Live Steam | What It Costs

Live Steam | What It Costs | Buying

Рет қаралды 28,535

2 жыл бұрын

Are you interested in getting into live steam and large scale railroading? In this video, we'll give you an overview of some of the costs you can expect if you plan to buy your equipment ready to run. In our second mini-series installment, we'll give you a pricing overview for kits for those seeking to roll up their sleeves and build their own equipment. Watch for that video next Tuesday.
All pricing is a rough estimate. Material and foundry costs fluctuate, so reach out to suppliers directly for their current pricing. A full vendor list can be found at TheSteamChannel.com
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Пікірлер: 98

@Simnacher 2 жыл бұрын

An excellent example of "if you need to ask you can't afford it."

@kaydonjesso7458 2 жыл бұрын

I just checked and I can afford it :)

@davidhall8874 2 жыл бұрын

Yes, third party builds can be expensive, however, compared to the cost of buying lathes, milling machines, plus the host of other tools needed to complete the project, third party costs are not that high. Not to mention the skill required to use these special tools. The people who started from the early days of Little Engines were engineers and already had the tools on hand to build those novelty trains. Those of us with Fine Art degrees can only look on and drool!

@aghauler1964 2 жыл бұрын

Great informative video. Im sure the armchair machinists will be keyboard lashing this post. Ive found just living vicariously through your 844 build has been fascinating and to me just finding a local club or enthusiast will more than interest most people new to live steam, They always need help. Plus its a great way to learn! Thanks again Steam Channel!!

@richardglueck7080 2 жыл бұрын

These are very solid estimations for new builds. Don't let that stop you. You can get into live steam by buying used switchers for under $10 grand, and then upgrade for a few hundred, trade up and go from there. These trains are heavy,too. Don't think they easily drop into the trunk of your Chevy. You can build a small Diesel using 24 volt motors and go from there. Never use voltage over 24 volts.

@happyhome41 2 жыл бұрын

Healthy dose of realism. My experience will remain vicarious. Thank you.

@scottleidenberger4007 2 жыл бұрын

Interesting, thanks for sharing. Looking forward to the next video,

@ronhatch6853 2 жыл бұрын

Great information. Also it helps to have a place and friends to work with. Our closest club is 200 miles away making it difficult to be worthwhile

@CraigLYoung 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing 👍

@weird1012 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks, really needed this

@Shipwright1918 2 жыл бұрын

It should be mentioned that there are companies like Maxitrak out there that make fully machined kits that can be bought in stages, spreading out the cost of an engine to make it more affordable. Going to a smaller gauge can help too. 7 &1/4 inch is common for most clubs, but 4 & 3/4 and 5 inch engines cost less and require less real estate, and the smallest of all is 3 & 1/2 inch.

@Edgar1972 Жыл бұрын

Fair point! The focus in this video is indeed on 7 1/2 inch instead of the more affordable smaller scales. Also the engines and rolling stock shown here are the absolute premier league engines and would also cost quite some bucks in smaller scales. It is sad that companies like Maxitrak, Polly Engineering and Station Road Steam ( 7 1/4 0-4-0 and 0-6-0 NG engines for around 14-15.000 USD)King Scale offer relatively affordable engines (kit or ready to run) which are also technically conceived as “beginners engines”. With these you could happily become a member of a live steam society (thought even without an engine you’re welcome in many of the societies I know in Europe) and run and maintain your own engine. Second hand is also a market that isn’t described. However a very nice video with jaw dropping engines. And what a nice gauge!

@Shipwright1918 Жыл бұрын

@@Edgar1972 Also to be considered are the non-rideable gauges such as O and 1/G, which have had a long history of having live steam models available. Much as with the larger scales, the more basic the locomotive, the more affordable it will be. Most basic ones tend to hover around the $500 mark, give or take. Even without the ride, there is something rather satisfying about seeing your engine chuff around the backyard or garden space trailing a white cloud of steam. Here I will confess personal involvement and any bias, as that's where I started in live steam as it was within my budget and ability. To quote from a popular documentary about live steam "Anybody can do it. Doctors, lawyers, Indian chiefs. I know laborers who have little live steam locomotives who happen to like it, it's addictive!"

@uries15 2 жыл бұрын

An additional cost is the security equipment to prevent everything from disappearing during the night. Theft of miniature locomotives is depressingly common, not for selling on, which is hard to do, but merely for the scrap.

@frankmmiii 2 жыл бұрын

The Beautiful narrator kinda softened the blow. When you start comparing "G" scale model trains(LGB & USA Trains) and 1/32nd & 1/29th live steam(Accucraft, Aster and others) these really don't seem all that expensive to own or build. Does anybody have an extra $15,000 lying around?

