quote:"Money" is only but one measure of some "thing's" value. The trick to it all is balancing the "money" and the personal value.
If the original poster was getting personal value out of his high priced purchases, then he probably would continue to believe that the purchases make sense.
I agree that hobbies are valuable, but that does not mean that ones has to spend fifteen hundred dollars on a locomotive, or fifty dollars on a boxcar. There are scads of "O" gauge trains available on the secondary market at a fraction of those prices. Including many in new, old stock condition.
Hopefully folks participating on this board are interested in more than just purchasing the latest release.
For collectors, there is the enjoyment of the activities surrounding the hunt. And that hunt doesn't have to be for the expensive. Believe me, there are many interesting things to collect that don't cost a ton of money.
For operators, there is the planing and building of layouts, scenery, etc.
Then there are the tinkerers, who like to buy "hurt" trains, and fix them up.
Some folks do two or more of the above.
