Thoughts on what happens to your toys when you pass away.

Last year, after I turned 76, I decided to tear down the whole layout, and have Stout Auctions handle the sale of all my locomotives and rolling stock. Even though I was a 3-Rail Scale modeler (everything with Kadee couplers and may 2-Rail Scale freight cars), the Stout folks drove to our house in the western suburbs of Chicago, and picked up everything with their van and trailer. Thus, within months, everything was gone, and our kids and grandkids don't have to worry about "all that stuff upstairs"! They had no interest in my model railroad hobby anyway, and since my eyesight and fingers are NOT what they used to be, I and my wife are very relieved that it is all gone.  

Hot Water. At the present time my health and eyesight are OK I do wear reading glasses of course, but I am able to move around with no problems and I am 76 as well here in Perth there is really no 'wealthy"  O scalers that would come along and give me say $10,000 for the lot even if I wanted to sell it so the wife says it stays till she goes it's not in the way the room is a part of the house but is right away from the rest of the rooms. These photos show where the entrance to the room is the rest of the house is to the right side of the photos. Roo.

I will have my kids donate the layout and trains to the local train club that is a 501C3. That way they can take a tax credit which will benefit them better and they will not have to worry about tearing it down or selling train items. 

A few of my locos may end up on display shelves at my kids homes. Generally speaking, I want to put together a rough price list as a guide.

Not that they will get anywhere near what I paid, but if they choose not to give them away. Maybe they will be able to rub a few nickles together when its all said and done.

In the end, it really doesn't matter.

I'm late to the game. I started collecting 20 years ago. I had a space to start a layout 9 years ago. I had the funds to do something 3 years ago, but now I'm losing my motivation (age). I do want to follow through. Probably no scenery. These trains are worth a fraction of what we paid for them.

As I am widowed, it's up to my daughter to do with it as she may.

Roo,

I greatly admire your talents, so please don't take what I say personally if I respectfully disagree with you.  Stocks go up and down in value, becoming wedded to stocks is considered a major problem with people. Shopping malls became popular and then they are not, now maybe they will be again. A lot of people have lost their shirts on sure stocks that tanked.  I have a 35 mm Nikon film cameras and film equipment that I held on for far too long and will probably give to Good will or get pennies on a  dollar.   Value is truly in the eye of the beholder and times are always changing.  So, although things have become less valued by the community at large, and may not bring a dollar in the marketplace.  You could have invested in bad stock, cameras about to be replaced by digital phones and cameras, land in stores that went under and never had the hours of enjoyment you have always demonstrated to us in your fantastic creations.

You may not be able to give your collection to your children, but I am sure that each of them will want at least one of your creations to remind them of the way you did things and what you thought were important.

In the end, it is not what is written in our letters and thoughts of our loved ones but that we cared enough to write them letters and keep them in our thoughts that truly matters.

Just a thought.

Manny Levin

My plan is to take them with me.  I haven't figured out how to accomplish that yet.  At least I have a few years on you "older" guys to figure it out as I am only 75.  

I will most likely will my trains to my model railroad club.  The younger guys can keep what they want for the club and sell the rest to raise money.  The club always needs money for it projects.  The club has given me many good times over the years and I want to give something back.  NH Joe

When we pass away, someone else will play with our trains.  Or maybe someone else will reap a few dollars from them.  Or maybe someone else will give them to someone who it interested in trains.   

My wife and I built our house and most everything in it.  It is our hope that one of our children will inherit and cherish it.  But since no one has a crystal ball and we have no control over what happens to our belongings after we're gone, we cannot obsess over it.  

Sure, I would like to see my trains live on, giving someone as much enjoyment out of them as I am having.  But unless we know for sure that we are coming back, we need to enjoy them now and let the future bring what it may.

I've often thought of... what is the BEST thing to do with my trains when I go to the great RR in the sky.   I wouldn't want to burden Mrs. Rule292 with getting rid of them nor should that have to matter to her.  Easiest way would be "to the auction".

In my case I've spent many years collecting O scale brass as to accurately model the southwestern Pennsylvania "coal patch" areas.   I hope to have all of the necessary buildings on the layout to make it a pretty accurate representation of the PRR in the soft coal regions of PA. 

I really need to see if any of the local historical societies in that area would be interested in them for a model railroad exhibit.

