As many have posted in another thread, the costs to build even a small model railroad are thru the roof these days. But there are many ways to still enjoy the hobby in a more simplier way if you know how and are willing to do some....actual modeling!
For myself, I have to split my income between my G scale out in my garden and my small HO layout indoors. Both are built on a shoe string budget, yet have some of the best trains made running on them. How do I do this you might ask. I hound train shows, the local hobby shop and ebay. My tastes are steam and logging on the HO layout, and a mix of Euro and narrow gauge industrial on my G scale layout. My baby HO layout is only 33" deep by 55" wide. Once completed will be a small logging line. As I have a complete distaste for a certian brands geared engines due to enginnering/quality failures in the drives. I hunted down an old PFM/United brass import. On ebay they can fetch $300 plus, not in the budget. However at a local NMRA show I found an old 2 truck class B shay for $100 bill. It had a minor issue of a broken solder joint in the crankshaft rendering it a one truck drive. I had that issue fixed with a little flux and some heat from my soldering iron as soon as I got home(I also fix this kind of issues for others). I always recommend to others to invest as much as you can afford into atleast 1 good locomotive and transformer/throttle. I prefer my steam to be brass, older imports that are more affordable and normaly cheaper than modern fragile plastic engines. I can find an average steam model for under $250 many times, usualy unpainted and most do run well after a basic lube job. Brass steam is much easier to work on, usualy 3 small screws and the boiler lifts off the drive chassis. Painting isnt as hard as it looks and there are seveal great sources online detailing how to do it. My freight cars are also a mix of older kits from various brands including Athearn, MDC/Roundhouse, Kaydee(logging cars) and some craftsman kits. I enjoy building these on the long winter nights stuck indoors. Its a great way to relax after work! My benchwork is built from inexpensive wood, then stained to look nice. My control is old school analog, provided by an old MRC Golden Throttle pack. I had DCC at one time, got tired of dealing with electronic issues and constantly debugging what is basicaly a small computer in each engine. I started in model railroads before sound was even an option other than the PFM sound systems and those were not very common. But my imagination gives me the sound, the clouds of black smoke when starting a heavy train, the rythmic thumpity exhaust of a shay trundling along with some logging skels headed for the woods. No sound system I have heard in HO scale comes close. And best of all, that is all free! I have attended train shows for many years, both as a helper for a dealer, as an exhibitor of my layout and just the nomal patron off the street. I have watched, at every show, estate tables piled with boxes full of trains get mobbed by moderlers, not the young ones that are clueless, but ones my age and older that know what could be in those boxes. Prices are usualy very good if not darn right cheap. But most stuff isnt ready to run, it might need serviced, built from a kit or bashed into what we want it to be. But thats how I afford to enjoy the hobby in HO scale. My G scale is very simlar, but is all LGB brand for track and Euro. Euro is all of 2 engines and a few cars, but on the industrial side I enjoy live steam. Yes live steam is expensive for the most part. But I am thankfull I have a friend that enjoys it, has the income to afford it, but cannot run it himself. So he buys the engines and I get to run them on my layout. But one can get a live steamer for around $500 to get started, so its not impossible or out of reach. A backwoods logging line can be done fairly cheap overall if you enjoy building run down buildings from scraps of wood, watch shows for cheap track and stay realisitic and get a small engine to haul those logs. Cheers Mike
Silly NT's, I have Asperger's Syndrome
Mike
I agree!
But as is typical - venting on here that the cost of MRRing is too high
SOME will think it will change things!
REALLY?
But it is funny - they have ZERO problems paying mutiple thousands for a ATV - UTV - motorcycle - Boat - Off road vehicle and NEVER complain one bit!
BUT - let be Model Railroading - they want the BEST for nothing!
WHY?
BOB H - Clarion, PA
Spending over $30 on a good USED (Atlas/Kato/Walthers) locomotive almost never happens for me; freight cars capped at $11, passenger at $13 (has to include shipping). So if you're talking about $100 locomotives, and calling it a bargain, great for you.
I don't buy new,infact I have not bought any new locomotives in any of the scales I dabble in for atleast the 5 years.That last new car I've ordered is the new Accurail PS-2 covered hopper in HO.
I have more fun and get much more satisfaction from reworking older locos and cars.It's kind of fun to have someone say "That's a neat boxcar,who made it"and I get to answer "I did."
What do I do with the cost of the hobby so high?
While i still dabble in the trains at Xmas, and have contemplated a different scale, I have moved mainly to a different cheaper hobby.
But, make no mistake, any hobby has its "expensive wants" and el cheapo "get you in the door cheap" facets to it.
-G .
Just my thoughts, ideas, opinions and experiences. Others may vary.
HO and N Scale.
After long and careful thought, they have convinced me. I have come to the conclusion that they are right. The aliens did it.
Very simple answer -- if model railroading is too expensive for you, find a different hobby. Try golf, surfing, scuba diving, motorcycles, ATVs, tennis, archery, etc. and see how expensive they are.
Complaining on these forums is not going to change anything.
