When I was still reading magazines and just starting to make plans to build my layout I saw in Model Railroader that a club was offering a Morgantown and Kingwood hopper car kit through Accurail. I decided that I did want one on my WV based layout but I did not purchase one at that time. Six months later they were not available. So I learned to grab special products when they are offered for sale. I almost waited too long to purchase the kit for the Darden Mill for Carolina Craftsmen.
The Jet Clipper Anything released before Walthers' "Pere Marquette" (although I snagged a Pleasure Dome and a 20th Century "Bay" sleeper)
Well, I added a few NOS Super Chief cars to the fleet
The OP raises an interesting question. When I look back, it breaks down to three areas...
1. Things that were "limited availability" in one way or another - short-term runs of a locomotive, limited edition books, etc. - that I could have bought, but chose not to.
2. Limited availability items I wanted to buy, but couldn't afford to.
3. Things that I could have easily bought, and would have if I had known they were going to be limited availability.
Although there are plenty of things in no.2 (Lionel CNW Trainmaster back in my "hirailer" days, Model Railroader lifetime subscription for $100), no.3 is probably the most annoying. For example, several railroads I like used Solarium Observation cars. Had I known Walthers was only going to make their Solarium car for a short time, I would have bought 2 or 3 undec ones to decorate for those railroads. Same goes for Bachmann HO tenders that they used to sell complete as separate items - you can still find them sometimes, but there are several that are no longer available. Every time I need to wire something on the layout, I wish I had bought a trunkload of Model Power two-wire wire rolls. What's available now seems to only be heavy wire like for running a DCC buss line, or thin wire for decoders.
I think I have some of these C&NW Historical Bowser Virginian kits somewhere??
SeeYou190Life-Like Proto 2000 kit #30878 Undecorated Mather Patent Boxcar. . I did not have the money when they came out, new kids and everything, and now they are unattainable. Only one has shown up on eBay in they past several years, and I was outbid by someone who REALLY-REALLY wanted it. . I only want two of them, but I cannot even get lucky enough to have one.
.
UNBELIEVABLE!
Six of these came up for auction, and I scored them for less than $20.00 each! I finally have my Proto 2000 Undecorated Mather Boxcars!
One less thing on my "need to have list!"
-Kevin
Living the dream.
C&O L1 streamlined Hudson 490 would have been one of the crown jewels in my collection.
Along with walthers C&O The George, I would have had a 100% complete collection of C&O passenger history from heavyweights and up.
But I already have so many good locos. I likely have more than I will ever be able to use.
Don - Specializing in layout DC->DCC conversions
Modeling C&O transition era and steel industries There's Nothing Like Big Steam!
WVWoodman When I was still reading magazines and just starting to make plans to build my layout I saw in Model Railroader that a club was offering a Morgantown and Kingwood hopper car kit through Accurail. I decided that I did want one on my WV based layout but I did not purchase one at that time. Six months later they were not available. So I learned to grab special products when they are offered for sale. I almost waited too long to purchase the kit for the Darden Mill for Carolina Craftsmen. And now a year later - those Morgantown & Kingwood hoppers showed up on EBAY and they are now sitting on my layout. Persistance and Luck.
And now a year later - those Morgantown & Kingwood hoppers showed up on EBAY and they are now sitting on my layout. Persistance and Luck.
richhotrain Atlas C&WI RS-1 I did buy one of these Chicago & Western Indiana switchers when they were available, but I would kill to get another one. Rich
Atlas C&WI RS-1
I did buy one of these Chicago & Western Indiana switchers when they were available, but I would kill to get another one.
Rich
Alton Junction
A BLI PRR Q2 would've been nice, but my wife would be a widow if I'd bought one.
richhotrainUpdate: I found a second one on eBay and bought it.
That seems to be the theme since I brought this list back to the top this morning!
I am glad we are all getting what we want. I am so thrilled with those boxcars.
SeeYou190UNBELIEVABLE! . Six of these came up for auction, and I scored them for less than $20.00 each! I finally have my Proto 2000 Undecorated Mather Boxcars!
$20 each for kits seems quite high but if it's a rare item, sometimes your happy to pay close to the old list price for something. I've done that before. Most LL P2k kits can usually be had for closer to half that, and undecs often are the hardest to sell since the general public wants already decorated models. I picked up a P2K covered hopper at Timonium yesterday for $10. Unfortunately it is the same road number as another I bought off of Ebay for $20.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
SeeYou190 SeeYou190 Life-Like Proto 2000 kit #30878 Undecorated Mather Patent Boxcar. . I did not have the money when they came out, new kids and everything, and now they are unattainable. Only one has shown up on eBay in they past several years, and I was outbid by someone who REALLY-REALLY wanted it. . I only want two of them, but I cannot even get lucky enough to have one. . UNBELIEVABLE! . Six of these came up for auction, and I scored them for less than $20.00 each! I finally have my Proto 2000 Undecorated Mather Boxcars! . . One less thing on my "need to have list!" . -Kevin .
