The hard part is taking it all apart and selling it.


Y3a

Stuck in the 1930's
As my interest in model RR is waning, along with my eyesight, I decided to get out of the hobby. http://www.modelrailroadforums.com/forum/images/smilies/frown.png

I had built the benchwork with 59" removable legs, 1/2" plywood with Homosote on top for easier track laying all 2 feet wide but in 3 sizes of length (6,7 8'). I Drilled all the holes in Atlas code 83 track, used just Atlas and Walthers Shinahara #6 and #8 turnouts. Track has not been painted. not soldered either.

My layout was the N&W from late 1920's through Dec 1940.
All steam except 3 Athearn BB Trainmasters to drag around the track cleaner.

I will be pulling down the mainline and yards, and making piles of stuff. I don't know whether to invite some local clubs over or not.

Any suggestions as to how you would handle the off-loading of the stuff.

I even have lots of Bowser valve gear stuff, and many brass castings etc with that N&W flavor.

I live outside DC, which is a major metro area, but at the wrong time of year for Model RR sales.
 
I'm sure there are members of the local MRCs that would like to have first dibs on stuff. The Vienna MRRC, the modular clubs out in Fairfax and Prince William County as well as the Fredericksburg modular club. There are some clubs over in Maryland that would take interest. I would avoid Craigslist for stuff like that but would consider ebay as a means of moving it. If you're retired, you can take your time on ebay and have a steady stream of income as it sells.
 
If you are interested in selling some your stuff, I would be interested as what you have is the same era as mine. Am very interested in the track and your trains, if you are.

I am sorry to hear that you are leaving the hobby, your work has been inspiring and I am sure you will be missed.

Sincerely,
 
Thanks for the input folks!

WOMBAT457 !!!! So you also enjoy the challenges to find accurate pre-WW2 models. I have lots of reefers, box cars and um..... Coal Hoppers.

My biggest problem is a project I started in 2003, where I bought better (Greenway Products) T-27 trucks for all my Powerhouse Y3 2-8-8-2 tenders.
I modified the tenders to pick up all the track voltage, so the engine didn't have to be wired.
The plan was to just have 4 wires going to the engine.
2 for the headlight 2 for the motor. hard wired harness.
The trucks need to be painted and swapped for the good ones.
This is 7 Powerhouse Y3's and one for parts.
I have lots of extra details and all my N&W stuff has the pre WWII lettering.
THIS MEANS NO writing on the tenders.
The lettering at that time was NORFOLK & WESTERN.
In 1941 they changed from a "&" to the word "AND".
This goes for passenger equipment, cabooses and locomotives.
 
Hey Y3a

I am very sorry to hear King Coal is closing down, but I hope you still come to the forum, we would miss your experience and wisdom.

I wish you well with selling your things.
 
One of the other forum members, Larry, tore his down about a year ago. He bunched items into groups and posted them here in the For Sale section along with pictures. Some things like engines were individual and for example buildings were offered as groups as were detail parts and electrical items. Larry still checks in so maybe a PM to him might be helpful in this regard. Offering an invite to local clubs and modelers is a lot less work. If a show is coming up it might be worth getting a table to sell your items. Lots of options depending on how you want to handle it. And yes, it would be great if you still stayed on this forum after all is done!
 
Y3a, I'm sorry you feel the need to "simplify" in such a drastic way. I'm doing the opposite, looking to re-create the excitement I felt 30 years ago. I'm single and alone maybe that makes the difference (divorced 12 years ago) I'll miss the comments and wisdom too. Super good luck with whatever your future endevours are, and drop by as often as you like. I'm feeling a little sad for you.
 
If you sell it here, I think you'll find more interested viewers here than elsewhere.

Also, eBay will cost you some $$. I still haven't figured out their pricing schemes yet.... But, I'd use that as a back up if items don't sell here.

If you don't have interest in selling it like that, perhaps someone like Tom Hare would be interested in buying the whole deal and parting it out himself.
 
As NH Mike said I sold everything right here on this Forum. Selling at a Trainshow is a lot of trouble & Ebay was a No-No for me. It took me about 6 months to sell about $9,000.00 worth of my HO scale layout. In the time I was selling the layout was being taken apart. The only things I have left are 2 MRC transformers(DC)that I will be using to help a buddy to build his layout probably this year. You can't find a better bunch of guys to deal with on this Forum. I shipped almost everything by Flat-Rate Post office boxes & some items that had over 40 engines shipped at once I used UPS. I shipped all over the US & Canada. Everyone paid their shipping charges & item prices up front before it was shipped. Some of the guys that I had been dealing w/for a long time paid when they could after I shipped their stuff. I had been in the hobby for 51 years & my layout was 24 by 36ft. I sold over 80 engines, 130 frt. cars & 48 pass. cars, over 300 vehicles, 80 trucks, 50 buildings, 600 ft. of unballasted & ballasted track, 18 Skyscrapers, large box of parts, large box of couplers, tools & tons of other stuff.
I still check in here about once a week. I'm not interested in model RR'ing at all anymore. Now, I'm back to making metal sculptures again.
 
