Cheap

[Anonymous]

I need some advice. How can someone get started on this hobby cheapley? I have maybe $50 a week to spend on this. Any advice?

[Fergmiester]

There are a lot of good starter sets out there by IHC, Life Like and Bachmann. Just get a copy of Model Railroader and thumb through some of the ads like IHC, Internet Trains, MB Kleins or Trainworld (My favourite) and they will give you an idea for pricing.

$200 a month will do you quite well if you take your time and pace yourself.

Fergie

[Anonymous]

There is no CHEAP way in this hobby. Best advice is to plan what you want to do then put a list together of what you need. Then save up your money to get the things you will need. I been doing this for 20+ years, but you need a plan to get started.[2c]

[Anonymous]

Don't be CHEAP[:)]


Russellville Fire Department

[Anonymous]

I do it on $20 bucks a week. It's not easy, maybe, but I'm managing OK. It's finding the items I need that I seem to have trouble with. Anyway, I've designed a small switching route that my meager budget can support. I couldn't support a huge layout with 35 engines and 200 cars, but 6 locomotives and a dozen cars I can do. My layout is around a shelf and is narrow, minimizing the number and size of my buildings. A little foresight will go a long way if $$ is an issue.

Good Luck

[trainfreek92]

I aggre with Fergie that for $200 a month you can build a nice layout. You might have to what i while to start while you buy track because $50 will not get you a layout worth of track. You might have to spend more then $50 a week sometimes when you want to by a engine or a lot of stuff. I am 13 and am building 2 layouts so it can be done. You just have to manage your cash wisely. What scale do you plan to model in??? Happy Modeling!! Tim.

[Anonymous]

200 bucks amonth! that must be nice. i'm lucky if i get 50 a month. I do 2 different layouts, 2 different clubs, and 3 different scales. most of money goes towards my HO layout becuase thats what i have the most of. Soon as i get all the track laid on it i'm going to divert the money to N scale. and the thrid scale is O scale, my mom collects it but i'm the only one that uses it. except during christmas. Anyways, what i would so is save up about 300-350 bucks and go to a hobby shop and just kind of browse around. i'd buy some track, an MRC power pack, and a kato, proto 2000/1000, or an Atlas engine. buy some cars, Athearn Bluebox are decent cars at resonable prices about 5 dollars. that track i would buy would be some Bachman Power lock stuff. (I have an oval of that for testing and breaking in good stuff, my layout is Atlas code 83 flextrack nailed to cork on plywood) Accurail cars are great too, a bit more expensive but worth the money. i have a 36 car unit grain train that is roughly 40% accurails and i don't usually have problems with them. if you find MDC kits those are nice too. If you don't want to buy Kits you can buy RTR(Ready to run) cars but those run about 20-30 bucks sometimes less if you know where to go. And this is not exactly a cheap hobby. My 36 car unit grain train with 3 engines is got to be close to 5 or 6 hundred dollars(100 for each engine, 3 20 dollar DCC decoders, kadees and metal wheels for the hoppers , plus all the hoppers) oh and [#welcome] to the forum!

[twcenterprises]

$50 a week? You have more to spend on this than I do! I have to make do with $50-100 a month. Of course, I have amassed a fair collection in nearly 20 years or so. I have collected 60 engines and probably 200+ cars, and enough track to build a medium size layout. I do save up for loco purchase, and keep my eyes open for good prices. I don't buy anything that won't fit in on my layout, either for my era (timeframe) or my prototype. For example, Southern Railway never had any Big Boy steam locomotives, so, even though several versions have been released lately, I haven't bought one. Since I model 1957, I won't buy anything that didn't exist in that time frame. For me, that excludes any EMD diesel with a model number higher than 9 (such as GP9, SD9, E8, F7 would all be OK, but a GP18 or SD24 would be out-of-time since they were introduced later). So, as has been said, you have to plan, but that also means you need to narrow down what timeframe and area you're modeling, so you can buy equipment that fits in, and not just any new thing that comes out just because you like it. Yes, it's hard to resist those new (whatever item) when they come out, but you'll thank yourself when the new (item you need) comes out. Just do your research to pick your prototype and era, and when making a purchase. If you're not sure about whether an item will fit in your plan, post a ? here and someone will be able to give an answer.

When starting out, though, don't skimp on your power pack (assuming you're starting out with one), spend a little extra and get a good one. Also, don't buy the cheapest track you can find, Atlas track is a good pick for quality and price. Peco also makes good track, for a little more money.

