BLMA bridge 'on sale' in Walthers

[Denver Road Doug]

So we pay for labor?

We ALWAYS pay for labor, in EVERY SINGLE PRODUCT we purchase.  That is why most of our model railroad items are made in China and Japan...cheaper labor.

I can understand the price of brass engines...But when you start manufacutring brass yard towers, brass bridges, they are painted and weathered and after that it's just part of a scene.

How is that different?   Locomotives are part of the scene, too.  I don't own any brass, and I will probably never buy a brass locomotive.  I would buy brass bridges, MOW equipment, and/or structures though, if something appealed to me and I had the discretionary funds available.  I don't right now, but I have in the past, and probably will in the future.

One of the finepoints of this site when Ed introduced me to it, was modelers who took pride in next level ideas and projects - To pay up to 1,000 for a brass bridge for a layout is escentric. To each his/her own I guess. I just don't have the money to put into the hobby I use to. Be smart and futuristic pertaining to the hobby. Unless your single or your wife let's you control the pocketbook when it comes to the hobby (boy I'd like to see that) How can you afford these prices for these prememium models?

Well, I guess you are assuming your time is worthless then.  Basically, there are calculators out there that allow you to figure out what your time is worth.  (this is NOT the same as your effective hourly wage...there are many other factors considered)  If it's $15 an hour, for example, then you're better off paying someone to do it if cheaper labor is available.  This bridge would cost you almost $500 in TIME to build, not counting buying materials and fabricating the actual parts, if that would even be feasible.  Obviously this is a hobby and part of the enjoyment IS creating things, but there's a limit to what you can do...you only have so much free time.  So you pick your battles.  Some people would prefer to build bridges...some prefer to handlay track....some like building benchwork, or painting backdrops, or <insert favorite part of hobby here>.  But they'll buy a RTR car because they don't have time to do it all.  It's not about the "want", it's about the best use of time and money.  I'm sure tons of model railraoders WANT to build everything from scratch, or from a kit, but they can't because they work 60 hours a week, wife/kids, home improvements, maybe church, etc.  So their choice is either RTR or don't participate in the hobby.  That's one of my pet peaves about MRR forums, the "you're not a model railroader" crap.  [sarcasm] OK, so yes, I'm gonna just take a day off work and model railroad for 8 hours.  In the mean time the money I could have made at work translates to about 10 times the "progress" I made on my railroad.  Yes, that is a much better idea. [/sarcasm] I understand that MRR'ing is more fun than work...don't get me wrong, but I focus on the parts of the hobby I enjoy given the opportunity.

BTW It's a beauty of a bridge though, the catwalks and railings and detail.

Exactly.  That's the value of this bridge.  Find a plastic bridge that looks like that in N-Scale....you really can't.

[Ryan87]

How long would it take to scratchbuild a similar bridge? or kitbash / detail a Walthers or Kato bridge?

I've ordered one in Black (can't wait to get it) and I am by no means a RTR slouch when it comes to modeling, but for $225 it's a value I can't turn down I'd probably spend well over $100 to make the Walthers bridge look this good, not to mention the time spent. At $180 it's a done deal.

For the cost of two or three locomotives.... Mind you I spend alot on MRRing.

Now Overland made the BNSF Colombia River bridge in HO about $8, 000 to get the whole thing, That's expensive!
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=195668&nseq=5

[chuck geiger]

You guys are gonna make Martyn rich! If I could make brass beer, woudl
you buy it for 25.00 a can?

[Scott Lupia]

The engineer never buys the beer.  That is why we have conductors.  I am not condoning drinking on the train, just after when it is time to go home.

[nscalesteve]

You guys are gonna make Martyn rich!

money well spent ! I don't know where I could buy a similar bridge in the same quality (with real rivets)... !
(oohps, I've done it again - and I'm well aware what will come now...)  

If I could make brass beer, woudl
you buy it for 25.00 a can?

question is, if you could make brass beer and people love it, why would you sell it for ONLY $25 ?

[Ryan87]

You guys are gonna make Martyn rich! If I could make brass beer, woudl
you buy it for 25.00 a can?

Would the beer be painted already?

I somehow doubt Craig sleeps on a pile of money, but I'll gladly give him my cash he's probably my favorite manufacturer.

a couple questions to Craig, where is the bridge being made? and how will it be packaged?

[bsoplinger]

I think part of the 'it costs so much' is a mental comparison along the lines of ...

I could buy 2 new Atlas locos from my favorite online dealer for that 180, or I could buy 10 trainman cars for that money or ... and then you compare that to the fact that its just a single item, a bridge.

