What Things Have You Bought or Used & Later Regretted It?

I could use that HO watertower and o gauge Bachmann bridge.
Mike

I have had a love affair with CP 1800 since childhood! It was the first diesel I'd ever seen.

We were so bored with steam!!! LOL!!! How things change, eh?

 

Well, I read that Weaver made an E8 in CP1800 Beaver Crest colours in 1992. Hard to find. Technologically ancient! Not so much as a horn! Conventional only. Not really very detailed either. WHAT???? No stacks??? Nope . . . not a stack. I found one. Should I buy it though?????

I did.

 

MTH offered CP1800 in the reviled Multimark livery in 2010. Multimark??? Yuch! I'd never buy CP1800 in THAT paint job. It was a much better detailed model than the Weaver. And had sound! But it was not MY CP1800!  And, to boot they sold it with two totally fictitious B units! Ridiculous! I'll never buy it!!!

 

But . . . I did.

 

Now I am trying valiantly, or so I tell myself, to turn a sow's ear into a silk purse by modding the 1992 Weaver body and setting it onto the 2010 MTH chassis.

 

Regrets??? HECK NO!!!I should! But I don't!

 

Well not until 3rd Rail announced they would be offering CP1800-1802 in Beaver Crest paint next year!

 

Seems CP1800 will never be "done" for me!

 

 

My big item would be the Acela (Loved it and hated it) glad I got rid of it. Less impact on the wallet were my non cruise Kline engines that never see the light of day (RS3s).

Lionel O-31 switches from the 80's or 90's, the ones with the removable track pieces. I got a bunch of them cheap, but now I know why...

Lionel Rock Island Northern 18001.  Useful only as a door stop

The Northern(s) are a good call. But they did run good after the motor bushings were replaced.

LOL! winrose46 ditto on the Acela was great when it was working went back to Lionel 3 times for repairs & the last 1 was on me ($240) sold it at Stouts & got some $$$ back also glad to get rid of it, also could not take it off the track and put it back with out screwing up something and required to much real-estate to leave it parked. Big expensive overpriced JUNK! So many other things for less money & trouble FREE! TRAIN NERD AL   

When I first started in the hobby I bought a lot of stuff that I regretted, but I suppose that is part of the learning process.  I just sold it off at a lost and chalked it up to the cost of my early education.  Specifically, it was 21" passenger cars that could never, ever run on my layout.  Older conventional stuff that had to go once I learned I liked Legagy, and a consignment TMCC Great Northern FA2 set that never ran.  Since then I buy new from reputable dealers (on sale if possible).  I feel like otherwise there is too much risk. 

 

Ben

I know this is humor, but I really wouldn't give a crap what visitors think if I were you. If I cared what people think, I wouldn't be buying toy trains while in college...

I have a bunch of the older MTH racks. Of course when you put them next to the new Lionel's they look horrible. I'm not super fussy about details, as long as the casual viewer can tell what it is. As it turned out I was buying MTH when everyone else was selling, so the price was right. In a perfect world all my trains would be accurate scale models.

 

I have a solution in mind to mitigate this problem, involving car cards and routing. Keep the MTH's away from the Lionel's. The Lionel's would go to the Ford plant via the CP, and the MTH's would go to the St Paul off loading facility via the BNSF. MTH's could also go on through trains and not be switched at all.

 

Funny thing is, the Atlas articulateds blend nicely with either brand, and could travel anywhere on the layout.

After my teen years in HO, interrupted by school, and while later pursuing an auto hobby, I still was picking up HO rolling stock, mostly cars, that had a Colorado road name or connection.  I accumulated a LOT of it, which is now buried in boxes, for when my interest in trains increeased again, it was over my childhood tinplate.  When I did get back into tinplate and was going to shows, a friend wanted me to pick up Pennsy items.

I did but they retired, lost interest, and I have no interest in Pennsy, but I have had a

number of Pennsy items, including locomotives, for some time, most if not all new in

the box.

And, of course, there are things I bought for myself, that I should not have.

I guess a boxed #47 crossing gate and a boxed #313 Bascule bridge.  I have never used them.  Don't know what I was thinking.

The 60' streamlined Santa Fe passenger cars I'm trying to trade in the FS forum.  My dad gave me a Santa Fe diesel and I purchased these cars to match.  I should have taken the diesel with me.  Unfortunately, they are too large for my diesel.  There's about 10 diesels I'd like to purchase before I think about a larger Santa Fe unit.  The cars are really nice but they look out of place attached to my shorter F3 unit.

I love this thread! It makes me feel better about my mistakes!  I even forgot about a few, like a WBB J Class that was a pile of junk.  The biggest blunder for me was buying a premier ps1 prr k4 at a tca show.  The guy told me it ran great so I took his word for it.  Got home and it was stuck in Neutral.  

