So, how much does it cost to build a layout? Well, just to see how many people I can successfully scare away from the hobby, I've actually gone ahead and kept track. Hey, if nothing else, it'll give me some idea of what it's worth when it comes time to sell it. Oh, and naturally I've left off all of the heavy-duty electronics (DCC system, etc) that I retain from one layout to the next. So believe me, it's even worse than it looks.
| $6 | Sylvan Scale Models "Assorted Watercraft" (Ye Olde Local Hobby Shop) |
| $12 | Con-Cor flatbed tractor w/ log load (eBay) |
| $136 | Buildings (YOLHS):
Cornerstone "Golden Valley Freight House" built-up Cornerstone "Golden Valley Depot" built-up Model Power "Gantry Crane" kit Cornerstone "Mountain Lumber Company" kit |
| $18 | Life-Like "Rural Post Office" kit (eBay) |
| $31 | Tug boat (eBay) |
| $139 | Buildings (YOLHS):
Cornerstone "Timber Trestle" Cornerstone "Farmers Cooperative Grain Elevator" Cornerstone "City Water Tower" Woodland Scenics "Harrison's Hardware" built-up |
| $315 | Assorted paint and glue (YOLHS) |
| $51 | Woodland Scenics "Fill'er Up & Fix'er" built-up (eBay) |
| $53 | American Model Builders "Transfer Building" (eBay) |
| $39 | Buildings (Walthers):
Model Power "Star Journal" Heljan "Freight and Passenger Platform" |
| $77 | Republic Locomotive Works "McCabe Lumber Log Dump" (republiclocomotiveworks.com) |
| $57 | Various sheets of foam insulation (Home Depot) |
| $17 | Con-Cor grain truck (eBay) |
| $49 | Bragdon Enterprises weathering powder (Bragdon Enterprises) |
| $16 | Model Power "Railroad Hotel" (YOLHS) |
| $30 | American Model Builders "Ellington Mercantile" (eBay) |
| $287 | Assorted Atlas Code-55 track (YOLHS) |
| $12 | Plasticville "Water Tank" built-up (YOLHS) |
| $35 | Sylvan Scale Models "Railway Car Float" (YOLHS) |
| $30 | Assorted Evergreen Scale Models styrene (YOLHS) |
| $34 | Buildings (BLW):
American Model Builders "General Service Building" American Model Builders "McCormac's Dry Goods" |
| $50 | 2 NJI Crossbuck sets (BLW) |
| $25 | New Rail Models "A-Frame Cabin" kit (YOLHS) |
| $25 | Blair Line "Blairstown General Store" kit (BLW) |
| $34 | 4 rolls of Woodland Scenics "Plaster Cloth" (YOLHS) |
| $6 | Midwest Products Co "Cork Roadbed" (YOLHS) |
| $66 | 14 Caboose Industries 224S Groundthrows (BLW) |
| $50 | 5 Atlas #205 Connector boxes (YOLHS) |
| $95 | 6 bottles of Woodland Scenics "Realistic Water" (YOLHS) |
| $41 | Assorted wire (YOLHS) |
| $16 | 1 quart of "Tiki Hut" flat interior latex paint (Sherwin Williams) |
| $11 | 1 box of Woodland Scenics "Mold-A-Scene" plaster (YOLHS) |
| $1 | 2 wooden dowels (YOLHS) |
| $27 | American Model Builders "Interlocking Tower" kit (BLW) |
| $50 | 2 Dallee Electronics #367 "Crossing Flashers" (www.dallee.com) |
| $7 | Kramer Products HO Sailboat (#H32) (YOLHS) |
| $14 | Sea Port Model Works assorted boat parts (Double Bitt, Search Light, Life Ring) (seaportmodelworks.com) |
| $8 | 1 box of Woodland Scenics "Paving Tape" (YOLHS) |
| $34 | American Model Builders "Railroad Rooming House" kit (eBay) |
| $16 | Life-Like "Country Cottage" and "Dormer House" kits (YOLHS) |