Brad

[FThunder11]

MY [2c] SAVE up, lol. Thats the only way to do it

[Anonymous]

$200.00 a month?

Hmm. I look at it over 12 months.

Maybe a little track. Let's say a Kato Unitrack Loop. Expensive right? Let's say you got the straights one month, curves the next month and the power system the third month.

3 months, you now have a properly established track, power supply.

3 more months gets you a locomotive (Or two)

3 months after that gets you any number of RTR or KIT rolling stock (Passenger or freight)

The final 3 months can be used in scenery, structures, signaling, switch machines, people and vehicles etc etc etc.

1 year from now you can be in the hobby in a orderly fashion.

Use the time between purchases to research and decide what you want and make a list. Trust me, taking a month to think about your next purchase is alot better than impulsively buying a junker you might wish you hadnt.

The first year will start slow. But the second year you might want to expand or otherwise participate in different ways. Perhaps you got a deisel set and now want to try steam? Etc.

It's a life journey not a quick visit to the store once a month.

One last thing... dont forget to save what you dont spend each month in a "War Chest" because in today's limited run pre-order you might be able to grab that one special item. Or running an extra trip to the hobby shop the same month to replace that paint you just ran out of trying to finish a kit.

[Anonymous]

I have found that the best way to save money is to first know what you want, then shop around. Don't go only by price when shopping. Find a few of the more reputable dealers and see what goes on sale that fits your budget and layout plans. If a item is on sale one month that you can use (and save money) then direct your funds in that direction. Slowly over time you will see your layout grow and notice how much more you saved than just impulse buying at regular prices. Start shopping early so you can have time to plan. mike

[R. T. POTEET]

YOU HAVE $50.00 A WEEK TO SPEND?????I know people who would kill to have $2600.00 a year to spend on this, The Worlds Greatest Hobby. This is what is called Seventh Heaven. I don't know where you live there, toxic911, but I'd sure like to come and touch you and hope some of your good fortune would rub off.

I'm not sure just where you're coming from and, of course, I know nothing about where you're going; nor do I know just why you have gotten interested in the hobby in the first place but I will extend to you a hearty "Welcome Aboard" and try to be of some help in assisting you as you try to sort things out and get started.

If you are absolutely new to this hobby then your first rattle out of the box (that's a westernism from gambling days [faro] in the old west) is to familiarize yourself with this hobby; find out just what this thing is about; what it entails, what can be accomplished in it. This is best done, probably, by purchasing a couple of (introduction) books and the place to start is at one of your local hobby shops. (If you ever see the initials "LHS" in the postings in this forum that is "Local Hobby Shop") These people can - and will - give you considerable help in getting started. They are not interested in seeing you shovel sand down a rathole; serious modelers will (eventually, anyway) wind up spending more than the flash-in-the-pan-I'm-going-back-to-stamps modeler. They will also know of, and be able to put you in touch with, any clubs in your area. They will also have an insight into any private layouts that might be open for visitors.

One of the first decisions you are going to have to make is making a choice on scale (and gauge). Those introduction books will give you a good orientation of this. Visiting clubs and personal layouts will further assist you in gathering knowledge of the hobby. If you have already made a decision on scale (and gauge), and if it is available, I encourage you to join a club. There are two reasons for this; firstly, a club enables you to acquire equipment without having to disburse assets on a layout up front. Secondly, a club will enable you to expand on acquaintances within the model railroading community; these acquaintances will help you make decisions about investments in equipment. Now I'm not going to say that "inexpensive" means "cheap"; don't make the mistake of buying "cheap" merchandise; I have seen novices whose acquisitions have a six month life span; six months after entering the hobby most of their equipment (read: motive power) is sitting on the "dead line" and they are purchasing Fun With Stamps Monthly at their local Borders. I don't want that happening to you.

Lastly, do not become intimidated. (Good) layouts, like everything else, take time, and model railroading mandates a crawling period (this is refered to as "running under slow orders"). YOU CAN DO IT!!! but you have to exercise patience and not expect overnight miracles. If you've never had patience you will when you get started on your first layout. Be careful, however, of burnout - Model Railroader used to have on its masthead "Model Railroading is Fun" - keep it that way.

Your original inquiry was about a cheap means of entering the hobby. It really doesn't exist; I can almost gay-rown-tea you that you will spend close to $1000.00 in the first year on just what you might call "start-up costs". I'm not trying to scare you; once you are going then the pace slows down and you will be able to meter your acquisitions with a little more ease - and confidence.

