these shops gave up theirs to fulfil customer orders. Many of these "customers" just stuck them straight on Ebay at higher prices (identical to what is happening with Hornby's Peckett) because they didn't actually want to model at all just whatever profit they could make out of it.

I view this practice as highly dishonest the same with retailers who hike prices on new, short supply items through pure greed. If I'm buying something for me skinflint mode is engaged!

Jim

[Mountain]

In the past when new models were cheaper and secondhand prices were high, if I wanted a loco I would order the one I wanted and buy a second loco that was at an attractive price to sell on as if I added half the postage cost onto the second loco and sold it, it meant my first loco was worth ordering. If I didn't I'd not order as there was a single set price for postage for all orders and with some shops, if one ordered over a certain value postage was free, so it was the main reason why one would order to sell on locally. (Before internet days). There were plenty in my area interested in ones locos for sale as the few local shops selling trains were at the rrp price which was set high, and they only stocked a small range of products in the corner of their stores.
While I sometimes made a pound. Sometimes didn't.. It usually paid my postage costs.
When I worked on the railways, as I ordered once or twice a year or more, we were considering joining our order to save on postage with other staff, but was difficult in agreeing what we wanted as models as it wasn't often we'd all want models from the same place, but in theory we could (Though we didnt actually get to do it). Just before I left I found four others and we were going to order 504 wagons to our design from Dapol (100 each... We didn't decide what to do with the 4 left!). I wrote up for details along with another request. Had a reply for the other request but no mention about the wagons they were advertising, so we abandoned our plan.

[Mountain]

Regarding limited edition items, while many are genuine limited editions, some are rogue limited editions, for example I ordered a certain loco that was limited edition. The loco continued to be advertised for a few years later. Found out that there had been several batches of the locos with the same name and number each batch being the 500 pieces. The catalogue version that was not limited edition at a cheaper price was so rare as the shops all ordered limited editions to get more profit, so the catalogue version was the real rarity!

[NakatsuHime]

I'm waiting to see if Hattons reduces the class-128 DPU any further from the current £52.

[Mountain]

Mind you. That price seems low enough to me though £52 is still a lot of money to spend these days. Not many have that much cash available for their railways.

[mahoganydog]

I'm waiting to see if Hattons reduces the class-128 DPU any further from the current £52.

Someone at Hattons isn't paying attention to what they're doing.

New;

http://www.hattons.co.uk/62710/Heljan_8 ... etail.aspx

Secondhand;

http://www.hattons.co.uk/260080/Heljan_ ... etail.aspx

Well, I thought it was funny. Like their secondhand Bachmann 9F's at nearly new price! I bet there are others as well.

Jim

[NakatsuHime]

Yep, there are definitely one or two oddities there.

[GWR_fan]

Latest windfall from that store, Hornby R3058 class 86 Freightliner locomotive. Described as a non-runner and price reduced to reflect this. The loco arrived at lunchtime today in mint cosmetic condition. I removed the body and checked the wiring, finding no fault. The reason the loco was a non-runner was that the overhead catenary switch was set to the overhead position!!!!!!!!!!

Unbelievable that the person who tested the loco instore (if he ever did) did not check the overhead catenary switch position. The loco runs perfectly and is definitely a runner.

[retiredoperator]

Hi Modellers. Pre owned SR bargains don't come along very often, if at all? I bought a pre owned "Schools Class Repton" Hornby tender driven Loco , don't get me wrong, but, I bought this Loco from a "Highly Reputable Model Railway shop" in the location already mentioned ,as it was my first Loco on my return to model railways after 40 odd years with different interests, I didn't know any better. I have not done anything with it, apart from a quick test run on DC, my layout being DCC I don't for one minute think I could even attempt to DCC it.
So unless I can set up a " Back scene track and Bridge or Viaduct with Repton and a rake of carriages doing a run, it also will look pretty on a Shed Road? Happy modelling Kev

[GWR_fan]

Kev,
do not despair as the 4-4-0 chassis is very forgiving with power pickup due the pickup from the leading truck. Just ensure that the motor terminals are separated from the track pickups (may require a plastic screw from Peters Spares in one of the brush retainer metal strips) plus room in the tender to locate the decoder.

I do not think the task will be beyond your capabilities.

[D605Eagle]

Is a tender drive schools a type 6? I thought they were type5s which dont have the screw issue.

[Bigmet]

My little Easter treat has turned up, I offered for a Bachmann GWR ROD which the owner had fairly seriously mutilated in the boiler department(unintentionally) with a soldering iron, and it has just come at the most acceptable price its former owner wanted for it, and runs very nicely indeed which is the all important piece as far as I am concerned.

I am havering between using it as the basis of either an O4/7 or O4/8; I have the parts for both in the scrap bin, the boiler from an old B1 body as the major element. Well, some future day at least, I have a couple of whitemetal kits in progress, and a powered full brake a-building, and I am not by any measure a swift constructor. Plenty of time to look at photographs of these old 2-8-0s and decide which specific combinations of parts would produce the most characterful of these rebuilds. (It is not surprising that at the outbreak of WWII, Robin Riddles turned down the offer of some of the LNER's O4s for overseas service, on the grounds that they did not constitute a sufficiently standardised class after nearing twenty years of the LNER's ministrations.)

[GWR_fan]

Received a Jubilee class Bachmann Branchline "Silver Jubilee" locomotive #31-151 this morning in mint/as new condition. Described as a split chassis for GBP44.00, the photographs showed the DCC ready silver anniversary model with wires to the tender. I decided to take a punt hoping the photographs were correct.

Sure enough, the loco arrived this morning and to my delight it was the DCC ready anniversary release that was originally released in the timber box with the Union Jack class 47. The loco was complete with the accessory pack and ran superbly. Given that similar locomotives sell on the site for around GBP90.00, I think that this was indeed a windfall.

[GWR_fan]

The store really needs to get a new appraiser who actually knows something about models. The other day they had a like new pre-owned Hornby R-082 King class for sale described as a ringfield motor. However, the model was actually an R2460 loco drive DCC ready King class. Even the box end label sticker was marked as an R-082. The price was commensurate with that of a tender drive loco. Some one got a bargain as it did not last very long.

[Bigmet]

I am all in favour of mistakes, just picked up something very useful for much below normal asking price. It's a trade off for the vendor, these are effectively loss leaders to keep potential customers looking perhaps? They definitely cannot afford to pay someone old lke me who 'knows' and wouldn't make such mistakes, most of the time...