Thoughts on what happens to your toys when you pass away.

Last year, after I turned 76, I decided to tear down the whole layout, and have Stout Auctions handle the sale of all my locomotives and rolling stock. Even though I was a 3-Rail Scale modeler (everything with Kadee couplers and may 2-Rail Scale freight cars), the Stout folks drove to our house in the western suburbs of Chicago, and picked up everything with their van and trailer. Thus, within months, everything was gone, and our kids and grandkids don't have to worry about "all that stuff upstairs"! They had no interest in my model railroad hobby anyway, and since my eyesight and fingers are NOT what they used to be, I and my wife are very relieved that it is all gone.  

Hot Water. At the present time my health and eyesight are OK I do wear reading glasses of course, but I am able to move around with no problems and I am 76 as well here in Perth there is really no 'wealthy"  O scalers that would come along and give me say $10,000 for the lot even if I wanted to sell it so the wife says it stays till she goes it's not in the way the room is a part of the house but is right away from the rest of the rooms. These photos show where the entrance to the room is the rest of the house is to the right side of the photos. Roo.

I will have my kids donate the layout and trains to the local train club that is a 501C3. That way they can take a tax credit which will benefit them better and they will not have to worry about tearing it down or selling train items. 

A few of my locos may end up on display shelves at my kids homes. Generally speaking, I want to put together a rough price list as a guide.

Not that they will get anywhere near what I paid, but if they choose not to give them away. Maybe they will be able to rub a few nickles together when its all said and done.

In the end, it really doesn't matter.

I'm late to the game. I started collecting 20 years ago. I had a space to start a layout 9 years ago. I had the funds to do something 3 years ago, but now I'm losing my motivation (age). I do want to follow through. Probably no scenery. These trains are worth a fraction of what we paid for them.

As I am widowed, it's up to my daughter to do with it as she may.

Roo,

I greatly admire your talents, so please don't take what I say personally if I respectfully disagree with you.  Stocks go up and down in value, becoming wedded to stocks is considered a major problem with people. Shopping malls became popular and then they are not, now maybe they will be again. A lot of people have lost their shirts on sure stocks that tanked.  I have a 35 mm Nikon film cameras and film equipment that I held on for far too long and will probably give to Good will or get pennies on a  dollar.   Value is truly in the eye of the beholder and times are always changing.  So, although things have become less valued by the community at large, and may not bring a dollar in the marketplace.  You could have invested in bad stock, cameras about to be replaced by digital phones and cameras, land in stores that went under and never had the hours of enjoyment you have always demonstrated to us in your fantastic creations.

You may not be able to give your collection to your children, but I am sure that each of them will want at least one of your creations to remind them of the way you did things and what you thought were important.

In the end, it is not what is written in our letters and thoughts of our loved ones but that we cared enough to write them letters and keep them in our thoughts that truly matters.

Just a thought.

Manny Levin

My plan is to take them with me.  I haven't figured out how to accomplish that yet.  At least I have a few years on you "older" guys to figure it out as I am only 75.  

I will most likely will my trains to my model railroad club.  The younger guys can keep what they want for the club and sell the rest to raise money.  The club always needs money for it projects.  The club has given me many good times over the years and I want to give something back.  NH Joe

When we pass away, someone else will play with our trains.  Or maybe someone else will reap a few dollars from them.  Or maybe someone else will give them to someone who it interested in trains.   

My wife and I built our house and most everything in it.  It is our hope that one of our children will inherit and cherish it.  But since no one has a crystal ball and we have no control over what happens to our belongings after we're gone, we cannot obsess over it.  

Sure, I would like to see my trains live on, giving someone as much enjoyment out of them as I am having.  But unless we know for sure that we are coming back, we need to enjoy them now and let the future bring what it may.

I've often thought of... what is the BEST thing to do with my trains when I go to the great RR in the sky.   I wouldn't want to burden Mrs. Rule292 with getting rid of them nor should that have to matter to her.  Easiest way would be "to the auction".

In my case I've spent many years collecting O scale brass as to accurately model the southwestern Pennsylvania "coal patch" areas.   I hope to have all of the necessary buildings on the layout to make it a pretty accurate representation of the PRR in the soft coal regions of PA. 

