Buying new trains and future value

everything we buy we run.  nothing is a shelf queen. and we do not worry about future value.

I don't give much thought to my trains as far as "appreciating".  They're my toys.  However, I get a little piece of mind from the knowledge that, if I needed to, I could sell them.  No, not for huge gains, but for what the market would bear.  Try that with used tobacco or alcohol products.... 

No future value worries here. I buy what I like and it runs on the track. The trains are purchased as enjoyment not as an investment.

I think most operators are realistic about what this stuff is worth. Most of us are also old enough not to worry about what something might be worth in 20 years when we may not be here anyway.

I too cannot fathom why anyone would be concerned about the future value of trains they buy. No trains should be considered an investment but rather either toys or a hobby and commonsense dictates either way you view them they should only be funded by disposable income. Why then be consumed about the future value of your trains when you dispose of them? Would you buy toys your children or grandkids play with, golf clubs, other sports equipment, photography equipment, dvd's, etc. or even a new car thinking when you sell it you'll ever get close to getting what you paid for it? I don't want to sound condescending but if resale is a consideration or worry for someone who buys a toy train then perhaps this is not an ideal hobby for them to pursue.

As I get a bit older (I'm now 77) and when I buy a particular engine that I really like, I do concern myself a bit with what my family might do with my trains once I'm gone.  I no longer buy everything that strikes my fancy but, rather, make a few selective purchases of things I really like.  Right now I anticipate only purchasing 2 or 3 new engines if they ever become available.  Also I can no longer afford to buy as many trains as I once thought that I must have.

 

As to future value, my instinct suggests that the future value of contemporary trains is something less than 1/2 of what I paid for them.  The loss must be charged to my pleasure in owning and operating these items.  In the future, my family knows that they would have to contact an auctioneer, not in our part of the country, in order to receive the best amount for them.  This is because I happen to be a Milwaukee Road fan but I live in the Cleveland area.  Out here guys like NYC, Penn, B&O Erie, etc. not the Milwaukee Road.

 

It is something to think about when you make your purchase selections:  What is the expected future value of your trains?  Do you really want to own them enough considering that most of the value of them will be lost at the time of purchase?

 

Paul Fischer

Everything I buy is to run and enjoy, Future value means nothing and shouldn't. The guys who buy them and never even open the box are not going to get what they think they will later.

Rob

No future worries here either!

 

--Greg

What I buy for the railroad I use and enjoy.  I do have a handful of relatively common postwar items (1950's era) I display, but again they were not purchased as an investment as I have no intention of parting with them.  When I'm gone, the kids can do what they like with them.

Bo 

 

Visit my website Bo's Trains at http://www.bostrains.com

 

 

I run everything.......what value any of this stuff has when I'm gone, is not a concern I shoulder! Tom in PGH

I think there is a difference between worrying about future value, and chatting about it.

It's my impression that most of the folks participating on this forum, myself included, don't worry about future values, but many, (again, myself included) don't mind discussing it.

 

 

 

 

You are definitely not the only one who is not worrying about future value.  ANYONE in this hobby today should be sharing your view...I know I sure do.

 

Those worrying about the future value of their trains are setting themselves up for a VERY big disappointment down the road, with few exceptions.

I buy stuff I want to keep... since I'm never going to sell it, I don't care what the "future value" is.

I just buy what I like without regard to whether or not it will be worth money.  My trains will be left for my son and grandson, if they happen to be worth money for them it's a bonus.  Right now you can't put a price on the amount of fun and time we spend together working on and running the trains.

 

The future value of trains is the fact that it is a shared hobby that is passed from generation to generation. 

 

 

 

 

Its electronic. If it breaks in a couple years its a paperweight because there wont be any parts. So you may as well run the wheels off it while you can.

Since I don't plan on getting rid of anything (other than a few odds and ends), I don't worry about future value at all.

 

Andy

In O-gauge, I buy mostly secondhand postwar trains for their fun value, and I run them. But because I buy them cheap and fix them up into operating condition, I figure they will hold their value and I can think of my hobby items as an investment rather than an extravagence.

You definitely are not alone with your viewpoint. There would not be a vibrant model train industry if hobbyists bought only for resale value. I have no issue in running what I buy and as Jumijo wisely said, it is always nice to see that when you a through with an item, if it is maintained in good condition, there is some value to the trains.

I buy trains to enjoy running them without worrying to much about what they'll be worth in the future.  If I like a particular engine and road name I'll buy the other road numbers and keep them as backups in case something goes wrong with the electronics.  Case in point is my 1st generation PS 2.0 MTH Amtrak Genesis circuit board just went down and I have the other 2 road numbers to choose to run.  In 2000 this engine cost $50 new over what a new PS 2.0 system installed would cost now(not even including the cost of shipping).

