i was wrong about getting a train this year my godfather changed his mind and said no
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Sorry, indeed. However, this change does not prevent you from planning. I suggest that this forces you to consider a track planning software package which will allow you to see how various configurations will work out, when you can lay track. This delay may be a God-send that will prevent future frustration and disappointment.
Keep the faith, baby!
When I was your age (back in the days of the dinosaurs), a popular song helped get me through multiple disappointments in life.
"You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, well, you just might find, you get what you need."
- Jagger / Richards
John
Part time job? Businesses are hiring all over America! A train that you worked for and purchased yourself could be a real blessing with long-term benefits and memories :-)
Sorry to hear that paigetrain, Just remember, all good things are worth waiting for.
What reason did he give you for changing his mind?
- Greg
I am curious.
Did he say "no" because of the cost, or the space required, or was it something else?
If you are able to share what it is, then perhaps we can make suggestions to help you.
Is it possible, I wonder, if you are trying to start out in the hobby with impressive top-of-the-line engines, cars and tracks, and a complicated layout, that are very expensive, instead of wading into the water gradually, as almost all of us did, with a small tubular layout, a nice used transformer, and a few nice used cars, all in VG condition? (All of this would fit neatly under your bed on a 4 x 6 sheet of plywood or homasote.)
Plunging into any hobby by starting out with buying a dream list of the best products is almost always a mistake. Very often, they don't live up to our expectations, or we grow bored with them quickly, and we sour on the hobby right out of the gate. Working your way up, from very modest used items to eventually much better, is far more rewarding, and you will learn a ton more about the hobby by gaining experience as you progress.
I hope this helps.
Mannyrock
Disappointment is part of life, and rolling with it is a skill that takes time to develop. Set realistic goals for your personal and professional lives, and try to make them happen.
I had no trains as a kid in the 1950s due to economic issues and finally got some O gauge and G gauge trains in my 40s many years later in the 1990s. I did treat myself to some HO models in my 20s, while in medical school and residency in the 1970s, built some craftsman kits for fun.
I finally built a small Z gauge layout in my mid-30s in the 1980s while juggling an academic career and small children. Was fun going through the Marklin catalog with our firstborn toddler every night. Neither of our sons has much interest in craft hobbies, much less model railroading. But both like the trains around the tree each year, in their 30s, if I manage to get around to it.
Just one person's odyssey. Your mileage will no doubt vary. Unasked for advice: find some things in the hobby that you enjoy that aren't terribly expensive (craftsman kits? designing future layouts?) but are rewarding when you're finished, and that might help you through this relatively financially austere time in your life.
@CA John posted:When I was your age (back in the days of the dinosaurs), a popular song helped get me through multiple disappointments in life.
"You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, well, you just might find, you get what you need."
- Jagger / Richards
John
John - those dinosaurs are still rocking. We saw them back in 2019 at Lincoln Field in Philadelphia. Stayed overnight near the 30th Street Station.
If I was you... I get a 2 foot my 1 foot plywood get some plaster and make a scenery with outside dried up twigs rocks etc put some saw dust green paint and make a small cardboard house , Or any idea you can think of.. (he would like)
Make it the best you can and bring it over to your Godfather .. I sure he would say . gee this need to have a train by it''....
Part of the reason is money and space. The main issue is i got a new computer last year with Trainz 2019 on it and the computer was over grand and while i am always on the computer i haven't really played trainz 2019 because i can't figure out how to do the things i want. I tried to learn equipment reskinning and that got so frustrating because i need a 200 dollar program just to paint them into the APWR schemes. my brain is too dumb and i lack the dextarity to figure out the route builder. I look on youtube and you got people with whole maps and insane skins of fantasy railroads and i'm here on kickstarter county making trains with weird lash ups that don't make sense at all and i just get bored. with my o gauge stuff i was looking for more freight cars like postwar style traditional tank cars, a modern transformer so i don't destroy my lionchief stuff, new fastrak that is the regular kind and a dual motored engine that has better motors than the engines i currently have in running condition
What's the name of this $200 program, and why is that specific program necessary to repaint a skin for a 3d model?
