SeeYou190I just went back an re-read the OP's original post. 1) He DOES NOT state he wants the layout removed. That was something I read into it. 2) He also does not state the potential "adopter" will relocate the layout. Again, we need more information from the original poster about exactly what the situation with this layout is. -Kevin
All true Kevin BUT 1) no evidence he wants the layout or wants to be a model railroader 2) he wants to know how much he can get for it. If it isn't going to be moved from his house why would an "adopter" pay anything for something which would remain the OP's property?
So I think it is perfectly reasonable to assume he wants to sell it and be done with it and get his basement back. That's the basis on which I replied (above).
Slightly OT but I am reminded that when we bought our house, the seller left all manner of stuff in it that we did not want, such as a stove that no longer worked, her son's dirty laundry in the laundry chute(!), a spoon on the floor, and her first draft of a romance novel she was writing*. That said she also left a reasonably well equipped workbench and tool rack in the basement, and some steel shelving that I still use for holding model trains.
*The plot of her romance novel was of a loyal and faithful wife whose wealthy doctor husband is stolen away from her by a gorgeous but gold-digging young nurse at the hospital where both work. When we asked our new neighbors a little about our seller, they told us her physician husband had abruptly left her for a pretty and youthful nurse he was working with, and they were living just a few blocks away so the kids could visit .... but that that doctor had abruptly left yet an earlier prior wife to take up with the woman who sold the house to us, who had at that time been a young and pretty nurse. That part she left out of her romance novel draft.
Personally I would have been delighted to have found the layout the OP is talking about in my new basement!
dknelsonPersonally I would have been delighted to have found the layout the OP is talking about in my new basement!
Would you have been more or less delighted to also find a young and pretty nurse?
Best way to value is to take the individual cars and locomotives off the layout and itemize them. Then see which buildings can be removed intact without damage and inventory them. The rest is probably a wash between the value of the switches (Turnouts) and the cost of junking the layout structure.
Sadly having dealt with my Dad's stuff, I can see it through that light. As others have said, the items have value, but only a little bit per item and it would take time and money to sell each item. Basically you are looking at less than minimum wage to sell everything.
Calling a railroad club to remove it is a brilliant idea. A true win-win situation.
The OP's first line is "hello fellow train enthusiasts" which would indicate he is a railfan and/or model railroader - or at least could be.
MJ4562Best way to value is to take the individual cars and locomotives off the layout and itemize them. Then see which buildings can be removed intact without damage and inventory them.
I agree that's probably what will work out best, create a list. Even if he doesn't know what a particular car is, most likely just googling the railroad and reporting marks (like "Canadian National 123456 HO freight car" will probably come up with enough info to identify the model company and a rough idea of price/value. If nothing else, it's something he could show or forward to someone who might make an offer on the whole thing, saving the trouble of selling it all piecemeal.
MJ4562Calling a railroad club to remove it is a brilliant idea. A true win-win situation.
Maybe, maybe not. Club I belonged to occasionally had items dumped on our doorstep. Took a lot of time and effort to separate the good from the bad and ugly. And once the good was identified it took up a lot of space until a way was found to get rid of it.
As I see it all that happened was that the effort to dispose of stuff got transfered to another party.
wjstixI agree that's probably what will work out best, create a list. Even if he doesn't know what a particular car is, most likely just googling the railroad and reporting marks (like "Canadian National 123456 HO freight car" will probably come up with enough info to identify the model company and a rough idea of price/value. If nothing else, it's something he could show or forward to someone who might make an offer on the whole thing, saving the trouble of selling it all piecemeal.
^ This ^
Again, knowing the value is going to require some level of work. Even places like Trainz.com need to know what they are buying.
If he already has a buyer ready to buy, OPs will either have to do some work one way or the other, or, he's going to have to rely upon their good character to tell him what he has and the value before he negotiates a price.
- Douglas
Well, it has now been officially one week since the OP first posted, never to be heard from again. This is, of course, part of the "forum culture". Newbie posts first thread with a question and then disappears, possibly forever. Meanwhile, forum members have taken the time to post 35 replies, all good ones I might add, and there have been nearly 2,400 views.
Let me offer up this sad story. My brother-in-law, an avid HO scale modeler most of his adult life, died about 15 years ago, leaving behind a beautiful DC-powered layout in his basement. He had planned for his own demise as a member of a train club. One of those members ran a local train museum and assured him that the club members would disassemble the layout and move it to the museum.
It never happened. The museum did manage to take all of his railroad books for its library and tons of large sized high quality black and white photos of trackside structures, locomotives and rolling stock. His widow asked me a few years back if I could disassemble the layout and dump it and sell anything of value. I was still working, so I had little time, let alone the DC expertise to value , list and sell all of his electronics plus the locomotives and rolling stock, so the layout remained in the basement gathering dust.
Recently, the widow moved to an assisted living facility and her two brothers are cleaning out the house for sale. They plan to move the entire layout and everthing on it to a dumpster. They may ultimately be what the OP will have to do.
Rich
Alton Junction
I doubt the OP comes back. He is likely the Executor of the estate or one of the heirs. They just wanted independent opinions on whether the collection held any value and we answered that already. It does not. At least in the context of an estate. Heirs want their money quickly and to be done with it.
MJ4562 I doubt the OP comes back. He is likely the Executor of the estate or one of the heirs. They just wanted independent opinions on whether the collection held any value and we answered that already. It does not. At least in the context of an estate. Heirs want their money quickly and to be done with it.
I'm currently dealing with that situation as the executor of my sister's estate. It is a tortuous process which I've been through before and swore I never would again but my sister kept insisting and finally I reluctantly relented. If I had it to do over again I would have said NO for about a fourth time. Laws in each state are different but the estate attorney tells me in Pennsylvania it can take a year or more to complete because creditors are given that long to file claims against he estate. In the mean time I'm spending 2 to 4 hours a day dealing with various issues, mostly related to the house which has needed a lot of work just to get it sellable. I almost wish I had just dumped it to a house flipper. We would have gotten a lot less money but I would have had a lot fewer headaches. I ought to have my head examined for agreeing to do this. The only upside is I should get about 4% of the value of the estate but that doesn't begin to make it worthwhile to me.
SeeYou190This does not look like it is in a basement. Where are you? -Kevin
In my opinion, the window in the background does make it look like the layout is in a basement.
Wayne
NVSRRHope this isn't another. Post. And never return. Interested in knowing more.
I was too, but it looks like Post... Never return.
Too bad.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
richhotrain Well, it has now been officially one week since the OP first posted, never to be heard from again.
Well, it has now been officially one week since the OP first posted, never to be heard from again.
richhotrain richhotrain Well, it has now been officially one week since the OP first posted, never to be heard from again. Make that two weeks. Rich
Make that two weeks.
Let it go Rich. He's never coming back.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
It's reasonable to assume that, having seen the replies, he got enough to act on and didn't feel the need to come back with a "thank you". Or couldn't - because he mislaid or forgot his original password and didn't want to monkey around with resetting it.
John
richhotrain richhotrain richhotrain Well, it has now been officially one week since the OP first posted, never to be heard from again. Make that two weeks. Rich Three weeks now. Gotta get back to us soon. No? Rich
Three weeks now. Gotta get back to us soon. No?
BigDaddy Let it go Rich. He's never coming back.