Impulse buying

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

I stopped by my LHS a few days ago and one thing I always check is the second hand shelves. Every once in a while I’ll find something appealing there and this was one of those times. There were six Lackawanna passenger cars on the shelves. These were all generic Rivarossi cars but they all had detailed interiors, lighting, metal wheels, and KD couplers. They were priced at $10-12 apiece. My fictional railroad is a composite of several railroads that ran in the New York/New Jersey area including the Lackawanna so until now I had avoided buying that equipment but at the price and as well detailed as they were, I couldn’t pass them up. Four of the cars were heavyweights and those are the ones I took. They don’t fit the theme of my railroad but I can see running these stand alone outside of my normal operations.

My question is whether any of you will occasionally buy items that don’t fit in with your railroad but are too interesting to pass up.

2

A resounding YES from me.

One of the first road switchers I bought was an SP&S custom painted and weathered RS-3, but the “broadstripe” paint scheme on it was first used by the SP&S in 1965. I didn’t care. $20 at a swap meet, and it’s a YB Atlas/Kato, runs smooth and quiet. I just ignore the temporal dissonance.

Recently I also bought an RS-1 of the Spokane International. Mostly their livery is drab, but this was a beautiful paint scheme of the SI that I had never seen. I had never considered including SI on my railroad because it was never part of the GN, NP, SP&S system, and was eventually absorbed by UP.

But this was a beauty I couldn’t pass up. I pretend that there was some track outage on the Spokane International line and that the GN, NP, and SP&S allowed them temporary trackage rights.

A couple of boxcars and one hopper are also time-jumpers. I’m sure there will be more.

-Matt

3

All too often! In fact it is sometimes more surprising when I buy somethng that isn’t an impulse purchase. The shelves are groaning under the weight of kitbash projects that I have purchased the raw materials for but never gotten around to.

Dave Nelson

4

The NYC is part of my operating scheme set in 1956 but I acquired an A/B set of F7s with the cigar band logo. I can’t remember exactly when that was adopted but I think it was around 1960. I also had a couple Jade Green boxcars that I think first appeared around that same time. I eventually repainted them and lettered them for my fictional road. Classic Metal Works issued a run of 1959 Fords which are a few years outside my time frame but look like they belong so I bought a few. I try to keep them in the background so as not to be too obvious.

That’s the nice thing about being a freelancer. You don’t have to adhere to rules.

5

OK, I will be the contrarian here.

About 1983 I shifted my modeling era interests from the late 60’s to the early 50’s. I do still have a few of thoses 1960’s freight cars.

And, I do have a small collection 1880’s - 1900 rolling stock and locos, which I intend to use for some sort of railway museum somewher on the layout.

Other than that, I am a very disciplined shopper.

I have no shelf queens that don’t fit the theme of the layout.

No UP BigBoys, PRR GG1’s, NYC Hudsons, SP GS4’s, or ATSF War Bonnet F7’s.

Occasionally I will see something that will fit the theme, that I had not previously considered, then I am sometimes temped to make a move.

Even staying inside my little world of the Mid Atlantic region in 1954, I have more than enough projects on the shelves and locos to protect the schedules.

Job one right now - build the layout - as soon as some tools come home, there is already lumber in the basement for nearly half the benchwork.

Sheldon

6

Nothing wrong with impulse buying, but I find knowing the market value helpful. This avoids over-spending on things. Certain cars I’ve purchased b/c they apply to my layout and others not so. I recall an MR article about a great way to answer the question “how did that car arrive on your layout despite it not being anywhere near your geographic area?” The great answer was an interchange.

Keep on shopping folks b/c we must prop up the economy!

7

I’ve resisted yet, but…

the Hudson fits my railroad just fine (transition era NYC). Add a C&O Allegheny to that list and you have my dream impulse locomotive list. Maybe not the Big Boy, but I’d take one.

Closest I’ve come to buying one off that list was some bidding on an Allegheny online. Lost the auction. Oh well. No biggie.

8

My layout era is NYC steam-early diesel between early 40s & early 50s. 99% of all my purchases are based on that and that greatly mitigates any impulse buying for me. That said, I’ve made two purchases the past few years that would fall into the “impulse” category…

  1. Con-Cor Aerotrain - The NYC ran a 6-month trial on these in early/mid 1956. Because the final results were less than satisfactory, they ultimately passed on them - like a number of other RRs did. It wouldn’t be inconceiveable to temporarily “bump up” my era to 1956 so that I can run the Aerotrain. Cars and buildings could just remain as is.
  2. Con-Cor Pioneer Zephyr - The only time the PZ ran on NYC trackage was on its initial tour of the US in 1934. Because of its history and it’s just such a cool looking train, I pulled the trigger on a 3-car set and extra car. Similar to the Aerotrain, I could “bump back” my layout 8-10 years and have the PZ come sailing through on the way to its next tour stop.

Tom

9

When I came back to the hobby about the time I joined this forum, I started going to train shows and I was like a kid in a candy shop. Within a short time, I realized I needed shopping discipline as I was getting ahead of myself, buying things I liked even though my layout didn’t have a place for them. Eventually, the layout grew and I found a space for most of the structures, and I suppose pretty much any rolling stock can just be passing through.

I have a couple of diesel switchers that aren’t from my road, the Milwaukee, but my road had those models and eventually that paint job and decal work should be easy.

