You are 100% correct in Joe’s inventory. The 3rd floor of the original Catonsville store was amazing. I don’t know what was more amazing…the amount of merchandise or the fact that that old bulding was still standing and supporting all that weight!
Joe taught me how to paint after he had my prized brass Pacific for 6 months and hadn’t started the paint job. After I stopped whining and bitching he said to follow him upstairs. He took me to his paint booth and tossed me a Tenshodo NYC Hudon boiler and handed me an airbrush. He showed me how to spray and after I screwed it up he stripped it, blew it dry and told me not to come downsatirs until I had a decent covering on the engine. When I was semi satisfied I went downstairs and showed him. He said, “OK. Here’s your stuff”. He pointed to a Wold Master M airbrush, compressor and all the stuff necessary to use them AND my Pacific! Great salesman!
Yes, he had an incredible collection and knowledge of brass and the market. I miss him and Carrie. We named our daughter after her.
I have never owned a hobby shop but have worked in several across the country including PCH. Most were run by well meaning and knowledgable guys. I worked in a toy store with a small hobby section once in Grand Prarie, TX where the owner was anti hobby items but with the help of another guy working there we convinced him there was money in it and so we gradually increased the customer base and inventory to a decent level. People were always shocked to see so much HOn3 in a toy store but we worked hard to get that customer base.
One poster talked about the nasty people in his local shops. Well, I have to somewhat agree, I have met a lot of nasty and rude people on that side of the counter over the years. I don’t understand it but it seems to be fairly common. When that happens just take your $$$ elsewhere! Money is what counts and if he keeps counting less and less $$ then he can either change hi
In 1955 Lloyd’s contracted Hobbyline (John English ) to manufacture 2 B&O Ho train sets for Lloyd.s to sell. One set listed by Lloyds as their set #1 and known as set #462 was a passenger set named 'Royal Blue". Power was a twin set of Hobbyline FA-1 locos which pulled a heavyweight combine and 3 coaches in B&O colors. For Hobbyline this is a unlisted set with no info anywhere on it except what I reciently placed online in a few forums. I seen info three times of sales of this set on eBay.
The Freight set Lloyds call set #2 I don’t know any HObbyline number for, number, or a name. I only know what lloyds posted in their sale info in a Oct 1955 issue of Model Railoader on page 45. Lloyd’s only numbered their sets #1 and #2. #2 being the freight set. What I know of this freight set is it is powered by a twin set of FA-1 locomotives in B&O colors. They pull 6 freight cars and a caboose. That is everything I know of this freight set, all that Lloyd’s had posted in their ad. Any additional information is sought on this set. At the time of release this set could have contained any combination of the 5 different freight cars that HObbyline made. I can only guess the car types. Did Hobbyline also make special road named freight cars for this set? Who Knows? Only the people who purchased the set. Maybe they even made a B&O caboose. Photos of this set would be very nice to see.
Lloyd’s was on Charles St going north it was on the right side (I think around the 800 block-since Mercy Hospital is 300 block). My Dad and I would stop in there.
Mr. Lloyd had several brass Locos behind the counter on the wall that were truly beautiful,and VERY expensive !
P.S. My Dad had the highest senority on the B&O RR and put the “Tom Thumb” in the Roundhouse (where you can STILL turn the roundtable by hand-if you unlock it first heh-heh).
I have a Tenshodo 4-8-4 and the receipt for it from a guy who bought it 61 years ago at City-Wide HS on Harford Rd. Not sure why I have it as I don’t buy brass generally, and it must have been a couple of years ago, and I had forgotten about it. Lubed it up today, and it runs like a watch. Just thought I’d mention it in case anyone ever reads this post who cares.