Sell off all Lionel Trains

[brianel027]

expogs6, I know I've responded to some of your posts though my memory fails me as to what topics right now. But I recall that you were just getting started and that you were more interested in the affordable (lower) end of the hobby.

I'M HERE TO TELL YOU IT CAN BE DONE!

You can't let others - be it dealers, experts, either other folks on the train forums get you down. Hey look, I understand the frustration and your feeling on the hobby. But there is affordable product out there, even if some of that product is used. Lionel MPC era product and older K-Line non-scale products are still out there and reasonably priced. Some would complain, well those engines are made with plastic gears instead of metal. Yep, so they are. But take care of them and they'll treat you fine. I've got plastic geared DC can motored engines that I've now been running for 15 years and they still run!!!
[:-^]

You have to learn about the products and the various periods stuff was made and then buy wisely. Some don't like the new RMT "Beep." It isn't scale or prototype they complain... so what! Fact is, the "Beep" is a big hit because it serves an end of the market that has been somewhat ignored.

Of course, there are ninny's on eBay: I love it when the title description says something like "rare" when there are 6 more of the exact same so-called "rare" item for sale at the same exact time. And there are a lot of folks who have no idea what "mint," "like new," "excellent," "very good," and "poor" condition mean. There are folks with junk who open the price guide and see the first listed price for mint condition and price their piece of junk at that price.... just ignore those folks!!

I don't run TMCC or DCS and never will. I don't like the speed control motors either. Good thing too because I can't afford the stuff anyways.

Talk about being the odd ball, I run my trains on DC current... [8] I've ripped the electronic e-units out of 3/4's of the stuff now because the inexpensive stuff I own runs so much better on straight DC... call it "Poor Man's Speed Control." My version of "Trainmaster Command Control" is a 3 foot stick with a rubber protector on one end and a coat "L" hook on the other.... it works for me.

I have an uncle in the TCA who says my stuff is junk. From a collector/financial viewpoint, he's right. But to me, from a budget operator vantage, my trains are priceless. They're mine. Many are completely unique. Many are custom repaints (I like newer roadnames!) Many are custom modifed... some of completely rebuilt inside.

But I still have fun with the hobby and MY trains. I used to have a blast going to train shows, or being at train shows with a portable display layout to pu***his hobby for families with kids! I've learned to repaint trains, design and build my own operating cars and accessories. I love it when I get some thing really beat up and supposedly ruined... I know I can give that item NEW life and have done so many times.

And so there's may ways the hobby can be enjoyed. And for those who can afford the more top level trains, freat. Even if I did have the money, I'd never spend so much money on a train engine, but that's just my feeling... good thing for the train companies there are others who don't feel this way.

expogs6, as far as the buying and selling aspect goes, this is probably not the best time period to be speculating on trains. Too many sellers, not enough buyers. Sure, everyone always wants the top dollar for trains they are selling. Some guys carry the same exact trains to shows year after year after year. You'd think if they really wanted to "sell" them, they would price them so they would sell. But that's not for any of us to worry about. There are plenty of sales and still plenty of blowouts happening. There is still a product glut on the market despite the attempts of the train companies to control this as best they can. So take advantage of sales when you can.

And speaking of market glut... there are still loads of trains tucked away in people's attics. I've talked to a couple of people in the past week who have trains in their attics they haven't looked at in decades. One guy said they were his dad's, so I could guess the trains are at least 50 years old.

Ultimately it's your decision. Any hobby is expensive. At least this is a hobby where you can (if you want) make so many things for your trains where you can be creative AND save money to boot. I could write an exceptionally LARGE book on ways to save money in this hobby by making stuff yourself. I've had guys who have been in the hobby for decades tell me they've never seen some of my ideas before! Or never thought of doing a certain thing the way I've done it... hey, that makes me feel good when I hear those kinds of things.

There's room for everyone in the hobby. And the hobby needs more budget operators... the more there are, the more likely the companies will eventually address those modelers.

[pbjwilson]

I'm an e-bay addict. Love going through the listings in all sorts of catagories, mostly O gauge trains.

I regularly see complete train sets by Marx and pre-war Lionel sell for under $100.00.
That's a working engine a couple of cars and track! They may have condition problems, scratches and some rust, but nothing that keeps them from being good runners.

