I bought a couple of Walthers Trainline GP15s when they were priced for under $50. They are great runners. All I added was a Miniatronics directional constant lighting kits to each one. For some reason, BLI's Blueline never quite took off, but I bought one of their UP "Big Boys" locomotives, and I have to admit that it's one of my faves. The other is BLI's Santa Fe 4-8-4 Northern locomotives. It has their old Quantum decoder in it, and I plan to upgrade it to one of their Paragon decoders.
Marlon
See pictures of the Clinton-Golden Valley RR
Now for those of you that wood scratch build or wood kit build, I picked up on e-bay a Shay-Wood-Miter for $25 with other tools, sold the other tools so I got the item for about $0. It was $225 when new and so rare that it still goes for a premium, if you can find one. For those just into the train part, picked up a 0-6-0 brass swither for $15 at a swap meet and at a train show I picked up a nicely built poultry car from Ambroid for $5 as he got it with a bounch of brass which is what he dwelt with.
One of my best purchases was at one of the Timonium shows. On the White Elephant table I found an N scale plastic Jorden Spreader made by Canadian Models. I have been in N scale since the beginning and never even knew this piece of MOW equipment existed. It has an MT coupler on the rear. I purchased it for $30.00, as it was so rare an item.
I also purchased a Hallmark brass U33C new in the box on ebay for $75.00. Runs smoothly and is very quiet for a brass engine. Crawls really smoothly at slow speeds and top speed is not excessive. I will paint and decal it some day in BN or ATSF.
A couple years ago I went to my LHS (in Northern California) and a stack of used stuff was sitting there, someone had dropped off. It had a modern GE AC44 Athearn RTR in it with I think 4 Athern B.B. box cars. I asked how much and was shocked to hear $30.
I offered $50 — but the LHS owner said no, it’s $30 incl tax.I later discovered the AC44 was equipped with a silent decoder as well.
That was the best deal. Stuff was about $165 new, little used.
I bought a "Green Max" engine house kit for $5.00 once. I thought I might be able to "Americanize" it for my layout. Then I found out it was N scale.
.
It sat on the shelf for years, one day I decided to open it up and see if it could be converted into an industrial building.
SURPRISE!!! That kit was LOADED with tons of detail parts suitable for HO. Pipes, ventilators, roof vents, boxes, bins, etc., and so on...
If I would have bought all those details seperately, it would have been well over $100.00! That was a great surprise.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Ten or so years ago I bought a Bachmann GP30 with decoder (not sound) at Timonium for about $30. I would have passed, but it was in Great Northern livery, so...
What with it being a Bachmann and all, I didn't expect much from it. I figured I was probably just throwing $30 away, but I was really interested to see just how big a pile of junk this thing was. How badly would it run? Would it run?
I got it home, programmed the address into the decoder, and plopped it onto the layout.
What a pleasant surprise! It not only ran, it ran well! Starting speed was a tad high, but it acclerated smoothly and was not at all jerky when in motion. It didn't run as well as my several-hundred-dollar steamers, but at thirty bucks this little beastie was a real champ!
Detail isn't up there with Kato and Atlas, and it doesn't run as well as their offerings, but then again it was less than a third the cost of their least expensive models.
I was very impressed. Not enough to buy more of them (I'm a steam guy almost exclusively, after all), but I was still impressed.
Mark P.
Website: http://www.thecbandqinwyoming.comVideos: https://www.youtube.com/user/mabrunton
Thanks, Dan. While I didn't get a deal on her like some of your purchases, I'm still very happy with her.
The Proto 2000 S1 was one of the first locos I picked up when I got into the hobby in the mid-2000s. I think I paid near 1/4 MSRP. Yea, that's a sweet till switcher. My two Trix Mikes would be my other two jewels that I both got for aroud 1/3 MSRP. And they, too, run as smooth as glass.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
In the early 2000s I bought quite a few P2K freight car kits at what I knew were already great deals at close out prices from... I think Train World.. I also bought a good number of Blue Box kits, at MSRP at my LHS, especially flat cars. What I didn't know at the time was that these kits would soon be discontinued and RTR would about triple the price. Glad I got in under that wire!
Around that time Train World was blowing out P2K Alco S-(?)s diesel switchers at about 1/3 msrp. They ran SO smoothy! Still do.
There are many eBay scores on items the seller had no clue about. Such as "broken" because the smoke box cover was simply popped out, on a brand new locomotive. 1/3 msrp.
Oh! I bought a Cary USRA heavy boiler for a Mantua 2-8-2. Already a steal with all the brass details included, it also came with a Mellor brass cab and details, not listed. Yeah, there have been other 'bay purcaces that had surprises not listed thrown in too. Gotta love a deal.
Beautiful little locomotive you got too. Dan
Nice little engine Tom!
tstageSo, is there anything in your roster or on your layout that you've acquired over the years that brings a smile to your face and causes you to think to yourself, "Now THAT was a good purchase!"
That's a hard answer to zero in on! I look at just about everything that I own model railroad wise and I am happy with the purchases. It would be easier to identify the stinkers, but I won't ruin the thread by going there.
I do have my favourites. For example, I have a fleet of InterMountain F series locomotives in CP maroon and grey which I really like. I have a fleet of cabooses that started out as BB el cheapos. After a bit of work I think they look great, and considering what I paid for most of them, I think that they are one of my best purchases. I'll also go out on a limb here and say that my favourite purhases include all the scratch building supplies that I have acquired and worked with over time. In terms of hobby 'value', they might be the greatest.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Have you ever bought something MRR-related - new or used - that turned out better than you anticipated; perhaps even in ways you didn't expect?
I purchased a late-70s brass Alco Models NYC B-11L 0-6-0 switcher about 1-1/2 years ago. Since I presently do not have a layout it's been sitting in its box. It's a handsome little beast that I'm hoping to paint & detail someday, as well as add a DCC decoder to it:
Since I don't have a layout I assembled a Christmas train for the first time this year. It's made up of road names that are significent to either places lived or favorite vacation spots of my wife and I. While I like DCC, the Christmas train is strictly DC.
This has given me an unexpected opportunity to break-in my brass 0-6-0, as it and the various rolling stock loop around an imaginary tree. And, even though it's not painted yet, I find this little brass switcher quite enjoyable to watch. (And it runs nicely, too. I'm just a sucker for switchers. ) I'm figuring after a couple of hours of back 'n forth at different speeds, it's going to run even better at low-speed.
So, is there anything in your roster or on your layout that you've acquired over the years that brings a smile to your face and causes you to think to yourself, "Now THAT was a good purchase!" I look forward to your answers.