I use it. Drill it. Add to it. Cut to make tight turns. Run hard. I have a blast. My feeling is the pre and post war items will always have a re-sale value of some type. They are rock solid and easy to work on. I've updated a few to TMCC but my heart and gut tell me I should not be doing it. 

Anything with a chip or any electronics will not hold value in the long term. The electronics get out dated quickly and parts change so quick they will be impossible to find original boards and such. No matter how much the new stuff costs or how cool it is the reality is it will be disposable at some point like all other electronic items. 

 

So I agree; I buy trains strictly to run and play with. I don't abuse them but a scratch here a nick there gives it character all it's own. 

As the late great head football coach of the Washington Redskins George Allen once said, " The future is now" and I subscribe to that philosophy when buying trains.  I enjoy them now and for me that's all that counts. I'm really not concerned about what they will be worth in the distant or even immediate future.   

I never think about any kind of future value when I buy something. I simply buy what I think fits my perception of value and wants. I never really feel comfortable selling something since I have had fun with it and the person wanting to buy it may not see the same value and I really do not like selling train stuff, or anything else, for that matter. I run them when I buy them......unless the wife takes them away and wraps them for Christmas and Birthday presents which does happen. Works for me.

No I see this as a hobby.  Buying securities is an investment with possible future value.

 

If you do this hobby (or boating or harleys or skiing or any other hobby)  with the expectation you can recoup most of your money spent, you are living in a fantasy land.

 

 

Not much chance u will ever make any monetary return in my train investment. Most of my trains I have bought used. And a lot of them have been modified in some way. Any collector value they once had is now gone.

The easiest way to make a small fortune in trains.....is to start out with a large one. 

I run them all with no thought of selling or future value. I buy them and enjoy them.

I wouldn't worry about it...they'll probably rent a dumpster. At least that's what I am recommending to mine.

 

          --Bob D Stefano

 For a true test of whether you don't care about the future value of your trains, do you save the boxes?

I do not save boxes.  Except for the engines in case I have to send them away for service. 

 

That's a good observation. My answer to that is, I do. Makes it sound a little like I'm married to my trains. I sort of am.

 

Back to the original question though. There was a time when future value was a driving factor, but not anymore. I can barely get rid of all the MPC stuff I have. 

A couple weeks back, someone posted some pics of their youngins watching the trains run - and those kids had "that" look of train awe. To me, that is the future value. So, as i get older I'll be looking for organizations that work with our little 'futures'...and maybe that train awe will strike again somewhere.

 

As for the money...I doubt it will come back. And, you can't take it with you. So, why count?

 

quote:

 For a true test of whether you don't care about the future value of your trains, do you save the boxes?

 

Those of us that have moved an number of times know that saving boxes can make a move easier.
I save all sorts of boxes from things like stereos, cameras and trains. I still have the box for my Pioneer SX-737 that was purchased in the last half of the 1970's. I also have the boxes and all the packing for my turntable. Trying to find boxes and packing a turnable would be a pain.

 

 

 

 

I buy them to run, if we would worry about the future, someone else will get them and run them. I get plenty of enjoyment and have way to much fun with my grand children and the folks we get to meet when our club has a set up. Play with them and enjoy them now, life is way to short to save them for a future that may well not exist for some.

From the responses here its seems many have realized long ago that the price of trains like auto's, homes and other things is on the decline. That decline will probably continue.

Ideally a hobby is for fun, and relaxation. A side benefit is that you can make many new friends because of it. Collecting and running trains has been a good experience for myself. We should all realize that if profit and investment is the sole motivating factor in everything that we do, there would be no fun in life.  

Few hobbists may have their hobby taken over by their children on day but when we go home to meet the Lord, remember that your trains will be on a table in a yard sale selling for 50 cents and 1 dollar each.  

Electronics aside (ALL model engines with motors are electronic, regardless of the control system), I can't imagine buying trains as an investment.

 

Things "turn" into collectibles, they are never made as collectibles (if they are it's only because the manufacturer is trying to fool the public by calling it that).  It would be a guess at best to speculate on whether or not a new item will become a collectible and that's not something I'm willing to take a chance with.

 

As far as electronics, if a "system" fails, it can be replaced with a new part, another system, or even gut the engine (leaving the DC motor) and run the motor by connecting a DC power supply to the middle rail and outside rail.  You can even buy a replacement DC motor if need be.  Better yet, make them battery powered!

The ONLY value that matters is the "Play Value."

woops, sorry to steal a quote.

I don't care. I do keep inventory on what I paid and yes I do keep the box. This is just for my sons  because again I don't care. The boys can do what ever they want with them when I'm dead. Mine are worth more to me than anybody else anyway.