I’m glad to see that there are some young people actively involved in this wonderful hobby! [:)][^][8D]
The difficulties, especially the ones surrounding funding, sound awfully similar to what I encountered many years ago. A lot of the advice already posted makes a great deal of sense: save up, trade off something else to get the train stuff, etc. I did some of the same things, and I also always asked for railroad equipment for birthdays, around Christmas time, and so on. A neighbor owned a toy store, so I used to buy Matchbox cars for the layout at a discount.
My main suggestion is to try to use some of the less expensive kits that you can find at some toy stores or at mall hobby shops (and online). The Walthers structure kits, for example, are really nice, as are many of the imports, but you can still do fairly well with less expensive kits from manufacturers like Bachmann, Model Power, Life Like, and IHC. Even Atlas, whose locomotives are expensive, has a decent line of inexpensive kits. These kits lend themselves to relatively easy kitbashes, and you can paint them any way you want to make them unique. I filed off the molded letters on one of these buildings and put in my own dry transfer letters instead. You don’t need a lot of special order detail parts, either. Suppose you want a different kind of window in a kit. Buy the kit you like, and for about the same price, find another one that you would otherwise have passed up that has the right kind of windows. Modify the first kit, use the windows from the second kit, and when you’re done, you not only have a unique structure, but also a collection of parts that you can use another time.
Not a lot of money out of pocket, no long searches on the internet, no waiting for detail parts on back order. There are other similar bargains you can find–you just have to think creatively and maybe put off a fancier layout until you have your own space in which to put it.
When I started out, I had 2 Tyco engines, several Tyco cars and MDC cars, Atlas track, Atlas kits - station, lumber yard, control tower. It all worked and I had fun with it. I also bought some parts and scratch/parts built some freight cars and structures. Tyco is gone but the rest are still here. Maybe it isn’t the best stuff compared to other lines available, but with a little paint it can look all right. Maybe MR could run a column on dressing up the cheap stuff.
I’m not sure where we lost track of this as a hobby and got so serious we forgot how to have fun. I read some of the descriptions of operating sessions and I’m thinking this is like having a another job except you don’t get paid. They now are having clinics on how to fill out the paperwork for model contests. Sometimes I think we need to lighten up a little. This is a hobby, you spend what you can afford and have fun.
Paul, yer a man after me own heart, Bud. Some people call having fun sleeping on a slung hammock 400’ up a cliff face on the first night of a three day climb. For others, it is completing the perfect tie-off on a Shadfly in anticipation of next Saturday’s fishing trip.
I like running steam locomotives, and enjoy diverting them from rail-to-rail. I enjoy the sound, and I find that seeing and hearing them do that on a modest layout that I bulit merely enhances the effect. I could just as well do that on a substantial kitchen counter and let my mind fill in the rest.
I couldn’t agree with you more that these ops sessions that take weeks of planning, six guys, and a days worth of coffee, just have no appeal for me. I appreciate that they make for a joyous event for those that do them, but you won’t see me there.
Choo, choo!!. Love the sound of that airpump, too.
A little insight: I plotted my track plan and had it on the table at our meeing. To say it got blown apart was being nice.
Mr X. "A point to point is the only REAL RAIL ROAD(I agree this is a model)
Mr Y “This is no good you can run it with one person” (I am one person what is the point?)
Mr. Z “You are not going to waste your money and build that are you? There is not enough yard sapce and the aisle allow only one operator and there is a loop around the room a train can just run all day on.” (Yes I will build it, There is plenty of yard space if you do not have a desire NOT TO HAVE YARD SPACE, I am ONE PERSON so that works well. and yes there is a DISPLAY TRACK all around the room that will be DC and DCC so I can run the old Tyco and marx engines I have)
I short I had a job I retired and I am not looking for another job. I am not forming a club that spends 2 nights a week planing to run a session that lasts all of 1 hour with 12 people trying to run all over each other trying to stay on schedule. WHAT schedule?
Give me the Circle around the 4x8 with 1 spur track and a passing siding that was when it was JUST FOR FUN.
I asked Mr Z if he wanted to suggest a better design, his answer was “I DO NOT HAVE ANYTHING YET BUT I AM THINKING ABOUT GETTING SOME THINGS” I lovearm chair critics don’t you!
George P.
Product manufacturers don’t always think of the younger modelers. I’m only 13 and I am always running out of money when I need to buy something else. Check yard sales and train shows for used equipment. When I build my layout I picked up lumber for benchwork of the side of the road.
