These Model Trains Are Worthless
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- Опубликовано: 19 июн 2024
- I've been looking to experiment with different types of videos on the channel, so here is one that is a bit different from my usual uploads - a short look into some model trains that I think are WORTHLESS!
This is coming from my perspective as the owner of a small model train store, so take everything I say here with a grain of salt. I hope you guys enjoy! 
Авто/Мото
Part 2 is out now!
ruclips.net/video/TuvPNYdpgdg/видео.html
ok
Nicki minaj
Ok thanks my friends,your simulator or drama of train and Railway is very good
@@tsaqilaofficialchannel Y’all it’s Nicki minaj
I have 2 life like starter set's one foot myself and one for my granddaughters
If you are collecting to resale, then you must consider supply & demand to determine an items worth. However, if you are collecting to keep for yourself, then only get what you personally enjoy & don't worry about market value. It could be the most worthless piece in the world, but if it brings back happy memories to you, then it is priceless.
100%!
Absolutely true. Most of what I have I've bought cheap and used. I've coaxed many old locomotives back to life and get a lot of satisfaction from that. To me it's more rewarding than buying new.
I have some items like that, totally worthless to most but neat to me. Some of my favorite items fall in this category.
@@goosenotmaverick1156 I totally agree. I have many too and they're all cool to me. I can't afford the fancy stuff. I get enjoyment out of taking a old locomotive from dead to running.
Simple 👍🏿
I'm pretty sure like 90% of model railroaders had one of these as their first set. Heck my first one was the Santa Fe one with the F40PH. The fact these are so cheap makes them even more charming in my opinion. There's nothing more fun than running one of these at full speed along your layout. 😂
They have some nostalgia for me and many folks as well I'm sure :)
@@WashingtonDistrictRailfan You know what was so bizarre? At an antique mall, I saw a seller who had a Bachmann Silver Series train set for $125, and a Life-Like set for $150! SERIOUSLY!!!! WHY IS A CHEAP LIFE-LIKE SET MORE THAN A BACHMANN SILVER SERIES SET???????
Recently I got the salute to America train set and I'm thankful I have it looks pretty dandy 👍
I can smell the motors burning out💀
@@cec_oregon lmao it hasn't became a nuclear bomb on me yet!, I'm getting another model train for my birthday this time it's a bachman Soo yeah
Ok, old guy here. In the time before dinosaurs, some of these were all that could be had. We had to modify, kitbash and alter to make something cool. It was also creative and a lot of fun.
Why does everything have to have collectable value? Some products are sold for enjoyment value. When collectors get involved prices go up and a fun hobby can be ruined.
Why I want the Bachman throughbread, good to start with, and will give me stuff to build a set
early bachmann, life like, and tyco is not really toy grade it's just made cheaply so people can get into the hobby at a young age
The original Tyco line made by Mantua Metal Products (the 60s red boxes) was pretty good, if you didn't mind the mediocre printing and cast in detail. Tyco quality went downhill when Consolidated Foods (then the owner of Sara Lee, Shasta soda, and Popsicle) bought them in the early 70s (the brown box)-cheaper motors were used, bizarre paint jobs, and disasters like the long tank car that would always derail on train-set curves. CF turned them into a mass-merchandised, clearance item, toy.
I think you miss the point of sentimental value, I still operate my TYCO that I received as a Christmas present in 1981. I remember being a part of a Model railroad club, whose members shared their insults of TOY grade trains. We operated a modular layout at the Shasta County Fair. When I arrived for my engineers shift I noticed my Tyco was pulling the train. The person then asked where I got such a great running locomotive and what kind it was. When I informed him he was running a Tyco for all of Northern California to see I thought he was going to pass out. Anything still operating after 60 years of service I could hardly deem WORTHLESS. Sometimes values go deeper than cash.
Completely agree, I still cherish my first model trains - that sentimental value doesn't carry to new owners most of the time, but is priceless to the original owner :)
Lifelike steam locomotives (especially the pacific) are actually pretty valuable in my experience
I forgot they made those Pacifics! Those, along with the Tyco Pacifics are pretty cool :)
That Life-Like figure 8 set in the beginning of your video was, I feel, one of the better sets. I rather liked the crossing it came with, and the other stuff was really nice as well! Especially considering most of the starter sets, particularly Bachmann's, have been very "bare bones", just the train, track and transformer...
One man's trash is another man's treasure. If nothing else, the cheapies are good for kitbashing and learning to do things like weathering on, though it's also possible to have a lot of fun for not a lot of money.
If they are " worthless " they'll be easy to obtain n' upgrade if capable:)
Absolutely! I've seem some people do amazing customs with TYCO and Life Like stuff.
But "You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear." There are aspects of these toys that just can't be upgraded.
@@WashingtonDistrictRailfan Just for fun, I converted 2 Life-Like GP38-2 Locomotives to DCC. One was the 3500 Red and Silver Warbonnet, the other was the 3500 Yellow and Blue Yellowbonnet. I changed the number on the red and silver one to 2082, changed the number boards to have the new "Eyebrow" that BNSF is starting to use, and swapped out the couplers for KDs and Body Mounted them. Also added Ditch Lights, MU hoses, and a plow up front.
DCC, I put a Tsunami2 PNP in the yellowbonnet, and a simple DH126 in the warbonnet. Having the direct drive pancake or tower motors in them is actually more realistic than the center motor with worm gear drive than higher end stuff has. When going up hills or down hills, the motor reacts to that and slows down or speeds up with gravity, so you as the engineer have to account for that when running the units on a club layout. If you don't give it enough throttle to crest the hill, you might stall out, or if you don't back the throttle off going down hill, it will take off like a raped ape. Honestly, they have become some of my more favorite engines to run at my club because of this. That, and it's the model train equivalent to putting a Corvette motor in a Ford Pinto! lol
I have been in the model railroad hobby since I was 7 years old. I would agree that the train sets are cheap. They were not meant for serious modelers.
