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Post by atsfan on Aug 9, 2013 12:06:36 GMT -8
I didn't really ask much as to why he didn't order stuff. It was a decent sized store that used to stock up on items. I certainly can understand not wanting to sit on tons of inventory, but if you not even going to have ANY (and I am talking new items like Athearn GP50's and GEVO's), then I can just order it all from MB Klien's (for less) and not bother coming to your store.
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Post by nscaler711 on Aug 20, 2013 1:46:49 GMT -8
OK so is this an age thing? I'm 23 so everytime I go to my LHS which is still 30 minutes away I spend like $150... I feel great about it but very broke afterwards Lol Although the last time I went in I only spent $40.. and got a gondola for trading in a LCD monitor....
Also I wasn't trying to be rude, I was just curious.
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Post by Brakie on Aug 20, 2013 5:38:51 GMT -8
OK so is this an age thing? Snip Not really..Some of us don't have a good well stock hobby shop in which to spend our hobby dollars so,we buy on from the on line shops..
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TA462
Junior Member
Posts: 88
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Post by TA462 on Aug 20, 2013 6:27:10 GMT -8
It's probably more how long have you been in the hobby then a age thing. Years ago I too would drop big bucks in a hobby shop when ever I visited one but now days my layout is basically half done and I have everything I need to finish it already. My trip to Credit Valley I ended up buying a HO scale Ford Explorer, that's it. Took an hour and a half to get there, lol. My wife kinda looked at me weird.
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Post by Brakie on Aug 21, 2013 4:14:56 GMT -8
It's probably more how long have you been in the hobby then a age thing. Years ago I too would drop big bucks in a hobby shop when ever I visited one but now days my layout is basically half done and I have everything I need to finish it already. My trip to Credit Valley I ended up buying a HO scale Ford Explorer, that's it. Took an hour and a half to get there, lol. My wife kinda looked at me weird. As I mention before I'm 65 and don't really need to buy all that much but,none the less if there was a well stocked hobby shop near by he would get 90% of my business. Closest quality shops I have is in Columbus which is around 125 mile round trip plus added city mileage for hobby shop hopping and that's not much of a option.
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Post by nscaler711 on Aug 21, 2013 6:42:51 GMT -8
I would probably spend more money if my store would carry more than just MOPAC stuff.... I know, I know, its a cool RR and all, but I'm into modern stuff, its what I remember as a kid, like the ATSF Warbonnets (or BNSF warbonnets I don't remember the Santa Fe it merged in 95 ). That and I'm growing up with BNSF, Norfolk Southern, CSX, Union Pacific. But that's all I remember.
I'm jealous of you older folks... steam is gorgeous but I have no memories and the ones I do its just the same three UP, 8444, 3985 and, 4006. (4006 sits at St. Louis transportation museum.)
I guess what I'm saying is I would buy more if they did not just stock a majority of one RR Company, I'm sure other LHS's stock pretty much the same way in other parts of the country, one majority company, and if you can't find what your looking for you have to order it... I'm tired of ordering crap.
I just want my trains today.
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Post by Brakie on Aug 21, 2013 7:50:03 GMT -8
I'm jealous of you older folks... steam is gorgeous but I have no memories and the ones I do its just the same three UP, 8444, 3985 and, 4006. (4006 sits at St. Louis transportation museum.) ---------------------------------- Don't confuse the pretty engines with "real" engines that was in every day service..They was filthy,maintenance nightmares,hard to fire-even with a mechanical stroker a fireman worked his hinny off maintaining his fire.Coal had lumps of slate thrown in for good measure.
Nothing glorious about a steam engine if you worked with them every day.
Even though I recall the last of mainline steam I prefer diesels-EMD preferably.
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Post by fr8kar on Aug 21, 2013 8:45:58 GMT -8
I went to the LHS yesterday and actually did buy something: a Genesis boxcar, some Tichy brake gear and Intermountain wheelsets. It's not much, but it's $50 the store didn't have before I came in.
The store has recently relocated from a building it shared with an automotive service company set back half a block from a highway to a bigger storefront in a strip mall on a very busy major arterial road. The new location is situated in between a really good pizza joint and a barber shop, so there's plenty of foot traffic. While I was there I saw a young kid come in while grandpa was getting his hair cut and a young mother with a little girl who insisted on seeing the trains. It's a nice change from the atmosphere of the old shop.
