pcman43 wrote:Hmmmm Well I guess I am like most of the guys here, probably not enough but tooo much at the same time. The bad part about it is when you do not have a train room, and all you have available is a hayloft in the barn. Believe me this makes it to be quite costly, some where in the neighborhood of about $6000.00 to insulate, drywall, lighting, electrical services, and air-conditioning in a 20 X 30 room. Then on top of that deciding to go with two major Digitrax sytems, installing decoders in 20 something locos then discovering sound and starting over with more decoders. I guess I got it bad will spend $400 - $600 at almost every train show, no LHS's in my home town. I got it so bad I will go and buy KD no 5's to outfit the whole fleet of 250 cars at one time do not care about the cost ,, LOL. The first layout killed my marriage 20 years ago so now I am trying to build my dream layout. So I guess in all reality I spend about $1500 - $2000 a year and thats just an educated guess, afraid to really know exactly how much.
Did the layout kill your marriage or did the marriage kill the layout ? I try to get my wife involved. So far her involvement is going to train shows to shop. I have a number of things I don't need right now but she feels she has contributed and I get to buy many more things that I do need. I was going to buy her a UT-4 so she could operate things easily but I've realized that they don't support switches and I just installed DS64 stationary decoders.
Engineer Jeff NS Nut Visit my layout at: http://www.thebinks.com/trains/
Last few years been averaging about 2k a year. This includes dues to "the club" and also benchwork/track on home layout. I agree with Texas Zepher; once I got serious about RR/locale/era, it became much easier to budget. We are blessed with soooo many EXCELENT models nowdays, you have to narrow your focus or you'll go broke. Still sometimes, I head for LHS thinking couplers, wheelsets, lube,paint and end up leaving with new loco. Then I get home; darn, still can't finish those projects, I blew my monthly allowance!!
Last year I spent about $1,200. About $600 of that was building my first layout (8x6). This year I have spent about $800, mostly on rolling stock. With a couple months to go, I probably won't reach $1,000 for this year. On average, I visit my LHS once a week, and usualy spend about $20. When it comes time to build my "dream layout", I'll probably spend about the same or more on layout materials... Geez, that means it's going to take about 5 years to complete!
Jermey
I guess about $500 a year or less
I havent bought a new locomotive in a couple of years, my last loco I bought used at a show near Arcola,IL last spring. I like to buy ones that need some improvements, like new motor, better gears, etc. I enjoy doing this work, because I rebuild it as what I need
Life is simple - eat, drink, play with trains!
Go Big Red!
PA&ERR "If you think you are doing something stupid, you're probably right!"
CAZEPHYR wrote:Maybe some of us should join TRAINS ANONYMOUS !! If you have more than one hundred models that have never been opened and used, consider buying a few less in the coming year or joining TA. I recently found unbuilt kits and locomotives purchased in the 1960's era.
Maybe some of us should join TRAINS ANONYMOUS !!
If you have more than one hundred models that have never been opened and used, consider buying a few less in the coming year or joining TA.
I recently found unbuilt kits and locomotives purchased in the 1960's era.
CAZEPHYR wrote: TRAINS ANONYMOUS !! If you have more than one hundred models that have never been opened and used, consider buying a few less in the coming year or joining TA. I recently found unbuilt kits and locomotives purchased in the 1960's era.
TRAINS ANONYMOUS !!
Sign Me Up.
I'm a trainoholic and can't pass up a good deal. I just spontaniously purchased another 3 locomotives off e-bay last night (top of the line units with DCC/sound for under $100). I need help.
I am not interested in total sums spend. What is more interesting and might make justifying the hobby to your loved ones easier is the amount of money per hour you spend on your hobby. Years ago Tony Koester adressed this problem in one of his Trains of Thought columns in MR. It went something like this: yes I spend 300 $ on this kit but it took me 60 hours to finish it so it came down to 5 $ per hour.
And don't forget that, in my opinion, you get more bang for the buck compared to, say, going to a ballgame or drink beer or whiskey in a bar. Whenever you enter your trainroom that investment is still there but can you say the same of going to the ballpark?
Other observations: it seems that many of us are a bit prone to binge spending, I know I am.
And once I got addicted to buying railroad books and magazines. It started out slowly but accelerated and after 2 years I was at a point where I bough books and magazines worth around 100 guilders each weekend. It took half a year of doing that and then I realized that I didn't even take off the plastic wrappers of most of the things I had bought. The pile of unread books and magazine had grown to over half a meter. It took considerably longer to read all that stuff! And it was must have it stuff too, just as some have described here with their buying model railroad things.
