What would you do?

[Anonymous]

I would like some great ideas as I might not see another train till I move out of where I am now.

[Anonymous]

I started off with Triang HO which I deliberately sold so that I could convert to Marklin HO. Then I left town and moved to a new location and over the next 5 years had no opportunity to build a MR. I was living in rental accommodation, had got married and a baby was on the way. No chance for trains, no space, no time, no money. So I sold it all. A few years later I was living in my own house which had a double garage and adjacent room suitable for trains. The family was growing up. I started building an N scale model railway.

Lesson 1 learned so far:

On the one hand I was sorry that I dumped the Marklin, I wished I had kept it as I was back in the train game within 5 years and could easily have stored it. On the other had it was an exciting new experience to get into N scale and I enjoyed the new challenges.

The came a divorce and I sold the house. Learning from my regrets when I sold the Marklin set-up, this time I boxed the N scale stuff and stored it. It took 5 years to get back to where I want to be in life, which is: to be married and own a house. The second house was a difficult one, needed a lot of renovation and required much modification. I worked for 15 years on the house while the N scale sat in boxes. I drew plans and had a railroad on paper, but never built it. Then just when I was about to start after all those years, BAM - another divorce.

Don't feel sorry for me - I got married far too young and the first marriage was a dumb mistake. So it doesn't really count. (Like Britney's) But the second divorce threw me off course. I wasn't sure what direction to take and had many options to choose from. Eventually I decided to stay on in the house, get married again and run trains. This is sort of my chosen life path - my karma, or destiny, or whatever. I seem doomed to keep repeating the same cycle of divorce and packing up trains over and over, like a Hollywood "curse" movie.

But as I got myself established and was once again ready for trains, I found that I had lost interest in N scale and could not contemplate building it. The fascination had faded while it sat those 15 long years in boxes. So I cut my losses and sold it, and this time started from scratch with G scale LGB and I absolutely love it. I do not miss the N scale stuff at all.

Lesson 2 learned so far:

As things go wrong in your life and you suffer setbacks, you lose time. You get older and realise that half your life was wasted on things that didn't work out and that the remaining time you have is precious. You become more impatient and need to focus on what works, not waste time on what doesn't. I simplified my life and bought back time when I dumped the N scale in favour of G scale. It is easier and less finicky.

So what's my advice?

Based on the above experience, I would say that your first step is to evaluate what your personal feelings are towards model trains. If you don't feel much and don't really care one way or another, then sell the trains. If you love trains and are committed, then keep the trains initially. You can always sell later if you change your mind or, as I did, decide to use this opportunity to change scales.

If you are keeping the trains in storage for 5 to 10 years beware of the virus that I caught, which was that (a) I lost interest and (b) the technology became old and obsolete. By that I mean that I was trying to run 1970's N scale Minitrix with 3 pole motors and they were absolutely horrible compared to today's offerings. If your storage period runs 10 to 15 years as mine did, you would be better off dumping it now and getting new stuff when the time comes. Do you really want to be running pre-digital 1990's locos in the year 2015?

To summarise:

1. Store it while you analyse your feelings towards the hobby.
2. Ditch it if you don't have that much interest after all.
3. Allow for a maximum storage of 10 years. If longer, rather ditch now and start again.
4. Keep your interest up while the stuff is in boxes. Read books. Draw plans. Build small things.
5. Above all, don't lose hope. Don't give up the dream. If you really love trains you will find a way. I'm finally getting down to building my MR after nearly 30 years of storage, false starts, divorce wipe-outs, dumping and restarting. I never gave up.
6. And whatever you decide, don't give it to the stinkin' kid next door. Nobody gave me my trains.

Good luck [^][^][tup]

[Anonymous]

Bluebonnet-71
I would store it , until i would need it ,or can use it again, because the prices of trains mite not be in the budget. later. Ben[2c]

[Anonymous]

For a start I would give nothin to no one, and you never really liked the kid next door anyway.

The idea to store or sell is more to do with your own cicumstances.

2 reasons why you should sell, it will go out of date and you may never be able to or want to get into model trains again.

However I do not believe you will get what they are worth to you, you wont in this country and the US of A is a lot worse. As far as going out of date, this is not likely to happen as far as models are concerned but they will go out of date as far operational electronics etc. However you will be able to update them when you return from the dead and thiings will be more up to date and cheaper then i promise.

When i migrated up here to the Sunshine Coast from Sydney, I had no idea how long I would be without a permanent home, I expected 12 to 24 months but it turned out to be only 6 months or less, things did some unexpected turns and this may well happen to you.


So in short store the bloody things mate and hope for the best.