@robertdonaldson6584 2 жыл бұрын

I enjoyed it

@MrRailroadrunner 2 жыл бұрын

I understand that you're covering new options in this part and self-assembled options in the next part, but will anything on used locomotives be covered? An example would be my locomotive, which new from RMI would have been about $32,000 with all the options I had. It's an Ingersoll Rand box cab that I purchased used for much less than that. I have about $5,000 into it now, but I would say it's now worth more than it was new from RMI. I guess my question is, have you considered a "What to watch for" guide on this stuff, and / or mentioning rebuild costs of a used locomotive?

@sparky107107 2 жыл бұрын

I thought HO scale was an expensive hobby, lol, That is not a cheap hobby to get into, for sure, but if your wanting to get into that gauge, This is the video to watch,

@kleetus92 2 жыл бұрын

Nothing fun is cheap... Horses, boats, shooting, hell even camping gear has gotten ridiculous... I'd say that drugs which may be fun and monetarily cheap, come with the potential expense of your life. You gotta pay to play!

@gevi9080 Жыл бұрын

Excellent video to "advise how expensive it is" and you are correct , at the same time you also "scare people away "from getting in to it , ( for the good of the Hobby) I wish you will show a few "affordable alternatives" to get in to the hobby before is gone

@TheSteamChannel Жыл бұрын

And before you leave comments like this - you should watch the other video on building that does exactly that….

@gevi9080 Жыл бұрын

@@TheSteamChannel And Before you give any instructions ( we can't read your mind ) you should clearly mention that you have " Other videos" where there is an affordable ways to get in to the hobby

@TheSteamChannel Жыл бұрын

It’s clearly mentioned in the video there is another part…but you have to actually watch it before complaining.

@tedvolz9674 2 жыл бұрын

The bottom line is that the cost can be as low as $2000 for used equipment to "Sky's the limit..." (see the story of Tom Miller of Sherwood OR and his 'hobby that ran amuck...'). If you want to see the most diversity of equipment in the live steam hobby, make the pilgramage to Train Mountain's Triennial Meet this coming June in Chiloquin, OR. Find the closest club near you and join, I think you will find that being in the hobby is just as much about socializing with like minded people as it is about playing with trains! ...and you will always find someone that will be happy to give rides and show off their pride & joy!

@chucksterock 4 ай бұрын

She is such a lovely host!

@samstewart4807 2 жыл бұрын

oh! Dear Miss Heart Breaker hehe I will now watch part 2 I hope somewhere you have a list of these suppliers websites.

@StanFerris 2 жыл бұрын

That one dude sold the shirt off his back to buy a steam loco! 🤣

@jrcrawford4 2 жыл бұрын

Held onto his beer, tho

@StanFerris 2 жыл бұрын

@@jrcrawford4 I get a kick out of the no-shirt-guy. 🤣

@wyatttrainworld 2 жыл бұрын

Wow

@Manwholikestrains 2 жыл бұрын

Train brakes are an additional charge that should be a base feature

@paulhare662 2 жыл бұрын

I can't ride on it but my little $350 Accucraft Ruby has served me well and is lots of fun to play with.

@thomastaylor6699 2 жыл бұрын

Paul, I have a ruby steam engine myself, plus a C-25 2-8-0 from Accucraft.

@morg777 2 жыл бұрын

The gauge 1 stuff is definitely the least expensive way to get real live steam. For a couple grand you can have a complete railroad in the backyard. And of course you can go up from there.

@austinguess6048 11 ай бұрын

More prices and where we can purchase steam locomotives please!

@wesbrackmanthercenthusiast4695 2 жыл бұрын

It doesn't have to be this expensive especially if you are building for a usable narrow gauge railroad I'm in the knowledge gathering phases and saving up for a 3d printer if you can build a firearm with a 3d printer and a drill press you can definitely get started on building a farm railroad that can actually be used that is my intentions

@robertolamalfa5160 2 жыл бұрын

❤

@anthonycoach4551 2 жыл бұрын

So what does any steam engine already assembled ready to run cost total.. just the engine and tender..?

@jamesm6638 2 жыл бұрын

Depends on the size and complexity

@danshobbies13 2 жыл бұрын

Do they offer financing? 😂 I think I’ll just go as big as G scale.

@cherylcunningham9917 10 ай бұрын

What would it cost me to make a New York Central J3A

@Stephan_Rothstein 2 жыл бұрын

I am somewhat surprised no one said anything about the cost of land and the track so you have somewhere to run it on.

@TheSteamChannel 2 жыл бұрын

Maybe 2-3% of hobbyists have their own personal railroads. Most are members of live steam clubs.

@Stephan_Rothstein 2 жыл бұрын

@@TheSteamChannel I understand that, but when the nearest club I have found is over 100 miles from me, it makes you look at the other side too. My current plan is to join that club and then buy a train from Titan Trains or RMI.

