"Gotta Have It"

I always wanted a model of the PRR GG1 locomotive.  For awhile I was looking at the Williams postwar style GG1s.  Well, last year at a local show I was in the process of deciding whether to purchase a Lionel postwar turbine and green 6400 cars I saw.  While I was walking up the aisle, I saw a man with two locomotive boxes on the table.  One was an MTH Milwaukee Little Joe, the other was a Lionel JLC GG1.  He was asking $475 for it which was a price I couldn't refuse.  Unfortunately, I don't often have room to set up my O-72 curves to run it so it sits on display most of the time, but I love running a long freight train behind it on my train club's layout.  

 

I ended up buying a 2020 turbine off the forum a few months back and it is also a great locomotive that satisfied my desire for that type of steamer.

If I'm honest, every time I look at OGR I find something that I think, "I have to have that" or "I have to do that".  Given that I don't even have a decent start on a layout, it's quite humbling.  Still, it's great fun, sort of like "if I win the lottery".  The one moment that I did carry through on was the JLC GG-1.  It's been sitting on a display for a few years now just waiting to run, but I couldn't resist it.

 

Great that you followed through on your "moment".

Ron

Everyday I look at the for sale forum and somebody is selling something I want at great prices. Too bad I just don't have the cash now.

Rob

I seen so many great deals on the buy and sell forum with hardly no income coming in hard to buy anything i hate that too

My first "gotta have it" was my SGL brass Reading G3 followed by the matching SGL passenger cars which was then followed by my Weaver brass G1. (all purchased secondhand but in Like New condition)

My most recent "gotta have it" was my recent 3rd Rail B&O T-3 (how could I pass on such a nice engine with a HUGH Vandy tender? - ;-) )

Fortunately, it's always been easy for me to sell "nice to have" stuff to help pay for "gotta have it" stuff.

Jim

Usually the locomotives I want come up at a great price, right after I purchase another one on my list

"I'm sure that we have all had a "Gotta Have It Moment".  How about sharing yours?"

 

After returning to the hobby 18 yrs ago, in retrospect, my "gotta have it moments" have practically always turned out to be a mistake. In fact I can only think of only one incidence of "should have .. but didn't."

 Tom,

   I have had 2 got to have it moments in my life time of running trains

The 1st was the day long ago when I walked into the Iron Horse Train Shop

and Frank had the Williams UP City of San Fan original Conventional train on the display wall.  I just stood there looking at that big Yellow and Gray Williams monster, for what seemed like a life time.  Frank the owner walked up behind me and said, take it home Davey, and pay me for it when ever you can, train club price.  He simply took the price tag off the display and put it in his pocket.  Maybe the memories mean more to me than anything else, as that big Williams train runs,

I always think of my friend Frank Ware and how nice he always treated me.

 

The 2nd was the P2, MTH Reproduction of my fathers Lionel Tin Plate Gray 263E, I preordered it the day I found out it was going into production.

The original & reproduction 263E Tin Plate

 

 

 

The big Yellow & Gray Williams UP on display, the day I purchased her.

   

My latest "gotta have it moment" turned out to be one big night mare.

And it all started like the dream of any collector.

There was this Ebay seller in Germany, which I found by sheer coincidence as he put his Lionel collection under the wrong category HO, he named it Loniel and the opening picture was that of a worn catalog...

Then I gave it a try. And guess what: the good man offered almost everything a starter could dream of. Three FE's, a FM Jersey, a whole range of cars, accessories, track, transformer, all genuine post war and in near perfect condition. Bidding was low and slow.

I talked about it with my wife, she gave me full support, and with a good friend who even wanted to finance when my budget might be overstretched. So I started to bid.

I kept a buffer, for the last hour, just in case some other rival might turn up.

The evening the auction ended, I had an appointment. No problem, I took the lap top with me and I knew there was a wireless internet connection.

Then, everything went grizzly. Laptop said 'battery is low'...the thing was not but the lap top had a weak moment I guess. I had an adaptor with me. For some odd reason I had to start the fu..bleep!..thing all up again.

Then the lap top just did not eat the code! I tried and tried, I just could not connect. It was in a restaurant, people behind the bar tried to help me out. Somebody must have changed settings or something, but that person was on leave...

The clocked ticked away. I hurried home. At the very last moment some guy had made his bid. I could have doubled him easily..

I did not sleep that night. I was angry, to my self. Why didn't I stay home, as my wife strongly advised me? Why did I hold that buffer, thinking that was a good tactic?

I'm still not over with it...

 

Kieffer

When I saw the Legacy N&W J i n the most recent Lionel catalog.  I love the lines if not the railroad itself.  I've always dreamed of having one repainted in the grey and black Union Pacific scheme used on FEFs and Challengers - soon, I hope, I will have one. 

Thoroughly enjoyed reading your post.  Yes, I believe most train enthusiasts have experienced the same thing, at some time or other.  You know, Tom, that there are many such moments of joy that seem to be inherent with our wonderful hobby and not only with engine selection. 

My "Gotta Have It" moment (or one of a few) came when I heard the Lionel 3854 remake was coming out as a separate sale item and saw the recent thread on it on the forum.

 

 For many years I have enjoyed my original postwar Lionel 3454 and when I found out there was a 3854 scale length car in tuscan color, I wanted one. Unfortunately these postwar originals are too expensive and not usually in perfect shape. So upon seeing this new Lionel car I purchased one right away.

My "gotta have it" moments are usually overridden by "can't afford it."  That's why I save up my pennies every week so I can get the things I want when they appear, without straining the budget.  It's worked so far.

I have these moments every time I read OGR. In fact, I think I love the magazine more for the ads than the articles! My latest moment was finding the exact single stall engine house by MTH for a nice price in a LHS right before Christmas! 

Only three "gotta have its" for me, so far, all left over from my youth.  An Oil Drum Loader like my friend Marvin had on his American Flyer layout, an EP5 in New Haven McGinnis colors like the ones I saw at The Gilbert Hall and in the American Flyer catalog, and a Lionel 5-stripe Pennsy GG1 like the ones I saw at the showroom and in the catalogs.

 

So far I have a Lionel remake of the Oil Drum Loader, and a WBB New Haven EP5.  The EP5 runs so fabulously well that when I get the GG1 it too will probably be from WBB.

 

Pete

I had two within the last year.

 

I had to have the MTH New York York & Atlantic GP-38-2 and the MTH RK Long Island RS1 (anxiously waiting).

 

These railroads, especially the NY&A, aren't represented too often.

 

If someone makes MP54's or P54's, they will be on the must have list too.

I use to have them daily. But, in the past few years it's military trains and The Clinchfield RR

I have given in to many "gotta have its" over the years, and still have and run every one.

 

George

Oh yeah, I have to tell my wife a package is coming.  But not yet.  I still have some time before they ship!

As l look around my train room I am absolutely dumbfounded by the number of , " I've Gotta Have It" episodes I have suffered over the last 40 years.  YIKES!  In any event as said by a previous poster, I've still got 'em all.

 

Actually, now that I think about it, most of what I've bought have been impulse buys.  I do have them all still and enjoy running them all.  I was just entering locomotive information into my Legacy Cab-2 and realized that most of them are PRR locos with a few NYC mixed in.