Too Many Trains? A Good Problem?

I should add that I have also have some Marklin HO and have started building O-scale craftsman kits for an On30 layout.  I will be retiring next month and want to keep busy!  I have another space carved out for that in my 22' x 32' garage workshop.

@PittsburghTim posted:

I am sure that I am not alone and was wondering what others have or would do in this situation.

I moved to a house with a nice sized finished basement, problem solved.

Like you, many of us have never met a train that we didn’t love. I started with American Flyer ( I still own all of it.) Switched to HO. Went dormant until Lionel reintroduced American Flyer by Lionel. Binge bought everything that Lionel produced. Fell in love with LGB. “Collected” everything that LGB offered. Fell in love with MTH la la la!

Along the way, I was shocked to hear that one of my train colleagues sold some of his trains to make room for his latest desire.

And overtime my focus changed as MTH and later Lionel innovated great new trains. So overtime, I have concentrated on 3 rail O Gauge. And even there, focused on one or two real railroads. I have sold most of the items that don’t fit and most of the items that resided in boxes never to see the light of day.

My advice is focus on one or two scales and a few prototypes. If you don’t run it or display it, find a new home for it.

Good luck and continue to enjoy your passion.

I have O and G gauge. The G gauge is for outside and the O gauge is for a Xmas layout. My first memories are from about 5 years old of my dad’s trains and except for a few teenage years have always had trains. Up until recently only bought trains never sold any. Well now that I’ve reached 70 have begun to slowly started to thin the herd. So to answer your questions you’re much too young to start to sell your trains and if you like what you have enjoy them and don’t worry about it

Compared to many forum members, I do not have many trains.  I have mostly O gauge, but also have some N scale and a very few inexpensive HO as well.  I'm 68 and have been retired for 5 years.  We have a modest home, and may need to move to a one story home in the future.  Some on the forum may have noticed my For Sale posts.  I have been selling a few cars and engines over the last few years.  Sometimes it is to make room for something new I want and other times it is just to thin the herd. 

As for the layout, many here have seen my Blackwater Canyon Line posts.  It has always been a struggle to run what I would like in an 11 x 11 room.  Even though I built it for accessibility as I get older, I didn't consider that I would have trouble bending over or under the layout 30" deep.  I have two levels.  The higher the elevation, the harder to reach the back of the layout.  I may never scenic it back to the backdrop, but just put up view blocks at this point.  So, I wouldn't hesitate removing the upper level.  If I build another layout, it will be one level.  As for my N scale, I am taking care of that by building lightweight small modules.

I wish I was 58 again. too many trains, impossible!

@feet posted:

I wish I was 58 again. too many trains, impossible!

😄 Don, I am with you wishing I was 58 again.  The last 10 years have taken a toll!  😄

@Mark Boyce and @feet, that is why I am retiring next month.  I was planning on going until I was 62, but had a really lousy day at work last September.  That weekend I looked at my pension and retirement savings and realized I can retire comfortably as soon as I could collect my pension, which is on my 58th birthday!  I almost want to thank the *** that triggered me to take a fresh look at my finances as he has helped me achieve freedom to pursue my hobbies (in addition to trains I build furniture, am an avid woodcarver, dabble in blacksmithing, and paint landscapes) four years earlier than I had planned!  I think for now I am going to lower my middle and top levels of my new train platform.  Having them mocked-up in my game room has given me a fairly good idea of how they fit/feel in the space. 

After completing my toy train display, I have a nice space carver out in my oversized garage for On30 and HO scale layouts.  I have already several trains in both scales and have been amassing a collection of building kits over the last ten or so years to keep me busy for a number of years, God willing.

PS  I never said that I have too many trains.  I always purchased items that tickled my fancy.  I have never purchased a train or toy as an "investment" as I used to hear others say.  As my tastes have changed, I have given many sets and made-up sets to family and friends with children.   I consider it my way of encouraging the next generation of train nuts!

Thanks for your input and Merry Christmas, Tim

Too many trains?????

Does such a thing exist?

In all seriousness, I applaud you for being able to retire.  I will be 56 in a little over two weeks and retirement is not even close.  It helps that I enjoy my career and have found that my peak earning years are still ahead of me for at least another 10 years.  In the meantime, I have amassed a huge collection of trains that I do truly enjoy.  The future layout in my head will require some serious planning and the proper finances, but like you, I do not see this hobby as an investment.  I have modeled in HO, N, 3 rail O, 2 rail O, and standard gauge.  They are all enjoyable for many reasons and still are.  For me the hobby doesn't have a destination, but an undetermined journey that leads us to interesting places and how we get there doesn't matter much.

I currently do not have space for a train room, but it has not diminished my enjoyment of this hobby.  I do belong to an excellent operating club with a fabulous layout though.  We all make the best of what we have with the space we have to enjoy our wonderful hobby.  My wife's career may take us elsewhere in the next 5 years and I look to that as an opportunity to build the layout I'm dreaming of at home.  However, if it never happens, I'm not going to worry too much.

I don't have much advice for your layout other than it often takes more than one try to figure it out and part of the fun is in the experimentation to find out what works best for you.  Over the years, I've had something like 8 different layouts to various levels of completion and got enjoyment from all of them.