I'll be monitoring your profile in this forum. Best of luck and keep us posted on how things are going.

[Anonymous]

Yeah, Unless your going brass, you should be fine. [:D]

[SpaceMouse]

Like others have mentioned, you first need a plan. Invest part of your first $50 in Track Building for Realistic Operations by John Armstrong and Mid-sized and Manageable Track Plans by Iain Rice. The first book will help you figure out what you want help you with the concepts. The second book has a good discussion about limiting layout size.

The biggest money saved will be entering the hobby with a plan. That way you are not spending money at random and buying things that do not meet your plans once they are formed. Read, research, then post your plans here for criticism. I sure could nave done a lot more listening when I started. I bet I could have saved $1000.

[CP5415]

Buy a decent set up front. Athearn & Proto have sets on the market.

Then after you have this set up, then you can have something to tinker with while you research what you want to do with your newly found hobby.

Just my 2 cents

Gordon

[bogp40]

You could buy a set, but as you get more involved into the hobby you will realize that you won't want to use any of the cheap crap from the origional set. The advantage of these cheap sets is that you could have something up and running almost immediatly, while you plan and save for decent track, locos and rolling stock. Find a good LHS(local hooby store) and tell them your plans and your budget. Save up for a couple of months and I bet you could end up w/ some good flextrack/ switches and a decent loco. Athearn Blue box switcher, GP or even a Bachman spectrum or Proto geep. Wather's trainline set is fairly decent but I would stay away from the cheap Bachman or Lifelike sets.
If you are anxious and want to run trains immediately, set up a 4x8 ply quick layout, while you decide what you want for the real layout. Don't know if you have the room to do this though. Planning is the key and you should be able to eventualy buy what you need with that budget.
Bob K.

[SpaceMouse]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Robert Knapp

If you are anxious and want to run trains immediately, set up a 4x8 ply quick layout, while you decide what you want for the real layout. Don't know if you have the room to do this though. Planning is the key and you should be able to eventualy buy what you need with that budget.
Bob K.

I set up a 4 x 8 "just to get things running" as a temporary layout while I figured things out. Since then I've put 12-16 hours a week into the layout for over a year. I figure I have another year before I'll move on to my real layout.

[simon1966]

Tons of good advice here. How you choose to spend your money is up to you. You will discover that there are aspects of this hobby that you will enjoy more than others. For example, I love to make wooden laser kit structures. They often cost more than plastic kits, but I really enjoy working with them, so for me, getting cheap kits for structures is not an option. However, it does not mean that I can not shop around and look for value. I get many of my structure kits from e-bay at considerably less than MSRP or even the prices at my local discount hobby shop. Anyway, the point I am trying to get to in a round about way, is don't just buy cheap. Look for quality and shop around to get the quality item at the best possible price. A cheap locomotive, is just that. You will quickly find that it does not perform well and will frustrate you. It will prove to be poor value if you quit using it after a few weeks. Save for a week or two and get a higher quality model and you wont regret it.

[Anonymous]

Wow guys so much info. Thank you all very much for informing me so well. I'm so new to this but I do love trains. So lets see if you guys can help me with this.... Where can I find free trak layouts?

[Budliner]

dont get a set
trust me
pick up a few flex track and a nice locomotive

Ken

[trainfan1221]

If I had 50 dollars a week every week to spend, I would be really happy. I think it will work just fine for you. As for layouts, try the Atlas web site.

[Anonymous]

I sometimes go weeks or months before buying anything, then might rack up 3-400 dollars in a weekend, so I guess it evens out to 30-40 bucks a week. One great thing about this hobby is that if you are in it for the long haul (and I'm pushing 40 years now) you can accumulate quite a bit of stuff!!!!!

[ARTHILL]

Get old copies of Model Railroader. Some clubs give them out or sell them for 50 cents. Some hobby shops give old copies away. Some flea markets have them cheap(some cost more than new). Good pictures, articles, plans, ideas. I spent 3 months reading my old copies. Most of my current ideas came from several pics in articles. Spend time on this forum. Ask specific questions.

