Just flustraited today I guess though nothing is going wrong. Want to spend some money but all the places I ussually do are closed and no one is really vacationing much now and if you go it tends to be a ghost town.
I make it a habit to check in at MB Klein, Modeltrainstuff, generally on a daily basis.
Same-same. Nothing really new, nothing really trips my trigger. It seems like there has been a lull in delivering new product, tariffs and covid notwithstanding.
Waiting for the Rapido Center-Flo hoppers to arrive and the N-H County-series cars, the EP-5 and the RS-3 from Bowser.
Cheers, Ed
Well, if you don't need anything then you could buy absolutely nothing. Or...you could venture over to brasstrain.com and widen the hole in your pocketbook.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
Generally I don't buy brass, have a few. I can only run smaller trains so that limits things too. I am also at the point layout wize that I am zip texturing so that takes lots of dry time. I still buy an occasional peice of rolling stock but I already have more than I need, around 250 and layout is a smalish U shape less than 7'x11'x12'
Maybe you should start a to-do list.
Simon
You're correct on Vacation, a Lost Station!
So let me get this strait rrebell.
You have disposable money and have a hard time finding a place to spend it. I wish I had your problem
My wife thinks I should join a fluent spenders support group. Good thing we can't be in a group these days
She takes care of all the bills including my PayPal account because my track record isn't very responsible and I overlook things.
Just go on eBay and look at all the goodies there. Even be thrifty and get a price check on aisle 5
They will take your money and you will have no problem disposing of it.
Are you kidding me! Just send me your extra disposable money and I'll spend it for you and send you some really cool stuff You won't lose a penny of your money because I'm like Honest Abe.
Spending money to get that prise in the mail is the way to go rrebell
TF
My wife has a "to do" list that I will NEVER complete in my life ....
( You could come over and help me .... "I could repay you with a LARGE box of Model Die Casting bits and pieces...)
Rust...... It's a good thing !
If you have money you dont know how to spend, I'll help you! :D
But in all seriousness, if not spending money is out of the question, I'd look over deals on ebay. There are tons of good deals on there.
Another option would be to invest in some models that will increase in value over time. BLI Brass Hybrids, high end brass....heck, even bachmann spectrum steam are going up in value these days...
I wish I have you issue, I have too many thing I "need", and not enough hobby money to spend with!
Cheers!
Charles
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Modeling the PRR & NYC in HO
Youtube Channel: www.youtube.com/@trainman440
Instagram (where I share projects!): https://www.instagram.com/trainman440
rrebellWant to spend some money but all the places I ussually do are closed
Do you use eBay? You can spend lots of money there if you want!
I have more than enough locomotives and freight cars, but that doesn't stop me from searching eBay regularly for old rolling stock. Over the past few weeks I have found several items that I decided were worthwhile spending the money on. Those were things like old Athearn and Roundhouse Canadian Pacific metal box cars, three Walthers CP stock car kits in the white and blue boxes, and an old Walthers unpainted cast metal scale test car. I also found a Canadian Pacific P1K RDC for a bargain price so I bought it even though I already had three!
A few months ago I came across a Rapido Canadian Pacific FP9A for about $100.00 less than the going price, and it was a 'buy it now' listing. I didn't have to think about that for too long!
The other place that I have been spending money like mad is equipping locomotives with sound decoders. I just ordered five Loksound V5.0 decoders, most of them for the RDCs and one for my brass trolley project. That adds up real fast!!!
My only caution is to say that you need to make sure that by spending money you are not fooling yourself into thinking that you are actually modelling. If the layout is sitting idle then what you are doing is 'collecting', not modelling. I was in that trap for many years. Please understand that I am absolutely not disparaging collectors, but I believe that collecting is a different hobby.
Cheers!!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
rrebell Just flustraited today I guess though nothing is going wrong. Want to spend some money but all the places I ussually do are closed and no one is really vacationing much now and if you go it tends to be a ghost town.
Even wealthy individuals have a purpose for their spending.
How about saving your money for when you might actually need it?
Rich
Alton Junction
rrebell Just flustraited today I guess though nothing is going wrong. Want to spend some money but all the places I ussually do are closed and no one is really vacationing much now and if you go it tends to be a ghost town. Seems to me your comment is less about spending money and more about the current situation - I'd love to go to a train show and just walk around looking. This pandemic is really wearing on people.
Seems to me your comment is less about spending money and more about the current situation - I'd love to go to a train show and just walk around looking. This pandemic is really wearing on people.
Yes, the life style changes are really hard on some people, others not so much.
I love it when my wife and go into a resturant and there is no one else there!
Vacation? Everybody has different ideas there.........
I hated crowds before the pandemic........I like people in small doses..........
I won't be buying much in the way of train stuff until I get started on the new layout, hopefully in a month or so.
Life is actually pretty back to normal here in Maryland, especially out here in the small towns and rural suburbs.
