How Much Money?

[Beatthe9ers]

I'm interested to know, if people are willing to share, how much money you think (or know) you've spent on this hobby?  Or endeavor.  Or quest.  Or whatever you consider it.

A brief inclusion of where the money went would be interesting as well, so that there is some sense of scale.  Those running part time carpet layouts are likely to have spent significantly less than the ones with basements dedicated to the craft.

I'm interested because I am just getting started and have roughly calculated that even my fairly modest ideas of what I would like to see will probably run me $2,500, which isn't chump change.

I know money can be a sensitive subject, so I hope I am not stepping out of bounds by bringing it up.  Obviously no one is compelled to answer, or even publicly not answer, so I think I am on safe ground.

Parker

[TonyD]

a loaded question....a newbie could fork out a grand,, loose interest, and dump it. I am going thru the boxes of models I bought- 40- more ? years ago, the price tags look silly. $5.98 for a rivarossi dockside, $12.99 for a genoa. Cars for 99 cents, that is less that the starting bit for junk on ebay. It's possible, the older the modeller, actually, the less the money! I know this on the top of my head-- my new flex track, having reused all my old track, used switches I bought over the years, cork roadbed, used powerpacks, etc etc, no dcc, nothing on the track...+$1200....... insurance companies want to know this info too, it can be a sizable ammount in your 'contents' column.... as summarized in an earlier thread, this is not a shrinking hobby..... any hobby is in the thousands, I know someone who collected 10K in $50 shotguns...another with about 1 mill in brass HO's....yes, 6 zeroes. A boat, antique cars, drinking beer! I put thousands in a WW2 army jeep, try to sell it, learn all the people who have the money for it, but can't shift a standard.....All hobbies are the same. you sound like you are opening up a new line od merchandise....no more PRR k-4's please.....

[Atlantic Central]

Parker,

Whatever they tell you, double it and add 10% - if they are Married, tripple it!

But seriously, this is not an "inexpensive" hobby by any means. A more useful way to guage this may be to ask what people spend in one year.

Those of us with large layouts (mine fills a 22 x 40 room) and who have been in the hobby for a long time (1967 for me) have usually spent quite a bit, but it has been spread out over those many years.

I would say, that from scratch, the typical basement sized empire, complete with scenery, control systems, rolling stock, structures, etc, represents a minimum investment of $10,000 or more, but it usually takes 3-5 years of concentrated work to build, so that's only $2,500 a year, maybe less if it takes you longer. That's about what I spend in a year, sometimes more, sometimes less.

And, once a layout like that is built, and outfitted with rolling stock, money may go into all sorts of additional projects but expenditures do go down for most "mature" railroaders with largely or nearly "complete" layouts.

All of this is aside from any personal tendancy to "collect" trains. I do not collect - I only buy items needed for the layout theme - I have no display cases full of stuff I don't run.

If did an inventory of locos alone, it would number about 150 powered units. At an average cost of, lets say $100 each, that's $15,000 right there, but again, that's spread over many years.

600 freight cars at $20 a piece = $12,000, 50 passenger cars at $40 a piece = $2,000  - gee I could have bought a BMW instead of a Ford - no - I like the trains and the Ford better.

Parker, by sharing this with you I'm not bragging, in fact I know that many on this board have way more of this stuff than me. Actually I would bet I am very "average" when it comes to how much model train stuff I have and what I spend per year.

Smaller layouts will obviously cost less, especially if you do not "collect" stuff that is of no use on your layout. and $2500 for a small to medium sized layout sounds about right.

Sheldon

[rogertra]

As far as my wife is concerned, all my locos go for between $25 and $45 each and all freight cars are $5.00/ea.  I hand lay all my own track at $1.00/yd.  All this spread over 25 years.

She's happy, so am I.

[SteamGene]

Sheldon's point is well taken - the cost is spread over a number of years if you are interested.  A couple of days ago my wife asked me how many locomotives I have.  I counted - 50, but bought over a 17-18 year period.  The most expensive one is a brass C&O K3 with Vandy tender, which cost close to $1000.  Most are far less than that. 
I save money - most of my benchwork came from excess 2x4s from the trainbarn construction.  The crew was going to "take them away for me."  Not a chance. 
Gene

[Guilford Guy]

If did an inventory of locos alone, it would number about 150 powered units. At an average cost of, lets say $100 each, that's $15,000 right there, but again, that's spread over many years.

600 freight cars at $20 a piece = $12,000, 50 passenger cars at $40 a piece = $2,000  - gee I could have bought a BMW instead of a Ford - no - I like the trains and the Ford better.

"Sharing is Caring..."

And if you don't share, the CSSSB Nippon Sharyo cars will stalk you...

[WoundedBear]

My train habit isn't nearly as expensive as my other bad habit.

