I was at a train show where one vendor had sub shop bags to give his customers to hide boxes with rolling stock or locomotives.
My ex spent more on vitamins, skin products and shoes most months than I spent on trains.
Part of the fun of the hobby has always been searching out deals in the Walthers catalog or at train shows.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
SeeYou190I am always suspcious of the friendly "how much did all this cost" question. I always interpret it as "how much did you waste on this" instead.
.
riogrande5761What is the old saying? Loose lips sink ships? The less people know, the less likely one is to be a potential victim in some way.
? ? ? ? ?
Victim?
I have no idea what you are talking about. I am just happily playing with my electric toy trains. No secrets, no loose lips, no victims.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Harrison I was thinking about it, and here is how much mine cost: size: 32 square ft(4x8) benchwork: $50 I don't really remember because my dad made my train table when I was about 7 or 8 and all the lumber came from our shed. Track: $80 I have aquired a lot of track from those boxes under vendor's tables at train shows for bargin prices. I do have some new track on the layout. Control: $25 I got my first Railpower 1370 as a birthday present, my other one for $10 at a train show and the other components from stores or shows. Scenery: $20 I use a lot of natual materials from the woods behind my house, really the only things I bought were ground foam and static grass. Structures: $60 I have fixed up a lot of junk buildings, and got some good deals on buildings at shows. total: about $230. What it's worth: $40 maybe? now don't ask me about the trains... If you would like to share, I am wondering how much people buy and how much they make.
I was thinking about it, and here is how much mine cost:
size: 32 square ft(4x8)
benchwork: $50
I don't really remember because my dad made my train table when I was about 7 or 8 and all the lumber came from our shed.
Track: $80
I have aquired a lot of track from those boxes under vendor's tables at train shows for bargin prices. I do have some new track on the layout.
Control: $25
I got my first Railpower 1370 as a birthday present, my other one for $10 at a train show and the other components from stores or shows.
Scenery: $20
I use a lot of natual materials from the woods behind my house, really the only things I bought were ground foam and static grass.
Structures: $60
I have fixed up a lot of junk buildings, and got some good deals on buildings at shows.
total: about $230. What it's worth: $40 maybe?
now don't ask me about the trains... If you would like to share, I am wondering how much people buy and how much they make.
Expeditures took place over years and even decades. Cost? Don't know and don't care. It was all paid with cash so I could obviously afford the pieces as they were aquired.
Dave
Lackawanna Route of the Phoebe Snow
I would never deny my wife her dog hobby, to do so would suck the life right out of her.
I have my layout and these guitars I have had for over fifty years and will play one to three hours a day.
The layout fills the void left by bad Arthritis and old age. I lead a semi-extreme lifestyle in my leisure activities in my first forty years. I am still very restless at being grounded from these. Trains are important and the wife knows it and shows it all the time. A couple of times she has stopped by PWRS on her way home from somewhere and bought me a locomotive that was on my wish list. Now that is being supportive.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
What is the old saying? Loose lips sink ships? The less people know, the less likely one is to be a potential victim in some way.
mrrdad I always advise people to never discuss money. Not how much you make, how much you spent, how much you have saved,...nothing. Nothing good ever comes out of discussing money unless its with your spouse or financial planner. Ed
I always advise people to never discuss money. Not how much you make, how much you spent, how much you have saved,...nothing. Nothing good ever comes out of discussing money unless its with your spouse or financial planner.
Ed
And Ed just hit the nail on the head. That should put a nail in this topic right there.
Basically none of you friggin business.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
MisterBeasley I have finally escaped from marriage. My ex actually had my layout appraised. It came back at $32,000, an absurd number. He admitted that it was a "if new" price which was completely inaccurate for weathered models.
I have finally escaped from marriage. My ex actually had my layout appraised. It came back at $32,000, an absurd number. He admitted that it was a "if new" price which was completely inaccurate for weathered models.
