The owner is usually in on Friday nites and Saturday, and I have been so overwhelmed with work, I haven’t been in but once a week for the past several weeks and I haven’t purchased anything in months. Seemed there is not much post war coming in, and they haven’t really bought anything – so nothing for me.
The owner and I were bantering back and forth in our usual fashion about them never having anything, and I took out a wad of cash and told him “Every Saturday, it’s the same B.S. I grab a pocketful of cash, come down here and there’s nothing to buy.”
Not to be outdone, we go to the back of the store where they have boxes of post war stuff in questionable condition literally thrown in boxes. He breaks open a box and takes out a Sunoco tanker. “Waddya mean we don’t have anything - here’s a perfactly good tank car.”
“Well, yeah, but it’s kinda beat, I’ll give you five bucks for it”
He says ok - sold.
It’s kinda ratty - but I’ll clean it up/ It’s got metal trucks and the dirt is just dirt:
“Ok - here’s another tanker - will you give me five for this?”
Fine - We’re up to ten bucks now:
I reach into a box and find a third Sunoco tanker in the box and it’s pretty much excellent. “Here’s another one - make that $15.00!”:
I spot a black gondola and pull it out hoping it was wheels - it does. “I’ll give you five for this one too!” No way - that one is gonna cost you SIX!"
Sounds like you got a pretty good deal! There’s only 1 shop near me that sells things like that and they always want $20 per car ($15 each if you buy 3).
Nice job, Frank! That’s my target next…some rolling stock, and some good accessory for my siding. I have a new UP tanker, and a UP freight car. I need some more…
[:D]great deal! i have alot of postwar cars, some from my grandfather, and i made friends with an owner of a small hobbie shop a few blocks away from me, behind this wall there is this spot with postwar locos/ freight cars that akmost nobody knows about
Nice Story Frank! You found some good buys there. Try Jeff at the Train Tender Website as he should have parts for your Searchlight Cars & such. Take Care.
I don’t collect or run Post War, but reading your excellent story just made me feel good all over. You and your LHS friend created a win-win situation and your sharing it with the forum allowed us all to ejoy the fun. Great story!!
Nothing spectacular there, but the type of stuff I look for - just some in worse condition that I usually want. That stuff has been sitting in bins in back of the store for years. Everybody made out. It’s not like some rube walked in with a bunch of rare stuff and I lowballed it from him because he didn’t know what he had.
I always try to treat the other guy like I would want to be treated. In this case, the store owner just wanted to clear some stuff out and did it in a comical way.
Your story reminds me of a small shop in a nearby town. I bought 2 6465 tankers @ $10 each, an RW for $25, and I recently bought a like new 3456 operating hopper with the box for $30. You should go back for that 1666.[:D]
