How much do you spend a year on model railroading ?...

[jbloch]

Just starting out this year--at around $500 so far, and that's just for some MicroMark tools, a pair of Athearn Genesis F3 AB's, P2K E8 and Stewart Baldwin DS-4-4-1000.  Benchwork not even started yet, so much more to come!!(argh)

Yopopso: you'll get a lot of opinions on these forums as to where is the best place to shop.  My feeling is I have to go internet; the LHS in town here isn't bad, but: (1) they don't carry any stock in my fallen flag railroad and (2) they don't come anywhere near the prices I've gotten on internet shop sales or e-bay.  I really would like to support the local LHS, but the costs in this hobby, and the amount of stuff that I still need to purchase just doesn't leave me any choice, in my opinion.

Jim

[Aldo’s Trains]

I have my layout done. but, still not happy with it. I try to avoid looking at the new Lionel catalog, but when I do. Watch out, I buy and buy................................................ $ 5,000 to 10,000 a year.
Most of it, I have not opened yet, or is only on display.
Aldo NY

[ezielinski]

Not counting the start-up fees for benchwork, scenicing materials, etc, I have a "budgeted" $1300/yr ($50 per paycheck), but over the last year, I have probably spent 2-3 times that amount just to get up-and-running.  I try not to keep "concrete" evidence otherwise my wife might find out.

[conrail92]

I spend on average about an hour or more a day on my railroad, sometimes less sometimes more. So in a year it adds up to a good bit of time and money. I really not sure how much money i spend a year. Do i realy want to know.

[AggroJones]

I spend around $700.00 to $1300.00 a month. Sometimes I spend $1200.00 on Ebay in a day. I have a room completly filled with items for my new RR. I buy knowing I will use it all when the time comes to build. That way I don't have to spend a fortune all at once. I have boxes of new Shinohara track, switches, scenery materal, Boxes of Woodland Scenics stuff, 1000,s of Preiser People, ect. Everything for a huge DCC system. I want to be able to start the layout and have everything I need there. I also have 15 South River Model buildings, 36 Fine Scale Kits, 11 Master Creation kits, 10 Sheepscot kits, almost ALL Builders In Scale, and almost ALL Sierra West kits, and almost everything Campbell made. I bought them over several years. I have quite a few of them already built and stored on the Diaorma till it comes time to palce them on the layout. I build one about every 4 weeks or so.

 

D*mn, what is your occupation?

[MStLfan]

I am not interested in total sums spend. What is more interesting and might make justifying the hobby to your loved ones easier is the amount of money per hour you spend on your hobby. Years ago Tony Koester adressed this problem in one of his Trains of Thought columns in MR. It went something like this: yes I spend 300 $ on this kit but it took me 60 hours to finish it so it came down to 5 $ per hour.

And don't forget that, in my opinion, you get more bang for the buck compared to, say, going to a ballgame or drink beer or whiskey in a bar. Whenever you enter your trainroom that investment is still there but can you say the same of going to the ballpark?

Other observations: it seems that many of us are a bit prone to binge spending, I know I am.

And once I got addicted to buying railroad books and magazines. It started out slowly but accelerated and after 2 years I was at a point where I bough books and magazines worth around 100 guilders each weekend. It took half a year of doing that and then I realized that I didn't even take off the plastic wrappers of most of the things I had bought. The pile of unread books and magazine had grown to over half a meter. It took considerably longer to read all that stuff! And it was must have it stuff too, just as some have described here with their buying model railroad things.

I just got around to building my first module. So far the cost is 35 Euro's for the wood, screws, glue and paint. I had it done as I am not good at those kind of things. I am using glueshell scenery and use strips from old file folders for a web and then an old bedsheet ripped in pieces and drowned in white glue. I spend around 10 Euro's on the glue. I bought some scenery stuff for about 50 dollars and later this year I have to buy track and ballast and more scenery stuff.

greetings,

Marc Immeker

[CAZEPHYR]

Maybe some of us should join  TRAINS  ANONYMOUS !!

If you have more than one hundred models that have never been opened and used, consider buying a few less in the coming year or joining TA. 

I recently found unbuilt kits and locomotives purchased in the 1960's era.  

[Texas Zepher]

TRAINS  ANONYMOUS !!

If you have more than one hundred models that have never been opened and used, consider buying a few less in the coming year or joining TA. 

I recently found unbuilt kits and locomotives purchased in the 1960's era.  

Sign Me Up.  

I'm a trainoholic and can't pass up a good deal.  I just spontaniously purchased another 3 locomotives off e-bay last night (top of the line units with DCC/sound for under $100).  I need help. 

[IRONROOSTER]

Maybe some of us should join  TRAINS  ANONYMOUS !!

If you have more than one hundred models that have never been opened and used, consider buying a few less in the coming year or joining TA. 

I recently found unbuilt kits and locomotives purchased in the 1960's era.  