Sid

[Jim Banner]

How much money?  Well, let me put it this way:

25 years ago I had to quit smoking - doctors orders.

Decided to put the money into trains and computers.

Bought only 5 computers at steadily diminishing prices.

Did not buy 1300 cartons of cigarettes at ever increasing prices.

You do the math.  I'm scared to.

[grumpy]

A hobby is never  a cost .It nourishes the brain which in turn keeps the body alive How many people do you know have retired and have nothing to do and a short time later you read his obituary. The hobby can be anything . I used to collect antique outboard motors. When I donated them to the museum I had 70 plus accessories.I am now into trains because they provide me with the opportunity to be creative and to fulfill my need to collect what I consider beautiful mechanical items. There is not a steamer that I would not consider beautiful.If you want to know the cost of a model railway I don't keep track . I spend what I can afford and purchase that which pleases me.
Don

[Yampa Bob]

My wife pays the Master Card, she knows exactly what I spend. During the last year probably spent $2000 so far not counting my wife's trains, I figure another $500 should have me up and rolling. Beyond that I don't intend spending more than another $1000 or so. At 69 I have set a limit to where I want to go.  Mostly I just want to have fun.   

She bought the first set, a Bachmann Roaring Ridge that she wanted mostly for display.  As a courtesy to her I always tell her what I want or need.  I tend to do a lot of research before I buy anything major like a locomotive.  Her usual comment is "Haven't you ordered that thing yet"?

Hobby stuff usually is hard to sell.  I had about $5000 worth of R/C planes, a fellow flyer came by one day and offered me $2500 cash for the whole kit and kaboodle.  Bye bye airplanes, hello trains. 

What I hate is when some guy buys everything he wants, but when wifey wants something it's "oh we can't afford that".   My policy is whatever she wants she gets.
I bought her a new Featherlite horse trailer and a loaded Ford diesel pickup, built her a new house and let her pick the furniture.  Her policy is that I can do whatever I want with my Social Security checks.

Her horse is getting old, I told her to start looking.  I don't care what it costs, she comes first in my life.  I take her out to dinner at least once a week.  Be good to your significant other, and you will never feel guilty buying another locomotive.

Guess I fit in the "mature railroader" category.  We have 14 locos total, would like to have a couple 0-6-0, my wife wants a UP in gray because she likes the color.  She has a keen eye for detail and picked out most of my cars.  I have way too much rolling stock as my friends keep giving me old cars to fix up.  Many of them will be sent to my son who just started the hobby. He will someday be running my trains with his new Grandson.  Yep, I'm a Great Grandfather and proud of it.

Bob

[Hamish K]

How much money? It depends on what sort of modelling you do. My current project is a small ON30 layout in my study. End to end, along two walls. Layout will only cope with three locos at once and about ten cars. Yes, I have a little more but that is all you need. Benchwork - a couple of sheets of foam, laid on top of bookcases and the rear part of my desk. Only each end  is having scenery, the rest of the line runs behind my computer equipment. Hence the name of the railway, the Scanner Chasm and Monitor Mountain. Only room for a few buildings. DC and no sound. I am not totalling the cost, and some of it is re-used from earlier projects, but it will be a fraction of those mentioned by others. Satisfying? - to me at least. The line is freelance but inspired by several narrow gauge railways in Australia (where I live) These include the Mapleton Tramway, a two foot gauge line with two Shays and no other locos that ran passenger services as well as general freight, the 30 inch gauge Buderim Tramway, also with two locos, one a Shay and one a German 0-6-2t also running passenger as well as freight, and other small railways. My railway enables me to create a typical small narrow gauge line, show both terminals and all its services for a moderate cost. That is why I  love ON30!

My first ON30 layout was a small shelf layout 6 foot long by 18 inches wide. Essentially shunting (swithching) at a saw mill. Used two locos, but it could have been happily run with one. Many people build micro layouts that are smaller than this,  seecarendt.us for many examples and ideas.

So my advice is start with a micro or shelf layout and see how you go.

Hamish

[grumpy]

Wounded Bear
I didn'tnow you were collecting hot wheels . It is too bad they are 1/64 instead of 1/87.
Don

[Paul M.]

For those of you who don't know me, I'm a 12-year-old building a smallish 5x9 layout on a very limited budget. I'd estimate that in the 5 years I've been in the hobby, I've spent around $600. I probably have around $800 worth (when new) of models and supplies and whatnot.

[Yampa Bob]

Paul
If you hadn't told us your age we would never have guessed, your writing is excellent.   With 5 years of experience your input will always be welcomed.

Bob

[Guilford Guy]

Theres a bunch of us teen modelers... 
Paul is my unofficial brother I never had, although I tend to have a lot of unofficial brothers...