I know: duh!!

I just bit-the-bullet and tallied what I've spent the last two months to get (pretty much) everything I need for Black Douglas Vale...

 

This doesn't include expenses from 8-12 years ago (mostly locos) already spent.

Well, if you will insist on eating as well...

Any hobby can be expensive! I spend far less on model railways than my wife does on musical instruments. Golf, boats, pets, they can all cost a fortune, but you can do hobbies on the cheap if you don't mind having to accept second best sometimes.

Cheers,

Chris

This hobby may be expensive, but it's not compulsory.

Quote from: Western Exile on March 20, 2026, 10:11:32 PMThis hobby may be expensive, but it's not compulsory.

   You sure? 

Everything is expensive these days and/or is getting more so, but you can contain you outlay by not purchasing every new product that is launched, making things from cheaper materials, and budgeting your expenditure over a longer period. Set monthly limits on hobby spending to what you can afford and stick to it.

I agree that prices of new locos and rolling stock are utterly staggering.

I am lucky, in that I probably could afford to buy new wagons for 2-3 hours' minimum wage or locos for 15-20, but I refuse to.

The vast majority of my collection is (at least) second hand, and I enjoy customising it all the more because it's old, worn and cheap (like me!)

Mike

I'm with @maridunian on this one.

Apart from Peco and Kato products, I don't buy new nowadays.

Instead, my Imaginary Friend, Bertie Poppingham, and I founded SPAM - the Society for the Preservation of Ancient Models. We try to buy old models on the cheap by 'bottom-feeding' on ebay and the like. Bertie, being Lord Pandaford to all but his family and close friends, has a more aristocratically polite term for this - 'floundering'.

Unloved model purchased and then agreeable time spent escaping from the world refurbishing it. Pure joy!

And then the, by now, much-loved and SuperSpiffing model can be played with on the Table-Top Railway. What a wonderful hobby.





You see...

...'N' Gauge is Such Cheap Fun!

With all good wishes.

John

Quote from: Bazza on March 21, 2026, 08:40:09 AMEverything is expensive these days and/or is getting more so, but you can contain you outlay by not purchasing very new product that is launched, making things from cheaper materials

Indeed, making things yourself can save a lot of money - granted not if you cost in your time, but making things yourself is surely at least half the fun of the hobby.

For example, by using our 3D printer I've made coaches for the club (and for me) for around £15 a pop, wagons for £8-9 and locos for around £70-80 - all models that cannot be bought off the shelf anyway.

Another example; I'm currently making some walkabout controllers for the club. A Gaugemaster one costs around £70 with a power supply or £55 without. The ones I'm making are costing in at £35 with a power supply, £20 without - and that's including postage for the various bits individually, if I were to shop around I could undoubtedly get them for less.

Quote from: chrism on March 21, 2026, 09:24:34 AMAnother example; I'm currently making some walkabout controllers for the club. A Gaugemaster one costs around £70 with a power supply or £55 without. The ones I'm making are costing in at £35 with a power supply, £20 without - and that's including postage for the various bits individually, if I were to shop around I could undoubtedly get them for less.

@chrism What you don't say is how many hours it takes you to build said walkabouts and what your hourly rate is. Does it still come out cheaper, and Gaugemaster have a lifetime warranty?
Just acting Devil's advocate

Quote from: chrism on March 21, 2026, 09:24:34 AMIndeed, making things yourself can save a lot of money - granted not if you cost in your time, but making things yourself is surely at least half the fun of the hobby.

Why would you cost in your time when working on your hobby? That'd be like costing your time to read a book, watch a TV programme or undertake any other enjoyment pastime. If modelling is your hobby you'll no doubt find time spent on it rewarding and fun.

IMO costing and charging for time would be for business activity if undertaking your hobby on a commercial commission basis to generate revenue.

Quote from: Newportnobby on March 21, 2026, 09:43:34 AM

Quote from: chrism on March 21, 2026, 09:24:34 AMAnother example; I'm currently making some walkabout controllers for the club. A Gaugemaster one costs around £70 with a power supply or £55 without. The ones I'm making are costing in at £35 with a power supply, £20 without - and that's including postage for the various bits individually, if I were to shop around I could undoubtedly get them for less.

@chrism What you don't say is how many hours it takes you to build said walkabouts and what your hourly rate is.

It's called "fun time", no charge 

It wouldn't be for you, of course, because it involves, ahem, soldering 

Quote from: chrism on March 21, 2026, 10:51:34 AM

Quote from: Newportnobby on March 21, 2026, 09:43:34 AM

Quote from: chrism on March 21, 2026, 09:24:34 AMAnother example; I'm currently making some walkabout controllers for the club. A Gaugemaster one costs around £70 with a power supply or £55 without. The ones I'm making are costing in at £35 with a power supply, £20 without - and that's including postage for the various bits individually, if I were to shop around I could undoubtedly get them for less.

@chrism What you don't say is how many hours it takes you to build said walkabouts and what your hourly rate is.

It's called "fun time", no charge 

It wouldn't be for you, of course, because it involves, ahem, soldering 

 

But then the comparison is wrong because Gaugemaster don't do it for fun. They do it for commercial gain

Quote from: Newportnobby on March 21, 2026, 10:58:07 AM

Quote from: chrism on March 21, 2026, 10:51:34 AM

Quote from: Newportnobby on March 21, 2026, 09:43:34 AM

Quote from: chrism on March 21, 2026, 09:24:34 AMAnother example; I'm currently making some walkabout controllers for the club. A Gaugemaster one costs around £70 with a power supply or £55 without. The ones I'm making are costing in at £35 with a power supply, £20 without - and that's including postage for the various bits individually, if I were to shop around I could undoubtedly get them for less.

@chrism What you don't say is how many hours it takes you to build said walkabouts and what your hourly rate is.

It's called "fun time", no charge 

It wouldn't be for you, of course, because it involves, ahem, soldering 

 

But then the comparison is wrong because Gaugemaster don't do it for fun. They do it for commercial gain

Which is, of course, why they charge what they do.

Quote from: maridunian on March 21, 2026, 08:52:20 AMI agree that prices of new locos and rolling stock are utterly staggering.

I am lucky, in that I probably could afford to buy new wagons for 2-3 hours' minimum wage or locos for 15-20, but I refuse to.

The vast majority of my collection is (at least) second hand, and I enjoy customising it all the more because it's old, worn and cheap (like me!)

Mike

In the past five years I think I've bought 4 half price coaches, one 33% off coach and a 47 with sound on special offer. It's simply too expensive a hobby at this point, and I am certainly not in the lower wealth bracket either.

People ask me why all the kids play train sims or model stuff in them instead, or in minecraft and stuff. There's a really simple pair of answers - cost and space.

I don't see some of the vendors surviving much longer if there is a big downturn. Peco are looking very wobbly, Hornby have problems but are at least trying to get a handle on them.