Moving to San Diego from Minnesota - Sell My Trains?

A career opportunity has put us on the path to San Diego. We won't have room for much of a layout. I'm considering selling and need your input.

I have a modern diesel layout with around 200 freight cars and 12 kato and P2K engines - decoders, weathered, etc. I have several walthers kit structures that are built and weathered as well.

Do I part the stuff out on E-bay? Do I call one of those numbers in the train mag to "liquidate my estate"? If so, what should I expect for prices compared to retail? Do I auction all the stuff off with the auction we'll be having to shrink our household belongings down to something that fits in a San Diego house? I have about a month to accomplish whatever is decided.

Thanks tons!
 
F

Fred_M

My LHS pays about a third what they cost new. :( He sells for 1/2 to 2/3 so he's not getting rich. Them guys in the back of mags scare me. They, I think, are looking for estates with brass to plunder from the widow. I doubt they will want plastic. Ebay would be the best, IMHO, but you are short on time. If you offer them all at once you may flood the market and lower the price. If you offer a few a week you will run out of time. And even if you sold them all today on ebay you might still have 10% of them in a month, some people pay real slow, "I'll mail you a money order the first of next month, OK"? I think I would keep them, put them in a plastic tub wrapped with acid free paper (automotive masking paper works). As big as San Diego is I bet you can find a HO club and run your stuff there. I hate to see you go. I hope you wouldn't quit the hobby and would continue to bless us with you talent. From past experience, if you sell it there will come a day you wish you hadn't. Fred
 

shaygetz

Active Member
I myself would Ebay it, keeping only prized pieces. Ebay will get you the most that the piece is worth at the time of sale. Before I did that, I would find a local club and ask if I could set up a small table on one of their meeting nights. For a small donation to the club that would be alot less than what you'd pay in Ebay fees, you'd have a direct audience with a group that could more appreciate your work. DO NOT OFFER IT WITH YOUR HOUSEHOLD AUCTION!!!! Far too many buzzards...er...dealers come to these things with the idea of profiting on your need.

I second Fred, carefully consider keeping them or as much as possible. You simply will not get what they are worth to you.
 

TrainClown

Member
I'm with Fred. Try and save your stuff. Who knows what will happen. You have out alot of work and time into what you got, and it would be a shame to part with it. Even if you can't set your trains up for a couple of years, you will still have them, and one day, you can set them up again. I would do everything I could to keep my trains. I love them.

TrainClown ;)
 

NYC-BKO

Member
I say pack up the cars, engines and what ever else you can and take them with you. You will regret selling them later. I have moved 600 freight and 100 engines 8 times plus O gauge 5 times, too! That amount of equipment will not take up that much space if packed right.

If you do decide to sell, sell it all, don't keep any of it or it will eat you alive if you keep some but not some others after a while. JMO:cry::cry::cry:
 

basementdweller

New Member
I don't think you have enough time to sell them on ebay, with a move accross the country, the last thing you need to worry about is a payment in the mail or shipping stuff out. Pack them up and take them with you. You could always sell them on Ebay once the move is complete, if getting rid of them is still neccessary.
 

Ray Marinaccio

Active Member
Is this "career opportunity" really worth giving up a hobby you enjoy so much?
When we moved here to Arizona, deciding what came with us was tough.
I sold and dismantled all but one small layout, but kept all the locos, rolling stock and structures.
We left a rather large house and crammed all our belongings into a single wide trailer.
My trains stayed packed away for about a year until space became available.
If moving and limited space are the only reason to sell, NO I would not sell my trains.
But that's you decision.
 
Thanks to all - it helps as I ponder the options. The career opportunity is worth it - I may just be able to afford brass or whatever I want in the future if things work out and I'm betting they will based on 18 months of experience leading up to this decision. I'm 36 years old and have many years to re-build the track, etc.

I told the kids today (4 of them) that they will each get a big plastic tub to put their most prized posessions in, once it is filled that will be it - the rest goes on the auction. I suppose I deserve the same option. I'll see what I can fit in my tub and put the rest up on eBay.

Again, thanks to all. I plan to stay active in the Gauge - and I will try to find a club in San Diego.

