model railroading enthusiasts are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars

[mrhedley]

RV camping

Average travel trailer is around 20k-50k right now, mega 5th wheel trailer around 80k. Plus all the crap one puts in there for camping. If you get a new motor home over 100k for sure.  If you buy used it quite a bit less expensive but still eats up discretionary income.

Of course that doesn't include the 35K or more you'll need to spend on a truck to tow it.  35K is entry level.  You're looking at 60K and up to pull one of those mega 5th wheel trailers... if you're going to do it in style.  No point dropping that kind of bread on a top tier trailer if you're planning to tow it with a 15 year old F-250. 

[Jim Starbuck]

My ex wife liked to frequent the casino for entertainment.
I’ll keep my trains thank you.

[daniel_leavitt2000]

So I bundled the basement renovation in with other needed utility repairs when we got the house. But that alone was a 40-50k project. The drainage and pump system alone was 8000.

My current inventory includes about 200 engines, with about 50 DCC, 12 with sound and 30 are custom painted. 2000 freight cars which are all going though weathering, body mounted couplers and metal wheels. I think I have about 40 caboose, and they are almost useless in my era.

Vehicles? Hundreds of trailers and containers. 3 30 gallon tubs of GHQ, Atlas, Trainworx, and other cars, trucks and nearly every Japanese collectable vehicle made.

I'm just starting to measure out the framing fire the first section of the layout. And I'm probably about 75k in so far.

[dougnelson]

Those are not model trains. Those are toy trains.

[Steveruger45]

I just spend what I can afford to.
What with not going out to restaurants etc etc and other lockdown restrictions and the fact I am lucky enough to be in a “essential” profession to still earn a reasonable income I am actually spending more on my hobby.

Just don’t tell my wife. 😊

[CRL]

Reminds of the story about a young man asking his father... “How much does it cost to get married?”

Father responds... “I don’t know son... I’m still paying.”

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Reminds of the story about a young man asking his father... “How much does it cost to get married?”

Father responds... “I don’t know son... I’m still paying.”

When I told Joy I wanted the entire basement for trains, she told me fine, as long as she got a bathroom on the second floor. So if you add that to the train room total, It would indeed be over $100,000.

[CRL]

We don’t have basements here in south Texas, so I needed to think up something else. The wife got her study/office and I got a “storage room” between the house and the carport because we needed somewhere to put the stuff that lives in our current garage. However, said “storage room” is wired, dry walled & insulated, so as soon as I put up a cheap metal storage shed for the lawn & tools, the storage room will get a window AC unit and become my train room.

Sometimes it’s a serpentine path we take to our destination.

[MetroRedLine]

The Wall Street Journal has an article about model railroaders spend 100s of thousands of dollars on their train rooms.

Wait...THIS is news??? 

[Steveruger45]

When I told Joy I wanted the entire basement for trains, she told me fine, as long as she got a bathroom on the second floor. So if you add that to the train room total, It would indeed be over $100,000.

Just make her an N scale bathroom. 😊

[porkypine52]

I did forget one thing that every Modeller should have:  INSURANCE.  This can be a bit sticky.  I had a RIDER attached to my Homeower's Policy.  At first, my insurance company, Farm Bureau, didn't want to write the rider on the policy.  Couldn't get the idea that these are NOT toys, through to them.  Then I asked if they insured Art or Coin Collections?  Then got them to see want I wanted.  Spread out my collection, and made a VIDEO TAPE, now transferred to a DVD.  This DVD can be updated every so often, is kept in my fireproof safe, at home and a copy is in my Safe Deposit Box at the Bank.  The rider I attached to my Homeowner's Insurance costs about $10.00 a year.  A bargain price for a little extra piece of mind.
Do you have work sessions or host any tours of you layout? If the tour is thru/with the NMRA group or Convention, you should be covered by the Group Policy we have.  If not, you might want to make sure you are covered for a group of visitors in your Homeowner's Policy.  Your insurance agent can help here.

DIESELS?!?!?! We don't need NO stinkin' Diesels!!!
The INDIANA RAILWAY.......Still 100% Steam Powered in 2020
Organic Burglar Alarm on duty 100% of the time. Only cost is Dog Food & LOVE

[Maletrain]

I did convert an 8 x 17 unfinished attic to my train room.
...
Grand total $3750 or $27.55 per sq foot.  Or, as I like to think about it, about 25 DCC N scale diesel locos I couldn't buy.

I like to think of that as only $46.88 per N scale acre.

[MK]

Just make her an N scale bathroom. 😊

Then you might be sleeping in the N Scale garage!   

[NorsemanJack]

I did forget one thing that every Modeller should have:  INSURANCE.  This can be a bit sticky.  I had a RIDER attached to my Homeower's Policy.

If my trains are just basic commodities (i.e. no highly collectible old Lionel, etc), won't my personal property coverage cover them at replacement cost?

[CRL]

If my trains are just basic commodities (i.e. no highly collectible old Lionel, etc), won't my personal property coverage cover them at replacement cost?

Short answer... Yes, they would be covered as Contents for the Perils your policy covers. This typically does not cover breakage unless caused by a covered Peril. Dropping an item typically isn’t covered.

If you cover your collection under a Personal Articles Floater, which are typically All Risk except for specific exclusions, then you are buying broader coverage, but you may need to provide a value appraisal.