SeeYou190 Life-Like Proto 2000 kit #30878 Undecorated Mather Patent Boxcar. . I did not have the money when they came out, new kids and everything, and now they are unattainable. Only one has shown up on eBay in they past several years, and I was outbid by someone who REALLY-REALLY wanted it. . I only want two of them, but I cannot even get lucky enough to have one.
riogrande5761...Unfortunately it is the same road number as another I bought off of Ebay for $20.
Easy enough to change the number - most of the P2K lettering can be carefully scraped-off using an X-Acto #17 chisel-type blade. Keep the blade perpendicular to the surface, with the non-tapered edge leading. With a little care, the underlying paint won't even be disturbed.
The Jet Clipper...Any models you guys regret not getting?....
No.
Wayne
SeeYou190Life-Like Proto 2000 kit #30878 Undecorated Mather Patent Boxcar. . I did not have the money when they came out, new kids and everything, and now they are unattainable. Only one has shown up on eBay in they past several years...
Is there something special about that kit that the normal Life-Like AC&Y Mather doesn't provide? Or was that just temporary scarcity 'back in the day'?
Or a reason you couldn't fill in the siding and alter the door on a Mather stock car, which almost certainly shares the same framing, Alonzo Mather being the 'character' he was?
(Has anyone actually modeled a Mather gondola car?)
One big issue with fleaBay is that people shipping these things charge nearly as much to package and send them as the sale cost. When a $20 car winds up costing $35 to your door, it increases the pain of ownership. Finding six together almost certainly means the 'marginal' cost of shipping each one will be considerably reduced from singletons.
doctorwayne riogrande5761 ...Unfortunately it is the same road number as another I bought off of Ebay for $20. Wayne
riogrande5761 ...Unfortunately it is the same road number as another I bought off of Ebay for $20.
Wayne, nice try.
There happens to be a very long list of other things the renumbering will have to wait for before I get to it. Matter of fact, I have a hundred coal cars that need re-numbering before I get to the P2K hopper. Maybe when I'm retired I'll get to it. Which is why I will probably sell it and buy another with a different number. It will get done fast that way realistically.
riogrande5761There happens to be a very long list of other things the renumbering will have to wait for before I get to it.
Why? You only need to change or alter one digit per printed car number. Are there any 8s in the last two or three digits to be altered to 6s, or 6s to be painted to 8s, perhaps with nothing more than a little careful scraping (as above) or a strategic dot of paint. Few people will be looking carefully enough as concours judges to notice any slight difference there may be in the numberforms at that scale and size.
This couldn't take more than a few minutes just slapping the car down on a pad on the workbench. As opposed to what's involved setting up to do a hopper car...
riogrande5761 doctorwayne riogrande5761 ...Unfortunately it is the same road number as another I bought off of Ebay for $20. Wayne Wayne, nice try. There happens to be a very long list of other things the renumbering will have to wait for before I get to it. Matter of fact, I have a hundred coal cars that need re-numbering before I get to the P2K hopper. Maybe when I'm retired I'll get to it. Which is why I will probably sell it and buy another with a different number. It will get done fast that way realistically.
Are you gonna sell the $10 one or the $20 one?
LINK to SNSR Blog
The Jet Clipper Any models you guys regret not getting?
Nope! Many items I wanted, yes, but if the money wasn't there, I just moved on.
I am in the group that has refound some things on Ebay.
Mike.
My You Tube
OvermodIs there something special about that kit that the normal Life-Like AC&Y Mather doesn't provide? Or was that just temporary scarcity 'back in the day'?
The undecorated Mather boxcars for some reason were ridiculously hard to find even when they were first released. I don't know if Life-Like purposely produced fewer of them for this model, or if something went wrong in production. I never had problems getting any other Life-Like Proro 2000 kit back in the day.
OvermodOr a reason you couldn't fill in the siding and alter the door on a Mather stock car, which almost certainly shares the same framing, Alonzo Mather being the 'character' he was?
Looking at the two models sde by side, this looks like a more difficult solution than I want to spend valuable hobby time working on.
OvermodHas anyone actually modeled a Mather gondola car?
Not that I know of. I have not even seen one from Funaro & Camerlengo, Westerfield, or Sunshine.
rrebellGlad you got them, if it came from the west coast it could have come from the guy who sells for me, had a bunch to get rid of along with tank cars.
They came from a seller in Valley Village, California. He had two lots listed, one with five and one with six. Me and two other bidders got into a pretty intense battle for them. 14 total bids on the lot I won. I was going to win one of the auctions... I don't want to tell you what my maximum bid was on this lot, but no one was going to get them other than me!
