I was just driving along today after a dump run and well I saw there was a neighborhood yard sale, well I just had to stop you know! So there I am wondering around found various things i needed tools and such. Went to the very last house and was looking , nothing really caught my eye. A older women cam over and asked if i needed help finding anything and i said well if you got any train stuff that would be a good start. So she says" well gimme a sec let me ask my husband" he comes out and hes about 85 and he looks me up and down with my bright orange general lee cane i got says" son heard your looking for trains" i told him" yes sir, just started in the hobby and loving it, just looking to see if i can find anything to add to my layout". He asks me to follow him down some stair into a basement so i do. when i get down there i am just sureal. he had a huge basement with track eveywere. a layout that was so beautiful, but dusty, he hadnt been down there in years he said. he ask me if i liked it and i told him yes sir its remarkable. He had so many trains and such beautiful scenery. he said he started with trains when he was a little boy. been collecting and building since. he built this layout which had to been 40ft by 50 ft ....it was amazing. miles of track im sure. "so" he says what would you like. I was like sir i was just looking for any scenery and any locos or stock i could find. he said son thats not what i asked you. I didnt know what to say. then he said what type of train you like most and i said well i really like the old steam locos....and he said brb ...he walks around his layout and finds this......................................
says" i only ran it once", then sets it on a table if front of me. Told him thats very nice sir. he said oh wait this goes with it to....
im thinking theres no way i can afford these...then he said well what type of power you using so i tell him and he say thats not effeciant son...youll need something much better and sets this down next to the loco and tender...
i am drooling about now cuz he had about 6 of them.... so then he says wait just a minute youll need some of this too.........
by now im wondering how i will tell this nice man i cant afford all this stuff....while he sats these down...
so while hes looking around i start to speak up..i told him sir i cant afford all this...its really nice and your layout is breath taking but i dont have nearly enough money.. then he said why not. so i told him i was a disabled vet and money was tight...he said son i knew you were a vet the minute you called my wife maam.. he said nobody talks like that anymore unless your military...i was shocked and then he says plus your limp i assume you got shot...told him yep and some details because he was very curious...
he told me " son i didnt bring you down here to take your money, i brought you down here cuz i see the light in your eyes, its the crazy about trains look." i laughed along with him ..he said" i want you to have these, and you better take care of them," i said " sir i will they would be in good hands" so i m thinking whats the catch? he looked at me said " son how about $1 dollar ?" i told him " are you sure i dont think your getting a fair deal" he said " son im 85 yrs old, ive lived a long time, no kids they dont understand trains, when i die them vultures will just sell it all off , so go ahead enjoy" I tell him thanks you very much hand him his dollar. he told me i can come back anytime and run trains with him, and i will. he was such a nice man. i actually had dinner with him and his wife tonight. went down and just looked at all the trains. he must have had 40-50 differant engines with more then 200 boxcars, flat cars, cranes, and everything else. just amazing. everything was automated to. well thats my story and im sticking to it. heres a few more pics. I just cant believe the luck i had with trains and yard sales.
What a great story !!!
RIP Chewy - best dog I ever had.
WOW. And.... WOW!!!!!
Wonderful. Your rite, I'm jealous!!! By all means, spend time with him. I'll bet he has lots of great stories. Soak'm up and pass some along to us.
Bobby
P.S. Would love to see some pics/videos of his layout! If he doesn't mind.
thanks guys he is a great guy, funny to . He invited me to dinner so i went. we talked about trains and army all night. he is ex army as well. He actually told me i could come over any time and run them trains. He said he just cant get down there to well any more. But he did tell me if i wanted pics (cuz i asked because i knew you all would want to see) id have to dust the whole layout because he didnt want dirty pics of his artwork out on the net....lol i told him thats not a problem. Id be more then willing. he did tell me many a few storys over coffe and pie. He showed me about six or seven new in the box post war locomotives. He said he got two of each when he was young because he thought they would be valuable later. I am not sure what they were cuz i am not very good at identifying them yet but they were big. and so clean.
that big engine and tender he gave me works really well but it doesnt really like my 027 track almost stops in the corners . my other trains dont do this. i think its just to big for my layout
First of all.
Thanks for your sevice to this great country so we can enjoy this great hobby !
Second what a friend you have made there.
You know this gentleman sounds like he's been and is a wonderful human,not because he's given you these great deals,but the way he has treated a total stranger.
I'm not mad,or envious,because good things happen to good people.
You know when I was a kid I've seen my Dad do things for people that others would have charged for,but when the people asked him,"Why he did it for free ?",he would reply,"Just do a favor for somebody else someday,and you'll have paid me back".I try to use my Dad's word anytime I can.
Enjoy what you've got there,it looks great !
Collin ,operator of the " Eastern Kentucky & Ohio R.R."
that is so true. good things happen to good people. I believe if you treat people well it will come back to you one way or another. I have a huge heart i like helping ppl espacially the elderly. Last week i think it was i stopped for an older elderly woman and not only gave her a ride but put in a new alternator on the spot for her. It makes me feel good to help ppl.
and my new friend is a great guy. i am looking forward to another visit and more stories.
Well, actually human history is full of examples of bad things happening to good people and vise-versa.