I wonder if other hobbies (i.e. model ship building, doll houses, rc planes/vehicles etc.) are facing the same issues. Model railroading also has other expenses that other hobbies don't. The room expense for where the layout is located, lumber for the bench work, hardware,paint, lighting, wire, climate control, non hobby tools to build the layout.
I buy new all the time but on the used market. It is amazing how much stuff is bought that just sits there!!!!!! and then is re-sold!
I've been doing this great hobby for a number of years now and have thousands of dollars invested, as soon dcc came into the picture the investment grew. To save a lot of money I did it in the scenery department where I started gathering materials from the out doors, I think the biggest investment with the out doors stuff was the old blender I bought from the thrift shop.
Lynn
Present Layout progress
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/11/p/290127/3372174.aspx#3372174
cacole Very simple answer -- if model railroading is too expensive for you, find a different hobby. Try golf, surfing, scuba diving, motorcycles, ATVs, tennis, archery, etc. and see how expensive they are. Complaining on these forums is not going to change anything.
Your not kidding for sure. I run two old harleys for my wife and I and when we travel I often do scuba diving. Too cold here in ontario for my liking for diving. I'm also restoring a 1963 vespa. Its not cheap trying to enjoy life.
How many times have we had this question pop up? I am a member to this forum for a little over 5 years now and I can´t remember a year, when a complaint about the rising cost of our hobby has not come up a minimum of 6 times!
I do my model railroading on a shoestring budget, although it sometimes hurts not to be able to go on a shopping tour.
The cost of model railroading is as high as you want to let it get! There is a simple recipe of controlling the cost:
That´s all there is to it.
I only call it a bargain, compared to typical prices. My point is, there are bargains out there. I am not so much venting on high prices, they are hear to stay whether we like it or not. Its more on what we are all doing to cope with them, maybe its buying only used, or only vintage stuff. Maybe we are downscaling the proposed size of a layout, and concentrating on a small layout instead of a basement size empire. Thats what most of the folks in the UK do, they have small houses like I do, or even smaller appartments. They concentrate on nice shelf switching layouts, many times with a fiddle yard and sector plate to each track. Rather than have 3-10 good engines, they have one or two really super nice engines. Quality instead of quantity. Thats my style. I would rather have one brass shay, than 3 or 4 plastic ones, one nice brass road engine for running at the club layout ect. Those are just examples. If you have the income to have a basement empire, by all means go for it. But I feel most of us feel pinched by high prices everywhere, from trains to grocerys. How do you deal with it? Mike
This is what bothers me about this forum. There is always people complaining about the cost of the hobby. If you can't afford it then get out of it. Hobbies cost money. Hey, I like classic Porsches but I don't collect them because I can't afford to. You don't see me on Classic Porsche Forums complaining about the cost of owning one. Sometimes I wonder about the people on this forum that cry about the cost of things in this hobby and then cry about the cost of maintaining their trailer or house or the price of food etc in another thread. Guess what, if your struggling to live day to day then this hobby isn't for you. Rant over.
Have fun with your trains
I scratch build and buy used at shows. Saves a bunch. A lot of the price increases is technology/electronics as was as RTR. So, to avoid the price increases I just avoid those things and normally it works out great.
I have also begun to buy brass which holds its' value better or increases better.
Richard
Decided to give up golf about 8 years ago, got tired of paying to get frustrated. built a 21X8 ho layout, got it about 80% finished,have a stable ot 10 DCC locos, purchased new. 175 rolling stock almost all bought at shows. lots of fun, no frustrations, and money in the bank. What's not to like. I find that shopping for bargains at shows is fun and a challenge, and an excellent way to control costs.
For me I look for the better on line prices,shop on e-Bay and hit the use market at train shows.
There is a happy side..At 66 I have collected more then I can used in my remaining years or maybe two more life times.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
New prices are up and our average income isnt, what do you do as a modeler to keep active?
I still buy new items, including some of the higher end, more detailed models, but in small numbers. Consequently, I am always playing catch-up when models that meet my goals are sold-out because I can't afford to keep up with them all as they are produced and hit the market.
BTW, Accurail has recently come out with a nice looking CF4750 hopper, an all new kit for under $20, more like 14 to 16 dollars street price. Going to kits like these and finding others from Accurail, MDC, Athearn and Walthers at trains shows can be great cost savers.
Cheers, Jim
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
What do I do? I have since had to change my buying practices from ma & Pa shops (if you can find them) to now using EBay. NOS and NIB models can be found for pennies on the dollar.
Unfortunately, we only have two small multi scale train shows here a year (sometimes, not always - thats the unfortunate part). They arent very large ones and are seldom advertised. But if I get to go, i hit every HO table vendor. Great deals here!
Lastly, since my roadname has never been that popular with manufacturers (and I am tired of waiting), and the prices for models has gotten rude, I have decided to make my own. Its just plastic, metal, and a bit of paint. Plus, if you can make one, you can make many. The cost here is time, not money. Time I have, money I dont.
