General Discussion (Model Railroader)

No matter how bizarre this is, nor how arcane it gets... It will not beat the lady I just bought a lionel engine from... I advised her that the engine and tender go together- she insisted that they were separate cars from a set, I sent her evidence from Lionel stating that this engine and that tender were never separate... She declined the idea. I offered to buy them now if she would combine shipping... She also declined- this was a mistake the combined buy it now prices and shipping would have gotten her just over 100 bucks... I bid and waited... and I won both... I sent her her 62.50 she refunded the 9.25 and combined the shipping and I wound up with a matched set 4-8-4 northern streamline steamer and tender models 1688 and 1689W for 45 and shipping... WHY DON'T THEY LISTEN WHEN WE TRY TO HELP THEM???

Hey, it sold for $105.  Maybe somebody knows something we don't?

 Tilden

Tilden wrote:

Hey, it sold for $105.  Maybe somebody knows something we don't?  Tilden

Maybe something about one being born every minute???

I'm tempted to shoot the buyer a message after 10 days or so to see if he has any idea what the heck it really is. Loathar started this mystery, and I want to know the answer.

Maybe I should hit my old Mantua with some gold spray paint, then take photos from a distance.

I sent a question a couple days ago and he said he would let me know. I am curious also.

Yes I know, I should be working on my layout, something constructive. 

Rich 

SteamFreak wrote:

I'm tempted to shoot the buyer a message after 10 days or so to see if he has any idea what the heck it really is. Loathar started this mystery, and I want to know the answer. Maybe I should hit my old Mantua with some gold spray paint, then take photos from a distance.

Do so and you're likely to get plenty of bids! After the buyer receives it though, it could be another story.

The misrepresentation that goes on on eBay, intentional or otherwise, is simply terrible. Likewise, there are so many totally naive buyers pursuing eBay that it boggles the mind.

Years back I always considered model railroaders a pretty intelligent, well informed bunch. However, with the coming of the Internet and seeing what folks post, I've since dropped that opinion. A perfect example is in what they will buy blind. A while back, I saw a very common 1950's Mantua 0-4-0 four car freight set, honestly worth perhaps $20, go for nearly $300 on eBay simply because the seller claimed, without any substantiation whatever, that it had been on display at the 1939 NY World's Fair. In fact, that particular Mantua loco and set didn't even appear until the 1950's! There were at least a dozen high dollar bids for the item and I'm almost sure the buyer is still going around telling folks he owns a unique, priceless, piece of model railroading's history. Yup, there's one born every minute!

CNJ831

CNJ831 wrote:

SteamFreak wrote: I'm tempted to shoot the buyer a message after 10 days or so to see if he has any idea what the heck it really is. Loathar started this mystery, and I want to know the answer. Maybe I should hit my old Mantua with some gold spray paint, then take photos from a distance. Do so and you're likely to get plenty of bids! After the buyer receives it though, it could be another story. The misrepresentation that goes on on eBay, intentional or otherwise, is simply terrible. Likewise, there are so many totally naive buyers pursuing eBay that it boggles the mind. Years back I always considered model railroaders a pretty intelligent, well informed bunch. However, with the coming of the Internet and seeing what folks post, I've since dropped that opinion. A perfect example is in what they will buy blind. A while back, I saw a very common 1950's Mantua 0-4-0 four car freight set, honestly worth perhaps $20, go for nearly $300 on eBay simply because the seller claimed, without any substantiation whatever, that it had been on display at the 1939 NY World's Fair. In fact, that particular Mantua loco and set didn't even appear until the 1950's! There were at least a dozen high dollar bids for the item and I'm almost sure the buyer is still going around telling folks he owns a unique, priceless, piece of model railroading's history. Yup, there's one born every minute! CNJ831

Here is what I just received from the buyer. Did not say anything about Tyco.

Hello

She arrived today .

As promised, here is what it is : a
partially built very early brass kit of a 4-8-2, probably Tenshodo as there
is a sticker on the plain cardboard box that says Early Tenshodo 1954 or
1959 signed by Emil Pindzola? no name on the blue print which says Missouri
Pacific Line 4-8-2 and is very basic, the extensive instruction sheets
refer to a 2-8-2 Mikado and are Mantua instruction sheet N° 142 , 19/49 -
kit N° : 208, there is also a MDC price list dated July 1st 1954 .

Most
parts are brass, the engine trailing axle is bronze, there are two six
wheel brass Commonwealth bogies for the tender that are brighter than the
rest, engine is the usual early japanese open frame type, transmission via
a dark red rubber tube . 

 Rich

I never heard of Knapp, so I Googled them and came up with this info. Scroll down to 'Knapp Electric.' It was made in 1938.

SteamFreak wrote:

I never heard of Knapp, so I Googled them and came up with this info. Scroll down to 'Knapp Electric.' It was made in 1938.