No Longer Enjoy Spending Money On Train Items...

[tatans]

you do know there is more to this hobby than buying things , right ?

Holy Smoke !! I thought I was the only one that "thunked" along those lines, it does get a little droll seeing quote after quote about the vast numbers of locomotives some people buy(how can they afford it?) then stick it away on a shelf. Some replies to this forum will be "the guy with the most crap wins" - - -and they are not kidding,  get some scale wood and build something.

[Milwhiawatha]

I know what you mean Tracklayer. Theres things that should be done before the model railroading bug gets its share of money or time spent on it. I havent really boughten anything huge for the layout since February had other issues to go for. Right now I'm in the fishing hobby or sport whatever you want to call it so my time is devoted mostly to yard work getting things on the parents house fixed up that needed it And of course the occassional putsing on the computer to see what other MRR's are doing. Plus with the prices increasing more and more for things we either A want or B need its not that fun. I remember picking up locomotives for 35.00 Athearn BB ones now its almost impossible or they went up to 50 or 60 dollars.

[GAPPLEG]

Yep time to throw in my

I have collected over the last thirty years , more than I need. 80 some odd locos etc etc. I don't buy much anymore because I know I don't need it. My layout would have to be ten times the size I have in order to use all that I have. So now I've just settled down to looking at little details that I can add, most of which I don't even have to buy , because their stashed away already , somewhere ! LOL.   Now it's detailing , I wish I were as good at it as Bob Gresh , or Misterbeasley.  But now I run the trains more and buy a lot less. The passion now is the operation.

[vsmith]

Last time I hung up my holster was in my HOn30 days. I had previously had a tiny and frustrating as all hell layout that got knocked to the floor and wrecked in an EQ. After that and a move I retried again but I was already dam near tossing the whole thing as it was a lousy scale to find good drive units in. So I said, OK thats it...hanging it up, not doing this, scrapped everything, tossed the layout, kept all the stock and structured in a box and stored it away and bought a mountain bike. Fast forward about 5 years and after moving into a new house I was at a going out of business sale for a LHS, when I saw an LGB large scale industrial locomotive for sale for $60, I felt the bug bite again, I didnt buy it as it was Euro, but I did shortly thereafter buy an LGB US Porter 0-4-0, and man, the bug bite hard, hit an artery, got suck in and went straight to the brain!

.

I'm currently double digits into engines, many I've kitbashed and scratchbuilt. My layout has gotten squashed three times but I'm still shooting with plans for #4.

You never know when you'll find interest in the hobby, I was into HOn30 for about 10 years, now I have zero desire to go there ever again, but I have found large scale to be a great boon to me as I can now do everything I found too frustrating in HO.

Suggestion, dont do anything for now, keep the stuff stored away and give yourself time till you decide something.

.

A few ways to rekindle the flame?

.

1. try a different scale, On30 indoors looks terrific to me and would fit your spare room easliy.

.

2. go large, as in G outdoors, if you have a backyard layout building in large scale is a quantum difference from HO cause your building it just like the real RRs with real rock and dirt, fun stuff!

.

3. try live steam, all you really need is just one engine, a couple cars and a steam loop. those guys with burned fingers claim its the best!

.

I buy slowly, maybe one item per month, or save for expensive item but with a couple exceptions I havent payed for than $75 buck for any engine on my roster. Big mistake is to buy a mess of stuff all at once. 

.

Good luck!

[Zandoz]

Here lately I've gotten to where I no longer enjoy spending money on train related items... The last time I got like this I put everything away and didn't touch it again for about ten years or so. Every time I see a loco or rolling stock that looks interesting, an alarm goes off in my head and brings me back to reality. I guess there's so many other things I want and need to take care of that I can't relax and enjoy myself until everything else has been tended to.

Anyone else out there having this problem?.