| $122 | Assorted Miniatronics lightbulbs (YOLHS) |
| $105 | 3 Miniatronics PDB-2's (Power Distribution Blocks) (Miniatronics) |
| $54 | 6 Lo Cascio "Lighted Telephone Poles" (www.lcoriginals.com) |
| $5 | 1 box of Woodland Scenics "Smooth-It" plaster (YOLHS) |
| $7 | 1 bag of Amaco "Sculptamold" plaster (YOLHS) |
| $87 | 12 bags of Arizona Rock & Mineral ballast (www.rrscenery.com) |
| $16 | 1 jar of Golden Mediums "Fluid Matte Medium" (Blick Art Materials) |
| $15 | 1 package of Cornerstone "Track Bumpers" (YOLHS) |
| $8 | 1 package of Model Power "White Fence" (YOLHS) |
| $20 | 5 Atlas #791 "Mill Lumber Kit" (YOLHS) |
| $6 | 1 package of Arizona Rock & Mineral "Apache Stone Base Color" (YOLHS) |
| $15 | 1 package of Cornerstone "Track Bumpers" (YOLHS) |
| $42 | Assorted turf and foliage (YOLHS) |
| $48 | 3 packages of Gold Medal Models "Chain Link Fence" (gohobbies.com) |
| $45 | 3 Tomix "CAT Fork Lifts" (eBay) |
| $10 | 1 package of Busch "Grain Field & Reeds" (YOLHS) |
| $131 | Assorted Woodland Scenics Figures (People) (YOLHS) |
| $65 | 2 package of Scenic Express "Buffalo Grass" (scenicexpress.com) |
| $76 | Tress 'n' stuff (Walthers):
2 30 packs of Heki "Pine Trees" 2 packs of Neal's N-Gauging Trains "Seagulls" 1 pack of Woodland Scenics "Family Fishing" figures |
| $7 | 3 packs of assorted Midwest Products Co "Micro-Cut Scale Lumber" (YOLHS) |
| $25 | NJI Semaphore (eBay) |
| $6 | 1 bottle of Woodland Scenics "Scenic Cement" (YOLHS) |
| $40 | 3 N Scale of Nevada "lumber load" kits (BLW) |
| $50 | Keystone Locomotive Works "Band Saw, Edger, Shotgun Carriage and Live Rolls" (YOLHS) |
| $441 | Assorted vehicles (eBay/YOLHS) |
| $61 | 4 Model Power #8572 "Railroad Signals" (YOLHS) |
| $270 | 17 boxes of #306 Heki Pikes (BLW) |
| $161 | Assorted stuff (YOLHS):
2 packs of Woodland Scenics "people" 3 20-packs of Busch pine trees 3 30-packs of Heki Pines |
| $51 | Assorted tree stuff (YOLHS):
1 70-pack of Woodland Scenics "Pine Tree Armatures" 1 30-pack of Busch pine trees 1 bottle of Woodland Scenics Hob-E-Tac adhesive 2 packages of Woodland Scenics "Forest Blend Underbrush" |
| $28 | 6 14-packs of Woodland Scenics "Stumps" (YOLHS) |
| $10 | D4 Bulldozer (eBay/Savonart) |
| $10 | Picnic tables (mppmodels) |
| $14 | 1 15-pack of Busch pine trees (YOLHS) |
| $10 | 1 pack of Faller "Garden Chairs & Tables" (YOLHS) |
| $11 | 1 5-pack of Neal's N-Gauging Trains "Seagulls" (YOLHS) |
| $12 | 1 Blair Line "Coal Storage House" (eBay) |
| $16 | 1 30-pack of Busch pine trees (YOLHS) |
| $15 | 1 steam "donkey" (eBay) |
| $87 | Assorted stuff (YOLHS):
1 60-pack of Busch pine trees 3 packs of Woodland Scenics "human" figures |
| $5 | 1 Kramer Products "forklift" (YOLHS) |
| $54 | 1 Vollmer "Smoke Generator" (770-4114) (Toy Train Heaven) |
| $16 | 1 Plastruct "Umbrella Table" 3-pack (Toy Train Heaven) |
| ---- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| $4042 | Total |
Part 2 - Base construction, tracklaying & wiring (and more buildings)
Part 3 - Roads, lighting and scenery (and yet more buildings)
Part 4 - Scenery, detailing (and yet more lighting)
Part 5 - Trees, detailing, and the end of the line