@TheSteamChannel 2 жыл бұрын

It’s so cost prohibitive that I questioned even making a video on it. The land varies greatly by your location in the country. Aluminum rail is generally 1.35 a foot. 5280 feet in a mile x2 (both sides of the track per foot) nets you with 10,560 feet of rail per mile. That’s a total of $14,256 worth of rail per mile not including ballast, wood/plastic ties, and hardware. Around Illinois, figure at least $100,000 for 10 or so acres. That can run up into the 200,000 - 300,000’s or more. With the money that might be invested in that endeavor…one could have someone build them several steam engines and still have money to buy a truck and trailer. 100-150 miles isn’t really too bad if you leave early and make a day of it. I’m doing 420 to go out to Mill Creek one way and 200 for White Creek.

@aidanbailey8614 2 жыл бұрын

But can answer the one question I have since I can find the kits for sale online but how the hell do I get a boiler or make a boiler?

@haroldpearson6025 2 жыл бұрын

Up to 5in gauge a copper boiler is the answer. Well built it will last a lifetime and more. 7.25 gauge usually have steel boilers which a much more trouble to maintain. For public running you will need an official boiler certificate which has to be renewed. Its best to be a member of a model engineer club for this.

@jamesm6638 2 жыл бұрын

you have to learn how, or you get a professional boiler shop to do it for you

@cannon440 2 жыл бұрын

Steam trains kinda in the same class as boats. I'll ride or watch yours.

@schwellenzaehler4564 2 жыл бұрын

If you buy a complete kit ......or loco, that is always a very expensive solution. You need anyway a ton of tools, a mill, lathe, welder,.......... a complete workshop and so fort. So if you must buy all these tools, it is much cheaper to fabricate all the "castings" and other parts in your own workshop, you can save a lot of money and get your dream loco only for the cost of tools, material and time. That isn´t a cheap hobby, thats for shure.

@BNSFGP38 2 жыл бұрын

I will stick with the live steamers on my channel. Ouch

@sidchisle 2 жыл бұрын

How do I find a “local” club? Is there a list of clubs and locations? With today’s world, I doubt they can be open to the public (insurance, liability, and people). 😢

@TheSteamChannel 2 жыл бұрын

TheSteamChannel.com has a list of railroads. You are correct, most are not open to the general public unless they are located on public land and have some kind of public ride days scheduled as part of being there.

@itsjustnopinionok 2 жыл бұрын

Not to mention. You need a place to run them.

@haroldpearson6025 2 жыл бұрын

Join a club.

@bertiewooster3326 2 жыл бұрын

Looks like the best option is to steal one.

@TheSteamChannel 2 жыл бұрын

Good way to get shot.

@wesbrackmanthercenthusiast4695 2 жыл бұрын

doesn't have to be this expensive check out way out west with Sandra and Tim there building a farm railroad like I am planning and collecting books and tools for

@smyset1112 2 жыл бұрын

I just want a Harpur 2-4-0….

@johnmajane3731 2 жыл бұрын

I knew they were expensive but not how much.

@joelvale3887 Жыл бұрын

In the old days those prices were for the real locomotives.

@johnjriggsarchery2457 2 жыл бұрын

I could have made this video in 5 words: If you have to ask....

@NathanielKempson 2 жыл бұрын

Step 1: Win the lottery.

@jamesm6638 2 жыл бұрын

you can build a small steam loco for less than $10k, even a teenager with a summer job can make that much

@NathanielKempson 2 жыл бұрын

@@jamesm6638 Oh really? How much do you think people earn in England there buddy? It certainly aint that freaking much let me tell you.

@jamesm6638 2 жыл бұрын

@@NathanielKempson ok? My point is, it can be done, obviously the vast majority of people in this hobby haven't won the lottery

@NathanielKempson 2 жыл бұрын

@@jamesm6638 No. But most of them live in america, one of the richest countries on the planet.

@jamesm6638 2 жыл бұрын

@@NathanielKempson Live steam is just as widespread in europe as it is in north America, australia and new zealand etc also have a fair amount... It's more achievable than you think it is, it's just a matter of whether the cost is worth it to you, same as anything else

@MARKLINMAN1 2 жыл бұрын

Invest that money in the stock market and watch it grow! 🤷🏾‍♂️🤷🏾‍♂️🤷🏾‍♂️

@TheSteamChannel 2 жыл бұрын

This equipment will never lose its value unless it’s ill maintained. The stock market is overdue for a crash- especially with all the funny money in the economy.

@MARKLINMAN1 2 жыл бұрын

@@TheSteamChannel Diversifying is key! Never put all your eggs in one basket, toys will come and go, your financial portfolio is a once in a lifetime. 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼.