Tracklayer

 

Yup...big time.  When hem-hawing around about taking another stab at the hobby, this time in N because of the probable perminant lack of space, part of what was holding me back was the money issue.  I'm retired on disability, and we've downsized everything (hense the lack of space).  My wife convinced me to take the plunge..."we'll make it work".  Well, we couldn't.  I invested several hundred "shouldn't have spent" dollars on Unitrack, a couple of F units, and a Super Chief A set; before things got worse...wife's job got sent to India.  Now I have nothing but a tiny temporary twice-around sitting on the table....and a whole heaping pile of guilt for spending money that should have been saved for this kind of situation.  <sigh>

[secondhandmodeler]

 

 

 

I would imagine your frugality and love for trains have squared off against each other.  When the passion for modeling is red hot, it's easy to overlook the money.  When there is a lull, it's easy to feel guilty about the expenses.  My wife asked, " so what is the point of doing this? When your done, what do you have?"  I asked her, what do you have when you're done reading books, nothing.  It's the joy of doing it.   I must say though, I'm trying to pace myself so I don't get burnt out.  I would step away from the trains for a while.  I guessing in no time you'll be excited again.

[colvinbackshop]

Tracklayer: I may have gotten lost along the way on this thread and correct me if need.

It sounds that you have a lot of "RR stuff" collected at this point. But yet spending money / buying more is no longer fun! And that you need to spend time, effort and money on other issues.

So, are you a collector, more so then a builder? Or does the need to collect (got to have one of these to add into the scene someday) over shadow the time for building? Do you buy on impulse, and then think of where you might use that new (WHATEVER) after the fact?

I chime in, because for many years I was a collector, store housing supplies for the day I would have the space to actually build my pike! Most of what I purchased back then (some of it 15 years ago or better) is all good quality stuff...Even though I may not use some of it now as plans change.

For me getting started with the building was the hard part and making a transition from "Wow, that would look great,"  to "Wow that looks great" was hard. I'm rambling...

But, if there is any advice from me in this, here it is:

The hobby (any hobby) is a balancing act with both time and money. Spend as much as you can (time & money) and only what won't upset the rest of your life.

Work on all of the aspects so as to not get bored. As example; I have areas that range the spectrum from mostly finished / detailed, to some landscaping, to no landscaping, to wiring, to still building lower level benchwork! In this case, I can always find a project that will fire my missile at that moment.

Devise a plan and stick to it. Buy what you need for the project at hand and make sure you buy only what will fit the plan.

And lastly: From a fellow that now wishes he would have started actively modeling / building a MRR earlier in life. I think we all go through times of "gee, I'm wasting a lot of time and money on this and to what end" but if it gives satisfaction and it can be balanced with life around us...What great fun!

[Tracklayer]

I have so much stuff now that it would be just plain wasteful if I did buy anything else, know what I mean...

Tracklayer

Ever think of becoming a seller, instead of a buyer?

As a matter of fact Jeffrey I have, and may start thinning out my collection this coming fall. Don't get me wrong, I really like trains, but I'm not really one that gets attached to material things - especially when they have value...

Tracklayer 

Any HO Milwaukee Road?

No brother railroader, sorry. No Milwaukee Road...

Tracklayer

[Anonymous]

It's just that there's so many other things I've been putting off the last few years that I now feel really guilty when I spend money on model railroad items rather than the things I should be spending it on...

In another life, I was a financial planner / advisor.  And while I encouraged people to occasionally indulge in "guilty pleasures" as long as they weren't over the top, I also counseled poeple to ask themselves how much angst an expenditure was going to cause them. 

Clearly, if you're having that much guilt about MRR stuff, it's time to take a break or substantially reduce your expenditures until you get your other finances in order.

And I have to invoke the dirty word here:  Do you have a personal budget?  If not, that's the first step to getting your $$$ in order.

 

 

 

Yes nucat78, I do in fact live according to a budget, plus, I'm one of the biggest tight wads in this part of the state. Since I was a kid I've always had a fear of running out of money, so I've always pinched pennies and gone the cheapest most least expensive route on things.

Thanks.

Tracklayer 

I am a bit of a tightwad also. But I buy quality items, I wasted enough money as a child on crappy junk. 50 dollars MSRP on a 4-8-4 that could not pull itself was the last straw and a lesson in life for me. It was 10 years before I got back into it again.

[MilwaukeeRoad]

I have so much stuff now that it would be just plain wasteful if I did buy anything else, know what I mean...

Tracklayer

Ever think of becoming a seller, instead of a buyer?

As a matter of fact Jeffrey I have, and may start thinning out my collection this coming fall. Don't get me wrong, I really like trains, but I'm not really one that gets attached to material things - especially when they have value...

