Whew…! I just ordered 10 more Peco turnouts, some flex track and cork. I hope that about does it for me on turnouts, will have to buy a little more track (maybe) and cork (for sure).
What would you say, locomotives and rolling stock not included, is the most expensive part of building a layout?
Is it:
benchwork?
wiring?
trackwork?
scenery?
structures?
other?
I hope I just got past it… 
Jarrell
Benchwork, track switches, and switch machines were the most expensive things on my layout.
Depends on what you have for an end product. If you have several structure kits, they are likely to be the most costly as a group. However, and aside from DCC controlling equipment, commercial switches can certainly add up.
-Crandell
Benchwork is the budget buster if you work on a monthly amount as I do. Benchwork has to be all bought up front unless you have a large enough layout to build in sections. The other categories such as track and turnouts or sturctures can generally be bought as money permits - buy some track, lay some track, use the track you have until more $$ are available.
A lot of the very nice structure kits are out of my league ($200+) just as some of the very nice locomotives are too. I just accept this and enjoy model railroading with what I have or can afford.
yours in counting pennies
Fred
Hmmmm interesting quesiton. My initial though was engines, but one doesn’t really have to get a bunch at the same time. Then I thought about turnouts, which can get pricey. But then the lightbulb went on … the layout space!
Jarrell,
Does that mean you will have more ballasting to do? I know how much you enjoy that part of the hobby!!
When I replied, Fred, I had forgotten that building supplies can vary widely in cost from place-to-place in N. America. Up here, we burn and cut trees like there was no tomorrow…sadly, but it’s true. So, lumber is cheap. Screws are not much, and same for wire and solder/connectors. Foam board is about Cdn $20 a 2’ X8’ sheet for 1" stuff. That’s like, what, US $4.00 or something? [:D]
Oh yeah, I forgot the space… That’s the single most expensive thing, by far. Someone once told me that doing the scenery is probably the least expensive. I dunno, haven’t gotten that far yet, but I know I gotta slow down on the spending a little. That’s why I was hoping, now that the benchwork, several locos and rolling stock, the dcc control stuff, most all the turnouts and track are bought, I’m hoping the major money is behind me.
I hope.
Jarrell
Jarrell,
Sometimes I find it helpful to figure out the cost per hour on some projects. A $50.00 structure kit and 12.00 of paint can sometimes keep me occupied for a couple dozen of hours - or 3.00 per hour. That’s cheaper than bowling!! And unlike renting a movie, the structure when completed brings smiles for years to come.
Think of it this way; If a house is called a “money pit”, then what do you call a whole world?!?
That ought to brighten your day, huh?[:D]
Depends most in my opinion on what you can do, or will do. Like your peco turnouts and track example, what if you instead purchased some old used flextrack at a trainshow and handlaid the salvage rail on basswood ties you cut on your tablesaw? Then you might be out $20 for track, ties, and tracknails. You could buy Finescale kits on ebay for $400 dollars, or buy some wood, glue, knifeblades, and make your own for $18. Some people (me for 1) even make our own ground foam from couch cushions and paint in a dollar blender from a yardsale. So I spend the most on what I can’t make, like lokey drivetrains. BUT I have a friend who makes lokeys from old junk he gets at train meets with a bit of brass and VCR motors and parts. So maybe he spends most for electric to run his tools. LOL. Fred
There is a problem with buying track on train shows. Usually it is brass which will get oxidized and make your spend more time cleaning it than running trains. Other than that I agree - buy used struff.
I’d guesstimate that the biggest bite from the old wallet comes from track, turnouts and the electrical control switches needed for DC block ops.
Scenery is laughably inexpensive. You might invest $100 into a good selection of colors and textures of ground foam but today’s newspaper will be yellowed and crumbling before you have it all on your layout. [8D] Remember that hair spray is nothing but aerosol adhesive and the cheaper the stickier!! I’ll rarely build a tree without sprinkling some lighter foam over the outside and giving it a spritz of yellow paint (Thank-you Joe Fugate for that tip) before planting it on the layout.
dwRavenstar
LOL of course don’t buy brass LOL. But buy old n scale NS flex track for HO or On30 and you have light weight rail, cool. 
Fred
Since I’m right in the middle of the process and have my receipts available, I’ll have to go with benchwork and layout space preparation (extra electrical circuits, insulation and a non-structural partition.) However, there are a couple of jokers in my deck.
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I have enough electrical wire to finish all of the circuitry for a layout ten times the size of the one I’m building, acquired free over the years from demolition and rewiring projects.
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I build all my own switchwork, so my average price per turnout is approximately the cost of a yard of flex track.
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I have a big box of switch machines, purchased for less than a dollar apiece. I figure they’ll just about cover my requirement for powered turnout points, and they come with built-in 3PDT connections for hot frog, interlocking detection and such.
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I make turnout point linkages from such exotic materials as bent paper clips, screw eyes, monofilament fishing leader and scrap ball point pen cartridges.
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I have little choice but scratchbuilding for any structures I don’t already own.
Needless to say, those are heavy-expense items for those of you who, of necessity, build with all commercial products and buy new.
Dave, I hadn’t thought of it that way. It’s true though, I spend hours and hours in there, figuring this trying that, and per hour the price isn’t all that much.
Jarrell
Fred, I wish I was as talented as some of you guys. When I can’t figure out the vcr remote I call in one of the grandkids… But, through you fellas and your williness to help other people I’ve learned a ton of stuff in the past 12 months or so. In fact, if it wasn’t for this forum and a couple of books I have I’d still be asking, “what does it mean when it’s a 0-8-0?”
So much to learn, so little time.
Jarrell
I think… I could be wrong 'cause I didn’t keep up with it like I should… that my biggest expenses have been in the benchwork (man, lumber and plywood is through the roof!), and coming in close is trackwork cause I’m trying to go with all Peco switches. This ain’t even figuring in the ground throws or whatever I end up using.
You know, I’ve got a friend that builds himself a new computer every year. I don’t think he’s missed a year in the last five. I mean nice ones too. He said it runs him about $800 each time but he does sell the old ones so that helps.
There’s always something.
Jarrell
Yuck, I hate ballasting 'cause I’m not good at it and that’s my fault 'cause I don’t practice…
But, I’m about to do the yard so I guess I’ll get the practice.
Wait… most yards I’ve seen don’t have that much ballast in them.
So, I need to read up on doing dirt believably.
Jarrell
Jarrell,
It wii be the scenery items. Structures, and details. Price signals lately???. I love all manner of metal castings $$$$, Structure kits $$$$$$$, People $$$$$$, Trees $$$, Autombiles $$$$$, etc. Of course if you want to have a sparsely detailed layout, this cost goes down. I find that even a 4 x 8 will suck up the details like a black hole. Now I think this is a good thing because I love cool details…After all you can’t take it with you (although many have tried) and you really didn’t need to eat this month did you???
[#ditto] Yes, one moose, $6.00 or 2 skunks & two trash cans, $7.50. Either of those are good to make a 1 square inch scene. 1 Fine Scale Minature Foundry $350, and that’s good for about one square foot. Make a layout of any size and these things add up really quick. Yes, one can scratch build and even “cast” their own moose, but then the investment is in time.
OR maybe it is the books in the reference library. At $50 a crack they add up really quick.