I too plan to offer packs of stuff like car types, structures, locos parts. I'm thinking about a "Pick through" day for model railroaders to pick through my stuff and make me an offer I can't refuse.... I have just lost interest in the layout, engines and finishing the layout itself. It was originally designed as a photo piece, with visual blocking every 3-4 feet so I could photograph it and it would look like a lot of different places. I still like doing the research and I still love the N&W from the early 1900's until the end of steam.
I will have to keep all the Bowser parts because my dad still has 10- or more 2-8-0 old lady's which kinda look like SRR 401!
 
Nice to hear from you again Larry, hope you're doing OK. I'm getting into the rebuild mode these days after a few years away from it but spare time is scarce for me at this time. I'd also be interested in purchasing from forum members rather than from E Bay, but the cost and the problems of shipping items to Canada makes it almost prohibitive. But then again if it was something I just had to have that would be different. :D
Cheer's
Willis
 
Depending on lengths and widths, and how much is moveable, I might be interested in some of the railroad itself. While my interest in model railroading hasn't really diminished, my abilities to do fine, intricate work have.
So, you might have a taker for some of the stuff that might not normally be wanted. Please let me know when you get to that point.
 
Sad to see you selling off everything. I wish I was into HO so I could help you out. I would however be interested in any leftover scenery supplies. PM me what you have if any.

Sent from my SPH-D710BST using Tapatalk
 
I am sad to hear you are selling your project but realize you have to do what is best for you.

We are buying a new house in a couple months and that means I get to make a new layout. When you get ready to put up photos and stuff, if the timing is right, I will be making offers.

Thanks and good luck, lasm
 
WELL FOLKS..........

I have been taking photos of my stuff. I decided to have one photo of all the full hoppers, another of empty ones. I want to sell off the fleets of cars and structures first.
All have Kaydee couplers and JayBee metal wheels. Most empty hoppers are somewhat lighter than NMRA standards. Passenger cars are custom painted, and decalled for the N&W in the 1930's, so the engine cab sides, cabeese and passenger cars say "NORFOLK & WESTERN" not "NORFOLK AND WESTERN" .
30+ full 2 bay hoppers, -weathered.
20+ empty 2 bay hoppers-weathered
7 four bay (Bowser and Athearn) hoppers - some weathered
around 18 reefers (FGE, Swift, Walthers beer reefers)
8 various gondolas- weathered
14 heavyweight Athearn Passenger consist(6 mail storage, 1 RPO, 4 coaches, 1 diner, 1 business car, with internal details, figures.
MOW set w 250 ton crane.
fleet of Box cars, various road names.

DELEMMA:
projects in progress.....
7 Powerhouse 2-8-8-2's and fleets worth of details, trucks.(Greenway Products trucks, tender chain, and hooks, brake details, ladders, a few condenser coils. Some have DCC
Project was to upgrade tender details and engine details, better trucks and bolsters and DCC, GOD lights etc
Project about 1/2 done.(like to see $1500 for them all, parts etc)

Gloorcraft CF wood caboose project.
finish decals and finish end details.
4 cabooses. (80 bucks?)

Still unstarted kits
about 8 railroad cars and 15-20 Jordan vehicles.

Structures:
Wooden Walthers coaling tower, built and weathered(75 bucks?)
3 track coal tipple (Walthers) modded to 2 tracks and added a walkway around, etc weathered.($75 ??)


I hope to have the photos up tonight.
 
So, as I'm going through my boxes of stuff, I happened on my old MRC 2500 power pack. I pulled the DCC stuff off the layout and removed the DB150's and such too. I put my old Athearn Trainmasters on the track and they ran great and quiet. My Brass 4-8-0 ran so smooth and quiet is started to realize MAYBE I JUST HATE DCC....... I had fun with DC operation. I have 2 Innovator 3500's so I can still go back to 2 cab and track blocking. Then My engines can all be DC and no flaky decoders or the irritating things DCC does. NOW I have to re-think the whole thing....D'OH!
 
Have you started tearing down your benchwork?
I'll be planning another open house of The D&J Railroad for sometime in October if you would be interested in coming down to King George.
 
Hey Y3a!

I am so glad to hear you had fun with your trains. DC, DCC, AC what ever power you want to use.
I hope it continues.
 



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