You know, I never really thought about my motivation. I really didn't have anything "specific" in mind. It was more of a "potential" aquisition thing. And the more potential in the closet, the more opportunity for that great layout! And the reference resources to cover the thing that I couldn't get today, but maybe tomorrow... What I really need is a 4x8 workbench where I can stage projects!
I guess my problem is that I see something, and I goo ooooh, cool, I ve got to have one, OR what is all the commotion about this 30 yr old car, say a whale belly. So I buy one of each, then I go look them up in my collection of Walthers catalogues, and then i see, wow, there was 6 road names in the F40's, but they only made them one year. Ive GOT to have one set. So lets say I get a NJT F40 for $25, while I am seraching for F40's, I see another one for $15, I dont know why, but I have to have it. Its like a game to me, if I can beat my original price, good. Is there anything else you want to see? 40 Concor 4-6-4's? a 100 concor PA1's? 10 GG1's? 30 bachmann U36 Bicentennenials with 15 cabooses?
Running & Collecting is a good combination! I have a similar sized layout under construction. Too small for both of our collections... but at least something to enjoy the trains. I've always envisioned I would build a larger one some day which would justify all the stuff I have... it may never happen... but... at least I'm prepared . You 'seem' to be typical of the collector who likes to get everything in a particular run... specially if its something you like. That will usually lead to very large accumulations of items in a relatively short amount of time. I haven't gotten to that extreme because I have four control limits: the era, the roadnames, quality and quantity of each... with some exceptions . I like tankcars and billboard reefers... I usually get lots of them. Just like you (and many others) if we see a bargain... we're all over it. Four years ago Model Expo had LifeLike GP20s at $15.00... I got a dozen of them... all UP#474... I'm not a fan of Union Pacific. When LifeLike FA1 A/B units were on sale for $39.00 per pair... I got a few of them too... didn't matter which road. It certainly helps that they are good running engines though... I wouldn't have bought them otherwise. If there's a 'value-for-the-buck' deal somewhere... I'm vulnerable to buying outside of my controls.oh5qn:
Nice collection you have there! I have an engine and 3 cars so I won't be catching you any time soon! Have any pics of your layout? You helped me out because I showed my wife your collection so she would feel sorry for me and allow me to make an order for more rolling stock. It worked, like a champ.
Vilefileman I don't consider it boasting when you report you have a lot of inventory, it is just telling us. I don't have the biggest inventory, but probably more than most, but it isn't any accomplishment on my part, it is just that I tend to accumulate and not dispose, and try to take care of what I have the best I can. I am a runner and watcher, and just getting into elementary operations, so I tend to run a little then change out the loco and cars for something new and or different. To me it is no different than when a guy tells us he conducts regular operating sessions with order cards, wayorders, and such, it is just telling other model railroaders about what they have. To me accomplishment is the photographs of models, structures and layouts, or sharing a technique or approach. Boasting to me is when someone says what they have or what they do is better than yours, or making critical comments about what you did or have. We have too many of those in this hobby. I am grateful and happy to have a layout, room for one, and time to spend with my trains. I know lots of guys who have better scenery, technology, structures, trackplans, layouts, but I am happy with mine, and really happy to see a guy's layout that he is working on and having fun, and loves what he's got. We had a forum member Hemiadad, a few years ago, and I visited his layout, and it wasn't something I would or could do, but he had such a bond with it, I loved the work he did on the layout. Isn't that what this hobby is about? Ken "FloridaBoy" Willaman
The real question is, do you have anything I want that you're willing to sell? heheheh... Right now I am interested in old Kato SP locos (SD40/45, U boats) with roman lettering...or a LL cotton belt GP60...or MT 89' flats...Kato GP50s or GP38-2s... Okay, sorry, I am getting carried away. :tb-wink:
You know, I am nowhere near thousands of locos (I think I have, like, 50 now), but I just had the thought of "thank g-d that a lot of the stuff I want hasn't been MADE" or my bank balance would be a lot lower right now! Heck, I mean, if Kato or Atlas (or even LL) had made GP60ms, GP40Xs, California Northern locos...or if DI had made Maxi-Is, or spine cars...sheesh, don't get me started...And I already have more stuff than I can run and more projects than I can complete. That does cause me to slow down.