This is pretty much what I've purchased in the last year - mainly from e-bay.
Total for what you see on these shelves about $750

[Dr.Fu-Manchu]

The Doctor Is In !!! Friend expogs6, what are you crying over??? Let me tell you a story: When I was a young evil doctor(early 1960's) My father(not an evil doctor) was dealing in 2nd hand stuff, Almost a "junk dealer" and he was always bringing home Lionel trains he came across in his wheeling and dealing. A case in point: He was checking the local(so.cal.area) salvation army store. Back then they allowed 2nd hand dealers into the intake area. He found a footlocker, looked inside and then closed the lid. He asked the Lt. who was running the area and asked him "how much" The Lt. said "20.00
bucks Lee(dad's name) Dad brought it home and he gave it to me. It had two complete Lionel standard gauge sets. Over the years till I finished high school, I was getting used Lionel & some Marx trains. When I went into the Navy, the shed that I built my layout and stored my trains was washed away in a flash flood. I lost all of my trains and did not get back into the hobby till the early 1990's. I bought a set at a yard sale and started over. I have only bought one new train and that was a MTH Daylight set. I perfer the used(read older) Trains because I like the stuff and am able to fix it. I will buy new items if it is something I cannot get in Postwar. I will not get into the new Loco's due to the electronics(read hard to fix) I don't know how much money I have spent, I know it is a whole lot more than when I was younger. But that is not the point ! I have more now than I had back in the day. I think of my self as an"operator/collector. Most of my stuff started as nonworking, but almost anything is fixable. I buy on E-bay and have gotten some deals, and I have a local dealer I go to. I also have parts dealers I buy from. I am sorry you are unhappy in the hobby. Perhaps you should get into coins, and leave the trains to people who are in it for fun, not profit !!! I also sell used items. I don't expect to make a profit, I like to break even and pass good, well built trains to others to have fun with. Ask Jerry about his stockyard & milk car & his #2026 steamer, He's 14 or 15 and he likes the old good stuff. If you are planning to sell off older Lionel, let me know, I will give you the prices posted in the Greenburg price guide. But don't expect gold prices for sliver ! Again, I am sorry that you thought that you might get rich from the hobby. Most of us did not get into it to get rich. Remember the old saying: Buyer beware!! Or a fool and his money are soon parted ! Till My Next Missive, I Remain The Humble, Yet Strangly Evil Doctor !!!

[Jumijo]

The last 3 posts speak volumes about what the hobby is about to me.

Brianel027 runs what he likes and what he can afford, and he's content. He doesn't care what others think of his trains and doesn't buy collector pieces as investments. He's also very generous with his knowledge.

pbjwilson buys wisely and has a whole wall of beautiful trains that he likes for what I think is not much money at all. He has clearly illustrated that the hobby can be enjoyed on a budget, be it collecting or operating.

Dr.Fu-Manchu calls himself an operator/collector, but I see him as a goodwill embassador. He buys items, fixes them up, and sells them at a fair price. He's taking previously broken trains, repairing them, and putting them back in the hands of people who enjoy them. What's not to like about that? The hobby could use more people like him.

As I said at the top of the post, the spirit and attitude these fellows (and many others on this forum) convey, is to me, a very positive one. The one thing I've learned in my short amount of time in the hobby is that sharing information and getting to know others who share my interests is every bit as pleasurable as running trains, building scenery or any other aspect one can think of.


Jim

[tgovebaker]

Jaabat is right -- do it for what makes you happy. And if what makes you happy is different from what someone else does to get his jollies, so be it.

[Anonymous]

To all forum members: I honestly do appreciate all of your replys!!
I wasn't cring in my beer or trying to be cheap as Mr. Odd somewhat implied. I know all hobbies
tend to be too expensive.
I think Mr. Brianel027 makes good sense as well as the Doctor, and some others.
Perhaps this is not a good time to sell w/all the stuff being out there.
I have no intention of setting up any sort of lay out because I don't have the space in my house.
Nor do I want to get into repairs or mods., think I am too old and too late getting started for any of that----
So I will sell off the most of stuff for as much as I can, keep a few pieces for display, and maybe buy some more for re-sale if "price is right". Right now its up in the air---

[:)][:)]

[philo426]

Well,I just hope that you will maintain your interest in trains and keep checking out the forum.it is not cool to lose fellow train enthusiusts!

