To answer questions..........
- Every auction (but one) started out as the minimum amount I would accept on a stand alone basis. "Ballpark", I would say 20-25 percent sold for that minimum.
- Most everything was offered as a group of similar items - such as 5 or so ATSF boxcars, or tankers, and so on. Passenger cars were in groups of 2 or 3. Steam locos were sold separately, and "one of a kind" diesels were too. Other diesels were offered in AB or same/same (2 GPs) groupings. Electronics were all offered separately. Turnouts were offered in similar groupings, and trackage by length (24-30 inch, 30-36 inch).
- All my trackage - and there was a lot - was ballasted. However, I only did the white glue/alcohol/water adhesive on the ballast outside the rails. Ballast between the rails was not glued. Using mostly Arizona rock, this worked out very well, lasting nicely over 10 years. So the track cleanup was not hard at all. I used a brass bristled brush and ran it down the outside of the rails and it did a great job. And of course when I offered it for sale, I pointed out that there were ballast remnants, but they would not interfere with future use.
ENJOY !
Mobilman44
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
Yep. Pretty much anything and everything model railroad related will sell, even previously ballasted long-ish lengths of track. Built structures are a difficult thing since workmanship can be questioned by the buyer and shipping those bulky items can be expensive relative to the value of the building.
Glad to hear that you overall got more for everything than you expected. It adds up. But it can also be a lot of work, time wise.
- Douglas
Well, I just finished the process of hooking into Ebay's "Managed Payment" system. The sign up was no big deal, but I did open a separate dedicated checking account and of course bought a box of checks, which will likely last for years.
In organizing the former layout room closet, I'm finding some MR odds and ends I may put up for auction later on. And, I've got a fairly large library of train books from decades ago too.
Some of those old books could have some interesting ideas. Once my wife thought that she would help me and checked an old book on model railroading out of the library. The section on scenery gave instructions on how to use asbestos to create realistic landscapes.
Needless to say I didn't try that
Rick
Don't forget your smoke break while making your asbestos-based scenery ;)
And who doesn't want that winter scene on the layout?
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
BATMAN And who doesn't want that winter scene on the layout?
That is great! Something you use often? It looks like you just pulled the box off the shelf.
That is one product I have never seen or heard of.
Someone is selling a box on e-bay right now, I kid you not!
I am sure everyone on here has heard of asbestos and the dangers it poses, but after seeing that box I looked it up and never realized just how prevalent it's usage was. Apparently it is still widely used in other countries.
As for the box on eBay is it empty?
ps - sorry for hijacking the thread
That snowflake box photo sure has made its rounds
You had better rethink using wood for benchwork, too:
Plywood_warning by Edmund, on Flickr
Cheers, Ed
Yes the box had contents, you would think that would be illegal. As for the California sticker, as I live there, it is just for liability reasons, everything out here has that stamp including buildings. If you have retal property the first thing they tell you legal wise is put up the sign.
rrebell Yes the box had contents, you would think that would be illegal. As for the California sticker, as I live there, it is just for liability reasons, everything out here has that stamp including buildings. If you have retal property the first thing they tell you legal wise is put up the sign.
Well, it would be interesting to know the exact makeup of that product.
If it is in fact pure asbestos cement as used for pipe insulation, it is very dangerous.
But, if it is coated, sealed, or mixed into some other binder, it may be relatively harmless.
Floor tile and fiber cement siding shingles that once contained asbestos was/is perfectly safe until you grind, sand or drill it.
Asbestos was just one ingredient in these products like sugar in a cake. As long as the fibers are "locked in", is non friable and perfectly safe for normal contact and handling.
In fact, you can take a fiber cement shingle containing asbestos and break it over your knee, no asbestos fibers will be released.
Sheldon
It amazes me how "you all" managed to take this thread from the demise of a life long hobby to discussing the horrors of asbestos. Talk about getting "hijacked"......
mobilman44 It amazes me how "you all" managed to take this thread from the demise of a life long hobby to discussing the horrors of asbestos. Talk about getting "hijacked"......
and get over 16,250 views. That is more than a lot of layout builds on here.
David
To the world you are someone. To someone you are the world
I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought
That is pretty much the story of most threads on the forum.