I am lucky - only three things:

 

One, a Mini-Scale Hudson for a friend who then said he didn't want it.

 

Two - those MTH metal pseudo-700-series freight cars (even  Williams did them better)

 

Three - my 2003 Ford Ranger - an engineering debacle.

You should've seen this would be a problem going into the purchase!

I've had enough problems with modern era stuff (electronic e-units and sound units) that I constantly expect them to fail. Sort of takes the fun out of things. Thank goodness for all my conventional control Postwar and MPC. Anyway, I'm glad I never got into all the computer-control systems, I'd probably have gone to Brio by now.

Have stuff that I get from raffles that I sell at Swap meets then I turn around and buy something. Lately I have had the fettish to buy SP and SF. The thing I regret Buying is an Alaska K-Line GP-38. Sounds are the same sounds in every K-Line TMCC Disesl. I wish the guy I bought it from had a MTH Premier GP-30 so I could lash it up with my other GP-30 SF that is Blue and Yellow.

Early 1990's Kline engines, passenger and freight cars!! What a waste of money!!!............rogerw

A MTH CSX SD70ACe which was a totally impulsive purchase at a Greenberg show 3 or 4 years ago. It runs OK most of time, but has occasional issues in doubleheading  with other engines. The sound system is extremely funky, with the volume way down no matter how many times I try to turn it up.

 

I also kind of wish that my Montour Mikado had come with a tether instead of a wireless drawbar. The engine looks extremely silly on straights, where the distance between the cab and tender deck is magnified. The wireless drawbar also led to some issues with operability.

 

For a couple months I owned an MTH Premier Genesis which ran and sounded great. Its only issues were that, at the time, I didn't have any Amfleets for it to pull, and the fact that it had some trouble and looked weird going around O-31 curves. I sold that engine, but every now and then I wish I had kept it.

 

Check out my website's "Home" section, it has my email at the bottom of the main page, right above the links section...

Actually when you replaced the bearings they then ran much better, very smooth, not can motor smooth but smoother. Loved the engine but when I first got it, what a dog. P

Great thread so I can finally express my grief.

Lionel Lone Ranger General, didn't know it was all plastic

MTH Rail King UP Turbine, boring the engine sound is cool for 2 minutes

MTH and K-Line GG-1's, good locomotives but nothing proper to pull behind them.

MTH DCS System, Pure junk with no customer support a waste of 300.00

 

Just thinking about this makes me slump lower in my chair.

 

6464-325 B&O Sentinel Boxcar  boxed. Thought I would start with the hard ones.

1872 General Set  boxed.  Really doesn't blend in with the GG-1 and F3s.

2530 Large Door boxed.  You cant tell that much difference in the door size when its running.

1950 773.  Great engine, I just paid way too much for it.

 

I can list these with some confidence that my wife will not read this forum.

 

I could take a chance and list more, but what if she did take an interest in trains and reads this?   Now that does strike fear into me.

The MTH Railking Imperial Dreyfuss with PS3. I only ran it once and it hasnt run since.

I knew a guy who bought a live steam #1 (G scale track) UP 4000 'Big Boy', and you can imagine what he paid for it.

He ran it once and decided it was way too much work. He tried to sell it and couldn't get anyone to commit to even a third of what he'd paid for it. Everyone would say it was 'used' and you never know what problems it might have. It's not like you could throw it on track and run it.

I decided from his experience to never put that much money into something like that.

I'd imagine it's about like buying a custom car, what one person likes/thinks is cool is FAR from what someone else might, and resale is difficult as a result

More disappointed than regretful was the purchase 20+ years ago of a 2373 CP passenger set--second version with two coaches replacing two of the vista domes from the previous year's release; and, purchased at York for a great price when these were a very hot PW item.

 

When I got the set home, I was surprised that I didn't like the set; and, since I've never been a collector, sold the set to a dealer a week later for double what I'd paid for it.  So, it worked out financially, but I wish I'd really liked the set and could have enjoyed it--but, it didn't float my boat.

 

 

Yeah. I take my WW2 Jeep to car shows every now and then and I've learned one thing about hot rods; you can never get out of one what you've put into it. That's why you hardly ever hear of someone selling a hot rod who isn't in bad financial problems or is close to death.

Unfortunately, lots of stuff that I found out to be less than good.  There is a four letter word that rhymes with rap and starts with c.  You get the drift.