The usual festivals and such have been canceled, but otherwise resturants and shops are open, tourist activity in our little historic town is nearly back to normal, my business is busy, as is everyone I know in the construction business, and houses are selling like hot cakes.
So not being overly social to begin with, my life is not much different than before.
And I already have big stacks of trains and supplies to work on as soon as I finish a small home improvement project.
Sheldon
govenor cuomo said when you ask "how you doing?" and people say "fine", they're not fine. he suggested we need to spend more time talking to people about how they're really doing.
seems these forums are part of that
greg - Philadelphia & Reading / Reading
This is the second "There is nothing I want to buy thread" in a couple weeks. Hard to get a good thread going if it's about what we aren't going to do. It tells me there was a need for that covid thread.
After the news this week, we can all be grateful that Mr Otte and the powers that be, have not turned this forum into a Zoom Forum.
Having just moved 10 weeks ago, I am far from bored. My shop is still disorganized and my MR stuff is still in boxes. I need to sit down with paper and pencil and design my expansion.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
BigDaddyAfter the news this week, we can all be grateful that Mr Otte and the powers that be, have not turned this forum into a Zoom Forum.
News?
Little Timmy My wife has a "to do" list that I will NEVER complete in my life .... ( You could come over and help me .... "I could repay you with a LARGE box of Model Die Casting bits and pieces...)
Trainman440 If you have money you dont know how to spend, I'll help you! :D But in all seriousness, if not spending money is out of the question, I'd look over deals on ebay. There are tons of good deals on there. Another option would be to invest in some models that will increase in value over time. BLI Brass Hybrids, high end brass....heck, even bachmann spectrum steam are going up in value these days... I wish I have you issue, I have too many thing I "need", and not enough hobby money to spend with! Cheers! Charles
richhotrain rrebell Just flustraited today I guess though nothing is going wrong. Want to spend some money but all the places I ussually do are closed and no one is really vacationing much now and if you go it tends to be a ghost town. Geez, this adds new meaning to the word squander. Even wealthy individuals have a purpose for their spending. How about saving your money for when you might actually need it? Rich
Geez, this adds new meaning to the word squander.
Build a live steamer or diesel...
Lastspikemike Nothing to buy but want to shop? Buy a service instead of a thing. That locomotive you really like but won't run and you have either no will to repair it or insufficient knowledge or skill? Take it in for repair. Buying services is what keeps the economy going in times like these. In fact, your LHS only sells services. It's concealed by the marketing model of charging a markup on the wholesale cost of the products. Keeping your LHS open for business requires that customers remain willing to pay the markup instead of direct ordering from the manufacturer. In turn, your staff at the LHS need to have information of value to its customers. If they do not have that added value then the store will eventually fail. That's why I still shop "retail". It costs more but you get more value. Keeping retail business alive while we all adapt to the few actual benefits delivered by the online shopping model will be a challenge for quite some time. Get out and shop in person a bit. Even wear a mask if you are nervous about the current situation we're not supposed to argue about here. You'll feel safer, maybe.
Nothing to buy but want to shop? Buy a service instead of a thing.
That locomotive you really like but won't run and you have either no will to repair it or insufficient knowledge or skill? Take it in for repair.
Buying services is what keeps the economy going in times like these.
In fact, your LHS only sells services. It's concealed by the marketing model of charging a markup on the wholesale cost of the products.
Keeping your LHS open for business requires that customers remain willing to pay the markup instead of direct ordering from the manufacturer. In turn, your staff at the LHS need to have information of value to its customers. If they do not have that added value then the store will eventually fail. That's why I still shop "retail". It costs more but you get more value.
Keeping retail business alive while we all adapt to the few actual benefits delivered by the online shopping model will be a challenge for quite some time. Get out and shop in person a bit. Even wear a mask if you are nervous about the current situation we're not supposed to argue about here. You'll feel safer, maybe.
tstage Build a live steamer or diesel...
Hey, thanks all, guess thing were starting to get to me. I live in the bay area and it is strange here these days what with the shut down and fires so you can't even go on a walk some weeks. I would would take long walks and talk to people, go shopping just to see what I might pick up, go out to eat at least once a week. Train wise I bought most of my stuff for real cheap over the years, only expenditures now are a few materials and my DCC stuff but even the DCC stuff has not been that expencive (I shop very well). All outside projects for others have come to a screaching halt to for varius reasons. Been trying to buy a fixer upper for years (just for a project) but here the numbers just don't add up (I may be bored but I am not stupid). And no, I was not born with a silver spoon in my mouth as I am sure some are wondering. One thing I learned when young is skills are important and when you don't have to pay for people to do stuff, your cost go way down. I have saved thousands since moving to my new place just in plumbing, like I said I have most of the skills but I am not too good at soldering, tend to use too much to make sure it is attached, yes I know that is wrong. I love e-bay and search most days and gotten a few deals here and there just cause I wanted them but my investment scence keeps me from going hog wild. Sorry for the long rant. Part of this comes from goals I set when 16, now I know you all have dreams and what you consider this is a lifetime goal, well I did it at 29 (then got married and had kids so there went that) but that is a life changing moment as I relized all my freinds still had to go to work and no I didn't just make a bet on something, I worked till I dropped, even some 20 hour days and I at 67 can still do an 8 hour day (had to try even though I could have spread it out). Enough about me, what is going on in your lives, no I really want to know. You are my only outside contacts for the most part besides family. We have close to 8 million in this area and it is dead for the most part.
