For years I've had a Walthers 130' turntable sitting in a box. I bought (and installed) it for a big layout I started building when I was in South Carolina, then when that layout had to come down for an unexpected move, the turntable went back in the box. That was early 2015, and it's been in the box ever since.
I haven't needed a turntable that big, including on my current layout, because my modeling concepts changed a bit. So it's been an expensive white elephant. In fact, I tried to sell it, along with Walthers Modern Roundhouse (one base kit and three add-on stall kits) at the North Platte train show last year. No takers, which left me disappointed at the time.
A couple days ago I realized I do have a use for it on my current layout.
I need a way to turn locomotives (I run all steam) at the ends of the line (actually one location - the east/south end connects to the north/west end to provide a continuous run when I just want to watch trains move). No room for a wye or reversing loops, so I've been struggling with what to do.
It would probably be obvious to almost everyone else, but for me realizing I already had the solution in hand was a real "Duh!" moment. While I have no need for such a large turntable, I can make room for it where I need to turn the locos. So now I'm very glad I didn't sell the thing. Still have no use for that roundhouse, though...
Moral of the story - If you're planning to sell items you have no need for anymore, think very carefully about it first. You may have a use for whatever it is you're thinking of selling.
Mark P.
Website: http://www.thecbandqinwyoming.comVideos: https://www.youtube.com/user/mabrunton
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
Pruitt Moral of the story - If you're planning to sell items you have no need for anymore, think very carefully about it first. You may have a use for whatever it is you're thinking of selling.
Back a few years ago, I sold off some "specialty" track like double crossovers, some 3-ways, a few wyes and a double slip. But, I am now reconfiguring a portion of my layout, and I need a wye. So, I just bought a new wye, identical to one that I sold a few years ago. The good news is that I sold the wye for twice the price of the new one that I just purchased.
Regarding your 130' turntable, with an all steam loco roster, I am surprised that you have considered selling it in the first place. That would seem to be an essential item on a layout with an all steam loco roster.
Rich
Alton Junction
Pruitt Still have no use for that roundhouse, though...
Still have no use for that roundhouse, though...
Be aware that starting this year you will get a 1099 if your sales total more than $600 for the year when using places like ebay. If you can't prove what you paid for it the entire amount will be treated as taxable income.
While I have receipts for some items I don't have one for everything. I won't pay income tax on something I am likely taking a loss on so I will just keep it or donate it.
Rick
hbgatsf Be aware that starting this year you will get a 1099 if your sales total more than $600 for the year when using places like ebay. If you can't prove what you paid for it the entire amount will be treated as taxable income.
When was the last time that any of us sold a used model railroading item for more than we paid for it? I usually set a Buy It Now price on eBay around 50% to 70% of what I paid for it, depending upon age and condition.
I have a nice collection of Rivarossi steamers from my previous layout, a code 100 DC layout. Most are large UP, a Big Boy, two Challengers, and two Northerns, but I have a few smaller UP steamers, plus a Blue Goose and a Cab Forward. They've been sitting idle since the dismantling. My current layout is a code 83 DCC layout. None of this old steamers are suitable for the current layout because of the oversized Rivarossi flanges and the fact installing decoders would probably be more trouble than they are worth. Looking at selling prices on ebay, I might get $150-200 for some of the big steamers if I I ever get around to learrning how to sell on ebay. There is no way I could ever use these on my current layout and they are doing me no good sitting on the shelf gathering dust. Better to sell them. With what I get, I might be able to buy 2 or 3 new fully equipped DCC locos or 4 or 5 used ones.
Last year I unloaded most of my Athearn BB diesels and rolling stock that didn't fit my current layout. I sold them to my LHS. Didn't get much for them and didn't expect to. They have to make a profit. My old steamers I think have a little more value and worth the effort to get fair market value for them.
It is accually a 1099-k and is a gross amount and very different from a regular 1099.
JohnI have 20 Rivarossi articulateds with large flanges, all run very nice on code 83 track. My turnouts are code 83 Atlas and Peco and the large flanges have never been a problem.Early on I had a Shinohara double crossover that would not pass the large flanges and I tried a number of double crossovers and none would work with large flanges. My fix was to build my own double crossover using Atlas turnouts.I have remotored and wired all of my Rivarossi locomotives for DCC operation and all run better than new.Mel My Model Railroad http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/ Bakersfield, CaliforniaGrowing old is a bummer, aging is definitely not for wimps.
richhotrainMark, on your layout build thread, I see a turntable and a 9-stall (?) roundhouse. Is that turntable the one that you are referring to in this thread? Do you also have an unbuilt roundhouse that you are referring to in this thread? Rich
The 130' turntable is the one installed on this layout, at the near end of this ginormous yard:
That was my South Carolina layout. The engine facility you see was sized to handle the NP articulateds I was going to run - the Z-6 Challengers (I have a brass one from Sunset - very nice!) and the Proto Z-4 2-8-8-2's. The partially built roundhouse is the larger Walthers Modern Roundhouse, designed to go with the 130' turntable.
