swap meet help

[cmitcham]

i'm off to my first show this weekend. armed with greyhounnd's diesel guide, i will be all set to find deals, but my main goal is rolling stock.

please let me hear your ideas about what to look for. i'm not too interested in rtr, and i'm open to all common types; boxcars, gondolas, hoppers, tankers, etc.

thanks,
calvin.

oh yeah, early passenger cars, too!

[Anonymous]

Time era?

How early is early to when?

Are you doing early diesel(FT) or late diesel or both?

[cmitcham]

well, i hate to rile the purists, but...

i absolutely love any steam engine, and i am in awe of the newest emd diesel. (i have stood inside a crankcase in the chicago assembly plant.)

i will unashamedly run a 70mac on the east track pulling a unit of new coal cars, while on the west track, a general pulls a few 1860 passenger cars. when i scatchbuild my best friend of charleston, it will proudly run all over my layout. there will always be a turntable and roundhouse just because they are beautiful, even if half the stalls are full of diesels. there will be an elaborate yard, so i need lots of cars to classify.

more specifically, my question is more which kit manufacturer to look for. ie, do i get blue box atherns, and replace trucks with metal wheels, or are other kits better? and what is resin, and do i want it?

oh yeah, i don't have east or west tracks yet... or the elaborate yard...

calvin.

[dehusman]

Actually a MR and RMC are good to read before the show. Look at the prices of the discounters. That gives you a lower range of the prices.

It then becomes a "bird in the hand is better than two in the bush" thing. You have to weigh is it better to get that car here now and pay 30% more or hold off and mail order with the possibility of being out of stock.

Generally I buy either the fairly rare (at higher prices), the good deals (MDC cars 3/$100) or the really bargin basement prices (Varney twin hopper carcasses to kitbash into 1905 era SSC or PSC hoppers.)

Dave H.

[Hawks05]

well i went to my first show 2 weeks ago and i bought a locomotive and a caboose for the BN railway. then i bought 4 boxcars and a grain hopper. all 5 were $5. i got 2 Rock Island boxcars, a CSX boxcar, a Burlington Northern Refrigorator car, and a Cargill grain hopper. right now until i get better tools, and learn more on how to do stuff i'm going to get RTR and pre built stuff to use. i don't want to totally screw up something that would be cool.

just look for whatever you want to get. thats what i pretty much did. i found something i liked so i got it. plain and simple.

[Anonymous]

Mitch:

The first and universal rule of swap meets and auctions is: "The money runs out before the deals do." SOOOOOO......make a list of what you want and what you are willing to pay for it. Spend some time doing research on what is currently available and at what cost. Then, rank order what you want. What A, B and C are you willing to pass on to get an X or Y? Then STICK TO IT!! Don't let the heat of the moment run away with you. It happens to everyone, novice and old hand alike. Finally reserve about 20% of your money for the unexpected rareity or compelling value. Also, if you know others who specialize in something and run across it at a good price you might want to get it as "trade bait" for something they have which you lust after. Good luck, good hunting and have fun.

Randy

[Anonymous]

I'd advise buying any blue box Athearn models you're after sooner rather than later, as it looks as though at least some of these are to be discontinued. Look for models that you don't often see advertised such as the Athearn Special Editions.

[Jetrock]

One thing I highly recommend--if you're new to model railroading, look for any place selling cheap books! It doesn't matter if they're 20-30 years old. Get yourself a nice stack of old issues of MR (it's not too hard to find places selling them for 50 cents each) and a few books on subjects that interest you so you can start your library, both for reference and for inspiration.

Other things that would be good for a new model railroader to pick up: Some inexpensive structure kits. Old-timers may not be impressed by Atlas or Bachmann easy-build kits, but they're a good way to develop basic modeling skills and won't hurt the budget, especially purchased at a railroad show for less than the already-low retail price. They can also provide you with a bit more than the bare tabletop or plywood where the beginning railroad lives--and provide a little of that all-important background color to spur the imagination. They can also be used as "place holders" for structures you're going to build someday.

Basic tools are also good things to pick up--diagonal cutters, needle-nose pliers, soldering irons, X-Acto knives, jewelry files--and typically there's at least one vendor who specializes in tools.

I have a rule of never buying anything on the first pass--it means I occasionally miss out on some things but it prevents impulse purchases that I'll later regret.

[yellowducky]

A tip I'll pass on to cmitcham is to take $1's & $5's to make your own change. I try to never ask if they will take $7 for an item marked $9 while holding out a 10-spot. Get the point? And don't be afraid to talk, and ask questions. Sometimes I've paid the price and either got a good deal on something else, or got twice my money's worth in advice and information. Most important, go to have fun. Enjoy the people, enjoy the conversations, enjoy the trains, enjoy the day[:)].
Look for a good time! FDM

[Anonymous]

I owuld second the advice about getting tools. Swap meets are great. I got flush cutters that are normally $20 - $25 (at full retail) for $2 at the swap meets I have attended. "Despruers" for $1 versus $10+.