Plain hard cold fact. He isn't the only hobby shop that has trouble selling those. My local hobby shop has lots of those and the train shows, you find that stuff all day long.
Everyone thinks the $500 price tag from 10 years ago is still valid today
Wow, I sure wish you'd make a video going more in-depth on comparable values. Our club is a 501c3 and we're constantly receiving consignments or donations to sell, and sometimes letting the model railroad widow know that her husband's Tyco collection has more sentimental than actual value is hard. Good analysis here.
Thank you so much! I'm planning on making a part 2 of this in the near future going into more detailed specs. I absolutely know how you feel - not fun telling someone that what they think is worth $1,000 is worth $100.
I'll second that. Our club used to go out to events and set up our modular layout. At least once per show, and often more, a little old lady would come up to us and say, "I have and old trainset, what is it worth?" That's it, just an "old trainset." Then, after further questioning, it turned out the stuff was "the size you guys are running" (HO), and we had to break the news that the answer would be "not much." We learned some tactful lines over the years, but the truth is HO just doesn't hold value (and it was usually dirt cheap to begin with) unless it is brass steam, and even that is questionable in 2023.
There’s no more value. There from the same factory in a different box. Today’s world it’s hit or miss. I’ve been in this hobby over 50 years , consider your self lucky when you get something good.
Some of the rarer cars tyco and bachmann made can be very expensive only due to rarity, that I understand totally. Athearns command higher prices because they can be less common on the market due to the fact they run forever and very few folks sell them unless they need the money or sadly pass on. I still run all DC Athearns along with a lot of old childhood rolling stock from the 70s and 80's toy brands (Updated trucks and weighted of course).
@@B-and-O-Operator-Fairmont That's not fully correct. HO does hold it's value however that is reserved for the top end or higher quality versions not the Christmas train bundles sold mostly for kids. Bachman and even LifeLike had some higher end stuff that holds up well though not as good as say old reliable Athearn and even they stay in the range of same price as when bought, $70 in 68 maybe $70-$100 today. My Grandfathers American Flyers which were S scale if I recall right didn't value up as well unfortunately , His Lionel's fare a bit better but I keep them all stored as they all need some TLC to become good runners again.
I can completely agree with this video, definitely since you’re running a shop. As a postwar Lionel collector/operator who is always buying, sometimes it just sucks having to break it to people that ‘the family heirloom Lionel train set that will put the kids through college’ is actually a Scout set that has been beat to death and on a good day someone might give them $50 for it to be nice.
O gaugers.....lol
Thanks Joshua! Yes, it is a sad feeling indeed - it happens all the time unfortunately. Just because it says Lionel or LGB or American Flyer doesn't mean it belongs in a museum :(
Ok this video solved a mystery for me. Dad was an easy guy to gift with anything rail,aircraft or automotive related. When we were cleaning out his place after he passed I reclaimed a lot of items I'd gifted him over the years but came across that N scale SP locomotive and thought maybe it was some sort of Hallmark ornament or something and now I know.
Being in model trains since 1963, I have found the Life-Like HO set I had in 1971 to be very decent. In fact, I still have a L-L set from 1971 still factory sealed (Cannonball with the F7 A&B locos). And like Athearn, L-L freight cars had underframe mounted couplers, but, of course, L-L cannot compare with Athearn of the same era, but neither can TYCO, although the TYCO locos had better traction tires than L-L. Never had any Bachmann HO in the early 70's, no stores in my area back then carried them. Had some AHM and Rivarossi locos and those were decent, especially the Rivarossi's, those had good quality and very sensitive motors. Had a neat Atlas N set in 1968 and really loved it until my little brother pulled all the trucks off the freight cars and ate the plastic bolster pins :-(
I started with some Tyco trains as a kid and its a miracle I stayed in the hobby. They never ran right, broke down all the time and looked horrible. It all changed when I joined a club and got to see what real model train where, and who much better they operated...
Upgrading from toy grade to hobby grade is always an eye opening experience. I know it was for me as well, personally my step was surface RC cars.
I have bachmann
This showed up in my recommended and I decided to take a watch, which I'm glad I did. I wanted to throw in my two cents on Life-Like Trains, as I've had quite the experience with them. Probably close to 15 years ago now, my parents bought me a 4'x12' HO scale train layout someone had started building and lost interest in, and since I really didn't have many trains, I was allowed to go to the local store and buy some. They were all Life-Like, which was good for the time since I was just getting into the hobby. I paid I believe about $3-$5 for the rolling stock, and locomotives were around $20. You basically got what you paid for with those trains, and they did last for a while, but after a couple years I had to upgrade to something better. One thing I always saw as odd is my local hobby shop would sell Life-Like models for far more than what they were honestly worth. You'd pay almost $14 in some cases for a hopper car, and almost $50 for a small steam locomotive. Granted a lot of the prices there were a little unreasonable, but the Life-Like models they had were a prime example. Even the prices in the bargain bin which had mostly older Life-Like, Bachmann, and Tyco models weren't much of a bargain. Anyways, like I said, I too feel that Life-Like models just are not worth what a lot of people think they are, and they're main purpose is to be an introduction to the hobby, and not something which serious modelers are going to want to pay premium prices for.
Agree completely! Thanks for stopping by, hope you enjoyed the video!
Their not, however with Hobby collecting prices can be determined mostly by how scarce a particular piece is and the sentimental value one is willing to pay for it. Life-Like is not bad it was made simpler because the target was Children and the bedroom floor layout. Adults were never intended to get involved other than to buy it for kids not their own hobby. Same with model kits, Adults hijacked the hobby and expected replica quality for the peanuts prices. Im a True Athearn fanatic I say without fear but in truth Bachmann and life-like not only have those rarer rolling stock other brands never made (Think Good-n-Plenty, Nabisco, Tootsie Roll etc), they also made upscale stuff for the hobby folks and those fare much better for layout use and longevity. Never went DCC as I never needed too and still have a great time. Yeah I agree scalpers really ruin things in this Hobby as well.