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Post by fr8kar on Aug 21, 2013 9:00:49 GMT -8
OK so is this an age thing? I'm 23 so everytime I go to my LHS which is still 30 minutes away I spend like $150... I feel great about it but very broke afterwards Lol Although the last time I went in I only spent $40.. and got a gondola for trading in a LCD monitor.... Also I wasn't trying to be rude, I was just curious. When I was in my twenties I did the same thing. I spent so much time working at the Santa Fe intermodal facility at that time I started buying intermodal equipment and didn't stop until I had a 22 foot long train! Now that I have a sizable collection I might drop $100 every two months or so, but almost never in one shot. And it's more likely I'll buy a gross of Sergent couplers or a ten pack of Moloco draft gear (neither of which are hobby shop items, both are ordered direct) than another tank car or locomotive. When I do buy a locomotive, it's generally acquired in pieces, such as my recent U33B project. That one required a U23B locomotive, a U33C shell and a Phase 2 U30C shell, along with a bunch of detail parts. Rarely can I get all that at the hobby shop, even if I ordered it. Most of the time I get those parts on ebay, where there is a steady supply if you're willing to keep looking out for them. Still, I try to shop at the LHS. I like the owner and I'm friends with many of the customers. I admit I'm a difficult person to stock for since I have such eclectic tastes and have most of what I want. But every now and then something shows up on the shelf I just have to buy. Yesterday was a good example of that.
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Post by jamesbrodie67281 on Aug 21, 2013 11:02:13 GMT -8
Poor steam engines. But we were happy at work and men would come early to talk and leave late still talking about their engine or engines of the past. When the diesels came men would arrive at the last minute and when their duty was finished they couldn't get away from the shed quick enough. The soul seemed to go out of the job. The steam engine might have only been 6% efficient but they were alive and responded to gentle treatment and being spoken to. maybe on their last gasp going up a hill but just say "come on lass you can do it" and sure enough you made it. It was a different world and I can re-create it on my layout. But each to their own. nuf sed. happy trails Jim Brodie.
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Post by Brakie on Aug 21, 2013 12:43:03 GMT -8
Poor steam engines. But we were happy at work and men would come early to talk and leave late still talking about their engine or engines of the past.
------------------------------- Romantic thoughts that but,coming from a family of railroaders..LOL Guess again..
It was all about the paycheck not talking about steam engines or even railroading unless it was a railroad/union matter or if I pestered them with questions.
After my excitement wore off railroading became all about the paycheck just like other railroaders.
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Post by nscaler711 on Aug 21, 2013 13:55:21 GMT -8
I went today and i picked up a old but new IHC GG1... this loco has been there forever, but I guess nobody likes Amtrak GG1's but thats OK it has a good home now, and i might add dcc and sound to it when I find a group with catenary (idk if that's spelled right my phone think its incorrect....). I also picked up some BLMA port a potties but I misplaced them i guess.
OH and that GG1 runs Beautifully(insert exclamation point here. Dumb@$$ phone.... )
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Post by bnsffan on Aug 21, 2013 18:02:35 GMT -8
I stopped by A.A. Hobbies and picked up an Athearn BNSF Gevo and a Bachmann Hi-Rail truck. John has a well stocked shop and specializes in HO.
Respectfully, BNSF Fan
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mecu18b
Full Member
My doctor gave me six months to live, but when I couldn't pay the bill he gave me six months more.
Posts: 146
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Post by mecu18b on Aug 22, 2013 3:45:18 GMT -8
ya......it pretty hard to stop by Johns and not get anything. Hung around shooting the crap with John and Rich and left with more stuff I dont really need....but wanted! LOL
COO Norfolk Terminal Modern Narrow Gauge
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Post by WP 257 on Aug 22, 2013 7:43:25 GMT -8
I have no memory of regular everyday steam operations and consider that to be a good thing!
Although I might fancy the engines, I have absolutely no need to buy them.
I just read in the Brian Solomon book about the E and F units that the first FT diesels were 40% to 60% more fuel efficient than the steam locomotives in service (in 1941).
Given the bad water conditions of the Southwest, and all the additional maintenance costs involved with steam power, I'm surprised the steam era lasted as long as it did.
I know for a fact, had it not been for World War II, the Santa Fe would never have ordered another steam engine after the first FT diesels were delivered. It is well documented that the only reason they bought more 4-8-4's and 2-10-4's was because they could not purchase enough diesels. Same thing with Union Pacific and the last orders of Big Boys and Challengers--not enough diesels were available, or they'd never have built the final steam engines.
Some folks lament the steam power that was stored serviceable with plenty of miles left on it--but if fuel costs were outrageous compared to diesel fuel, it is more easily understood. It was simply an economic decision.
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Post by bnsffan on Aug 22, 2013 10:22:54 GMT -8
Normally, everything in business is an economic decision. As a stock holder, I wouldn't want it any other way.