If they were yours thank you very much for selling them. I am very happy to have these... finally.
I was always planning to have a carfloat and an apron at the terminal. That was at the start of my current layout, and something I did NOT realize was the short production lifetime of many kits, so I missed out on them. Years later, I started looking again just after Walthers resurrected those kits. I was able to get one of each, plus an extra carfloat because I planned to use them as casettes.
Depending on how much space my new layout ends up with, I may be looking for another apron kit.
But, I also discovered that I might be better off NOT buying things I like but really don't have a place for.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
MisterBeasleyYears later, I started looking again just after Walthers resurrected those kits. I was able to get one of each, plus an extra carfloat because I planned to use them as casettes.
I also have the Walthers Apron and Car Float kits. I have not assembled them, but I hate the way the turnout is half on the apron with the frog on the float. I bought a secnd float to extend the first and get the frog off of the float.
hope it works.
riogrande5761 SeeYou190 UNBELIEVABLE! . Six of these came up for auction, and I scored them for less than $20.00 each! I finally have my Proto 2000 Undecorated Mather Boxcars! $20 each for kits seems quite high but if it's a rare item, sometimes your happy to pay close to the old list price for something. I've done that before. Most LL P2k kits can usually be had for closer to half that, and undecs often are the hardest to sell since the general public wants already decorated models. I picked up a P2K covered hopper at Timonium yesterday for $10. Unfortunately it is the same road number as another I bought off of Ebay for $20.
SeeYou190 UNBELIEVABLE! . Six of these came up for auction, and I scored them for less than $20.00 each! I finally have my Proto 2000 Undecorated Mather Boxcars!
Jim,
while it is true in general that 2PK kits often go for $10 or less per kit, the Mather boxcars now go for pretty good sums - I've been following them for awhile.
It is a classic case for some models - when they came out, the Trainshop was blowing them out the door for $10 each in the RTR version at the end of the run....Now that they are all gone they go for @20 or more for any version on Ebay. I am kicking myself for not buying them at the time they were on sale...
Kevin - excellent score - those are pretty cool cars (I have still not bought any - but they are on the list)
Guy
see stuff at: the Willoughby Line Site
I regret not buying a winning lottery ticket so I could buy any MR equipment I want whenever I want
Gary
SPERRY rail car for 35 bucks.
(My Model Railroad, My Rules)
These are the opinions of an under 35 , from the east end of, and modeling, the same section of the Wheeling and Lake Erie railway. As well as a freelanced road (Austinville and Dynamite City railroad).
trainnut1250It is a classic case for some models - when they came out, the Trainshop was blowing them out the door for $10 each in the RTR version at the end of the run....Now that they are all gone they go for @20 or more for any version on Ebay.
This is no different from the scam 'rare book dealers' run on limited-press-run specialty railfan books. The only real justification for colluding to inflate the asking price is a captive market relatively unwilling to 'violate copyright', but part of free enterprise is still "charge what the traffic will bear".
~Eastrail
Overmod trainnut1250 It is a classic case for some models - when they came out, the Trainshop was blowing them out the door for $10 each in the RTR version at the end of the run....Now that they are all gone they go for @20 or more for any version on Ebay. This is no different from the scam 'rare book dealers' run on limited-press-run specialty railfan books. The only real justification for colluding to inflate the asking price is a captive market relatively unwilling to 'violate copyright', but part of free enterprise is still "charge what the traffic will bear".
trainnut1250 It is a classic case for some models - when they came out, the Trainshop was blowing them out the door for $10 each in the RTR version at the end of the run....Now that they are all gone they go for @20 or more for any version on Ebay.
I wouldn't say there is collusion going on with the train cars...I've seen this happen many times in the hobby. When the item is OOP it can fetch higher prices because there are more dollars chasing a limited number of items. Check YV brass, Jordan Kits, Yorke Kits, FSM and lots of other items for examples.
IMHO - with the booksellers - they are just fishing........I doubt anyone is paying $300.00 for "Trains to Yosemite" - one of those books that fits your description....Small run, sold out at the publisher after being readily available for about a year or so. Now there is pent-up demand and no more books - higher prices, but not $300. It seems certain sellers default to that price on any OOP book - LOL....
Not so much regret not buying but reget selling so that I could afford other trains. Had a few brass pieces that I wish I still had. Espically my Westside Models DRGW C16 #268 in the bumble bee colors, and a couple of my standard gauge Shays. Most trains I wish to own were made long before I was born or when I was to young to know they exhisted. So they are now the ones I hunt for on the second hand market at shows, facebook groups and ebay. Mike the Aspie
Silly NT's, I have Asperger's Syndrome