How to Make Model Railroading Less Expensive - Lets Hear Your Ideas

Buy used. Shop around. Wait for a price you are willing to pay for the things you want. Look for fixer uppers.

C.C.C.,

Right on target.  However modern prices shouldn't be shocking because this hobby has always been expensive, from day one.  So, these ideas for saving money don't necessarily have to come only from the present.  There are many to be found in old publications, by following old online threads, tapping the experience of our most senior members, etc.

I'm interested.

Mike

When I got into the hobby many moons ago, a large portion of my time was spent scratch building or assembling kits so I would have a completed building or piece of rolling stock.  Visiting the few and far between room size layouts, the guest saw cardboard boxes or taped together cardboard simulating where the buildings would be.  Many evenings were spent making the final building.  Today's consumers seem to want a piece which can be removed from the box and placed directly on the layout, whether to be plugged in and used as a building complete with flashing lights or a piece of rolling stock directly on the track.  The manufacturers see this trend, provide what the consumer wants and charge accordingly.    John

But if you do not buy New, there will be no Used, or companies to make New.

...Says the guy who has seldom bought new for 20 years, unless you count ERR upgrade kits. I do New occasionally. Bought a gorgeous GM&O crimson/silver RS-1 from MTH's "last" (yeah, sure) catalogue.

Start small (quantity) and stay small (quantity).  I have 2 dozen engines...WHY???  I can't run more than 2 at a time.  And almost 100 pieces of rolling stock when the longest train I can actually work with is 10-12 cars long tops.  Again...WHY???

I wish I could go back and star over, getting ONLY what I truly need and not want.  It's the "WANTS" that get expensive.

I think it really depends on what your expectations are.

If you want the top of the line, you will pay for it.   Always have, always will.  No, I am not doing a "back in the day" thing.   The top level stuff in O-Gauge has always been more expensive than the middle to lower end stuff.

When someone says "did you see that $2,000 price on the new Lionel steam loco, that will discourage any newcomers......."   I fully disagree.  New comers to the hobby aren't likely looking at that level of train, yet.

There's plenty out there, new, for every walk of life. So we need to drill deeper when talking about price of various things in the hobby.   Yeah, A Millhouse turntable at $1,900 is awesome.    You can also pick up an Atlas TT for around $270

Now then, as for ways of not having to mortgage a house to play with trains, there are tons of great suggestions I've read already.  Second hand equipment, do-it-yourself projects, and so forth.

1.   Build more kits - you can get many for buildings and the like, not so much for rolling stock anymore.

2.   Do your own painting

3.   Install your own electronics rather paying for it.

4.   use Flex track or even got handlaying which may be as easyin 3 rail, but was/is quite common in 2 rail

5.   Build your own switches.   There is a company that makes jigs for this.   Or just use a track gauge          and plans

Basically over the  years, I have learned that there is often quite a tradeoff between time and money.    I have learned I can spend more hobby time doing things myself, and spend less money paying others.    Or just the opposite, I can pay to have others do stuff for me, and spend very little time.    However, this is a hobby, and spending the time on it is supposed to be fun.   and in most cases it is, although most of us have things in the hobby we don't like to do.

But the biggest suggestion is to spend more time learning and doing stuff, and subsequently spend less money.

@prrjim posted:

1.   Build more kits - you can get many for buildings and the like, not so much for rolling stock anymore.

2.   Do your own painting

3.   Install your own electronics rather paying for it.

4.   use Flex track or even got handlaying which may be as easyin 3 rail, but was/is quite common in 2 rail

5.   Build your own switches.   There is a company that makes jigs for this.   Or just use a track gauge          and plans

Basically over the  years, I have learned that there is often quite a tradeoff between time and money.    I have learned I can spend more hobby time doing things myself, and spend less money paying others.    Or just the opposite, I can pay to have others do stuff for me, and spend very little time.    However, this is a hobby, and spending the time on it is supposed to be fun.   and in most cases it is, although most of us have things in the hobby we don't like to do.

But the biggest suggestion is to spend more time learning and doing stuff, and subsequently spend less money.

Question if I may.  Where can I get the Jigs for 3 rail switch's? I've got more time than anything else.

Buy cheap stuff, or don't buy at all.  I could probably play with all the stuff I got now and never have to buy another thing.