@TheSteamChannel 2 жыл бұрын

No one is suggesting putting all of one’s money into trains or toys…but I wouldn’t trust the stock market all that much right now either. With all of the looming bubbles and continued reckless government spending-it’s only a matter of time before the next market correction. A lot of people had that life time savings destroyed in 2008 because it was too aggressively invested. The point being made is that these trains will hold their value much more than a car, etc. There is no deprecation unless they are poorly cared for or damaged.

@kleetus92 2 жыл бұрын

@@TheSteamChannel The only caveat to what you are saying on the held value of the well maintained hobby equipment is making the assumption that there is someone left with enough money to buy it. But if we ever get to that stage, people will likely be cooking the neighbor's dog for dinner and it wouldn't matter any more anyway.

@plymouth-hl20ton37 2 жыл бұрын

Yeah I'm with you I bought stock in coal back in October that little purchase netted me $ over 30 + grand in profit from Peabody Coal and continues to go through the roof but some wants to claim there's funny money going around when the last time 2010 we were bailout look what happened to the economy went through the roof and continued recovered pretty good and by the way they've sold all their production for the next 4 years

@loveoldmovies 2 жыл бұрын

7" gauge might be too big, expensive and impractical for most. You need a common or public space as few could run it in a home yard, unless you are Walt Disney. You could do a video on O gauge and No. 1 gauge live steam options to balance out your coverage. I would never own and run 7" gauge equipment unless it was producing revenue! PS: The young lady blows me away!

@wesbrackmanthercenthusiast4695 2 жыл бұрын

I kinda have a need for one on the farm, so,,, now I'm saving up for the tools don't need much to build kozo hiroko's shay logging locomotive lathe and mill, dremel propane torch, bench vise, I'll be making the first one in g scale second In 7 1/2 inch gauge and eventually 15 for actual farm work I might even knurl the wheels for Wood rails I don't know yet I do know that some have been built for wood rails and I do know that I want to 3d print the master casting molds since I have family that works at a local metal casting facility might even sell g scale ones for funding just have to sell them cheaper than accucraft to be competitive

@superancientmariner1394 2 жыл бұрын

Summed up in 2 words...Horrifyingly expensive.

@jamesm6638 2 жыл бұрын

Not really, you can build a small steam loco for less than $10k, even a teenager with a summer job can make that much

@aidanbailey8614 2 жыл бұрын

Never mind didn’t watch far enough

@nicholasboyd4934 2 жыл бұрын

Have you priced the cost of a new car? These locomotive builds seem like a bargain to me. People will not think twice about spending $60,000 on a full size pickup truck or $80,000 for a Cadillac suv.

@Kleman09 2 жыл бұрын

There is a reason for a strong used vehicle market, and that is many people wince at spending that much on new cars. Many people are still on tight budgets...

@nicholasboyd4934 2 жыл бұрын

It depends on the people that you know, I see a lot of new suv's on the road, the cost of a new boat can start at $40,000 up to $750,000 for a boat that you can trailer. For a hobby the price of a locomotive is a great deal.

@RB-yq7qv 2 жыл бұрын

I find the costing for third party manufacture costs are so high as America pays the lowest rates of pay to their employees and most of the time it's not a qualified person undertaking the tasks. ( America hates training qualified staff) With many of the fittings and castings coming from China but are charged out at high costs. If I was wanting a third party to build my loco I would employ an overseas shop to build as made in America is way to expensive and the content of imported components in the build cuts out middle men over pricing.

@TheSteamChannel 2 жыл бұрын

American works are unqualified but you’ll go to China for better quality control…good joke. Have fun with that.

@RB-yq7qv 2 жыл бұрын

@@TheSteamChannel No NOT China but close.

@PKIllinoisFIN 2 жыл бұрын

So these "toys" costs 50k to 500k..

@haroldpearson6025 2 жыл бұрын

Whatever you do never refer to them as toys, in particular to a model engineer who has spent years building one. The enjoyment comes from building the engine, running the engine is the icing on the cake and proof of a job well done.

@timd8776 2 жыл бұрын

Oh God she had me at pumps lubricators and injectors.... I need to wife this gorgeous gal? 😍

@jamesm6638 2 жыл бұрын

there's always one of these...

@Kleman09 2 жыл бұрын

In other words, don't go into this hobby if you don't have money. It's a rich person's hobby.

@jamesm6638 2 жыл бұрын

Not if you know how to do things yourself... it will still cost money, but the more you do, the less you pay others to do

@TheSteamChannel 2 жыл бұрын

Only if you can’t be bothered to do any work yourself.

@jamesm6638 2 жыл бұрын

Another thing is, not everyone is trying to build a $500k big boy, you'll get just as much enjoyment out of spending a few thousand building a switcher etc., one guy at my club built a nice 2-8-0 for $10k... nobody ever got anywhere by saying "I can't do it"