But, I’ll confess. I had a big Lionel GG1 when I was a kid and ran O-scale trains. I had to have a GG1 when Bachmann came out with a nice model in HO for a low price. It wasn’t really an impulse buy, as I researched it to make sure it would handle my tight curves. I stretched history a bit to electrify a line through Chicago and north.

10

Sometimes.

My layout is still in the planning phase, so the impulse decision to start getting intermodal equipment is being included in the revisions. Originally, there would have been no intermodal traffic. Now there will be.

I wanted a steam locomotive, so I’ve put together almost two trains worth of late 40s/early 50s equipment. They get run at modular shows, which means they at least get used, even if they don’t fit into my contemporary layout.

I was just on vacation in Switzerland and stumbled upon a train shop. I really liked the Stadler KISS cars we’d been traveling in. Bought one. Does it fit with anything else? Not at all. But, Caltrains has 119 of them on order. Maybe it’ll turn up in tow every once in a while as a flatcar load.

11

Nope … budget really doesn’t allow it. I’m pretty much zero’ed-in on my railroad/era/locale anyway.

However, when I come across an item that I need/want … I may impulsively over pay for it, instead of being patient and wait for the inevitable better deal to come along.

Jim

12

Since the goal is to enjoy the hobby, some of us have to be a bit wild. It unfortunately gets expensive. I don’t know how much Sheldon is into the hobby, but he’d agree that he’d be in the hurt locker if he purchased solely on the basis of ‘gee whiz’ looks and neat new specs. As others have said, at some point the brakes must be applied or you’re spending thousands of dollars each year…or month! Even so, I have livery on my layout, between rolling stock and motive power, covering maybe 15 roads. Fortunately, I have kept a firm grip on the motive power and confined it to seven different roads. I’m also not interested in a Big Boy, or in all kinds of first and second generation diesels. I think I have maybe three or four locomotives for each of the seven roads.

13

Gotta think that most hobbyists impulse buy, otherwise how do you explain all the Big Boy locomotives being produced? But who cares, as long as you have fun, that’s what counts.

14

I still have my Rivarossi Big Boy from the 1980s as well as two Challengers and two Northerns. Even though I no longer model the UP and have switched to DCC, I can’t bear to part with them. There is no way to plausibly run them on my eastern themed layout so they sit on the shelf.

15

I, have an Allegheny, the C&O is one of the four roads I model.

I have N&W Class A’s, they have different tenders and are lettered ATLANTIC CENTRAL.

They are both successful locomotives from the region and era I model - they fit the theme.

Sheldon

16

I would buy a Zephyr at the right price and letter it ATLANTIC CENTRAL.

I actually have among my unfinished projects a kit bashed “unitized” passenger train similar to the Zehpyr - need to get that done. Its power car is half F7, half baggage car.

Sheldon

17

Not sure I understand the first part of this statement. This is such a diverse hobby that can be approached a lot of different ways.

You tell me how “into” this hobby I am.

I have about 140 powered “locos” of one sort or another.

About 950 freight cars, and about 180 passengers cars.

The new layout will fill a 1500 sq ft space, and is designed to stage about 30 trains, most can be as long as 22 actual feet, or about 40 typical 1950’s freight cars.

It will take nearly all of the rolling stock listed above to run the desired trains on the layout - I don’t have to worry about storing equipment - it will all be on the layout.

I only model four roadnames when it comes to locomotives, one being my fictional ATLANTIC CENTRAL, the others being C&O, B&O and WESTERN MARYLAND. The theme of the layout is small city where all for railroads converge. The B&O and C&O are represented by interchange trackage and partial trackage rights. The WESTERN MARYLAND has a short stretch of a single track branchline that serves a small coal mining town and also interchanges with the ACR.

I like everything from display or railfan running to all aspects of prototype operating sessions.

My layout is set in the piedmont platue and eastern Appalachian Mountains, seeking to represent the Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and south central PA area.

It is September 1954 in my world and the newest motive power on the layout are two EMD SD9’s which started rolling out of LaGrange in January of 1954.

Any stretches in era are for you to observe if you can.

I like well details models, but not obsessed about it. I like long trains and mainline action - hence

18

I’m with you Sheldon!

I’m pretty disciplined in what I buy, and staying within the theme of my layout. I keep a list of wanted items on my phone for reference at train shows, and will also bring along any out-of-theme items as trading tokens.

At heart, I am a bit of a sucker for that forlorn old lokie that with “just a little TLC” could be a fun addition at the roundhouse… but then I remember the huge collection of boxes in the “Unbuilt Kit Repository” (closet) and the long list of layout projects - both whispering in my ear… “Focus Jim, focus!!!”

Jim

19

My current focus is C&S narrow gauge in On30. It’s a “what-if” it had lasted into the 1950s. Leased D&RGW equipment is OK. Also since the White Pass & Yukon borrowed Colorado equipment during WWII, I have a WP&Y boxcar as repayment.

Sentimentally I also have some O gauge equipment, but limit it to Northeastern railroad equipment since that is where I grew up.

Theoretically I could run my old HO equipment on my On30, so there is some impulse buying of boxcars or cabooses for railroads in the Michigan area, where I now live. At least HO is affordable.

20

I used to, but no more.

When I started in HO some 20 years back, I had 3 LHS within a short driving distance. I would often check all three in a single day and load up on bargains.

Fast forward to today. All three LHS are gone and I don’t attend train shows. So, I couldn’t impulse buy even if I wanted to…and I don’t want to.

I am still trying to unload prior impulse buys.

Rich