When I shop at the LHS or by mail/phone, I am aware of what I need, make the list, and shop accordingly.
At train shows I am far more likely to see something interesting, perhaps something I did not know even existed, and buy it. I guess you could call it impulse purchasing.
So this weekend I enjoyed myself at Green Bay WI’s “Titletown Train Show.” Saw some very nice stirrup steps for freight cars, in several styles, and made of thin metal. I think they are A line but I am not sure of that. And I get to thinking, I have an awful lot of old Athearn, MDC, and other plastic cars that often have broken or missing steps. I need to buy good looking replacements and for durability purposes I prefer metal to plastic. So I bought a package of all three styles.
Got 'em home and was putting them away in my freight car parts/projects container and — oops. Apparently every year I’ve gone to the Titletown Train Show I have bought the same stirrup steps – same make, same three styles. Fortunately, same price. The packages are now four deep!
Oh well at least I did not already have the Athearn C&NW SD40 and 1950 panel truck that I also bought …
[(-D] I was going through some boxes and found a bunch of duplicates of stuff I forgot I had bought already. Unfortunately, none of them were stirrups which I need desperately.
Yeah, I’ve done that lots of time with small parts, screws, paint, adhesives, etc. But one doesn’t really feel silly until they come home with a duplicate locomotive. For me that was an NP Proto-2000 GP7. They made two different road numbers. I still don’t remember buying the first set. Got home from a sale and was entering the new purchase into the inventory and there it already was… Hmmmm
I really need to be careful when it comes to buying freight cars especially Athearn and Bev-Bel Athearn.As many may recall I collect short line and odd name boxcars and if I am not careful I end up with 2 cars with the same road name or in some cases the same number if the car in question came in a set of 2 or more numbers.
I usually make a ‘list’ of engines/cars I have, and then go to the show. I was looking for an old run of P2K GP7’s(C&NW 1558). There was on on eBay, and the auction ended Saturday night. One guy at the show Saturday had 2 of them, ‘new’ in the box - $60 each. I got him down to $50, and wondered what would happen to that eBay engine that was hovering around $35 that morning. Later that night the auction closed and the ‘winner’ paid $61(bid + shipping) for a used engine! I have usually paid about $40-$45 for most of my P2K GP’s, so this one was sort of expensive; but when you are looking for a specific ‘out of production’ number, one cannot be too picky!
I have bought duplicate numbers on freight cars in the past. I have a pair of Atlas MILW PS-2’s with the same number, and my first Kadee MILW PS-2 had the same number! I also have a couple of Intermountain PS-1’s with the same number. I got a very good ‘deal’ on them at the 2001 St Louis NTS, and did not have my ‘checklist’ with me. At least the price($13 each of 2/$25) for ‘assembled’ cars was still a good price.
Depressed center flatcars! I decided I liked them and wanted ONE. So I ordered ONE. And promptly forgot about it. So I bought ONE at a train show. And promptly forgot about it. So I got another… When I put the last one away under the layout (none assembled of course) I found the other two. I think I’ll remember now, I’ve got ONE, really, I do.
Hey, maybe I can model a transformer factory… [:D]
I have inadvertently bought duplicate car kits - for those that are unpainted I’ll just rearrange the number on one when I put the decals on, the others I’ll have change the number on one (or more) when I build them. Parts, I don’t even worry about - I figure I’ll use them up eventually. I haven’t bought a duplicate structure yet - at least I don’t think so.
Just went though my proto 2000 box to put away 3 war hoppers I got on ebay, was thinking before I should have bought more tank cars and cattle cars when they were cheap, opened the box and found out I had, one less thing on my ebay list.
I always have to learn the hard way. It seems I have bad luck with picking the right things at train shows. I’m smarter now, but for three shows, I made some pretty stupied buys. The first stupied thing I did was when I wanted some odd railraod company box cars. So I bought 5 of them. Now I have no use for them on my layout. The next stupied thing I did was buy a locomotive. Whell that dosn’t seem to bad…unless it’s a loco that’s not in a box and looks REALLY old. I bought it, and when I got home discovered that it didn’t work. Ahhh, I tryed every thing, but it wouldn’t work.(Note: I didn’t find out about the fourms back then) So, you think I would learn, nope! This took next one me to the edge, after this I would always made the right dissicions. I was walking around and saw a pre-weathered BN SD-45. Wow! I really wanted it. But I didn’t notice the price. 20 dollors for the Athearn. Now cheap locos are going to run like junk. But I didn’t know! I asked her if it ran, and she’s like, ummmmm, yep! So I bought it, and found to my suprise, it barly worked. Now I always look at the price, and see if it’s still in the box. Now I regret not buying a junky loco. What? I thought I learned! I did, but it was a FP-45! In WC paint! I could of re-motored it! O whell I’ve come a LONG way. And I have learned my lesson.
The first loco I bought at a show was a poor runner (admitted to by the seller), but the price was right (~15) and it needed nothing more than some oil, and a good shot of electronic cleaner on the commutator. Now I go to shows looking for the run into the ground locos to fix up(but they have to be steam… and made out of metal… I’m no good with plastic parts - yet).
I go and look for older cheap buildings. They usually have bad glue and can be taken apart, painted and reglued to make not a bad building. I only got one that will not come apart. Cant figure the type of glue used. Back when I started model rring everyone used Ambriod as glue.
Ok but 40 to 50 years later it comes apart and cleans up nicely.
I found a Revell 1960 Desiel Fuel and Sand shack on ebay some time ago. It had that awful orange glow and bad glue. But once it was cleaned up and rebuilt/painted it’s ready for service.
Consider yourself blessed you wife supports your hobby/obsession. My wife knows I have two model train cars - too darn many that is!
I am using RRTrains2000 v2.7 from www.gregorybraun.com. I can export into Excel. Now the only things I keep buying duplicates of are the items I haven’t found time to enter yet!
Fifteen years ago at the Roseville train show, a guy had an Akane brass SP AC-12 4-8-8-2 cab-forward on sale for an absolutely RIDICULOUS price. Even had a new can motor in it. I bit. AC-12 has been hauling reefer trains ever since–little devil can haul anything you want to put behind her!
Two years ago: Roseville train show. Another Akane AC cab-forward. I looked at it, drooling. “Wow, I already have an AC-12,” I told the guy. He grinned, showed me the Akane box. Box said: SOUTHERN PACIFIC CAB-FORWARD AC 8-12. I furrow my brow. Guy grins at me (again, the price was absolutely RIDICULOUS!), says, “Tell everyone it’s an AC-8.”
I grinned. “Yah, why not.” Bought it. I’ve got an AC-8 and an AC-12. I don’t dare double-head them, I don’t have enough cars!
True, but it isn’t just having more than one of something, I intentionally have more D&RGW PA units than the prototype ever had because instead of repainting I’ve got sets in every paint scheme. It is when the purchase is for something that one really doesn’t need or want another of, that makes you feel silly. In my case of the NP GP unit there was a new set out with better paint and different numbers that would have been a much better addition to my fleet.