@@animalyze7120 "prices can be determined mostly by how scarce a particular piece is"
No. Prices are determined by how _desirable_ a particular piece is. Just being scarce isn't enough: people have to want it. I have a stock of styrene in the house, so I could make a totally unique box car, say, and try to sell it. It would be ultra-scarce -- just one in the world! -- but it would be completely worthless, because it would be total garbage that nobody would want.
Actually, at one time, ready-to-run HO trains of any kind were regarded as having no collectible value. Then Lionel HO started getting a little valuable, this was originally probably driven by O gauge Lionel collectors who had to have anything made by Lionel. Then others jumped on the bandwagon and depending on the piece and its scarcity, some of it became quite valuable. The same thing happened to Gilbert HO, even the junk they made at the end in the '60s became valuable because of its scarcity. Then much to most people's surprise, even Tyco became collectable. I'm not saying Life-Like will become a gold mine or even most of it will have much, if any value (because it was so heavily mass-produced) but there is starting to be some interest in this brand, due I believe to articles in the HO Collector.
I really enjoyed your video. I have been telling people for years that the train set they like is what having it is all about. I also see people that think an electric train (HO, American flyer or Lionel) is worth a lot of money no matter it's condition or if there is even a market for what they have. Lately I have seen people paying what I feel is too much at antique auctions. And at other times no one is interested in some really good pieces and so they go for less than its real value. In the end my word of advice is, everything has a market value, but it is only worth what someone is willing to pay.
My grandpa had two of those n scale Southern Pacific units and it was so bizarre to me that dummy units were produced in that scale. Never understood why. Thanks for solving the mystery!
Thanks for commenting!
People takes them and uses them for background engines in yards or weathering practice. There’s a few RUclips videos showing it.
Well the up side with life-like, because they are cheap. It easy to get a ton of models. Especially the torque models, they are powerhouses.
I think Nostalgia is what people are looking for. I had HO trains when I was a kid in the 70's. Even though money wise they are not valuable, it's the thoughts of childhood that attract people to older mass produced sets.
I was discussing the "HO Collector" magazine with a local fellow who had built a beautiful HO scale Western Pacific themed room sized layout. "HO Collector" has mostly things like Life Like and similar. He simply said in a disparaging way, "Those things are toys!."
Big shot, eh?
SEVERAL YEARS AGO I WAS AT AN AUCTION WHERE I BOUGH A BUNCH OF SMALL ITEMS IN A BATCH OF ODDS AND ENDS.
IN THIS BATCH WAS A VERY CHEAP TRAIN SET WITH ONLY A CIRCULAR TRACK , AND A LOCOMOTIVE POWERED WITH ONLY A SINGLE BATTERY!
I NEARLY THREW IT AWAY, AND SET IT ASIDE!
A FEW MONTHS AGO I GAVE THIS ANOTHER LOOK AND DECIDED TO GIVE IT TO MY NEWEST GREAT GRANDDAUGHTER, AND SHE LOVES IT AND OFTEN PLAYS WITH IT!
BY MIRACLE, IT IS STILL RUNNING!
BEAUTY IS IN THE EYES OF THE BEHOLDER!!
When I Started Model Railroading I saw my First Layout coming Home in a Pickup Truck Helped My Dad Bring The Layout in the House It I Was Hooked Now I am A Full Blown Model Railroader my old Layout Didn’t Make it Then my Dad bought Me a Lifelike Train set Went To the Hardware store With my Dad Got some 4x8’s 1x4 And 1x1’s Built the Layout and I Was Back into model Railroading I have 3 4x8’s and It Was Huge Now That I am Married My Wife Is In The Hobby She Has 1 Of 3 4x8’s I have An L Shape Layout and It Looks Awsome and Yes We Love it And We Are Not Stoping Anytime Soon Now We Are Modeling N Sacale As Well if it Looks Good And Runs Good We’re Running it. We Take Pride in What We Do.
Knew Bradford Exchange would be on the list.
Unfortunately, things that are produced with the intent of being collectible rarely end up that way - they are the Beanie Babies of trains 🥴
I bought my toddler son a g scale Toy train locomotive he played with it for a year or two until he got older.
Then one day he was moving it by hand on the kitchen floor and the horn sounded, the lights came on and smoke came out!
I thought he found a switch so I opened it up to look for batteries , no batteries in the compartment.
It turns out he was now big enough to push down hard and fast enough to make the wheels spin and make the dc motor a generator and it was self powered.
Kids in college now and we still remember that Miracle Toy train!
This is a great story!
Forgot to say it came from the thrift store for a dollar!
I once read that Life-Like was primarily in the business of selling train accessories - builidings, etc. - and that the train sets were only a way to introduce people to the accessories. There were the *"President's Choice"* sets annually at Christmas time from a Canadian grocery store chain. The rolling stock is mostly cheap junk, but the locomotives are Mehano, typically Canadian National or Canadian Pacific, and with added details you didn't see on the standard Mehano products. Very nice! I went across the river (from Detroit) to Windsor, ON, one year when that year's set was on clearance. It has a very nice CN Hudson. I couldn't have bought the locomotive by itself for $72 so that alone is the great bargain of buying the set, I have no use for the rest.
I've converted quite a few of the older life like boxcars and Bachmann reefer cars etc to operational standards, adding Kadee body mount couplers and trucks. On many, I chose to repaint them with more prototypical colors and lettering, but once I'm through with them, they're a nice addition to my layout.
