What do you collect?

I collect many different model railway items in all scales & gauges, but only the trains I like. I have a preference for steam locomotives pulling luxury trains.

Regards

Fred

Aquarium cars.

Mostly Postwar, in particular operating cars and accessories. There are a couple of pieces of prewar, #203 & # 1666E engines and a set of 600 series passenger cars. As to the rest, I've put together a set of 2500 series passenger cars and added examples of the modern era cars to complete them (sleeper, combine, etc.) as well as Williams Madisons, Lionel and K-Line 027 streamliners, and all the types of Postwar engines I wanted as a kid: originals, MPC reissues, and Williams repros, along with a Lionmaster PRR T-1. 

I am retired now, the collection is complete and my dream layout is finished, up and running. 

I got the most toys! I win! 

I try to collect money.  

Lots of stuff, the American Pickers should stop by.

@sncf231e I like the luxury passenger focus.  Which do you like the best?  My mind jumps to the easy ones, 20th Century Limited, Broadway Limited, Super Chief, Powhatan Arrow/Pocahontas...

@JimJohnson Aquarium cars...This is getting to the root of what I was looking for.  There have been a large number of aquarium cars made over the years.  Is there any one in particular that you enjoy or was difficult to find?

@artyoung A wide range indeed!  I enjoy all types of postwar and prewar...it sounds like you are in paradise

@Former Member lol wise man, Dan!  You need to come clean about your train and accessory collecting though

@Bill T I always look for trains in the background when they are hunting through people's collections.

I am not getting anything right now.  Unless I have seen and/or have ridden it.  I do not have the UP Rio Grande or UP heritage because I have not seen them in the wild....

Would be game for a L70 LRT.  For Houston METRO.

Now, if a piece talks to me, I might just get it.  See the 611 Jersey Central in Cool Purchases.

What do I collect?  Candidly at my age the answer might be "Dust"!  However, I just really  love the O Gauge and Std Gauge tinplate. Mostly American mfrs Lionel, American Flyer (pre-war O), Marx, Hafner, etc.  I admit a weakness for the colorful painted and lithographed cars mostly of the "prewar" era.  Although the Marx, low cost trains in both tinplate and plastic are just too much fun to pass up and they are both normally inexpensive and the engines almost always run.   However this is mostly for "shelf stock".  For operations, I usually go to the Lionel and Marx  post war / Lionel modern, MTH and some K-line as they are more reliable "runners" and parts can be found for them if needed.  I admit to stopping short of much of the new "electronics" and "command systems" as candidly I don't understand how to wire them up or use them.  I could learn but have not really wanted to bother.  My layout is ZW powered, star wired, and block controlled by toggle switches.  Just like my Dad taught me to do in the 50's (we had trains from 1947 on but being born in '44 for much of the earlier periods I just watched ! ).  Dad was senior at the company where he worked and got 3 weeks vacation while Mom who worked for the same company only got 2.  So Dad would take that 3rd week post Thanksgiving to set up the trains.  I would come home after school every day to help and learn.

Like many families in those days, although our layout was quite substantial for the time (by '53-60 covering 1/2 the basement) it went up after Thanksgiving and came down in Mid January with the trains all packed up and put back in the attic. 

I have two more "branches to my "collection". 

The first comes from the fact that I worked for the Dept of Defense (AF and Navy) in Engineering for 35 years and got sent overseas (Europe, Scandinavia, Asia) for regular field trips to our and our Allies a/c maintenance facilities when technical help was needed or to provide training to on-site folks.  Whenever I traveled to a foreign area I tried in my off hrs to get some piece of train related items, usually modest in price. So I have a very eclectic mixed collection of foreign trains / stations etc that really are more of a memory collection than anything else.  I have German trains from Marklin, Wimmer, Dressler, Bub, and Distler, UK trains from Hornby (Mecanno), Chad Valley, English Marx, a few scattered freight cars from Denmark and Norway, and lots of Japanese litho tin stuff (this stuff is just great in terms of color and quality). Due to more recent travels related to my later career I also have two full sets, in the box, of litho/plastic trains (about S gauge size) from Korea - one clockwork and one battery. 