---PCJ
There is a lot of used MPc out there and I m sure that a lot of people have this as extras in boxes under benches. I would suggest working with used items as much as possible. The research is lot of fun and you cold have a very nice layout for a lot less than what the new Lionel items cost. I would also use O-27 track as switches are reasonable. Personally I do not have any new Lionel items as the price for the items cost to much. If you start with the older items you can always sell it and get your most if not all of your money back. Judy a suggestion to be have fun and who knows if you go this route folks may send you a piece or two for free😊
Ron's suggestion is a great one! I have given up on "new" Lionel products for three reasons: (1.) I am unable to get my two latest Legacy locomotives to "lash-up", due to differences in speeds and response times, and suggestions from the OGRF crew have not fixed it; (2.) I am unable to change out the wheel/axle sets to rid myself of the rubber tires I so despise; and (3.) the prices of the new issues are unrealistic relative to what you get for the money.
My latest addiction is the TMCC GP30 which cost less than half the price of the latest releases on eBay, replacement wheel/axle sets are readily available from Lionel, and TMCC has all the features I care to have without the expensive, complicated and currently unavailable Legacy base. For the user, the reasonably priced CAB-1L controller is virtually identical to the original TMCC version and will operate both TMCC and Legacy equipment.
In my view, Lionel peaked around the early 2000s and all the complexity that has evolved since is just expensive gimickry. Whether you go with MPC equipment or the the older TMCC trains, I think you'll be happier in both the short run and the long haul.
@Rapid Transit Holmes posted:Ron's suggestion is a great one! I have given up on "new" Lionel products for three reasons: (1.) I am unable to get my two latest Legacy locomotives to "lash-up", due to differences in speeds and response times, and suggestions from the OGRF crew have not fixed it; (2.) I am unable to change out the wheel/axle sets to rid myself of the rubber tires I so despise; and (3.) the prices of the new issues are unrealistic relative to what you get for the money.
My latest addiction is the TMCC GP30 which cost less than half the price of the latest releases on eBay, replacement wheel/axle sets are readily available from Lionel, and TMCC has all the features I care to have without the expensive, complicated and currently unavailable Legacy base. For the user, the reasonably priced CAB-1L controller is virtually identical to the original TMCC version and will operate both TMCC and Legacy equipment.
In my view, Lionel peaked around the early 2000s and all the complexity that has evolved since is just expensive gimickry. Whether you go with MPC equipment or the the older TMCC trains, I think you'll be happier in both the short run and the long haul.
hi i i like your suggestions How much do you think it would cost to get an older GP30 and have it custom painted as New Hope 2198 since i can't afford the New Hope set from 2021 . do you think i can find a 2-8-0 and have it painted as #40 maybe not this year but soon that is affordable. i don't care if its 100% accurate. i would also like to make strasburg 89 from an old railking 2-6-0 as well
@paigetrain posted:i need a 200 dollar program just to paint them into the APWR schemes.
I gotta wonder if GIMP would work here. It's a free version of Photoshop. I last used it a few years back and it was great! Took some learning but seemed pretty powerful.
Paige,
Apparently, I've dried up the market! Usually there are 5 to 10 TMCC GP30s on The Bay but today I can only find one that's even close to my price range:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/14419...2:g:jo0AAOSwmuNhORHC
I set $300 as my top dollar amount and can usually get a good one for around $250. I know they'll be back on the block, again, soon. This is an anomaly. Not being a rabid steam buff, I am not generally in the market. However, Lionel did make a very nice 2-6-0 which the produced in Strasburg paint, several years ago. I would put a memorized search on eBay and see what comes along, sometimes you're pleasantly surprised with a great deal.
As for the price of repainting, I'm sorry to say that I don't know. The last engine I had repainted was back in the early '80s and I wasn't very happy about the results. However, a search of the Forum database will bring up several who are highly touted and reliable.