See ya.
 

cobra

Member
In my situation I put my stuff away for almost 10 years , not due to a move , but other issues . I'm glad I kept it because what does go around , comes around . I guess just ask yourself what the future may bring before you act . If there is a possibility of mrring in your future , keep it .

NEIL
 

shaygetz

Active Member
Rusty Spike said:
I told the kids today (4 of them) that they will each get a big plastic tub to put their most prized posessions in, once it is filled that will be it - the rest goes on the auction. I suppose I deserve the same option. I'll see what I can fit in my tub and put the rest up on eBay.

:thumb: :thumb: All the best to you and yours, BC
 

Ralph

Remember...it's for fun!
Rusty,
Best wishes as you move from MN (before the snow falls?) to what I understand is one of the closest places to weather paradise on the US mainland! Glad you plan to keep in touch here after you move.
Ralph
 

Russ Bellinis

Active Member
Don't sell your trains. The San Diego Model Railroad Museum is staffed by four model railroad clubs. One in n scale, two in ho scale, and one in o scale. Memberships are quite reasonable because they need members to run trains when the museum is open. They also don't pay rent. They get the space free from the city with the proviso that trains run when the Museum complex is open. If you are model ho scale, you can run Tehachapi, or Carriso Gorge. The n scale and o scale clubs are not modeled on a particular prototype, although the n scale club has a beautiful scratch built model of the Santa Fe station in San Diego featured "front & center."
 

jmarksbery

Active Member
:wave: Good luck Rusty on the career change and move. I pray the best for you and yours. My son did the same thing and I think it was a good thing for him and his family even though I miss them terrible. As for your trains, your choice but I moved about twelve years ago and packed up all my HO stuff. When I moved in the house I am in now I didn't have room for the HO so I started modeling in N-Scale. Just the other day I sorted through the old stuff and I was like a kid on Christmas day. Boy what a treet. I think I will keep it all, I got Ho shay, climax all kinds of good stuff, even found stuff to use on my N-Scale. Again, good luck friend and by all means be careful with the move. Keep in touch, later :cry: Jim
 

Railroader

New Member
Rusty...

DO NOT... DO NOT... sell your trains.... yet!!!

Until you've had an opportunity to visit the San Diego Model Railroad Museum

http://www.sdmodelrailroadm.com/

where, as a member, you can run your trains on one of the most advanced and scenic
model railroads... in "O", "HO", "N"... anywhere!!

Located in the heart of Balboa Park, the San Diego Model Railroad Museum (SDMRM) is the world's largest operating model railroad museum. This unique museum has four enormous scale model layouts, built by separate clubs, which depict railroads of the southwest in O, HO and N scales. In addition, the museum features a Toy Train Gallery with an interactive Lionel layout for children; a 3-Rail Hi Rail layout, numerous educational displays, and prototype artifacts, including a centralized traffic control (CTC) machine, working semaphore, and crossing signal.
You can always sell you trains, later.
 

Espeenut

New Member
...San Diego, boy!!...if the oportunity came my way to move to a new job in San Diego, no set of model trains would get in my way, this is one of the nicest places in the world to live, second best overall climate in the world, and!! - they have one of the largest model railroads in North America - the Tehachapi Loop done to proper scale in HO - on permanent display in the Model Railroad Museum at Balboa Park near the Zoo, see if you can join, then ship your stuff out and donate it to the museum...boy, am I ever envious of your situation...
...DO enjoy yourself, cheers,

Lorne Miller
 

Russ Bellinis

Active Member
Espeenut said:
...San Diego, boy!!...if the oportunity came my way to move to a new job in San Diego, no set of model trains would get in my way, this is one of the nicest places in the world to live, second best overall climate in the world, and!! - they have one of the largest model railroads in North America - the Tehachapi Loop done to proper scale in HO - on permanent display in the Model Railroad Museum at Balboa Park near the Zoo, see if you can join, then ship your stuff out and donate it to the museum...boy, am I ever envious of your situation...
...DO enjoy yourself, cheers,

Lorne Miller

You don't need to donate anything to the museum, they have memberships open in all of the clubs and they are quite reasonable.
 
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