Parts are also sometimes good - like wheels or couplers. Sometimes you might find someone who has just upgraded their fllet to Kadee #58s, so are selling #5s in bulk. Or someone else may have standardized on Proto metal wheels, leaving the bag of Intermountains for you (choose your own example).

You do have to be careful of the sellers that are looking to make a profit, or stuff that has been around for a long time. Someone may have bought it last year, and decided it was not the deal they thought. They are counting on you to cover their loss...

All the points above are great, but especially heed the "money runs out before the deals" part! That is a rule that cannot be broken...

Andrew

[nfmisso]

Calvin;

Take a bag or case of some sort to carry your purchases; a back pack or shoulder bag works well.

The other item I carry is a list of all of my cars and locomotives - I have got a few duplicates due to not keeping my list up to date.

Convert all of your money to $1-, as FDM said, it is much easier to haggle.

When I go to a meet, I walk around looking at everything, then on the second go around, make purchases.

[Jetrock]

Second the bag or case idea--I always take some sort of shoulder bag or backpack. It makes carrying things *much* easier than walking around with a dozen little plastic shopping bags.

[Hawks05]

i need to put that on my list of things to bring this weekend. a back. my first show i was lucky as the people i went with were selling stuff so i had a bag there but this one i probably would have forgotten.

also i need to take the advice of bringing $1's and $5's. i have all $20's now so i don't think that will look good.

i would also suggest getting books. i've bought 3 so far and i've probably been in the hobby 3-4 weeks. also just buying MR and Trains. both are helpful in finding info on what you are modeling and learning some of the lingo.

2ndly find someone that lives by you or you know that is into MRR and ask for help. my friend who got me started is probably the best person i know. i work out with him at the hospital and he's always telling me to come over if i need help or if i just want to look at his layout. those are the kind of people you really need to find in case you need help.

[cmitcham]

thanks everyone...

i would not have thought of carrying stuff, i'll have my backpack.

i would not have thought of small bills, my $100 allowance will be 5's and 1's.

i will discipline myself against impulse buying, a 30% savings is the same as buy 3, get one for free!

i will concentrate on finding proto-picure books, and a walthers catalog.

calvin.

[Hawks05]

ya i found the 2003 Walthers HO Reference guide for $3. its not 2004 but the only difference is probably prices and new products. no biggy to me as long as i have a guide to look at and help make decisions. i'm tempted to bring a back pack but i think i'm going to just use a Target bag or something. maybe put a few empty check boxes in it and maybe some plastice bags.

[Anonymous]

I'm going to a huge toy show in Novi, Michigan in January. They always have a BIG HO layout and a lego layout and a lionel layout. Last time I was there the lionel guys let me help out with the layout! I got to "drive" a N&W J, a New York Central Niagra, and a UP Challenger. I'm saving up my money so I can get a loco and maybe a few cars and some more track. I've really got my eye on one of those Spectrum 4-8-2 Mountains in the UP scheme.[;)]

[Hawks05]

just got home from the show. went armed with $100 and a plastic bag. i had a $20 bill in my wallet that i wasn't going to use but i did.

here's what i came home with:

Milwaukee Road gondola
Chicago & Northwestern Coal hopper
Mid Continent Petroleum tank
Wisconsin Central boxcar
Frisco grain hopper
Norfolk Southern grain hopper
Canadian National boxcar
Burlington Northern gondola
and the best of all:
Chicago, Burlington, & Quincy GP40 Atlas locomotive

the CB&Q is in brand new condition. normally like $100 i guess and i got it for $45. originally $50.

also picked up a load of Large Wooden Cable Reels for the gondolas and a set of 10 pieces of corrugated aluminum sheets for one of the gondolas.

should be fun running all of this.

[Jetrock]

Sounds like a pretty good haul! Don't feel too bad about spending your last $20--at the last show I attended, not only did I spend the last $20 but I went to the portable ATM they set up out front and pulled out another $60 to spend...

[Hawks05]

ouch. if they would have had a ATM outside i would have to. i now have like $711 in my ATM but only $189 in checking. parents won't let me bring my checkbook to shows because i'll spend all of it. i wi***hey had a ATM because i would have bought this:

http://1stplacehobbies.com/cgi-bin/prod.asp?pn=140-4834

it would have been a GP40 though. same look though. i wish i could have gotten that. also would have gotten a BN GP40 "White Face" that would have made 4 locos today. probably $200 though.

i bought so much because the next show isn't until the end of January. that means i'll be buying a couple of locomotives off the net and probably through Terminal Hobby. also means i have to buy a ton of Kadee #5 couplers and probably another 10-15 cars.