That is, if anyone is still interested in model railroading from the "golden era" of the WWII.  

It's a train. It's not an investment, retirement money or a hidden source of wealth. It's a train.

In my case if I wasn't into trains I probably would have spent the money on vacation, great dinners or some other cool thing. At least with trains I have something. 

Now when I'm dead I doubt I will worry to much about the trains. Maybe one of the kids will take some, I doubt they would have the space to take them all.

My guess is they will toss some, take some, give some away or try their hand at eBay. I know they might be using some choice words as they go through it all. Who knows maybe they will call some auction. Bottom line I'm dead and I'm not going to care.

So it's my hobby, my love not my families. It certainly is any money that I or the wife needs if we make it to retirement. 

Bottom line is I'm not going to worry about some toy trains after I die. However some days i wish we would have bought less trains and went on more vacation or out for more steak dinners. Or as my would say maybe put new siding on the house.

Early on, fortunately, I sold off my brass collection, then I gave away all my excess plastic what's left is just a modest assortment of equipment.   More effort spent on playing with the wood work & wiring but that is all destined for the dumpster.  My RR has no effect on our finances.

Simon Winter posted:

To paraphrase Rhett Butler: Frankly I don't give a d*m!

Why you ask? Because sooner or later it will ALL end up in some garbage heep. I'll enjoy it while I have it, and that does NOT include worrying about where it's going to in the future. 

Simon

 

I am with Simon.  I hope my parts can go to someone who can use them.  My locomotives are fairly valuable, but shipping would be a giant pain.  My airplanes have fairly good market value, but the spare wings and engines will be like train parts.

I even have a pair of 1965 Mustang convertibles.  Cost me next to nothing - the best cost $188.  Now a paint job is ten grand.  They, too, can go to the scrap yard; I got my money's worth decades ago.

I just wish a museum somewhere would be interested in a Cab Forward interpretive display.  I do not want them stored or sold by a museum.

I "second the motion" about Stout Auctions. They drove to my house, picked up my stored O-gauge Rock Island train collection, accessories, and control gear from three different storage sites, and hauled it away. They did the photography and text descriptions, and posted the stuff on their website in advance of a designated AUCTION DAY.  My inventory list was about eight pages long.  Nearly all the pieces were sold in a weekend. They promptly sent me a check for nearly $15K, which I considered close to then-current market value.

My decision to sell was motivated by medical reality (a TIA, a stroke, and a cardiac incident) as I approached the mid-70s.  I wanted to spare my wife/widow the trauma of dealing with the collection after I boarded the Celestial Express headed to the Terminal at the end of the line. 

I kept a few few favorite pieces, and I have allocated them in my will to family members as memory-makers. During my 25 years of collecting (age 50 to 75), I never considered trains an "investment" -- except as an investment in family fun.

Other contributors to this thread have mentioned gifting their collection to a local train club - a thoughtful gesture.

Mike Mottler    LCCA 12394

There are two different stories here one is what will happen to my trains in West Australia and two what will happen to members trains in America. I live in a very remote place and shipping is a very expensive proposition for even the smallest item.

I have thought about giving the whole lot (If Margaret wanted to) to the local club apart from that it would stay in the house till the kids made a decision until then I'm not really concerned about it I'm still working on and running it and hope to for a few years yet.  And I am not offended by any of the posts here I would be offended if everyone agreed with me !  

I would have posted this original message on the "estates" thread but did not think it was relevant to that thread. Roo.

I have come into this hobby later, and Many people have given me their mistakes or passionlost ventures. I have very little money invested but I have so much, but I know there is little value or people would not have given so freely.

Still, have not built a permanent layout,  Quantification of trains. Having a good time, right on time, ending up with dimes.

I don't Care what happens to them, they can be sold, used or trashed. I assume they will be trashed as I have nobody to leave them to. I have had decades of fun and will till the day I die. 

No need for me to worry. 

Dave

When I go there will be no one left so a Trust will be responsible for selling everything and all the money goes to charities I have designated.

I keep a close to up to date inventory annotated with information so as to leave a minimal burden for whoever to deal with whenever that is needed. I'll also be looking to name a "train executor" to guide that process and so minimize decision making for the family.

Mine to the dumpster, had my fun, family needs to move on.  Only land and guns have a future life.

