Do You Make Impulsive Purchases of Model Trains? - MTH Premier F3s

An incredible coincidence recently occurred involving me and my good Forum friend, Melgar.

First, I will share a little background. What Melgar said in his above post is 100% true. We not only follow each other on the Forum, but we regularly and frequently speak on the phone, especially during these challenging times, which has been a Godsend. We have a lot in common and respect, even admire, our differences.

What was the amazing coincidence?  Without any prior knowledge, we simultaneously bought the same locomotive in different road names!

This is what happened from my perspective.

About 1 week ago I saw a Forum post showing, and describing in glowing terms, the new MTH Premier NY Central F3 offered for sale by one of our Forum sponsors, JR Junction Train and Hobby from Syracuse, NY.  The photos of this locomotive were stunning, it was love at first sight, and I already had a great experience with that hobby shop, so I impulsively purchased the locomotive.

What did I do next? You guessed it.  I called Melgar to tell him about my purchase.  Lo and behold, Melgar purchased the same locomotive, but in the gorgeous Maine Central livery, the very same day! We saw the same Forum post, showing the same locomotive, and purchased it, in different road names, all on the same day.

I believe my purchase was even more impulsive than Melgar’s purchase because, unlike Melgar, I did not even look at the new MTH catalogue before making my purchase.  I saw the NY Central model shown in the Forum and immediately bought it, while Melgar first perused the catalogue on-line, and then picked out the Maine Central model that worked best for his layout. Truth is, even if I first looked at the catalogue, I probably would have chosen the same locomotive because of my interest in the Put and all things NY Central.  You can see the A and B units for this New York Central model on my layout in the photos below.

Arnold

Beautiful engines guys.  I hope you enjoy them for a good long time.  Do I make impulse buys?  In a word: YES.  That's why I have way too many trains in way too many road names.  Living on Lawn-Guy-Land, as Paul would say, there were lots of train retailers over the years and visits for one thing or to just kill time often lead to an impulse buy.

Beautiful engines guys. I especially like Mel’s MEC F3’s with matching caboose. For me, my impulse buy just happened yesterday. No pics and hoping the purchase arrives “sometime”.
I have the Lionel Conrail Office Car Special and I posted a video.  One of my FB friends “let me know”....”you know Don they make a matching E8 AA set to go with that”. 3 hours later and $900 lighter, they are on the way. This morning I wondered why I did it!

Donald

Waiting until the next day to buy something you thought about to me is not an impulsive buy.  An impulsive buy is seeing something for the first time, you like it and buy it right then without considering the consequences.

I made a few impulsive buys early in my train days.  I was on a business trip back in 1990 when I saw Lionel’s scale T-1 at a hobby shop.  It was stunning and I had to have it.  It just fit into the commuter airline’s overhead.  Turned out not to have been my smartest buy.

For the last couple of decades I buy off my “list”.  Not on the list, I don’t buy it no matter how much I like it.  That has worked out well to keep things under control.

Yes, with no excuses, and no remorse. I’ve worked my butt off for 37+ years. Time to enjoy the fruits of my labor while I’m on the right side of the dirt. Perhaps a smidgeon of selfishness??....in the complex routine of my giving and providing for my family, I see this as tiny drop of water in the cavernous bucket of my life,.....😉

Pat

Yes I am prone to making impulse buys if I am in a train store. I bought my first diesel set back before I realized that all MTH engines are not equal.  This set happened to be a "pre anything" 3 piece ABA unit . Nothing but a raspy sounding horn and a cantankerous  headlight. Eventually I may try to upgrade it.

The next one was a Face book market deal (close to where I live) It also turned out to be a very early MTH unit that I can not even track down as to its existence  except that I have it  ( a 4-6-4 hudson), again just a whistle that won't shut off if I am stupid enough to activate it. 

Other than that I hem and haw and read/search for info before buying. Sometimes I wait too long and the item gets sold before I can act. I view this as "It was not meant to be" and trust in the Almighty that he guides me to the best decisions.   

Nice engines Mel and Arnold. They say “Great minds ...something, something”.

As far as impulse buys for me. To my regret yes I make them. The biggest and most impactful I have made in the last few years was my O scale Dapol A1 Terrier I bought in England on a business trip a day after seeing the prototype.

From that one purchase I have gone down a rabbit hole of British 2R O scale. My home layout (NYC Apartment) is being reworked to turn of the century prototype. I love the smaller prototype in the large scale. Things have picked up since the spring lockdown. I have joined some online groups that focus on this narrow swath of things. I am even scratchbuilding passenger cars for it.

