Apart from visit the occasional exhibition, and buy the odd item of stock from time to time I have not really done any modelling. I may put together the odd kit every so often and then put it into the "to be used on the layout" cupboard but that's about it really.

This has meant I have done a lot of arm chair modelling and planning which is not a bad thing if you seem to make any progress, but I just seem to increase the number of rejected schemes I have considered. The major cause for this use to be that I was far to ambitious for the space, time or skill levels I have available to me.

However I have realised that more and more lately have been rejected because of cost, I model in 00, so I can just about get away with a loco and six coaches in the space I have, but have you seen the cost, approaching £150 for a decent tender engine and £40 per coach, that's nearly £400 per train, and if you look at freight trains I still can get over £20 plus wagons.

Ive seen some brilliant N gauge models on here and in the shops and they are virtually the same price and 00, but that does not in my mind mean the costs are the same, as in the same space as I have to model in N gauge even if I looked at secondary lines, that's still trains of 6+ coaches, and 30+ wagons.

I recently thought I would modify some of the Hornby teaks I have been slowly collecting over the last couple of years, but the price sticker on the boxes, is making me think if I mess it up its a very expensive mistake, and the other half of my brain is saying for the money I have paid, short of changing coupling there should not be anything else I could improve.

This means that there are two things that really worry me....

1 Even if you use the railroad range from Hornby, which are not exactly cheap, how does the average man justify the cost of his "train-set" and how do youngsters manage, as you need huge amounts of pocket money, does this mean we could be a dying hobby?

2 To quote the old joke "I hope when I'm dead the wife does not sell my trains for what I told her they cost me", if my wife new the truth my death would be a lot sooner than expected. A recent purchase of an NE freight engine and 6 coke hoppers led to a few sleepless nights

Im off now to pluck up the courage to maybe consider taking them out of their boxes, let alone contemplate weathering.

What do you guys think, am I just a "tight" ###### or more of a worry do I have a point??