Originally Posted by jonnyspeed:
I think a big problem is that the cost of tooling has gotten so high. Ken Silvestri of BLI says it costs $250k to tool up a steam model in HO. That is a lot of models to move just to recoup the tooling cost.
Tooling cost for HO and S are about the same. Think how much easier it is to recoup the investment in HO than in S. Not a slam on S......just numbers.
BTW $250K for a complete loco is a deal. Tooling cost in Asia/China is climbing fast...as are wages etc. Everyone is tooling everything they can....knowing in 2 years it will cost a lot more.