How much can we justify spending?

[nachoman]

Just goes to show there is more than one way to enjoy this hobby. Live steam modelers pay more than that, even if they do build themselves. With enough money, you could pay someone to build a layout for you. If you have enough money, and all you care about is running trains, this may be a good option. Personally, my enjoyment is in building. I probably haven't spent more than 250 a year on modeling supplies in a long time. Even if I had the money, I don't know if I would be spending much more. I'd probably shell out some for some locomotives, but something like this? If it were a kit for 250 bucks and needed such a contraption as the centerpiece for a mining scene, I'd definitely consider it. I find that unless you get your raw materials for basically free, the cost of scratchbuilding isn't that much less than the cost of a kit.