What was your BEST purchase?

I would have to agree with a previous poster, my DCC system. Without it, I may have left the hobby.

 

My best purchase? in the world of motive power it would have to be a high hood southern gp38 and sd35 i picked up last year for 50 bucks each structure wise it would have to be an old magnuson models victoria falls hotel that i am putting together.and i always re read and use for reference material a couple of books CLASSIC DIESELS OF THE SOUTH by J Parker Lamb and STREAMLINERS AN AMERICAN ICON.

 

The best money I ever spent that was a BIG boost to my hobby was a divorce and a vasectomy.

Randy

 

+1 for the vasectomy. I can't believe I didn't have it sooner.
Also my best purchase this year was splurging on Unitrack. I'm always changing my mind, and this way changes are easy, also learning quickly what I like and don't like.

Actually some LED equipped reading glasses!, helps me see what I am doing in N and Z, I should really get one of those Optivisors.

 

Randy, High marks to you. This should keep you out of trouble. For me the Atlas Shay. Jim

 

I purchased a friends N-Scale collection in the late 80s. Non of the items had seen rails until I got them. 30 + cars 6 locos. Less the 100 dollars and a camera body to boot.

 

I stumbled across a post here on TB from a guy who was liquidating his collection for $5 / car due to bankruptcy. Turned out that he lived nearby, and I was able to convince my wife that it was a great opportunity for us. The guy had petty similar interests to me, and over a couple of evenings I picked out 250 cars... and it was all the good stuff - InterMountain, Red Caboose, MTL, Deluxe Innovations, PWRS special runs, decorated/assembled Allan Curtis kits, etc. I picked out 100 that would stay in my collection, and spent a couple of evenings photographing and scheduling the rest of them to sell on eBay; I believe I had them all setup to sell as auctions starting at $0.01, no reserves, with one ending every couple of minutes on a Saturday afternoon. It turned out to be a good strategy - even after keeping 100 cars for myself, we doubled our money.

I suspect it'll be quite a while, if ever, before I can best that.

:tb-cool:

 

For me the second Atlas Southern SD24 for $49.95 plus $3.95 shipping.

This engine runs slower then my first SD24 which is ok by me since they will be used in switching service.

 

Last year I picked up an Athearn Challenger for cheap money and then found out from the seller that it was the unit that was the display model at the Springfield MA Show the year prior! I had seen it at the show but couldn't afford it at the time, and then it showed up on eBay! Came with DCC and sound. Great buy!

 

Well my most satisfying purchase in N scale had to of been my Overland SD70ACE Heritage SP/UP 1996 Loco a couple of years ago. It runs great decoder install went well and I have been quite pleased with it. One of my best locos yet

 

I picked up a key AC-10 on the bay for $250, great runner with a new coreless motor installed. I also picked up a CC 2-10-2 at the Springfield MA show a few years ago for $125. The best was a micro-ace 0-6-6-0 the day after I got back from deployment, picked it up for $110 at the LHS.

 

With help from this website, I purchased precision masters hoppers(-trucks,-brakewheel)for $0.99. I got a little carried away, but have many unit trains.


dave t

 

Remember "Railcraft"? They used to make PCB N-scale turnouts to fit their N-scale flextrack. I bought a couple, and decided I could do a much better job hand laying my own, so I taught myself how to do it using Gordy Odegard's MR article about laying N-scale turnouts, but using my own techniques. After about a dozen turnouts (and six months or so) I decided that cutting my own PCB ties was too much of a hassle, so I started looking around for PCB tie material and a friend of mine who worked at one of my LHS's said he had a terrific deal on PCB tie material...a "bundle" of 1' strips for $35. Thought, "Okay...that sounds pretty good. Why not?" So, he ordered them for me and about a week later when I picked the "bundle" up, it was nearly a thousand strips bound by rubber bands! I asked him where he got it from and he said "Railcraft is getting out of the PCB turnout business, and this is what they made their N-scale turnouts from."

That "bundle" has lasted me through several hundred turnouts I've built over the last 20-odd years and is less than half used up! It will probably outlive me!

That was my "best" model railroading purchase.

Cheers!
Bob Gilmore