I am in awe.

[Anonymous]

Hey John,

My son just turned 30 in September and has been into collecting trains for about 4 years now. He has been around toy trains for most of his life, but I think he went through a stage in his life where he thought he was too cool to "play with trains". I talked him into going to a few train shows and that is what sparked his interest again. Both him and I collect both old and new trains, and I must admit this hobby has been pretty expensive for him and I.

What I do is set a budget for myself. First I will look through books, magazines, etc and see if I can find things that I would like to have. Then I search around the internet, train shows, ebay, other auctions and find the things I would like to buy. Since there are some people out there that would like to sell you trains for a high price than what they are worth, I have my handy "Greenberg's Pocket Price Guide" near me at all times.

I cant say that I buy on a small budget, but I do limit myself. From time to time I may go over if I find something that I feel that I cant do with out, or I can get a really good deal on it.

Just keep your eyes and ears pealed for upcoming shows in your area. Sometimes you can even find deals in the classified ads of the newspaper. The more you tell people that you are into the hobby, you are bound to find someone that has or knows someone that has stuff in the attic and would just like to get rid of it at any cost. SOMETIMES FREE.

Just set yourself a budget if you can. If you want the biggest/baddest/most amazing train on the market, you can always put money into what my son calls "his train fund", and buy it once you get the money saved up.

I hope this helps!!

[Anonymous]

Here we go again!.. I am in pain... I now at age 54, suffer from that darn malady..."I wish I had my old Lionels back from when I was a kid in the late 50's and very early '60's..What trains I had..My dad bought them at J.C. Hickersons auctions in Wichita, Kans.. HE COULD NOT RESIST A DEAL..FROM OLD GUNS TO MODEL RAILROADS HE BID ON THEM. I had some neat old trains..and what did I do? treated them like cheap toys! Oh the guilt... Well time to make amends, and plunge once again into the world of model railroading...Currently indulging in my caboose collecting tendency..Something about a caboose...Hmmmmm. Elbow deep in paper mache glue..feverously ripping up newspaper..Maybe I can duplicate all 54 of Colorados fourteeners...Maybe I need to slow down on the Starbucks... Yes, I too am in awe...and enjoying every minute of it. Wonderful, informative and friendly forum here!
Nick

[brianel027]

John, let me say that I can understand what you are saying. When one reads the other major train forum at OGR, you can easily get the impression that everyone is interested and buys high-end, hi-tech, expensive trains. Yet when I talk to train dealers, the exact opposite is true: low end, non-command trains sell much better. Granted, this can differ from dealer to dealer and can also depend on mail order business.

I've been back in the hobby over 15 years. Up to getting laid off a couple of years ago, I figure I have around 4 grand in the hobby, which includes building 4 different layouts. I have been a constant voice for the low-end of the hobby: decent quality, non-scale, traditionally sized, non-command 027 trains in modern road names. And ironically, a couple of the biggest hits of the past few years have been this kind of product.

I love the K-Line S-2 switcher and see K-Line's rapid entry in the scale arena as the biggest reason for their downfall: too much, too fast and not enough revenue coming in to cover the vast sums they were spending on brand new unpaid for tooling that couldn't recoup it's costs on the initial product run.

The vast majority of train hobbiests don't even participate on these train forums. For years, of all the guys I knew, I was the sole person who participated on these forums. And of everyone I know, the clear majority use 027 track, and run non-scale, non-command trains.

As the economy has worsened in this area (another major plant closing was announced days before CHRISTmas) folks are tightening their belts. Train guys I know are NOT buying high end. And if they do, it is because the product has been blownout at 50-60% off regular retail. Good for the consumer, bad for the train makers.

The one thing I have spent on the hobby is time: designing and building my own engines, cars, operating cars and operating accessories. Even non-scale 027 trains can still be detailed and look much more real than they normally would. The fun for me is taking a cheap low end loco and adding the details make it look more expensive than it really was.


This is a redone Lionel Industrial Switcher, repainted by me with added head lights, window glazing and handrails. Plus much added weight... the loco can pull 20 plus modern cars on level track, but that's pushing it. It runs comfortably pulling8-12 cars very easily - no stalling. Followed by a self-made Toxic Waste Car.

This is a redone K-Line S-2 with added headlights, marker lights, handrails, engineer figure (not seen) and extra window cut replacing the molded indentation in the cab door. Followed by a redone K-Line box car in a Conrail/Penn Central merger scheme. The car also has an interior wood floor and nubs put into the insides of the doors to keep them closed when the train is rolling.