So the impulse has led to some fun projects.

I hope you guys are well and sincerely hope that someday a post Westchester train show lunch can happen again.

The last impulse purchase I made changed the direction of my train hobby BIG TIME! I bought the Lionel R-27 subway set as soon as I heard about it. Since then, I've dismantled my N gauge layout and have had nothing but NYC subway layout on the brain.

No, I do not make impulse buys. I limited myself to a couple roads and that is all I purchase. Fortunately for me the roads I choose to model are not made often by the manufacturers, which helps me stick to my program. I model the Monon and Chicago South Shore.

When my LHS Catotin Mountain Trains and Hobbies was open almost every time I went in the store he had a new piece of PENNSY power or PENNSY Cabin Car I would leave with. I think Paul planned it that way sometimes. Now not having a LHS not so much any more. The exception to that is when we visit our daughter in Roanoke VA and I visit my old friend Jim at The Rail Yard then I have to be careful as he has a large selection of Post War that I may leave with a piece or two.

Impulse buys????? ME??????? NEVER!!!!!!!!

Well never is a long time so what the heck!

Only almost every steam, diesel, and piece of rolling stock I own!

Great minds think alike Mel and Arnold.

Bob

No impulse buys.  If I see it, want it, and can afford it at the present time, it's usually mine.

Ohh, wait, maybe that is an impulse buy!

Arnold D. Cribari Why is your F3 smoking like a chuffing steam engine?  That does not seem correct.  Could you have a fan issue?

Here was my impulse buy.  My Son and I saw these NS F-7's in person and I fell in Love with them.  I saw the ABBA for sale here on the forum and purchased them.  Soon thereafter on a trip to Nicholas Smith (Coincidentally also NS) I saw the coach cars in Premier.  Bought them on the spot.

Now truthfully they ran absolutely terrible as a DCS lash-up.  I was so disappointed I almost sold them twice.  But I recently converted them to BlueRail and flipped the switch from DCS to DCC.  They run better on battery power and are now my absolute favorite engines to run.

Have Fun!

Ron

Yes, a good portion of trains I have were impulse buys. Too me that’s the enjoyment of the hobby. I too frequented Catoctin Mountain Trains who was mega MTH dealer. Very little to no Lionel premium engines stocked. Since I’m a Lionel guy if Paul had a Lionel item he knew I would most likely take it home.

I'm rarely an impulse buyer. When I do, I blame the Forum!

I am not an impulse buyer by the strict definition.  Like @Monon_Jim, I have roads I normally buy, Monon & ATSF mostly.  However, sometimes I will see a photo, article, what have you that peaks my interest in something outside of those and will make a purchase.  I consider those to be somewhat impluse buys, though they are not immediate.

Brendan

@3rail posted:

Beautiful engines guys. I especially like Mel’s MEC F3’s with matching caboose. For me, my impulse buy just happened yesterday. No pics and hoping the purchase arrives “sometime”.
I have the Lionel Conrail Office Car Special and I posted a video.  One of my FB friends “let me know”....”you know Don they make a matching E8 AA set to go with that”. 3 hours later and $900 lighter, they are on the way. This morning I wondered why I did it!

Donald

Don,

Whether it's a pre-order or an impulse-buy, when I wake up the next morning, the first thing I ask myself is why I did it...

MELGAR

@MELGAR posted:

Don,

Whether it's a pre-order or an impulse-buy, when I wake up the next morning, the first thing I ask myself is why I did it...

MELGAR

Suggestion, ....stop doing that!!...unless the person giving you answers at least agrees with the purchase, .......I’d let whoever you’re talking to pull the wool over your eyes!...

Pat

It's 1954 and we see on the west bank of the Hudson River this oil tanker unit train gliding by with New York Central F3 A and B units on the point:

Arnold

@MELGAR posted:

Don,

Whether it's a pre-order or an impulse-buy, when I wake up the next morning, the first thing I ask myself is why I did it...

MELGAR

Me too!  NH Joe

My first but was a impulse buy.  I was at a train show with my grandfather who had O scale stuff although I did not at the time.  I saw an MTH Premier Niagara and failing talking my grandpa into buying it, decided to buy myself.  Two years later I bought my MTH 765 at the same show from the same dealer, also on a whim.  Everything else was more or less planned.

