On30 freight cars

[rrbob]

What has happened to the On30 freight cars? There is no hopper cars, ventilated boxcars, side door caboose....Are you slowly doing away with On30?. Your prices are getting out of hand!!

[Kevin Strong]

Seems to be plenty in the 2nd-hand market, and also dealers have a fair amount of stock as well. Going rate seems to be around $30/car. I've been building a small collection in the past month or so since jumping in the pool, and haven't had any trouble finding what I want. Granted I'm not looking for specific road names or numbers since I'll be repainting everything eventually, but I've seen most everything Bachmann has made listed somewhere.

Later,

K

[ScottyB]

I do think this is the area which has led to the slowdown of the on30 market. On30 freight cars used to be very prevalent, and most importantly, inexpensive. Three cars for $39 was the norm for over a decade.

If Bachmann can reintroduce more freight cars and bring back the geared engines that got most of us started, I think you would see a great resurgence in the on30 market. After all, on30 was supposedly the "poor man's narrow gauge." The market needs to have the eye candy (i.e shays and Climaxes) that draws in new modelers.

Best wishes to the OP. Great scale to model in. Really ideal for a small to mid size layout.

(I also wish there were Accurail style kits in on30. i.e. build in 20 minutes. Hint,  hint Bachmann.)

Scott

[p51]

I do think this is the area which has led to the slowdown of the on30 market. On30 freight cars used to be very prevalent, and most importantly, inexpensive. Three cars for $39 was the norm for over a decade.

If Bachmann can reintroduce more freight cars and bring back the geared engines that got most of us started, I think you would see a great resurgence in the on30 market. After all, on30 was supposedly the "poor man's narrow gauge." The market needs to have the eye candy (i.e shays and Climaxes) that draws in new modelers.

Yeah, I remember buying Bachmann freight cars for about $20 each everywhere I went. I started buying a few here and there every time I found some, long before my layout existed. I'm SO glad I did that now, as the prices have gone up considerably. Ironically, the locos are cheaper now than when I first bought mine...
Beats me on this "chicken or the egg" concept, as I can't tell if the market subsided causing Bachmann to scale back, or if general interest in On30 is allowing down at all or if Bachmann simply has lost interest in this gauge...

[ScottyB]

Bachmann is correct in that there is a lot of product on the market right now. I can't blame them for waiting a bit before producing more.

Since most freight cars are based on the same basic parts, I'd love to see them produce those. I. E. They already produce the freight car frames. They should make the flats to go with them, then the side frames for the high and low gondolas. And the tank for tank cars. All individual pieces. Also so many kits are based on the chassis of cabooses and passenger cards - make those! It would be cheaper since they don't have to be factory assembled, and it would play to the "maker" concept that drives the on30 market.

I hope with the loss of Mr Riley that Bachmann doesn't lose sight of what makes the scale great. I've produced just a few great ideas and there are plenty more elsewhere on this board. I hope they take note.

Scott

[rrbob]

Second hand market does not have all Bachmann freight cars available. Try to find hopper cars or the side door caboose. 
 My point was Bachmann's new catalog has cut down on what they are producting not  the limited types on Ebay.

[J. S. Bach]

Try to find hopper cars or the side door caboose. 

This past weekend at the Dayton train show I picked up a sealed box of two Midwest Quarry hoppers for forty dollars. The vendor had a few hundred On30 items available. The stuff is out there.

[jkemp]

I wish that there was some down here on the south coast.

We just never see it.