[jeffrey-wimberly]

If you try to get into the hobby cheaply, you'll probably just discourage yourself. Life-Like makes a line of locos running for 25 dollars+ but they are very cheap and flimsy and won't last long. I suggest keeping your distance. Bachmann has a line of locos running for 35 dollars+ but they seem to have quality control problems. I've bought 5 and after a year 2 still run well. Athearn makes their line of locos which range from 28 dollars+. I've bought many of these and almost all run great, though a little noisy. Life-Like's Proto1000 and Proto2000 lines are very good though they're pricy! I paid $98.00 for a GP30 off the shelf and everyone tells me I got a good deal! I was so happy with it, I went back and got a P2K PA2. Good investment. It's heavy, pulls like an elephant and runs like the wind and without a sound except for wheels on the track. It is very sensitive to track kinks, though. On track, I recommend Nickel-Silver. You can get it from Atlas, Bachmann, Life-Like and a host of others. Your local hobby shop will have plenty. I do a pretty good job of cleaning my supplier out any time I need track. I prefer Bachmann's easytrack. Stay away from anything with steel rails. It's cheaper in the short run but gets dirty very quickly and has to be cleaned often. After a while, you'll be cleaning it every 2-3 days and it becomes a maintenance nightmare! Nickel-Silver is easy to clean and only requires it every couple of weeks. I used to use a track cleaning pad until I found a better way. Wal-mart sells these great little sanding sponges. I buy a couple every 6 or 7 months. I get the finest grit I can find. I don't know the number, but it's almost smooth. I just rub it gently on the rails going in the direction of travel. Don't press on it! It'll score the rails! just a gentle pressure does the job. I've been doing this for 3 years now and haven't had any related problems. my rails are still as smooth as they were when I put the track down 5 years ago. On rolling stock, take your pick.

Jeffrey Wimberly, Leesville, La.

I'm out of my mind, but leave a message anyway.

[htgguy]

My number one piece of advice would be to decide on a theme for your layout. What road and what time frame do you want to model? By doing this you will be able to focus your shopping on things that you really will use and not buy something just because it is a bargain.

I have shopped train shows, LHS's, mail order/internet dealers, and the auction site. I feel I have been most successful with the mail order/internet dealers when buying things that will help, followed by the auction site.

Another tip is to buy good tools and supplies. Your time is your most valuable asset and these things not only make the job go quicker, they make it less likely you will have to tear things up and redo them. I find that there is plenty to do on my 30' long shelf layout without doing things over. Also, being a long way from a hobby shop, I am learning to have enough paint, glue, styrene, kits, knife blades, etc., etc, on hand to do things when I can do them. Hobby time is limited and I do not want it messed up because I don't have what I need. Example-I am painting my first loco and the project is on hold for $2 worth of white decal paper. Frustrating.

One more thing: I would never criticize anyone for running blue box Athearn locos but I bought two or three as starters and I am not thrilled with them. Good runners but kind of noisy and not as detailed as Atlas and P2K diesels. I am focusing on the more detailed models now and by shopping around have found them at the $40-$70 price point through the auction site and Trainworld and M B Klein. Watch for closeouts. I like Atlas, Athearn RTR, and LBF frieght cars. This is one category where I have found some deals at LHS's and train shows.

Do not skimp on track. Research and decide what code you want to use, and what switches you are satisfied with. Do not buy strictly on price when deciding on track.

All this is just my views, if yours are different that is fine. That's one of the great things about this hobby.

Your budget will be plenty. When you are mail-ordering, save up for a few weeks to minimize shipping charges.

Jim

[Anonymous]

Unless you're planning on buying a roster full of BLI and tower 55 locos 50 bucks a week is plenty. For a starter layout I'd say you could get a 4 x 8 sheet of plywood at Lowe's or Home Depot and maybe some grassmats at Toys R US. Then save up a little and get a trainset. Or you could puy you cars and Athearn Blue box locos along with scenery, buildings,figures and stuff slowly if you're not in a hurry to get up and running.

[BRAKIE]

Well start with a train set and add to it..Remember,you can save your money for two weeks and then buy some more pieces like cars,a structure,etc..Grow as you go and to stretch your hobby dollars buy at the best discount you can find on line.

[PennsyHoosier]

About $100 per month for me. Carefully make a list. Stick to it. You'll have more stuff than you know what to do with before you know it.

[Anonymous]

And set aside a little bit towards a warchest.

That is how I am able to afford some BLI engines. They get announced, I start saving and when 2 years later they finally hit the store I have a copy =)

I dont enjoy the income at 50 dollars a week but manage on less than half that if the bills are easy that month.

[Anonymous]

Just to let you know I live in southeast Louisiana. I see from serching the web that there is a nice shop in Baton Rouge but im about 3 hours south of there. I will try to make a run up there this weekend to see what they have.