Tracklayer 

Any HO Milwaukee Road?

[twhite]

Tracklayer--

Right now, the temperature here in Sacramento is scheduled to be above 100 degrees for about the next week.  And everything here is is going to settle down to the worst air this side of Los Angeles, thanks to SUV exhausts and pollen.  I have a garage railroad, I also suffer from allergies and COPD.  Which means I'm inside, while my layout is in the uninsulated garage.  If you think i'm going out THERE for a while, then we BOTH need a talk, LOL!  No, I'm not spending money on train items until the weather breaks, even though I'm in the process of putting together a Rio Grande dome car from about two kits, a whole bunch of decals and some interior goodies.  But I'm doing this on the kitchen table, and that's my project for a while.  When the weather breaks, I'll go out and test the air and hope my allergy shots have taken.  But until then, it's the little kit I've got, and the fact that I've got to help plan next year's choral music for my choir at the high school where I teach, which starts up again in mid-August. 

So it's not that I don't have anything to DO, mind you, I just have other things to do except go out and fight the air quality to work on what is supposed to be an enjoyable HOBBY. 

So don't feel like the Lone Ranger, okay?  Sometimes stuff happens, and there's nothing we can do about it except let it ride. 

Tom  

 

[on30francisco]

REPETITION is boring. It numbs the mind.

CHALLENGES to surmount are needed. They activate the mind.

PERHAPS a change is in order: a Garden Railroad or change in scale. (G scale on a 4x8?), Boating (building an 'Ark' in TX?), raising Armadillos, collecting snakes, ... the possibilities are limitless.

G scale on a 4x8 ? Yes, it's possible and is currently being done in smaller spaces than that! Did you ever hear of Gn15? This combination is G scale on HO standard gauge track. It usually represents industrial/mining/logging 15 inch gauge railroads. Gn15 can run on curves much sharper than the 18 inch minimum for HO and is a basher's and super detailer's delight with the convenience of HO. Check out www.carendt.us/ and Malcolm Furlow's Mexican Hat layout for some ideas.

[Tracklayer]

It's just that there's so many other things I've been putting off the last few years that I now feel really guilty when I spend money on model railroad items rather than the things I should be spending it on...

In another life, I was a financial planner / advisor.  And while I encouraged people to occasionally indulge in "guilty pleasures" as long as they weren't over the top, I also counseled poeple to ask themselves how much angst an expenditure was going to cause them. 

Clearly, if you're having that much guilt about MRR stuff, it's time to take a break or substantially reduce your expenditures until you get your other finances in order.

And I have to invoke the dirty word here:  Do you have a personal budget?  If not, that's the first step to getting your $$$ in order.

 

 

 

Yes nucat78, I do in fact live according to a budget, plus, I'm one of the biggest tight wads in this part of the state. Since I was a kid I've always had a fear of running out of money, so I've always pinched pennies and gone the cheapest most least expensive route on things.

Thanks.

Tracklayer 

[Tracklayer]

Tracklayer, it almost sounds like your bored.  I've seen this in the car hobby as well.  People spend 5 years restoring their car only to find they are bored with it after its done.  Usually they end up selling it and begin building a new one.  The hobby is the building part for most people and it sounds like your done building.  Its time to rip up an area of your layout and start building again. 

You're kidding, right... I appreciate the advice TA462, but I doubt I'll build a new layout for a long, long time if ever again.

Tracklayer

[Tracklayer]

I have so much stuff now that it would be just plain wasteful if I did buy anything else, know what I mean...

Tracklayer

Ever think of becoming a seller, instead of a buyer?

As a matter of fact Jeffrey I have, and may start thinning out my collection this coming fall. Don't get me wrong, I really like trains, but I'm not really one that gets attached to material things - especially when they have value...

Tracklayer 

[tatans]

I think someone above got it right, when spending money on things and stuff becomes more important than the hobby, maybe it's time to look for another outlet for your spare time, I guess there really are people out there that have that spare money to buy "stuff"--- must be nice.

[nucat78]

It's just that there's so many other things I've been putting off the last few years that I now feel really guilty when I spend money on model railroad items rather than the things I should be spending it on...