The second "branch" of my collection involves floor toys, all trains or train related.  Mostly lithographed tin and they come from Japan, US (mostly Marx), UK (including English Marx) and some other countries.  These do not run on tracks but they make up for it with noise, music, animation, sparks, and various fantasy components (like a big Monkey as an Engineer) etc.  They are a hoot to watch and mine mostly all work as I bought them new. 

So JD is right, I guess we are all different and collect various things that make us smile.

Don

Bill T posted:

Lots of stuff, the American Pickers should stop by.

Problem with that, they will want to give you about $0.10 on the dollar and complain about that

I'm gradually putting a car in operation on the PER representing every railroad I have had the pleasure of riding on.

Livery currently in operation: B&O, Western Maryland (cheating a bit here-"riding" being a bicycle), PRR, NYC, P&LE, Wabash, Burlington, Santa Fe, UP, Espee, D&RGW (including Narrow Gauge mixed-train).

I still need: Reading (Rambles), Mopac (Colorado Eagle), Western Pacific (CZ), Milwaukee Road (various UP Varnish out of Chicago), Shawmut (excursion), Union RR (excursion), Amtrak (Pittsburgh-Chi-Ft Worth-La-Chi-Pitt).

I'd have to paint&decal myself: Apache RR (White Mountains of Aridzonza), Penn View Mt RR (Blairsville, Pa), Strasburg, East Broad Top.

JD2035RR posted:

@sncf231e I like the luxury passenger focus.  Which do you like the best?  My mind jumps to the easy ones, 20th Century Limited, Broadway Limited, Super Chief, Powhatan Arrow/Pocahontas...

 

Of course the US luxury trains you mention (not forgetting the Hiawatha's), but also luxury trains from Europe like the Wagon-Lits trains, the English Pullman trains and the German Rheingold. Many of these from my collection can be seen in my e-book on luxury trains: luxury-trains

Regards

Fred

Right now I'm collecting dust....... have way too much stuff.

"Vintage O-gauge Electric Trains"

Sounds better than junky old toy trains, but either way you put it, I am into old O gauge tinplate. Small O-27 sized stuff that I can get cheap, fix if necessary, and run on my small O-27 layout. 

Anything O gauge that carries a southeastern road name i.e. Southern Railway, Illinois Central, Seaboard, FEC, L&N,GM&O  etc.

What I like, get bored, then let someone else collect it.

Seriously, F3's, cylindrical hoppers, acf hoppers...

Back in the 80's / 90's i had to get all of the Lionel 5700 series wood side reefers. I completed that task as the hunt was better than having them (which I still do). 
I do have some McCoy and ETS trains, just get what I like as I do not need everything.

Got involved with prewar "O" and limit myself to the electrics 15 series/248/250 series and just stick to the 4 wheel cars. This way the cost is less as I buy junkers.

Also got involved with some standard gauge and jut keep to the electrics 8/33/38. On the cars I stick with the 100 series and the have some 10's series. The 110 series cars are reasonable as the others are out of my price range. Also have 35 and 36 passenger cars which are reasonable. 

Just buy what you like and can afford and have fun.

i guess you could say my collection is simple, i see something on the forum, look it up on e-bay or other sites, if i like what i see i`ll make an offer, but i mostly have pre-war lionel tinplate, just something about all those different paint colors is what i like, i don`t look for boxed sets, don`t collect 6464`s, same thing with accessories, Lionel and American Flyer and i`m a happy kid again, lol, Phil

When I got back into this in the late 80s, I started collecting Great Northern Ry. stuff, because I like the railway, its history and its operating environment. Also, there wasn't much of it on the market. Then, all of a sudden, there was a lot more  GN stuff released on the market. Therefore, I gave up collecting anything in particular. I operate.

As a sideline, I also do have a nice collection of diecast vehicles and tin litho buildings, both on and off the layout, because I like that stuff, but I don't collect anything in particular.

I like to fix up, operate, and collect postwar.  Mostly from the 40's and 50's.  Also do the same with some prewar Lionel "O".

I do have a couple of modern MTH that I bought just cause I liked the engine.

It is really fun to bring an old engine or rr car back to life!

