New Purchase Query

[traindaddy1]

Curious. When you decide to purchase an engine or rolling stock, do you have a strategy in mind (Looking for a particular RR Line, a special era, brand, investment, quick turn-over etc.),  like what you see and buy on impulse or are you always looking for a bargain (no matter what it is)? Thanks.

[daan]

I'm not thinking too much about it. I always plan to buy some cars and end up with an engine.. Mostly I buy what I find interesting on ebay, and don't follow a special railline. When I have some money to throw on trains, I pick a few things and put them in the "watch it" section of ebay. After collecting a few items I like, I choose the best offer. Sometimes by bidding, sometimes with "buy it now" sometimes in an online trainstore.

So pretty much I'm looking for a bargain, but it matters what it is though. (Ever heard of a dutchman not looking for a bargain? )

[palallin]

Purchase Strategy:

 RR:  Frisco, MoPac, or T&P.

Era:  Modern Era O gauge, ANY era prototype.

Brand:  Lionel (I may pick up a set of K-Line T&P Heavyweights if I can find them and if I can get hold of a Lionel T&P 4-8-2).

Investment:  Only in Happiness. 

Quick turn-over:  I buy to keep.  Though I sometimes sell, I never buy with the intent to do so.

Impulse:  Sometimes I go beyond the limits if my fancy get tickled, but not often, and those are the items I end up selling eventually.

Bargain:  I don't buy just because the train is a bargain, but I am patient enough to usually wait for good prices on what I want.

 

[Deputy]

I'm not thinking too much about it. I always plan to buy some cars and end up with an engine.. So pretty much I'm looking for a bargain, but it matters what it is though. (Ever heard of a dutchman not looking for a bargain? )

ROFL! Sounds a lot like me!!!!! But I always look for a specific railine (see my sig line), then a manufacturer (usually MTH), and then a good deal. Buy it now has to be a REALLY good deal or a really hard to get item that I need badly before I use that.

Dep

[Anonymous]

My guess is that folks who have been in the hobby for a relatively short time--say ten years or so--and not only implusive buyers, they're also compulsive buyers.

But most (not all) eventually reach a kind of saturation point where they become far more selective in what they buy.

I imagine it's pretty much the same with most hobbies where collecting "things" is a part of the activity.  I've found that even though many of today's hobbyists will avidly deny being "collectors," one look in their closets or train room pretty much puts that assertion to rest. 

[thatboy37]

1st i look for a deal, see if its on sale, ask if they give 1st time buyers at their store a discount, and if a buy enough stuff will they give me even more of a discount. all they can tell you is yea or nea. thats one thing mom always told me to do.

2nd my favorite line is still between NorfolkSouthern and CanadianNational those are the 2 lines that i look for 1st when i go to any hobbyshop. if no luck then i look and whatever catches my eye and how ccould i fit it in on the layout.

3rd once i get my trains running i will be more of a runner than a collector. collecting is considered to me when you have a train that you want run, have never run, and never will run. thats collecting. i think i will have one of those. so i will be a runner/collector all in one. is that possible if so that will be my final answer guys.

4th i run mainly modern deisel engines and the polar express. i'm looking to get one full scale steam as i dont have any as for the polar. thats why i have more modern day deisels as they are a thing of beauty

[Roger Bielen]

Priority 1 -Lionel CB&Q freight cars, as soon as a recent e-bay purchase is delivered I'll have them all to date.

Priority 2 - Lionel CB&Q engines that are reasonibly priced (that I can afford).

Priority 3 - Lionel CB&Q passenger consists, currently have one and one K-Line

I'm not just a collector, I run them all.

[fifedog]

I'm always looking for next year's Christmas present to my son, and he has a wide range of likes, from Santa FE Warbonnetts, to BNSF New Era, to Bicentennial GS4.

For myself, I try to stay within the region I'm modeling (B & O Mainline Sub [Cumberland- Pittsburgh], WM Connellsville Sub), an era (Chessie in the mid-late 70's), and layout limitations (I have O-42 curves so there are no needs for big articulated steamers or mammoth stack trains).  My layout is what you would say near complete ( of course until I extend it) so I tend to look for little scenes.  I was at a die-cast show this past year, and I picked up a fabulous old abandoned pickup scene (DEPT 56). 1000 people must have walked past it before me, but when my eyes fell upon it my hand couldnt get the money out fast enough.  It just added a lot of flavor to a once vacant portion of the layout.

[mickey4479]

I believe that it all depends on what floats your boat.  Some folks will collect a lot of lines and models, some will decide to model a particular line and/or era, some will buy everything that they want and can afford (or not).  My personal choice was to model steam era Pennsylvania because I really like the PRR steamers and woodside box cars and reefers, and heavyweight passenger cars.  But I also dream of a set of Santa Fe F3's, ABBA, diesel locos pulling 7 streamlined passenger cars.  Lots of eye candy out there. 

[Joe Hohmann]

Steam era PRR, mainly because I love K4's, GG1's, and "Fleet of Modernism" passenger cars. Also like postwar "Lionel Lines" engines. Joe

[Frank53]

1. Post War Lionel;
2. Operator condition - very good to excellent, no interest in Like New or MIB
3. New York Central, Pennsylvania, New Haven, Lackawanna, Jersey Central, Lehigh Valley
4. In engines, there are only a few I am still interested in acquiring - 746, Lackawanna FM, New Haven 2242, 209, 232 and perhaps an additional steamer or two;
5. Frieght - Same road names, am trying to build six or eight car consists of similar freight by road name. Also looking for Railway Express Agency freight
6. Passenger - Have a couple of O27 sized sets I would like to own

Over the course of time, I'll fill in these gaps and be kinda done. I may stray into additional freight interests, if they develop, but for the most part, these are the only trains I'll ever acquire, and I've got all the time I want to do so.

 

[ChiefEagles]

1st i look for a deal, see if its on sale, ask if they give 1st time buyers at their store a discount, and if a buy enough stuff will they give me even more of a discount. all they can tell you is yea or nea. thats one thing mom always told me to do.

2nd my favorite line is still between NorfolkSouthern and CanadianNational those are the 2 lines that i look for 1st when i go to any hobbyshop. if no luck then i look and whatever catches my eye and how ccould i fit it in on the layout.

3rd once i get my trains running i will be more of a runner than a collector. collecting is considered to me when you have a train that you want run, have never run, and never will run. thats collecting. i think i will have one of those. so i will be a runner/collector all in one. is that possible if so that will be my final answer guys.

4th i run mainly modern deisel engines and the polar express. i'm looking to get one full scale steam as i dont have any as for the polar. thats why i have more modern day deisels as they are a thing of beauty

with the exception of the Big Boy by Lionel.  I wanted one quality steam engine.