In another life, I was a financial planner / advisor.  And while I encouraged people to occasionally indulge in "guilty pleasures" as long as they weren't over the top, I also counseled poeple to ask themselves how much angst an expenditure was going to cause them. 

Clearly, if you're having that much guilt about MRR stuff, it's time to take a break or substantially reduce your expenditures until you get your other finances in order.

And I have to invoke the dirty word here:  Do you have a personal budget?  If not, that's the first step to getting your $$$ in order.

 

 

 

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Right on the old nail head Don!

[Don Gibson]

REPETITION is boring. It numbs the mind.

CHALLENGES to surmount are needed. They activate the mind.

PERHAPS a change is in order: a Garden Railroad or change in scale. (G scale on a 4x8?), Boating (building an 'Ark' in TX?), raising Armadillos, collecting snakes, ... the possibilities are limitless.

[jeffrey-wimberly]

... I've already got enough locos for now.

Jeffery, try to avoid using foul language on the forums.  The very thought of having enough locomotives is... well, un-model railroader at least and should never be put in print.

Now, when are those Tower 55 Heritage units coming out???

Tilden

You might notice, I said for now. That leaves the future wide open.

[Tilden]

... I've already got enough locos for now.

Jeffery, try to avoid using foul language on the forums.  The very thought of having enough locomotives is... well, un-model railroader at least and should never be put in print.

Now, when are those Tower 55 Heritage units coming out???

Tilden

[jeffrey-wimberly]

I have so much stuff now that it would be just plain wasteful if I did buy anything else, know what I mean...

Tracklayer

Ever think of becoming a seller, instead of a buyer?

[selector]

Tracklayer, it almost sounds like your bored.  I've seen this in the car hobby as well.  People spend 5 years restoring their car only to find they are bored with it after its done.  Usually they end up selling it and begin building a new one.  The hobby is the building part for most people and it sounds like your done building.  Its time to rip up an area of your layout and start building again. 

Yes, I think as others have pointed out, sometimes you have to sweep the house of cards into a drawer, shake 'em up, and start over.  And as Tom pointed out, the cell phone and the trombone are not things that will cause us to hemorrhage if we tear them out of our hands.  Also, I understand Mark a bit more now that he has used the word "gulty".  I felt the same way after I spent a princely sum on a nice telescope about 18 years ago.  It was a pure self-indulgence at the time, fully supported by those around and closest to me.  After a while, I found that it owned me...not the other way around.  If I didn't use it at least once a week, I felt that I was letting myself and others down.  I faithfully kept a log of my observation sessions, amassing many scores of entries.  Of course, with it came a used SLR film camera, larger eyepieces, a dew shield to keep the main outer lense clear on cool humid nights, and so on.

I guess I am saying you don't have a problem so much as you are repenting over self-indulgence with what now seems to be no justifiable cause.  The problem will become a real one if you continue to feel this way and do nothing constructive about it.  If it would be a reasonable solution, sell stuff on ebay...be brutal and cull the herd of all but a handful of really nice, unique, hard-to-replace items, some favourites.  Gash the rest.  While doing that, do unrelated things that need doing, and build the desire up a week at a time.  By summer's end you will have the drive again.

-Crandell

P.S. - and you know you have painting to do.

[boxcar_jim]

Tracklayer,

I think you sound quite normal to me! I have two hobbies - model railroading and playing guitar - they come and go in importance to me, modelling is in the ascendance right now and has been for the last 4 years or so, but if I meet some like minded musicians who knows waht will happen tommorrow? 

I can't help thinking though that if your layout is "finnished" so much of this hobby is about construction that its maybe those elements that you enjoy most and thats why you're not satisfied when your just left purchasing things? I think that one aspect of the hobby that's not often referred in so many terms is those who just collect pieces for the sake of it. A different strand of the hobby ...

Also there's no such thing as "not enough space"! Here in space starved England (where basements just don't exist) we find space for layouts in the tinyest of spaces. If you go round the NMRA meets here you will see no end of portable switching layouts no more than about 6ft x 18" - that could fit on a shelf even in a small appartment. Another way British modellers deal with it is that layouts are sectional (slightly different to modular in that the layout sections only fit together one way) and only get put up at club days or exhibitions.

