hello peeps
 

hello everyone, i was a keen model railway enthusiast when i was a child and have just come back to it in the past 3 years. and was shocked by the cost of the locos today though much inproved over the earlier models. even the kits have gone and got themselves expensive. so i thought i would scratch build 2 models of the johnson 0-4-4t 1p and have started a whitelegg 3p 4-4-2t. and have been told i should build some to sell. know heres the question do you think there is a market for scratch built locos NOT KITS and what price would prospective customers be happy to pay etc.

How about a photo (or two) so we can see the fruits of your labour ?

Welcome
 

Hello farren and welcome to the Railway Forum. What sort of price range are you looking for. Too much and people will go for the RTR, too little and you could be out of pocket.

thats my though too it's cost me £ 120.00 just for the motor wheels main frames and all the bit's i cant make like chimney dome coupleing rods and the list goes on. but have looked in to white matel casting which i might give a go as a starter kit costs £ 40. and would do a lot casting.

photos will be posted as soon as i get a camera have to be a good boy for xmas

Welcome to the Forum farren.

I am awaiting delivery of a Midland 2F from 00 works which will cost me £215. They batch build and seem to have created a niche market market with mainly southern prototypes. The 2F will be their second LMS design. I suppose the price compares quite well with buying a kit and all the bits. The real killer these days is the price of wheels!

Look forward to photos of your work.

Best wishes,

John H-T.

Many years ago a very well known model railway retailer asked me to build four "K's" kits for him. They were built with great care, each taking many hours work, and all four ran perfectly. They had all been commissioned by customers. When delivered to him, he refused to pay me more than kit price (bought at retail from him), plus 20%! His retort was that HE had to make a profit!!!
This was my last foray into kit building for resale. (The retailer has since died; may he have his reward in Heaven)

Welcome to the forum :)