RR_Mel JohnI have 20 Rivarossi articulateds with large flanges, all run very nice on code 83 track. My turnouts are code 83 Atlas and Peco and the large flanges have never been a problem.Early on I had a Shinohara double crossover that would not pass the large flanges and I tried a number of double crossovers and none would work with large flanges. My fix was to build my own double crossover using Atlas turnouts.I have remotored and wired all of my Rivarossi locomotives for DCC operation and all run better than new.Mel My Model Railroad http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/ Bakersfield, CaliforniaGrowing old is a bummer, aging is definitely not for wimps.
My Rivarossi locos will run on my code 83 rail. They just barely touch the tops of the ties so they can run but sound like they are going over a washboard.
I use mostly Atlas code 83. I have a few sections of Micro Engineering and haven't tried them on that track to see if it makes a difference.
My original plan was to reletter all those UP steamers for my current layout but I scuttled that plan when I opted to go with code 83 rail. I've never looked into what it would take to convert them to DCC. I'm glad now I did not reletter them because I'm sure that would have diminished their resale value.
hbgatsf Be aware that starting this year you will get a 1099 if your sales total more than $600 for the year when using places like ebay. If you can't prove what you paid for it the entire amount will be treated as taxable income. While I have receipts for some items I don't have one for everything. I won't pay income tax on something I am likely taking a loss on so I will just keep it or donate it. Rick
Well, everybody should abide by the law and do what they feel comfortable with.
There is some confusion here. As rrebell noted, you will receive a 1099-k. That is a document that tells the IRS you received money, which is not the same thing as income. The IRS knows that the 1099-k includes non income monies, so they do not assume its all taxable income.
They do not want a bunch of receipts for small dollar items included with every personal tax return just because there is a 1099-k, just to then find out that you don't owe any taxes on the money. That would require a lot of people attaching a lot of documents for no reason in the end.
And, if folks do not have the receipts from stuff they bought over the years it would result in the IRS collecting money that is not even owed to them...just because people do not have receipts.
You need to report the portion that is taxable. You do not have to report the 1099-k amount at all on your income tax return if none of it is taxable.
Only in the case of a random audit would the IRS even ask for original receipts for small dollar personal items tht you sold (really? everybody needs to keep receipts for every little thing they buy because they might sell it on ebay 5 years later?). You could probably just list the cost of the items, and that would probably be satisfactory.
I'm not keeping receipts for every train car I pay $25 for, to use for personal use, but then decide to sell 5 years later for $23.
(Caveat: I am not a tax professional so consult one if you have actual questions)
- Douglas
John-NYBWMy Rivarossi locos will run on my code 83 rail. They just barely touch the tops of the ties so they can run but sound like they are going over a washboard.
It's actually not that difficult to make those wheel flanges smaller. Some years ago, I purchased an IHC Mogul, via mail order. When it arrived, I was surprised to see the deep wheel flanges. I hadn't paid a great deal for it, so I figured I'd try to modify it a bit.
What I decided to do was to clip leads from my old workshop transformer directly to the loco's motor, then set the speed at about midway. I then held the loco upright in my raised hand, then used a cut-off disc in my motor tool, bringing the face of the disc in light contact with the bottom of rotating drivers, each in turn for only a few seconds (I didn't want to overheat the rims, as the wheel centres were plastic). Touching the disc to only the bottom of the drivers ensured that the resultant residue from the disc's contact would fall to the workbench, rather than into the gears or motor. I'd recommend wearing saftety glasses while performing this operation.
It took only a few minutes to decrease the depth of the driver's flanges. For the lead truck and tender wheelsets, I simply replaced them with better ones which I had on-hand.
I later remotored the loco, added some better details, and some extra weight, too, and it's actually a pretty decent puller for its size...
...and no bumpity-bump noises from contact with the ties.
Wayne
Though I've let go of a lot through trades with other hobbyists, the collection I have increases but the space it takes up does not. I've built storage units and cabinets that fit on standard shelving units that allow me to pack up the layout modules, trains, attic stock and unfinished kits. Thefore, there isn't the stress of having to give up items (or having too much) because everything has a place and is neatly put away.