Of the 8 engines I own, only 2 came lettered as I wished. I watched ebay sales for the less desirable roads and repainted and decaled according to what I wanted. I don't use Railsounds, so I never hear the original road name mentioned.

Tubular track and switches (Marx).

John

As someone already said if no one bought new there would be no used.  I have bought from this forum, on that site that cannot be mentioned, at train shows and my LHS. 

Benchwork can only be described as Frankenstein like but it stays up and is solid.  Wiring is repurposed outdoor extension cords, track power is controlled by off the shelf light switches mounted on those blue plastic boxes from home depot.  Scenery materials can be everything from the garden.  The basis for mountainsides are white styrofoam which is great if you dont cut it.  Base layer for scenery, the oops paint section at home depot, layout skirting, died old bedsheets.  Get creative, not everything has to come from the hobby but lots of items fulfill the same use at a much lower price.

Fast Tracks is an outfit that makes jigs for 2 rail in all scales.   I just checked their site and could find nothing on 3 rail. 

There was a thread in 2017 started by a guy who ideas for building his own 3 rail switches.    I found it by a general search for "handlaid 3 rail switches".    It was on this forum.

Craftech

You must have looked at the link on how I built my layout !  I have never bought a new engine and I have 40 or so low cost ones, all for a less than one new fancy high tech one.

Charlie

Stop buying. Use what we have. Enough is too much.

Come out to a 2 rail swap meet.  you will find bargains galore.   Buildings, TT's,  $10 freight cars, etc.

After the last two out of three engines had little parts fall out of the boxes, I swore off anything with a motor. I spend my allowance on scenery and rolling stock and am much happier for it.

@Craftech posted:

Tubular track and switches (Marx).

Tubular track can be made to look pretty good with wood ties and ballast.  O22 switches can be found inexpensively.  Ditto for used GarGraves track.

Older WBB engines work well.  Lionel's first pass at high-end engines from around 1990 (B6, T1, etc.) are relatively inexpensive.

MPC boxcars.

Take out from your storage spots the trains you haven't seen in years or forgot you even had. 

Easy answer: don't buy so much stuff. 😁

Mark in Oregon

@necrails posted:

" on that site that cannot be mentioned, "

You can mention eBay, you just can't link to it or get into discussions specifically about it.

If you are just starting out and have budget or space constraints, consider HO.

(Hope I don't get the boots!)

Bob

Nice topic again Charlie.

From the "Do as I say, not as I do department"...I like to save money, yet I also collect/operate prewar switchers and have been working to stockpile Lionel prewar T-Rail track. I can't explain it. Maybe I need to save money on scenery after locomotives and track.

If it helps anyone, I started this topic a while ago based on printing things off the internet...the goal would be to build an inexpensive layout like this when I retire at some point:

Prewar Steam Switcher Switching Layout- Testing A Concept | O Gauge Railroading On Line Forum (ogaugerr.com)

Tom

We are model railroaders so lets build models.  Mostly I buy mainly engines used or new.  I enjoy building cars and structures from scratch or kits.  I look for cheap and/or old passed around kits and materials to build my own.  Believe me there is a lot of satisfaction in seeing the product of your handiwork on your pike.  And it's cheaper too.     ODD-D

@Bob "O" posted:

If you are just starting out and have budget or space constraints, consider HO.

(Hope I don't get the boots!)

Bob

I don't think you should get the boots at all, Bob!  I started out in HO because way back when, a cheap Tyco train set was much less expensive than Lionel.  I made this determination at about age 12 in 1968-69 still in the Postwar period.  I didn't pay attention to Lionel in the MPC era, since I was all into HO.

I switched to O about 10 years ago because of waning eyesight and dexterity.  I'm glad I did.  Since I was entrenched in scale modeling, Postwar trains as good looking and running as they are, didn't fit the bill.  I got into O gauge buying used mostly MTH and some Lionel.  That said, I as I refined my interests, I now don't buy an engine without selling an engine or several cars.  I just did that on this Forum in the last few weeks.  Since I don't have a lot of space, and never was a collector, I don't feel bad parting with something sitting on the shelf that I'm not running.  In fact, this last sale was of my most expensive engine.  However, it warmed my heart when the buyer, a young father, wrote me that he and his son are really enjoying the engine.  That is really a benefit of the hobby we don't often think about; making it possible for someone else to enjoy a model even more than we did.

