How Big Is Your Collection Of Trains?

Pretty small, but I'm pretty happy with it.

Pretty much all modern Lionel and MTH, with K Line and Weaver sprinkled in.

14 locomotives, over 3 dozen pieces of rolling stock, and more than a hundred pieces of Fastrack. That's not counting the accessories, though.

Enough

I really need to count it up, Bob......I really have no idea. Recently, though, I have slowed down buying while I am in an "enjoy what I have" node.

Peter

Guys,  lets hope no B & E guys read this.

More then the wife knows about but not as much as it could be .

it varies...

My database counts about 350 pieces of equipment from every 0 gauge manufacturer. It is probably too big now so I think that I have finished buying unless something comes along that I think that my layout needs.

rule 1 of the mafia

never put anything in writing.

rat

"If you can count it, it can't be very much"

N. Bunker Hunt

As an operator, I do not have a "collection".

A few or many it's not a question I would answer online.

I use the Collector-Dash site. I know exactly what I have.
http://collector-modeltrains.c...howcase/Scott_Smith/

Scott Smith

Too many, yet not nearly enough.

Not enough but I am trying !!

More than I ever thought it would be, but not as much as it will be. 

 My wife will say;  "Too many!"

I say;  "Not enough!!!"

Ralph

Is a house just a thing to put you collection in and therefore part of the collection?

I realized I do not have enough and just picked up a set of 21 inch Lionel C&O passenger cars.

http://www.collector-modeltrai...owcase/sp2207/items/

I know I have more but hear is my listing

Too much according to the family, not enough according to me. Lots of it belonged to older members of my family, including a 1001 outfit, a 1567W outfit, and some postwar Marx and Lionel. At least the hobby makes the holidays easy . Haven't actually bought much myself, just some assorted prewar Lionel, an Ives 70 baggage car, and a 1666 steamer.

You aren't supposed to ask.

I'm planning an "around the house" shelf layout in the future. I have all k-line; about 350' of super snap track, 5 ABA f7 sets, about 10 other k-line diesels (mp15s, gp38s, rs3s), lots of their diecast hoppers and my favorites are the 16 wheel diecast flatcars.  Oh and some Williams passenger cars. 

I also collect k-line catalogs; I have a lot. 

Fyi I reside with 3 big dogs. 

WELL, Grampstrains,  can you speak  ALASKA RR??

Just a thought  I like  MR. Hudon's  tinplate collection,as seen in pics

Too big. I'm sorting through stuff so I can thin the herd....and get more stuff.

Bigger than Warren Buffett's but in 1/48th scale. 

Jan

Definitely more than would fit on any layout I am ever likely to, without winning the lottery. I doubt that I could even estimate in the ball park, maybe the county, especially when it comes to freight cars. I do need to sort and re-evaluate some, might be time to go to another swap meet as a vendor.

 While I don't currently have a permanent layout, I buy to RUN, not sit in boxes or on shelves, but I focus on UP and SP Steam/Transition era and Weyerhaeuser Timber, so I would consider myself an operating collector. While I have more than I can run at one time, there are still many pieces, locomotives in particular, that I would like to get. I don't follow the philosophy that it all has to be on the layout at one time. It can help keep the interest up, if there is some variety to cycle on and off the layout. The roads of my interest, had to many interesting locomotives to limit myself to only what would fit on the layout that I don't even have yet.

  It may seem a shame to have Scale size articulated Locomotives that only get to run on floor layouts, mainly at Christmas Time, but I have found with some items you have to buy them when they are available. I' still kicking myself, for not finding the money for that Beautiful 3rd Rail SP AM-2 cab-forward when they were released, they don't show up on the secondary market very often.

Doug

MartyF,

   I hear ya buddy, thought the exact same thing and picked up an early 80's K-Line Cocoa Cola Train just recently!  A man can nerve have enough O gauge Trains, Double Bird Guns, or Bamboo Fly Rods!

PCRR/Dave

My wife fully supports my train hobby, probably because it keeps me out of the bars.   Plus it allows her to get the things she wants and I can't complain.  As such, she thinks I should get more.  My thoughts?  I've no more place to put trains while I'm rebuilding my layout.  Plus, my new theme means I have some stuff that no longer fits.  So, when I sell the stuff I don't need and finish the layout with its additional under table storage, I may start buying again.  For now, I have too much.

about ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------that big

Jim 1939 posted:

A few or many it's not a question I would answer online.

Agreed. I'll keep it to myself.

Mill City posted:

Too many, yet not nearly enough.

Ditto

At one time I had over 50 engines and 250 pieces of rolling stock.  I've whittled that down to 3 engines and 21 pieces of rolling stock.

That does not count my new obsession with Standard Gauge though.  I sold off alot of O gauge stuff to pay for the Standard Gauge stuff.

Matt, something tells me you are gearing up for York.

Several respondants failed to give their address or a map

Marty Fitzhenry posted:

I realized I do not have enough and just picked up a set of 21 inch Lionel C&O passenger cars.

Never enough!

Fred

Having transformed from an enthusiastic collector to a layout builder and operator my trains represent more that I could ever use. My layout represents the Eastern road names and there are only 7 once major fallen flag RR's  that I am now  focusing on operating. Years back collecting was fun and I purchased 100's of items. Today the layout is my only interest. Bottom line is that I only need a dozen engines and matching caboose's.  As a result my buying habits of late have been very selective and purposeful.

Like all my collecting over the years-more than I need but not enough !!!

Jim 1939 posted:

A few or many it's not a question I would answer online.

I'm not a chicken little, there have been a few private collections stolen, and a few train stores burglarized, but model train thefts are a rather rare occurrence. I suspect that almost all private collection thefts were someone who knew of the collection personally, rather than learned of it on line. Posting collection information here on the forum sure doesn't give anyone my address. Even if someone were to look at my profile and see that I live in Forest Grove, Oregon, which is a small town, GOOD LUCK finding my home.

  I have been a victim of Home burglary, I had 10-12 Legacy, JLC, and Lionmaster locomotives, on a display table, and 4 more on a small platform, in my Living room(this was BEFORE I got married) the replacement value would have easily been $10,000+, Plus many more in a spare bedroom. Not a single one was touched. My entire gunsafe was removed, my desktop PC was stolen as well as a camera and a few other small items. in terms of value, they walked right by about as much value on that display table and layout, as they actually took.

 Trains just are not an easy to sell item for the average crook, a pistol or camera is much easier to sell quickly than a VL Bigboy. So you can worry about your "Collection" being stolen, but in my experience it would be one of the last things that you SHOULD worry about being stole. A greater concern, if you were to consider collection insurance, would be Fire, or Flood. If you were to insure against fire or flood, then theft would also likely be included, or available at a very minimal cost.

Doug