I really need to see if any of the local historical societies in that area would be interested in them for a model railroad exhibit.

That is, if anyone is still interested in model railroading from the "golden era" of the WWII.  

It's a train. It's not an investment, retirement money or a hidden source of wealth. It's a train.

In my case if I wasn't into trains I probably would have spent the money on vacation, great dinners or some other cool thing. At least with trains I have something. 

Now when I'm dead I doubt I will worry to much about the trains. Maybe one of the kids will take some, I doubt they would have the space to take them all.

My guess is they will toss some, take some, give some away or try their hand at eBay. I know they might be using some choice words as they go through it all. Who knows maybe they will call some auction. Bottom line I'm dead and I'm not going to care.

So it's my hobby, my love not my families. It certainly is any money that I or the wife needs if we make it to retirement. 

Bottom line is I'm not going to worry about some toy trains after I die. However some days i wish we would have bought less trains and went on more vacation or out for more steak dinners. Or as my would say maybe put new siding on the house.

Early on, fortunately, I sold off my brass collection, then I gave away all my excess plastic what's left is just a modest assortment of equipment.   More effort spent on playing with the wood work & wiring but that is all destined for the dumpster.  My RR has no effect on our finances.

Simon Winter posted:

To paraphrase Rhett Butler: Frankly I don't give a d*m!

Why you ask? Because sooner or later it will ALL end up in some garbage heep. I'll enjoy it while I have it, and that does NOT include worrying about where it's going to in the future. 

Simon

 

I am with Simon.  I hope my parts can go to someone who can use them.  My locomotives are fairly valuable, but shipping would be a giant pain.  My airplanes have fairly good market value, but the spare wings and engines will be like train parts.

I even have a pair of 1965 Mustang convertibles.  Cost me next to nothing - the best cost $188.  Now a paint job is ten grand.  They, too, can go to the scrap yard; I got my money's worth decades ago.

I just wish a museum somewhere would be interested in a Cab Forward interpretive display.  I do not want them stored or sold by a museum.

I "second the motion" about Stout Auctions. They drove to my house, picked up my stored O-gauge Rock Island train collection, accessories, and control gear from three different storage sites, and hauled it away. They did the photography and text descriptions, and posted the stuff on their website in advance of a designated AUCTION DAY.  My inventory list was about eight pages long.  Nearly all the pieces were sold in a weekend. They promptly sent me a check for nearly $15K, which I considered close to then-current market value.

My decision to sell was motivated by medical reality (a TIA, a stroke, and a cardiac incident) as I approached the mid-70s.  I wanted to spare my wife/widow the trauma of dealing with the collection after I boarded the Celestial Express headed to the Terminal at the end of the line. 

I kept a few few favorite pieces, and I have allocated them in my will to family members as memory-makers. During my 25 years of collecting (age 50 to 75), I never considered trains an "investment" -- except as an investment in family fun.

Other contributors to this thread have mentioned gifting their collection to a local train club - a thoughtful gesture.

Mike Mottler    LCCA 12394

There are two different stories here one is what will happen to my trains in West Australia and two what will happen to members trains in America. I live in a very remote place and shipping is a very expensive proposition for even the smallest item.

I have thought about giving the whole lot (If Margaret wanted to) to the local club apart from that it would stay in the house till the kids made a decision until then I'm not really concerned about it I'm still working on and running it and hope to for a few years yet.  And I am not offended by any of the posts here I would be offended if everyone agreed with me !  

I would have posted this original message on the "estates" thread but did not think it was relevant to that thread. Roo.

I have come into this hobby later, and Many people have given me their mistakes or passionlost ventures. I have very little money invested but I have so much, but I know there is little value or people would not have given so freely.

Still, have not built a permanent layout,  Quantification of trains. Having a good time, right on time, ending up with dimes.

I don't Care what happens to them, they can be sold, used or trashed. I assume they will be trashed as I have nobody to leave them to. I have had decades of fun and will till the day I die. 

No need for me to worry. 

Dave

When I go there will be no one left so a Trust will be responsible for selling everything and all the money goes to charities I have designated.