Gentlemen,

    Because I love Tin Plate Trains so much I have nothing to regret about my purchases, original Pre War or MTH Reproduction, I have no regrets.  My regret is that I sold my entire Tin Plate Village when we converted the big layout into Lionel Plasticville stuff when I was in high school.  Gifted another young man all the Plasticville villages a few years back.   Giving up the original Pre War Tin Plate village I truly regret, very foolish move on my part.  Especially the Tin Plate Farm my Grandfather gave me for Christmas, shown in the picture below in 1950.

PCRR/Dave

 

 

 

Dave, I truly feel your pain.  

Bob S,

    As a High School student I made a few mistakes, no doubt about it, the cost of growing up!  I never realized at the time what kind memories that Tin Plate, would create for me. All I can remember about doing it was my Father saying, you and your Grandpa are very close, you may regret this particular sale some day.  I found out shortly after that, what my Father was trying to tell me.  My only O Gauge regret, and man it's a big one.

 

PCRR/Dave

Hmm.  Where to begin?

• DCS - what a complete cluster.  Worked about 50% of the time and spent nearly a year trying to find the magic incantation.  Got rid of it at about 30 cents on the dollar.  I nearly left the hobby because of it.
• An MTH Reading Alco S-2 (PS2) switcher (part of the above fiasco).  Looked fabulous and was when it actually ran.

I'm sure there are more items, but these are the ones that immediately come to mind.

 

George

Eh, stock restorations are generally easy to move, so long as it's somewhat desirable. I'm talking more with the crazy custom stuff. Example is a truck a guy did through my family's shop. Had like 80-90k into the bodywork and custom stuff, two magazine features, tons of show wins (DuPont picked it as the best use of one of their coating systems one year). Ended up selling it for like 15k in mint shape, only because it's definitely not everyone's cup of tea (airbrushing, etc). 

 

I'd imagine something like live steam is even harder to move. With cars, somebody will like it, and it's a big community. Live steam, not sure I've met ANYONE that does that, and I even go to some local steam and gas shows.

1) The Acela + add on cars--never did work right--good riddance

2) Lionel Mohawk (elephant ears version)--stayed broken.

Scott Smith

 

Wedding Ring.

 

Lionel C&O Hudson 18143(?), great looking until I looked in the cab, huh? there was no cab. Really turned me off.

50 years of HO stuff that I sold a few years ago and never found time or room to run.  

 

My wife gave me an old 1949 era Marx 999 a few years ago and it's where I should have been all along.

But..but ..but the gunfighter and fort knox car! 

You should have bought more Generals!

 

The gunfighter is my favorite car. On other occasions its the 6650 launcher.

---

 

They are all plastic bodied, PW too. And light pullers. Added weight helps everything.

 No metal frames anymore?

---

 

 

I didn't like the mpc GG-1 I had bought.

 It was really bad compared to the ones gramps had. Even the single motor GG's stayed on the tracks better. I gave up trying to figure it out, and sold it cheaper than I got it. It was good for plain loops, that's it.

 (I had gotten a K-line in the same deal for much less, I really loved though).

Actually I've only sold traded two engines ever, both at the same time to the same pal.

 About a year later I asked for the Marx back . Not the GG though

 

 A plastic motor steamer I had ran great when I was a kid. When I bought a worn one I figured I could improve its two car pull a little. Not all the kings men could make it run any different. Traction isn't even the issue. Its just worn out "everywhere" .

 But it runs ...  a bit hot .

 

Later, I bought an 040 dockside. I put it on my track and I remembered the DC units only after thinking "um, smoke doesn't usually come from there"

I regretted that a while.

 

 On the bright side I found a motor, and rectified the AC. Added a ton of weight, extra rear facing headlight, a red lens on front, plow, and a sloppy harlequin paint job all to my cab fwd yard mule. It is as capable as it can be now, and looks funny as heck in front of big cars. Low volts gets it moving easy, so I also send it after some derailments, creeping up, then raising voltage quickly waking up the ac engine enough to go, while the dockside gives them a vigorous push with the plow to a reachable spot.

  

My biggest regret ever was being $15 short for one particular companies initial public offering, and then forgetting about it for too long.

  I thought Bill's Windows program looked great! And even though the "help" program was really bad, and wasn't really ready ....I was.

 2 shares had to be bought (110-120?) he was here for a binary job and was leaving town Fri. (my teacher went to Berkley with him). I offered to split 50/50 for the $15 all day, but nobody at the school would do it, including Bill! I have program notes with a scribble reminding me to save for it, but I think I was only making about $60 a week part time going to school. I think I forgot and filled the car with gas was all! I didn't even eat lunch I wanted it so bad.

I'm not rich, but I got dated notes and a story! 

      

I regret having used this thread to have posted this,

 because in hindsight, the regret seems petty all things considered.

Lemonade?