Am I foolish?


B

Blues909

Active Member
I went and bought a Stewart DS-4-4-1000 for less than $60 brand new in box shipped . Some my have read my posts and have some idea about me. So far I was doing good haven't bought anything new in over a decade as far as trains go. I sold most of it decades ago. I haven't had a layout since 85.

I got so bored I decided to finish the Diesels I have left there are only 4 that are new in their box all painted by the factory an Atlas S-4 , 2 Atlas SOO FP7's an one bachman spectrum baby trainmaster, OH and 5 bb Athearn Trainmasters two SF one pennsy one Milw and one SP. the rest are all blue box Athearn and a few Railpower shells and frames and assorted like a Model power E7 penn factory done yet with frame mods for a athearn drive/Aline side frames. An train minature FA1 and FB1 one home made frames.

So far all I did as far as getting more was a Dummy Athearn SW7 a powered S-12 and a frame and MIlw S-12 shell and power trucks gave me two powered units all of this cost me less than $25.

I only got the Stewart because it was not a lot and I like the Baldwin switchers as I do the EMD SW1 - NW2 . Plus for some odd reason I kept looking to see if there were any good ones left and most were twice what I spent and were used and had issues.

I still feel part regret, especially like before I lost interest and everything sat in drawers since the mid 90's and it's possible I may lose interest again. And all I have is a 7' long test rack that's real old.

From what I've read on this forum most have or are building a layout. My father built a fairly large one back in the 60's yet it never got past the roadbed and the inclines and a turn table never had any structures just a few I built, he was also making and laying ties and rail not buying 3" flex track and even got into making his own switches. . Mine was the same only so much smaller , no inclines no buildings just the cork road bed an atlas turntable , an inner and outer main route a 6 spur switch yard and it was all operational.

After that I just went crazy buying all sorts of Atlas and Kato , Stewart , Walthers SW1 and H10/12-44 quite a few PK2 units must have had at least 60 new units. Sold them all except the 4 which are the latest new and the train masters 2 bb SD40-2 and 2 GP38-2 one is painted and I added a high hood two older Stewart AS616's athearn drives one is factory KMT the other I painted it was an undec.

This time I intent to put the handrails and finish the Stewart DS-4-4-1000 Erie which I never did on the 3 VO-1000's I had . Yet I know it will never run on a layout best just the test track and sit in one of three drawers like all the rest of what I have does.

Am I alone or are there others who do similar?
 
I don't think you are foolish.

I have not had a layout since I moved 2 1/2 years ago. I do have a little permanent layout on my enclosed front porch. It's not operable at the moment. My plan is to change it with the seasons or however I see fit. I have not decided what to do next. Hopefully I get around to before the 4th of July, if not there is always Halloween and Christmas!

I also set up Christmas trains under the Christmas trees. I've had as many as 4 Christmas trees with trains, but last year it was only two. I don't beat myself up over what I don't get done, I enjoy what I have.

Before I moved my permanent layout was mostly tracks and trains, with a few accessories and buildings.

When I finally get around to building another permanent layout I doubt I'll ever finish it. I think a big part of the fun is the process.

Sounds to me like you are enjoying yourself, nothing foolish about that!

It's your hobby, enjoy it any way you want.

Share it with us if you don't mind, I'm always interested in what others are doing with their trains.
 
I think most people start off with just a piece of track, some add a turnout and “poof” you have a switching layout!
If you add a building or two and sprinkle a little greenery around you’re well on your way from being foolish to full blown insanity... Welcome. :p
 
I only have six feet of test track at home, a 5 loco consist tends to go no-where. The club I go to has been shut now for most of the year and because the HO layout is indoors, even though it might re-open in about a month maybe, it will no doubt be running by roster for a while. At least the garden guys will probably fare better. Even though this should be an opportunity to get stuff done trainwise, it just isn't working out that way. It's odd. The impetus to get out in the garage and work on something is diminished by not being able to go and run it.

You and I both need a switching layout with the possibility of a runaround/ runthrough loop. A dogbone would be good.
 
I would like to say that most of us started out with just a piece of track before progressing. Then again there were some like myself that moved so many times or didn't have the space to do anything. I have been collecting, buying and selling and trading like forever.....Many times all I ever had was a shelf or just a test track. So no, you are not foolish to think this way. We all start somewhere in this hobby. There are some who started out with a bang and had or have massive layouts and continue to do so and then again there are some who went big and have reduced to a shelf layout. Others have some of the most incredible layouts I have ever seen that are 2 foot by 4 foot or even a 3 foot by 12 inches!

The thing about this hobby is that it is flexible and fluid and it is always changing or evolving. Ultimately it is all in the perspective or the vision of the eye of the beholder..... you...... it's your model railroad remember that. Nothing else matters but your own happiness. Do as you wish.

Peace
 
Blues909 said:
I haven't had a layout since 85.
Click to expand...
I haven't had a real layout since 1986? I do have an 32' radius oval of Bachmann EZ track I throw out on the floor for testing. ... BUT I used to belong to a club, I have modular units that get set up at Christmas, and now I have the Museum layout to run on.

In all I would say 90% of my equipment has never turned a wheel on any track, be it test, club, modular, or museum.
 
I had my layout stored in my garage up until the early 90's leaning against the wall. At some point I decided to remove all the track , switches and road bed and sell it and used the wood for other projects. I built it in sections so I could bolt them together . Track and switches even rolling stock were not that expensive back then plus I got deals on a lot of it.