That thought aside, I'll add my voice to the chorus that I don't hate you Zeke nor am I envious. You got a wonderful deal and it came from the kind heart of what sounds to be a pretty decent fellow. And I can relate to some of what he told you, for I've wanted marriage and kids for years and have never been blessed in that department. I think that's one of the reasons I'm such a strong toy train advocate is that I'm kind of doing the hobby with the son I have never had, at least in my mind. And when kids come to see the trains and they get all excited, I can not only see myself as a child through them, but try to imagine if I did have kids, that they'd be as excited to share the hobby with their dad.
Maybe one day Zeke I'll be giving my collection away to some young guy like you who may not have the money BUT has the APPRECIATION for the trains and knows the joy that they can bring. I'd be willing to bet this gentleman you got these trains from feels like I do: That he'd rather see the trains in the hands of someone who will bring that person the same joy he felt versus the hands of someone who will just try to make as much money as he can off the stuff. There are two value levels to our beloved trains: What the price guide says, and what the proud operator feels. That second one is immeasurable.
In these days of lawsuits, brand allegiance wars, and high end product quibbles and problems, it is a nice breeze of fresh air to read a story like yours here Zeke, either on this or the other forum when similar stories pop up over there.
brianel, Agent 027
"Praise the Lord. I may not have everything I desire, but the Lord has come through for what I need."
ZEKE - SOMETIMES, SIMPLY GOOD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE.
Happy for you brother.
Outstanding!
Zeke, I am sure you made that man happy in knowing that some of his trains will be appreciated after he's gone. That probably meant more to him than money.
Enjoy them!
fifedog wrote: ZEKE - SOMETIMES, SIMPLY GOOD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE.Happy for you brother.
Zeke !! We're all happy for you !! Thanks for sharing !!
Thanks, John
What a great story. While that man made your day, moreso, I think you made his.
Folks in his age group have lives behind them that we can only imagine. You have made an incredible new friend.
Not nearly as important, is the fact that he uses tubular track, as all doers of good deeds do.
Don
That's an excellent story, Zeke! As others have pointed out, the newfound friendship with this gentleman is the better find than the trains. I know what he means about the vultures comment. Sadly, many people in our hobby are getting older and when they pass away their family often just sells the trains off the first person they find. This man is probably very glad that these items went to someone who will truly appreciate them.
Also, here's a link with the history of the Lackawanna 4-8-4's that your model is based on, which includes links to pictures of them in service: http://www.steamlocomotive.com/northern/dlw.shtml
"No childhood should be without a train!"
Good for you!!!
Time to get that layout up and running, and have that family over for some train fun!
I see a lot of trains from people that either are too old to run them, or their family is selling them off because no one is interested in the trains, and it really breaks my heart. You would think someone in the family would have the heart to just sit down with this guy and run trains with or for him, just so he could enjoy them again.
I think he'll a lot of pleasure out of your relationship, knowing that you're enjoying those trains!
Kurt
PS I think you might have to change your signature to:
" son i didnt bring you down here to take your money, i brought you down here cuz i see the light in your eyes, its the crazy about trains look."
thanks for the comments everyone....
each and everyone of you is right.
i was much happier knowing i made a friend and that i made hie day. He is such a nice guy, with many stories and he told me he wish is kids would share his passion for trains. I didnt know how to answer him on that.
i am gonna take him up on his offer i am gonna go over there soon and dust off his layout and hopefully get him down ther to run them. i think that would just make him very happpy. Dinner was great with him and his wife last night, they said the havent had a dinner guest in 4-5 yrs. their kids done moved off to new york and just didnt have time for their parents. i didnt like hearing that.
I am gonna be his friend not the vulture, you should have seen him light up when i told him i would come over and clean the layout off so he can run them again. That is what this is all about i think.
tried running the 4-8-4 on my track but really isnt to thrilled about the curves. its this cuz of the track you think? Also the tender is cool it makes chugging sounds and others. its really big too.
that transformer is amazing...much better then what i was using. i can control 4 trains at once i think he said...really cool!
That is very nice Zeke!
Bring Charles over on Sundays or other free days and have some fun together with the trains! Or drive him down to a local railway museum from time to time. He would appreciate that for sure!
Now you better make sure that you are going to run that engine! HAVE FUN
Zeke,
Your Lackawana is the same as a 736 from a mechanical standpoint. It needs a minimum radius of 31 inches.
hey thanks, so i should change out my curved track for 31 in order for it to run?
just want to make sure i understand. their is so much to learn when starting out.
thanks for the info on the track, i was wondering if i needed something differant
That is a post war zw and it's a powerhouse - particularly if you are used to a CW.
I can't help but think you are on the way to building a very unique friendship. When ever you have time to spend with this fellow, you will be doing a very good deed.
the transformer i had before was a 1033 and a sw. the 1033 was okay and i thought the sw was ahuge upgrade, more power ( manly grunt) and this zw is really nice, its so smooth and running at slow speeds is incredible...
yes the bond i share with him is great, he actually was mentioning about a musem in sacramento he want to visit, so i might get the bel aire and take him and his wife down there soon!
If you are using 027 track, you will need to get new straights as well, because 31" curves are not part of the 027 line. If you are already using O gauge, you just need new curves.
One word: O34
Bob Nelson
csxt30 wrote: fifedog wrote: ZEKE - SOMETIMES, SIMPLY GOOD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE.Happy for you brother. Zeke !! We're all happy for you !! Thanks for sharing !! Thanks, John
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