My only regret right now, is not getting the MTH N&W Powhatten Arrow Set.
Rick Jesionowski
Rule 1: This is my railroad.
Rule 2: I make the rules.
Rule 3: Illuminating discussion of prototype history, equipment and operating practices is always welcome, but in the event of visitor-perceived anacronisms, detail descrepancies or operating errors, consult RULE 1!
Shortly before Standard Hobby closed its doors, they were selling MDC loco kits for around $35 each. Having no knowledge of the MDC line of kits, I bought one, built it, then bought two more. Even though the clearance price was so low, my budget at the time couldn't be stretched more. I love these locos so much I should have put a few more kits on my credit card. Yes, you can still find a few of these kits on E-Bay, but at nowhere near the prices Standard Hobby used to liquidate their stock.
Hornblower
I regretted not buying the Scaletrains GTEL until some refurbs went on sale. And then I apparently missed the refurbs, but got a $50 credit because I placed an order for one and they oversold them, so I ended up with a new one.
I regret not buying the UP Atlas Silver Line SD24s I saw on eBay. I still want one of those.
Julian
Modeling Pre-WP merger UP (1974-81)
Well, I just bought it- PSC Thomas Flyer.
http://mprailway.blogspot.com
"The first transition era - wood to steel!"
rrinker Maybe one of the Atlas/Kato RS units instead of that horrid bachmann Northern I had my mind set on back when I did N scale. I might still be in N scale if I had a good running loco like that. The Bachmann steamer was nothing but a disaster from day 1 and I eventually gave up on N scale and went back to HO in frustration. --Randy
Maybe one of the Atlas/Kato RS units instead of that horrid bachmann Northern I had my mind set on back when I did N scale. I might still be in N scale if I had a good running loco like that. The Bachmann steamer was nothing but a disaster from day 1 and I eventually gave up on N scale and went back to HO in frustration.
--Randy
Bachmann's HO scale 4-8-4s are no better. I've had two and both were junk. One I bought on the second hand shelf at my LHS and it simple would not stay on the track. The LHS was willing to take it back. A few years ago I bought a Bachmann Niagra and the pilot wheels flopped around like a fish out of water and no matter how I adjusted them. They just would not stay on the track. I finally just made it a static display in my engine terminal. A rather expensive static display. I was OK with Bachmann's Spectrum line but I will never take chance on a standard line loco again.
Run Eight Had I had vision to the future, which none of us has....it would have been a few more Athearn Blue Box Locomotive Kits, which were 95 % made at it's former Compton (Los Angels), California manufacturing facility along with a heafty supply of Athearn, then cataloged parts. All new, straight from the plant and not train show and e-bay markups.
Had I had vision to the future, which none of us has....it would have been a few more Athearn Blue Box Locomotive Kits, which were 95 % made at it's former Compton (Los Angels), California manufacturing facility along with a heafty supply of Athearn, then cataloged parts.
All new, straight from the plant and not train show and e-bay markups.
The train shows I go to I see plenty of kits from Athearn, MDC, Walthers, Front Range etc. at very good prices. Train show mark ups? That's not been my experience at Timonium and other shows I've been going to. Tons of great deals if you needed lots of trains on the cheap to build a roster.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
riogrande5761 ATLANTIC CENTRAL And there is where we all make the compromises that suit us. It is more important to me to have those 70 Accurail, Athearn and Boswer Western Maryland hoppers for the overall effect of the prototype lenght train rather than have 12 that have every last rivet correct....... Sheldon I don't have to have every last rivit correct, which is virtually impossible - that is the proverbial straw man. I think there is a "reasonable" middle ground. In fact here has to be since we don't have enough 100% correct models out there but there are quite a few very good options which also includes models sometimes with molded on grab irons, like my UP Bowser hoppers, which at least look like real coal cars in fundemental ways. What suites me are trains that resemble real freight cars in that way, and some of them are more detailed where I can manage to afford them. As always YMMV and it does - I "get it" by now.
ATLANTIC CENTRAL And there is where we all make the compromises that suit us. It is more important to me to have those 70 Accurail, Athearn and Boswer Western Maryland hoppers for the overall effect of the prototype lenght train rather than have 12 that have every last rivet correct....... Sheldon
Sheldon
I don't have to have every last rivit correct, which is virtually impossible - that is the proverbial straw man. I think there is a "reasonable" middle ground. In fact here has to be since we don't have enough 100% correct models out there but there are quite a few very good options which also includes models sometimes with molded on grab irons, like my UP Bowser hoppers, which at least look like real coal cars in fundemental ways. What suites me are trains that resemble real freight cars in that way, and some of them are more detailed where I can manage to afford them.
As always YMMV and it does - I "get it" by now.
Jim, in the various conversations we have had about this, I think we have both learned that this issue is highly dependent on the era one models. There are considerably more high detail cars available for some of the more recent eras, as opposed to my 1953 era.
