Stressed with too much variety

[Nick_Burman]

Hello,

 

Sorry to bring up this discussion again, but I can't find the original thread... question, what do you people do when you have pieces of rolling stock that are just too varied or don't fit your mainstream modelling, but you are loath to dispose of, either because it's rare or because you have some kind of emotional attachment to it? I'm asking because I have a dilemma in my hand... I want to build myself a small layout, however I've been torturing myself over what to put on top. I would like to hear what do you do about it.

 

Cheers Nicholas

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ncarter2]

I struggle with my rolling stock. For years I have been lucky enough to acquire what I wanted, but the size was ridiculous. I then became interested in North American HO and have since been reducing my British OO collection. Current dilemma, I have 4x class 50’s, already reduced from 6. I’ve decided that I would like to reduce it by a further two, but I’m struggling with which two to let go.  Now 50008 & 50015 are not often seen and took a long time to get, however 50007 in 80’s GWR & 50033 in NSE are both I’ve had pleasure of haulage on, I almost decided that it will be the first pair I look to dispose of given I’ve had haulage on the other two. I dread sorting the 60’s and 66’s. 

[Lacathedrale]

I've been reading David Jenkinson's "Historical Model Railways" and he makes a good point that a single scale, gauge, period and prototype when settled on after a period of investigation is essential for long-term success. I'm terrible with that, having gone from Japanese N to Pre-Grouping Gauge 3 and (quite literally) every scale and time period between - but having a 'home base' in pre-group South Eastern railways is reassuring and positive.

 

Some anachronisms or shelf queens are obviously not a problem at all, but I've suffered so much unneccesarily by having all these things which I can mentally justify as being important - but spread me far too thin.

[KeithMacdonald]

Seemples! Put it on eBay.

[kevinlms]

1 hour ago, Lacathedrale said:

I've been reading David Jenkinson's "Historical Model Railways" and he makes a good point that a single scale, gauge, period and prototype when settled on after a period of investigation is essential for long-term success. I'm terrible with that, having gone from Japanese N to Pre-Grouping Gauge 3 and (quite literally) every scale and time period between - but having a 'home base' in pre-group South Eastern railways is reassuring and positive.

 

Some anachronisms or shelf queens are obviously not a problem at all, but I've suffered so much unneccesarily by having all these things which I can mentally justify as being important - but spread me far too thin.

But David Jenkinson also provided the solution to the dilemma. You work out the stock you actually NEED for your layout and try to concentrate on acquiring those items.

You can still buy or build outside that list (within your resources obviously), but they can be run as 'funny trains' at any time and either taken off at the end of a session or put on hidden sidings.

 

So you can have the best of both worlds.

 

As for the different scales and prototypes etc, a late friend of mine also had the same problem. He usually didn't keep a particular theme going for much longer than 2-3 years, then it would all go and he spent a fair bit on something else. Rinse and repeat. No idea of a solution.

[Wheatley]

I've been modelling the same line in the same time period for 40 years. It closed in 1965 and never saw deisel traction other than the demolition trains, yet I seem to have acquired nearly two dozen deisels including multiples of some classes because I like them. Some are almost appropriate to the area and period so they stand in for the regular locos as a 'what if...',  others are way out of period so there is a small pool of appropriate rolling stock and they appear as guest stars from time to time. Some have been gifted to my lad for his train set. I can't explain Thomas and Nellie. 

 

Despite his comments quoted above, David Jenkinson also had a number of what he called 'funny trains' - out of era, out of area, which played no part in the planned timetable but were occasionally allowed out for a couple of circuits before disappearing back into the storage loops. 

 

Edit  - beaten to the funny trains by Kevin! 

[Lacathedrale]

I did specifically mention that anachronisms and shelf queens (i.e. the funny trains) within the context of Jenkinsonian thought are fine, on the assumption you have a set baseline for the 'real stuff'. Creativity is really tough without any boundaries at all "draw me a cool picture" is actually a lot harder than "draw me a picture of a house on a hill with a tree next to it". I'm (currently!) working on the ruthless cut off of anything built or scrapped post-1900 and it is strangely liberating.

 

[TheSignalEngineer]

For a layout I model a Black Country line, secondary as far as passenger is concerned but a wide variety of freight. My timescale is somewhere after the introduction of the late crest but before yellow panels on diesels so around 1957-61. 

I have two weaknesses in my collecting which are small tank locos and a love for West Country lines from holidays around that time. 

For the out of context locos in the collection I have a number of excuses.

