Im starting to believe that we dont know just how deep this problem is.
Seems we are shocked daily by the news and the consequences.
My train purchases have all been from the descretionary spending account (blasphemy!).
I have bought and sold/traded trains since the early eighties. This is the first time for me that I have put all future purchases on hold until such time as I feel a bit more comfortable with things.
You guys?
Hobbies always provide a chance to step back and take a mental break. The current state of the economy doesn’t really have an impact on the hobby for me.
In the end it’s a hobby. Above everything else it’s supposed to be fun and relaxing.
I have stoped buying trains and are spending that money on a layout to run said trains allready in my collection.
Will have to fill in a couple small gaps/seams with wood putty, then the next big purchase will be paint.
Lets just say Im doing my part to stimulate the economy [:-^]
As long as gas prices dont go back to where they were (and hopefully go down at some point) I shouldnt be affected too much.
I’ve always bought “what I wanted”, avoiding the big ticket items. The economy hasn’t affected my model railroad purchases yet. However, what I find interesting is the insane prices on E-Bay. I lost an auction on an American Flyer orange stripe 961 streamline coach; the car went for $ 124.98! This is 3 times the book price on the car in C6 condition, $ 40.00.
I only stopped because of the Harley purchase. After October, more stuff for the Christmas layout will be needed!
I got a 2353 in decent condition for 128 bucks on ebay - I think its because people are not buying - I have seen these go for 150-160 in the past.
Probably won’t buy anything till YORK? Then only a few small stuff for layout.
laz57
People have been wailing about the economy for 200 years, especially just before elections. Have you ever see a newspaper headline stating “Economy Great!”? How much money people will have to spend on toys will depend on their personal financial situation.
Yes, you’ve got to roll with it. When things get tight and there is no money for trains, the best thing to do is go run some trains that we already have.
I have cut back quite a bit in the past year, mainly because I was out of work for over six months. Future train purchases look to be slim or not at all!!
Going to train show in Deerfield Beach FL in October, hopefully things will be good there. Did some trading at the last train show I went to, maybe some more trading for stuff at next show.
Lee F.
Lee,
I think you hit the nail on the head… if you are employed then you probably have set money aside as to what you can afford to buy. I maybe spend 250.00 a month on trains, only because recently I have change scales from HO to O, building a new layout, and have been filling voids in my Dad’s S gauge collection. When I got laid off in Jan to March… maybe spent 25.00 per month and no E-bay.
Now is a GREAT time to buy, bad time to sell. So I am going to tally up the items I have to sell and wait until the Holidays.
Joe,
I agree that people generally complain (wailing) about the economy.
However, I think that it’s very noteworthy when the Secretary of the Treasury and the Chairman of the Federal Reserve state that this country is facing the worst financial crisis in post war history. [2c]
GP60
Well I have certainly tucked in my wings. Election years are usually a bit off for us, but this year is a lot off. Too much uncertainty in both politics and economics.
So if we all buy a bit (or a lot) less, AND COULD AGREE TO TAKE TURNS, we could keep feeding the beast, and spend losts less money.[:D]
runtime
full stop…red over red indication. Management instructs operations to hold back on capital costs, take prudent measures, keep up with maintenance.
The economy doesn’t effect them at all–I make all of my purchases myself…
Haha, After all is said and done (by me) i end up winning an auction on, well you know where. Ive been searching and searching for the aux tender for the JLC challenger in grey. And this one happens along after I started this thread, oh well.
*wishes he knew how to do the emoticons.
At this stage of my participation in the hobby, (a player rather than a collector), I don’t really spend too much on trains (mainly maintenance stuff) so the economy is not an issue at the present time. Thanks for asking.
When was the last time you pulled out your (fill in the blank with engine number) and ran it? Now may be the time.
Jack