I've found that stuff I intended to get rid of often ended up being useful with a change of plans.
The discipline is having my hobby stored in a confined space in a condo building. I can set up my layout in the common areas because it can then be shared and enjoyed by everyone, but I can't store my stuff in the public areas. Being held to those rules forces me to undertake creative storage solutions to avoid selling or trading stuff I might need in the future.
I guess I just lucked out, none of my Rivarossi locomotive flanges hit the ties. They don’t sound any different than RP25 wheels.With new can motors and added weight they perform beautifully. The added weight doubled the drawbar, great pullers.I was just thinking, could the added weight deadened the flange to tie sound? All of my locomotives have some added weight to help pulling my 3½% grades. I added 10oz to my Rivarossi articulateds increasing their drawbar from 2.8oz to 5½ - 6½oz. Several of my E7s weight two pounds with added weight and have over 10oz drawbar. Mel
My Model Railroad http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/ Bakersfield, CaliforniaGrowing old is a bummer, aging is definitely not for wimps.
Other than add a KD to the tender, I've made no modifications to my Rivarossi steamers.
Maybe it's not the ties they are scraping. Maybe my ballast is a bit above the ties in places. With normal flanges that would not be an issue. I think I'll put them on a section of track I haven't ballasted yet and see if I still get the washboard effect.
UPDATE: This was a revelation. Most of my short line has not been ballasted so I chose that to test my old Rivarossi steamers on. Turns out Mel is right. They will run on code 83. It was my ballast that was making them run like they were on a washboard. I ran the test by setting the throttle address to zero to run a DC loco. I chose the 8444 for the test. It was caked in dust and needed a cleaning. Then I lubed all the moving parts of the side rods and hit wheels with some contact cleaner. At first it didn't want to budge. I tried running it backward and forward. It slowly started to loosen up. The wheels began doing half turns, forward then backward. Eventually the Labelle oil got worked in to the point the wheels could go all the way around and before long, she was running like she was new out of the box. My short line has much tighter radii than my mainline but it had no trouble taking the curves.
So now what do I do? I potentially have a new source of high end locos. I had resigned myself to selling these because I thought they were of no use to me. Now I'm going to have to look into what it would take to put in sound decoders and speakers. Is there room? Do I reletter them for my current fictional railroad. I hate to do that because that would diminish their resale value. Maybe I could cover up the UNION PACIFIC with paper lettering and scotch tape. It would be hard to create a scenario in which my eastern railroad was getting cast off UP steamers since my layout is set in 1956 and the UP kept running steam until the end of the decade and the 844/8444 was never retired. I even saw her running behind the Big Boy two years ago on the first leg of the run from Cheyenne to Utah.
rrebell It is accually a 1099-k and is a gross amount and very different from a regular 1099.
There is no such thing as a "regular" 1099. Every 1099 has "- something" which indicates what generated it. They all are reporting money that you received and it is up to you to determine how much of it is taxable. The type of 1099 determines how you do that.
Per the IRS: It is important that your business books and records reflect your business income, including any amounts that may be reported on Form 1099-K. You must report on your income tax return all income you receive from your business. In most cases, your business income will be in the form of cash, checks, and debit/credit card payments. Business income is generally referred to as gross receipts on income tax returns. Therefore, you should consider the amounts shown on Form 1099-K, along with all other amounts received, when calculating gross receipts for your income tax return.
The IRS considers selling stuff a business. It is up to you to come up with a cost of goods sold. A receipt is the best way. If you don't have one it will be up to the mood of an auditor to allow or disallow the method you used to determine that figure.
Have you ever sold a stock? That transaction will generate a 1099-B. It is up to you to enter the cost basis on your Schedule D. You can put in anything you want and it will be fine as long as you are not audited. The type of audit will determine how much your feet will be held to the fire. Same thing with the 1099-K.
The problem with that approach is that the eastern scenery on my current layout looks nothing like the western terrain the UP runs in. With the UP acquiring railroads that run east of Omaha, the terrain is a little more similar but the big UP steam I have never ran in that kind of scenery.
Having discovered that my vintage Rivarossi fleet will run code 83 track, I still have to look at things realistically. These locos are not even DCC ready. Figuring out what to solder where is the easy part. The hard part would be finding room for a decoder and a speaker. If I can't add sound, it isn't going to be worth the effort to convert them to DCC.
I am going to enjoy seeing my 8444 and other big steamers running again. Almost as big a kick as I got 2 years ago when I saw the real 844 running behind the newly refurbished Big Boy 4014.