Renovo PRR posted:

It's a train. It's not an investment, retirement money or a hidden source of wealth. It's a train.

In my case if I wasn't into trains I probably would have spent the money on vacation, great dinners or some other cool thing. At least with trains I have something. 

Now when I'm dead I doubt I will worry to much about the trains. Maybe one of the kids will take some, I doubt they would have the space to take them all.

My guess is they will toss some, take some, give some away or try their hand at eBay. I know they might be using some choice words as they go through it all. Who knows maybe they will call some auction. Bottom line I'm dead and I'm not going to care.

So it's my hobby, my love not my families. It certainly is any money that I or the wife needs if we make it to retirement. 

Bottom line is I'm not going to worry about some toy trains after I die. However some days i wish we would have bought less trains and went on more vacation or out for more steak dinners. Or as my would say maybe put new siding on the house.

 

We've had this topic before, as we all know.  But each time, we come up with new opinions.  That's a good thing.  It shows that we care.  My uncle, who passed away last Spring, was a collector of everything.  Mostly tools and machinery.  My aunt, his wife who passed away seventeen years ago, was also a sort of collector, china, linens, books.  We've been working on clearing out and cleaning out the house, barn, sheds and property since his death in May.  

We, our children, my nieces, and some friends of my uncle have all taken stuff that we can use.  We've had a garage and estate sale.  We've filled a half dozen 30 yard dumpsters with unusable items and trash.  We have also filled four or five twenty yard dumpsters with scrap metal, which we were paid for.  We're not finished yet.  Since I am his sole heir, it has been my responsibility.  

The bottom line here is that we were not responsible for amassing all of my aunt and uncle's belongings.  So we cannot feel guilty when we did rid of most of it, whether it's through sales, donations or trashing.  I believe my uncle is watching over us and is happy with the way we are handling his estate. 

I had posted this before. One of the members of the Fort Pitt High Railers, died suddenly with a considerable collection/home layout.  A group effort, organized most of the items for purchase by a local company who specializes it liquidating collects.  A truck was provided at the home, we helped load.  There was still a lot of items, when the truck was full, Dan, (Fort Pitt group), rented a second truck, which we loaded, and transported the remainder of the collection to south of Pittsburgh. We helped unload both trucks.    All, including trucking, and fees, a net of 10 to 12% of retail purchase price.  

I spent a couple of extra days dismantling the old layout, and removing plywood/wood, and material from a lower basement area.  Matt's wife had asked, (the Fort Pitt group), for some additional work, There was some wiring associated with the layout that needed rerouted/made safe/etc. that needed attention.  Another Fort Pitt member said he would do this work.   I have not been back.   A couple of years ago.  

Just some thoughts,  Michael C. Thompson.  

I don't care really.

I didn't buy them just to worry about dying.

The most important aspect of this topic is have a written plan for when you pass away.  Even for me at 50, I have a plan.  My main problem is I need to write it down.

My main wish is to have my family get whatever value they can out of it.  The instructions I leave will simply indicate which parts of my collection might be worth something and which parts are not.  So often at my TCA Division we receive consignments that come from family members who have no clue to what they have.  Having seen that, it is my intent to at least provide some guidance. 

My father has been clear with me over the last 15 years that all his trains will come to me.  While he is in excellent health, he has started giving them to me now in bits and pieces as he rediscovers what he has accumulated over the years.  He is very open with me that he has no interest what I do with the collection.  Sell what I want or keep what I want.

Bob2, side question, you mention Mustangs and airplanes.  Do I remember correctly a photo in Tom's  48/ft of you with a airplane wing sitting on top of a mustang convertible from 25 years ago?

Yes.  I just brought another wing home.  New spars and ribs, but cannot spray paint at the airport.  So, instead of filters, my overspray will (legally) head for the ozone hole.

On the will - or trust - by all means write it down.  Use ball point, sign and date it, and give it to the person you want to have it.  Legal in all states, I believe.  You can create a trust the same way.

Oral wills do not work everywhere.  A famous collector told enough folks who he wanted his trains to go to that it would have worked in California.  Would not work in his home state.  His wishes were not honored.

So do it now.  Takes ten minutes.

dkdkrd posted:

I'm considering doing what I understand many of the Megopolis (I-95 corridor) urbs have done...give ye olde trains to the fishies.  