Respectfully, BNSF Fan
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Post by jamesbrodie67281 on Aug 22, 2013 12:54:11 GMT -8
Poor steam engines. But we were happy at work and men would come early to talk and leave late still talking about their engine or engines of the past. ------------------------------- Romantic thoughts that but,coming from a family of railroaders..LOL Guess again.. It was all about the paycheck not talking about steam engines or even railroading unless it was a railroad/union matter or if I pestered them with questions. After my excitement wore off railroading became all about the paycheck just like other railroaders. Sorry sir but the paycheck talk was well to the back of the queue but this subject was about model shops so maybe I got it off track a bit. I started at the bottom as a steam engine cleaner and worked my way down the ladder as I have mentioned before. We were loose coupled men on minerals or heavy freight and I would say like a lot of others I was an enthusiastic railwayman. I remember my firsts cleaning-firing-driving-inspectors duties-royal train workings and even quiz teams when we used to get to the national finals....sort of steam in the blood and proud of it. Even in the army I was an A1 tradesman...R.E.D.A1. I guess this is why I like to model steamers-wagon roof walks-clerestory roofed coaches-Pullmans and happy trails...Jim Brodie.
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Post by Brakie on Aug 22, 2013 19:39:47 GMT -8
Poor steam engines. But we were happy at work and men would come early to talk and leave late still talking about their engine or engines of the past. ------------------------------- Romantic thoughts that but,coming from a family of railroaders..LOL Guess again.. It was all about the paycheck not talking about steam engines or even railroading unless it was a railroad/union matter or if I pestered them with questions. After my excitement wore off railroading became all about the paycheck just like other railroaders. Sorry sir but the paycheck talk was well to the back of the queue but this subject was about model shops so maybe I got it off track a bit. I started at the bottom as a steam engine cleaner and worked my way down the ladder as I have mentioned before. We were loose coupled men on minerals or heavy freight and I would say like a lot of others I was an enthusiastic railwayman. I remember my firsts cleaning-firing-driving-inspectors duties-royal train workings and even quiz teams when we used to get to the national finals....sort of steam in the blood and proud of it. Even in the army I was an A1 tradesman...R.E.D.A1. I guess this is why I like to model steamers-wagon roof walks-clerestory roofed coaches-Pullmans and happy trails...Jim Brodie. Jim,Perhaps in your country but,here it was all about the paycheck not love of a steam engine or railroading as a career since nobody in his right mind wanted to work in all kinds of weather,on call 24/7 with very little time off between runs,eat greasy RR YMCA food and sleep near the yard on a small bed at your away terminal and get the knock before you get fully rested. I recall we hit the law at 12 hours,waited 2 hours for a cab to take us to our away terminal and then 2 more hours for the return trip to the RR YMCA,had a greasy burger and 4 1/2 hours of sleep before the knock came.A greasy breakfast with strong coffee and off we go to our home terminal where 8-10 hours later we would get the call.So much for quality time with the wife and kids--or visiting a hobby shop.
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Post by fr8kar on Aug 24, 2013 5:55:55 GMT -8
After my excitement wore off railroading became all about the paycheck just like other railroaders. Not for me. I enjoy every day of it. I had way better paychecks when I worked in civil engineering (insurance benefits are a different story, though). When I was a project manager I would stay at the office as long as it took when a deadline approached. I remember a few 25, 26 and even 28 hour days stuck at the computer finalizing construction drawings or getting contracts and bond packages put together. There were times I'd have to fly out of town to the site at a moment's notice, and there were times those trips included bouncing around on ranch roads in a pickup truck for 2 to 4 hours after landing to get to my destination. I could never be more than a few feet from a laptop and had to answer my phone anytime it rang, which was pretty much all the time. Any phone call could range from answering 'yes' or 'no' to having to stop what I was doing to sit down and redesign something because of unexpected conditions encountered in the field. The day I went to work for the railroad I knew I was giving up staying in my own bed every night, giving up holidays and even weekends, but once I settled into conductor class, I finally started sleeping again. At least with the railroad they could only work me 12 hours a day and they could only call me certain times of the day (or not at all if I wasn't rested). It's also nice spending most of my time outdoors instead of inside an office building somewhere. I get much more exercise now so I feel a lot healthier, which makes it a little easier to keep up with my kids. I really enjoyed my job in civil engineering, but no job I've ever had compares to the railroad, especially when I'm working as a locomotive engineer. Anytime I hear myself bellyache like some other railroaders, I just stop and remember brushing my teeth at the office after an all-nighter and before a big meeting. I was exhausted and miserable then and there was no end in sight. Now I know when I'm going to retire and I know I will enjoy my work until then. Not only that, I'm doing something I wanted to do since I was knee-high to a cricket. And let me tell you, it's even more fun than I imagined.