Alton Junction
Thats because people are starting to treat the forum like meeting a freind on the street, you never know which way the conversation will go.
mobilman44In organizing the former layout room closet, I'm finding some MR odds and ends
When I packed up all my stuff to go into storage for the house remodel, I kept on finding model railroading odds and ends everywhere for months.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
I always figured the chat strays off course when the thread has run its course. It never bothers me in the least when that happens to one of my threads. It's just like a conversation. It's when we start talking about the weather that it is time to go home.
BATMANI always figured the chat strays off course when the thread has run its course.
In this forum, that happens usually long before topic has run it's course.
Of course I got a major slap in another topic for exhibiting that very typical MR behavior not long ago. Go figure.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
Hi !
It's been about 4 months since my last update and I thought it time to add another. I want to address two topics - selling via the "improved" Ebay, and the status of my interest in Model Railroading.
Regarding the new Ebay...... All of my MR items up for sale ended just days before the new seller requirements kicked in. The monies hit PayPal immediately, and PayPal took their cut at that time, and Ebay took their's monthly. All was well.
When my sales were done, I realized I would have some more stuff to sell so I got a second checking account (separate from any I already have), and gave Ebay the "access" to it. This really didn't sit right with me but it was the safest way to go.
It sat dormant for months until last week, when I sold one item Friday night and another Saturday night. The gross proceeds for the two was $430 + $32 shipping for a total of $462. Of course the monies didn't move from Ebay to my bank over the weekend, nor yesterday (Mon.), nor today (Tue.). The transfer is pending and will be processed this evening. OK, thankfully I don't need the funds now, but I'm sure some folks would.
I got an email from Ebay today detailing the accounting. The net to be transferred to my account is somewhat comparable to what Ebay & PayPal hit me before on earlier sales. That said, I still prefer the old system, but it is what it is..
Regarding my interest in Model Railroading. I still get MR (& Classic Trains, etc.) and while I have no urge in building another layout, I still enjoy looking at the work of others, particularly the "post war" era. Also, several times a day I pass by the display case of HO ATSF & IC locos, and that makes me smile!
In addition, I still have 3 large cabinets of postwar Lionel that I've collected over the years. I would have sold those, but would likely next to nothing for them as prices have tanked over the last 10 or so years. I still like looking at them.
ENJOY !!!
Thank you for the honest assessment of the new eBay system.
I have a lot of stuff I need to sell. Mostly items related to my previous career now that I know I am never going back into that line of work. I should sell them before it all becomes worthless.
Anyone need a set of travel adjustment pins for Detroit Diesel N series fuel injectors?
I am shocked at how drastically Lionel prices have plummeted. Sometimes on ebay I will see a lot of several post-war freight cars for 5-10 dollars each. I remember those all being 50-150 dollars at train shows not too long ago.
Thanks for the update.
Enjoying the hobby from an "armchair" certainly has its advantages. It eliminates any frustrations associated with the models or the actual layout. As I'm building my layout, the tasks are becoming less fun. Getting things just right can challenge the patience.
As far as cashing out the goods, I did the same thing and opened a new checking account specifically for Ebay. I also link Paypal to that account for purchases.
The fees are about the same and the sales proceeds get placed into the account a few days later, just like they said it would work. I also don't bother to keep a PP balance since I just fund the checking account with a simple bank transfer within the bank website.
The new system is fine.
And I think after selling many things about 18 months ago, I'm ready for another much smaller wave of selling excessive models that I'm losing interest in.
Slowly getting closer to Mobilman's status (but a long ways off still)
Wow, I just landed on this forum post, and read the entire thing.
It's always sad to see a layout go, but I understand your want to sell off your possessions for others to enjoy. Its also about time for me to purge some of my fleet to ebay, I have way too much equipment. Im glad all your stuff sold sucessfully!Since you mentioned your love of building over operating, I hope you find the will to build atleast a small diorama or shelf layout to let your locos stretch their legs every once in a while. You might be 76, but you might still have 30 years left to live! That's more time than younger modelers like me have been alive!In anycase though, I really enjoyed reading the journey you took, thanks for sharing!
Charles
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Modeling the Santa Fe & Pennsylvania in HO
Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLb3FRqukolAtnD1khrb6lQ
Instagram (where I share projects!): https://www.instagram.com/trainman440
Thank you Charles, your thoughts are appreciated (as are those of many others).