I hear you. I have a few Tyco boxcars with shells that look like they came from Athearn's tooling. A good pair of trucks, Kadees, a scale brake wheel, and weathering are all some of them need - but if they had an "advertisement" paint scheme it was always best to strip and prototypically repaint them. They certainly hold up better in operating sessions than museum-piece Tangent cars!
@@B-and-O-Operator-Fairmont Ever notice when you strip them of the super thick paint the molded detail is actually pretty good on some just the paint process of the day thickness covered it up.Arepaint the right way transforms it into nice rolling stock with a metal wheel set maybe trucks and kadee couplers
When I was your age I barely had any facial hair at all. Now as an old man the stuff grows wild. You look good on tv and I applaud your ability to speak coherently. Lots of tubers can’t.
That is a huge compliment, thank you so much!
Those Life-Like sets were great for starting out with, introducing children to the world of model trains. I started out with a Life-Like HO-scale train set. Now I'm older and I use more upscale HO-scale equipment, but I still have a lot of older Life-Like rolling stock upgraded with knuckle couplers and metal wheels on my layout, along with the Life-Like buildings and accessories. Those small blue power packs they came with, I have at least a couple also set up for powering lights and similar operating accessories underneath the layout (as I use DCC to run the trains).
I don't know what's its worth, but I got my fathers train collection when he passed away in 2002. One of the collections is a "Chicago Electric Train Company" set. It is not G guage, it is not "O" guage, but somewhere in the middle. Here is the killer, it runs on 110v AC. Yes, 110v AC. The transformer us nothing more than a on off switch box, with exposed terminals for lights and stuff. How about that for safety in the late 1940's!
The toy train sets are great for your building blocks to your actual layout. I’ve used a cheap $30 eBay set for the power transformer and track to build my model railroad twice now. Mix the train that came with the set with flex track and no one knows the difference
I'm a vintage Marklin Man. My railroad is late 60's - late 70's is what i gravitate to collecting. Plastic is not cool but die-cast is. Thanks for the interesting topic.🤠
Thank you so much for the comment! Sounds like an awesome layout
I work at my friends toy collector store in San Antonio and we often get people bringing in model train items and it’s usually the 1960’s-80’s toy store trains people give their kids as gifts and we hate to break the news that it’s worthless BUT, on rare occasions we’ll get some decent stuff real cheap and that makes it worth getting out of bed in the morning, lol. We’ll offer them a fair price but often they just want to dump them.
I grew up with Tyco, Bachmann, and Lifelike - mixed in with Atlas Track and Piers, and Girder and Panel Skyscrapers, and a Tyco Fire Alert set. The Tyco set was Steel Hauler. The Atlas layout was an up-and-over in 4x6 which I somehow crammed into 5x3 and also did an extremely poor attempt at catenary and even third rail. It wasn't a model railroad. It was a metropolitan area. Yeah, the toy grade rolling stock and track was - well - toy grade. But, you know what? The LifeLike trees, lights, buildings, etc. and the Bachmann Plasticville (who could forget Plasticville?) were damn good and fairly realistic. Tyco has a bit of a cult following, so I'm surprised it doesn't fetch a bit more. Even those 40 decades ago, the big 3 toy brands were considered junk by serious HO modelers. Atlas was a bare minimum, and Athearn (now Walthers) was the end all/be all. That Steel Hauler set hearkened back to our glory years as a manufacturing superpower.... when we were real builders. Collectible value may be in the toilet, but sentimental value is off the charts. Nice video, and part 2 is also good.
I grew up on Tyco / Mantua . Life like too. " My first car was a chevette not a corvette " Tyco was in my formative years and instilled the hobby in my heart. I have many train display cases and all of my starter sets are proudly displayed in them along with the high end stuff. I have train guys ask from time to time about these sets. Stuff like the A-team set and Military sets were all about fun and being enjoyed without the status quo.... Turbo trains always get a great conversation as the one version of the turbo trains series were actually slot cars. These were never junk when you factor in the happiness you recieved for your money.
@@thomasyunick3726 - precisely. Also, considering that "toy" grade trains were built to be manhandled by children, they worked well enough. You're not going to give a pre-pubescent kid Walthers/Athearn and other serious hobby grade stuff. There was Marklin HO when I was a kid - sold in FAO Schwarz. They had a humongous layout when they were on 58th St. It was the Mercedes/BMW of "toy" trains to be sure.
I bought a girder and panel set for a dollar at a yard sale (had a set as a kid). It was a bridge set so no panels but built a building frame that is "under construction" with my Lionel trains and buildings. Scale is a little small but close enough.
Super. I still have plenty of the old school stuff on my railroad, including many names that you didn't mention, however, even if you threw all of the new expensive stuff of mine and the junk in one basket, it is still all sentimental value for me. I bought these trains to operate, inside or outside, not to resell. I don't save boxes, (I have traded some for RR stuff.) I occasionally have wrecks, or modify the equipment, which alters the original, and they see sun and snow and dirt, not to mention tons of operation and maintenance, which gives them a nice patina that operators love and collectors hate. In terms of junk, about 20% of my current fleet wouldn't even sell for fifty cents each, and no rivet counting modeler would even want them on their railroad, but many have been modified, by me or my friends, (Friends and I looking out the passenger car windows, realistic lighting, me in the cab, extra weight and details and lighting for my railroad, couplers, special paint, etc.) and are my personal favorites, and work well on my pike. I have one locomotive, a Tyco 4-6-2 heavy Pacific with a long haul tender that has run faithfully for almost fifty years, and I wouldn't sell it for any price. (Picture of me in the cab windows, extra weight and details, special paint, lighting, thin plastic cover over the exposed gears.) Nobody thinks that this is an exact scale replica of anything, although it is close to some steam locomotives. I bought it originally for $19.99 plus Uncle Sams share, which means that I've spent less than fifty cents a year for this locomotive, including maintenance, extra detail parts, and Kadee couplers. That means that while this locomotive would work well for a modeler, and someone might like or want it, it is not an unused, unopened, rivet counting, fully detailed, pristine scale model boxed collectible that will go up in price ever. It is instead the locomotive that in its matching paint hauls my 21 car Royal Blue passenger express train up the 3% grade as smooth as silk without fail, and I love it. Hello again from the Tracy Mountain Railway in Colorado. 💙 T.E.N.
