CincinnatiWestern posted:One more thought on this topic.
We mostly have more than one hobby, cars, guns, motorcycles, etc. All of these hobbies I hope we're able to enjoy until the day we drop dead. All of these hobbies and the stuff that goes with them have a financial investment aspect - not that they are worth more than one paid - but rather they have goods (cars, motorcycles, guns, boats, etc.) which can be sold to the benefit of our families.
Those that are saying throw the trains, layouts, etc., in the dumpster, would you / do you plan to do the same with other hobbies -- just sink the boat, roll the car to curb with a "FREE" sign on it, push the motorcycle into the street, build a bonfire in the yard and toss in the unloaded guns.
Train collections, at least most I've seen, have thousands to tens of thousands of dollars in resale value, not what was paid, but what they could be sold for, less commissions and cost of sale. We would not suggest that our families trash our other hobbies items -- again just sink the boat -- so why do the same with our trains?
I couldn't agree more. I love thinking's about who owned my Postwar trains before me. The history is fun to think about, especially if any of that history can be documented. I feel that I am only a caretaker of these toys (yes toys) for the next person. It is my responsibility to take care of them and pass them on to others who might enjoy them more than I do. I give some away every year to kids to help promote the hobby (usually start them in newer production or cheap but solid postwar and graduate them into the nicer postwar). I even get to enjoy them for a time until they find a good home.
Chris Sheldon
