TNWE wrote:I've got a Bachman HO scale TRE trainset (with the streamlined F59PHI loco, two coaches, and a cab car) that I picked up on eBay for about $325 all together several years back. Nowadays that same set (if you can even find one on eBay) is running easily double that. Nice to see another manufacturer bring something to market, but man that price is steep.
Everything Rapido does is not cheap. They are considered a premium brand. You should be able to tell the difference between the Bachman and Rapido models from up close inspection. But I agree with you, their prices are very expensive.
I just bought 6 brand new Athearn Roundhouse model heavyweight coaches for $25 each. I will be adding Rapido easy peasy short lighting packages to them at a total additional cost around $90 shipped. And I still have to figure out how I plan to build the interiors and improve the vestibules which will also have an additional cost. With the Rapido coach cars, everything is already done. By the time I finish modeling the Athearn cars to my liking, the price for each car will be approaching what I would have paid for a Rapido car.
As I wrote earlier, the model railroading hobby is not cheap. And in general, like everything else in this world, you get what you pay for.
You are the lucky one, you already have a very nice TRE HO train set to run around your layout. Some here do not. Which is why I made the earlier informative post.