My dad kitted out some of the old Tyco and Lifelike stock he had with better trucks and couplers. They run amazingly.... But he probably spent more on the couplers and trucks than the thing was worth.
But hey. He has fun doing them
Worth is the quality of the work and what someone will pay if they like it .Good weathering job on cars that are already upgraded with wheel sets and couplers pays a premium if done right .Makes details pop that are normally not noticed as much.
I really appreciate videos like this. It helps keep prices down on perfectly usable items. Thankfully, most of us aren't in this hobby as collectors or businessmen. We do it because we enjoy playing with toy trains, some of us for a life time.
For those of us on a budget, those "worthless" toy trains work well and can be easily detailed and tweaked to look and run as well, if not better than, the "collector" items. For example, those Reader's Digest trains, while pretty bad, can be detailed and put to good use as scenery.
Some of what you said may have been correct, of some level, but your presentation could have been better. They may be worthless to you as a businessman, but for those of us in the hobby, and understand it's just a hobby, they can be gems in the rough.
Absolutely, nothing wrong with collecting these brands at all - this video isn't meant to downplay any brands, I'm a huge TYCO fan myself - just meant to share my perspective as a model train store owner of what items I personally don't see selling for what people may think they are worth :)
@@WashingtonDistrictRailfan I'm a huge Silver Streak fan myself but far too often I have seen them priced for far more than TYCO models are worth one guy wanted 150$ for a Tyco Canandiana and I told him it wasn't worth that much and wasn't paying anything more than 25$ for a tyco. I have been into the hobby for over 25 years I know what's worth it and what's junk, (Coff Bachnamm).
@@WashingtonDistrictRailfan
You're absolutely right. As a business, market value has to be prime concern, and places like eBay have made more stuff available, and to some extent lowered prices, due to that availability. I think using the term "worthless" set off a knee-jerk response in some folks, myself included.
For example, the toy "G-Scale" Christmas train sets you mentioned. I bought one about 20 years ago, yes, it's crap and I think I ran it once. Yet, it comes out every year and goes under the Christmas tree as a decoration. Sometimes, it's not what you say, but how you say it. Thanks and if you're selling Life-like N scale rolling stock and engines for a couple of bucks ... we gotta talk ;).
I know my bachmann set from the 70s is considered garbo, but mom and dad got it for me when I was 6 or 7 and it still runs fine. I remember my brother setting it up for me
You should do a video on good quality starter sets for beginners
Great idea - might do that down the road!
Kato. the quality of the starter set trains are the same as their super high quality non starter set stuff.
Not for me as I'm not new to this hobby,my opinion is you can't go wrong with Kato,reliable, best sectional track, but Atlas and even Bachman make good starter sets if you know what to watch out for
BRILLIANT VIDEO AND HOW I ENVY YOU so young working in a model railway store the dream come true Anyway I love it because for all the model railway videos we all enjoy it’s nice to see something different it’s how I like to keep my model railway videos fresh and intresting and or the last hi-fi video I’m publishing that just talks about what do we do with the boxes. Conversations that are real and indeed important but seem to get forgotten. Great stuff look forward to seeing more Intrasting things from someone on the ‘ other side of the counter ‘
Thank you so much for watching! Very glad you enjoyed!
I used a life-like as my framework for my layout.
Remembering my first train set with was a Life Like train set witch I’m still have it today and still working. Buy it in 1987 and got plenty of Bachman,tyco and even Model power railcars and locomotives. I upgrade many of them and it was worth the pain to do it. Upgraded many railcars on kadee couplers and metal wheels and even detailed them. Now actually working on an old Bachman CN F unit with will be fitted on an Athearn blue box bottom frame,getting some details added on. Made it with an Old model power units and it turned very nice and also with an old Life Like F40PH fitted on a Walther frame and it turned great.
Some of these old models are pretty good to practice for repainting and rework on Their cheap price make it easier and better practice on them before touching a more expensive model. The way to take a 2$ worth railcar and make it run and look like a 40$ railcars once done.
Good video! I learned something (I had no idea Reader's Digest produced a line of trains) which is always a positive outcome. It's nice to see a younger person who is not only in the hobby, but running a model trains business! I hope folks in the TN area support your store. As you started your presentation, the first brand that popped to mind in cheap trains was "Life-Like" LOL. I had so many of those as a kid...
Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed it!
Reader's Digest didn't produce trains, they had a few sets made for them by someone else. Ditto for many other firms, like John Deere, Sears, etc.
@@WashingtonDistrictRailfan agreed. Fellow young person in the hobby I want more people interested in this
Life-Like actually dates back to the mid 1960s when they (a producer of styrofoam coolers), you could buy Life-Like coolers N/K/A LIFOAM) bought out Varney. After the buyout, they rebranded the trains to Life-Like.
Plus we forget life like then made the Proto series in the 90s and lead the way in high end HO plastic trains after the rut of the 70s and 80s
We have the same problem in the UK with oo gauge products from various manufacturers. It is worth getting hold of specialist catalogues which list a variety of manufacturers, their models and current perceived value. Another thought is age related for example I collect mint condition Triang railway products which were manufactured in the 1950/60’s and until the 70’s under the Triang Hornby logo. These days as the collectors of Triang products age and pass away their value diminishes as they have little to no interest for younger railway modellers. As another person commented it is probably best not to view model railways as investments but just enjoy them for the pleasure they give you.