In the era I model, an Athearn 34' hopper, or the various ones from Bowser or Accurail, are more than close enough and the detail level is acceptable.
So as an example, the highly detailed Kadee twin hopper is the same prototype as the Athearn, and while I may add Kadee twin hoppers to my fleet, I would never feel a need to remove the Athearn cars I have.
ATLANTIC CENTRAL And there is where we all make the compromises that suit us. It is more important to me to have ... overall effect of the prototype lenght train rather than have 12 that have every last rivet correct....... Sheldon
I don't have to have every last rivit correct, thank you, which is virtually impossible; that is the proverbial straw man argument. I think there is a "reasonable" middle ground. In fact here has to be since we don't have enough 100% correct models out there but there are quite a few very good options which also includes models sometimes with molded on grab irons, like my UP Bowser hoppers, which are good matches to those hauled by the D&RGW and Utah Rwy.
What suites me are trains with freight cars that are good matches, and some of those include Athearn, Accurail, MDC as well as Intermountain, Moloco, ExactRail and Tangent. Not many of us have a layout that can run 70 coal trains, but we strive for a realistic effect as much as we can manage. Forgetting the 12 car rivet counter straw-man example, it is realistic for many of us to get decent looking coal train with close to correct cars that is somewhere in the middle of unrealistically short and prototypically long.
As always YMMV and it does - I think most of us "get it" by now.
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
I regret not buying health insurance. Can't afford it...!
Mike C.
IRONROOSTER NYBW-John Signs you have bought too much stuff. You have unassembled kits on your shelf that are 20 years old or more. One of mine is over 30. And I still plan to build it. Someday. You have duplicates of the same kit because you forgot you already had one. I've done that. Three times. Actually one of them I didn't forget I had. I forgot I had it on back order with Trainworld. That one arrived about a week after I bought the same kit at my LHS. I have kits that I bought over 40 years ago. I also buy old kits that I like. I plan to build them all, but who knows. The nice thing is that they are there for me to build when the mood strikes me. Some kits are duplicates - I'll just change the road number on them as needed. Paul
NYBW-John Signs you have bought too much stuff. You have unassembled kits on your shelf that are 20 years old or more. One of mine is over 30. And I still plan to build it. Someday. You have duplicates of the same kit because you forgot you already had one. I've done that. Three times. Actually one of them I didn't forget I had. I forgot I had it on back order with Trainworld. That one arrived about a week after I bought the same kit at my LHS.
Signs you have bought too much stuff.
You have unassembled kits on your shelf that are 20 years old or more. One of mine is over 30. And I still plan to build it. Someday.
You have duplicates of the same kit because you forgot you already had one. I've done that. Three times. Actually one of them I didn't forget I had. I forgot I had it on back order with Trainworld. That one arrived about a week after I bought the same kit at my LHS.
I have kits that I bought over 40 years ago. I also buy old kits that I like. I plan to build them all, but who knows. The nice thing is that they are there for me to build when the mood strikes me.
Some kits are duplicates - I'll just change the road number on them as needed.
Paul
The duplicate kits that I was speaking of are structure kits. In some cases the duplicates can be used in another location, such as the duplicate Walthers gas station. The duplicate I got as a result of a forgotten back order is the Walthers sawmill complex and that thing is huge. I had to shoe horn it in to get even one to fit. No way to double it up. I'm building the one and the other is shrink wrapped so it might be easy to sell on ebay. It could get even easier if Walthers retires it again.
riogrande5761 marksrailroad No. I usually buy anything I want. I have to because it gets in my head and won't stop bugging me unless I do. I'm that way with everything. I think they call it obsessive compulsive disorder... It helps to have enough money to accompany the OCD if you can buy anything you want. Obviously money one of the most important elements of the subject of this topic. As for unbuilt kits 20 years or older, I do have my limits and over the past ten years have sold off the majority of my unbuilt kits; like "most" people, I realize at some point things not used for a long length of time, they probably never will be. In addition, models with a much higher degree of fidelity have come out in the past 20 years so I have sold the never built kits and used the cash to help fund the higher fidelity models. Of course those higher fidelity models come at a price and I can only afford a couple hear and a couple there so that plays into the "regret" idea - that I have to leave some models on the shelf as I am not made of money, apparently like our OCD friend.
marksrailroad No. I usually buy anything I want. I have to because it gets in my head and won't stop bugging me unless I do. I'm that way with everything. I think they call it obsessive compulsive disorder...
No. I usually buy anything I want. I have to because it gets in my head and won't stop bugging me unless I do. I'm that way with everything. I think they call it obsessive compulsive disorder...
It helps to have enough money to accompany the OCD if you can buy anything you want. Obviously money one of the most important elements of the subject of this topic.