Guess I better join.  I have unbuilt kits from the early 70's - in 3 scales yet.

Enjoy
Paul

[fiatfan]

Did my wife put you up to this?

Actually, I have no complaints in that department.  My wife goes on the auction sites every few months and tries to talk me into buying something.  The only items I bid on are those marked for the company I retired from.  I have a small collection of wood sheathed box cars that I like to run every so often.

The first few years were rather expensive, even without dcc.  Now its mostly scenery and building the kits I have on hand.    Since I 've retired and have more time to spend on the trains, I'm actually spending less.  As someone in the thread mentioned time = money.  Before I retired, I didn't have that much time.  Now, I don't have that much money.  Either way, I'm still having just as much fun, which is the whole point of this exercise.

In answer to your question, I've probably spent less than $100 so far this year but there is a train show  near me this weekend.

Tom

[reklein]

Cool Job Gasturbine !!!! With that kind of job you don't need a hobby. I myself spend a couple 100 a month, But mostly on new tools and materials. Along with trains I also like model boats,and planes and also like to do woodworking. I've been selling a few models lately which helps pay for the tools. I'd like to unload a few kits of some of the things besides trains but have been too chikkin to learn E-bay. One of these days though I'll turn those old kits into more tools.

[CrazyDelmar]

I guess about $500 a year or less

I havent bought a new locomotive in a couple of years, my last loco I bought used at a show near Arcola,IL last spring. I like to buy ones that need some improvements, like new motor, better gears, etc.  I enjoy doing this work, because I rebuild it as what I need

[mtrails]

Last year I spent about $1,200.  About $600 of that was building my first layout (8x6). This year I have spent about $800, mostly on rolling stock. With a couple months to go, I  probably won't reach $1,000 for this year. On average, I visit my LHS once a week, and usualy spend about $20. When it comes time to build my "dream layout", I'll probably spend about the same or more on layout materials... Geez, that means it's going to take about 5 years to complete!

Jermey

[whywaites]

Hi, so far in the last 12 months I've spent approx $9000 but that was mostly on a new building for my model railroad and about $2000 of that was on trains. I had a change of heart and switched back to US model railroading and sold the trains to fund my new project.

Shaun

[45T-2]

Last few years been averaging about 2k a year. This includes dues to "the club" and also benchwork/track on home layout.  I agree with Texas Zepher; once I got serious about RR/locale/era, it became much easier to budget. We are blessed with soooo many EXCELENT models nowdays, you have to narrow your focus or you'll go broke. Still sometimes, I head for LHS thinking couplers, wheelsets, lube,paint and end up leaving with new loco. Then I get home; darn, still can't finish those projects, I blew my monthly allowance!!

[pcman43]

Hmmmm Well I guess I am like most of the guys here, probably not enough but tooo much at the same time. The bad part about it is when you do not have a train room, and all you have available is a hayloft in the barn. Believe me this makes it to be quite costly, some where in the neighborhood of about $6000.00 to insulate, drywall, lighting, electrical services, and air-conditioning in a 20 X 30 room. Then on top of that deciding to go with two major Digitrax sytems, installing decoders in 20 something locos then discovering sound and starting over with more decoders. I guess I got it bad will spend $400 - $600 at almost every train show, no LHS's in my home town. I got it so bad I will go and buy KD no 5's to outfit the whole fleet of 250 cars at one time do not care about the cost ,, LOL. The first layout killed my marriage 20 years ago so now I am trying to build my dream layout. So I guess in all reality I spend about $1500 - $2000 a year and thats just an educated guess, afraid to really know exactly how much.

[jbinkley60]

Hmmmm Well I guess I am like most of the guys here, probably not enough but tooo much at the same time. The bad part about it is when you do not have a train room, and all you have available is a hayloft in the barn. Believe me this makes it to be quite costly, some where in the neighborhood of about $6000.00 to insulate, drywall, lighting, electrical services, and air-conditioning in a 20 X 30 room. Then on top of that deciding to go with two major Digitrax sytems, installing decoders in 20 something locos then discovering sound and starting over with more decoders. I guess I got it bad will spend $400 - $600 at almost every train show, no LHS's in my home town. I got it so bad I will go and buy KD no 5's to outfit the whole fleet of 250 cars at one time do not care about the cost ,, LOL. The first layout killed my marriage 20 years ago so now I am trying to build my dream layout. So I guess in all reality I spend about $1500 - $2000 a year and thats just an educated guess, afraid to really know exactly how much.

Did the layout kill your marriage or did the marriage kill the layout ? I try to get my wife involved.  So far her involvement is going to train shows to shop.  I have a number of things I don't need right now but she feels she has contributed and I get to buy many more things that I do need.  I was going to buy her a UT-4 so she could operate things easily but I've realized that they don't support switches and I just installed DS64 stationary decoders.