Agreed!
Gday from Australia..I didn't start into model trains until my late forties..I'm now 64..my only regret was the delay..no train stores anywhere near me in my State , Tasmania so I have all my stuff via EBAY. I began with Bachmann in late 2006.. Have built a double track five metres x three metres layout ...later dismantling it and elevated it and proceeding slowly on a more involved layout..love every second of it.. I have gone with a transition era theme for Santa Fe to BNSF... I have over 100 rolling stock , lots of which are the Bachmann Silver Series..Otherwise it's Athearn , Kato, etc.. Have 15 fully DCC locomotives from Athearn Genesis , Intermountain, Broadway Limited etc and one Kato SD 40 but also have about 30 of my original analog locomotives , nearly all Bachmann...probably worthless but occasionally when I switch over from NCE powercab to Bachmann analog I have just as much fun..not one of my old Bachmann engines has ever failed...these vids are excellent and so glad to see that not all train stuff instore retail has gone yet..If I lived near you I would drive you nuts.
Congrats...❤
Life-Like really upped their game when they introduced the Porto 2000 line in the early '90s. These were made in China and duplicated the Athearn Blue Box drive mechanism to the point where the parts were interchangeable. There was a problem with the axle gears splitting after a few years, but these could be easily fixed by anyone willing tho take apart the truck. I fixed my FAs for that, but my PAs and E8s run just fine as is.
Good stuff! This video needed to be made for the glut of these sets out there with owners thinking they hold more value than they do. Well done!
Thank you so much!
Life-Like HO scale slot cars were the weapon of choice in the 90's at my local slot car track, we raced them every Wednesday night.
Wild that they're viewed as toy grade in the train space.
That's very interesting, I forgot Life Like made slot cars!
Interesting to learn about how the other scales fair in value. I grew up around Lionel collectors and they play up the idea that even if it was a toy, it gains value with rarity. This may be true for a lot of pre WW2 era toys but afterwards anything mass produced will seldom break the bank. Maybe a model in a rare paint scheme or a faulty product. Otherwise, I collect O gauge, and even those may not have a market in the future unless trains get a resurgence in popularity, and who knows. Maybe. We can only dream
Yeah, Lifelike is definitely a stamped version of a starter pack and I bought a n scale set. The locomotive was an old Alco FA with a broad green hood.
The best collector model trains are Märklin (Marklin) . There is a hobby store in NYC at Times Square that has large model railroad collection that sells them and Lionel. But they also have more toy train versions like Life-Like and Tyco.
You see overvaluing on ebay as well. Just the other day I was looking at G Scale tenders and saw an Eztec/Scientific Toys tender for an LGB powered tender price.
Sometimes I'm not sure if it's people who don't know trains and get excited when they do poor research before selling, or people who know the true value but are trying to fish for buyers who have done poor research.
Either way, it's sad - I wish people knew how to use the "Sold Items" feature on eBay to see the price that items actually sell for versus what is being asked.
You got me on every base with this one. My 1st train as a kid was the low hood lifelike Santa Fe #3500 I've had it almost 30yrs now and it still runs. I also have a high hood like in the beginning of the video. I have a Bradford Exchange Elvis A unit made by Bachmann. I made the mistake of buying the n scale reader digest train thinking it ran and I have a G scale from family dollar.... 🤣 all that said, no they're not worth much thought to me, my childhood Lifelike is priceless. On to part 2 now
Thank you so much! I've owned all four of these at some point aswell LOL. Very cool about your daughter's name, too!
To be fair, Life Like did begin to branch out into higher quality rolling stock with their Proto lines of products. They were eventually sold to Walthers about 20 years ago and now Walthers uses the Life Like name for some of their structure kits, track, and accessories. The Proto line of rolling stock was rolled into the Walthers brand name. I recall from many years ago their passenger E units were real beauties while the freight locomotives could be detailed up into really nice models. I was out of the hobby before the Proto 1000 line of rolling stock was marketed, now also part of the Walthers line, but I understand it was a pretty good quality line.
Proto stuff is solid!
I got the Reader's Digest log car somewhere thinking I was getting a great deal on an awesome model. Instead I got a paperweight that can't weigh down paper.
If you have a collection of Bradford Exchange's wolf train, I would be interested, but knowing my luck we're a few states apart.
we have a few of those RD replicas for just fun collectables. My dad is near his 80s now and with all the model train shows, home layouts, and him at one time helped run shop over in wartrace tn, he'd kill me I ever thought toy and model train were the same. :)
extremely rare but refreshing. someone so young owning a hobby shop let alone a miniature train one. I will definitely visit one day hopefully early next year I'm in north carolina.
As far as “life-like” goes; I always thought they’re uh “active add-ons” ( I think I’m saying that right) we’re cool. The logging mill, coal tower, etc, I always thought that stuff was so cool. But, I’m still a kid at heart in my mid-30’s. I do enjoy doing serious modeling, but there’s something that’s still fun about the old life like stuff.
Christmas 2006 or 7 I was 4 or 5 years old. I got a lifelike train set with a yellow Santa Fe engine and I know these tend to be considered junk, I LOVED that train set. It brings back so many memories
My club has SO MANY of those Reader's Digest "models." They're like an invasive species.
