# WHEN is it time to say "I QUIT" ?



## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

Just a few days ago here on the Forum
we see another distraught
survivor who has the responsibility to dispose of
a large model train collection...G scale in this
instance. It seems hardly a month goes by without
a post of this nature. In most cases these folks have no
idea of what to do or how much the collection
is worth.

A short while ago a guy who has done a lot of
work around my house asked me to check a large
collection of HO trains his wife had inherited from
her father. It was all packed away, and was extensive.
They had no idea of what to do with it. I gave them
the typical suggestions, Craigslist, etc. At this point
I don't know how successful they were.

Situations like these can be avoided. I think the typical
aging modeler pretty well knows when he or she
is no longer able to do what is needed to maintain
the layout...or even run the trains.

I faced that just a couple months ago myself. I
realized that I was having difficulties even running
trains. That got me to thinking. Here is a room full
of trains, 10 DCC locos and dozens of cars. The usual
complement of buildings and other scenery. No one
I knew would have any idea of how to disassemble it
and dispose of it. So I took the bull by the horns
and DID IT MYSELF. i advertised it...the whole layout,
including the modular bench work. Used Craigslist
in both Jacksonville and Orlando. Got several replies
and two came to view the layout. One agreed to
my price and with my guidance, he and his wife
took it apart, packed
it, and drove off with it. Yes, it took a month or two to get
results. And, of course, I got no where near
the $ value invested in the layout, but the job was done and my heirs will not be faced with a daunting task.

If you are getting to the age where you are
failing, and you have a substantial collection, do 
consider whether your heirs could handle the
disposition of your trains. If not, and if you see yourself
as I did, you would be doing your family and
friends a favor and DO IT YOURSELF.

As one who had trains from age 11 on, I sure do
know of the 'hold' they can have on you. But, you
will find that the satisfaction of having spared loved
ones of a serious problem can be comforting.

Don


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## 65446 (Sep 22, 2018)

Some train stores (what's left of them) will take the collection. But no knowledge of whether or not they pay you for it.....


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## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

it depends on whether or not you really need the money ... in my case my heirs do not have any model train interest, or involvement .
I don't need the money, or wish to have my day to day routine interrupted with this, so I just leave it where it sits , currently I still use the layout about once a week in the summer, more so in the winter


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## mesenteria (Oct 29, 2015)

Everything is fluid in time. People who enthusiastically accept being bequeathed a train collection during will & estate planning might be less enthusiastic when the time comes. 

I’ll make one attempt to give it to someone, but otherwise it’s grungiest where all junk goes.


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## rsv1ho (Oct 16, 2019)

My situation is simple. It all goes to my son who maintains similar interests. Planes, trains, and automobiles.

From there I don't know or care. His son, my grandson shows no interest.


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## Lee Willis (Jan 1, 2014)

Really?

Really?


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

I volunteer with my local hobby shop to go and find collections, and offer to purchase and remove from people who no longer want or need the trains, and families of departed modellers who don't know what they're worth or how to get rid of them....of course they don't get the retail value, but the trains are not new.....some of them have never been removed from the boxes, but they are still pre-owned, so the value is not retail....

The hobby shop owner seems to have found another source of huge income in re-selling the collections....and the people who sell to him are happy to have the trains gone, all with our efforts and none of theirs....and we travel all over the province, and to neighbouring ones....

And often, we end up taking more than trains...they want to sell die-cast, books, memorabilia, etc....

And the best thing about it for this volunteer is I can first crack at the treasures we find.....I get paid in trains!


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## Spence (Oct 15, 2015)

I'm not really worried about what happens to my trains when " I leave the station" for the last time. I just want to enjoy them until the day I die. :thumbsup:


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## bigdodgetrain (Jun 12, 2015)

we don't stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing!


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## danpuckett (Dec 31, 2014)

*When to quit??*

I enjoy trains; I enjoy running trains, but most of all I enjoy buying and selling trains. I really do not have the capital nor the time to buy used layouts, but if I did I cannot think of anything more fun than helping somebody dispose of a train collection. I would have the chance to go through everything, get it ready for sale, and then sell it.


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## MichaelE (Mar 7, 2018)

Mine comes with a house attached.

If they want it out after I'm gone they'll have to cut it out.


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## D&J Railroad (Oct 4, 2013)

All my stuff will by my daughters problem after I settle down for my eternal dirt nap. I really don't care if she just burns it all in place or puts each item on ebay. I'm sure my grandsons will enjoy picking out what they want from it all.


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## Lehigh74 (Sep 25, 2015)

I think you answered your own question Don.

_"I realized that I was having difficulties even running trains."_

The time to quit running trains is when you can no longer run trains.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

bigdodgetrain said:


> we don't stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing!


So, did you know of that quote independently, or did you discover it in my signature block?