Has anybosy ever thought of an ONLINE Flea Market for used items? List an item people call you, they buy you sell. EBAY is a pain, using PAYPAL is OK. Also we have the TRAIN SHOW where you HOPE to get a bargin. I am willing to host, at our SEECARR Club house a TRAINS ONLY Swap meet. This is in AIKEN S.C. any thoughts? We need to help kids like nickl02 and others get a bargin and keep going in the hobby. We do this all the time with cars. Every tried to go to NAPA and buy a fuel filter for a 1988 Ferrari Testtarossa?
George P. (Just trying to help)
What? You mean you CAN’T just pop into the local auto parts store and buy Ferrari parts? The shock! [:D][:D][:D]
Takes quite a bit of work to organize a train show - but you definitely have some experience int hat regard, plus if there is no other show around to compete with, you just might start something. Around here there is a groupt hat puts on two shows a year and they actively do things to discourage competition with their show. It’s nt liekt his is the perfect show by any means, they have no CLUE how to organize the vendors, unlike the Timonium show that seperates the scale stuff from the hi-rail and tinplate, these guys continue to mix and match, even thought he venue was expanded the other year witha new addition. And they CONTINUE to make the aisles WAY too small, no chance to stop and browse, the rest of the crowd will shove you along. The Model RR club I used to belong to attempted to organize a new show in a different venue, at a different time, not directly opposite the other shows. That had a nice logical setup to the show floor, plenty of room to walk around and browse, and a bunch of operating layouts. Unfortunately there were some shannanigans witht he other group and a lot of vendors didn’t show up, and the show ended up being a bust. A real shame because it was a very high quality effort and well organized.
WE do a CAR SHOW in November in Aiken S.C. www.seecarr.org Our charity is the restoration of the Rail Road Depot. The local Model Rail road club has a running N gauge and HO gauge display. My company is the sponsor. It would take me 2 min. to include a FLEA MARKET for trains. Would be outside this year but 2006 who knows. They are building a facility that may house it but I am thinking of the downtown building no clue what it rents for. I am willng just need to see what kind of support we can get. And from who. I need folks now for the November show, hard to find them.
If it happens then I would try and keep out the PROS that jack up the [rice THEN give you a discount back to MSRP. Seen that to many times. I will talk to the board of the local train club and test the waters. The admission deal sometimes keeps OUT the people that need the bargins. May use an EMAIL deal to give out passes or something. Anyway I am very fortunate to be where I am and would like to help some one else get there.
I think you’re on to something - it could get BIG if there are any decent number of modellers who aren’t too far away. They car tie-in is great, you already have the publicity for that, and for some reason it seems cars and model railroading go together - in this state we have a license plate that features a Grif Teller image of a PRR K4, naturally I have this one, well just yesterday I passed a guy in a brand new Porsche Carrera S with one. A train shows usually half the cars have them, but they are usually on pickups and SUVs. Except for this one beautifuly restored GTO that shows up if the weather is nice.
There is a great combo show that runs here too, although the train part is display, not buy/sell. They call it Trains, Planes, and Automobiles, naturally it has them all, vintage aircraft, vintage cars, and both static train displays and operational layouts.
You are on the money with the observations. So are many of the answers to you. To me, I am getting back to model rrs after 50 years. I do it for fun and learning skills . Two level rrs over my bed and it is fun. Know any other Great Grandpas that live under the Railroad?
Folks have posted a lot of great ideas here for the Frugal Model Ferroquinologist. Even today, my most fun comes from buying old already-assembled kits from a box under some guys table at a RR show. Take 'em, cut 'em apart, and kit-bash 'em into some interesting-looking structure that no one else has.
It will happen:
When; November 12,2005 9:00 am till 3:00pm
Where Aiken S.C.
A model train FLEA MARKET in conjunction with a LIVE “N” and “HO” running railroad PLUS the 2nd Annual Aiken Festival of Exotic cars. www.seecarr.org is the site to watch.
The deal is this I want to set up a place where the average person can go and bareter or but train stuff. Any scale. This year it will be a little small but 2006 we arelooking into 75,000 sq ft to put it in for 2 or 3 days. I will spend the money if the support is there.
This is my answer to this problem.
Aiken is by Augusta Ga.
Interested? seecarr@bellsouth.net
Fees will be CHEAP if you have your own table and chairs, spaces are 10x10.
Everything else will come to light at a meeting this Thursday.