On Average How much do you spend on buying new trains and Layout improvements Yearly?

Tim,

How much you spend on trains has a lot to do with your personal financial situation, your available room for running/storing trains, What your individual interests are (collecting/running/historical) and how much an interest you have in Model Railroading. It is different for each person. As for me, I choose to never discuss personal financial matters on the internet so I will leave my answer generic and not provide my personal spending.

Well put.

 

Goes hand in hand with how much is your car payment, mortgage, real estate taxes, rent, etc.

 

Not relevant to most discussions and nobody's business. 

 

One can read between the lines for a ballpark idea.

 

It doesn't help your request when your own numbers don't readily make sense either (not that I would have given a number anyway).  $5-$10 a year on track when you state you paid $150 total means you've been purchasing that set of track over 15-30 years.

 

 

-Dave

Most of us, at least me, spend a lot more on trains than we tend to realize.  A real wakeup call is when you do a spreadsheet and total up what you have spent.  That's not necessarily a bad thing, but as we spend small amounts over a long period of time the totals will surprise you.  It is good for insurance purposes, but may be harmful to spousal relations. 

 

Art

 

How many guys just let out a big AMEN after reading Art's last line?

One million dollars!

If I told you, my wife would find out.

My wife has access to my train inventory, so she already knows how much I spend.  However, she would be very mad if her friends found out how much she lets me spend on trains so I never talk about it.

I never add it up. Have you ever golfed, old cars, etc? What hobby doesn't cost $$?

Way too much. But its the only vice I have left!

I'll third this, especially the it's "nobody's business" statement.

I fall in the range of... Less than I want to and more than the wife knows!

Enough

Tim,

 

Unless I am mistaken, your picture shows you in a scout uniform. Are you of High School age? Older? Younger?

This topic comes up every now and then. It is always interesting to read the responses.

 

I imagine the amounts spent are all over the ballpark. The biggest factor seems to be how much of a priority our hobby is to you. The more interest usually translates to the more spent. 

At that time I was in High School now I am entering my 2nd year of college. I will be 19 on Thursday.

So was there a typo in your track calculation, or have you been buying a few pieces each year since you were 4?

 

(I know that comes off as harsh, but I'm just trying to make a point)

 

I hope your studies go well.  (and that you continue to enjoy the hobby)

 

-Dave

Tough running a railroad on a college budget

My answer: big enough to enjoy but not too much to hurt. 

 

BTW, I appreciate the general discussion and the vagueness of the answers - I see that I am not alone. 

The most annoying question I get from non-hobbyists, is "Gee how much did all this cost?"    and generally my answer is "about a round of golf a week".   

 

I have been in the hobby a long time, and in my experience, you can accomplish things by spending money or time.   The more time you spend doing it yourself (the hobby part), the less money it takes (the spending part).    and it goes the other way, if you buy it all done for you, it takes very little time.    so it is a big trade-off.

Less than on the boat.

 

Eagle scout? I can't make it out.

always the same answer.... about $9 a day

 

rat

Too much!

 

Tim,

    In reality this is a personal finance matter that depends on how log you have been in the hobby and how your financial situation has developed thru the years, the kind of space your home at the present time, and whether you are planning to up size or down size depending on your age.  You will see what I am talking about as you progress thru life.  I was lucky enough to see a very large Christmas Tree in Americas Greatest home, with an original Standard Gauge Silver Presidential American Flyer, running around the base of the Giant Christmas Tree, a few years later everything was down sized and the Presidential Train was set up in a beautiful ranch house in California, only 1/4 the size of the other home.   Lots of different variables enter into this hobby and the amount of money spent every year.

PCRR/Dave

I don't ask this question and when the wife asks it I take her out to dinner. and skirt the subject. or play stupid um that engine I bought was 300 but I sold 300 in freight cars to cover it she usually figures out the cars are still there never sold them LOL. I have tried to use her line well it was on sale but for some reason only they can use that phrase. but if I was to guess I would say a couple hundred per month.

 

quote:

Tough running a railroad on a college budget

 

When I was in college, I had a Lionel Pabst Blue Ribbon reefer on my desk in the dorm. I couldn't do anything with trains while school was in session. I did during most breaks/summer vacation.

Looks like a blue neckerchief with red/white/blue trim, so i'll assume he's a fellow Eagle.

My purchases have been sporadic since I left for college and the trains went into storage.  Now I'm 25 and all I have is a "carpet central" in my apartment.  Although, I also have a steady paycheck now, so I have been buying some of those operating accessories I always wanted when I was younger, but back then I didn't have the money.  After making some dents in my wish list over the past few years, I've put a hold on my purchases until I move this fall and hopefully the new place will have room for a layout.  Since I operate postwar style, I like to buy the old broken items for short money and fix them up myself. 