I never belonged to a club yet I did visit a few many decades ago when I still lived in IL One was in Lombard and there was a huge one forget where . The first thing I had was the same test track I have now. I really don't have a place for a layout living in an apartment. The one I had I set up in the bedroom , it was supported by 6 legs that folded up and leaned against the wall.

For now I'll just finish the diesels I have , see if I can find paint and see what I have left in decals . That will take at least a year. I am happy to just do that. I thought of building a display case so I could at least see them hanging on a wall with glass or plexi glass doors since we have so much dust living in this area.

Perhaps I can build a small switching 2 foot wide layout that is fastened to a wall with hinges with swing out legs . Wish I'd kept all the track and switches I had or at least enough to build something small.
 
Blues909 said:
I went and bought a Stewart DS-4-4-1000 for less than $60 brand new in box shipped . Some my have read my posts and have some idea about me. So far I was doing good haven't bought anything new in over a decade as far as trains go. I sold most of it decades ago. I haven't had a layout since 85.

I got so bored I decided to finish the Diesels I have left there are only 4 that are new in their box all painted by the factory an Atlas S-4 , 2 Atlas SOO FP7's an one bachman spectrum baby trainmaster, OH and 5 bb Athearn Trainmasters two SF one pennsy one Milw and one SP. the rest are all blue box Athearn and a few Railpower shells and frames and assorted like a Model power E7 penn factory done yet with frame mods for a athearn drive/Aline side frames. An train minature FA1 and FB1 one home made frames.

So far all I did as far as getting more was a Dummy Athearn SW7 a powered S-12 and a frame and MIlw S-12 shell and power trucks gave me two powered units all of this cost me less than $25.

I only got the Stewart because it was not a lot and I like the Baldwin switchers as I do the EMD SW1 - NW2 . Plus for some odd reason I kept looking to see if there were any good ones left and most were twice what I spent and were used and had issues.

I still feel part regret, especially like before I lost interest and everything sat in drawers since the mid 90's and it's possible I may lose interest again. And all I have is a 7' long test rack that's real old.

From what I've read on this forum most have or are building a layout. My father built a fairly large one back in the 60's yet it never got past the roadbed and the inclines and a turn table never had any structures just a few I built, he was also making and laying ties and rail not buying 3" flex track and even got into making his own switches. . Mine was the same only so much smaller , no inclines no buildings just the cork road bed an atlas turntable , an inner and outer main route a 6 spur switch yard and it was all operational.

After that I just went crazy buying all sorts of Atlas and Kato , Stewart , Walthers SW1 and H10/12-44 quite a few PK2 units must have had at least 60 new units. Sold them all except the 4 which are the latest new and the train masters 2 bb SD40-2 and 2 GP38-2 one is painted and I added a high hood two older Stewart AS616's athearn drives one is factory KMT the other I painted it was an undec.

This time I intent to put the handrails and finish the Stewart DS-4-4-1000 Erie which I never did on the 3 VO-1000's I had . Yet I know it will never run on a layout best just the test track and sit in one of three drawers like all the rest of what I have does.

Am I alone or are there others who do similar?
Click to expand...


You dont have to build a 40X50 with 120 scale miles of track. A lot of people just build bookshelf or switching problem solver layouts , 6-8 feet x 10 -18" wide . Some people dont even own a train they just build structures .

The layout that really got me interested was "Mule Shoes Meadows" and its really just a bookshelf layout at first. This last round I went 20 years between layouts. You get more interested as you get older because of physical limitations on doing other things and you get sick of watching the same TV episodes over and over and over and over .

Television ,its a washing machine for your brain.Every episode is a "swish"...."swish""swish""swish""swish""swish""swish""swish", it get all that nasty information out and leaves you feeling Alzheimer Fresh.
 
I never watch TV . Might watch Netflix if there is something worth watching. I did change my wooden spray booth a bit. It's been sitting on a shelf in my garage forever ,well the garage I have at this old apt building . I mounted it on a shelf of ply wood with metal brackets and already had a 4" exhaust port to the outside and the ducting so I connected that back a few months ago, when it was not so HOT in there.
 
I built this RS3 hammer head quite a while ago. Used a Stewart RS3 old one with the Athearn drive. I have another Stewart RS3 shell yet I used part of the short hood to build the hammer head. I want to do another RS3/EMD rebuild like KMT used. I think I can repair the shell I cut the short hood front off I still have the roof section. I can fabricate a new front. All I need is a GP7 or GP9 long hood with the correct hood width. I see some front range shell's on Arrow hobbies one has no photo so I think it's just the hood - the walkway and cab which I don't need the trouble is the only one that has the dynamic brake is far more money.
Anyone know if any company makes a GP-7/9 dynamic brake blister? It has the PK2 AAR trucks and motor and the Stewart RS3 frame. I put a lot of work into the hammerhead yet I'd prefer the rebuild . I posted a photo of the real deal in the topic my favorite loco's.
 
The Stewart DS-4-4-1000 is coming from Georgia was shipped Fedex via Fedex smartpost . I was shipped on the 4th arrived at the fedex depot on the 5th it left on it's way and just as was typing this it is now in Bloomington ,CA at fedex it's supposed to arrive on the 12th via USPS once Fedex hands it over to them. I've only dealt with this smartpost once before . I guess it saves you money yet does cause concern wondering if it got lost. To add. I didn't look at the date of delivery now instead of the 12th it's the 21st . How on earth can a package sit at fedex 50 miles from me just sit there in some stack. Fedex and UPS are the worst especially the smart post when there is absolutely nothing smart about it.
 
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