You Can Do It With Limited Funds!

Arnold, those two locos are the jewels of your collection. Putnam rules! so do your posts. Yes all you need is one.

I have limited my purchasing to whatever extra dough I can raise selling stuff I no longer use. Yes there’s a lot of it still.  Out with the old, In with somebody’s old usable stuff! This keeps a flow of adaptable resources for all involved. It’s a train recycle phenomenon!
leroof

I will add that I purchase more building supply and keep purchase price of ready made items down by additionally scrounging the hardware store for parts that will help create items either not available or price prohibited.

as far as trains are concerned the postwar Lionel used as is market is surprisingly affordable, some of which resemble the corporation years prices of our youth! In analog I roam, smelling the ozone. Lol

Great thread, Arnold! One word-Plasticville! Okay, that sounds similar to a line in a movie I saw. But, it can be easily modified and painted, and purchased at reasonable prices. A sample:

Does Plasticville offer Mrs. Robinson's house?

Mannyrock, you got it!

I came back into the hobby while stationed overseas... not an easy thing to do on a GI's salary.  Fortunately, through layaway plans and other disciplined spending habits, I began building a collection that, while no means complete, -- is any collection truly complete? -- I can be proud of today.  (I've especially been pleased with the fact that the passage of time has brought prices down on some of those items I'd wished I could afford to purchase new and are now more affordable )

Shame on you Arnold, for having only one diesel in your great layout!

Your layout looks like it is crying for a small classic diesel, like a William-Bachman scale 44 tonner. 

It would look great going around those tight curves.

Very cheap as well, comparatively speaking.

Mannyrock

I have consulted for my favorite manufacturer for 12 years now and do mostly trade work.  I use the skills of research and an eye for detail that I have been trained for in my professional architecture career.  It has the multiple rewards of constant learning about various prototypes and railroads, meeting really interesting people who are like minded, and I have enjoyable models that I could never hope to afford otherwise. 

I actually don't have a layout yet but i have the lionel hotwheels set , an RMT Rock Island beep which is my favorite engine i own. I also have a 628 44 ton switcher that is silver instead of black and a retired chessie system 4-4-2 that is missing the tender. i also have some random freight cars and the only track i have is a 40 by 70 loop of fast track with a basic AC transformer. Then for the "broad gauge" line i have a lionel ready to play pennsy general passenger set. I want to get that ready to play lionel construction train with the crane car  or another RTP freight and the star trek set for my o gauge stuff. i really wish lionel made separate cars and maybe engines for the RTP line kinda like how they had add ons for the battery g scale line.

MPC.

I just picked up an MPC GP7 that's going to repower my Marx 21 and another BC Rail set w/ GP7 (2 motors!), 2 box cars and unlit caboose for the price of a new Lionel or MTH locomotive. The things'll run forever and if you don't look too close at it (like that one guy), you hardly notice the scratches lol. Good, well taken care of 2nd hand stuff is almost as good as new if you continue to take care of it.

@Mannyrock posted:

Does Plasticville offer Mrs. Robinson's house?

Could this be Mrs. Robinson's house?

It looks to me like the kind of upscale suburban house she would live in. LOL

I agree that Plasticville is an economical way to have some nice structures on a layout, especially one that is Postwar. Arnold

@Arnold D. Cribari posted:

Could this be Mrs. Robinson's house?

It looks to me like the kind of upscale suburban house she would live in. LOL

I agree that Plasticville is an economical way to have some nice structures on a layout, especially one that is Postwar. Arnold

Could be, Arnold. You would just need to put a pool in the back and I think it would work.  

Coo coo ca choo, Mrs. Robinson, Jesus loves you more than you will know, Whoa, whoa, whoa!

@Mannyrock posted:

Shame on you Arnold, for having only one diesel in your great layout!

Your layout looks like it is crying for a small classic diesel, like a William-Bachman scale 44 tonner.

It would look great going around those tight curves.

Very cheap as well, comparatively speaking.

Mannyrock

Manny rock, I have a lot more than one diesel, bit I arguably need only one.

Center cab 44 tonnes are among my favorites. Below is my 1st diesel, a Lionel Postwar #626 B&O, and an MTH Proto 3 NY Ontario & Western:

Fantastic looking train station Arnold.

Mannyrock

Great thread Arnold!

I know that everyone is really excited about new control systems, TMCC, DCS, DCC etc. And they're fun without a doubt.

But for those on a really tight budget, there are absolutely amazing deals on conventional stuff all the time. On this very forum right now there's a couple beautiful diesels on the for sale forum. One could purchase both of those engines for half of what a really nice modern loco would run, and they would be reliable and easy to operate.

Conventional locos with MPC rolling stock and some Menard's track... That's a satisfying and really inexpensive way to build a little railroad empire.

Scenery is the easiest way to save money. You don't always have to buy a  ready made structure.  Most of my buildings are scratch built costing minimal amounts of money.  For example my latest mill structure  cost about $12 total.  I used a piece of 1/4 inch hardboard and several sheets of dollar stores foam board. It's 27X18X25 tall.

Instead of spending $20 for 4 feet of chain link fence, I made my own for $3/3 Feet. Also I make my own wooden fences using coffee stirrers and India ink.

Cheap is the way to go and making something yourself can be rewarding.