So currently, for example, this past year I probably spent about $600+ on trains and accessories (which included a Williams F3 set I couldn't pass up), but I made some of that up when I buy in lots, keep what I want and sell the rest. 

If I had a layout, (factoring my current salary and spreading out the cost of the initial start up of my "dream layout") I could see myself spending no more than $1000 a year.  But honestly, I think that would drop off pretty quickly.  I don't have a lot of stuff left that I really really want.  I'd be happy just to have my layout back.

It's never a constant.  The most I've ever spent for a locomotive is $500, which is a lot of cash for a hobby item in my budget.  But I don't buy new locomotives very often.  Last year I bought a few Atlas 60' passenger cars, for $85 each (very nice cars, BTW).

 

I also don't have room at this time for a permanent layout, so my trains run on the basement floor with minimal scenery.  That's also a factor.  I've been gradually upgrading my FasTrack curves to 072, so I buy a couple of pieces every week or so.

 

For me, I guess the answer is "It varies, but I don't spend any tremendous amounts."

 

I don't keep track cause I don't REALLY wanna know

Tim,

Every hobby costs money, when I was your age (20 yrs ago), I thought spending $750 was a ton on a hobby....then in my early career $1500 was a ton, then in my early 30's $5,000 was a ton, today the numbers are much different are vary widely depending upon the life stuff that happens....new roof on the house year, there goes $15,000....

Just enjoy it along the way, never buy a whole in the water into which you pour $$$ (a boat), and keep working your way through school and your early career, I don't suggest dumping hobbies, just keep some prospective.

There is nearly always someone with more money, more time, and more trains, don't even try to keep up...

It was an eye opener when I created one while I dismantled my layout (after 11 years) and boxed my trains. More than the cost was the size which filled three bedrooms, part of the living room and the dining room. (would not take all that space if the rooms did not have furniture in them .)

 

Well said.  Just enjoy it and don't go too overboard.  I took some time off from trains for a few years and this spring started buying again and went a little nuts.  Now a little austerity.  I am just thankful I didn't buy a boat... 

 

Ben  

My guess is that the boat people spend more than we do.

 

Lew Schneider

Same here.

 

You are very correct, sir. Boat is next in line for around $3K in repairs!

 

Tires

Brake Calipers (4)

Batteries (2)

Carb & Tuneup 

 

Just a fill up of 60 gallons of high test gas is enough to get your blood flowing.

I just posted a new thread called my life story. You can read it and It will answer some of the questions about My Eagle Scout rank.

my wife spends way more on our trains then I do and that is OK with me!

So far this year I have received 

Lionel Y6-b

2 Atlas Zephyr Cars

2 Atlas Hoppers

2K Line Ore Cars

1 GN Caboose

Waiting for

MTH 44 Ton Switcher,Lionel Gantry Crane,GGD 6 Car Harriman Set,Lionel UP 2Car add on Passenger  Car Set

Mikey

For the last 3 years I have down no less that 15 a year

~150% of the GDP of Elbonia.....

This is also the last vice I have left,and since I have a better job this year the figures are way up from previous years.

My "general" agreement with the wife is 10% of what I make yearly goes to the trains.(Gives me incentive to work overtime,take on side work,etc...)

 

And since I am constructing a new layout this year,and have chosen to use all Ross switches and track,it looks like the project is going to go way over budget!!

Anyway,I am going to enjoy what ever time I have left here on this earth,so the answer is:As much as I can!!!  

 

And another favorite line of mine to the wife is:"You just don't see these come up for sale at this price",so I had to.

 

-It all adds up to part of the fun of O gauge Model Railroading

Now that I'm 73, I can afford almost anything...but I spend about $300. a year....for room and meals at York. I have enough "stuff", train-wise. My major expense now is travel.

Ive had trains my whole life, I had 4 engines when I stopped putting them away after Christmas.

Since then, I made up for lost time pretty quick, but still have only about 20 locos.

So my average? 

An engine once every year or two, rolling stock about double to triple that.

 I never by new. I shop hard and wait for deals.

 I don't even want new and shiny. I like to fiddle, and actually enjoy my junk more than the pretty shelf queens. That makes it easy.

 

Many folks outspend my yearly "train spending" just updating or adding a train command system.

 Though I love my trains, but the money some spend on it is really astounding.

Always has been, always will be.

If they can afford it, good for them.

I want a big boy, but I don't need a big boy.