@MELGAR posted:

Don,

Whether it's a pre-order or an impulse-buy, when I wake up the next morning, the first thing I ask myself is why I did it...

MELGAR

Yep Mel.....I do that a lot. I was selling a lot this year to attempt to downsize. Yes, I sold stuff. However, I think I bought more than I sold.

Don

Don,

It's an expensive hobby, no matter what you buy, so it's easy enough to second-guess yourself on any purchase.

MELGAR

I'm with GRJ, only in a different order, If I want it, and see it, it's in the basket.  Afford it, I think that where the impulse part comes in.

Mel,  Arnold and company,

I usually don’t make impulsive purchases, But....I leaned into the living dangerously territory recently. I pre ordered the MTH MEC F3 in two rail, scale. I have O scale MEC locos. Did I need another one? Well, in this covid age, there is no BIG E. So I did some accounting maneuvers according to saving on BIG E weekend.  While I am one who misses the show, I had $ reserve set aside for the 2021 show. So, I planned on it.

Note, I will be receiving it tomorrow! Kind of a Christmas present to me.
when the bill came for the balance I sort of felt  awkward! But didn’t second guess my decision. Nothing impulsive about that.
interesting topic.

Absolutely not.  That is how you end up with more than what you need.

@Leroof posted:

Mel,  Arnold and company,

I usually don’t make impulsive purchases, But....I leaned into the living dangerously territory recently. I pre ordered the MTH MEC F3 in two rail, scale. I have O scale MEC locos. Did I need another one? Well, in this covid age, there is no BIG E. So I did some accounting maneuvers according to saving on BIG E weekend.  While I am one who misses the show, I had $ reserve set aside for the 2021 show. So, I planned on it.

Note, I will be receiving it tomorrow! Kind of a Christmas present to me.
when the bill came for the balance I sort of felt  awkward! But didn’t second guess my decision. Nothing impulsive about that.
interesting topic.

Leroof (Pierre),

I'm pleased to hear that you splurged on an MTH MEC F3. For you, as a Maine resident, it is a sensible purchase, especially in view of what 2020 has been like in your field of work. Enjoy it.

MELGAR

I have lots more than I need.

Train shows can tempt me to impulse buy, however, even when a particular train item my be calling to me at a show, I avoid the impulse and wait an hour or two as I think it thru.  I may even wait several hours circling back to the vendor's booth several times as I ponder the purchase.  Once I've thought it thru I may or may not purchase the item.   And in the interim if the vendor sells the items before I make my decision, I figure I wasn't supposed to purchase the item anyway.     My process is basically: 1.) Can I afford the item?  2. ) Do I really need the item  and how will it fit into my overall layout scheme?   3.) I try to project how I might feel a few days after purchasing the item.  If these three questions line up positively then I more than likely will make the purchase.  

There have been times ( not many ) at shows when the price of the item was so ridiculously low that it was a no brainer to go ahead and purchase the item immediately.  One such time, back when K line announced they were going out of business,  I came across a vendor who had a set of brand new K line Pennsy MU cars for $80.  I had NO problem immediately pulling the trigger on that deal! LOL!  I still have the cars and never have regretted the purchase.   I tend to "sleep on it" before purchasing items,  be they trains or otherwise.  Sometimes while I snooze I loose, but what the heck,  thats the way it goes sometime.  

A few years ago I was perusing the Forum and came across a post by Steve (Mr Muffin) showcasing the then new Legacy L&N E8s resplendent in their (too) bright blue and cream colors. I've always liked the L&N scheme and ordered a pair without thinking it through. Not in the budget and I already had a beautiful scale Williams set with PS2 that are much closer to prototypical colors than the Lionel.   The Williams pair is for sale if interested...

A couple years ago just after retirement and returning to the hobby I walked into a shop with my wife and she asked the gentleman if he had any MA & PA items. His response floored me he had 2 locomotives and some rolling stock.  I hadn't even thought about asking because the stuff is so hard to find. I purchased the rolling stock left and took my wife to lunch. All during lunch I couldn't stop thinking about those 2 I left behind. Fortunately my wife spoke up during lunch and said I don't believe you didn't make that purchase. I returned to the shop and bought both. 

@GG1 4877 posted:

I have lots more than I need.

I passed that threshold 20 years ago.......

I do not have the discipline of many here on the forum... only model one or two railroads, only modeling a very specific time frame, only modeling a set geographic locale (and the lines that ran through it), and ESPECIALLY, only buy what I can run And I have no problem running a consist of maxi-stacks behind my BigBoy.

