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Would you keep a set if you could never run it

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Would you keep a set if you could never run it
Posted by rtraincollector on Thursday, November 15, 2007 10:28 PM

What I'm getting at is I have a passenger set (B&O) but the problem is I could never have a layout to run it as it takes over O-27 track (I've tried it jumps the track to tight) and I don't and don't see in the future where I will have the room for a larger layout so I could.

   So would you keep the set anyway? Its A-B-B-A and 6 passenger cars 18" long each (19" end of coupler to end of coupler) so I'm about 14' long. It really needs O-63 or larger to look right unless you don't mind cutting curves big time.

 

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Posted by LL675 on Thursday, November 15, 2007 11:38 PM
unless it had sentimental value, or I just really liked it, no.

Dave

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Posted by gvdobler on Thursday, November 15, 2007 11:51 PM

I've kept many things I couldn't use, and some things I don't even remember what they are used for.

I would hate to venture a guess at what is still in boxes and never been opened, and not just train stuff. My never realized HO pike has much equipment still new in boxes. and some NIB G, and even some NIB N.

But, O is my favorite to have unopened, I guess because I can now afford all that stuff I wanted as a kid.Smile [:)]

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Posted by 3railguy on Friday, November 16, 2007 12:17 AM

You might consider a loop of large radius Fastrack for occasional floor track running.

 

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Posted by Frank53 on Friday, November 16, 2007 12:46 AM
Can't think of a reason to keep it. 18" cars on o27? You can wipe out entire towns with that overhang. Work within your limitations - there is plenty of great stuff out there which would look fine running on o27.
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Posted by jimhaleyscomet on Friday, November 16, 2007 2:20 AM

Is there a nearby club where you could run it.  If so, I would definately keep it.  The other option would bed a floor layout once in a while.... So I guess I would keep it if I liked it.

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Posted by Jumijo on Friday, November 16, 2007 5:03 AM

 

RT,

unless you are really attached to it, I'd suggest selling it. And this is THE time of the year to be selling. Especially on eBay.  

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Posted by otftch on Friday, November 16, 2007 7:11 AM

How about displayng it on a shelf where it could be admired ? One day I'll have a pair of centipedes doing just that.

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Posted by cnw1995 on Friday, November 16, 2007 7:16 AM
I guess if you like it enough, and you're not happy just displaying it, reconsider if you could install a loop of 064 or 072 just for it. You might be surprised at what you can fit.

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Posted by Bob Keller on Friday, November 16, 2007 7:49 AM
If you like it - keep it.

You never know what the future may bring and sometime in the future you might have a chance to run'er like you'd want to.

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Posted by sir james I on Friday, November 16, 2007 8:03 AM
If I really liked it yes I would keep it. Just knowing I have it works for me. Although I have a layout and can run I have things still in the boxes.

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Posted by J. Daddy on Friday, November 16, 2007 8:21 AM

May sound strange but all my prewar and post war O guage I have aquired I cannot run, don't have the track. But then you forget, how about Christmas? I have about 10 O gauge sets that are shelf princesses year round, hopefully this year I will find a deal on some fast track and set it up around the tree, if not, sure is nice to display. Has a great WoW factor when the relatives come over.

Do you have a club near by or a friend that has something set up? Its always nice to have a set that travels. A friend of mine is setting up his 0 guage layout with 0-31 radii, you bet I will be over with a set in hand to run at his place....

I was thinking you could trade up for a nicer set, but how do you beat the set you already have? Unless you are looking for a different road name and paint scheme? Then keep it, enjoy it and trade at a later date. 

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Posted by rtraincollector on Friday, November 16, 2007 8:57 AM

Was a wild thought but more I think the more I want to just keep it to admire as it took me about a year to put it all together and they are nice to lok at even if I cant run them and on the shelves I built they acually go on three walls to put in one line lol 3' then 7' then 4' so it is nice to see and thats just one A and one B the other A and B are pulling a freight line of mainly B&O train cars. (my room is 7' X 8' the 8' walls one has a closet and the in out door the other has a window the 7' walls are solid walls but one buts up to the inout door and the door swings that direction.