Bradford Exchange products are a good way to get decent models for cheap though if you're willing to repaint them, and they do have some fun themes
Most of their On30 stuff (like the one pictured in this video) are just regular Bachmann Spectrum with a silly vinyl wrap and with some love can become the genuinely gorgeous models they were intended to be
It should be noted that only select TYCO and similar items are collectible depending on what they are as well as condition (for example, factory painted samples that never got released, special one off or rare items that were limited versions either in detailing or availability, etc.) and even then it's more about the collecting side of the hobby. Life-Like did eventually produce the Proto 1000 and Proto 2000 lines which have more value than the train set style products over time, though even then it's not massive amounts of money (even brass value changes over time despite being seen as generally higher value)
Re: G toy sets. I run large scale, 1/22.5 scale narrow gauge. I actually have used alot of these but not the way you might think. There were basically two manufacturers for these cheepie sets that are useful. Scientific now called Eztec, and New Bright which I call New Blight. I find the Eztec freight cars are about 1/22.5 in scale but they only have 2 axles. New Blight (NB) cars are closer to 1/32 scale but come with two axle bogies. I take the bogies from the NB cars and put them onto the Eztec cars, swap in small diameter Bachmann metal wheels (which involves a little cutting for flange clearance) and install Bachmann knuckle couplers. Once repainted and weathered I end up with a reasonably looking 20 foot freight car for a modest investment. The smaller lengths work well on the tight curves of my layout. I have even modified some of the engines. The Eztec 2-6-0 to track power using the pick up trucks from New Bright Christmas trains, once painted and weathered looks like a slightly shabbier version of LGBs mogul. NB once made a fairly nice looking 2-6-2 standard gauge locomotive in 1/32 called Rail King, the track powered version of this got cab replacement from a 1/22.5 Bachmann Industrial loco, instant improvement. Same with the their narrow gauge 2-6-2, adding a Big Hauler cab. The look of these engines improves drastically with only a few small improvements and paint. Now I know your reading this saying to yourself, WHY? Easy, ever priced large scale lately? Holy cats its become extremely expensive, manufacturers have disappeared and variety has dried up, and what little is still available is three to four times more expensive than it was before the recession. Also very very few manufacturers ever made items like short 20' cars. I started doing these modifications early on when I started, mostly because of the expense of large scale as a way to offset spending too much. I know a couple others that have done the same. Are these fine scale models? oh no way, but running them mixed with other cars you barely notice the differences. So, while yes most of sets are garbage, sometimes you can salvage a silk purse from a sows ear. PS any of the recent made ultra bad looking battery powered "Made in the PRC" Christmas train sets like Blue Hat or Prextex you see on Amazon or Walmart really are absolute GARBAGE, they are not worth even a 1/10 of the asking prices. Even Lionel's Ready To Play stuff is garbage.
We used to get this question a lot when we took our traveling layout on the road. Phrased exactly like this. "I have an old train at home that belonged to my late husband. How much is it worth?"
We learned to tactfully tell them that unless it was a very rare or collectible-to-model-railroaders piece, probably nothing or next to nothing. I always hated to tell a widow that her husband's post-war Lionel or (worse) 1970s Tycos were too overproduced to be worth any real money.
I had a Life-Like GP38 in 1977. It was a nice-looking engine and even had a scale-width hood (Uncle Irv, did you hear that?) but the power truck under the cab would barely move the engine let alone pull a train.
Does anyone know the name of that set at 4:03 ? My grandma bought me and my brother that when we were little and we would always play with it at her house. It’s really nostalgic.
I hear you about those holiday "G-scale" trains going to charity after the season's over.... I once found a bunch of those large inflatable pools at a local Goodwill one winter, at a substantial discount from what they sold for at Wal-Mart during the summer. (+$25.00-each vs. $5.00-each😧)
Holiday stuff never holds up value I'm afraid
Reader's digest n scale! The first one to explain this. As a n scale train enthusiast, I have been given a few of these. So many, in fact, I have come to recognize them on sight. And still have a set. However, they have rapido couplers that don't work. The trucks don't turn, but oddly enough, they are detailed. Now I don't believe they could be modified but when they were designed a few extra minutes could have made them a good working collectible.
I was actually surprised that big train I bought at Walmart actually fits my G-gauge track outside.
I run it every Christmas. I modified it to take a 9 volt RC battery.
I started with Bachmann in HO Scale. Although I first got a bit of it in 2003. I only collect Bachmann and Broadway Limited Imports. I didn’t get serious about model railroading until 2013. Some of the Bachmann items I have really have gone up in value. This is because the items I collect are equipped with DCC and sound. I really enjoyed watching this to get a better idea of what was worth more.
Had Bachmann back in the 80's. Sort of fell in love with the hobby back then.
@@RN-hx1rs yep that’s what got me started with the hobby. Of course I wasn’t born until 1994 and didn’t start model railroading until 2003. But now I’m an avid Bachmann collector and I ONLY purchase Bachmann products and occasionally Broadway Limited Imports.
This channel is a wonderful contribution to the hobby. Please keep up the amazing presentations and spreading your knowledge. Thanks heaps!
This is such a huge compliment, thank you so much for taking the time to leave it!
I recently outfitted my old life-like stock with knuckle couplers to make them ready for future, and in next step they might even get metall axles. At least as fillers in long trains they might work without being too misplaced. Ok, maybe not the caboose, but at least the rest...
Hey i have a question i live in the netherlands and i love the EMD SD70 and i have had the luck of getting a aethern genesis sd70 but i would like to have one more wich brands make the sd70 and wich model is the most robust?
Sadly, when a train hobbiest passes away, their equipment, reguardless of value generally gets sold for pennies on the dollar if the wife has no idea of the value. I have seen complete layouts sold for a fraction of their value, simply because the wire wants it all gone. Unless the train hobbiest was in a club and the wife reaches out to that club to help her sell it for fair market value, most train layouts get sold for far less than value. That includes collectibles.
Yep. I've got a Thomas Kinkade trainset. It's Bradford exchange. The set still sells for a lot but probably because it looks great. Mine doesn't run well on the HO track gauge and cars decouple because they're out of alignment
Mass production is why it stanks so. Just like plates.