I tend to buy what strikes my fancy. While I tend to love Steam (especially of the big variety), I also love diesels... and can’t forget electrics!!! If seeing something that strikes my fancy in a catalog and ordering/purchasing it counts as impulsive, than pretty much all my purchases are impulsive. I don’t ever remember having buyers regret.

That being said, I did recently make a true “impulsive purchase” - it is NOT my fault... @MrMuffin’sTrains is totally responsible. I got one of Steve’s regular slippery slope emails which included a bunch of Christmas items, including two sets of MTH CP Holiday Train LED boxcars. With MTH likely going away, I was weak and couldn’t resist - they should arrive Tuesday. In the words of the great Edith Piaf, “Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien”. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it!!!

@Apples55 posted:

I do not have the discipline of many here on the forum... only model one or two railroads, only modeling a very specific time frame, only modeling a set geographic locale (and the lines that ran through it), and ESPECIALLY, only buy what I can run And I have no problem running a consist of maxi-stacks behind my BigBoy.

I tend to buy what strikes my fancy. While I tend to love Steam (especially of the big variety), I also love diesels... and can’t forget electrics!!! If seeing something that strikes my fancy in a catalog and ordering/purchasing it counts as impulsive, than pretty much all my purchases are impulsive. I don’t ever remember having buyers regret.

That being said, I did recently make a true “impulsive purchase” - it is NOT my fault... @MrMuffin’sTrains is totally responsible. I got one of Steve’s regular slippery slope emails which included a bunch of Christmas items, including two sets of MTH CP Holiday Train LED boxcars. With MTH likely going away, I was weak and couldn’t resist - they should arrive Tuesday. In the words of the great Edith Piaf, “Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien”. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it!!!

I like your approach Paul!..blame the pusher man!!.....

         Hey Arnold, .....that Steppenwolf song applies here ,...” The Pusher”

Pat

@MELGAR posted:

Don,

It's an expensive hobby, no matter what you buy, so it's easy enough to second-guess yourself on any purchase.

MELGAR

I agree I do this.  Even something that I have time to look into, it is on my list, wait a while before purchasing, and have the disposable income to do it, I will often second guess.  I do sell some, though it is usually because I found something else that will fill its spot more to my liking on the roster.  I often go to train shows and buy very little.  However in early November I was at the Monroeville Greenberg show and saw these for $150 for the pair, Legacy and non powered.  The Legacy one ran well, but both needed some work.  The most glaring need was the missing hood cover.  For $40 I bought the needed parts (except for one bell) at the Lionel sale and they are looking good.  Many here know that I usually buy Western Maryland engines.  Maybe I'll paint them for WM, but I do like the looks of the GN livery.

Well... yes and no...    I keep basically two running lists on my desk and a detailed budget list set aside for train purchases.

The first list is "impulse", meaning 'buy on sight' if found in a store or online (at a reasonable price!).  It's full of more rare things and is mostly essentials that have been carefully thought out over time (an Atlas Canadian Northern Reefer or two is at the top of that currently haha).

My other list is a "wish list".  Things I might like to get in the future but not really motivated to get, nor do I really need them.  If I really decide I want them, or build up a large surplus train budget, then they get bumped to impulse. (an example of this would be like a pacific daylight)

Absolutely on impulse. Since I don't model any specific road I run what I like whether the engine is period appropriate to the cars or not. I rarely pre-order or go looking for something specific so most of what I have is a result of it having struck my fancy at the time I saw it.

@Apples55 posted:

I do not have the discipline of many here on the forum... only model one or two railroads...

I did recently make a true “impulsive purchase” - it is NOT my fault - @MrMuffin’sTrains is totally responsible. I got one of Steve’s regular slippery slope emails which included a bunch of Christmas items... With MTH likely going away, I was weak and couldn’t resist

Paul,

1) After a while, I decided to limit my purchases to the New York Central and New England railroads and, as you know, especially the New Haven. That helped a little (I stopped buying Great Northern and PRR) but there were lots of railroads between New York and Maine.

2) The online sellers have been inundating me with emails as Christmas approaches - some of them multiple times a day.

3) The demise of MTH has not been far from my thinking about what to buy...

MELGAR

"Am I an impulse buyer?"

WUT?????

**** no!

Of course not.

Well, maybe once in a while. 

(Actually, I have outgrown that, pretty much.)

George