One expensive part of the hobby is lumber, something that most of us end up covering with scenery and never seeing again, until demolition day.  My current layout is 95% reused and repurposed lumber, sometimes having seen 3 or more uses before this layout.  The layout table is solid as a rock.  I just wish my trackwork was as solid.  I'm still working through 3 or 4 bugs. 

I'll write more when I think of it.

ARE you implying that cheap means better!

My main project is a HO setup. I did buy new engines for it: Two Bachmanns and one Broadway Limited. But they all were on clearance (not just reduced online prices).

My Lionel christmas set, i bought at a very good after-christmas clearance many years ago.

Recently I bought my first individual Lionel engine, used, in bad shape, at a local listing. I fixed it up and it runs fine now.

There are a couple upcoming train swap meets/shows. I am hoping i can find some low-priced cool old worn\broken Lionel engines that i will have fun restoring.

So that's how I do model railroading on a budget .

Several years ago I joined a HO club even though I only have O scale.  I was new to the area and just wanted to meet local train guys.  It turned out to be a really good source for old Lionel trains.  Guys who switched to HO and had old O gauge packed away.  Some free and the rest real cheap.

Like many have posted running the trains are fun, but the long term joy of this hobby is building and fixing things. Buying something new is great, but creating or repurposing or repairing something brings joy and satisfaction that all the money in the world could not buy.  Although I would like to try the unlimited money life.

One last thing,  I am completely terrible at all aspects of this hobby but with each little thing I do, I learn a lot.  When I started playing with trains 4 years ago, my friends and family thought I had finally lost it. Presently when I run across my buddies, the all ask me eventually, “Hey Ed, how are the trains going”. They love hearing about my little money saving projects, some even offer to help.

Sighhhh…… I have hundreds of engines, passenger cars and freight cars. Not to mention the hundreds of buildings my wife collects. So, I got nutin’.

I can only advocate for irresponsible model train spending.

Money spent is not the only measuring tool. Personal satisfaction is what matters and that comes in many forms and prices. Mark

It's tough out there, everything is against "less expensive" these days. The same sheet of plywood I bought last month for $50 cost me $65 yesterday. Lionel is going up, Ross, Gargraves, probably Atlas as well. It's like someone threw a switch towards the end of last year and everything cost more over night.

@Mark Boyce posted:

...that said, I as I refined my interests, I now don't buy an engine without selling an engine or several cars.  I just did that on this Forum in the last few weeks.  Since I don't have a lot of space, and never was a collector, I don't feel bad parting with something sitting on the shelf that I'm not running.  In fact, this last sale was of my most expensive engine.  ...

Wish I could do that!

One expensive part of the hobby is lumber, something that most of us end up covering with scenery and never seeing again, until demolition day.  My current layout is 95% reused and repurposed lumber, sometimes having seen 3 or more uses before this layout.  The layout table is solid as a rock.  ...

That's the way to go!  A couple of things amaze me about lumber.  One is the number of people who just toss it out; I always built my benchwork such that it would be easy to salvage most of it.  The other thing is when I look at the #2 pine that I got 30 years ago - it's straight with minimal knots; today's #2 - not so much.  When I buy lumber now, I have to get a higher grade in order to get straight pieces, which further escalates the cost.

@turkey_hollow_rr posted:

It's tough out there, everything is against "less expensive" these days. The same sheet of plywood I bought last month for $50 cost me $65 yesterday. Lionel is going up, Ross, Gargraves, probably Atlas as well. It's like someone threw a switch towards the end of last year and everything cost more over night.

When train meets return, it will be possible to get deals on used track if one is willing to deal with a little dirt or someone else's weathering.  The killer on selling used track is the cost of shipping, which is zero at a meet.  Have you ever tried to sell used track?  It's a tough sell, so watch for bargains - it's amazing what you can get by saying "will you take $X for all of it?".

The key component for me to spend less money is do some research. Never jump at the first thing you see, because there's almost always another seller selling it for less.