Regards

Ian

[Anonymous]

As I do not have any special locos I'd probably sell the lot.10 years is a long time.Ideas and tastes change in that amount of time.When you start up again it will be with a clean slate and the imagination can run wild.
Troy

[Anonymous]

Hi bluebonnet-71
Me I would store it I have OO scale that has been in boxes for 10 years or more.
I could not bring myself to sell it the locos believe it or not still work
hard to get parts for but they work.
My LGB wound up being ERR stored set up on the spare room floor for seven years
so I could UHM test it regularly.
SWMBO did and still does object to the boxes of OO but the LGB was not a problem in fact she sugested making floor pannels for want of a better description to mount it on, I never did as the ultimate plan was allways to buy a house and build a garden railway.
I could not see the sence of building an indoor large scale layout indoor fasion whe i knew eventualy it would be a waste of good wood so on the floor it stayed till i bought a house and it is now where it was allways planed to put it in the garden.
regards John
PS If you sell it you may find when you come to restart it will be too [censored] expencive to start again

[Anonymous]

Hi guys,
Store it. In 1991 I put all of my large scale into my fathers loft, loco's, coaches, freight, track, buildings.....the lot. It sat there until 1997 when I sold the lot, I had a large N guage empire and would never be into large scale again. What a fool, I started again in 2003 when the Bachmann Connie was a 'must have' and now I'm busy building another empire and remembering every piece that I used to have. The N guage? I almost sold it earlier this year, but it's in 2 boxes and doesn't take any room up anyway!
Cheers,
Kim
[tup]

[powlee]

My advice. STORE IT. You never know what will crop up in the future. In the fifties ,I ran Triang 00 and then TT came along so my dad suggested we sell the 00 and buy TT as it took up less space. We never got much for the 00 so we did not buy much TT.
Then marraige and kids came along and the TT lived in a cupboard. When I decided to get back into trains in the late 70`s Triang TT had gone and there was not much about so I sold most of it intending to purchase 00.
Nothing had changed, I did not get much for it although the rolling stock is commanding high prices now.
I now have a cupboard full of 00 and have moved into Large Scale. I still run 00 at my Club but there is too much to run regularly. Dealers offer you prices as though they are doing you a favour. So it will stay in storage for the time being.
I am even picking up TT at the occasional bargain prices at toyfairs.
All the best IAN

[Anonymous]

Hi Ian,
The Brit contingent has just leapt ahead by 33 & a bit %!! Nice to have you on the running board, if I've said hello before please excuse me - a(nother) senior moment. I used to do TT in them thar good old days & I too wish I still had it. Such is life.
Cheers,
Kim
[tup]

[hobbyfossi201]

I would store all of it except I (or my family) would really need to get the money which is blocked by the value of the trains.
with best regards from austria
hobbyfossi201

[vsmith]

Keep Trains

Keep Switches

Sell rest of Track

Simple as that.

Store them in a dry place, as they are still prone to rusting while in storage.
If you have room to store track than keep that also, but track is often the bulkiest stuff and hardest to store.

You might find that your able to get back into it sooner than you though. and the SINGLE BEST REASON for keeping your trains and switches? Prices NEVER go down! If you start over you'll fork out more $$$ for the same thing. By storing you keep the seeds of a new layout just waiting to start again.

I still have my HOn30 crap even though I may never build another layout in that scale. I still keep it "Just in Case"....

my [2c]

[Anonymous]

Guys.

Thank you for the heads up every one of you! I will store it.
As for the track it is hand made and was never put down about 330 ft of main line that I know of a place to store.
But I will keep:
coming here
getting magazines <GRW>
watching my book collection grow <only thing I figure I can buy>

Warmest Reguards,
William

[Anonymous]

Bluebonnet-71
why are you going to store it ?????????? Ben

[Anonymous]

BB71, I'm not in the position to build yet, but I find myself occupied with scratch building and reading about the hobby wether or not it even pretains to "G" scale.
I enjoy reading the prototype stuff too. Good luck and hang in there your not alone.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by bennysrr

Bluebonnet-71
why are you going to store it ?????????? Ben

Ben

With all the unrest here in this household I can not even think at this point of a total computerized system.
My 1st building I built was grand with the help of Phil of corse and now it is unglued to be packed.
I was receving trains in that I had got at great deals, like TOC, one just happen to post 2 min before I saw a buy it now and several others.
This statement was made in the household:
"This is all the trains your going to buy right? We have to much stuff as it is!"

Fact: THEY have to much [censored] not me!
Fact: MY stuff is either stored or kept in my rooms.
Fact: MY tools are stored on my side of my area.
Fact: When I throw something out THEY might keep it. Sorry I am not a pack rat anymore!

William

[Anonymous]

William
I should have not ask ,me and my [censored] ben

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by bennysrr

William
I should have not ask ,me and my [censored] ben

Ben,

Dude, is ok to ask questions!

William

PS then all I need is a large money flow into my savings to buy a house that Matt can redo [:D] I know he would charge me at leased 400% over the going rate. I hear he wants to make a main line larger[swg]

[Anonymous]

[
PS then all I need is a large money flow into my savings to buy a house that Matt can
redo [:D] I know he would charge me at leased 400% over the going rate. I hear he wants to make a main line larger[swg]

[Anonymous]

This statement was made in the household:
"This is all the trains your going to buy right? We have to much stuff as it is!"

Bluebonnet - 71,
How often have I heard this.My answer is that I work hard for my money.As long as the house,bills and everything else is paid for the rest is for other things.What is the point of living if you can't enjoy yourself.

[Anonymous]

[#ditto]

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by troybetts

This statement was made in the household:
"This is all the trains your going to buy right? We have to much stuff as it is!"

Bluebonnet - 71,
How often have I heard this.My answer is that I work hard for my money.As long as the house,bills and everything else is paid for the rest is for other things.What is the point of living if you can't enjoy yourself.

Wished it was my house!

[Anonymous]

Bluebonnet,

I do not recomend you sell or give away your trains. All the people I have spoken to have regreted heavily that they got rid of their trains. Do not give them away.

Nick