I have seen commercials for other "auction" sites. But not this one. But it does not sound like I am missing anything....
I do remember one site that was actually pretty good, but the drawback was you had to pay a premium charge per item/auction that you won. For large items like vehicles, it was OK, but low cost items like model trains, it just added to the cost and made retail look good so the bids didn't move up too far. I don't know if it's still around or not or what the name of it was.
It's called a gamble. If you notice, that locomotive is "Lenz Decoder Equipped". If the seller tried to test it on DC and the decoder has been reset to run only on DCC, then it will not run. I once picked up a Santa Fe U-23B for $32.50 shipped on E-Bay and sure enough when I got it, it did not run. Instead of sending it back, I pulled the shell and discovered that it has a MRC sound decoder installed and the locomotive did work when I tested on DCC at my LHS. What I thought was a score actually made decide NOT to spend any money on N-Scale Sound Decoders from MRC (just my personal opinion YMMV). Waiting to get some frames machined to try some better sound options.
Off topic to Bill B- At one time, didn't you have a web site about your model RR? My memory is saying yes?
No, but I was the webmaster for the Trinity N-Trak webpage for several years on the 1990s. The links has a ton of N Scale information at the time it was active. Did have links to two fellow members web pages for their home layouts. That page has not been updated since 2009 & a lot of those links are dead now.
Actually, I was referring to how much it went for with my original comment. $49 seems high for a gamble over a locomotive that may require a new motor and/or a decoder. I mean, I've done the non working gamble routine myself and come out a winner. My second atlas C630 that I bought for $15 was DCC and DOA and it turned out that was only due to the pickups on one truck were missing.
I am starting to think these things are reproducing,kinda like a virus. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Toy...499?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4d301e1873 O boy what a deal! only $19.99 buy it now. quick before its gone.
You may be on to something... "Hitches..." Obviously another non-model railroader unloading a (NOT) valuable treasure.
And the handrails on that, whatever it is, interchangeable with an HO model of something. From the look of the "hitches" something out of a toy set. Not even sure if it is powered battery or otherwise.
Totally unpowered. These things keep showing up, don't know why, but they were originally a "free bonus" with Reader's Digest subscription. On the other hand, it is "vintage" after all.
Yup. Worth twice the price. Let's see- Two times nothing equals... Hey must be somewhere between fifty bucks and several hundred dollars, in 'something for nothing' math. I'm going to put an empty milk carton in Z scale, and call it a rare, collectible caboose... How does seventy five dollars sound? Seems reasonable to me!
Hmm if you get a seller out of that then I am going to collect the contents of the Big Guy's, ahem. shall we say relief box, and list it as genuwine landscaping materials. Comes complete with free odor and free shipping.
Seller’s advice sought. For 25 years, I accumulated tank cars for a “dream” (or nightmare) monster N layout that would have included traffic to and from three refinery districts. Now I have cut back and am building a layout that is an end-of-the-line island seaport with no refineries or chemical process plants, and no through “bridge” traffic. An eminent urban historian explained to me recently that for geographical and political reasons, my prototype city cannot get the massive water supply needed to support such industries. So I have to get rid of about a dozen tank cars that don’t fit my layout: Model Power, Minitrix, AHM, one Atlas-Austria. Most came from 20, 30, 40 years ago, and all but one came with Arnold Rapido style couplers. I upgraded four with Kadee or MTL couplers to run in layout operations, six still have the old Rapidos and two are missing trucks and couplers entirely. I don’t think I can get more than $3 to $5 apiece for these old cars, even with MTL couplers which cost almost $5. I am planning on swapping out old Rapidos where cars I intend to operate someday still have them, putting them on the old cars I am selling off. And putting the few sets of MTL on the cars I am keeping. These are old early N, a bit crude by modern standards, but someone may want a model or a paintscheme not available today. So I have a question. Is this a good idea to swap couplers like this? Worth the trouble? Is it “fair” or “legitimate” if I clearly and accurately describe what I am offering?