And by that comparison it is extremely expensive.

But most folks won't need more than a bridge (or two) on their layout. So now we're talking different things. Its not like those dozen locos you have where you pick which 2 or 3 you're going to run today, the bridge is there on the layout and stays there, its permanent (well as permanent as a layout is and now the things folks have pointed out, the detail, the walkways, the little feet things the bridge sits on (footings?), all stuff you'd have to add to that 24 buck Kibri bridge. And that doesn't include however many hours it'd take to install all those little fiddly-bits

So for some folks, $180 for the BLMA bridge is a sweet deal. For others it represents a ridiculous price.

[DKS]

In N  scale nothing beats a 4.50 Atlas Warren...

If you're talking about this bridge...



... I hate to tell ya, but there's no such railroad bridge in real life. Closest thing to it is a (very rare) pony truss, and even that doesn't come close. About the only thing this model is good for is a light-duty roadway bridge.

So we pay for labor? - Look again this is a forum and we are entitled to our opinion.

Sorry, but part (often most) of the price of everything you buy is labor. Even the cheapest plastic boxcar: the plastic is, what, about 5 cents. The rest is the labor for tooling, painting, assembly, packaging and marketing. I don't know of anyone who doesn't charge for labor--even the smallest garage business. It's not a matter of opinion; it's a fact of life.

You guys are gonna make Martyn rich!

I kind of doubt it. Correct me if I'm wrong, Craig, but I'm guessing that you do not have huge margins on this item. That said, I hope you make enough to offer more... lots more.

We all have our individual tastes. Obviously, by the enthusiastic response to this bridge, a lot of us out here (including myself) appreciate the craftsmanship of a bridge every bit as much as a locomotive. Steam engine, crossing shanty, bridge--they're all part of our layout. What does it matter how they are made? The desired outcome is the best appearance. Brass is ideally suited for a lot of models--bridges being one of them in a major way. Look at Bob Knight's beauties, as another example.

Nearly all of the structures on my current layout are brass... does that make me "escentric"? They were kits, so they weren't $225 each, but they still weren't cheap. I'm not made of money, either; I invest carefully, and I don't have boatloads of stuff sitting around. If I had a layout where I could make use of Craig's bridge, I'd be sure that it was the centerpiece of a scene, not lost at the back of the layout. That way I could recoup the investment through the pleasure of watching my train crossing a beautiful (and accurate) bridge.

[tom mann]

Yes, I think that Craig's price on the bridge is not out-of-line.  I paid $114 for a Z scale bridge from Micron Art that appears to be a similar construction method.  The extra $$ for assembly seems to be fair.  Craig would have to sell millions of these to be rich.

Now everyone, please get back to the crew lounge and lets have some fun. :-*

[John]

This type of thing is something you use as the centerpiece of a scene. It is obviously not for everyone. It makes little sense for a guy like me to put a bridge like this in when the rest of my scenery is mediocre. It makes all the sense in the world for a guy like Tom, David, or some of the others on here who do great detail work like that ..

[TiVoPrince]

Is
the 'brass beer' a kit?  Wondering if Steve4painting can really capture that "Pabst Blue Ribbon" label in Nscale for $0.22US.  Also hoping that my need for a 1985 era specific pop top (open and closed) will be modeled.  Taking rivet counting to a completely newlevel...

[chuck geiger]

I agree the Atlas truss is a little kiddie, what about the Kato, that's not a bad bridge, if you
don't mind the odd colors and repaint and weather it.

[SecretWeapon]

Hey Craig,
  Just keep up the great work your doing. The "TRUE" modellers appreciate your products.

[tom mann]

I agree the Atlas truss is a little kiddie, what about the Kato, that's not a bad bridge, if you
don't mind the odd colors and repaint and weather it.

Nope, still not there*...keep trying...

*too Japanesey

[Dave V]

That's a beautiful bridge.

Between TrainCat and BLMA, I'm amazed at the level of detail available in N scale bridges.  I have to say, though, that until my income increases dramatically (I'm a GI, so my paycheck isn't exactly enormous), I'm not in a position to buy a brass bridge for 3 figures.

The prices are reasonable as near as I can tell; I imagine if you add up the hours spent on each one, you'd come out with a pretty low hourly labor rate.  After all, you guys have to make money to make more products.  And I imagine your profit margins are razor thin!

It's too bad; I'd love that TrainCat PRR Parker truss bridge, but there's just no way in heck I could afford it.

As for the current bridge, it figures to about the price of two decent locos with DCC...  That would be a tough call.