I suspect the moral at the end of the OP highlights why many of us have train rooms and work rooms stuffed with crap we don't even remember we have.
reasearchhound I suspect the moral at the end of the OP highlights why many of us have train rooms and work rooms stuffed with crap we don't even remember we have.
It's comforting to know I'm not the only one with that problem.
Then there's all those kits we do remember we have and have never got around to building. About 40 years ago I bought a craftsman kit of a 300 ton Fairbanks-Morse coaling tower. It's still sitting in it's original box. Someday, I might get around to building it. If I do, it would probably replace the Walthers concrete coaling tower I currently have which is a nice kit too.
hbgatsf rrebell It is accually a 1099-k and is a gross amount and very different from a regular 1099. There is no such thing as a "regular" 1099. Every 1099 has "- something" which indicates what generated it. They all are reporting money that you received and it is up to you to determine how much of it is taxable. The type of 1099 determines how you do that. Per the IRS: It is important that your business books and records reflect your business income, including any amounts that may be reported on Form 1099-K. You must report on your income tax return all income you receive from your business. In most cases, your business income will be in the form of cash, checks, and debit/credit card payments. Business income is generally referred to as gross receipts on income tax returns. Therefore, you should consider the amounts shown on Form 1099-K, along with all other amounts received, when calculating gross receipts for your income tax return. The IRS considers selling stuff a business. It is up to you to come up with a cost of goods sold. A receipt is the best way. If you don't have one it will be up to the mood of an auditor to allow or disallow the method you used to determine that figure. Have you ever sold a stock? That transaction will generate a 1099-B. It is up to you to enter the cost basis on your Schedule D. You can put in anything you want and it will be fine as long as you are not audited. The type of audit will determine how much your feet will be held to the fire. Same thing with the 1099-K. Rick
Ok, just some clarity.
Schedule D is capital gains schedule. The business income schedule is C.
Selling personal items is not considered a business. There is a difference between selling stuff out of inventory and selling personal items. Personal items is capital gains, D. Business income is Schedule C.
A stock is purchased for capital gain profit and for dividend income, and the IRS expects to see a cost basis on the stock sold. They do not expect to see a cost basis for a 5 year old toaster sold at a garage sale.
On ebay, I have a personal account to sell my personally used trains. I do not have a business account to sell new or used trains for a profit. And not a business where I sell repaired, weathered, decoder installs, or other wise improved trains at a profit.
Per the IRS: Online sales of personal, used items do not generally have to be reported. ... The rule of thumb is that if you used the items and then sold them for less than you bought them for, then you owe no taxes on the sale.
I doubt very seriously that the IRS, even if audited, are going to say that the personal item that you bought years ago for which they now have a 1099 from ebay is going to be considered a capital gain just because you didn't save the purchase receipts from years ago.
To avoid questions, you could simply list the portion of the 1099 amount that you sold...AT A PROFIT ... on Schedule D and estimate a cost for each of those items.
So of the, say, $5,000 of sales that get reported on the 1099, you would claim that $1,300 of it were items sold at a gain, then list a Good Faith estimate cost of those items at probably $1,050, and pay the capital gains tax (at the long term rate of 18%) on the $150 of the $5,000 reported. IOW, about $25 of tax on $5,000 of proceeds.
See, I don't think this ebay change is a big deal, because I don't think the IRS cares that much about people selling personal items. But everyone should do what they feel comfortable doing.
Generally I haven't sold models without regret. I had a mix of 12 Walthers Amtrak Superliners in phase 2 and phase 3 paint, and decided to switch to the plated version. I bought 6 plated phase 2 and sold the 12 tan box Walthers figuring I could fill out the plated train. Then the plated phase 2 dried up and are very hard to find.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
I've come to the realization that I have far more locos and rolling stock than my layout could handle. If I put everything I have on the layout, it would be gridlock, and that doesn't include a large box of about two dozen unbuilt freight car kits, mostly Accurail. With the excess freight cars, I have several yards where I can fiddle equipment on and off the layout. I could do the same with my passenger cars and locos, but passenger trains tend to stay with the same equipment during a round trip so there's a limited amount of fiddling I would want to do with that.
The question is what to do with all the excess. I don't mind the extra freight cars because I can see doing a lot of fiddling with those. I think I'm going to have lots of locos and passenger cars that aren't going to see that much time on the layout. So do I sell the excess or keep it stored in plastic Sterlite drawers? My experience tells me that once they go into drawers, they usually stay there.