Since I turned 50 last summer, my wife has been asking weird questions. Here's an example:
"When you die, what do you want me to do with your trains and all that?"
I don't think of myself as having one foot in the grave, but it's on her mind. Anyway, how would you answer the question for yourself? It might be more interesting if we don't include "give it to my kids/grand kids" as potential responses - seems too easy.
Phil, I'm not a rocket scientist; they are my students.
Phil,
Maybe she is wondering what to do with the trains. I am 58, and I do have an inventory of my engines/freight cars. I have 2 friends who will handle the dismantling of the layout and sale of the items. Like old soldiers, we have a bottle of vintage spirits to be broke open by the last of us to survive!
Not that I think I am departing this world anytime soon(I think God is still working on my 'special train cloud'...).
Jim Bernier
Modeling BNSF and Milwaukee Road in SW Wisconsin
If I have any that won't be more of a burden (a sense of duty to look after them out of respect) because they are old junk incompatible with the current methods, and if I thought they would like them, I'd will them to my nephews. I have no sons, only daughters.
Otherwise, sell them to known friends who might enjoy them (or simply give them). Finally, into the dumpster. My ashes into the garden for growing next summer's tomatoes.
-Crandell
LOL! A few months back, my oldest son was down looking at my trains and I said to him, "Son, someday all of this will be yours." He took a deep breath and just rolled his eyes.........
Actually, after I die and go to that great trainroom in the sky, I don't really care what happens to my layout. I would hope that some relatives and friends will get some of the rolling stock, buildings, and other parts of the layout to remember me by, but that will be their problem.....
Ray Seneca Lake, Ontario, and Western R.R. (S.L.O.&W.) in HO
We'll get there sooner or later!
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
Good question. My Rock Island stuff ( papers and the like) will go to a museum I hope.My collection of Railroad stories and Railroad pulps to a museum hopefully,and the trains will go to whomeever wants them I guess.
I am hoping I have grandkids ( when I am grandpa age mind you 36 now so I can wait a while) tht will have the same love of trains I do.Both my daughters love trains as well but not nto modeling them.
Yes we are on time but this is yesterdays train
shayfan84325 wrote: Since I turned 50 last summer, my wife has been asking weird questions. Here's an example:"When you die, what do you want me to do with your trains and all that?"
Has she started serving you Margaritas that taste like anti-freeze, by any chance?
Seriously, does anyone have any insight on what others who have gone to the Great Roundhouse in the Sky have done with their layouts, particularly those who have had a good outcome?
Personally, I'd rather give things to a club or a group of fellow modellers, so that the trains and structures would be incorporated into active layouts. If you box up trains and give them to someone who either doesn't really want them, or who doesn't have space for them, or who "isn't ready" for a layout yet, they're just going to end up in attics. By the time they get taken out again, they will again be too old to give anyone much pleasure.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
I am not married or have any children so I plan to sell them a month or so before I retreat to the big layout in the sky and purchase a steam loco and be buried in it. Would be a big hole in the cementary. LOL
Seriously, I have a cousin and a nephew that are interested in the trains but have no layout or room. I have already told them that my trains are to be divided between the two of them, maybe they will get into the hobby and keep the trains alive, When I told my cousin the plan he said "I don't know wheather to say Thank You or *** You."
I hope they will be used or displayed, not trashed. Mike
I would hope that my son would take them when I pass on, but I have no real plan or will in place that would spell out where the "trains" would end up.
My grandfather donated all but one piece of his old HO layout to a local Boy Scout Troop in Pineville, LA in the late 1960's, many years before his passing.
Ryan BoudreauxThe Piedmont Division Modeling The Southern Railway, Norfolk & Western & Norfolk Southern in HO during the merger eraCajun Chef Ryan
Simple for me....
My sons will get what they want. The rest, well I plan to donate to a children's Hospital or the club that would run it at a children's hospital... my bias is that by the time die, I will have spent 30+ years working at one, so why not give back...
Brian
My first reply would be to ask my wife if she bumped up my life insurance????? LOL!
Seriously, This subject popps up occasionally. Although none of us expect to kick the bucket tomorrow, fate may have different thoughts. With that said, we could have a plan on what to do with our layouts and all the trains and equipment.
First thought is to sell it off. However, that takes time and effort that most are not willing to do. If the surviror does want to sell, they need to either know the value of items or hopefully have friends price out everything.
Personally I'd tell my wife to ask the kids first if they wanted anything. After that just give it to a local train club. The way I see it, those trains are only valuable to me and a few of us that model railroads. No one else cares about the stuff. If given to a club they would appreciate and enjoy the trains and equipment.
Bill
I think it's better to request that it go to a RR Museum or a Model RR Club than to figure out that it's going to end up in the hands of some estate wholesaler. There was one of those estate liquidators at the last train show I went to, and I felt almost guilty at the "$15 for any book" price, when I knew the book was out of print and worth over $50. Many museums or clubs have an annual "Train Show Day", and they could select anything they wanted for their use or collection and then sell the rest at clearance price with the proceeds going to the museum or club. The Virginia Museum of Transportation (in Roanoke, VA) has a sizeable library of railroad resources, for example, and my collection may one day enhance their opportunity to be a resource for others.
The kids should have the opportunity to select one item of rememberance (if they wish to recall that "Dad always liked his trains"), but then the rest to a point where it can be redistributed to other railfans/modelers with proceeds to a club or museum.