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Obviously, after I'm gone, I will be past caring what happens to my stuff. That said, I don't want to leave behind an enormous mess for someone else to clean up.

We recently relocated my father in law to an assisted living facility... in truth, probably 4-5 years AFTER it became obvious he no longer able to live on his own. Now he's pressuring us to sell his house. The problem is, there is literally TONS of junk in it. For a lot of it, we will just have a 15 cubic yard dumpster dropped off and just chuck it, because it's broken and worthless. Some of it we will take (not a lot of stuff we need or want, though). Then we'll have an auction company take anything they think they can sell and unload it for us. But it's a huge job and isn't going to be done quickly, no matter how badly he wants to sell the place.

Bottom line: if you're not using something anymore, whether because you've lost interest or no longer have the ability, get rid of it yourself so it's not a burden to someone else.


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## Fire21 (Mar 9, 2014)

I have a rather large collection of NASCAR cars and other stuff. Since my interest has nearly disappeared, I should get rid of all that. I need to work on a way...


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## Eilif (Nov 6, 2017)

I do see Don's point.
If you're getting past the point where you are participating in the hobby and have no family who want the trains, then it makes sense to be pre-emptive and dispose of it yourself.

However, many of us will be able to participate in some form in this hobby until our demise so perhaps the larger lesson is just to have a plan. 

I'm a fairly young man, but my wife neither understands or has any interest in my hobbies. Additionally they are extensive enough that disposing of them would be a real burden to her. I should probably at least write up a few options for disposal of my collections with a modest estimate of their worth.


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

Just be mindful to put the "worth" in perspective with what someone will be willing to pay.....selling one at a time often takes months, and still not get what you think it is "worth".... as selling all at once to a hobby shop or such will go in one day, and you'r done.....there is a cost to that.....

We go to collections sometimes where the owner will say that it's worth $ xxxxx retail, but retail was brand new from the original source, and very seldom will they get that amount from us, because we do the work in coming and packing and taking it all away, then the hobby shop needs to make a profit on it, so....


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## Stumpy (Mar 19, 2013)

CTValleyRR said:


> We recently relocated my father in law to an assisted living facility... in truth, probably 4-5 years AFTER it became obvious he no longer able to live on his own. Now he's pressuring us to sell his house. The problem is, there is literally TONS of junk in it. For a lot of it, we will just have a 15 cubic yard dumpster dropped off and just chuck it, because it's broken and worthless. Some of it we will take (not a lot of stuff we need or want, though). Then we'll have an auction company take anything they think they can sell and unload it for us. But it's a huge job and isn't going to be done quickly, no matter how badly he wants to sell the place.
> 
> Bottom line: if you're not using something anymore, whether because you've lost interest or no longer have the ability, get rid of it yourself so it's not a burden to someone else.


This^. 

My father had the foresight to start purging the junk a couple of years before he moved himself and my ailing step-mother into an assisted living facility.

He also had a will, a living will, power of attorney and medical power of attorney drawn up. In addition he added myself and my step-brother to the signature cards on all bank accounts. These actions made taking over his affairs SO MUCH easier after his debilitating stroke in 2016, but it was still a long, tough row to hoe. If you've never been in that situation you've no idea...


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## Eilif (Nov 6, 2017)

Old_Hobo said:


> Just be mindful to put the "worth" in perspective with what someone will be willing to pay.....selling one at a time often takes months, and still not get what you think it is "worth".... as selling all at once to a hobby shop or such will go in one day, and you'r done.....there is a cost to that.....


Very good point. I'm thinking a bare minimum bulk price such that if anyone were to offer less, they'd be scamming her, but plenty low enough that it will all go in one lot. I know she has zero desire to become a seller of individual hobby items. Maybe 25% of the typical used price?


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

In our experience, that is about right....even a little on the high side....20% is more realistic, but 25 is not out of line.....especially if it's better quality stuff.....

Some collections we go to have a few high end items, and the rest can be just junk, but we take it all....the good stuff sells right away at good prices, and the junk sometimes languishes for months, before it gets blown out or trashed.....we take a fair amount of risk, but so far it's working out....


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## Tallaman (Oct 23, 2012)

Along the same lines, I have a question for you all: 

What is the best way for me to involve an older friend who gifted me a small treasure in O gauge train and related items because he felt like he could no longer maintain and run them? 

He is 74 and began thinning his herd a few years ago and recently gave me several boxes of locos, cars, autos, track and transformer, all in beautiful condition. He didn't want to burden his wife and his children are not interested. I just finished building a new house and am 70% complete with a workshop/ man cave (BTW I am 59). The man cave is 16 x 20, will be climate controlled and have a nice area for a layout. I'd like to involve my friend in the layout development (we are both loopers that like to simply run trains, so I'm thinking four or five separate loops to run multiple trains at once) and operation. I already had a pretty nice collection but his gift is beautiful. Is that a good plan? What else should I consider? Naming the RR after him? Thanks for your ideas.


