Model Trains inquiry (Lima, Rocco)

Roco is very good quality. Lima is't that good.
This is one of the better Roco importers in the US, with their prices:
Track and control are standard HO 2-rail DC like the American manufacturers.

With respect, what does the price of a new model in the USA have to do with the value of a second-hand model in the UK?
(kim)

It gives an idea. Adjust it for differences in currency and shipping costs. Roco's own site doesn't give prices. I gave a US dealer because most British shops don't sell Roco.
Besides which, even though it's a UK newsgroup it wan't clear that the poster was posting from the UK - a fake address, with the path showing a .net provider.

Hi,
I am actually posting from Finland. Like I said, I have no intention of selling. Just want an idea. Thanks so far.
Christ> >

Thanks for the clarification.
Seriously, though, Roco is is one of the highest quality HO brands you can get.
Cheers...Chris

What exactly do you mean when you say "HO brands"? Sorry for my ignorance, I will put up a blog for these trqains soon and post pictures there. Once that is done I will come back to you all.

Sorry. Different labels by the same maker. For example Marklin makes both the Marklin and Trix brands.

Continental and American models use HO as a scale /gauge combination, meaning half "O" or 3.5 mm to the foot. In the uk just to be awkward we model "00" 4mm to the foot on the same gauge track of 16. 5 mm. Or near true scale of 4mm on 18.2 mm. O gauge was and is 7mm to the foot

Depends on:
a) age and condition; b) what they are models of.
Generally, Lima is lower quality than Roco. Roco is among the best of plastic models. Both manufacturers no longer make certain models. Some of these have become collectors' items, which raises their value. However, the collector's market for HO is small. The sad fact is that most older HO models do not have much value, typically 1/3rd or less of their original price. This is mostly because in the last 10 to 20 years the quality of HO product has increased dramatically. Most HO modellers therefore don't look on older models as worth buying, except perhaps for cannibalising for parts. Thus, older models are usually treated as secondhand goods, not as collectibles.
So, do not consider the current prices of new product as a good guide to the value of these older models. You can get some idea of what e-Bay buyers are willing to spend if you google on the make and model number, eg, "Roco OeBB passenger car 12345" or some such. If one was sold on E-bay, you should find a record of its selling price.
You say you like these trains. Good. Build a nice display case, and show them off.
HTH

"Christopher A. Lee" wrote
I've a varied collection of Roco (and Fleischmann) steam locos, mostly bought secondhand on eBay. As a rough guide of what I've had to pay for Roco steam locos, convert those dollar prices to pounds (divide the dollar price by 1.8) and then take 45% of the resulting figure. That gives an approximate 'used' price for a new item costing USD300.00 of around GBP75.00.
John.

"Christopher A. Lee" wrote
And is now British owned.
John.

y, you should find a record of its selling price. Thanks for the info Wolf. That's exactly what I am going to do. :)

That's a very roundabout way of saying 'divide by four'. Were you an accountant or economist in a previous life? :-)

"John Nuttall" wrote
Nah, currency rates fluctuate and therefore it's wise to know how the final figure was achieved.
John.

Just to confuse matters, [real] Finnish railways run on 5' (1520 or is it officially 1524 mm) gauge tracks, not the 4' 8.5" (1435 mm) found in most of Europe. Not that I've ever seen a model of a Finnish train! I've got lots of un-finished models, though. :-)

back in the 80´s I travelled from Helsinki ( Helsingfors) to Siuuntio mostly by train just before Christmas, deep snow crisp clean air and forests(lots of it!!) and the train guard kept walking past me carrying logs under his arm, ventually I just had to ask (loud voice, much waving of arms, this is how you talk to furriners....) he took me to the end of the carriage and showed me the wood burning stove which explained the wonderful woody smokey smell in the carriage, each carriage was stove heated and this was a pretty modern carriage not a prewar refugee from russian bombing, it was a wonderful journey and I thoroughly recommend a winters journey in Finland by Rail, it is a magic experience, makes Hogwarts seem tame.... Estonian trains with their Hungarian stock were also an "experience" early Finnish steam was British built and had a very special and very unique appearence, part british, part yank, part Russian very pretty indeed, pity Swedish trains I live in Sweden) nowadays are so colourless :( Beowulf

Finland uses the same gauge as Imperial Russia (1524mm) since it was once part of that country (although Finnish nationalists will dispute that). Soviet Russia reduced their own gauge slightly to 1520mm but the two systems are fully compatible.
(kim)

The Nordic types all speak English anyway. :-)
A Finnish woman in Helsinki stopped me to ask for directions, in English (how did she guess I was?). I'd have thought she might have guessed that a non-Finn might not be the best person to ask!
I went to Finland one spring 3-4 years ago. All the Britons turned up with hats and scarves, expecting to find snow to the top of the reindeers' antlers, and so spent a week not well equipped for the baking heat. The Finns thought it was very amusing that we assumed it would be deep snow all the time :-)
The most noticable feature of the VR train from Helsinki to Tampere was that they are so big, as they have a huge loading gauge to play with. The coaches have things like compartments for pets, and for people with allergies, and even what seemed to be wasted space, as there was so much to use.
Oddly, there are some Finnish steam locos near London: was in a wood yard for a while, but I think it's now been moved.
To be on topic: RAILWAYS AS HOBBY IN FINLAND ... The gauge of the Finnish railways is 1524 millimeters (5 feet). It is wider than the standard European and American gauge. Still the standard European track material is used for the layouts. This is for practical reasons. This way even the track material and wheel sets can be purchased in some ready form. But there is also another benefit. The width of the model wheel set is nearly in scale compared to the prototype, so the need to broaden structures in rolling stock is minimal.