[brianel027]

expogs6, before you make a real final decision, go check out this website:
www.thortrains.net

There's a bunch on links there for layout designs, many of which are for very small spaces. You might be surprised what you can do in a 3x5 foot space. Build yourself a decent frame out of 1x4 or 2x2 pine and then use the pink insulation styrofoam board for the layout surface. There are several ways you can attach 027 track to this. It makes for a very lightweight, quiet and portable train layout that is easily moved out of the way. You can put casters on one side of the layout (on the face of the frame) so when the layout is stood upright, it can be rolled out of the way.

If you want more ideas for help in that direction, feel free to ask me, or ask here.
The decision is yours, but believe me it's a fun hobby - regardless of how some of us sometimes mouth off to the contrary here on the forums. Or get a little opinionated about what we do and don't like about the hobby. Most folks here on this forum are a pretty helpful group, even though we have different approaches to the hobby.

You talked about how expensive the hobby is... the only way the companies will make more affordable product is if they find they can sell it. And the conpanies all read these forums too... they see what is being talked about. They're in business to make money which means making trains people are willing to buy.

There are some positive signs on the horizon. The RMT "Beep" is one. The new Lionel Dockside switcher is another. Both have gotten good reviews and have sold well. Both are affordable. The Lionel Add-On packs for their starter sets are another sign, and also a competitively priced value. And despite the catalog glitch, the lower end U36B diesels (both WP and CSX) have DUAL motors instead of one as stated in the catalogs. The CSX one is very sharp looking, but I'll wait for Lionel to reissue the Conrail U36B with DUAL motors this time instead of cheaping out with just one single motor as they did with that one.

There was a great story years ago in Classic Toy Trains about a grown daughter and her dad who built a small layout together that was designed to be ready when they wanted to use it. I think it was not much bigger than 3.5x5 or 6 feet. The woman talked in the story about buying the lesser expensive cars (motivated by another series in CTT called "Cheap Classics"), lower end engines like K-Line Alco FA's and S-2's, and manual operating accessories. It was a bonding experience for her and her dad, even though the layout was a little more on the "toy" side.

In other words, it's more than the trains too. You may find you could have a similar experience where you might least expect it.

God bless, what ever you decide to do.

[jimhaleyscomet]

expogs6,

Glad to see you are still with us. I too found collecting VERY expensive relative to what I wanted to spend. Even at $300 a train for new stuff that ment not much new stuff for me!. Then I made a portable layout on a door using 027 track and k-line low profile switches. I realized making layouts and running trains are a lot cheaper than buying trains. Building layouts and running trains gives me more more pleasure and takes more time than plunking down money for new stuff. I have quite buying trains but do still play with my little 36" x 80 " layout with 2 loops, two connected sidings, one reversing loop, one extra siding for care storage, 7 switches, one operating ice house, one operating Lionel train station (new at $40), one uncouple track, one operating flag man ($20), two home made houses and two $8 train stations. I also have two tunnels. Total platform cost was under $100 ($23 for the door, $60 for the switches) because I used track and transformers I already had. If you stay away from the ultra realistic scenery (woodland scenics and others) and the tunnel you can easily flip it on its side for storage. or slide it under a bed. When you are ready to run just toss it on a table, a desk, or the floor.

As for Ebay...I find very few deals there. Whatever I might save I tend to loose on shipping. I have also found if I go on Ebay I will buy and half the time I get the item and it is in worse shape that I thought. I do find some deals when I go to a train show 3 times per year. However, if there are no deals then I do not buy. I find the harder I look for deals, the more I enjoy buying something when I finally find it.

Collecting is fun, but I think building and operating are even more so.

Jim H

[eZAK]

expogs6,

If you are serious about selling you will need to provide a list of items!
An email will also be helpful!

[Dave Farquhar]

I was at my local train store a couple of weeks ago and a guy came in. He said he buys a lot of antiques and wanted to know what to look for as far as old trains went--what would be "a real find."

The owner smiled and said he had about $2,000 worth of books in his back room that he uses to appraise trains. He held up the current Greenberg Lionel book and said there are more than 5,000 items listed in there. Then he said the only way to make money on trains is to do it for 20 years.

I haven't been at it for 20 years but I actually made 30 bucks last month *and* this month selling off some excess trains. I was thrilled. Of course that's not enough to pay my electric bill, let alone make a living. I plowed it back into the hobby, of course.

In the case of my local shop, it wouldn't surprise me if he makes as much money from repairs and building layouts as he does selling trains. He makes a decent living, but he works some obnoxious hours sometimes in order to do it and I don't think any one of the three facets of his business would be enough to keep him going.