1 - Stafford Road Works got a lot of small tanks from other areas, including the West Country and Wales, even 15xx and 97xx from London. They often appeared on local workings to test begore sending home. 

2 - Local sheds got diesels on loan for crew training.

3 - Dudley Zoo got a lot of special excursions especially school visits.

4 - six football league clubs generated specials particularly for FA Cup matches. 

5 - a lot of small tanks got into industrial service. There were USA  and LSWR B4 tanks used in the area.

If all else fails run a Crankex visiting soon to close lines hauled by a near-extinct loco class borrowed from another region.

[Bernard Lamb]

12 hours ago, Nick_Burman said:

Hello,

 

Sorry to bring up this discussion again, but I can't find the original thread... question, what do you people do when you have pieces of rolling stock that are just too varied or don't fit your mainstream modelling, but you are loath to dispose of, either because it's rare or because you have some kind of emotional attachment to it? I'm asking because I have a dilemma in my hand... I want to build myself a small layout, however I've been torturing myself over what to put on top. I would like to hear what do you do about it.

 

Cheers Nicholas

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why not flog the lot on  ebay and donate the money to charity?

You will feel better for ridding yourself of a first world problem.

Bernard

[woodenhead]

If you want advice, look to the master @Andrew P.

 

You buy what you need, you might keep some for future projects but the rest you sell.

 

I have too much, I've had two clearouts on Ebay and a sale to Rails in the past to reduce down, I am about to start another one to clear down more stuff which has sat in cases for too long in a big brown box.

 

If it is not going to see use why keep it, the only exceptions may be particular items due to sentimentality, but at the end of the day they are just objects and one day they will certainly be no use to you.

[Andrew P]

3 minutes ago, woodenhead said:

If you want advice, look to the master @Andrew P.

 

You buy what you need, you might keep some for future projects but the rest you sell.

 

I have too much, I've had two clearouts on Ebay and a sale to Rails in the past to reduce down, I am about to start another one to clear down more stuff which has sat in cases for too long in a big brown box.

 

If it is not going to see use why keep it, the only exceptions may be particular items due to sentimentality, but at the end of the day they are just objects and one day they will certainly be no use to you.

Thanks for the mention, I tend to go down a Route, then lose my way, like in a Maze, and start off in a different direction. 

I have left overs from my previous Project, (only 8 weeks ago) I have sold some at a loss, but to me I take as being like smoking or drinking, I've had the pleasure and so that moneys is now gone. 

I am now selling my Units, that I was going to keep for another small (maybe one day) project, but keeping a bit of 90's stuff at the moment.

Many years ago, a mate of mine packed up Model Railways and put all his Lima stuff in his loft as a pension fund as he thought Lima would make money. I saw him about 5 years later and asked if he still had it as I might be interested. He said; NO, its all gone to the tip, over 100 coaches and about 50 Locos bent like bananas in the heat.

Lesson learnt. 👍

[Nick_Burman]

12 hours ago, KeithMacdonald said:

Seemples! Put it on eBay.

 

It's not that easy! Some stuff will find its way onto Ebay for sure, I'm already identifying candidates and setting them aside. The problem is what to do with "the dregs", those models that nobody wants but which still encumber the shelves...

 

Cheers NB

[Nick_Burman]

50 minutes ago, Andrew P said:

I saw him about 5 years later and asked if he still had it as I might be interested. He said; NO, its all gone to the tip, over 100 coaches and about 50 Locos bent like bananas in the heat.

 

A friend of mine lost a Lima SAR Class 34 (EMD GT26) in the same way. A pity as it is a rather hard-to-find loco...

 

Cheers NB

[Mark]

14 hours ago, Nick_Burman said:

Hello,

 

Sorry to bring up this discussion again, but I can't find the original thread... question, what do you people do when you have pieces of rolling stock that are just too varied or don't fit your mainstream modelling, but you are loath to dispose of, either because it's rare or because you have some kind of emotional attachment to it? I'm asking because I have a dilemma in my hand... I want to build myself a small layout, however I've been torturing myself over what to put on top. I would like to hear what do you do about it.

 

Cheers Nicholas

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some people make models of preserved lines so you can taylor them to your chosen railway but also legitimately run anything you like as visiting stock.

 

Mark

[woodenhead]

1 hour ago, Nick_Burman said:

 

It's not that easy! Some stuff will find its way onto Ebay for sure, I'm already identifying candidates and setting them aside. The problem is what to do with "the dregs", those models that nobody wants but which still encumber the shelves...

