Old used trains

True

I hate to agree but what Joe wrote is the honest truth. Follow his counsel so you can get an idea

HO Lionel

I've seen some HO Lionel go for some decent money to a collector but the rest is just as Joe said.

Not always junk

Without knowing the brand/manufacture it is impossible to say what might be the value, there are some collectibles as mentioned Lionel, but also there are other items like the special state cars or sports teams that will appeal to other collectors as well. And then there are the plastic toy trains of the 70s, which would be of the least value unless it was a rare piece, but you get back into the 40s the value goes up again.

Also if the engines are brass they will be more valuable and as Joe mentioned items in boxes will increase their value.  If you have unbuilt craftsman kits such as Fine Scale Miniatures and Suydam they can go for a good amount.

The best way to check value is search for the particular items on ebay, trying to sell everything as one lot will not get the best money.  One thing I recommend when searching for pricing on e-bay go to the advanced search and look at completed listings, look for the ones that have actually sold the price will be green. You'll have to do some research as suggested the easiest method is to find a local club or hobby shop that you can take pictures too and/or have someone come by and inspect the equipment.

I have to disagree with thinking it is junk without knowing details of the manufacture, in box, how well used, what equipment you actually have.  Yes there have been a lot of changes in the last 20 years, but there are still a lot of people who are happy with the old DC stuff.

Overall don't expect to get $5000 for it, but you might have a piece or two that will have some value, the fine scale miniature kits can go for a $200 dollars these days when they were originally bought for less than $30. The ones with all the metal castings seem to be the most valuable you can tell by the weight of the box.

Not always junk

Jim is correct, Kurt has in fact, not given any indication as to how old any of the collection is.

Without more details it is hard to speculate or give council, but I think the best course of action is to find a local club and get them to assist with an assessment of what you have.

Just trying to set more realistic expectations

Value

Unfortunately, having invested $5000 will return about $1000 if your lucky and have a few "golden eggs" in the collection.  Having said that, start taking some photos of items and post them here on the forum where we may be able to help appraise what you have!  Rolling stock (freight cars/passenger cars) will do OK with a couple photots usually showing both sides.  Locomotives should at least have a photo of the underneath to help us identify brands and possibly vintage.  Kits should be unopened and sealed if at all possible to have any real value, as this helps ensure the kit is complete.  Track sells surprisingly well if it's newer nickel silver but older brass track will still sell but for no where near as much.  I'll admit that I'm a sucker for any Athearn locomotives still in the original box unbuilt!  By the way, I'm looking for a GP 40 for a project 

While I agree most used

While I agree most used trains are not of great value,you may be better off to donate them and take a tax credit for the estimated replacement value. Usually quite a bit better than a hobby shop will give you. Our club is 501c3 (I think) and donations are tax deductible.Look in the area for a club with tax exempt status. If like our club they will give you advice and idea of price without obligation

                                                                                                         Ray

In model railroading and

In model railroading and other hobbies alike, One mans idea of "junk" may be another mans idea of "vintage" ...If you have zero desire to "keep sake" the collection goggle some of what you have, takes some photos etc, throw them up on e bay or something, If the collection is that big rent a table at a local train show sell them there, I am willing to bet some one out there will want some of what you have. My sympathies on your dads passing, Good luck.

Pictures, appraisals and

Pictures, appraisals and everything in between, just like everyone else said. We (me and my grandparents) also have a lot of stuff from my Great Grandfather. Including some old UTLX prints, I wonder if those are worth anything, but I know it is mainly junk as he bought broken many broken versions of one thing so he could fix them up into one working one. (isn't that a much cheaper method to modelling)

Someones treasure from another's junk

1 of my favorite pieces is the train I built from my grandfather's engines.  However, to make it work, I jacked up the engine covers and drove new engines underneath!  Then built a whole passenger train with Athearn and Con-cor cars behind it.  I even commissioned 2 B units to go with the A units.  And then had them upgraded to DCC.  But while they are worth something to me, to most of even the people here, they might be worth a few dollars, but no more.

I salvaged 2 bridges off my old layout, and they spent time in storage (I built them 20 years ago now).  They are going on my new module - why?  I built them as part of my therapy while in the hospital - they mean something to me.

Now the flip side - if you have exactly the piece I want - yes, i will pay.  So, evaluation is the key.  Visit a local club, or post photos here, we can help identify things.  If someone sees something they like, they might bid on it via private e-mail.   I know if I see something I like I would.

...

The best place to take this collection is Ebay, research what you can and list it at what you feel is a fair price piece by piece.  $20.00 is $20.00, and you can make yourself a pretty tidy bundle selling it all off!

If he said it was worth $5,000, you may be able to get $2,500 if you're patient. Of course, if it's mid grade or the high grade, you could be looking at $$$.  A random wood box with Unimat in it?  Brass?  Bowser detail kits?  A box of FSM? $$$$$!  But it all depends on what you have!

Take it to Ebay - but if you do post a list of what's in there, I'm sure you may sell a couple pieces here and there that way too.  Ebay is the securest place when it comes to payments and all that, though.

When can you post pictures?

My 97 yo Dad still runs his

My 97 yo Dad still runs his trains on DC, and I can tell you for a fact many of his locos are anything but junk.

I too would love to see what sort of items are in the collection.

Good luck to you Kurt.

Mike

$5000 in it...

One thing that nobody has mentioned yet is that he says his dad told him he had about $5000 in it. So, you all know that means he really had closer to $50,000 in it!  Come on now, who really admits how much they spend on their stuff? 

Randy