Please allow me to verify and clarify Calzephyr's memory of this incident. This happened at a swap meet of the club I was affiliated with until last fall. This was our record show, with the most tables, and this guy rented 7 large conference tables, and we had to put him in the "Cameron Diaz" patio area. (story of that later). He had so much stock it actually took 2 H1 Hummers (one for work and storage of unshown equipment) and one for sightseeing and lunch. Scuttlebutt was running amok, when we saw undercover agent types lurking the aisles, but no one was talking. This guy was miffed because we put him next to another major vendor, who also was a MiamiDade County detective off duty. This guy was practically giveing stuff away, and the stories came back to Whiskymich and me. He sold a new Lifelike Mallet in the box for $75 to a kid of onr of our members. So I took a break from the club table and sauntered over to the table to see if there were any deals for me. Not only would he not cut me a deal, he treated me rudely and crudely. I ended up buying a lot of stuff from Calzephyr, mostly Atlas and Minitrix diesels, all of which ran superbly. When we saw the newspaper article talking about his bust, we all had a lively discussion. For me, he got what he deserved. I too was relieved I didn't buy any hot merchandise. I have a lot of stuff, but I can recall with good memories of virtually every circumstance of each purchase. Ken "FloridaBoy" Willaman
I have another problem...I work on a pretty small modeling budget and I like to pick up "junk box" deals and then go thru them and get stuff back in working order..I joke I work alot like a real short line with rebuilt,reconditioned engines and rolling stock..after doing this for the past 6 years I have a pretty big collection of this and that old time stuff,modern stuff and all stops between...A good example of this 5 or 6 years ago I picked up a Monon Con Cor F 3 shell and I am still trying to find a drive for it..but I keep looking even though I am I sure what I would do with it if I ever get it running...Tell me I am not crazy...please....Jerry
I always thought I could limit my roster by modeling only one prototype railroad during a limited time period and using only equipment appropriate for that road and era. Trouble was, when I converted to N scale in 1971, there were few models available, and almost nothing in my road name. So I tended to buy a wide variety of models that I thought I might be able to adapt. As time went on, better quality models were released, some of which duplicated earlier purchases. More models became available for my road name. I found myself accumulating more stuff than I had intended. Like Ken, I was so attached to the earlier stuff that I couldn't part with it. Then models started coming available in another road name that I had always been partial to, and I couldn't resist adding some of those to my roster. So in spite of my plan to limit purchases, I still have accumulated more stuff than I probably should have.
Not crazy at all. I only wish I could find "junk box deals." Looks like I'd need to fly a plane to the East or West to be able to get to any train shows anymore. Even the train shows that we used to have never featured anyone but hobby shops selling new stuff--except for one guy that sold junk at truly exorbitant prices. (Why bother? It's not junk anymore). Right now I'm just wishing and hoping someone somewhere will try to sell a Bachmann Old-Timer boxcar (the green one) or an Nn3 boxcar. I want to take the wheels off and turn it into Otowi Station... Cristi
Oh Boy does that get me in trouble Quick!!! You have any idea how many junk boxes there are in HO scale????!!!!!
It sounds more like an addiction, have you thought about getting treatment at the NMRA? They have a very lugsurious suite for the simple price of your collection. I'm sure they can help you with your problem and remember it okay to say you have an addiction, it's the first step in recovery. It's probly the only un-diagnosed addiction on the planit but the NMRA can help you with it They can introduce you to a new level of life, like DCC or perhaps Micro-Trains technology ..... Sorry but I had to bring in my 200th in with a Smart ^** Comment and this was a quite fitting subject. But in reallity like Calzephyer said it's more of a security reason why many of us don't list our collections, It's an invitation to Smash and grab. Although I do Have 9 American German Shepards and a couple of other collections to avoid this from happening But it's still a matter of choice. Have fun.
Hey Ken, Long time no talk. I sure as heck hope I didn't buy anything from him, Was he the one second row in from the south entrance wareing the white shirt?? almost no rolling stock and all topshelf NIB Engines??
No need for dogs, i am raising 5 teenagers by myself. They all pitch in, but I can sense there interest is beginning to wane. A trip to Lancaster was fun, but yes, almost all my stuff is not brand new sealed. I LOVE getting a non working engine, ripping it apart, and make it working again.Right now the repair box sits at 15, in fact my biggest NEW section is all the bachmanns I shipped back and they replaced.I may never finish my GG1 collection, may never finish my whale belly collection, but its a lot of fun to me trying. The Greenberg is coming this weekend, so more the merrier. So heres to me finding that Blue american gigi, a silver amtrak gg, and a wanda whale belly. Oh and the Peurto rico and guam state MT cars. V
Hey I here you their, My thing for the moment is U30C's and C30-7's and buying old MT runner cars to repaint. It's an attraction for what I have built not just purchased , It is a lot of work sometimes 6-8 hours for one car but the result is unique and my "special run". Although I did incounter a problem with my U30C's, SF didn't own them so I need to figure out what I'm going to do with them Weather I'm going to make them U33C's or just try to trade them off for BN's or C30-7's??? hard decision being that I really don't care cause their is so many of them I would be their for months converting them or years trying to trade them?? Don't know. I am also fasinated with the whales but for some of the prices of them I won't buy them unless it's reasonable. My next train is going to builg a BN, BNSF Aluminator train, Proto trains are roughly 120 per run that's 240 cars each so that should keep me away from engines for a while also converting a bunch more cars to MT's is another massive project. I know what you mean by it's like a game but for me it's more like I keep geting so many I can't keep up with conversions and painting so I'm done buying for a while (so I say)
You guys are hard core! I have about 30 locos and around 450 cars. (and thought I was hard core!) I am pretty much in "replace mode" meaning I don't have large scale additions left to add to my roster and I have the basic ratios of cars set. Anything I do now will be upgrades of older tooling with few exceptions. If I ever get my dream layout built then I'll probably bump the numbers up a bit but for now I'm extremely happy with my roster. I don't consider myself a collector so the "he who ends up with the most toys..." stuff doesn't phase me. Like one guy said, more power to ya! I would love to see a large collection like that though...I bet it is impressive. I've seen photos of Todd T's endless glass cases and I think that is the way to go if you're a collector.
