So let me ask you guys..Is it possible to spend too much on a hobby?

[A HERETIC I AM]

I asked this question in GD with a Poll. Here's the thread, if you haven't ventured out of the lounge for a while;

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x3840344

I want to build one of these;


A 1.5" scale, 7 1/2" gauge Union Pacific 4-6-6-4 Challenger Live Steam Locomotive.

Here is a better shot for an idea of the scale;


As I mention on that thread, this is tantamount to building an automobile from scratch, using castings purchased from a supplier specializing in scale model, live steam locomotives.

Is there an upper limit to such personal indulgences?

Am I a bad person to want to spend maybe $25,000 to build such a ....well....toy?

[LostinVA]

1. If you can afford it, go for it

[Left Is Write]

2. Sure, it's possible to spend too much.

But only you can determine what is "too much" for you to spend.

[Pierre.Suave]

3. Holy Crap that is awesome

I had NO idea those could be built, or were being built...

Wow.

Only you can decide how much is too much for you.

[A HERETIC I AM]

7. Want to see one in operation? Check out this video....

I posted this link in the thread I linked. The Engine in the video is not a Challenger, but it is a locomotive of similar size and complex construction. There are numerous associated videos on the YouTube page that show many other types of this machine. It is a rather large, worldwide community of enthusiasts, with chapters all over the US, UK, Japan, Australia, South Africa, etc. Google "Live Steam Model Locomotives" and you'll find dozens of interesting links.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yeoVqoIyUc&feature=related

edited spelling

[Generic Brad]

4. Too much what?

Too much time? There is never enough time to spend on hobbies. Too much money? What's the point of living if you have nothing to work for?

[VenusRising]

5. No, you're not a bad person for wanting to spend that much.

It seems to be something that you are passionate about. I would say that as long as you can afford it, go for it!

If I had the money I would have a gigantic salt water aquarium, and those fish cost an arm and a leg each.

Good luck, have fun, and post pictures!!

:hi:

[Haole Girl]

6. You're asking the wrong person...

I have spent a small fortune on my most recent one!

Life is short... enjoy it!! :hi:

[Kali]

8. I think that is the whole point of hobbies, isn"t it?

[A HERETIC I AM]

9. LOL...yes, I suppose it is.

Thanks.

:hi: :toast:

[grasswire]

10. you can sell rides to recoup your investment

You can be one of those geezers with a big setup in the back forty with a corn maze and a train ride and a pumpkin patch, and make lots of clams off your investment.

[A HERETIC I AM]

11. That's me. A HERETIC I AM A GEEZER.

LOL... thanks for the visual.

Still, you have to admit it's cool as hell.

[leeroysphitz]

12. Be happy, build your toy but share it. There must be a ton of children, my son included,

who would die for a chance to see a beautiful model like that up close but whose daddies can't afford such a thing.

[AlCzervik]

13. that's is so cool, my inner 5 year old is dyin here.

if you can afford it than why not? That thing is going to bring a lot of joy to many people.

[flvegan]

14. Economics checking in here.

Every expenditure has an asset side and a liability side. To spend that amount on a "hobby" like that also seems like a plus in the asset side.

Some hobbies can also be investments, even if not intended as such.

[leeroysphitz]

15. You LOOOOOOVE model trains.

[Ptah]

16. Dude, in the shop the other day,

Click for a four minute youtube





Of course you must build it.

[A HERETIC I AM]

17. Are you by any chance the operator in that vid?

That's one hell of a lathe.

I may have to buy a couple machines to do this. If I want to build more than one or be able to make my own spares, I'll definitely need a 3-axis milling machine and a lathe. I can pay to have the various milling jobs done by a shop, but it might be just as cheap to buy the machines and do it myself in the long run.

[Ptah]

20. No, that's one of my shopmates.

Sometimes we work at a smaller scale.

[RetroLounge]

18. You're asking the wrong guy this question!

Heather Creek 2-8-0 #1222 pulls the fast freight past town...


Heather Creek 2-8-0 #1222 sitting below the highway overpass waiting for clearance to back into the yards


Some train geek who spent LOTS of dollars on model trains


:rofl:

Go For it!

Then call me when your done so I can have a ride!

:hi:

RL

[A HERETIC I AM]

19. Beautiful layout. Is it in your basement?

Or is it at a clubhouse? How many feet of track?

I've always admired model railroaders. The patience of a saint!

Deal on the ride, just give me half a decade or more, OK?