I would recommend against MTH locomotives, for now, simply because the DCS system is quite expensive. That's not to say that the Lionel CAB1L is cheap at around $300 but it's much less that the cost of a DCS system. You can always run a DCS locomotive in conventional but it limits "operational flexibility" as we say on the railroad.
Another control option is getting one of the original TMCC CAB1 units. They're not compatible with Legacy but if you're not going to own Legacy units, in the immediate future, the CAB1s can be had for around $100. Also available at bargain prices are the compatible components that will allow you to run both TMCC and conventional with the CAB1. Here's an entire set of the components, less transformer, as a package deal for $199:
Hey paigetrain, hang in there, your true love for the hobby will stand the test of time. Take a look at the membership, you have a young mans face. Practically all of us began in our infancy stage, took long breaks into adulthood and came back in roaring in our 40-60's, you've got time if you really love it. It might sound ridiculous and long stemming but save up bit by bit for a train you love, the excitement in the saving and purchasing of the train or any equipment will strengthen your desire, think of ways towards your goal, I just read today that " More Gold has been extracted out of the minds of Men, than dug up on the planet Earth !) If you are driven, you'll discover a way which will make you proud of your accomplishment and probably give your Godfather a new perspective on what this hobby really means to you. Be steadfast and focused and keep your head to the sky, you'll make it.
MARSHELANGELO
@marshelangelo posted:Hey paigetrain, hang in there, your true love for the hobby will stand the test of time. Take a look at the membership, you have a young mans face. Practically all of us began in our infancy stage, took long breaks into adulthood and came back in roaring in our 40-60's, you've got time if you really love it. It might sound ridiculous and long stemming but save up bit by bit for a train you love, the excitement in the saving and purchasing of the train or any equipment will strengthen your desire, think of ways towards your goal, I just read today that " More Gold has been extracted out of the minds of Men, than dug up on the planet Earth !) If you are driven, you'll discover a way which will make you proud of your accomplishment and probably give your Godfather a new perspective on what this hobby really means to you. Be steadfast and focused and keep your head to the sky, you'll make it.
MARSHELANGELO
I really wish i could get one of the new lionel acelas - a big dream of mine . That dream has solidified since i know the santa fe version has a female engineer. i have wanted a female engineer so i can pretend my character Fenix Starr is driving. i was originally going to get the bnsf tier 4 set that had a female engineer but i heard the motors burn out really easy. plus i want a high speed train since in the Fenix Transport movies Fenix Starr owns several high speed corridors all across the us and an alternate history where high speed rail dominated American travel since the 70s before Fenix was born in 1980s. The oil crisis of the 70s led America to turn to complete railroad electrification and high speed rail. My question for Dave is will ALL the Acelas have a female engineer. i really hope so.
however the Acela are rolling out next march for 3,500 bucks and will disappear like rabbits. even if i could get one she would be a shelf queen until i could get big enough curves. i guess what i want most out this is a layout that i can share and when people look at it they can see an alternate world a utopia . a world where people evolve instead of devolve where tech is advanced but it isn't scary stuff like robot overlords and chip inplants but a world where there isn't climate change problems and big tech ruining everything . Nature and machine work together for good etc. That is what i want from this hobby. Trains are an escape from reality my security blanket in a world i don't understand a world that couldn't give a poo about a 26 year old ECU student with Autism and Cerebral palsy looking to get into a film career and work along side Shailene Woodley and Travis knight to bring Fenix Transport to life
you know when i picture my world the Louis Armstrong song comes to me and i think to myself what a wonderful world
Paige
PC track planning with software (like AnyRail - my favorite product) is a fun activity in and of itself, and practice makes perfect. The learning experience enhances your skills and leads to eventual layout-building at the level of your dream. Put another way, computer-based track planning is the digital equivalent of building your dream layout in cyberspace.
Buying gently used trains via eBay is a form of discount buying via the Web. Many sellers will consider reasonable offers in the zone of their asking price.
Others have suggested an attitude adjustment toward the hobby; i.e., start with modest and affordable acquisitions, grow a wish list, and "pay it forward" as you follow your path in the hobby.
About custom painting ...