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Post by Brakie on Aug 24, 2013 6:37:05 GMT -8
Well,you are a exception..
Having worked in snow,freezing rain,hot blistering days,rainy days,in Ohio River fog,cold windy days when the wind chill is well below zero,frozen switch locks,greasy food,junky Alcos and later older GEs it was all about the pay check not the job.
There's not one thing romantic about that.
You're not making the money I was thanks to the bean counters,non experience collage kids in charge and new FRA laws concerning time off.I didn't have any of that to contend with.Did you know marking off was frowned upon?
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Post by fr8kar on Aug 24, 2013 8:17:08 GMT -8
Larry, I can count on one hand the days I've laid off this year. I choose to work the yard most of the time, which means significantly less money, but it does mean I am around for my kids. I could make plenty more on the road or even in another line of work, but I've been there, done that and it's just not worth it.
As far as working outdoors is concerned, I never said it was romantic or that it wasn't tough at times (Texas heat this time of year is not only miserable, it's downright dangerous), but I prefer it after more than a decade of working under fluorescent tubes. And I may be an exception, but I know lots of others like me, from my brother and my cousin to an N-scaler from my conductor class to my friends who work for the UP. Maybe we're all gluttons for punishment or maybe we all had miserable jobs before the railroad. But there are a lot of happy people out here these days.
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Post by Brakie on Aug 24, 2013 9:16:21 GMT -8
Larry, I can count on one hand the days I've laid off this year. I choose to work the yard most of the time, which means significantly less money, but it does mean I am around for my kids. I could make plenty more on the road or even in another line of work, but I've been there, done that and it's just not worth it. As far as working outdoors is concerned, I never said it was romantic or that it wasn't tough at times (Texas heat this time of year is not only miserable, it's downright dangerous), but I prefer it after more than a decade of working under fluorescent tubes. And I may be an exception, but I know lots of others like me, from my brother and my cousin to an N-scaler from my conductor class to my friends who work for the UP. Maybe we're all gluttons for punishment or maybe we all had miserable jobs before the railroad. But there are a lot of happy people out here these days. I will never understand "happy" unless a lot of things changed. Ever see ladders on a 40'boxcar covered with ice and you know you gotta climb up there and release the brake. As a young rookie brakeman I begin to have serious doubts about railroadin' that night. All total I had 9 1/2 years..Freddy stole my job in '84.
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Post by jamesbrodie67281 on Aug 25, 2013 1:38:31 GMT -8
Larry, are you still working on the railroads (there was a Clint Eastwood film where that music was played from a tank !!) We had it tough at times as a fireman dropping wagon side brakes going downhill while walking in deep snow or throwing fires out on five engines using a slag shovel our engines didn't have drop bars or coaling seven locos from a coal stage wheeling heavy two wheeled barrows to a spout then shovelling the coal up over the tender side 'cos the stage was for the old pre 1920 engines and the new (1935) engines had higher tender sides but there were rewards seeing your children grow up being at home with them while others worked 9 til 5 sort of thing. Looking at the stars at night or waving to people waving at you or meeting the challenge. On reflection I think no I know I have more happy memories than bad ones. I can appreciate the dilemma having to get onto a moving wagons roofwalk covered in ice but you must have had some good times. I'm 77 and only wish my health had lasted but then I would have grumbled 'cos I would be supposed to be too old to work. One thing age doesn't matter with our wonderful model railway hobby. happy trails. Jim Brodie.
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Post by Brakie on Aug 25, 2013 2:49:18 GMT -8
Larry, are you still working on the railroads ------------------------------------------- No,After Ready Freddy(EOTD) stole my job in '84 I left the rails for good and got a normal 40 hour a week job.
I had no regrets..I had enough of railroading since I was away from home a lot.I didn't even see any of my son's little league games or my daughter in several school plays.
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Post by calzephyr on Aug 25, 2013 18:09:20 GMT -8
Larry, are you still working on the railroads ------------------------------------------- No,After Ready Freddy(EOTD) stole my job in '84 I left the rails for good and got a normal 40 hour a week job. I had no regrets..I had enough of railroading since I was away from home a lot.I didn't even see any of my son's little league games or my daughter in several school plays. Working on the railroad has never sounded good to my way of life. I am glad you found a 40 hour a week job and do not have to answer the call to work every 12 hours or so after you were home. I certainly like to wave to the crews and take pictures, but working under the rules and call ups just does not seem practical to me. I know a few people who work for the Union Pacific and it pays decent, but their home life is not great. Larry
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