[RetroLounge]

21. This is a portable club layout from a few years back

Unfortunately, the club kinda fell apart and the modules are spread out amongst members...

This time we plugged enough 2'x4' and corner modules together for an 8' x 24' layout and displayed it for the Chicago & North Western Historical Society.

Here's Minneapolis & St. Louis RS1 #222 passing the abandoned depot.


Here's Heather Creek RS-1 #626, the railroad's first diesel, a former Chesapeake & Ohio locomotive that's seen a lot of miles.


:hi:

RL

[Rhiannon12866]

22. Not if you can afford it, have both the time and the money it'll require. It's absolutely awesome!

WOW. This is just beautiful and very worthwhile. If you have the means and the knowledge, I say follow your dream! And please keep us up to speed on your progress! I'm very interested. What a fascinating and unusual hobby. My opinion is to go for it!:D

I have a thing for trains, too. My first paying job was driving a train through an amusement park, summers, while I was in school. My train was on a much smaller scale, as well, though it had a gas engine. I loved that train, would get there early and take it around, check the tracks for debris and rub paraffin on the curves so it would just glide around and wouldn't squeal.;)

And I polished it, using the hand cleaner the mechanics used, LOL, until it glistened. It had all the features of a real train, was just much smaller, had three cars and held a capacity of 32. It was purchased used in 1952, so had numerous mechanical problems. We used to say that it was held together with chewing gum and bumper sticker wire, LOL, since the park owner was pretty "frugal" *sigh*, but it was my great pride that I could always get it back to the station, learned enough about the engine so I could manage that, unless, of course, it derailed, which happened on a regular basis. *sigh*

That train was my pride and joy. I drove it for four summers, was honored when my boss chose me to drive it because he trusted me, since it broke down fairly often, given its age, and not everyone was up to the job, until my boss chose me. Previously, I had been Cinderella, LOL, was hired for that job, so considered the train a promotion, a much more satisfying job, and it was one of the most popular rides in the park, so I was honored that my boss trusted me enough to make me responsible for it.:-)

Actually, there were two almost identical trains, which we needed on busy days. When the odometer turned over 100,000 miles, I was interviewed and my train and I made the local paper. What they neglected to mention was that the odometer had been defunct for several years, but the mechanics got it going again. ;)

Sorry to go on, but your thread brought back some lovely memories for me... Wish I had a pic to post, and I have several, obviously, LOL, just not on-line... :hi:

BTW, my train was purple, not as beautiful as yours, perhaps, but I loved it just the same...:loveya:

Rhiannon :pals:

[MilesColtrane]

23. "So let me ask you guys..Is it possible to spend too much on a hobby?"

Damn! Just how much porn DO you have?



on edit: Just saw what you were referring to...porn would be healthier.

[Iggo]

24. I play guitar.

So the answer is a resounding "Hell yes it's possible."

[Fox Mulder]

25. I pay nothing for my hobby.

I get all my porn for free. :)

In all seriousness, if you can afford it, then you can never spend too much on a hobby.

[Evoman]

26. Right now, my hobby is playing a ridiculously addictive game called Puzzle Quest for the DS.

It's very unhealthy. I called in sick to work so I could play it (and because it was raining outside and I didn't want to walk to the bus stop).

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

27. talk to my girlfriend

She has spent fuck knows how much on her home theater, it looks like something out of MTV Cribz.

But... just try watching a movie with her, she will spend an hour or more with a tape measure trying to make sure the image from the projector is perfectly square with the movie screen before starting the movie. Then she will start shuffling through every possible color setting on the projector just to find the right one for the movie as the credits begin to roll.

[Lorien]

28. Sounds like she should have just gotten a Sony Bravia or something

that remains consistent from one viewing to the next. I hate it when you try to watch movies with someone who has OCD AND funky technology!

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

29. the screen is something like 13 feet corner to corner

she has a couple of flat-screen TV's too

She is probably the worlds only female home theater nerd.

But hell, its her money if she wants a $99 Wal-Mart patio set in her kitchen and a $8000 projector I guess that is up to her.

[puerco-bellies]

30. from a guy with surfboards, kayaks, snorkeling gear, and a yet to be fully complete silversmith shop

Umm, maybe.. but if you can handle the costs GO FOR IT!!! You will have the coolest yard ever!!! I used to regularly pass through Ft Bragg CA, home of the Skunk Train. I had many fantasy's concerning a scaled down steam locomotive winding through my own little patch of redwoods.