Yes, you can hire a pro to paint what you want/need, but that service is expensive at two levels: first, when you purchase the loco; and second, when you sacrifice its factory-applied décor for the repaint scheme. That project creates a dream train to cherish as your own one-of-a-kind treasure! For many years, I collected Rock Island trains, and the only way I could own a Fairbanks-Morse H-15-44 diesel with RI décor was to buy one, sacrifice its factory paint job, and hire a pro to repaint it as Rock Island. A photo is attached.
Mike Mottler LCCA 12394
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I think in more than a few ways most of us can understand your frustration, with what you want and the limitations you have. For example, I don't have the same things you face, but lack of space and money is something many of us face or have faced. In my case, it has been a really long journey to get where I am right now, slowly building a layout. Financial obligations for many years kept me from building a layout, I had to renovate my basement before I could build and didn't have the time or money for many years to do that. Trains are expensive, and even though I am well employed, I still have a lot of things that take priority over my hobby, so I am forced to compromise, like in building my layout for conventional control until I can afford to implement command control, not just in buying the command control system(s) themselves, but also in converting my fleet of (almost all) conventional engines....so I do what I can do.
I understand about your fantasy version of a layout, after all as Arnold on here says, it is a place where we can lose ourselves from the real world. That said, you can still do the same thing , you don't need to have a legacy accella to do your dream, you could get an older one, TMCC or conventional with cars an imagine your world. As someone else said, custom painting is expensive. Some would say do it yourself, but obviously that requires skill and equipment to do that if you want it accurate, not just the painting but the decal work. I have some engines that I did where I kind of reverted to toy train like detailing, I painted the shell of an old SW unit to be 'NYC black" (well, close approximation, anyway) using spray paint, and I lettered it using dry transfer lettering (white) I found at a craft store to put "NYC" on it, with some numbers that sort of representing id marks and the like. Not scale fidelity, a true NYC fan would prob shoot me for doing that, but it was what I had.
Any train layout is a work of imagination, after all we are running on 3 rail track with track that is not even scale and with other compromises (scale curves would be like 125 inch radius and would be still tight) to let it run in a small space compared to the prototype, so really it is just the amount of imagination we use. As someone else said, for now, maybe having a modest layout that goes under your bed, or maybe on the wall of your bedroom as a shelf layout, that uses tinplate track and more modest rolling stock, might be doable financially for you and your situation.
You can always find other avenues to express your interest in model trains without buying a single locomotive or freight car. There is the CAD aspect (see attached), there is the electronics aspect, and, as mentioned, there is the unfathomable pain of creating a layout in software that you'll go on to hate for the rest of your life. I've lost myself for the last two weeks in the act of taking measurements from photos of Gunderson Maxi-I articulated well cars to create the CAD you see now. I estimate another two weeks to finish. I have my own very detailed 3D models of Atlas track that I can put together to create my own virtual layout landscape.
So, in short, if you're really into model trains, you can find numerous other routes to express the fascination and joy (cough, cough) that comes with the hobby.
Anthony
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For 38 years I used a simple loop, no straights and the same train set. Cheap but it did its job. Could set it up just about anywhere. My bed served as a tunnel.
I still dreamed and studied each new catalog.
Things always get in the way, we all have different challenges, health, financial, space and what ever you can think of. However that O-27 track and simple cheap train set was better than no train.
As a youngster my disappointment was Santa, he never brought me that dream set. Later I realized my folks didn't have extra money.
My point is enjoy what you have there is never a reason to be sorry about no new train. We all go through that. Good luck and I hope you can master your train program to.
As others have alluded to, I think perhaps your extreme frustration comes from the fact that you may have approached this hobby from the wrong end. It seems as if you may have convinced yourself that you will only be happy if you get a big time dream engine, in a custom painted fantasy skin. I realize that young folks spend lots of their time and thought in the web and fantasy world, but with time you may come to realize that that is not what the hobby of model railroading is about.
I think it is safe to say that virtually all of the folks on this board started out with the basics, and what was practical and do-able at the time, and thoroughly enjoyed it. As we learn, and grow older, and our disposable income rises, we move upward, buying more expensive and advanced locomotives and accessories, and watch our layouts grow. The fun comes from the moving up, not starting out at the very top.
