Sell off all Lionel Trains

[Anonymous]

Just wait a while. All these new, electronic $600 engines will be real cheap in a few years when you can not get the parts, the batteries run down and no one remembers how to reprogram them including MTH. All you have to do is figure out how to modify them from a variable voltage transformer.

Charlid

[FJ and G]

Houdy,

Howdy, Houdy, funny reply![:D]

I'm in a bind myself, having selected Polo as my sport of choice. I even purchased a bunch of polo shirts, but now I gotta get the dang horse and get other potential polo fanciers interested, not to mention a nice ranch for the horses and stableboys and maids.

Life ain't fair for us average Joes!

Perhaps I'll take up bobsled racing instead. Trouble in Virginia is, I'll have to make artificial snow, buy a mountain and erect a course.

Life sucks sometimes!

[Dave Farquhar]

It's an expensive hobby, yes, but it doesn't have to be terribly expensive. Recommended reading: http://www.thortrains.net/cheaptrn.htm

I very rarely buy new stuff. My last purchase was a box full of Marx rolling stock at a train show. I paid $25 for a box of 8 cars. I disassembled and cleaned them, dried them, put them all back together, and I'm happy. A couple of months before, I bought an even bigger bunch. I sold off the good stuff right away and kept the junkers, fixed them up, and the end result was a got a couple more nice cars for essentially nothing.

Remember, people managed to keep going in this hobby during the Depression when they couldn't afford to buy much, and they kept going in it during WWII when there wasn't much of anything to buy. The tricks that worked then work now just as well, if not more so.

The challenge is to look at what's available in your price range, figure out what you like best from that selection, and go with it. If you've already got a train or two, then who says you need to buy a lot more? Work on the layout. That can be enjoyable and can be done on a shoestring, especially if you scratchbuild.

As far as Ebay, yes, there are people who buy junkers, fix them up a little, and then re-sell them. That's free enterprise. That's one way some people fund their hobby. I prefer to keep my junkers that I've fixed--it's more satisfying to me to run something I fixed than to run something I just bought--but to each his own.

[Bob Keller]

This is a hobby that you can enjoy at any pricepoint. I mean you can get a pretty nice RailKing starter set with a 2-8-0 packing a sound system (LocoSound) and speed control for under $250. 10 years ago that would have been a dream.

As noted, just about any hobby can be expensive, but you don't have to start at the 4-Star Ultra level to have fun.

[Jumijo]

If you expect to sell your trains for a profit after only a few months, it doesn't happen that way. This isn't the bubble gum cards hobby. And dealers won't pay market value for used trains because they have to sell them at market value. All hobbies operate that way. If you want market value, sell to another collector, not a dealer.

Jim

[Big_Boy_4005]

As far as modern trains go, collecting is dead. Today's trains are made for running and not much else. The prices have gone crazy in spite of reduced production costs in China. I really can't blame anyone who is fed up, I'm getting that way myself. Fortunately, I have a huge stockpile, so buying new stuff is not a priority.

[Anonymous]

While we’re on the subject, I can’t believe the price of getting into yacht racing! How do they expect us little guys to buy one and then man it and compete? Especially out here in the midwest with no oceans!

[Anonymous]

I have found that the fun part of the hobby is restoring old items and changing around the layout, e.g. adding scenery. You don't need a lot of cars to have fun. The experience from learning how to fix the old trains has carried over into other areas of my life, e.g., fixing Nintendo gamecubes, our lawnmower, etc.
If you want great deals, go to rummage sales.

[FJ and G]

expo,

know what you mean about high prices of model trains. I'm not buying new ones.

If you really are interested in model railroading, why not build a layout and use the trains you got.

The biggest misconception in this hobby IMO, is that you gottta buy more and more and more.

A few cars and a switcher or 2 should keep your interest and entertainment level high for a very long time

[Anonymous]

Well GEE! You are going to sell off all your trains because no one will give you a special price break so you can get in cheaper just because you are "a little guy"? How sad that everybody is soo-oo greedy that they just won't sell things to you cheaply so you can be one of the guys. Well money is not the name of the game....trains are. Nobody here gets any special consideration; we all have to pay the same prices. What kind of hobby that involves acquiring things doesn't cost money? How about photography? Cameras are expensive. Golf? Wait til you see how much they charge just to let you trudge around a golfcourse for a day. How about racing cars...or boats....or horses? Ka-ching--ka-ching--ka-ching. There is only one thing to do if you can't afford a hobby....go without. I spent eight years as a caseworker in a welfare office....believe me nobody is sympathetic to your lack of discretionary income. Most hobbies are very expensive and are real luxuries, but only you can decide if you can afford them. BTW It may cost me, but I never buy from strangers because you never know who you dealing with. Good luck in whatever new hobby you choose to indulge in. BTW I hear that you can get some real good deals on Beany Babies right now, and baseball cards are a bargain too. Odd-d

[Frank53]

I am an interested buyer of post war Lionel - if you have any post war material, please feel free to email me at [e-mail].

[Anonymous]

Got started in Lionel a few moths ago and thought maybe I would collect some and sell some but I have found that E-bay and dealers all just a big forest with no end to the trees, what a stinking game the sellers play-buying back and re-selling!! Found only a couple of dealers really helpful--Even re-tailers wants a fortune for everything they have, they must think the da--things are gold!.I would not pay $75 for a car if it had diamonds.
Well this is the caboose for me and Lionel can put it you know where!
Any-who does trains.com have a sell site? And all this is going on e-bay and anyone I can find that is interested . No more Lionel, MTH, Kline, or anything else except to see it at a shop. mall, nice-Yes, worth it-definetlely not!!
Un-fortunately these trains have gone the way of too many oyher Hobies and sports-where an average or low income person can't afford it- even going to a Nascar race, playing darts, golf or a majority of too many other hobies, they all turn in to a hi-tech episode and leaves the little man out!!
Will it ever change now---I doubt it---















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