As for unbuilt kits 20 years or older, I do have my limits and over the past ten years have sold off the majority of my unbuilt kits; like "most" people, I realize at some point things not used for a long length of time, they probably never will be. In addition, models with a much higher degree of fidelity have come out in the past 20 years so I have sold the never built kits and used the cash to help fund the higher fidelity models. Of course those higher fidelity models come at a price and I can only afford a couple hear and a couple there so that plays into the "regret" idea - that I have to leave some models on the shelf as I am not made of money, apparently like our OCD friend.
And there is where we all make the compromises that suit us. It is more important to me to have those 70 Accurail, Athearn and Boswer Western Maryland hoppers for the overall effect of the prototype lenght train rather than have 12 that have every last rivet correct.
It took me 30 years "gather up" my desired equipment roster, and less than half could be replaced with "better" models anyway, even if I was willing to spend the money.........
So I will just keep what I have and keep building..........
Well, maybe that depends on how old you are, or how long you have been in the hobby, or what your goals are for the hobby.
I have kits older than me, that I have owned for a decade or more, that I have not built yet.
I have lots of kits 20 years old that I have not built yet. I bought them when they were available at good prices, knowing it would take a while to reach all of my modeling goals.
But I guess I'm not like most people. I have been at this for about 48 years now, and my layout goals, modeling era, scale, etc, have not changed in over 30 years.
I just keep plugging away at a very specific plan made many moons ago.
I only buy what fits the plan, I've never sold off any measureable amount of stuff, I have stuff (built and unbuilt) from before I was born, and I have some of the newest products on the market today.
But every piece is a part of a careful plan.......no regrets, only a few pieces still needed, very few changes to the plan.......
PS - about duplicates, since I model a Class I railroad in the early 50's, I purposely buy lots of duplicates. The real railroads have lots of the same car, locomotive, etc.
Most every loco on my layout has a matching brother or two, some as many as nine.....ever look at a picture of a real engine terminal, three or four of this, four or five of that.....
Freight cars, I often buy them in groups of 6, 12 or even more, with different numbers if available, if not I change them. I have about 100 piggyback flat cars, about 70 of them kit bashed from the Athearn 50' piggyback car, anywhere from 4-10 in each roadname.....
I loved all those multi car packs from Athearn and Walthers 10-15 years ago....
That's what makes it look like a working railroad and not a museum collection.....
70 Western Maryland hoppers, mostly from only three different kits.......
SeeYou190most-regretted purchase I made
Russell
Yes, I regret not having enough money to buy many many trains. I have often been short on funds and missed out on things - havent we all?
Ok, example to humor the OP: I saw a painted brass Rio Grande caboose at a train show for $200 but passed. They are rare but it was not in my train budget. I could have pulled out the plastic but didnt. I sure would like to have it and yeah, many other things.
Another "whimsical" topic at MR forums.
Things I regret not buying? Last week's winning Powerball ticket!
Modeling the Cleveland and Pittsburgh during the PennCentral era starting on the Cleveland lakefront and ending in Mingo junction
ATLANTIC CENTRALSeriously?
.
No, I was not being serious. I was just posting the most-regretted purchase I made.
Sorry if I touched a nerve, that was not my intention.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
SeeYou190 ATLANTIC CENTRAL Not me, I have more than I wouldhave ever dreamed possible when I started in this hobby, and I have everything that is important for the theme of my layout. . Really??? . You didn't buy a Hornby Zero-1 back in the day? I sure wish I could have that money back. . -Kevin .
ATLANTIC CENTRAL Not me, I have more than I wouldhave ever dreamed possible when I started in this hobby, and I have everything that is important for the theme of my layout.
Really???
You didn't buy a Hornby Zero-1 back in the day? I sure wish I could have that money back.
Seriously? No, I never even considered it.
But the topic was things you regret NOT buying?
And there is nothing I regret buying either, still have virtually everything I ever bought.
ATLANTIC CENTRALNot me, I have more than I wouldhave ever dreamed possible when I started in this hobby, and I have everything that is important for the theme of my layout.
NYBW-John I was thinking about starting a thread called Anything You Regret Buying but then I thought that most of us would have a list so long it would swamp the forum.
I was thinking about starting a thread called Anything You Regret Buying but then I thought that most of us would have a list so long it would swamp the forum.
I don't regret any of my purchases - and never have sold anything. And I have lots of stuff in 3 scales. All of it was bought with plans to use it. I'm 70 so that may not happen, but I'm okay with that. I have one son into Lionels and one grandson into Thomas and Lionels, so they can divide what I have after I'm gone.
Not me, I have more than I wouldhave ever dreamed possible when I started in this hobby, and I have everything that is important for the theme of my layout.
NYBW-JohnI was thinking about starting a thread called Anything You Regret Buying but then I thought that most of us would have a list so long it would swamp the forum.
WOW! That could break in internet. I don't know if I could fit all my bad purchases on a single Excel spreadsheet!
Where would I even begin?
Agreed..My list would be long for buying cars and locomotives I truly didn't need.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"