These are some of the ways I combat todays overly high prices. It works for me. I get an accurate model without the wait, I get it cheap, and I am just as happy in the end. I dont have that 'nice layout' yet so I am focussing on my rolling stock until I do. However, I summize I will be doing alot of the same technique in building my road when that day comes.
Who said that you have to be buying things to stay active in the hobby? For all I care, just posting on a model train forum like this counts as being active, regardless of what you may or may not be spending your money on.
The hobby can cost as much or as little as you want it to, it's up to you the modeler to draw the line.
What's so hard to grasp about this concept?!
/thread
SP&S modeler, 1960's give or take a decade or two for some equipment.
http://www.youtube.com/user/SGTDUPREY?feature=guide
Gary DuPrey
N scale model railroader
My model railroad buying is on a very little budget. Every time I get my allowance my dad takes it away 2 to 4 days later. Earlier this year I didn't get paid in 6 months and worked my butt off.
Before I had an allowance I found loose change on the streets and sidewalks and saved money that way. (Some days are better than others.)
Remember some people have it worse. I love this hobby I wish I could enjoy it.
Amtrak America, 1971-Present.
Sir MadogThe cost of model railroading is as high as you want to let it get! There is a simple recipe of controlling the cost: Don´t buy things you can´t afford Cut down on your dreams to something realistic - you don´t need to have a basement-size layout to enjoy this hobby Buy less, scratchbuild more. That´s all there is to it.
x2
Unlike most hobbies, there is such a low minimum entry point. Flying? You need to own or rent a plane. Cars? Vehicle, tools, parts, gas... Golf? Bag of clubs. Hunting? Two guns, a dog, and a ATV.
Model railroading? The cost of a single kit.
Obviously, you can go from that to modeling the Pennsy in 1945 and -- BOOM!!! -- your hobby just became too expensive?!?
Some folks just aren't good at budgeting. You have to budget your time, money, and space to build a model railroad. Master that and you will have no more complaints about the cost of the hobby, because your expectations will be in line with your finances. Otherwise, there's always a second job or adjusting your dreams a bit.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
big daydreamerWho said that you have to be buying things to stay active in the hobby?
Absolutely right.
Folks who follow WPF see what I'm doing. The vast majority of stuff I've been doing there -- pics to prove it, too -- is done from my accumulation of 4+ decades in the hobby. I'm finishing my degree, so the family budget has been very tight the last two or three years. There have been a few indispensable, don't miss things I budgeted for -- a Blackstone C-19 and some more drop-bottom gons -- but most everything else is from kits, pieces of kits, or stuff I scratch up. Yes, I did buy some paint, adhesives, etc. Yes, there's a pretty darn nice accumulation of stuff that is already part of the layout. Remember that most good layouts take years, not months to build. Be patient, budget, build and eventually you too will find yourself in ---------->>> (((*The Model Railroad Zone*)))
big daydreamer Who said that you have to be buying things to stay active in the hobby? For all I care, just posting on a model train forum like this counts as being active, regardless of what you may or may not be spending your money on.
All your doing is fooling yourself. Being active in the hobby means building something, attending shows and club events. Posting on a forum does not mean your active in the hobby.
ONR FAN big daydreamer Who said that you have to be buying things to stay active in the hobby? For all I care, just posting on a model train forum like this counts as being active, regardless of what you may or may not be spending your money on. All your doing is fooling yourself. Being active in the hobby means building something, attending shows and club events. Posting on a forum does not mean your active in the hobby.
Naw, participating in the discussion is an activity, and therefore literally the definition of active.
NittanyLion ONR FAN big daydreamer Who said that you have to be buying things to stay active in the hobby? For all I care, just posting on a model train forum like this counts as being active, regardless of what you may or may not be spending your money on. All your doing is fooling yourself. Being active in the hobby means building something, attending shows and club events. Posting on a forum does not mean your active in the hobby. Naw, participating in the discussion is an activity, and therefore literally the definition of active.
As long as it is model railroading related.
ONR FAN All your doing is fooling yourself. Being active in the hobby means building something, attending shows and club events. Posting on a forum does not mean your active in the hobby.
lol maybe I would I have time for that IF I WAS RETIRED! I have done none of these things in the past month. So does that mean I am not an active modeller?
Whats next? buying RTR makes me not a real ........? because I've read that before too, on this forum.
Armchair modelers are by definition "inactive" in the hobby, but AFAIK no one has tried to define them out of the hobby...
Let's get back to the topic. I would certainly say that participating in model railroad communities, whether virtual or F2F, is a good way to keep current in the hobby, even if your wallet can't otherwise help you out. Besides there are always people in between layouts, or who only build models, or who operate at clubs, etc. They post here, too, and I wouldn't say they're not model railroaders because they lack a layout.
In fact, I don't particularly worry about anyone who wants to call themself a model railroader. The more the merrier., unless they're Hannibal Lecter or something.
mlehmanHunting? Two guns, a dog, and a ATV.
Surely you jest? All I used for rabbit,squirrel,turkey,deer and quail was a 16 gage.
I preferred stealth over noise.