My trains never got assessed but they were fairly small potatos at the time. They can assess all kinds of things, even college degrees. My ex bascially shafted me out of my half of the home we both co-owned by saying my masters degree (earned while we were married was an asset and was worth my share in the home. New York state was a bad place to get married as they are very sympathetic to the wife.
hon30critter Thanks, Dave. Like I said she didn't care to be a modeler but supported my fetish completely. She understood my need for it and never questioned what I did or bought. She understood the value of my brass as it supported us after my discharge from the Navy until we found jobs. She had her own "things" going on that cost money too. I have known a lot of guys that hide the value of their train stuff from their wives and I think that's wrong. I worked at a hobby shop and we had a friend/customer that had brass items shipped to us. I'd call him when it arrived and he'd come over at lunchtime and spray it with Floquil engine black and throw away the boxes. He said his wife could tell brass and knew it was expensive so that fooled her. A terrible way to treat your family. I understand the guy's wife sold it for pennies after he passed away. What an awful thing to do to her and his family. My wife had access to my inventory and knew the full value of all my stuff. Buying some nice Emeralds, diamonds and pearls was a great way to show appreciation for her support. oldine1 oldline1 My wife, who recently passed away, wasn't in to model trains but was very supportive of my hobby. I'm sorry for your loss oldline1. My wife fully supports my involvement in the hobby too. That means a lot to me as I'm sure your wife's support meant a lot to you as well. Dave
Thanks, Dave.
Like I said she didn't care to be a modeler but supported my fetish completely. She understood my need for it and never questioned what I did or bought. She understood the value of my brass as it supported us after my discharge from the Navy until we found jobs. She had her own "things" going on that cost money too.
I have known a lot of guys that hide the value of their train stuff from their wives and I think that's wrong. I worked at a hobby shop and we had a friend/customer that had brass items shipped to us. I'd call him when it arrived and he'd come over at lunchtime and spray it with Floquil engine black and throw away the boxes. He said his wife could tell brass and knew it was expensive so that fooled her. A terrible way to treat your family. I understand the guy's wife sold it for pennies after he passed away. What an awful thing to do to her and his family.
My wife had access to my inventory and knew the full value of all my stuff. Buying some nice Emeralds, diamonds and pearls was a great way to show appreciation for her support.
oldine1
oldline1 My wife, who recently passed away, wasn't in to model trains but was very supportive of my hobby.
I'm sorry for your loss oldline1. My wife fully supports my involvement in the hobby too. That means a lot to me as I'm sure your wife's support meant a lot to you as well.
Almost all hobbys are expensive these days.
I've always said that every person should have a hobby they love. A person needs a break from everyday stress. We all go to/or went to work everyday to make a living. Thankfully I had the work ethic to better myself to support my family and still have available funds to enjoy life. I never feel guilty about spending on things because I only do so after other obligations have been met. My wife is the same way.
Semi newbie HO scale modeler coming from the O scale world
nealknowsFriends come over and ask what it's worth. I tell them I have no idea,
I am always suspcious of the friendly "how much did all this cost" question. I always interpret it as "how much did you waste on this" instead.
BATMANNo secrets in our family,
None here in my house either Brent.
My wife is fully informed of all hobby related purchases.
Peace in matrimony ios a great thing.
carl425 riogrande5761 This topic is kind of depressing how some "love" their wives so much they need to deceive them about what they spent. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the wives sense it or know and are doing some deceiving of their own. After all whats good for the gander is good for the goose, and visa versa. But still, kinda sad. Thanks for that insightful diagnosis, Dr. Phil.
riogrande5761 This topic is kind of depressing how some "love" their wives so much they need to deceive them about what they spent. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the wives sense it or know and are doing some deceiving of their own. After all whats good for the gander is good for the goose, and visa versa. But still, kinda sad.
Thanks for that insightful diagnosis, Dr. Phil.
You don't really need to be a TV personality to point out the elephant in the room.
No secrets in our family, if I have an order to be picked up at PWRS and the wife and /or kids are going that way, they stop and pick it up. The kids got their own credit cards when they were twelve and they use them at PWRS when they pick up the stuff for me. What I spend every year is in the hundreds, I am starting to slow down more so that is likely to go up as I become less active in other things.
My wife's dog hobby cost us $10,000.00 to $20,0000.00 a year, if we had to hide what we spend from each other it would mean we can't afford it and shouldn't be spending the money.
riogrande5761This topic is kind of depressing how some "love" their wives so much they need to deceive them about what they spent. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the wives sense it or know and are doing some deceiving of their own. After all whats good for the gander is good for the goose, and visa versa. But still, kinda sad.
I have the right to remain silent. By posting here I have given up that right and accept that anything I say can and will be used as evidence to critique me.
It's like building a house. The 'structure' costs 'x' including getting it ready to live in, which could equate to building your framework. The rest are 'incidentals' in the house, which would be the rest of our layout including trains, scenery, etc.
