Of course!

Buying any model train items is completely illogical.

Ambassador Spock.

@Miggy posted:

Please define "alot".

A lot is a little bit more than a bunch.

Hey CJ , not sure about the purist definition of rational but I get the idea of need.

Whenever I would go for a good long ride on my Suzuki Hayabusa ,I would have to concentrate on the job  😉 at hand.      It would take me away from the mundane so called realities of day to day chasing the carrot.    When I  returned it seemed like my head was clear to tackle anything that came my way.

I spend a lot of time in the train room now.   It's interesting how I have to concentrate on this job  😉 at hand.

Are we serious here?

Do we really need to even ask this question regarding rationality of purchases?

Like many in this hobby -- and other hobbies/collection pursuits -- I struggle with this issue a lot.   Model trains make me happy, but so do a lot of other (expensive) things.   (Men never grow up, my wife says, their toys just get more expensive).  I just got back into the hobby after several years off.   In 2008 I quit cold turkey because my kids had lost interest and I wanted to devote my $$ to other things.  Two years ago, I got back into it.   My kids are about to graduate college, and as 20-somethings they are interested again.  But I've also gotten to a place where I want to do it just for me.  

My second act in the hobby is going to be a 12-20' hi-rail layout of the Santa Fe in the southwest in the World War ll era.  So my approach to buying has been to collect all steam and diesel engines and rolling stock made relatively recently  that are appropriate for that road, at that time, in that location.   As long as the engine or cars will fit that criteria, my spending may be irrational (e.g., when Scott at GGD came out with a 1938-47 Super Chief, I bought the 8 car set and all 8 extra cars; about $4K) worth.   I try to stick to this, but added to the must have has been "all Lionel Vision Line" locomotives, regardless of road, which means I have to get a suitable train for them to pull.  I also can't resist particularly iconic passenger trains from the transition era, like the 20th Century Limited, Broadway Limited, SOPAC Daylight etc.   So there are "Fantasy Guest Stars" on my SF WWll layout.  Time and space warps, I guess.

So is it rational?  Maybe not.   But it makes me happy.   It's history you can play with.   You can lose yourself in it.   How can one be rational about that?

My train buying is plagued with the same thought processes as my gun buying.  You know that little voice in your head that tells you this may not be a good idea?  Yeah, well....................I don't have one of those.

After totaling my train expenditures for the past ten plus years (ebay mostly), I question my own rationality!

No it isn't. Next question.

I thought I would narrow it down with steam era only, freight only, Lionel mostly but it doesn't help much.

@Forty Rod posted:

My train buying is plagued with the same thought processes as my gun buying.  You know that little voice in your head that tells you this may not be a good idea?  Yeah, well....................I don't have one of those.

On that issue, I am much more rational only having made one emotional purchase because it was on sale for a great price.  I have a very small collection with different bores in all cases but one.  I am only looking to add bolt action rifle for distance target shooting.  Not in any hurry, need to do my homework, and save the money for it.

After all, I have more irrational train purchases to make!

Rationality is overrated

When I was single I would hunt for trains rather than women, because the trains didn’t talk back!  But then TMCC and DCS happened and changed everything. So, with all things then being equal........

I have two comments to address this thread:

!. How did  GMORLITZ start this conversation, this is one of those Arnold questions that he always seems to come up with.

2. I have the bumper sticker"My wife says if I buy one more train she will leave me, gee I will miss here" and " My wife signed a prenuptial that she can be replace but not the trains"

With those thoughts in mind what is rational or irrational about being more trains, it is a sickness or disease and I have the posters for that, beside he who dies with the most toys WINS!!

And that's all folks!!

It occurred to me today that I like craving something that I don't have yet, but hope to get, in the World of model trains.

For instance, at the moment I like the fact that I desire to maybe some day purchasing Pullman green NY Central passenger cars that run well on my layout with 031 tubular track and 022 switches. I'm not frustrated, don't need it, it may not exist or ever exist, but I look forward to maybe someday hunting them down on the Internet or at future train shows like York. If I do, I will be happy, which makes the possible future purchase more rational. Also, the happiness the hunt provided to me makes it more rational than irrational, IMO.

I also sometimes use the desire to purchase an expensive locomotive as a motivator to make more money so I can well afford it. Such motivation,  especially if it works and I do make more money, makes the future purchase mor rational, IMO.