[mwooldri]

31. No there is no such thing as too much money spent on a hobby.

You want a model steam loco? A group of people wanted a real full size steam loco... so they raised nearly £3 million (about $5.8 million USD) and built one.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/2484695/First-British-steam-locomotive-for-half-a-century-chugs-into-action.html



Mark

[quakerboy]

32. Yes. It definitely is possible

As to whether you are, that is up to you to decide.

As to being a bad person: wanting to dosn't make you bad. But what you actually chose to do, that is a much more relevant issue.

[NJmaverick]

33. Hobbies are important in life, if you can afford it go right ahead

it's no worse than wasting it on a very expensive car, or clothes or a trip or jewlry.

[pitohui]

34. only you know your budget -- if it's for YOU, do it, if it's for kids, DON'T

i would ignore the advice of those who say "it's okay only if you share it w. the neighbor kiddies," personally i would NOT share it w. any neighbor kiddies unless you have looked into your homeowner's insurance and other liabilities, if you are considered to have created an attractive nuisance it might go over budget to be properly insured

i know someone who worked on actual freight trains and they did have some legal case where they were considered to have an attractive nuisance (berry plants allowed to grow on the train right of way, which is too bad, because these plants are also good habitat for birds)

most people i know have spent more on their automobile which gives them no particular pleasure and is just a way to get from a to b -- only you know your budget -- but $5K a yr over 5 yrs is not necessarily a lot of cash for a lot of people

do not feel obligated to "share" your achievement with the whole world, you should feel perfectly free to enjoy it for yourself/itself -- IMHO if it's about the sharing and showing off (the ego) then it's actually less worth doing than if it's for your own inner accomplishment

"think of all the pleasure you'll give the neighborhood kiddies" is not a valid reason to do it, unless your ego is really that weak and you like attracting strange kids to your house -- a TERRIBLE idea in this legal climate IMHO -- a hobby should be about pursuing one's own dream -- ask yourself, is this just a pipedream and you would need the applause of the people around you to keep going? or is this something you want to accomplish for yourself? if you want to accomplish for yourself go for it -- if you are trying to impress somebody, sounds like a good way to lose steam and give up halfway thru when you realize that other people have better things to do than stand around and be impressed

[A HERETIC I AM]

37. It would most definitely be for me.

I appreciate your comments, and I agree with the "attractive nuisance" idea.

Keep in mind however that I am just contemplating building the locomotive and tender, not installing a railroad to run it on. There are quite a few 7 1/2" gage railroads around, actually. Some are on private property and open only to club members. Others are in city or county parks. Here's a list of such railroads;

http://www.discoverlivesteam.com/A-clubs.htm

The largest scale railroad in the country is at Train Mountain in Oregon, near Crater Lake. It has over 13 miles of seven and a half inch gage track and a total of over 25 miles of track including the yards and spurs.

So there is no need to build my own railroad as well. Not to mention doing so is REALLY expensive, the completed cost could be better than $10.00 per foot, considering grading, the rails and ties as well as ballasting. A locomotive the size I am thinking of needs turns with a radius of 50' or more, just to keep from derailing.

The project interests me on many levels. I have always been interested in machines and machinery, from piston engines to aircraft to locomotives. Completing something like this would be, as I said, similar to building a car completely from scratch.

I just think that would be cool as hell.

[Midlodemocrat]

35. Go for it. If you can afford it and it gives you pleasure, it's worth every dime.

:hug:

[skygazer]

36. My hobby is horseback riding

I shudder to think of the money I've spent on it over the last 40 years. You're just looking at one big expenditure while most of mine was spread out over years. But what's the difference, really?

I love it - when I was a kid there was a guy who lived next door to our elementary school who had one of those. What a treat it was when he'd take it out and run it around the track while we were all at recess! One of my favorite memories.

[fudge stripe cookays]

38. Coming from the genealogist...

who has spent tens of thousands of dollars on Ancestry.com membership, birth certificates, marriage certificates, death certificates, divorce decrees, plane fare, hotel charges, rental cars, copy cards, admission to archives, more copies, gas to and from archives, printing of family trees, printing of other materials, scrapbook supplies to scrap photos and other materials (to interest cousins in the project), hosting gatherings of cousins....

NO!!

[OffWithTheirHeads]

39. So let me ask you GIRLS,

Is it possible to spend too much on shoes?