Recently my neighbor gave me her husband's old train set. I am wondering what they are worth. There are 13 engines , around 50 cars , a lot of track and 6 throttle packs, many other accessories. Most are Bachmann but there are some atlas and bertren. They are N series, I am not sure if i want to sell them or try to set them up, Don't have allot of room. I would appreciate some feed back. thank you.
It seems that when I am trying to sell, the cost of trains is always low and when I am trying to buy, prices are astronomical. Seriously, I would look on eBay for items like, or very similar to, what you have, and value your pieces accordingly. Collecting is not my cup of tea, but it seems like the only electric trains that have consistently appreciated are most of the Lionel stuff and, to a much lesser degree, some American Flyer. There are other, extremely rare, antique trains that bring huge prices, but most of us will never run across any of them.
OldTimer
A typical older used locomotive in N scale is worth about $15-$20. Older used freight cars are worth about $1-$2.50. Some may be worth more, but don't expect to get too much with the current market conditions.
I would suggest running the trains. Maybe you will like the hobby. Maybe not. It not, then why not pass the trains on to someone who is trying to get started in the hobby? Perhaps someone who might otherwise be unable to afford them? The group I model with at our local museum regularly receives donation of trains. A few (very few) we keep for our museum layout. The rest get passed along. There may be a club in your area that is doing something similar.
Jim