How many have sold all your trains and then started over?

John Graser posted:

How many have sold all your trains and then started over?

I did this in the 90's when I switch to G gauge and HO.

The last year I started back in O Gauge.  I am keeping my HO but selling my G Gauge.

I've not sold all of mine, but most and then regret it and then start buying again.

Steve

I gradually sold off everything in the early 90's except the trains I had as a child/teen. I had a family to take care of so trains were not in the picture. I returned to the hobby 15 years ago. I jumped into 3 rail O scale with all the command control systems  and all. Over the past two years my interest has shifted away from the O scale hi rail segment and back to my roots Classic Prewar,Postwar and Standard gauge. My new layout is tubular O and standard. It's loaded to the gills with accessories and operated conventionally. 

Did it twice.

I gladly left the hobby in utter disgust in the 90s, and sold off everything I had in HO except my Lionel Freedom Train 4449 in HO (which is still in a case in my layout room), due to a nightmarish experience with a modular group. Frankly, I assumed everyone in the hobby was like these guys for many years and only went into hobby shops for non-scale railroad magazines through that time.

I dabbled in G from the late 80s and wanted to build a layout a few years later, but I sold all that off around 2007 when I finally realized I'd never have the room or the money to build any type of layout that'd suit me in that scale.

Then, Bachmann came out with ET&WNC ten-wheelers in On30. The rest, as they say, is history and I'm back in the hobby more than I've ever been (and having found out that model railroaders aren't all like the jerks I gladly left in Florida, as I'm hanging around with decent guys in the hobby and embracing operations).

I've said it before, that Bachmann's making the ET&WNC ten-wheelers in On30 is the main that that brought me back to the hobby.

I don't miss the G stuff for how much everything cost in that scale, and I don't miss HO because even when I was a kid it seemed awfully small. I think I've always wanted to be in O scale, but I didn't realize it until a few years ago!

I did, after 32 years in HO scale.  I had previously abandoned O gauge and my childhood train set when I was 12 because I liked the greater realism of HO.  When I saw the MTH Baldwin Centipedes at a train show, that was it.  In 2000 I sold everything and switched back to 3-rail O, and I've never looked back.

Fortunately I kept my childhood set, and it's on display with the other vintage Lionel I've collected since then.

I questioned if I wanted to reply in this thread because I haven't sold off my collection but have thought about it in the past and continue to think strongly about it now.

When I returned to the hobby in the mid 90's it was like a new world. I started collecting engines, etc. as I was able to afford them because I was in college at the time.

By the time I had got my first "real job" I was buying items more regularly. When I purchased my home, just like many of us, it had to have a train room. I had learned there was other varieties of track available in O Scale other than the standard tubular I had known before my hiatus, and it looked more prototypical( nothing against anyone who loves that stuff). It was then that I discovered Atlas 3 rail. I was well on my way to what would be the best layout I had ever had. 

About 5 or so years ago I found out there was such a thing as 2-rail O Scale. Thousands of dollars later I have built up my 3 rail collection and it has taken me over 10 years to finally get to the point on my layout where I am working on landscaping. 

If I could go back I would have a 2-rail layout, in O Scale. I just don't have another 10 years to try and "start over". I have seen so many fabulous 3 rail layouts that it continues to motivate me to do the very best with what I have. This forum is an inspiration to me every time I log on. My situation is one of those things that I hope doesn't come back to haunt me later.

I started buying trains in 1983 and really went overboard with it for years. TTOS had big monthly meets then and I went all the time. I don't have that long to go and I would like to reduce the volume. I recently added up what I spent as best as I could from my records and I could buy a new Honda Accord. with it.

I want to build a slot car track and after that I want to start eBaying a lot of trains but I will keep the good stuff.

"Regrets, I've had a few - But then again, too few to mention - I did what I had to do" (Sinatra)

Two times for me during major changes in my life, presently, for the third and final time, operating  postwar with a few new pieces of LC+ mixed in.

When I got out of the Navy the first time I had no room for them and needed money ( about 1988) I finally got back into them again when I got out of the Navy the second time ( about 1993 ) 

I have moved through many phases over the years since getting back into the hobby as an adult in 1985. 

Back then, I discovered MPC era products, local and national train shops and most of all train shows in the area. 

I started out buying up new and like new MPC production and running a small 027 layout. Then things sort of exploded as I bought tons of postwar pieces while continuing to buy MPC. 

i ran out of space for it all and began thinning out things around 1992. Since then I have continued to add and delete as my fancy changes. Much MPC Stuff is gone although I do retain some. I have a lot of postwar and Postwar Celebration items still. 

Recently, I have moved to mostly scale sized rolling stock while keeping much of my accumulated motive power but not getting as much of the new offerings due to the high prices. I like the LionChief Plus in that regard; since I run Conventional, Legacy features represent a waste of money for me, though I occasionally buy an engine if it is a favored road name, particularly the Great Northern.

My current focus is logging, so I have been working on making my small pike reflect that interest.  With pleasing results(!).

My life story with trains up to now, not counting my original Lionel set from C. 1955. 

Just about sold everything off but kept my childhood Standard gauge.  Gave my  first 027 set away to my nephews although I have the original replacement engine back, got a nice HO Marklin collection for Xmas, gave it to my son who lost it in a divorce.  Had a big collection of brass HO & HOn3 and O, sold all of it off. Bought my wife a  Marklin Z set, gave it away then wasted a lot of $$  on G scale which I got rid of for peanuts. So I have settled on Lionel and Ives pre and postwar O scale and plan to stay there. Wish I had some of my $$ back though. The HO brass is the only thing that held any value.

I was buying both traditional and scale for a while. For the most part, all of the traditional sized stuff is gone. There are a few pieces left for my grand daughters and Christmas. I did keep my LionMaster (TMCC) N&W 1234 "A". It was just too nice.

I've 'churned' my trains a few times,  because I wanted to use what I got for selling the old stuff to buy whatever new stuff I wanted. Over the past twenty years,  I've sold my boyhood HO to get into N, then sold the N when I wanted to move into O. Then I've collected and got rid of various layout themes: circus trains, trolleys and interurbans, Thomas the Tank Engine...

Did that about 5 years ago. In some cases miss the CCI / CCII and stuff from the 50's & 60's as they just run, plain and simple. However, do like the new tech packages

Yes.  About 5 years ago when I sold all my traditional rolling stock and started on the path to the dark side (aka scale).   I kept my MTH Imperial steamers until I sold the last one about 18 months ago to complete my journey to the dark side.

-Greg

Never sold it all but, over the last 2 years I have sold off almost all of my MTH and K-Line rolling stock and a good many of my MTH locos. Have decided to concentrate more on Postwar, Conventional Classics, & Postwar Celebration.