Trading Brass Locos for Less Expensive Locos
Tues 9-30-2025 10:43 p.m.
In recent years, I have seen the price of brass locomotives steadily decline. There are a number of reasons for this: 1 ) younger modelers want new locomotives from China fitted with sound and DCC; 2) older modelers are dying out and there is less demand for older brass models; 3) some of the brass models are not as reliable as less expensive locomotives / may not run well / may be poorly fabricated / detail parts may fall off models due to cold solder joints; 4) brass models may sit around in boxes with degraded flexible polyurethan foam which can ruin the surface or paint on a model; 5) brass models may sit in boxes for years and may never be operated; and 6) many older modelers do not want to lose money on their models so they keep the models, pass away, and some eBay seller purchases the collection and markets the items at a profit.
On the other hand, there are brass models which were designed and built like tanks and run quite well - even decades after being fabricated. The detailing on the brass models can also be quite good.
I think that some serious thought should be given to trading off more expensive brass model locomotives for less expensive die cast and plastic locomotives. This might help to acquaint younger modelers with brass locomotives, it would get models out of boxes and on to tracks and it might provide more over-all fun for both younger and older modelers.
All locomotives need some kind of periodic maintenance. This can be both fun and instructive. Personally, I enjoy working on locomotives more than operating them. So, what good does it do to have an expensive brass locomotive which spends its life on a shelf or inside a box and never gets operated? Maybe for some modelers it would be more entertaining and challenging to fix up and or operate a bunch of older die cast and plastic locomotives.
Regards,
ag01
