Some of these items look like they belong in a Sotheby's or Christies Auction event. After all... once you get to believing something is so collectable and valuable... you might as well get millions $$$ for it. Sent from my SM-J737T using Tapatalk
Since I already went down this rabbit hole: The prototype was developed by General American Transportation GATX. The GATX release of this quartet is relatively prototypical but the other three schemes, all for oil companies, are pure fantasy. Built by Roco for Atlas, these cars were first introduced in 1970. It is the only car Atlas ever had that requires four trucks. To make it work, there's an unusual arrangement: a bolster and end platform is attached to the body, and the trucks are attached to the bolster. Believe it or not, it will negotiate a 7 1/2 inch radius. But it ain't pretty. The trucks with the couplers are significantly longer than the "extended" trucks used on the hi-cube box cars, "Pig Palace" stock cars and auto racks. In fact, they are not used anywhere else. It's one reason why these cars are sought after-- if they're intact. Folks who buy the bodies only with the intent of just finding any old wheelsets to put under them are soon made aware of what a challenge they've taken on! They are also easily the rarest of the whole bunch of Atlas 1gen cars, especially in "as manufactured" condition. Information taken from http://www.irwinsjournal.com/a1g/ which has all of the Atlas 1gen cars. It's worth noting that the Atlas model omits the hatches on the lower sides and has hatches in both ends, and apparently a hatch only belongs on the non-brakewheel end. Also, at some point the end ladder arrangement was changed. It appears that the car was only a 'proof of concept' car and was never really used in revenue service. It was saved...for awhile at the Galviston, TX Railroad museum but some time around 2010 they were flooded (probably the same time the SP RDC car was severely damaged by a flood) and the whale belly tank car floated up off its trucks, floated onto the adjacent parking lot, and came to rest in the parking lot when the flood receded. They couldn't get any assistance that was cost effective and the car was cut up for scrap. Prototype photo and a bit more info: http://www.railgoat.railfan.net/railwhales/bynumber/gatx096500.htm For some reason, Atlas really liked the BIG cars as other 1gen cars include the 86 Foot Steel "Hi-Cube" Box Cars and the 85 Foot Steel "Hi-Cube" Stock Cars (Pig Palace).
Since my last post about the Missouri Pacific SD40-2 going for about $410, the other one that I was bidding on went out of my price range too. https://www.ebay.com/itm/N-Scale-Ka...-/333925662259?_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49292 Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
It is interesting to review the bidding: eight bidders and 32 bids, after $100 almost all be bids by "541" and "1612" who were in on early bidding, from $119 to $250 is appears that "541" drove the bidding war, less than an hour later there was a final attempt to end the bidding when "1612" bid $43l and bidding ended with a winning bid of $436 by "65" who placed that cap on his/her bidding three days earlier.
You would have to be 'high on coke' and distracted by a stripper to bid that much for what seems to be ordinary Kato motive power. Sent from my SM-J737T using Tapatalk
This is actually not a bad deal for someone in the local pickup area. I know I would spend at least as much money in an Urgent Care Facility if I tried to build one of these cabinets myself. https://www.ebay.com/itm/n-gauge-tr...ith-cabinet-and-fold-down-layout/284231064556
The popularity of the 94 foot A1G whale belly tank car, and the accompanying prices (even I have relatively high estimates on my A1G page JMaurer1 quoted from), continues to mystify me, although I do have my theories.
I've recently and successfully sold two large local-pickup-only items on eBay, but the flood of Messages from potential buyers drove me nuts. Most asked if I could ship it, that "it'd be easy". Um, no -- that's why it's local pickup only. Both Buyers were excellent and the pickup process went perfectly. eBay now has a quick and easy cell phone process where the Seller's phone reads a QR Code displayed on the Buyer's phone and delivery is confirmed in an instant. It works great.
Wow! A very good deal itself! Too bad I live here in south Mississippi. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
All , Some poor soul won the bid for this Locomotive see photo and below the photo, I think someone may have posted the original ebay listing here . The purchaser states : Got this locomotive from a guy who claimed it was made by SCALETRAINS and had DCC and sound already installed. It won’t run when I put it on my DCC layout. You guys have had any problems like this to your locomotives if so then how did you guys fixed this problem? Tom
Scale Trains outdid themselves on this 'masterpiece'. The Picasso-like rendering almost would qualify it as a weathered psuedo-graffiti one of a kind artwork. I need to have some more Chardonnay... a whole barrel this time. Sent from my SM-J737T using Tapatalk
How about this Lima Plymouth MDT body shell for only $49.99 Plus Shipping? morethantoys217 has had this listed since November 2020 without any adjustment to its crazy high price. Who posts something for five months without regard to actually selling it? This is the sort of listing that makes segments of eBay a total bore. There's another Seller who's had a CR Dash-8 shell listed at $59.95 for almost a month. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Union-Pacific-720-N-Scale-Locomotive-Shell/363139707207?
Here is an interesting paint job. There actually were a few E-units on the NYC that had jade green cigar band paint scheme, but never a jade green lightning stripe. I suppose that the price is not bad for a custom paint job. https://www.ebay.com/itm/N-Lifelike...934333?hash=item367815e33d:g:AEMAAOSwdS9gXMrO How about an RDC lettered for "Conrail Southern"? https://www.ebay.com/itm/Con-cor-N-...486191?hash=item524aa290ef:g:1oEAAOSwmwRgW~9P What is funny is that it has the correct number for the only RDC that SP ever had. SP did add large number boards to it. Further, after a collision in 1960, Sacramento protobashed it into a single end RDC-2, which meant that it had to be turned in Berkeley and Oakland. The price is not too bad if it actually does run. I understand that the prototype does exist, although it is not in the best of shape and that it still runs, although barely.