Layout Startup Costs - Ouch!

[selector]

Breath deep, press hard when you sign, there are three copies...[:O].

Just in tools alone, so that I could construct spline roadbed and use riser, a method new to me, I spent over $400. Wood was cheap at $155. Spent $150 on new flextrack, over $500 on commercial turnouts and turnout making jigs, and maybe $30 for screws and glues.

Thank the Big Fella that I had all my locos and rolling stock from the last layout!! Although, I sprang for three Walther's heavywieghts since my former pax cars were terrible.

Do you have any idea how you will make it all look "pretty"? If you purchase much in the way of commercial scenic material,...breath deep, press hard, there are three copies.

[SpaceMouse]

I have about $1500 in my 5 x 8. I don't have a lot more to put into it but labor. I'd heard that a finished layout will run between $50-$100 sq/ft and I'm closing in on $50 .

[jeffrey-wimberly]

I been working on my layout for about 10 years now. I've built it up and torn it down several times. To date, I have over 3K in it.

[Anonymous]

After planning my new layout for two years, I began construction last week. The benchwork is done and I'm laying down foam and track this week. In the process I have noticed I am beginning to spend a pretty penny.

My bill for track was over $500 and that was only for the mainline and 6 turnouts. It will be three times that to get all my track. I have already spent about $300 for the wood and foam. $160 for DCC startup and another $200 in DCC decoders (stationary and mobile).

An inventory of my old rolling stock and engines revealed that virtually none of it is useful on my new layout. So, I've spent $100 on new Walthers coaches with lighting kits and another $100 on about ten new freight cars and hoppers to get started. Got a new BLI Hudson on e-bay for $179 and a couple of Kato RS-2s for about $100 and an Atlas RS-1 for $75 and lastly a Proto 2000 S-3 for about $60. I saved alot of money on these engines but they still collectively cost over $400 and only one has a DCC decoder so I will have to spend for new decoders as well.

Basically, I have spent about $1500 already and have not run a single train or even laid a single track yet. Ouch! Is this normal or am I doing something wrong? I estimate this layout could cost me in the neighborhood of $4000-$5000 at this rate.

I am not necessarily complaining as I knew it would cost some bucks to build a new layout. I guess I just didn't realize how many bucks it was going to take. Anybody else experiencing these startup costs?