But here's some others I've picked up over the years:

• Always go to swap meets when you can - no shipping charges or extra fees, and the ability to bargain is much better.
• If you can settle for less than new, do it.
• Whether you're a novice or experienced repair person, always have an item tested before hand to avoid extra cost in repairs and replacement parts.
• Don't have the money for a prewar/postwar original? Look for its modern era reissue first.
• MPC/Lionel Trains Inc./early Lionel LLC era stuff can be found for dirt cheap now.
• MTH early Proto 1 equipment is also a good bargain most of the time, but always be careful about those Proto 1 circuit boards.
• Always look in a free lot that otherwise would go in the garbage - you never know what surprises are inside!
• Recycle recycle recycle! - Use your old newspaper for making mountains; use otherwise clean paper towels from drying hands or eating for cleaning wheels and track; use styrofoam from any packing material you get in the mail for scenery; use rocks in your driveway for scenery.

@Traindiesel posted:

Sighhhh…… I have hundreds of engines, passenger cars and freight cars. Not to mention the hundreds of buildings my wife collects. So, I got nutin’.

I can only advocate for irresponsible model train spending.

Brian one way to save is buy now with a credit card. By the time you have to pay it off, prices will have increased by at least 10%. The more you buy now, the more you save.

Seems quite responsible to me.

Used, secondary market items.  Just about everything, in a quickly changing hobby, can be purchased, with some rust and dust.  IMO, Mike CT.

There are always ways to save money with all this. If you aren't a collector and don't mind stuff that isn't mint, used equipment that is used is often pretty reasonable. This is especially true if you aren't looking for scale equipment. As I wrote in another post, I am seeing a lot more reasonable prices for rolling stock and engines at the train show I went to (for some reason, passenger cars are still way overpriced from what I saw, and a lot of this was Williams and semi scale stuff). If you like remote control but fear the cost of legacy and dcs command systems, lionchief is a pretty good alerternative and the engines are pretty reasonable relatively to what DCS and Legacy engines go for new.

Tinplate track is cheap and easy to get, and won't cost you a bundle, whether 027 profile or O31 profile. You can make the track look nice by adding ties or even using wood ties with tinplate rail, gluing or spiking the track to the ties.

Another trick is to limit the amount of track on the layout (I know, for many that is the fun). It actually will be more realistic looking and it cuts down on the cost, same with switches.

You can scratchbuild structures and scenery using common items, you don't need to buy expensive structures pre done. All kinds of things you have around or can be gotten cheaply can be used, cheap paint can be used to color ground colors and the like, strip wood and cardboard can be reused, takes a bit of ingenuity but you can do things with that.

Garage sales or flea markets for me have never been great for train equipment, many people doing those think anything like train stuff is "gold", "collectors items", etc and can't be bargained down. On the other hand at flea markets and the like you might find things you can use. For example, you might find deparment 56 structures if you like the tinplate style layout, and you can find those relatively cheaply IME. I have found spools of wire, I have found things like stuff from a person who built doll houses, things like glass beads that can be used as insulators on telephone polls. I saw (and to my regret didn't buy), guy had a bunch of toggle and rotary switches that could be used for a control panel, could have had the whole lot for a couple of bucks (at the time didn't think that far ahead).

Another way even if buying scale stuff is to narrow the scope. If you like a railroad, limit engines to that particular railroad, so you don't overbuy. If you have engines for other road names, either sell them or trade them to someone else for things you do need.

Used modern equipment (meaning command control) can be a way to save money, though obviously that raises questions with if the stuff runs right. Another problem , that I saw at the train show I went to, is that a lot of command control stuff that is used is still sold at very high prices relative to what a new engine would cost. Might not cost 1300 bucks or whatever, but it likely will still cost 800 or 900 from my (limited) perspective (and I am not complaining about the price per se, only saying that the cost saving may not be what people think). There can be bargains of course, saw them on here with what people were selling, but it won't save you as much. One trick is to limit your motorized fleet, so you buy a relatively few engines that are command control. While not cheap, if you have non command engines that you like, most can likely be converted for a price a lot less than a new command control engine would be (cheapest obviously is if you do it yourself).

Making model railroading less expensive? That's a good laugh. One sure way is to just have 2-3 engines and some rolling stock...frankly that's all a person needs. Then, you can use funds for scenery, interesting buildings, accessories, etc.