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Bored and want to buy something, but need nothing.

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Posted by rrebell on Saturday, October 24, 2020 10:35 AM

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.

 

Yeah I am into late 1939, only thing exciting in recent memory are when Tangent came out with their three dome tank cars (only time I paid retail for expencive train stuff).

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Posted by rrebell on Saturday, October 24, 2020 10:32 AM

MisterBeasley

If you're Zip-texturing, you're only a few steps from needing trees.  Think of Super Trees and static grass.

 

Like your bio Beasly. Got trees, lots of them, three Costco totes of super and pine ond one of tree making material. Most are good quality including a bunch of foreground. Static grass, got lots. See most people just search trains on e-bay but I also do general search. Got a huge box of name brand material from a photogapher once, left over material from a shoot and a huge box of styrene from an achitect.

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Posted by riogrande5761 on Saturday, October 24, 2020 10:08 AM

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

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Posted by MisterBeasley on Saturday, October 24, 2020 9:58 AM

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. 

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Posted by hardcoalcase on Saturday, October 24, 2020 9:49 AM

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! Wink

Jim Big SmileBig Smile

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Posted by rrebell on Saturday, October 24, 2020 9:37 AM

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.

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Posted by rrebell on Saturday, October 24, 2020 9:02 AM

tstage

Build a live steamer or diesel...

 

Have no intrest but could do, have most of the skills.

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Posted by rrebell on Saturday, October 24, 2020 8:59 AM

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.

 

LHS have been gone for years here except for two (far away) and both have a bad attitude. Sorry but I do my own work and all the engines I am using are new because I am going DCC. And yes this situation affects us all diferently.

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Posted by tstage on Saturday, October 24, 2020 8:54 AM

Build a live steamer or diesel...

https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling

Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.

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Posted by rrebell on Saturday, October 24, 2020 8:51 AM

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

 

I do. but with almost no money going out, all home improvment projects done and cost for daughter in college is done and she pays her own way now. Even health care costs are way down as have medicare now (used to have to pay premiums out of pocket).

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Posted by rrebell on Saturday, October 24, 2020 8:45 AM

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

 

Those are not good investments. My trouble with investments is I am not as gutsy as I should be. Getting 11% return on some investments I made during this but only bet 1/3, guess it is because my mentor went broke even though it was because he was taking his eye off the ball so to speak. Hey, you know I am enjoying this, guess that is what this tread is really about, someone to talk to.

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Posted by rrebell on Saturday, October 24, 2020 8:39 AM

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...)

 

You know, I would do that if you were close, I have most of the skills to build a house. Just put in new kitchen for a neice. We remodeled the whole house for less than $15,000 including a whole new kitchen and Corian counter top etc. Got a deal on cabinets, $5,000 for a whole kitchen with most of the goodies plus aa whole long wall of cabinets for the dinning room. Quote from HD was $15,000 for lesser cabs. Sorry for the rant, guess I am really bored but I can't see and talk to people as in normal times.

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Posted by tstage on Saturday, October 24, 2020 8:03 AM

BigDaddy
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.

News?

https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling

Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.

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Posted by BigDaddy on Saturday, October 24, 2020 7:41 AM

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

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Posted by gregc on Saturday, October 24, 2020 7:40 AM

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

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Posted by ATLANTIC CENTRAL on Saturday, October 24, 2020 7:03 AM

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

    

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Posted by Billwiz on Saturday, October 24, 2020 6:30 AM

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.  

 

 

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Posted by richhotrain on Saturday, October 24, 2020 5:13 AM

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

Alton Junction

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Posted by hon30critter on Saturday, October 24, 2020 2:07 AM

rrebell
Want 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!Smile, Wink & GrinLaughLaugh

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!

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Posted by Trainman440 on Friday, October 23, 2020 11:02 PM

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

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Modeling the PRR & NYC in HO

Youtube Channel: www.youtube.com/@trainman440

Instagram (where I share projects!): https://www.instagram.com/trainman440

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Posted by Little Timmy on Friday, October 23, 2020 8:31 PM

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 !

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Posted by Track fiddler on Friday, October 23, 2020 8:29 PM

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 problemYes

My wife thinks I should join a fluent spenders support group.  Good thing we can't be in a group these daysWhistling

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 5Laugh

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 stuffSmile, Wink & Grin  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 rrebellYes

 

 

 

WinkTF

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Posted by snjroy on Friday, October 23, 2020 7:44 PM

Maybe you should start a to-do list. 

Simon

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Posted by rrebell on Friday, October 23, 2020 7:40 PM

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'

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Posted by tstage on Friday, October 23, 2020 7:16 PM

Well, if you don't need anything then you could buy absolutely nothing.  Wink  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.

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Posted by gmpullman on Friday, October 23, 2020 7:05 PM

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

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Bored and want to buy something, but need nothing.
Posted by rrebell on Friday, October 23, 2020 6:41 PM

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. 

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