(Note: Most model railroaders would never call their hobby a “toy,” and while I certainly agree, I’ve still filed this post under the Toys category, because it just wouldn’t fit in any of the other categories.)

I’ve been involved in the model railroad hobby for about six years now; I didn’t work on my trains or layout that much over the past few years, but I’ve recently jumped back in full throttle. While it’s certainly a enjoyable pastime, model railroading does have its drawbacks. A big one is the matter of space: it’s more fun to build bigger and bigger layouts, but if you live in an apartment (like me!) or other small space, this simply isn’t feasible.

The largest strike that model railroading has against it is the one I’ll be bitching about today: the price. Most hobbies aren’t cheap, but model railroading tends to skyrocket in price very quickly, even for small layouts. It’s obvious from the start that you need to buy a lot of supplies even to construct a small layout, and while most of the items needed are relatively inexpensive (ground foam, paint, adhesives, smaller buildings, et cetera), the two most important parts of the railroad are the real money-burners: the track and the locomotives.

Now, track pieces on average don’t cost a lot of money. But remember…you need a lot of track, even when just getting started! Plus, special pieces like turnouts and crossings ramp up the price considerably. I have a small layout that fits on a drafting table, and my track cost nearly $300!

On to locomotives. A quality diesel locomotive retails for around $100-150. I’ve gotten mine for a lot less on eBay and at model train shows, but even paying half of the manufacturer’s suggest retail price is a lot when you start to add things up. If you like steam engines (who doesn’t?), then your costs just doubled, at the very least. Oh, and if you want Digital Command Control (DCC) for your locomotives…well, that’s an added premium, ranging anywhere from $25 to $200 on top of the original price!

Now you understand why building my layout has taken many years. It’s still not done, and I imagine it’ll take me quite some time to finish it. Fortunately, I enjoy working on little pieces here and there, and my bank account thanks me for it.

I’ve spoken with many veteran modelers, and they’re just as frustrated by the high prices as are newcomers like mysel. Not only does it put a serious dent their wallets (and if they’re retirees, it’s even worse!), but it turns away a lot of people who might’ve otherwise been interested in the hobby!

It doesn’t look like costs are going to level out or drop any time soon, and that’s a damned shame. Plenty of hobbyists have made their frustrations known to the manufacturers, but it just doesn’t seem to have much of an effect.