Hope this helps

[Anonymous]

I can't really blame you. For me trains usually end up taking a backseat to some of my other interests like fishing and car cruises during the summer. I'd say devote a little extra time to some of your other interests for a while and see how it goes. Having a couple other interests definately helps me keep from getting burned out.   

[Anonymous]

As a earlier post stated you have to have priorities.  I'm disabled & live on a fixed income, so I needed to lose some weight & can eat when next month's check comesLOL!  But seriously, just step back & give yourself a break. Anything done too excess can dull your enthusiasm.  I had thought of selling off part of my equipment because of a bunch of bills.  After talking to my creditors I was able to work out agreements (mostly medical bills).  I'm glad I didn't sell anything, it would be like trying to decide which kid to sell.  bogp40 sorry to hear of your lose, hang in there & things will get better.

[Tracklayer]

Tracklayer,

Along with what Crandell has already shared with you, I'd like to pass along a story to you that I hope will make a point.

Every June, after the end of the orchestra season, my bass trombone teacher from college would take a 3-week vacation with his family at their cottage in Maine.  The cottage was off the mainland on a remote island.  No electricity.  No distractions.  The only way to get there was via a small dingy.

The first year they went, he brought his trombone along with him because he was afraid to take so much time off.  Every day it was a constant reminder for him to practice.  He couldn't even really enjoy his time away and his vacation wasn't very relaxing for him.  (Any orchestral player will tell you that after a long season, you're tired and you need a break.)

Well, the next year they went to Maine...my teacher left his trombone at home.  He told me years later that that time away allowed him to really rest and rejuvinate.  When he returned from vacation after 3 weeks, he said it was like being a kid: He was excited to pick up his trombone again and he practiced with new vigor and enthusiasm for the summer season at Blossom.

The point of the story is: Sometimes you just need to take a break from something for a while to get away from it and to take care of other things.  Give it some time and come back to it at a later date when you're fresh.  You might find that, after a long enough vacation, the "kid" will return and get excited once again about his previous passion.

Hope that helps... 

Tom

Thanks Tom. Aside of feeling guilty about blowing too much money the last couple of years, it could also be as you say that I need to take a break for a while...

Tracklayer (Mark)

[Tracklayer]

You've probably mulled this, but a fresh layout may get you going.

Is there anything you wish you could have done differently, or have your skills grown since you started your current one?

Maybe just doodling some new track plans, even for a smaller layout if cash outlay for new contruction is an issue.

If your line is fictional, how about a new layout depicting "further down the line"? This way, you can keep the investment in your current locos, rolling stock, detail items, etc.Maybe sit down with a notepad, and start drawing up a "history" for your railroad, with maps and all, and then you may stoke the coals a bit, giving you ideas for a "fresh canvas" to work your magic on.

This may be eye-rolling advice, but personally I just hate to see modelers (especially talented ones) get burned out.

Bringing a layout "to life" always keeps me going. Along with your "history", you can use your computer to print up mock timetables, travel advertisements, etc. What can it harm? Just the cost of copy paper? Maybe once you start thinking and playing with this, new and fresh ideas might start flowing.

Just throwing some ideas your way.

Rich

Thanks for the advice 45T-2. I actually had considered building a new layout a while back, but I have a little problem called not enough space... But then again, I have to admit that I'm actually content with the layout I have because it's so versitle and I have so much time and work tied up in it.

Like I said earlier. I think it's just a case of feeling guilty for blowing so much the last couple of years on train stuff and not more important things.

Tracklayer 

[Anonymous]

 i  stepped  away  from  buying  train  items  for  awhile  then  after  i  got  a  house  big  enough  i  said  " hey  i  always  wanted  a  space  for  a  big  layout".  with  all  the  stress  from  my  job  it is  a  welcome break  from  reality. you  never  really  leave  the  hobby  even  when  i  did  i  would  still  go  railfanning.  so  take  a  break  you  will  come back.  i  have  and  hope  to have  my  bench  work  finished  by  end  of  summer.  i  have  a  34'x16'  room  and  i  live  in  cincinnati  lot  of  rr's  to  model  around  here  we  even  have  a  restored  southern  rr  depot   which  you  can  watch  trains  from.  hope  this  helps.........bill