Arnold

Arnold,

The problem is that we always find something else that would be nice to have and never stop buying, as I mentioned earlier in connection with my never decreasing number of pre-orders.

MELGAR

Thank you, RJT, for saying that this thought provoking topic is the kind of thing I would have come up with.

Melgar, once again, your words state the truth, IMO.

Here's another interesting idea: to think of a locomotive as a metaphor.

This is a fun thing for me to do to justify purchasing an expensive locomotive: that I am like that locomotive, powerful, persistent, can build up a head of steam and cannot be stopped, as a lawyer (my profession).

If this metaphor makes me more confident, and I happen to win the case, then it is well worth it, and it was a very rational decision to buy it. LOL.

Chances are, you can apply this metaphor to your life circumstances and be more confident and successful in your profession, career, job, etc.

However, unfortunately, it doesn't always work, at least for me. LOL.

And, remember, to also be kind and compassionate, which Is more important than being an all powerful locomotive, IMO.

It is best to be a very special locomotive that is kind and compassionate, as well as powerful and confident, IMO.

Was there a locomotive like that on Shining Time Station with Ringo? LOL, Arnold

Of course it's rational. Who needs food or a wife?

Hal

@HMS2035 posted:

Of course it's rational. Who needs food or a wife?

Hal

Well... maybe food

Despite many years of purchasing trains, I haven't spent as much as the price of a new Corvette. And I can play with the trains in bad weather when the Vette would be setting in the hangar. Seems rational to me. Not sure if my wife buys this. She would rather have the Vette.

I have bugged so many forums asking for an O Scale Milwaukee SDL39 and guess what? My dream is coming  true later this summer. I am nearly 73 and to spend about $2000 is nuts because I don't know what the good Lord has in store for me. But, what the heck. It's only money.

Dick

@Landsteiner posted:

It's rational to spend income not needed for living or savings or charity on things that bring us comfort and pleasure.  Could be lasagna and cannolis, vacation, presents for friends, toy trains or counseling .

Agree but replace “or” with “and.”  Then it is perfect.  ;-)

@Alec_6460 posted:

Like many in this hobby -- and other hobbies/collection pursuits -- I struggle with this issue a lot.   Model trains make me happy, but so do a lot of other (expensive) things.   (Men never grow up, my wife says, their toys just get more expensive).  I just got back into the hobby after several years off.   In 2008 I quit cold turkey because my kids had lost interest and I wanted to devote my $$ to other things.  Two years ago, I got back into it.   My kids are about to graduate college, and as 20-somethings they are interested again.  But I've also gotten to a place where I want to do it just for me.  

My second act in the hobby is going to be a 12-20' hi-rail layout of the Santa Fe in the southwest in the World War ll era.  So my approach to buying has been to collect all steam and diesel engines and rolling stock made relatively recently  that are appropriate for that road, at that time, in that location.   As long as the engine or cars will fit that criteria, my spending may be irrational (e.g., when Scott at GGD came out with a 1938-47 Super Chief, I bought the 8 car set and all 8 extra cars; about $4K) worth.   I try to stick to this, but added to the must have has been "all Lionel Vision Line" locomotives, regardless of road, which means I have to get a suitable train for them to pull.  I also can't resist particularly iconic passenger trains from the transition era, like the 20th Century Limited, Broadway Limited, SOPAC Daylight etc.   So there are "Fantasy Guest Stars" on my SF WWll layout.  Time and space warps, I guess.

So is it rational?  Maybe not.   But it makes me happy.   It's history you can play with.   You can lose yourself in it.   How can one be rational about that?

Ill drink to that: <salute>

I have collected mostly post war S scale American Flyer Over the years.  With a few exceptions mixed in.  My better half did not care what was purchased or the cost encouraged and me to purchase some items.  She liked trains and enjoyed them running.  She painted most of the buildings on the layout.  Most of the my recent purchases are American Models and based on road names PRR, B &O, CNO and Western Maryland, local to the PA and MD area.  Cost was not an issue they were something we both enjoyed.

All train purchasing is rational by definition, perhaps unless we buy something we don't want.  Who does that?

rational (def) - based on or in accordance with reason or logic.

reason (def) - a cause, explanation, or justification for an action or event.

What, me worry?