And I expect that having wife ask the question is an easier way to start thinking about it than hearing your Doctor say "You have cancer now..." (now 2 years post-op and the lab report says "undetectable" so far).
Some of us might need an extra coffin...
Phil
Modeling the N&W freelanced at the height of their steam era in HO.
Daniel G.
The layout...not me, I hope!
Trains go to friends, or ebay or...see above.
Have fun with your trains
Just a few sage words.
Those times are very tough for those left behind, so whatever you can arrange ahead of time will be a blessing. Since most people won't have any idea what the stuff is, it helps to have it as identifiable as possible. For this reason I keep all the boxes from locos and rolling stock and put the car number on the box. Buildings and stuff from the layout are pretty much worthless so whatever to be done should be arranged ahead of time.
Now no offense guys, but having a "train buddy" take care of this for the family is not the best idea. Sometimes they turn out to be buzzards and pick the carcass and leave a great mess for the family. I have seen this several times. Ideally you need someone like a family member who knows what to do ahead of time. If you have a large valuable collection, legal documentation is needed in case things go to court - in some jurisdictions it is mandatory in case of sudden death. Pieces that are valuable to you or which you want to go to someone particular need to be documented as part of a will. Otherwise it could turn into a nasty situation, again not needed for those left behind.
Donations to a museum etc., need to be worked out in advance. In many cases they can't use the stuff, and just dropping it on them results in... Well you know.
Lastly, thinking you are in good shape and don't need to think about this stuff, think again. People get hit by a bus or a heart attack every day. I was only 57 when struck by a disabling illness and left with no income, and no place to live until I got things straightened out many months later. I know of a couple occasions where a modeler took his last ride very unexpectedly.
In my will, I've asked that all of my belongings of value (including my train items and layout) be sold or auctioned off and that the money be equally divided among my closest family members and friends. That's the most reasonable plan I could come up with.
Tracklayer
I was a member at a museum in San Antonio for many years (still keep in contact with them), and folks come in semi regularly with railroadiana and models asking if we wanted them. It seems that a lot of folks simply don't explain what exactly to do with their collections when they pass on.
I know that many of you have also seen the posts on here that go somewhat like this; "My grandfather/father just died and we have boxes of model trains and want to know what it is worth.". I have also seen a lot of those kinds of stories like that with auctions on eBay.
I get buried in my engineers hat. The kids take what they want, leftovers can be sold or donated.
Enjoy
Paul
I'm not allowed to die without prior authorization, and unless I see a RIP (report on individual personnel, not the other kind) or orders to that effect, I'll be staying alive.
Modeling the Rio Grande Southern First District circa 1938-1946 in HOn3.
Well as a member of the armed services, I don't know I guess I've been putting off drawing up a will. I'm only 29 and I guess part of me thinks that I'm gonna jinx myself if I do before I deploy, on the other hand I don't want my wife and family to have to worry about things. I guess I'll give my trains to my kids, and whatever they want to do with it is thier biz. But I have sorta another question along these lines...and again I don't know how to breach the subject really, My Grandfather was the one that got me started down this road...and he has alot of railroad stuff...rolling stock, loco, kits...as well as structures... he was in the process of building a layout in the late 70's early 80's but it got ruined by basement flooding and he never tried to recover. I got his collection of old MRs....but I don't know how to ask for his train stuff without sounding morbid? I've even thought of offering to pay him for his things, I just don't know. Any suggestions on this??
Thanks
Brad
As my ultimate model railroad goal is to found a Model Railroading museum, ultimately I would hope the organization would take on a life of it's own and not depend on my physical existence. If I should die before that time, I have 80% of it cataloged so it should be fairly easy to donate to another musuem.
On the other hand, all of you who don't know the fate of your collections might want to hunt up some museums ahead of time. Generally it would not good idea to donate generally to clubs unless it is a club with historical preservation specifically in their charter.
I had a dear friend that passed away a little over a year ago who had a nice collection and a large layout all of his stuff plus some of mine a another persons stuff was acutioned off . I found out the hard way that when a person dies all of their stuff plus any of your stuff on their property is sealed until the dispostion of the estate and the stuff of yours becomes part of the estate . I lost several Locomotives and frieght cars . a real bummer.
vsmith wrote: The layout...not me, I hope!Trains go to friends, or ebay or...see above.
LOL..if your wife finds out that this is a whole lot cheaper then you and the lay-out may end up there
Truly this is worth thinking about. My neighbour dropped dead at 39 without warning.
Despite the danger of "buzzards' mentioned above, i do think a trusted buddy who knows stuff is the best arrangement. Appoint them officially as trustee of the MR, probably a reciprocal arrangement with theirs.
You can make special mention in your will that you want Bob to have the brass 4-8-4, so you can thank special friends.
Make an inventory. I'm just starting mine - i have an online one on my website so the data is offsite if the house burns down and so a buddy can find it easily - better than a CD buried in papers somewhere. And yes it is secure, not public.
There was a story a while ago (letter in MR?) about the wife who sent $50,000 worth of brass locos to the dump.
On the other hand, once we are gone what do we care?
Brad I'd make him an offer, seeing as he isn't using the stuff anyway. He'd probably be glad to know it was going to a relative.
I can't think of any relative of mine who'd want my stuff. I think it'd be fitting if my stuff was sold/donated to fellow forum members. At least that way I know it would be going to good homes.
Mike
Modelling the UK in 00, and New England - MEC, B&M, D&H and Guilford - in H0