Sadly, I just ain’t that focused. About the only real theme is conventional control and traditional size. If I like the way it looks, and feel like the deal is good, I might buy it. I don’t have tons of trains, but I have a bunch, and they cover pre-war, post-war and modern. I like them all, and I run them all.

Steam-era (more or less) scale Lionel in the road names in my sig line

Boxed examples of AHM O scale products from the late '60s/early '70s (but not paying more that about $20 per car)

Marx 8-wheel/Delux plastic w/tilt couplers in VG or better shape, usually entire boxed sets and accessories

What an odd set of groups to be together, huh?

54 mm hollowcast figures.  Britains mostly with a little of all the others.  "dimestore Figures the used to call them.  They fit perfectly with STD gauge layouts (about 1:32)

I use to say I was not a collector; I was an operator.  Now that I have way too much stuff to operate, I guess I have to admit I'm a collector.

However, my wife would say I've been a collector for years, ever since I got my first K-Line Bicentennial car.

Cappilot,

I was the same way. I considered myself an operator only until the sheer number of trains I had overwhelmed my layout, then I became a collector/operator. Oh well.

tncentrr posted:

Anything O gauge that carries a southeastern road name i.e. Southern Railway, Illinois Central, Seaboard, FEC, L&N,GM&O  etc.

Prone to that myself (except for the IC), considering where I live and my former employer (GM&O), though I do not fit the description of what most consider a "collector".

However, if it has New York Central on it, is a good steam locomotive or steam-era rolling stock model, or a good book on those and related subjects, I'm weak. I mean, just how many Niagaras do I need? (Well, there were only 27 of them: 6000-6025, and 5500 - so could one of each really be all that unreasonable? Huh? Huh?) I'll probably settle for the variety that I have - Wms/Lionel/MTH - but 3rd Rail did offer one. Oops. 

I collect primarily CNW and ATSF, but I have this affection for UP Heritage diesel locomotives. So I have several SD70ACe diesels in various paint schemes. I also like demonstrator units. I finally got smart and opted for generic rolling stock so I can use it with several locomotives.

With a few exceptions, steam era N&W. While I really like all streamlined steamers, being able to focus on just the N&W J and K2a have saved me a small fortune. For example, NYC had a lot of streamliners I would have loved to have owned.

The easiest answer is "It depends on the era in my life"  Early on I used my collecting energies to collect American Flyer S gauge trains and accessories. (My father and older brother designated an S gauge train for my use.)  I "limited" myself to the 3 digit era and collected one of almost everything with 3 digits.  The next era was to collect a "few" pieces to go with the 3 pre war American Flyer O-gauge sets and one AF Wide Gauge set that were in the family before I was. That era has morphed into collecting anything American Flyer O or Wide Gauge.  I "limited" myself (please don't laugh) to cars with 8 wheels and as many variations as possible.  This is by far the largest segment of the collection.  The collector gene that I bear has driven me to have "a few" representative examples of American Flyer's competitors during the pre war era.   So the collection also has Ives, Dorfan, Marx and of course a smattering of Lionel.  I consider myself a collector who is building a research library of toy trains. You will find most of my offerings to this site in the tinplate section.  I also have posted photos of pre war American Flyer Trains for almost 12 years over on the CTT site.  I enjoy "playing" with my trains, answering questions, and doing research and writing.

Thanks for asking and starting this thread.

Northwoods Flyer

Greg

early 50's diesel, for ex alco pa, centipede, f3's

Skipping my early collecting years that I lost in a divorce, in the 90's I purchased Williams Brass, then Weaver Brass with passenger sets then MTH.

I decided to buy all the MTH F3's up through the book issued in 2000.  Add to that the diesels mostly in UP colors and a bunch of the Steam engines.

Then I got curious about Williams.  I decided that 1984 was Williams' defining year.  Everything had come together and he issued a complete catalogue.  I decided to buy everything in that catalogue even the cheapie boxed sets.  As everyone says, 'it is in the hun't.  The F7 NH AA was a really hard item to land. (OK, I admit it was not issued in 1984 but the picture was in the catalogue) Personally I think the 1984 Williams Catalogue is as good or better than a Lionel Catalogue from 1969-1984.  While Lionel was issuing the same old thing, Williams was breaking new ground.

Do my 2000+ cameras count?

Pre and postwar O gauge. Nothing after 1956.