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Posted by SotaPop on Friday, November 16, 2007 9:03 AM

Keep it ... for now.

Over the years I have collected trains from different scales.  I find it comforting to know I have them in a box that I can open anytime - set 'em up and run 'em on the floor.

I too encountered a space issue with some of my trains and so I'm motivating myself to build a ceiling perimeter layout with O-72 curves that will consist of 2 tracks.  One track is 5-railed Gargraves which will run O or StdGg trains and the other will be an HO loop to run some of my boyhood trains.

My hope is that by building a shelf layout where I can actually run some of my boxed-trains, I may just find that I could part with some of them that I desire less than others.  Then I wouldn't feel so bad about getting rid of one knowing that I've had the opportunity to run it on some track.

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Posted by Anonymous on Friday, November 16, 2007 9:15 AM

Keep it.

Never say never. If it was me, I would get a large radius loop and run it on the living room floor. I think my space would be about 15x15 feet. Sufficient for a very large loop for that big train.

Do you have a power pack big enough to feed that train?

If you sell, you might regret it and spend your future hunting for another just like it.

If you are absolutely must gotta run it, do it outside on a set of portable tables on good ground and in dry weather. Hopefully the neighbors will leave you alone or might label you the neighborhood crazy train man he he.

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Posted by rtraincollector on Friday, November 16, 2007 9:20 AM

biggest room in house is livingroom but even if took furniture out (and wife chop my head off) I still would have a max of 13' wide with furniture most room have is about 6' . But still plan to keep as stated was a wild thought more thought/slept on it realized didn't really want ot sell who knows what 5 years down the road would bring maybe a better place with more room then I'd kick myself but do have a lot going starting thanksgiving weekend.

Power pack yes I have a old ZW that works fine

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Posted by IRONROOSTER on Friday, November 16, 2007 9:34 AM

I'm in the keep it group.  I have Lionel Large Scale, Lionel 027, O scale, HO scale, N scale, and I'm currently working with S scale.  Eventually I hope to have both scale and toy trains running in multiple scales. 

Enjoy

Paul 

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Posted by ChiefEagles on Friday, November 16, 2007 9:38 AM
Bet it would look good on my 072 curves. Wink [;)]  Just joking.  You might get to a point that you will have larger curves [shelf layout or something] or get to run on someone else's layout or even a club in your area.  If you really like it, keep it.  If it does not suit you, then sell it.  Don't want you to feel sorry after it is gone.

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Posted by Anonymous on Friday, November 16, 2007 10:13 AM

Regarding radius, I ran o-27 as a kid because that was all we had and little nit picking things like appearences etc was not revelant because the trains were designed for 0-27. Sure the BSME layout with it's sweeping railroad in O gauge and large locos was excellent but at home the living room floor was all we had at the time.

The HO railroad Im working on has 31 inch to start. I totally ignored the 18 or 22" radius because I have full length equiptment that needs the big radius. I may not get options I would like to have but I am at peace knowing I can run pretty much anything except the most rigid frame brass articuleds that are out there.

I advocate keeping it and finding common ground with the spouse to run it once every three months or so for a day. That way you can get some enjoyment out of it. Personally I spend a limited amount of money on some very expensive (To me) items and they need to run not sit in a box.

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Posted by rtraincollector on Friday, November 16, 2007 10:18 AM

 ChiefEagles wrote:
Bet it would look good on my 072 curves. Wink [;)]  Just joking.  You might get to a point that you will have larger curves [shelf layout or something] or get to run on someone else's layout or even a club in your area.  If you really like it, keep it.  If it does not suit you, then sell it.  Don't want you to feel sorry after it is gone.

 

Maybe next summer I'll bring it over to your place and we can run it for a while (conventional mode of coarse lol) your only about 5 1/2 hours away . lol sure would look nice on that NS line having the supior B&O running on it

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Posted by traindaddy1 on Friday, November 16, 2007 1:31 PM

I'm sort of in the same situation. My SantaFe F3 ABA Diesels and Aluminum 'Silver' series passenger cars are (I think) real beauties BUT my available running space does not do them justice.

