Didja ever buy an engine and stash it because you were not ready to run it............

And count how many warranty repairs you now need to pay for because the warranty expired

Yes I have. When K-line was going out of business, I started buying everything I could afford at really great prices. Berkshires with full TMCC for about $400 as an example. When we were packing up to move I found a scale second Mikado and a fifth Milwaukee Trainmaster I had forgotten about. I renumbered all my FMs and duplicate steam engines. Also found a box with this Penn. electric I totally forgot about. Don't know why I even bought it. It's like Christmas when you find stuff you forgot about. Don

Yep. Day's me!

Tom must be new here....

Well, yes and no.

I have two Sunset 3^rdRail C&NW E6’s on order that I know full and well that there are not currently any proper cars to pull and maybe not any on the horizon. So, I may find myself in the position the original question poses.

I know the engines will be fine, but my hope is that Lionel (who also cataloged the C&NW E6’s) will, at a later date come out with a reasonable consist that will match up with the engines.

I know this purchase went against my better judgement, but since my time in the hobby, I feel this will be the best “shot” at getting something that I am interested in.

What I did not pull the trigger on was the Illinois Central E6’s (for the same reason and also due to budget for train money) and I feel sorry for these guys as well.

Maybe I will find a set in 20 years that sat in a closet, new and a widow now just wants them out of the house… just kidding.

Charlie

I never stashed away anything, the day I bought a engine or freight car I got them out to run. 

I then listed what I bought in a book so I know what I had, no surprises later. 

Dave

I’m like Dave, out of the box and to the rails the day I get it

I did hesitate to run the large C&O locomotive on the right in this photo because I was not certain it would not get hung-up in the tunnels. Of course, I did not hesitate to buy it, but I was glad when it made the transition from shelf-poser to rail dominator.

FrankM

Yeah, that sounds like me. Squirrel away locomotives, but I do have a rough idea of what I have bought, and don't have duplicates by accident. There are a few models that I really like. Cars are a little more problematic due to the much larger numbers.

One day fairly soon, I'll get into my stash. Should be fun.

Probably 100 of them. No joke whatsoever

Trains are like Women. If I'm bringing it home.... I'm tearing it up right now! Nick

Oh.. this is bad. I just did the same - inventoried my locos and rolling stock and found the same cars I had been watching on OFAS. And found a set of GLa hoppers I forgot about. 

All the time!

Does a bear ... in the woods?  Probably not many here that don't have one or two squirreled away.

I found a couple things I didn't know I had when I unpacked about half my locomotives to put on my first set of shelves.

I have done that to more locomotives that I have fingers and toes and include my wife’s fingers and toes and then we won’t count the rolling stock that probably is over 100. I did not realize how bad I was until I started packing up the trains to move and found 3 footlockers and about a dozen 30 gallon tubs full of what I thought were empty boxes. Guess how surprised I was when I opened them and found full boxes that I forgot I had. Some of it has been packed away like that for over 10 years. I also bought a set of cars several times to only find I already had in my Train Tracker inventory. Lucky for me my friend Paul at Catoctin Trains and Hobbies would take them back in exchange for something I was sure I didn’t have. I. Do miss Paul and his Great Store. 

Never!

OK, maybe once.

Once per year, that's it.

Once or twice per year I'm telling you. 

Two times per year for the past ten years.  

That is all!  Which is practically never!  

NO !!  They were made to run-the oldies, at least.

Being somewhat impecunious, if I buy a loco it's generally in need of some TLC.   So it's more a case of 'out of the plastic bag,  onto the workbench and THEN onto the rails'... 

Mitch 

Sometimes, if I'm trying to sneak them past the Chief Financial Officer! That way, if she says "Oh, you've spent MORE money on trains?" I can say "No dear, I've had this one for long time!!"

Most women are on to that dodge.

What! Me? Never!

Haven't forgotten what I bought (so far) but in the early days it was hard to sneak new stuff in since I started from zero. Since I hit what I call "Critical Mass", I've been able to add new stuff with fewer interrogations. I'm sure we are all kidding ourselves if we think we are pulling anything over on our significant others......

Reminds me that I need to update my inventory though. My biggest problem is my layout is too small to run everything

Bob

david1 posted:

I never stashed away anything, the day I bought a engine or freight car I got them out to run. 

I then listed what I bought in a book so I know what I had, no surprises later. 

Dave

Same here.  I have a small layout and I have to rotate the locomotives on it regularly, but I've never bought one and stashed it away.  If I'm willing to spend the money on a locomotive, it's because I want to run it.