Collection and budget focus????

[drjohn691]

Wow, great time to be in O Gauge. Tons and tons of awesome well made engines, detailed rolling stock and accessories. I, for one, have shelves of boxes of engines and cars that almost never get run yet I lust for new stuff. Oftentimes put the budget in an very uncomfortable place. How do you focus buying when their is so much to choose from? Each company continues to put forth such irresitable items yet you can only afford or run so much as previous items sit in their boxes. How have you dealt with this on a personal level?
[:D]

[cwburfle]

I have stopped buying any current production items, with the occasional exception of closeout pieces. I have a very short list of original postwar and MPC items I'd like to have.

[drjohn691]

How do you resist the temptation to pick the phone up and order. For me impulse buying is a real problem.

[Bob Keller]

That can be a challenge.

You might try focusing on a particular railroad.

You might focus on specific classes of rolling stock (I never bought much postwar, but I've always been a sucker for postwar tank cars, be they single, double, or tripple-dome).

Most important, think about your end objective - the railroad you'll run.

When I built my railroad, I put in three mainlines with roughly a 16x22 oval. I keep a 25-30 car train on each. I never run passenger trains, because it is too big a pain to move all the freight cars (and I'm not gonna put'em back in the box just to run a pasenger train). I also discovered that I mainly use the same four or five locomotives, so I've ended up selling quite a bit of gear because I realized I probably never run it!

In the end, you'll have more fun, experience less budget strain, and enjoy the collection - or operating fleet - and never say "whaddamIgonnado with all this stuff?"

[Anonymous]

It's not easy to shake the fever. It took me nine years. When I got back into the hobby in 1996, I bought everything in sight. I filled up all the closets....the attic. I was stuffing train boxes under the guest room bed. When I quit broadcasting and moved to NC, One entire truck was filled up with train stuff. It was crazy. Still I kept buying. I finally came to my senses two years ago. I had narrowed my focus down to just Eastern Roadnames some years back but I was still buying so I narrowed my target again to just Southeastern Roads. That helped some but I was still buying so I reduced my focus again to just two roads, Seaboard and ACL....mainly ACL.. In the past year I have sold off about 20 New Haven and Pennsylvania engines and a bunch of passenger sets. I have one PS2 PRR Atlantic to unload and I'll be pretty much done. I think I'm finally over it. I no longer constantly scan ebay or the SVC board looking to buy more stuff. I'm content with what I have and what I have is quite enough. John Harding .

[cnw1995]

I like what Bob says but it's hard to do, especially after reading all the reviews and ads in the hobby magazines. Since I'm new to this - just starting on my third month after an Xmas gift of a train set - I find I'm concentrating on trackwork. I'm limiting myself to the same 027 track that came with my set - which allows me to cut out consideration of larger engines and rolling stock. Unlike when I was in N scale, I find I'm not following a particular track plan - just gradually expanding to fill a basement raised crawlspace. I started with an oval on a 4 x 8 foamboard, then added another board and lengthened the oval, then added a siding, now looking to add another board at the 'head' of the oval and expanding the oval off at a right angle....I'd love to have enough stuff to move things on and off - and have some working accessories.

[Anonymous]

What ever money I chose goes to trains.

Well, with my cars getting the upperhand latley... trains will take the backseat... You get more girls with fast cars then you do trains.

[Big_Boy_4005]

My buying habits have changed greatly in the last 10 years. My list of what TO buy gets very short, very fast, and these are MY criteria:

• Never prewar
• No more postwar
• Only scale
• Always modern
• No steam
• Only TMCC
• No single piece over $300
• Bargains whenever possible

I have basicly stopped collecting, and turned to realistic operations. I'm sure that most people seeing my list will say "He's CRAZY", but that's OK, this is what I like and buy. HAVE FUN!!!![swg]

[Anonymous]

First I look for the bargains.
Then I stick with what runs through the South.
That works best for my budget, most of the time![:D]
Keith

[FJ and G]

Excellent topic!

I pretty much follow Big Boy's advice, but a bit different in that I use DCS only, try to keep below $300, one railroad (Santa Fe). Limit myself to motive power used from 1939 to 1969, buy mostly over the Internet or only when there's sales at toy train stores or shows.

I keep my trackwork to a minimum and scenery to a maximum.

I try to scratchbuild as much as possible, including rolling stock. Haven't yet scratchbuilt locomotives because I don't have enough experience yet and it seems a bit time consuming.

I don't have a "wall of trains."

I pretty much have everything I need now and my total spending is probably $3,000, a lot more money than I had planned to spend.

I also handlay my own track and turnouts. This is a big savings. Also cut my own ties and make my own scenery from weeds, sawdust etc.

Also, instead of buying modeling supplies from train stores, I try to get it from Home Depot.

I was really frustrated when I went to the dentist yesterday and discovered I will need to spend about $3,200 on removing/replacing a single tooth; more than my entire train purchases; and my insurance doesn't cover that tooth either. What a pain in the butt!

David Vergun

[Big_Boy_4005]

Dave where do you get the rail for hand laying? I have done a fair amount in HO and 2 rail O, and have done a little repair work on some 3 rail. My other question is where do you find a track gauge for hand laying? I had started to try a double slip switch, when Atlas decided to make one, then Ross followed. I was just using Atlas rail taken from a piece of flex track.