I am definitely keeping them Thumbs Up [tup] and dreaming of the time that I'll have the room Zzz [zzz].

Sign - Off Topic!! [#offtopic] From past experience, I've learned that the day after I dispose of something, whether it is a train or anything else that appears to have no future in my possession, an "if-I-only-still-had-it" opportunity suddenly appears. Banged Head [banghead]  

I'd keep it.      Thanks for asking.

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Posted by fifedog on Saturday, November 17, 2007 6:48 AM
 J. Daddy wrote:

May sound strange but all my prewar and post war O guage I have aquired I cannot run, don't have the track. But then you forget, how about Christmas? I have about 10 O gauge sets that are shelf princesses year round, hopefully this year I will find a deal on some fast track and set it up around the tree, if not, sure is nice to display. Has a great WoW factor when the relatives come over.

Do you have a club near by or a friend that has something set up? Its always nice to have a set that travels. A friend of mine is setting up his 0 guage layout with 0-31 radii, you bet I will be over with a set in hand to run at his place....

I was thinking you could trade up for a nicer set, but how do you beat the set you already have? Unless you are looking for a different road name and paint scheme? Then keep it, enjoy it and trade at a later date. 

Sign - Ditto [#ditto]  A good friend of mine has made himself familiar with some of the clubs in our region, and frequently takes his big'uns to run on their layouts.  If you looked around a bit, I bet you could have those engines and varnish stretch their legs.  Keep'em rt.

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Posted by fifedog on Saturday, November 17, 2007 6:53 AM
 rtraincollector wrote:

 ChiefEagles wrote:
Bet it would look good on my 072 curves. Wink [;)]  Just joking.  You might get to a point that you will have larger curves [shelf layout or something] or get to run on someone else's layout or even a club in your area.  If you really like it, keep it.  If it does not suit you, then sell it.  Don't want you to feel sorry after it is gone.

 

Maybe next summer I'll bring it over to your place and we can run it for a while (conventional mode of coarse lol) your only about 5 1/2 hours away . lol sure would look nice on that NS line having the supior B&O running on it

Funny you should mention this...Did you know that the spectacular new NS OCS is pulled by a set of refurbished F-units (#4270 & 4271), which just so happen to be original B&O diesels?

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Posted by cmrj on Saturday, November 17, 2007 8:10 AM

 The set's I have bought cought my eye, the railroad's run or or ran in the past in my area.  Like the Chicago & Alton , and the  BNSF, there yard  is about 6 mile's from me. Even if you can't run your set display it and enjoy it. You never know what the future might have in store for you.      Mike

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Posted by USNRol on Saturday, November 17, 2007 9:47 PM

Nope...!  I have trouble finding the cash to buy stuff I want to run; let alone cash for something to sit on a shelf. 

Maybe that doesn't answer the question...

If someone gave me a mint 773, or 2343 and said, "You can't run it"  I don't think I would want to keep it.Sigh [sigh]

Roland

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Posted by darianj on Sunday, November 18, 2007 7:20 AM

Why not keep it...There are many people that buy model trains, cars, planes, boats, etc that just sit there and NEVER move.  You just happen to have one that will go when you put it on the right track!

Also, have you considered maybe joining a club that has a layout that you could run it on?  I have a couple of engines that I can't run at home, but run at the train club that I belong to.  You're more than welcome to join the TMB club but you may not want to take the drive from TN to NY every week.Big Smile [:D]

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Posted by laz 57 on Sunday, November 18, 2007 2:55 PM

RT,

  Like FIFE said about running it at a RR club, if there are any around or if you come up to PA. to visit your SISTER, drop by my place and run it on my 0-72 or 0=54 tracks.  but definitly keep it.

laz57

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Posted by anjdevil2 on Monday, November 19, 2007 8:50 AM

RT - Yup, I'd keep 'em.  ONLY IF you were in dire straits and need the cash or getting out of the hobby I would sell. OTHERWISE, if it don't cost ya anything anyway..just keep 'em!

MY My 2 cents [2c]

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I am the venom in your skin  --- Breaking Benjamin


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