I am 67, and have made lots of money in my life, and I have never succumbed to buying a dream anything. Why? Because it is an extremely expensive proposition, and in the end, you will find that the reality of the product you finally acquire never lives up to the dream, because the driving factors of the dream are in your head, . . . not in the product.
I honestly believe that if you will lower your starting-out sights, and can get something like a well running 1970s Lionel NW-2 with a pullmor motor, or similar loco, or maybe a later model with a single can motor, and a string of inexpensive box cars, in something like the Sante Fe, Union Pacific, or Southern Pacific line, and put them on an oval track with a small transformer, and actually start running the train, you will find enjoyment in it, and in a little while, you know what to buy next.
Until then, though, I fear that you will be stuck with the dream desire in your head, and no real starting place.
And, there is something really funny about becoming obsessed with the desire to buy a high end dream product. You will find that after a year or two, you'll be interested in getting something totally different and will be scratching your head and wondering why in the world you wanted the original dream product in the first place.
Louie Armstrong did not start out with a top-of-the line Bach or Selmer trumpet. He started out with a beat-up no-name horn, issued by his little elementary school or cast off by someone who just didn't like it.
Mannyrock
Might be worth looking into RAILROADS Online! or Derail Valley. Both games on Steam. The first one lets you build a railroad in a world that actually has to haul stuff and exist. I think the second game has predefined railroads. Either way, it might be enough to scratch your itch.
@BillYo414 posted:Might be worth looking into RAILROADS Online! or Derail Valley. Both games on Steam. The first one lets you build a railroad in a world that actually has to haul stuff and exist. I think the second game has predefined railroads. Either way, it might be enough to scratch your itch.
I was waiting for someone to mention those.
@A. Wells posted:I was waiting for someone to mention those.
Haven't played either but I have watched some videos on the Youtube and they look like a lot of fun. Im thinking of buying one of them over the winter.
@Mike H Mottler posted:Buying gently used trains via eBay is a form of discount buying via the Web. Many sellers will consider reasonable offers in the zone of their asking price.
Probably better is buying right here on the forum! It's also usually way more predictable as to what you'll be getting.
Another game in that vein is Transport Fever 2. You do have to start with road vehicles, but once you build up enough money linking raw material producers, factories and towns, you can go nuts building and outfitting railroads to carry freight and passengers. Check out YouTuber Colonel Failure for his playthroughs, where he extensively narrates what he's doing as he's doing it, with a particular bias toward railroads (there's also ship and aircraft network building). He doesn't always get it right, hence his name and his logo (a bulldozer) 
---PCJ
@BillYo414 posted:Haven't played either but I have watched some videos on the Youtube and they look like a lot of fun. Im thinking of buying one of them over the winter.
FYI: Most of the positive I've seen on the net relates to RAILROADS.
Likewise. It seems RAILROADS is a bit more developed from what I gather. I think Derail Valley is still in being developed.
It's a lot more of a game and not a railroad but Railroad Tycoon 3 was a beast of a game. You don't get to drive trains really but man I played the heck out of that game as a kid haha
LOL! You guys with the video game suggestions are "fantasy" enablers!
Time to drag Paige into the real mechanical world. :-)
Mannyrock
@Mannyrock posted:LOL! You guys with the video game suggestions are "fantasy" enablers!
Time to drag Paige into the real mechanical world. :-)
Mannyrock
wait a minute what are you saying real mechanical world . i like my polar express and fantasy stuff its calming
Hey can some one tag Dave Olsen about my Acela question will the female crew talk be in all versions of the Acela or just Santa Fe
sorry i just want to know just in case by epic chance a miracle happens like me and Shailene Woodley become friends and she helps me get the Polar Express Acela and Aaron Rodgers helps me design a layout similar to RBP Trains. which if you haven't seen RBP's channel check it out . his layout is Chef's kiss beautiful
sorry guys i might need help with my brain in whole thing
