What if...

[Anonymous]

It's Wednesday night-lottery night, and the jackpot is $40 million dollars. You're feeling lucky, so you run down to the corner store and buy a couple of quick picks. Later that night, you check the numbers to find YOU'VE WON!...
After paying off all those bills, buying those new vehicles, that fine big house and taking your wife on a month long cruise. What model railroading items would you buy, build, etc ?.

trainluver1

[trolleyboy]

I'm selfish so I'd probably start a manufacturing operation that focussed on passenger equipment streetcars and their assoisated buildings. Rob

[selector]

A BLI all-metal K-4, a 2-10-4 Texan (CP called it the 'Selkirk'), and I'd entice Aggro and Joe to come up for a 'holiday', all expenses and big bonus, to build me a ginormous layout. I would help, of course, but only as an apprentice. [:D][:D][:D]

[siberianmo]

Hmmmmmmmmm - 40 million, up front cash ... taxes already paid and ready for spending. Now, my fantasy spending would be to purchase back those RDC's that BC Rail used to run between N. Vancouver, BC and Prince George, BC. I'd make whatever arrangements needed to get 'em back on the line and run some sort of a scheduled service along the route.

But of course, I'd soon be broke, so I'd have to hold out a few bucks for the purchase of more lottery tickets.

See ya! [tup] [}:)]

[davekelly]

Hmmmmm. I guess I'd finally give DCC a try!

[Anonymous]

Buy and run a set of 1st generation railcars (have spent long enough driving these in Train Sim!). Buy a disused station, relay the track and use it as a base for restoring these. Buy a couple of heavy low-loaders to move them to and from preserved lines - could probably make enough from hiring them out to cover a significant portion of running costs. In any spare time between rebuilding rescued "basket case" units I'd probably be ordering most of the LGB catalogue!

[davekelly]

Would kind of be fun to phone Walthers, Trainworld etc and just say "send one of everything!"

[selector]

Here, in Canada, since there is no tax on windfall, I'd tell 'em to send two of everything. [:D]

[rtraincollector]

Okay its only tuesday but any way I guess I would first buy and have a building aprox 24' x 48' to start my dream vacation then it would be time to sit down and start bidding on all those trains I never could afford befor

Boy did i get ahead of myself there [banghead]. I ment dream layout I was going to say what cars what house and deffintly no vacation like betty and wilma use to say on the flintstones it would be a big

CHARGE at the hobby shop

[Anonymous]

Buy an old abandoned Wal-Mart, Target, K-mart building or have one built. Than hire someone to build me the worlds largest layout, with multiple levels. Or just start my own model railroad manufacturing company, or buy an existing one.[:D][8D][;)][:)]

[Anonymous]

See if I coul beat Ken McCory's record for largst home layout.

DRew

[Anonymous]

Start a Railroad/Model Railroad museum![:D]

[espeefoamer]

First,I wouln get a BLI cab forward or two,a PRR T1,a few RSD15s in both SP and Santa Fe blue and yellow,then I would cross Canada on VIA from Vancouver to Halifax[:)][:D][8D][:p]!

[selector]

Darn, Jonathon, you already have the 'best' answer. I should have thought of that one. I agree completely that a solidly founded..er, I mean.."funded" rail museum would be the cat's posterior (they bleeped @rse). You could even run your own steamers! (Oh, oh, oohhhh!)

[dragenrider]

I'd buy my own shortline railroad.....and then model it!!!! [:D]

[Adelie]

Funny you should mention that. The lottery here is about $72 million. My experience is, in a lump sum and after taxes, the result is about 35%. On $72 million, that is $25.2 million. Let's say we have two winning tickets, so the net is $12.6 million.

My plan would be to spend $2.6 million on housing (including the railroad building, and it will be a dedicated building), leaving $10 million. Even at 4%, that is $400k a year. I think I can build quite an empire on that, and still eke by. Since neither my wife or I are into cars or expensive toys, those number seem to be "comfortable."

So, my job description:
18 holes of golf and an average of 4 hours of model railroading a day. Some days more, some less. Overtime is 27 holes and 6 hours.

Of coure, then reality hits. I'd still be my wife's mule around the house!

[selector]

Yeah, but don't ya just luuuuuuuvvee it, Mark? [;)]

[davekelly]

Mark,
You and your wife must be very thrifty folks to assume you could get by on only $400K per year. Man - that's belt tightening!! lol lol lol

I just had this thought run through my mind. How about a 1 to 1 roster of Pennsy locomotives for a given year? All with sound and DCC of course.

The guys at Tony's will love me!

Oh yeah - buy out MTH and let Soundtrax, QSI etc. get on with their products. lol

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by selector

Darn, Jonathon, you already have the 'best' answer. I should have thought of that one. I agree completely that a solidly founded..er, I mean.."funded" rail museum would be the cat's posterior (they bleeped @rse). You could even run your own steamers! (Oh, oh, oohhhh!)

My thoughts exactly! If I won the lottery everyone would be able to see a Big Boy run again..........[8D][;)]

[underworld]

I'd probably buy my own short line!!!!!

underworld

[:D][:D][:D][:D][:D]

[sully57]

QUOTE: Originally posted by trainluver1


After paying off all those bills, buying those new vehicles, that fine big house and taking your wife on a month long cruise. What model railroading items would you buy, build, etc ?

Well, trainluvr, I think that I would pretty much follow your 'train' of thought. The only difference is, I think you've got your priorities backwards. First, I would satisfy ALL of my railroading items fantasy list. And THEN, and only then, if there's any money left over, I would consider paying off all those bills, buy those new vehicles, buy that big house, and do the month long cruise thing. LOL -Sully