I've asked my insurance company if they cover my trains and they had no way of putting a value on it. I have an inventory of what I own, but as they say, once you take it out of the box and test run it, it's used.
Friends come over and ask what it's worth. I tell them I have no idea, have been collecting for close to 50 years, and leave it at that. I think some of us would get scared as to what our trains are worth. Better off to leave everyone, including yourself guessing.
Neal
This topic is kind of depressing how some "love" their wives so much they need to deceive them about what they spent. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the wives sense it or know and are doing some deceiving of their own. After all whats good for the gander is good for the goose, and visa versa. But still, kinda sad.
a layout is generally destroyed if and when you move Generally, but with some effort you can save a lot of material and stuff to be re-used and it can save a good deal of money going forward. I salvaged all the track, rail joiners, screws, benchwork framing etc. So most of the ~$500 that was spent on the last layout will not go into the dumpster but will get re-used. All the flex track bundled and turnouts saved: Old staging yard and main yard sections saved: Benchwork framing saved: Plan to re-use all of it although some will have to be modified and re-assembled for the new layout plan.
a layout is generally destroyed if and when you move
Generally, but with some effort you can save a lot of material and stuff to be re-used and it can save a good deal of money going forward.
I salvaged all the track, rail joiners, screws, benchwork framing etc. So most of the ~$500 that was spent on the last layout will not go into the dumpster but will get re-used.
All the flex track bundled and turnouts saved:
Old staging yard and main yard sections saved:
Benchwork framing saved:
Plan to re-use all of it although some will have to be modified and re-assembled for the new layout plan.
Have to agree that I cannot put a $$ amout on the layout but the time spent well thats something else. My wife fully supports me (in fact she gave me some $$ to spend at least he NYSME swap meet this weekend)
i can tell you that the $$ amount had declined over time as I find myself with everything I need for the layout and associated displays These days I tend to buy old trainset stuff and ugrade to my RR standards (knuckle couplers metal wheels proper weight etc) but a sn actual figure I don’t want to know.
Joe Staten Island West
Hi again,
May I add........... The time, effort, and money sunk into model railroading - or any other hobby - is (IMO) irrelevent, but ONLY if that time/effort/money does not take away from family or other responsibilities. Said another way, if you can't afford the hobby, do something you can afford.
ENJOY !
Mobilman44
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
I don't really separate the layout cost from the rest of the hobby costs.
My current layout (currently building benchwork) has so far used wood and screws from my last layout that I took down when I moved - most of the wood and screws were salvaged for reuse. So is that free? Does it matter?
I never really was concerned about the cost, I would spend what I could afford at the time. After covering the basics for the family (wife and 3 boys) and some extras for them, there were a lot of years that I only bought a magazine subscription or two and didn't have a layout. But those were great years when the boys were growing up. When the boys were grown and moved out, I had more money for the hobby (and bought a bunch of hobby stuff). Now that I'm retired, I have less money and more time. But I have enough stuff accumulated that I don't buy much these days (less than I could), mostly just odds and ends for projects and the layout.
Paul
In dollar costs, my layouts, all up, and considering only outright purchases to complete the layout, including tools and supplies, would be about CDN$1000/layout averaged across four construction projects. But, this latest build included framing, insulating, polying, drywalling, wiring, and lighting for the train room in the partitioned double-wide garage, about $2700 all by itself. Makes this one an 'outlier' statistically.
So far, none have cost me good will from my wife. In fact, she is very keen to see me fulfilled in the hobby. Being sensible, of course.
All of them have cost me a little skin, mostly in a scrubbed back negotiating the duck-under entrance on two of the four layouts. I have lost count how many times I have had a scabbed back, but I have yet to break anything. Not even my penchant for repeating it several times a year.
How about gifts? The train room was a surprise from my wife. I was away driving my snowbird dad and his squeeze to Indio, CA, where they overwinter in October 2015, and I flew home after five days away to find that my construction friend and she had framed, insulated, and did the poly vapour barrier. I had mixed feelings halfway through what seemed to be a nightmarish drywall job, which I felt I should do myself. Never....ever...again..
I have been sent items from hobbyists I have met here over the years, things I can use. Three gentleman, two living, and one who passed last year as a recent widower, were kind to me in various ways.
I have the gift of good parenting and good examples from role models all my life. They taught me to think of others at least as often as I look to my own needs and interests, to stay fit and mentally agile, and to generally look to daily and periodic obligations to my family and to the community in which we live.
