Couplers

[hoppercar]

Since when are 1 1/2 scale couplers worth 91 dollars a pair ???

[ERIE S-1 BERKSHIRES]

Well back in 2000, I paid more than 150 for a pair of superscale with a coupler pockets for the front of my steam locomotive that I never built.

[Pontiacguy1]

Depends on a few things: (1) what material is it made from (2) how finely detailed are the castings (3) are they assembled and ready to run (4) are they some type of unique casting or style that would not be as common. I understand the rant... I know what you're saying.

It sure does sound high for a set of couplers that you'd install on a common freight car or something like that. With materials costs going up everywhere, I am not surprised that the price has gone up $10/pair or more like that. We buy scrap for our process and it has gone up 2X or more in the past year or two. It leveled out for a little bit, but in the past 6-8 months the cost of scrap has started climbing again. I don't expect it to get lower any time soon.

[Berkman]

Tom Bee and Titan/MCC trucks went from like $350 to $535 over the last couple of months. No idea if there was a similar jump in freight car prices.

[RR Ty]

The couplers referenced at $91 are the Tom Bee Online current price. Having recently priced building freight cars, there has been a significant increase in the cost of materials.

Another thing to consider is that most suppliers will make a run of something and not increase prices until the next run (sometimes years afterwards). When this happens, prices seem to jump beyond what the recent price changes justify.

[hoppercar]

Time to dust off the ol cupola furnace and start pouring iron again

[Bill Shields]

Anyone looking for a cheap hobby has walked down the wrong aisle.

[Greg_Lewis]

Fortune magazine, in an article dated July 2021, stated that at that time steel prices were up 215% since March of 2020. That's just a little over a year. The price of hot rolled at the time of the article was $1825, up from $500-$800. (https://fortune.com/2021/07/08/steel-pr ... up-bubble/) Hot rolled is now down to about $1500 (https://www.thefabricator.com/thefabric ... n-to-earth).

It sure hurts, but that's the way it is. And it's not just the price of materials. Everything else has gone up as well (although my Social Security check is lagging well behind! )

Barry Hauge used to get flack from time to time about his prices, but those prices were set in part based on what it cost, including the overhead, research time, etc., etc. When I was teaching at the university one of the things I'd have my advanced students do is create a "cost of doing business analysis." When they added everything up they were surprised to discover how much they had to charge in order to make a living.

[Bill Shields]

As I would like to say...."try make a couplet for $90"

The last copper boiler I quoted to a friend had $1000 worth of copper and silver solder in it..he quickly began to understand why a $3000 boiler was a bargain once he saw the price of materials, formers, acetylene (gasp!) and whatnot.

[Gary Armitstead]

Anyone looking for a cheap hobby has walked down the wrong aisle.

Amen!!

[Marty_Knox]

The problem is not how much couplers cost. The real problem is that a dollar is worth less and less.

[FLtenwheeler]

I have purchased all the expensive parts for my locomotive. I would never be able to start the project today. The last thing I need will need is a boiler. I need to start saving up.

Tim