[otftch]

John,
I have fifty-one engines and about two-hundred assorted railroad cars.(Mostly freight) I run five tracks at once with a Lionel Cab-1.Am I rich ? No .almost all of my equipment has been purchased used (and broken) through the years.I own two new Loco's and they cost me about $100.00 each.Most people see my train room and can't beleive what they see.You don't have to be rich just a little nuts.Hang in there.
Ed

[overall]

John,

The best way to use your train budget efficently is to decide what trains are signifcant to YOU and concentrate on building a collection of them. For me, it is the trains I grew up with in the southeast in the late sixties/early seventies. Roadnames like Southern, L&N, GM&O,Seaboard as well as others. I do not always adhere strictly to this rule however. I also have an NYC SD-80 MAC from a few years ago and a 759 Railking Berkshire. These are some of my favorite engines on the layout. I mainly stick to the middle of the market. Williams, Weaver, K-line and Lionel too are my main brands.
Welcome to the forum. Nice to have you.

George

[tschmidt]

John,

One way to pick up a few things is to let folks know you want a train car for a birthday or Christmas gift or just a gift certificate to a train store. As for your son, give him time. Ask him to go with you to a train show. You never know when the interest may kick in.

Enjoy the hobby!
Tom S

[Anonymous]

The more you can do, with the least ammt. of money, will give you the most satisfaction. Joe

[dwiemer]

John,
As the others have stated, you don't need to spend large amounts of money on the hobby to enjoy it. As to trains, I like mostly the older postwar things, but I do have a number of late model items. I don't need anymore than what I have(hope the wife isn't reading this), but if I like something, I buy it. As to building the layout, I think most guys use available items and become inventive. If you have access to scraps of wood, ie from buildings going up, or remodels, you can use these to form different parts of the layout. Again, it doesn't have to be expensive, just what makes you happy.
Welcome
Dennis

[Anonymous]

Keep your eyes out and maybe post some wanted ads. I got lucky and bumped into a guy that's switching from O to HO and wants to clear out all of his O stuff. I've picked up several engines from him dirt cheap. I'm not a collector, I just want something that reasonably resembles what I'm used to seeing on the rails - it sounding good is just lagniappe.

They're right about the age too. I grew up with trains, but grew out of them as a teenager and didn't really get back into them until recently when my young nephews started to show an interest. I've now got a larger collection than I ever had.

[Jumijo]

I don't buy any of the expensive stuff. Can't afford it. I look around for bargains and use money garnered from selling other hobby-related items to finance my addiction. There's also no rule that says you need a lot of items to enjoy railroading.

Jim

[Warburton]

You'll ahve more fun with the lower cost stuff than you will with the high-priced stuff, believe me! And it tends to run a lot more reliably, too. The biggest misconception about toy trains today is that you have to have mega-bucks to reallt enjoy them.

[pbjwilson]

John, Welcome
I am in awe as well. But alot of us have managed to build our collections on fairly small budgets. If you really investigate whats available and read alot you can do quite well on a limited budget. People have been raveing about the new Lionel tank engine which I think retails at $109.00 but can be found for less mail order. The little Beep engines go fo $69 ? and are also talked about alot on this forum.

As for benchwork old hollowcore doors make great foundations for railroads. A book by Peter Riddle consentrates on building layouts using them.

The latest issue of CTT has an article "Sleepers and Duds" in which the author reccomends the Lionel 1666 engine and the Marx 666. Both can be picked up reasonably on e-bay.

Enjoy the hobby, stay within your budget and have fun. And see if you can get that 22 year old into trains. Happy Holidays

[Buckeye Riveter]

John, Some of us have been toy train people for a long long time. I have had toy trains, a Marx, since I was 4 years old. Getting something done fast is not a goal, just getting something done!

You can find some real good deals at train shows. Recently I purchased three old Lionel gondolas for $15. I have picked up brand new or like new hopper cars for $20 each. Glue and two sided tape can be used to fix a multitude of problems. The train show schedule is posted on the main pages of TRAINS.COM. Just put in your zip code and the shows are listed.

Most of all, have fun! [:D]

[cnw1995]

John, Welcome! As you can see, I have a lot of time on my hands this morning. There are those of us on this forum who enjoy this scale without spending the thousands that some enthusiasts can afford to spend - and more power to them if they can. There are plenty of items - both new and used - that you and I can find in real-world stores or online - for affordable prices. I also enjoy making things for the layout from other things around the house.

[Anonymous]

I am in awe of all you toy train people. I can not believe the time and costs that many of you have devoted to this great hobby. I am just getting into the hobby , I am 60 and bought a Lionel Winter Wonderland set for around the tree in 2003. Since then I have purchased two other engines on Ebay (one nice the other not so nice) and picked up a few cars and more Fastrack.. I would like to do more but the finances are not there. I was hoping my son (he's 22) would like the trains but he has not shown an interest.
I have about $500.00 tied up in this and many of you have more than that in bench work alone. I was able to get a lot of help from this forum and really enjoy how much you know about all the facets of the hobby. I especially enjoy seeing the photos on Sunday morning and any other pictures that are posted.
Thanks again for a great forum.

John