I also have the gift of time and financial resources. I am healthy. And, I have the motivation, something that occasionally goes out with the tide.
oldline1 She'd give me a grin and say,"I see it's time for some more Emeralds or Diamonds again"! Summed it up to me! oldline1
She'd give me a grin and say,"I see it's time for some more Emeralds or Diamonds again"!
Summed it up to me!
oldline1
Priceless I see the warmth received
A gem of a lady still with you in spirit
John
oldline1My wife, who recently passed away, wasn't in to model trains but was very supportive of my hobby.
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
I think the most valuable thing we spend on our layouts is time. I have no idea the cost of a professionally built layout, but seems that an estimated insurance replacement value for even a small layout could be surprisingly high.
Regards, Peter
I see no point in keeping track of the cost for my layout. Primarily because a layout is generally destroyed if and when you move or pass away.
My wife, who recently passed away, wasn't in to model trains but was very supportive of my hobby. I think the true cost of my layout and hobby was summed up by her occassional comments when I'd drag more plywood or trains home or the UPS man knocked on the door. She'd give me a grin and say,"I see it's time for some more Emeralds or Diamonds again"!
hon30critterI can price the other stuff, but how much does a young blond cost these days?!?
Based on the experience of a friend of mine a few years ago, about $40k plus undisclosed legal fees when he tried unsuccessfully to recover it. Also not counting the emotional cost he paid due to the humiiation he received from the wife that took him back.
carl425When she asks, I answer "way less than a Bass Boat, golf membership, Harley Davidson or a young blonde".
I can price the other stuff, but how much does a young blond cost these days?!?
I have used a similar excuse. Years ago I had an MGC GT that needed a total restoration. I estimated the cost to be about $25,000 way back then. We didn't have anywhere near that much spare cash and weren't likely to in the forseeable future, so I sold it. Whenever the cost of my model railroading comes up I just remind her of how much I could have spent on the MG! I don't think that I'm anywhere near spending $25,000 on the trains, at least not yet!
I went throught the appraisal route too in my divorce. No layout then, but you should have seen the disappointment when they spied a rifle in my closet and it turned out to be a rusty BB gun.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
"...but nobody wants to level with them about probable cost."
Dave, this is the understatement of the century, so far A few years ago I was in a local brick and mortar shop buying whatever I was buying. There was a lady there with her young boy, not yet into his teens, and she was buying him something. I can't remember what it was. They go to pay and the guy manning the register starts chatting the boy up telling him about his own layout, with some godawful amount of locomotives. Gives them his number and tells them to call and he would be happy to show them his layout.
I'm standing there fairly close, looking at whatever I was looking at, and saying to myself...if you only knew what kind of financial issues are in store.
Bear "It's all about having fun."
Since many people are making a good-faith effort to provide useful information for this thread, I might as well add my two cents, so to speak.
My layout is currently under construction, and I started with an empty room just two years ago. Most of the supplies and materials were new and purpose-bought and I have receipts. There was some salvage from the existing garage and some leftover framing lumber from the new garage, and I will not include those in the costs. I will also not include the carpeting and the lighting to prepare the room for the layout because that would have been done anyway.
The framing lumber and plywood to build the benchwork came to about three hundred dollars. Screws and hardware probably came to another fifty dollars. The rigid foam insulation sheets were about a hundred dollars. The plaster and hydrocal were about a hundred dollars.
Cork roadbed and track was about four hundred and fifty dollars. Turnouts were another five hundred. Tortoise machines for the turnouts were about four hundred dollars. The Digitrax Evolution system was about five-fifty. The Digitrax SE8Cs and DBL16s were about three hundred and fifty dollars. The signals were about six hundred. The connectors and specialty cable for the signals were about two hundred dollars. Single conductor 12 AWG for the busses was about one-fifty.
That's enough for now. Not included are any trains or structures or any landscaping or ground cover (Woodland Scenics stuff adds up fast). No paint, glue, contact adhesive, etc. No tools. Based on experience from previous hobby projects, my labor works out to about two bucks an hour. Not much, but I have probably a thousand hours in this so far.
So, maybe $3500 out of pocket. Another few thousand not included.
Robert
LINK to SNSR Blog
hon30critterIf I haven't told my wife how much I have spent on the hobby why the heck do you think I would tell you?!?
Ditto!
When she asks, I answer "way less than a Bass Boat, golf membership, Harley Davidson or a young blonde".