I just got around to building my first module. So far the cost is 35 Euro's for the wood, screws, glue and paint. I had it done as I am not good at those kind of things. I am using glueshell scenery and use strips from old file folders for a web and then an old bedsheet ripped in pieces and drowned in white glue. I spend around 10 Euro's on the glue. I bought some scenery stuff for about 50 dollars and later this year I have to buy track and ballast and more scenery stuff.
greetings,
Marc Immeker
8500HPGASTURBINE wrote:I spend around $700.00 to $1300.00 a month. Sometimes I spend $1200.00 on Ebay in a day. I have a room completly filled with items for my new RR. I buy knowing I will use it all when the time comes to build. That way I don't have to spend a fortune all at once. I have boxes of new Shinohara track, switches, scenery materal, Boxes of Woodland Scenics stuff, 1000,s of Preiser People, ect. Everything for a huge DCC system. I want to be able to start the layout and have everything I need there. I also have 15 South River Model buildings, 36 Fine Scale Kits, 11 Master Creation kits, 10 Sheepscot kits, almost ALL Builders In Scale, and almost ALL Sierra West kits, and almost everything Campbell made. I bought them over several years. I have quite a few of them already built and stored on the Diaorma till it comes time to palce them on the layout. I build one about every 4 weeks or so.
D*mn, what is your occupation?
"Being misunderstood is the fate of all true geniuses"
EXPERIMENTATION TO BRING INNOVATION
http://community.webshots.com/album/288541251nntnEK?start=588
None yet..... I just started and will probably spend about $450 to $600 on the Loco, rolling stock, track and power pack. Do you guys buy direct from the manufacturer (Atlasrr.com, Walthers.com, etc...) or do you shop at your local dealers?
Since December 1, 2005, I’ve spent exactly $2466.99 in a newbie start-up mode, and that covers everything down to Exacto blades. I keep track on a spreadsheet because that way I can defend myself if my wife makes an uninformed general statement like “you’re spending too much on trains.”
It’s certainly a lot less than I’ve spent over the years collecting guitars. Since she’s hooked on QVC and HSN or whatever, I don’t catch too much flack.
Sorry to say but nothing. Several trips to the Hobby Shops and 6 or 8 Train Shows have left this fixed income person in shock. The prices have gone way beyond what we old folks can afford.. Be putting money into finishing the basemen so as tohave a room for my layout (N Scale). Gess I'll have lots of room left over as I will use what I presently have in boxes. Maybe I can get on Deal or No Deal.
Don't feel bad. I keep track of all my purchases in Quicken om my computer and I spend about $3000.00 a year. I was shocked the first time I checked but what the heck. We all have our weaknesses. Mine is model railroading. I do expect it to decline a bit after the layout is complete but then I may start over as many have. There's nothing like a few good operating sessions to point out the flaws.
Daverailrd
I have been in N-Scale since 1968-1969. One does not realize ones accumulation until you sit down and do a replacement cost for insurance. A Passenger Station kit that cost $33.00 in 1983 now has a replacement cost of $69.00 in 2006. Some of your older engines may not be as good as the ones made today, however, consider that you can not replace some of them since they are no longer made.
My average would be approximately $800.00 to $1,000.00 per year.
Too much or too little, I never seem to know. Mondo hit the nail on the head about a few points. If my wife complains (which she RARELY does) about my $100-$300 per month spending, she quickly realizes that it could be worse: I could be spending that much chasing a lil' white ball around a nicely manicured lawn, gambling or worse, at a bar. The advantages are SO many, but as mondo said, she always knows where I am, we have our alone time (VERY important in a marriage), and the lil' ones LOVE it (gives her more alone time when I am building/working on it with them). Of note, it does help that I sometimes wait to make "big" purchases until after she buys a pair of shoes, a dress, etc... Hard for her to complain then!!!
Brian
High 6 figures.
Oh, wait, we own an internet hobbyshop!
That might have something to do with it.
www.wig-wag-trains.com
Too much,
Too frightened to add up the numbers. I'd say more now that manufacturers seem to run batches and you have to grab it while you can or potentially miss out.
Nige.
Over the course of the summer here in duluth I can easily spend 2+ grand on model trains.. I just choose not to. Not that I don't want to but for the sake that I need a lot of that money. But over a year I will spend maybe 2000 dollars. I've got a quite a few shows I attend!
Happy railroading
James