I use a lot of those other techniques and materials too. I like to go cheap where ever I can these days. I have a large railroad to cover, but lots of time.

As for my list of criteria on train buying, all it takes is a couple of changes, and you have a completely new list. This helps keep the drool off most pages in the new catalogs these days.[(-D][swg]

[Anonymous]

My budgetary restraints are enforced by the wife's desire for a larger home.

[Big_Boy_4005]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Loco-Kelvin

My budgetary restraints are enforced by the wife's desire for a larger home.

Well I've got you there. I built the bigger home, then my wife decided to leave. The only problem is she took a lot of the money that I wanted to use on the layout. I'm workin on it anyway, just much slower.[:)]

[nitroboy]

Bargins, thats all I get. The worse off, the better. I love to tinker with stuff, so if its in bad shape, and cheap, count me in. If I can get it running, great, if not, I got parts for the next one I get. Train shows, I go strait for the cardboard boxes under the tables and you would not believe what is in some of those. I picked up a pre-war 656 cattle car for $10 that was in horrific shape, luckily just rust and missing wheels and couplers, but it is now one of the nicer pieces on my shelf.

I (my wife) limit myself to $50 a month for trains, so, slowly, I will build my empire.

Dave

[pbjwilson]

I really dislike the super detailed scale sized trend the 3rail market has taken. And along with it the absurd prices for electronic misfits of engines and smoking everythings.

I collect fun, reasonably priced O27.

Budget wise I try to keep things under $200 for engines and $20 - 30 on cars.

I also like sets. The Alien 51 set was a real sleeper. Don't think it was real popular but it's a fun set with great paint job.

Next purchase may be the Polar Express.

[GPJ68]

I started out looking for PW Lionel on ebay to add to the handfull of PW handed down from my father's time. Early on I set limits of @ $25-30 (including shipping) for operating cars (I'm a sucker for 3469/3461 dump cars, as well as cattle & milk cars) and @ $15 for non-op rolling stock (6456's, 6656's, 2452x's....). I've been surprisingly successful (albeit over a long time) in sticking to those limits and still getting many excellent runners (no need for boxes to drive up the costs).

The only exception has been boxcars - 6454 & 6464 series PW Lionel cars go for way too much on ebay to fit my budget, so I've resorted to Railking, Industrial Rail, K-Line, and a few new Lionel to fill those needs. Even so, I've still been right successful at keeping boxcar costs in the $15-25 range (ebay & train shows). A couple of exceptions have been the Shiner Bock Beer reefer (Ahhhhh, Bock!!!!!) and a few Western Maryland and Ma&Pa cars.

Since I'm gonna limit myself to conventional control for the time being, my few new motive purchases have been Williams thru Marty at Ma&Pa, who's provided me with some excellent engines for IMHO fantastic prices. That limit has been @ $150, but I think that's gonna get blown at least once sometime in the future - that K-Line Alleghany just looks too good.....

I'm also sticking to older Lionel O27 track with Marx 34" curves (ebay and shows again - see a pattern??) and Lionel 1122E switches (limited to @ $10-15 per pair). I did just splurge and pick up a slightly used Z-4000 for just under $200 though.

Also limit myself (somewhat) to fallen flags with some connection to my youth, hometown, etc. Predominantly Western Maryland, PRR, C&O, B&O, Ma&Pa. Oh yeah, and Lionel Lines.....

Yup, I'm cheap, but happily so.......

[FJ and G]

Big Boy,

"Well I've got you there. I built the bigger home, then my wife decided to leave. The
only problem is she took a lot of the money that I wanted to use on the layout. I'm
workin on it anyway, just much slower."
----------------------------------------------

Same thing happened to me.

-----------------------------------------------

Handlaying track:

I've tried several methods, incl Code 148 with code 70 for center rail.

My current layout will use 027 tubular. Center rail is 14 gauge single strand wire, soldered to copper nails. Ties are lauan board cut with table saw. I attach rails to ties using Marine Goop, which is a strong, waterproof adhesive.

Of course I remove the metal ties from the tubular track. Several advantages to laying your own track.

1. looks better
2. cheaper, esp for turnouts
3. can "weather" the rails easily before gluing to ties
4. can make any diameter curves (custom-fitted) & turnouts
5. it's fun to do; for me anyway
6. the center rail looks much less visible

If you are interested in discussing this further, we can start a post on the topic or you can contact me at [e-mail].

Dave Vergun

[Anonymous]

Geez,

Most of you are more disciplined and focused than I am.

I purchase/operate:

Used Tinplate (usually, but not always Standard Gauge)
New Standard Gauge (MTH and Lionel) with Command
Scale proportioned MTH and Lionel (mostly MTH as I am hooked on DCS and PS-2)
Traditional sized/proportioned MTH and Lionel (also Command).
I still operate Marx occasionally (it seems to last forever-methinks Thor has a very good point here).

I run DCS, TMCC (through DCS) and Conventional (most of the time through DCS, sometimes through a ZW, sometime through a pre-war Type "K" with a No. 81 Rheostat if I am in a real "pre-war" mood.

I run purchase what catches my fancy without regard to road name. I run Standard Gauge and O Gauge at the same time (on the floor). At the Pomona Show, I ran a scale proportioned MTH Premier Yellowstone on the same track as a Railking Jupiter.

As I stated before, I am really hooked on DCS and PS-2 and command, but I like all of it.