Little Timmy My wife has a "to do" list that I will NEVER complete in my life ....
Its all about "managing expectations"!
I've found that delaying things indefinitely does a great job of causing various "honey-do's" to fall off the list.
But when she holds my feet to the fire, I'll find a way to make it worthwhile, for example... when she insists that new shelves for the pantry must be done by this weekend - I'll say "OK, but first I'll need to buy a roto-tiller before I can start on the shelves."
"What does a roto-tiller have to do with it?" she'll ask.
"Awww Honey, its complicated." I'll say, as I make a dash for Home Depot.
I've got a huge collection of power tools!
Jim
If you're Zip-texturing, you're only a few steps from needing trees. Think of Super Trees and static grass.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
No problems for me finding stuff to spend on. Trainworx recently shipped their nice HO 40' grocery trailers like Budd, City Market, Alpha Beta, Santa Fe, PFE, etc. Rapido Flexi Flo's, Athearn Fruehauf trailer, Walthers Trailmobile trailers, Genesis DRGW F9's.
Wheels of Time SP bulkhead flatcars will be shipping soon. Moloco SP PC&F boxcars coming soon. Genesis auto racks not far off. It's hard to keep up. Those modeling steam and older eras, maybe not so much. This forum seems to have a lot of that.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
MisterBeasley If you're Zip-texturing, you're only a few steps from needing trees. Think of Super Trees and static grass.
riogrande5761 No problems for me finding stuff to spend on. Trainworx recently shipped their nice HO 40' grocery trailers like Budd, City Market, Alpha Beta, Santa Fe, PFE, etc. Rapido Flexi Flo's, Athearn Fruehauf trailer, Walthers Trailmobile trailers, Genesis DRGW F9's. Wheels of Time SP bulkhead flatcars will be shipping soon. Moloco SP PC&F boxcars coming soon. Genesis auto racks not far off. It's hard to keep up. Those modeling steam and older eras, maybe not so much. This forum seems to have a lot of that.
Hi rrebell
Last night when I saw your thread I completely understood where you were coming from. At the same time it struck me as funny and I decided to drop the leash and run with it and have some fun, ...Hope you didn't mind.
The world the way it is these days, it's almost impossible some days to try to think of something to do because there isn't much you can do anymore.
Since then I have found myself rather compulsive at times buying stuff at on eBay that I want but I really don't need. It's just for the sake of buying something because I'm bored.
Since I have purchased all my track that I do need which I haven't laid yet the only other purchase I really needed was a string of eight custom mining cars so I know where to position my tipple models to load them.
I haven't got them yet and I'm very excited to see them because when you get track in the mail it's only fun to look at for about 2 minutes and then it's just track. How fun can that be?
I still want to buy something for the thrill of getting something fun in the mail even though I don't need anything.
So I do know EXACTLY what you mean.
There was probably more model railroading activity this last summer than there is in a "normal" summer and I suspect most of us were grateful to have a true hobby that could eat up the available hours rather than spending it all watching TV or snacking as some of my retired counterparts tended to do.
So now the normal fall/winter time for the hobby rolls around and boredom is a distinct possibility. We've attacked our stash of unbuilt kits, we've weathered the unweathered, we've scenicked, we've organized the magazine collection or the boxes of detail parts (the model railroader's equivalent of organizing the sock drawer, a sure sign of desperation). We have filled boxes of stuff to sell at the next swap meet, if there ever is another swap meet.
We have in other words, picked the low hanging fruit.
One possible cure is to try something new, or to really explore something that has been put off.
If you have not previously done so, or if it is a long time since, or if you botched the one you did try:
try a laser cut kit
try a white metal casting kit
Try one of those prototype resin freight car kits
Speaking personally, I have never really learned how to do all the things my airbrush is capable of doing. (I hate cleaning the thing so I tend to do almost anything to avoid cranking it up.) I marvel at Cody Grivno's willingness to airbrush for any little reason.
Dave Nelson
Track fiddler I haven't got them yet and I'm very excited to see them because when you get track in the mail it's only fun to look at for about 2 minutes and then it's just track. How fun can that be? TF
Lors of fun! I built a yard throat for a 4-track staging yard plus a single long branch line spur. The throat is on a 90 degree curve, and I did not want a yard ladder taking half my space, so I planned carefully and ended up with a curved turnout and a 3-way. These are Walthers-Shinohara. When I picked them up from my former LHS, I was a kid in a candy shop, fitting the plan together.
Sure, it's just track, but these are special sections and provide a lot of compressed switching in a small space. Probably the most fun I've had with "just track."