I thought it was so nice to read of them dumping old subway cars into the ocean to give the fishies a nice new place to call home.  Nice precedence!  Even the environmentalists applauded!  (Always wondered, though, whether rising sea levels had more to do with the dumping of railroad equipment into Davy Jones' Locker than global climate catastrophe change. )

So, I'm considering bequeathing my collection to a sizeable local purveyor of aquariums....home, commercial, institutional.  Dump the trains into the aquariums and the fishies will some nice, colorful digs.  After all, it's just another form 'display' of the trains.....something most of them have been acquainted with on dusty shelves!  And, no more dusting!

Amazing what a glass of good wine, soft music, leaving the TV turned off, noise cancellation headphones, and surviving another septuagenarian year will do to bring clarity to this thread's underlying question.

--------

OK.  My wife's into the hobby.  She's 10 years younger, with a family gene pool benefit of, oh say, another 20 years... 

I should worry about the trains????

Nah.

KD

It would be interesting to see the effect  of the oil, grease, paint, rust, enamel,.and shelf dust would have on the aquarium lifeforms.  

Thoughts on what happens to your toys when you pass away.  

You won't be thinking about it.

If you have a $100k worth of trains. Tell your heirs that they will be lucky to net $25-30k and then they won't be holding out for an unrealistic figure. 2cents

I'll have other things to think about.

The same holds true for just about everything we own.  Some things may have more value than others but in the end it's all headed to the dump unless someone else wants it.  I used to collect beer steins. I like the look of them.  We're preparing for a move and realized I don't pay much attention to them any more so why take them all.  Some have meaning so they may come along, others I've tried to sell at garage sales.  Only two have left my possession.  I guess they'll be donated to Goodwill, AMvets or the like.  I would hate to throw them way but that might be the easiest solution.

Planning on a layout after the move.  Smaller than the one planned for this house, that never materialized so I know I have way too much stuff.  Started trying to thin the heard on the for sale forum and at a club open house tat allowed guests to bring items for sale.  Of the twenty or so pieces I tried to sell to like minded people only three have moved along.  Once I get my layout planned and benchwork up, I'll see how much of it will get used then I'll have to give ebay a try.  I expect only pennies on the dollar once all is said and done but it's not about making money it's just disheartening to through things away that I feel still have value.  I guess it's just the way a lot of us were brought up.

I won't be here so not my problem...

Funny to see folks that often fought over nickels and dimes when buying something to say "I don't care if it all goes in the garbage".  Strange conundrum of life.  Almost makes me wonder if folks have wills or simply throw their houses and cars and possessions away.

I can't make myself sell my collection. My daughter will take care of disposing of it. Wait a minute, I'm not going to pass away. 

Kids will sell the trains surely , just at dinner table today the Mrs said she will have to bury me in a very big coffin to put all my wrist watches and windup clocks in there, told her to pass on several pocket watches that were grandfathers when i was showing her my latest purchase.

One thing i have to say about the Mrs she never gave me a hard time about buying things i suppose i'm lucky .

Its hard to say what will happen to my trains and layout that took me 17 years to build when I go. My grandson loves to watch the layout but like all youngsters he's obsessed with the smartphone.  I just hope that something good happens with them but model trains are a dying hobby so who knows. I guess after they lock me in the box what happens is no longer my worry. We all leave the same way, broke and don't take anything with us.

GVDobler posted:

If you have a $100k worth of trains. Tell your heirs that they will be lucky to net $25-30k and then they won't be holding out for an unrealistic figure. 2cents

I have most would say is a very large collection. I plan on my wife and kids do as they like with them. I plan on going in the oven and my aches will be placed in two gold plated cars being led by a scale GG1. I will leave instructions in the will that The trains with me inside them will remain on the Shelf above the fireplace.   I will also ask that the train be run around the Christmas tree. I may not be able to take them with me, but nobody can say I cannot ride in them.

Rule292 posted:

Funny to see folks that often fought over nickels and dimes when buying something to say "I don't care if it all goes in the garbage".  Strange conundrum of life.  Almost makes me wonder if folks have wills or simply throw their houses and cars and possessions away.

Where I live land is worth far more than houses, knocking them down all the time nobody throws land away. Roo