I recently sold off the remaining MR items, but purposely kept 4 "hi end" car kits to work on when/if the bug hits me. But for now, I just have no interest in building anything MR related, perhaps because a wave of nostalgia might hit.
I have been periodically working on model cars - all kitbashed to reflect those I've owned ('57 Ford ragtop w/312 mill, '75 Gran Torino, '89 5.0L Mustang, etc.).
Have to say, going thru the throes of "aging" can be difficult, but if one has varied interests and hobbies it makes the effects much easier to deal with.
Take care..........oh, I'm now 77 1/2!
Good morning mobileman44
Interesting, you took your layout down a while back and I started putting one up not to long ago. I finished a layout once when I was in my teens. It was layout #3 out of the 4th one I'm on now. I got bored with #3 after I finished it. Perhaps it had something to do with beginning to chase females but in my defence they were a bit more interesting than trains at the time That may have been the most expensive hobby in itself
Well, to make a long story short, I found one and got two lovely daughters out of the deal and 35 years later I'm working on another layout.
There were a few other hobbies in-between such as muscle machines and salt water aquatics as examples that were mastered and then they became a little old. The equatics, not the cars
Nice when you learn from your trial and errors on your former hobbies. Brushing up your skills to excel at the same or moving on to some other hobby you choose next. For me I don't think a finished layout (or any other finished hobby for that matter) will be the excitement as the thrill of the chase is.
Sometimes I think I'm just a bridge builder when I take a look around lately. I love building scratch bridge models. Sure, I have the Rough-in of my layout complete but I've been building bridges for 3 years or so. All my buildings will be scratch built as well so I have a lot to do here.
As far as I'm concerned I could just build models and be happy with that. Keeps me busy and a guy needs to stay busy. If I didn't have something to do with my hands all the time, I would go completely bonkers.
I have that other hobby out in the garage that's more expensive than the trains are. In the summer time I tend to spend most of my attention on that. I don't think it matters what hobby you enjoy, just as long as a guy has something to do with the sense of accomplishment and satisfaction you get from doing it, ...Right?
The car models you're working on sure sound interesting and I would love to see them sometime.
Have a great day mobilman
TF
Track fiddlerPerhaps it had something to do with beginning to chase females but in my defence they were a bit more interesting than trains at the time That may have been the most expensive hobby in itself
Track fiddlerI have that other hobby out in the garage that's more expensive than the trains are.
Track fiddlerIn the summer time I tend to spend most of my attention on that
So to understand your statements correctly, you have a bunch of females out in your garage that you spend a lot of time with in the summer?
Must cost you a fortune to keep them warm and fed during the winter.
maxman Must cost you a fortune to keep them warm and fed during the winter.
mobilman44 Thank you Charles, your thoughts are appreciated (as are those of many others). I recently sold off the remaining MR items, but purposely kept 4 "hi end" car kits to work on when/if the bug hits me. But for now, I just have no interest in building anything MR related, perhaps because a wave of nostalgia might hit. I have been periodically working on model cars - all kitbashed to reflect those I've owned ('57 Ford ragtop w/312 mill, '75 Gran Torino, '89 5.0L Mustang, etc.). Have to say, going thru the throes of "aging" can be difficult, but if one has varied interests and hobbies it makes the effects much easier to deal with. Take care..........oh, I'm now 77 1/2!
Hi,
All thru my early '70s I prided myself on being able to do everything I did when I was younger. I did car/truck maintenance, large yard maintenance, built a large covered deck and workbench, did tons (literally) of rockwork, etc.
Well, I thought I was "invincible" until about a year ago. My stamina went rapidly downhill, and when I got my annual physical a heart problem was found. And of course, the bum knees kicked in again about the same time. So for a year I've had a yard crew, and with some exceptions, have Ford deal with the vehicles. I like to say that 2020-21 was the year "I got old". Believe me, it was unexpected!
It took me awhile, but I've come to accepting the limitations and I've learned to enjoy what I still can do - which IMO is a lot compared to some others.
Still, the key to all this is (for me) is a like minded spouse and a lot of interests. I've stretched my boundaries on music and old movies and literature with great results. As an example, we have watched well over 100 movies from the 30s thru 60s, many of which I never would have watched previously, and it was just amazing at how I found so many of them absolutely outstanding!
Again, thanks for all the good words.......they are appreciated!