Also, my daughter shares the same name buy spelled Kaydence. Good videos and would love to see part 3
I have a Bachmann I bought a few years back for my Christmas village. This year I'm adding mountains and a tunnel. I'd like to add a bridge but have no idea what percent of an incline I should have. Oh and I guess trains are in my blood as my great grandfather was a train engineer in the late 1800's to the early 1900-s. In fact my grandmother was born on a train as it was crossing Texas. We never knew what town her birth was registered!
My dad has that plastic SP locomotive and I heard it was given to people who worked for the SP
Great video! This was some insight that I am pretty sure a lot of us knew in our hearts, but no one would say out loud.
Thank you so much!
I have a couple life like locos,and they run great. Had them for 20+ years. If you take care of them they will last.
At my local pastry shop, there’s actually one of those G-scale Xmas trains on display, right below the cash register.
Good video. So many people ask me what stuff is worth then get mad when I tell them. There is a Life-Like line that looks great, but doesn't run worth a flip and people ask about them all the time. I'll keep my eyes open for another video.
Thank you so much!
I have my own criteria for what constitutes a toy vs scale model. If it will do 300 smph, has only one powered truck with traction tires, and half the wheels have no electric pick-up, it's a toy.
I'd say you're pretty much spot on. 👍
I've always used the body shells from some of the toy units and kitbashed them onto Athearn frames and drivelines. Even though the Tyco units are basically toy-ish, they do look good.
Agree. The Tyco/Mantua GP 20 looks great,better than more expensive brands in my opinion.
@@magnuswettermark8293
I got a GP20 Tyco (AT&SF) and I adapted it to the frame of an Athearn GP35 and it works perfectly. Did the same with the Alco Century on the SD9 frame. The Flexicoil trucks aren't correct but truck swapping wasn't unheard of in railroads.
Glad you enjoyed the video! That's pretty solid criteria haha
@@magnuswettermark8293 Tyco GP20s are awesome. The SD-9s are cool too, and I've always had a soft spot for those Alco's - I had the Rock Island alco set when I was a kid. Pretty sharp and good 80s nostalgia!
Really like that you tell it like it is. Lifelike rolling stock can be ok with wheel or truck upgrades for the fun of it, but you really need to body mount couplers and add weights. Some very different road names are found in the Lifelike stable, but quality is iffy until you get to the Proto 1000& 2000 lines. Never could figure out how such a low-calorie company could or would produce such high-quality trains. Proto 1000 are in my experience a poor man's Katos.
Thank you so much!
Most trains i own and collect are vintage HO scale wood/metal kits from Walther's dating from 1947 to 1986. Also i collect the vintage Varney (Aerotrain)and Bowser lines of trains. As to tyco trains. I do know there is a large community of Tyco collectors. I've visited many groups on social media. Heck i even have an old, complete train set made by Cox (sealed in box - Big Pine Lumber train set) lol.
Old Walthers stuff is awesome!
Early Cox trains were assembled Athearn equipment-about 1975-76 they replaced it with the Asian-made product-and the quality went down. Some of the Cox items were rebranded under the Model Power and IHC labels when Cox got out of the Model train business.
i work at train shop in portland and i cant even begin how many people try to sell us there trains and 6 times out of 10 it’s either bachmann tyco life like or the non popular lionel era stuff alot of the time the people understand but we have had some people get un pleasant and say some choice words
Do you work at Whistle Stop Trains?
@@abuBrachiosaurus yes
Finally! 🎉 Someone that has actually mentioned those fake n scale. Been trying to tell people that on eBay. When I've seen them trying to sell engines as dummies for quite high price. Had cpl show up with boxes in a lot buy. Lucky they weren't the target of purchase.
It is remarkable to see what people will charge for those online!
Love your attitude. We all started with something that we soon realized was not what we really wanted. We moved on or we moved out.
Thank you so much!
Thanks for this info. My young son loves model trains. We are looking at the starter Bachmann sets like the McKinley explorer. We just can't decide between HO and N. In this case we aren't looking for an investment but a starting point in the hobby. Regardless, the investment aspect of the hobby is something to consider in the future.
I bought a Lifelike set in the early 80's it was what I could afford as abut even when ot was new the engine was lacking. The front truck was the only powered unit, moreover it had rubber banding over the wheels on one side to gain traction. But it was a starter set I grew it into a hobby RR running Athern engines.
IMO, THIS IS PARTIALLY TRUE. MODEL TRAINS, TO MODEL RAILROADERS DON'T ALWAYS/ONLY HAVE A MONEY VALUE, THEIR TRAINS HAVE A SENTIMENTAL VALUE THAT MONEY CAN'T BUY. THAT'S WHY THEY COLLECT, BUY, AND ALWAYS CONTINUE SEEKING, PRIMARILY ONLY THE TRAINS WITH THE ROADNAME THEY LIKE, PREFER, AND/OR THAT BRING BACK MEMORIES THAT MEAN SOMETHING SPECIAL TO THEM.
it is typically the trainset stuff that can get kids started, and sooner or later they might get into the real scale model world. I started 60 years ago with tinplate.
I will definitely have to give your store a try!
I'd love to see you sometime!
I totally agree with you on the junk stuff, I only buy buy higher end, well made n scale for my layout. However, I spent my first Christmas at my Florida trailer two years ago, and it was fun to buy a cheap, G scale Christmas train to put around the tree.
Thank you so much!
In 1980s, Lifelike tried to up their game with Proto2k series but still had problems with gears splitting.
The old adage “there’s a butt for every seat” comes to mind!😊
Got come by, as a expedite truck driver I'm in Tennessee alot....love these life-like toys for kitbashes...
That would be awesome!
My memaw got me that readers digest N Scale SP geep. Never understood as a little kid why it wouldn't work on my cousins layout, but it still sits in the drawer of computer desk today.