interesting. my friend showed me his cost from the wholesaler and it's quite a bit different
Originally Posted by ed new haven line:
To bigdodgetrain:
$1,670.00 is the wholesale cost from wholesalers to dealers. The big 10 dealers who still buy directly from Lionel pay less than that. The cat is out of bag sort of.
This shows what a joke the original 2700 $MSRP was on this item. 
jim
A few of the members of the NJ Hirailers who bought them said there were serial numbers on the frame possibly for warranty purposes. Excellent running engines on our layout with wide sweeping curves. They look like they're in the Wasatch Mountains.
The $1.670.00 price is the what my local train store paid for the Big Boy from is wholesaler. It is the standard discount of about 38 per cent off of the MSRP that retailers pay from wholesalers. If a dealer buys direct from a manufacture the discount is usually 40 to 50 percent off the MSRP.
Originally Posted by ed new haven line:
The $1.670.00 price is the what my local train store paid for the Big Boy from is wholesaler. It is the standard discount of about 38 per cent off of the MSRP that retailers pay from wholesalers. If a dealer buys direct from a manufacture the discount is usually 40 to 50 percent off the MSRP.
I guess some do not understand MSRP.
3,814 were made, just a guess, but I am a good guesser.
Originally Posted by audi:
3,814 were made, just a guess, but I am a good guesser.
No, you are NOT a "good guesser". You are not even close.
Ok Hot Water, how many were made, or Sold? I bought the 4014. If You are ever in TENNESSEE, you are welcome to visit, but, My Railroad is "Leapin Larry's Looney Lines Railroad", on OGR's Video #10....Happy Railroading!
Originally Posted by Rocky Mountaineer:
Originally Posted by Laidoffsick:
...
My Dad and I both have Legacy BB's, and we both bought VL BB's, so I can only imagine how we are looked down upon.
Why should anyone look down upon you for enjoying the hobby the way you want? I'm sure someone out there purchased one of each Big Boy, and it will make an impressive collection... whether on display shelves or operating all 7 on a huge layout.
Some of us are simply expressing an element of surprise that Lionel sold as many of these as they apparently did. My tunnel-surgery comment is very real though, and if folks didn't plan for this monster, they'll have some work cut out for them -- pun intended. 
As for the price point, Lionel priced it where they did because they can, and folks will still buy it. It's like folks paying $1.29/each for an individual bottle of spring water at the grocery store check-out counter. Who hasn't done that? Yet when we buy an entire flat of 35 bottles, we pay less than 10 cents per bottle for the same water. How's that for an apples-to-oranges analogy? 
Seriously though... That's why I said this was such such a great sales and marketing coup for Lionel. They generated excitement and enthusiasm for a product and folks jumped on board despite the fact that $2k is a lot of money for many people. Heck, for some folks this may have been their only purchase of the year. And that's perfectly understandable if it was.
David
David et al.,
With respect, the VL BB seems to be growing in length and proportion the more it gets discussed. Hate to burst anyone's bubble, but doing an apples-to-apples of VL BB and VL Challenger locomotives (not counting tenders, which are irrelevant in any discussion concerning locomotive overhang), the BB is only marginally longer than the Challenger. In terms of overhang and needing to do surgery to tunnels, the BB overhang is either the same or only marginally greater than the VL Challenger as I ran them both around my 072 and 081 main lines, requiring zero adjustments to any surrounding structures. For anyone considering not buying one of these things due to overhang prohibition, I hope this helps inform your decision.
Peter
Originally Posted by PJB:
Originally Posted by Rocky Mountaineer:
Originally Posted by Laidoffsick:
...
My Dad and I both have Legacy BB's, and we both bought VL BB's, so I can only imagine how we are looked down upon.
Why should anyone look down upon you for enjoying the hobby the way you want? I'm sure someone out there purchased one of each Big Boy, and it will make an impressive collection... whether on display shelves or operating all 7 on a huge layout.
Some of us are simply expressing an element of surprise that Lionel sold as many of these as they apparently did. My tunnel-surgery comment is very real though, and if folks didn't plan for this monster, they'll have some work cut out for them -- pun intended.
As for the price point, Lionel priced it where they did because they can, and folks will still buy it. It's like folks paying $1.29/each for an individual bottle of spring water at the grocery store check-out counter. Who hasn't done that? Yet when we buy an entire flat of 35 bottles, we pay less than 10 cents per bottle for the same water. How's that for an apples-to-oranges analogy?
Seriously though... That's why I said this was such such a great sales and marketing coup for Lionel. They generated excitement and enthusiasm for a product and folks jumped on board despite the fact that $2k is a lot of money for many people. Heck, for some folks this may have been their only purchase of the year. And that's perfectly understandable if it was.
David
David et al.,
With respect, the VL BB seems to be growing in length and proportion the more it gets discussed. Hate to burst anyone's bubble, but doing an apples-to-apples of VL BB and VL Challenger locomotives (not counting tenders, which are irrelevant in any discussion concerning locomotive overhang), the BB is only (on a relative basis) marginally longer than the Challenger. In terms of overhang and needing to do surgery to tunnels, the BB overhang is either the same or only marginally greater than the VL Challenger as I ran them both around my 072 and 081 main lines, requiring zero adjustments to any surrounding structures. For anyone considering not buying one of these things due to overhang prohibition, I hope this helps inform your decision.
Peter
Originally Posted by bigdodgetrain:
Originally Posted by ed new haven line:
The $1.670.00 price is the what my local train store paid for the Big Boy from is wholesaler. It is the standard discount of about 38 per cent off of the MSRP that retailers pay from wholesalers. If a dealer buys direct from a manufacture the discount is usually 40 to 50 percent off the MSRP.
I guess some do not understand MSRP.
I think that almost everyone on this forum understands MSRP.
Almost everyone also understands that the street price was $2000 for this engine.
Jim
Originally Posted by Hot Water:
Originally Posted by audi:
3,814 were made, just a guess, but I am a good guesser.
No, you are NOT a "good guesser". You are not even close.
OK, you must know how many, so lets hear it
Originally Posted by audi:
Originally Posted by Hot Water:
Originally Posted by audi:
3,814 were made, just a guess, but I am a good guesser.
No, you are NOT a "good guesser". You are not even close.
OK, you must know how many, so lets hear it
Nope. Sworn to secrecy. I will say that the total produced was less than 2000.