 

Cheers NB

'The dregs'

 

Two options - still Ebay first - low opening price, someone might want it, then Hattons or Rails, there is always some value in items and you can sell them job lot to either of them.

 

Example - not long before my father died he gave away all his railway stock, it was meant to come to me in the will but, in a picque of annoyance that he was adept at, he gave it all to a plumber.  When my sister informed me I burst out laughing, I didn't have to deal with it all - there would be first the little matter it was all North American and I was modelling UK, then the emotional element of something coming to me in a will that I might be stuck with to go with the narrow gauge stuff I had got as a child and couldn't let go of.  All that was left of the collection were a handful of wagons and a single loco in a drawer - it all went onto Ebay - job lot for the wagons and single item for the loco.  Think the loco went to one bidder for the initial price of about 20 quid, the wagons also went.  The Narrow gauge stuff that I had kept from being a child, unused in 40 years, went to Rails, no sign of it on their Ebay so it must have sold, but not my problem.  I imagine had I got all the stock he had, it would also have gone to Rails, it was good stuff, but the thought of individual sales on Ebay for it all, nah.

 

His death taught me one thing, model trains are just objects, for years I had stressed about what I would do with the trains when he passed and in the end it was solved for me through his own sheer bloodymindedness.

[Nick_Burman]

21 minutes ago, woodenhead said:

Two options - still Ebay first - low opening price, someone might want it, then Hattons or Rails, there is always some value in items and you can sell them job lot to either of them.

 

Alas I live in Italy so Hattons/Rails is out - what they would offer as a job lot likely as not wouldn't even pay for the postage, let alone any fees they might encounter while transferring the funds (I wish there was something here along the lines of what these shops do). And by dregs I mean stuff which has been offered around several times (including in Ebay) and which have drawn zero (0) interest.

 

Cheers Nicholas

[Andrew P]

3 hours ago, woodenhead said:

'The dregs'

 

Two options - still Ebay first - low opening price, someone might want it, then Hattons or Rails, there is always some value in items and you can sell them job lot to either of them.

 

Example - not long before my father died he gave away all his railway stock, it was meant to come to me in the will but, in a picque of annoyance that he was adept at, he gave it all to a plumber.  When my sister informed me I burst out laughing, I didn't have to deal with it all - there would be first the little matter it was all North American and I was modelling UK, then the emotional element of something coming to me in a will that I might be stuck with to go with the narrow gauge stuff I had got as a child and couldn't let go of.  All that was left of the collection were a handful of wagons and a single loco in a drawer - it all went onto Ebay - job lot for the wagons and single item for the loco.  Think the loco went to one bidder for the initial price of about 20 quid, the wagons also went.  The Narrow gauge stuff that I had kept from being a child, unused in 40 years, went to Rails, no sign of it on their Ebay so it must have sold, but not my problem.  I imagine had I got all the stock he had, it would also have gone to Rails, it was good stuff, but the thought of individual sales on Ebay for it all, nah.

 

His death taught me one thing, model trains are just objects, for years I had stressed about what I would do with the trains when he passed and in the end it was solved for me through his own sheer bloodymindedness.

Or if your on Facebook there is OO Gauge Model Railways items for Sale. = https://www.facebook.com/groups/270721966362295

[The Johnster]

I think you have to accept that a portion of stuff that you want rid of will be of no interest to anyone, ever, and be content to give it the chance of an exciting new career in the landfill industry.  
 

What I did on my return to the hobby back in 2016 was to make some rules for myself, which I’ve mostly kept to, to minimize this kind of wastage.  Firstly, a matter of basic principles and attitudes; what sort of railway do I want given the space available and the limitations of my abilities (answer, single track branch terminus with plenty of shunting).  Secondly, location and period; self answering, South Wales colliery branch 1950s.  Settled on the Tondu Valleys as the prototype. 
 

Thirdly in sequence, but probably the most important, again principles and attitudes.  This is not a model railway, a layout, it is a real railway serving a mining village in a real location, only small and 70 years ago.  The location would, had it actually existed in this real location, been served by a branch off the Hendreforgan/Gilfach Goch route, so all locos, coaching stock, and brake vans must have been allox TDU during the 1948-58 period, or they are not bought in the first place.  I can be a bit more relaxed about goods and mineral stock. 
 