Dust, grey hair, aches & pains, and bad attitude

I joined the O gauge/scale world in 1997. My parent moved from their house to florida and anything in their Chicago house ended up in my house.  HO stuff arrived, most importantly the benchwork. I built my layout and then kind of went crazy, with ebay, etc.

My first engine was a GP9 Santa Fe, TMCC ready engine.  This opened the door to Santa Fe, and BNSF and of course backwards to Burlington and Burlington Northern.

At first I collected the 6464 cars.  Bought pretty much all the remakes and then several older cars.  Really liked those.  Subsequently sold 100%.

Growing up in Ohio, I figured I should model B&O, C&O and any successor railroads, welcome Conrail, CSX and Norfolk Southern.  I also went backwards from there and picked up some Southern and Norfolk Western.

I got into NYC as my son is from there, so now have a roster of steam and diesel which also then can tie to Conrail and NS.

Finally I love some of the Southern Pacific engines, daylight, black widow and the great looking grey.

As I wrote this I realize I need to purge some engines.  Maybe a different topic on that from me.

I am on limited funds.  As in my wife won't let me spend a whole lot of our disposable income on trains.   So I actually donate plasma to get my spare change to buy toys like my trains or other hobbies.

My likes and wants tend to be northeastern based trains especially New Haven or Metro North passenger stuff.   I grew up near New Haven and when I was a young kid, I was fascinated by this old man who lived at the same retirement home as my grand parents and had a really awesome double/triple dog bone layout in the basement of the building they lived at.  They lived in Whitney Center in Hamden, CT back in the 70's through the 90's, grandpa died in 2003 still there.   Often wondered what ever became of the layout. 

I was young, probably 10 years old.  He gave me some stuff, some old Tru-Scale ho track that I never utilized and ended up giving away to someone who could use it.  He also was a New York, New Haven, and Hartford modeler who liked the McGinnis era which is one of the reasons why I like that era.  

So for me I collect stuff that I can afford but I prefer passenger North Eastern based stuff but I ain't picky, beggers can't be choosers.   

Postwar, postwar, and more postwar. Oh, and prewar (to a lesser extent). At the moment, I'm trying to get more mid-40s rolling stock for my 2020.

I collect pageviews on a website established to uncollect trains accumulated for fifty years.

JD2035RR posted:

@sncf231e I like the luxury passenger focus.  Which do you like the best?  My mind jumps to the easy ones, 20th Century Limited, Broadway Limited, Super Chief, Powhatan Arrow/Pocahontas...

@JimJohnson Aquarium cars...This is getting to the root of what I was looking for.  There have been a large number of aquarium cars made over the years.  Is there any one in particular that you enjoy or was difficult to find?

@artyoung A wide range indeed!  I enjoy all types of postwar and prewar...it sounds like you are in paradise

@Former Member lol wise man, Dan!  You need to come clean about your train and accessory collecting though

@Bill T I always look for trains in the background when they are hunting through people's collections.

OK, here it is.  I like collecting operating accessories.  Particularly ones that interact with the trains, like the coal and lumber loaders for instance.

 Track side operating accessories like signals and crossing gates are next, along with things like control towers, operating switch towers and the like.  

Operating cars that don't have anything to do with loading and unloading are next on the list.  Aquarium cars, cop and hobo, brakeman car, radioactive waste cars, etc.  

O scale trolleys and traction mainly.

RKENNEY:  I loved the idea that someone is collecting the 54 mm figures, we likely all have some on our layouts or in out collection.  They were quite common "under the tree" in my youth with skaters, skiers, figures on sleds etc.  I thought you might like to see a somewhat smaller grouping, all of which are left over from my boyhood lay outs in the 1950's either O gauge or later on HO.  The larger ones are 40 mm high with the exception of the seated motorcycle cop (this was always my favorite.  The soldiers in the background are even smaller at 30 mm .  The Pullman Porter is the largest figure at about 45 mm .  I note that the poses like the lady and the engineer seem to mimic the same figures in the larger 54 mm size.  Mine have no maker on them but I am reasonably sure they are American and not Britans.  P.S. the advantage of these little guys is I can store the entire collection in a plastic cup!!

Good Hunting !

Don