A Hobby of Compulsions?

When the Vision Big Boy was announced my first reaction was to order one, but I decided not.  A real test of anti-compulsive control will be next month when the new Lionel catalog is released: we'll see how I do.

A Hobby of Compulsions?

No worse than any other hobby or compulsive, buying, collecting, accumulating habit. I could get into some of the latest neurochemical findings of buying behavior; the psychological aspects are of course well known; and the social media aspects of  "forums" such as this in supporting & promoting such behavior has yet to be fully appreciated. Unfortunately far too few that read these pages would be interested.

I happen to think the creative & skill development aspects of the hobby are completely different, transferable, and are generally to be encouraged.

For me, it's compulsion plain and simple and judging from my monthly Paypal statement I am not resisting compulsive purchases very well, just making smarter ones. My previous compulsion was alcohol though so no one in my family is complaining about trains!

I find for myself that this hobby is a mixture of both... A planned compulsion. Some of the stuff you come across you just absolutely gotta have because you know you're not likely to find another one ever again. Then you gotta put it all somewhere and watch it run around in circles, so in comes the planning part.

Personally, I compulsed when I bought my first locomotive, then I compulsed when I bought a giant box worth of O27 track and a ZW. There's enough there for six of my small layouts. Then I started planning when I went to Crapea to get a table for my trains. Now I'm here and they're in the back corner of my condo. I want to do a ceiling wrap-around layout for an RMT Buddy RDC but that's probably a year or three down the road and won't have the technicalities of the table-based layout, just constant voltage and an auto-reverser.

Trains are awesome, but not so much that they should put you in the poor house.

I believe it depends on the individual.  Some members are compulsive buyers (I call them "excited" buyers), others take their time to ponder the positive and negative aspects of a purchase before they make a decision to buy and some do both.

There is nothing wrong with either version as long as the person is happy.

Steve, Lady and Tex

I can quit any time I want to. 

I just don't want to.

Art

These day's, the monkey is driving the train...

At train meets, at least, I tend to overthink purchases.  Just last Sunday I thought and thought about buying a certain caboose and didn't take it.  As soon as I got home I wished I had bought it.

That's one good thing about online auctions:  You can put an item on your watch list and look at it repeatedly for days, till you decide how much you want it!

I think the word compulsive can be diluted in terms of train purchases. By that I mean if you have an item on your wish list, you have had trouble in locating it, and then suddenly and sometimes unexpectedly it becomes available, most of us just jump on it. Is that compulsive? I consider it more planned future purchasing.

Some of it is impulse for me..I tend not to buy what I need till last minute . But I cant pass up a good deal..lol But collecting and sharing the hobby seems to fill a void or give us good feelings.. I have always collected something since I was little. Stamps,BB cards Beer cans, etc. I  enjoy the hunt and learning about the items I want or need. I also find pleasure in seeing those items.. I have cut back some of my collecting since I have seen values drop and I overpaid for some items.. But it never seems to go away..I will always have to purchase a clean/mint piece of Tin plate...lol

I am guilty of the first one.  If it's reasonable and I have been looking forever for it, I buy it.

Agree with second statement also.  Spot on!

My engine purchases are planned.  I've had the same list for years and have slowly built up my Union Pacific steam fleet and cars.  The Vision Line Big Boy wasn't really planned...

I am way too young to have compulsive actions.

Just the stupid habit of spending my free money on trains that I like and want.

I don't know I buy what I like, need is never a consideration.

Electroliner,

   Way to much Professional Welding Engineer in me to be Conpulsive at anything.

Still setting on the fence about the P3 Baby Blue Comet Train with the 263E Engine,

and it's been out for quite some time now.

PCRR/Dave

Me too, except I tell people that a previous hobby was drinking.

If it wasn't a bit compulsive for me (OK - a lot) then it would not be a suitable hobby.

I'm still waitin' for my o guage bailout, no one told me I was buying more trains than I could afford

All you train guys suffer from RAD......Railroad Acquisition Disorder.....

Well IMHO I never understood "window shopping"

When I got back into the hobby I was impulsive sometimes because I could not believe how much product there was.... all the choices of road names... track systems, locos with sound, buildings and what not.  I was in awe and went to the trains store sometimes twice a week, just to gawk!  I made a few purchases that I probably did not have to have but I did think before purchasing most things, especially bigger ticket items.  I put some engines on layaway because I thought I'd never see them in that particular road name again.  I would purchase items that I never thought that I would see again ... I don't consider this impulsive but rather the clever thing to do.

I have stuck to my rule of always paying with cash and not credit card.... and on the few times that I have charged train items... I, upon arriving home. wrote out a check for the amount of the purchase and mailed it to the credit card company.

My purchasing of locos and cars has slowed down alot because I have pretty much all the train I want.  At times if  I see something that I'd like and its at a great price, Ill buy it.... but the price has to really darn good. 

I rarely buy anything out of compulsion. The purchase of an item is based on the requirement of a well thought out master plan. It's the master plan that's the compulsion.

What a great response and it ranks with the planned compulsion comment..the master plan compulsion! I love it. What is so odd about myself is that I had acquired so much stuff that it was like that Sorcerer's Apprentice bit with Mickey Mouse in Fantasia, I started to drown in my own purchases and got irritated trying to find this or that, or stumbling over stuff on the floor. I could have added another room for a yard to hold all the stuff. Then I had so much it was a pain to rotate consists..in the midst of a proverbial warehouse..too much fun, it gave me a headache. I avoided the mess..ugh. Thats when I knew I had jumped the shark.

Mostly not compulsive here. Although when I first saw the MTH burning lR$ building it was a compulsive purchase and I've never been one to play with matches.

I think there is a lot of compulsion in any hobby.  Besides my trains, I am a fly-fisherman and a wine collector.  Just like any fly-fisherman I know, I am looking at their newest catalogs and dreaming of that new, ultimate rod.  Or...I am immediately ready to buy that just-released, highly rated Cabernet from Napa Valley.  It comes with the territory of any hobby...the extent of which is different in every person.

Matt

compulsion buys-more like addiction buys-have to0 go to 12 steps

If I like it and have the money I buy it.  At times compulsion is the

exception not the rule.

Many thanks,

Billy C

When I got back into this great hobby I bought almost everything (within reason) with no map to guide me by. It took me a long time to start thinking smartly about my purchases. When that happened, my purchases became fewer and wiser. In retrospect, having a plan before dropping the first dollar at the hobby store would help all of us with our buying decisions.. I know it would have helped me save quite a bit and have equipment that I really like and fit into my railroad empire.