How has this hobby progressed for you over the years?

[OldNoob]

Clarification.....
Ok so ive been messing around in G scale for about 5 years now.
ive had the BACHMANN, LGB, ARISTOCRAFT, USA, MDC, LIONEL,PIKO, and MTH rolling stock.
Ive had BACHMANN LGB, ARISTOCRAFT, USA, LIONEL, MTH and KITBASHED engines
I often have to rotate my inventory selling one item to acquire another.
Never had enough money to justify acquiring  Accucraft or Aster or the like engines and rolling stock
But i find myself being drawn more and more to the 1/32 end of the scale.
Which seems much harder to find in some ways.
How has the hobby progressed with you?

[Chuck]

Good topic and a bit surprised by no replies??!! I'm sort of a bit like you as have had them all including Accucraft/ AML over the years. Buy sell and keep changing my mind between 1:32 or 1:29 though have settled on 1:29 lately as I really like the USA Trains big passenger cars and Autoracks. 

 

Been in large scale since whenever MTH started shipping the first Hudson's, Challengers and Dash-8's. Infact started even earlier as in late '99 MTH announced in the o gauge magazine that they were getting into 1:32 and the ad showed some guy holding a Challenger and some kid holding the tender for less than what I was paying for a o scale equivalent! I was heavily invested into o scale Lionel & MTH and started selling to make way for MTH One-Gauge. 

 

The real large scale cincher for me was in the early 2000's at the local monthly train show. A dealer had the newly released USA Trains Intermodal car with containers and that sent me over the top! Next dealer had some engine can't recall if it was a LGB Alco or a USAT GP9 painted black and white like a cow and it was moo'ing! 

 

 

[Jerry B44]

Been in the hobby for ages, about 30 years I guess. Aristo FA-1 was first, which I still have on display with the E-8 nose on it  I got from Marty. Started with code 250 and still have it. Fits in better with the trains I think. Over the years, I got into live steam some, little of 1/20 but sold them, sold most of my 1/29 and gradually got into MTH 1/32. I like the smaller size/weight and the layout does not look too packed with large cars. I have some Great Trains engines/cars also.  I don't buy stuff anymore, just maintain what I have. Run trains about every day, just like sitting on the deck and watch as they go around. Encouraged that many built layouts during Covid, so hope the hobby survives, never be what it was, I don't think. Was fun while it lasted.

[trainman605]

I've been in G Scale for some 40 plus years with LGB equipment all U.S. Narrow Gauge. Yes, it is a scale that is hard to use other manufactures equipment, as LGB is 122.5 Scale, or as I call it, a questionable scale to model in. All my LGB is repainted and rebuilt as I'm more of a modeler then a runner. I model like it's Standoff Scale (RC airplane scale), looks really good, but don't use a scale for every rivet on the model. Here are a few pics of just a few LGB and USA Trains models that I have redone. All my engines are Rail Pro equipped and all Cabooses and Passenger cars have LED's and battery power, no track power. trainman

[Chuck]

@trainman605 

 

Your trains are looking good! The "Bumble Bee" paint reminds me of a day when I was visiting St. Aubin standing at the check out counter when one of the phone sales rep. Dale proclaimed "I just sold a Bumble Bee!".  That place was big with only a handful of people working there. It had to be big because the size of the trains and all the stock they had.