You will have noted that I have only mostly adhered to this; there is a rule 1 exception that gets an occasional outing, Bachmann 3MT 82001, allox Barry from build in 1952 and a believable ‘borrow’ at Tondu.  I have Hornby Collett 57’ suburbans not correct for South Wales but very similar looking to coaches that were, and a pair of worked up Keyser whitemetal A31 auto trailers, correct for numbers and livery for Newport Division but not known to have worked at Tondu, panelled placeholders representing A10s and Diagram N that did!

 

Perfection is for none but Allah, but I do my best and am happy with the railway (not a layout, not a model, real only small, fictitious, and about 70 years ago, remember.  But I am reaping the benefit of making core choices early and mostly sticking with them. 

 

Perhaps some of this might be of some help to you, Nicholas.  Rule 1 is paramount but can, if let run out of control, cause more problems than it solves, first world problems admittedly but this is a hobby and you should be enjoying it not stressing about it.  My advice, FWIW, is to step back a bit and have a think about what you want the layout to look like and what sort of operating suits you best.  Once those parameters are set the rest follows quite effortlessly.  
 

 

 

[RobinofLoxley]

16 hours ago, kevinlms said:

But David Jenkinson also provided the solution to the dilemma. You work out the stock you actually NEED for your layout and try to concentrate on acquiring those items.

You can still buy or build outside that list (within your resources obviously), but they can be run as 'funny trains' at any time and either taken off at the end of a session or put on hidden sidings.

 

So you can have the best of both worlds.

 

As for the different scales and prototypes etc, a late friend of mine also had the same problem. He usually didn't keep a particular theme going for much longer than 2-3 years, then it would all go and he spent a fair bit on something else. Rinse and repeat. No idea of a solution.

I guess Mr Jenkinson had not met the cunning amongst us, who, like Pete Waterman with Leamington Spa (OK it was his childhood spot) select a station and era that could see half the rolling stock ever built pass through over a short time period. I have done the same, based around Wolverhampton, where sites like Warwickshire railways show much greater diversity of stock than would be expected even for 1960. I suppose that the selection of photos for display might result in more unlikely appearances being included just to prove Sir Nigel Gresley visited Acocks Green for example.

 

If I didnt want to run locos I would just put them in a display cabinet

Edited April 26, 2022 by RobinofLoxley
addition

[Nick_Burman]

6 hours ago, Andrew P said:

Or if your on Facebook there is OO Gauge Model Railways items for Sale. = https://www.facebook.com/groups/270721966362295

 

Is there any such page for N scale? The most thorny stuff is in that scale.

 

Cheers NB

[AyJay]

This sort of problem is not confined to the model railway. Books, stamps, 12” vinyl, t-shirts bought at concerts. The list is endless. Only a few weeks back I hauled a load of Clive Cussler books to the charity shop. I’d like to live minimalist, but it’s too easy to let the clutter build up. Every so often I do a purge on a theme, it feels very cleansing. Try asking yourself this, if the house burned down and nothing survived (people, pets, photos, documents and financials survived) what would you miss losing?

[Lacathedrale]

13 hours ago, The Johnster said:

What I did on my return to the hobby back in 2016 was to ....

 

 

Very admirable! I wish I was able to be so discerning - I always feel like I have "the one" but never get far enough into it to cement that position, so when the next shiny comes along then I'm easily distracted. I blame the internet - I can browse and research on my phone or during odd breaks at work, but can't so easily make physical things to anchor.

[The Johnster]

It’s part of the ‘real railway but small’ concept. You imagine yourself as the local Loco Dept and your job is to supply your shed(s) with as many locos as they need to run the WTT.  This can include spares to cover boiler washouts and works visits, ballpark 20% over the minimum, but no more.  A ‘realistic’ and railway-like way of approaching the problem, and automatically disciplining, though I accept that it is perhaps more suited to BLTs. 

[Hal Nail]

I enjoy modelling and particularly weathering so if there is something i like outside my core theme, I buy it to build it and then sell it on. Not necessarily at commercial rates but as long as you get a bit more than you paid then you are enjoying a hobby and it's self funding.

[ianLMS]

Build a heritage railway layout as already mentioned. Stock at preserved railways is so varied you can get away with anything! Failing that, as in my case, i just put them in a display cabinet and admire my handy work and empty wallet!! I have around 30 locos, 20 coaches and triple that in wagons. Most i have built myself so not worth selling on anyway. I only have 6 storage roads on the layout so will never be able to run them all until i retire or win the lottery and build a huge layout!

Edited April 27, 2022 by ianLMS