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

Tallaman

You and your friend are so very fortunate.
This is such a heart warming story and
is the very essence of my original post. Your friend,
a man who
loves his trains but knows 'it's time', and there
you are, a true buddy who he knows will care for his
treasures and even have the opportunity to share them
with you as much as possible.

It is my hope that others, will have the opportunity 
as Tallaman's friend did, to 
do something of this nature at a time that you can
protect the efforts and love that you have invested
in your trains and yet see that they will be in the
hands of one who will enjoy and care for them.

Don


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## GNfan (Jun 3, 2016)

Not that long ago a guy came in here calling himself "Half Throttle" he was looking for help in setting up a "sectional track on bare table" N scale layout for his bored step-father. To make a long story short, it was a success and you can follow it on the N scale forum. Since neither of my sons has any interest in model railroading, I'm (slowly) building a "pizza box layout" that all my sons will have to do is bring it to the assisted living home for me.


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## MarshallAbrams (Mar 8, 2013)

*Estate Planning for Model Railroaders*

I wrote a report "Estate Planning for Model Railroaders," that is available at http://potomac-nmra.org/PDnewsite/SpecialInterestReports/Estate_Planning_for_Model_Railroaders.pdf. I would love to update it with Don's experience and all the other contributions. Please contact me at [email protected]


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## nkpltrr (Jun 5, 2019)

I intend to run my trains as long as possible. When my health goes bad then trying to sell is tough. The easiest option is to contact someone who buys estates. you get much less than invested but it is the easiest way out. If I am able at that point then I will try to sell off the better items on ebay first. I guess it just depends on the person and his or her family left behind. one never really knows I suppose.


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## rsv1ho (Oct 16, 2019)

Around 20 years ago when I was somewhere around 60 I sold 95% of my HO model railroad stuff on ebay. Simple, just snap a picture, describe, submit, then pack and ship when sold. Sell in bulk, gets rid of it faster with less shipping hassle.

Now at 82 I'm buying it all back, most not in the prime condition that I sold it in. I even sold my David Sutton Model railroader book.

Point is, unless your tottering on the door of the great beyond keep your hobby. If tottering, sell, sell, sell. 

I kept the ebay pictures of all the items that I sold, a blessing and a curse. I know what I need to replace, but kick myself for selling in the first place.


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## lorettospringfield (Feb 18, 2015)

*Will*



DonR said:


> Just a few days ago here on the Forum
> we see another distraught
> survivor who has the responsibility to dispose of
> a large model train collection...G scale in this
> ...


 I wrote about my trains in my will to my kids. The value, as a whole and as a separated piece by piece. The kids were fine with that and said they would handle it or just keep it and continue in a hobby that has brought me great joy for over 50 years now.


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## Chops (Dec 6, 2018)

Few years ago, got a call from a lady who's husband passed
leaving there large two car garage stacked floor to rafters
with N thru G and hundreds upon hundreds of Red Ball, Varney, 
and a few others along with scads of Athearn BB, parts, 
memorabilia like lanterns, signs. He collected all his life
with the idea of a dream layout, and passed away before 
he laid 9 inches of track. 

She thought the collection was worth north of 50K, but my 
instincts told me she'd be lucky to get 5K as the market 
is flooded. A few brass locomotives were corroded solid. 

I spent many, many hours selling stuff on eBay and sold 
a lot of it for pennies on the dollar just to get it to move. 
A local buyer came in and bought up all kits for about 10K, 
so overall she garnered 15K. 

Selling on eBay was very, very expensive and if I didn't send 
it insured fully 10% of the non-insured items, even one 
that just had to go across town, were badly damaged no 
matter how much dunnage I put.


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## lorettospringfield (Feb 18, 2015)

Chops said:


> Few years ago, got a call from a lady who's husband passed
> leaving there large two car garage stacked floor to rafters
> with N thru G and hundreds upon hundreds of Red Ball, Varney,
> and a few others along with scads of Athearn BB, parts,
> ...


Yep it can get over your head real quick. I would not sell e-bay wise there are other sights free with thousands of people looking. I do buy from e-bay every now and then but the online yards sales are where I look most of the time to buy and sell.


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## DJTrains (Oct 8, 2008)

I'm 71 and just enjoying my last years buying and setting up the vintage American trains I've always wanted. I find them usually dirt cheap (even on ebay). Just a few weeks ago I purchased an entire Lionel 2026 set in excellent condition for $20. It came with the track and the type 1034 Trainmaster transformer. This was from a garage sale and I was the only interested person. A couple months ago I got a nice 50's Marx set for $10 (also a garage sale).

Everything changes in time. Heck, even Elvis is falling out of favor due to a generation who knows not the king lol

Oh well, such is life...meanwhile I'm enjoying some great train bargains!


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