Guys, just to be clear, I am happy with my decision not to have trains in FL. If I wanted them, I could have them. I still have over 100 engines (I'm not very good at getting rid of them) and I have no idea how many cars. Splitting off part of the collection would be easy.

I think part of the decision on the Pacemaker engine was the unhappy experience I had with one of the first Legacy engines in 2008 or so. I bought the Texas Special ABA passenger set. The ABA couldn't pull the cars up a 2% grade and the red wasn't the glossy red on Lionel's postwar collection. And you sure couldn't tell the color from the catalog. It was a major disappointment. If I see the Pacemaker engine at a show, and I like it, I'll probably buy it. Even though that would be "irrational". Maybe the next post (are you listening Arnold) is whether you've ever been unhappy with a pre-order.

I expect to take some abuse from my train buddies tonight at our monthly NJHR Zoom meeting. Really neat to be 1,200 miles away and still be part of the group.

Gerry

I will say, I love the irony of this thread when the title of the next one following is, Buy anything cool lately, with 218,000+ responses.  

Not buying anymore, I have a small collection of prewar standard gauge stuff I like to tinker with now and then. I do miss my layout, but alas, those days are gone.  Have fun.

If I had my choice of rationalizing all of the alcohol that I drank before I got sober some years ago, or these trains? Trains don't make you go to jail.... Less of course , ya steal em' . I'll take the trains any day !!

@redbarchetta81 posted:

If I had my choice of rationalizing all of the alcohol that I drank before I got sober some years ago, or these trains? Trains don't make you go to jail.... Less of course , ya steal em' . I'll take the trains any day !!

redbarchetta81,

I rationalize the money and time spent in my train room is better than spending that same time and money sitting on a bar stool after work at a local watering hole.  On the other hand, there are limits to that rationale: the wife could call me out on those occasions where I'm sitting on my train room bar stool late in the evening with one too many adult beverages down the hatch.

Of course. All my purchases are in the form of 1 train set, 2 railroad crossing gates, 4 boxcars, etc. These are all integer number purchases and all integers are rational....actually it might be kind of interesting to make an irrational purchase like say a square root of 2 boxcars...I wonder what a .414213562373095... boxcar would look like?

  My guess would be some of the parts and pieces of boxcars one can find in the storage boxes underneath the tables at train meets would be close approximations.

Is Your Train Purchasing Rational?

Nope!       Proud of it! 

I know a guy who said he bought Lionel trains because he didn’t smoke or drink.  He is into restoring VWs.  Has 10 kids.  That’s a lotta bugs.  We all make choices.

Cheers,       W1

But deep down... It's all in goood fun !

Oh wait ! here is rationale !

When I think about the money I wish to spend on trains, I compare my spending to a typical sports fan. Season tickets to a sports game to be about equal to a nice Legacy engine price-wise. Two $30 beers at a game is equal to a nice piece of rolling stock. (See how these things translate?) People easily spend a 'rational amount' on sports entertainment every year. Instead of spending this 'rational amount' on sports, I chose to spend it on trains. I'll go to a game here and there, but not to the frequency of the sports fan whom I would be the equivalent train fan. 

That being said, I am just getting into the collecting part of the hobby. When looking at my list of items to buy, I am trying to buy only one engine, a few cars, and some track each year. The goal is to keep this amount under $1500 per year (which is getting hard to do as the prices on Legacy engines, even used ones, keep creeping upwards). Still, I am limiting myself to only buying quality items, at the right price, that I truly want (no impulse buying). I'm still fresh out of college so all the money not spend on living expenses is going towards buying a house. I budget for each month so the leftover money gets pooled into a train fund for when I see that special item.

I believe that by adhering to the techniques I stated above, my purchasing is rational. If I hit the powerball, it will definitely be a different story

I really think TCA stands for Train Collectors Anonymous.

Hello, my name is _ _ _ _ and I have a train collecting addiction.

@Arthur P. Bloom posted:

.

"Is your train purchasing rational?"

"You're a funny guy...!"

Clearly the best response on this thread and exactly my initial reaction. Too funny!

I just spoke to my dog. She said there is absolutely nothing wrong with my train purchasing.

"Clearly the best response on this thread and exactly my initial reaction. Too funny!"

Funny how? Like a clown? Like I'm here to amuse you?