I remember as a child (mid 1980’s) reading an article in Model Railroader that said that a gold-plated train would be auctioned years later (I think 15 years) on the date of the anniversary of the Train Collector’s Association’s 50th anniversary. Or something like that. Am I dreaming this all up. If I remember correctly, it was an electric engine and several large passenger cars.
As a child then, I thought the train looked incredible. But now that I am thinking about that old train, I am wondering about it.
Does anyone have any information on it. How much did it sell for? Did it actually sell?
It was auctioned off two years ago at the Pittsburgh TCA National Convention. I can’t remember the price, I am thinking it was around $35,000 or higher. There were a few other gold plated items that also sold in the thousands, a very profitable night for the TCA.
At that convention Mike Wolf donated the Diamond Anniversay train that will be auctioned off at the 75th anniversary. A steamer with the tender filled with 75 diamonds.
Some years ago I came across on the Internet someone in Italy selling a “treno d’oro”. It was solid gold, HO, and claimed to be a Big Boy. But it had been absurdly stretched to include three engines instead of two and had, I think, six-wheel leading and trailing trucks.
Thanks for the information you too. Wonder how much the diamond train will go for…