John’s been in touch with some pics of his trestle bridge:
“Hello Al
Greetings from Vancouver Island, Canada,
I am currently working on the Arbutus Canyon bridge, here on the Island E.&N. Railway, and a project for our model railway club.
I will send you the narrative as soon as I can.
This a teaser (pictures included)
Read you articles as soon I get them!
John”
Now on to Cassio.
He’s never a man of many words – but I presume it’s because of the language barrier:
“Hi Alastair.
My collection UNION PACIFIC locomotives.
Cassio”
(You can see Cassio’s layout here.)
And now on to another kind of collection – one that got me thinking, as you’ll read:
“My father was born in 1919 and lived only a short distance from the train tracks.
He often told me stories of the many freight trains that passed by his house.
In the late 1920s his father bought him and his brothers a train set for Christmas, that got him hooked on collecting toy trains.
He died in 2017 but was still buying Lionel’s up to a year of his passing.
Pat”
Pat is looking to sell his father’s collection in one job lot, so if you’re interested you can mail him: patkurzweil@yahoo.com
Normally, I shy away from “I have something to sell” mails I get.
But Pat’s collection looked interesting enough so I thought I’d post it. And it got me thinking.
Should I add a ‘for sale’ section to the blog?
Normally I tell folk to list thier stuff on ebay.
Please do leave a comment below and let me know what you think – it seems enough of you have stuff to sell.
A big thanks to Cassio and John.
That’s all for today folks.
Keep ’em coming – my inbox is looking very empty at the mo.
And if today is the day you decide to join in on the fun, the Beginner’s Guide is here.
Best
Al
PS Latest ebay cheat sheet is here.
Dear Al, I suppose a ‘for sale’ section might prove to be an interesting alternative to Ebay, which is badly contaminated by speculation, whereas your blog is for enthusiasts only. Although I live on the other side of the pond and it’s unlikely I could use it because of high shipping costs, I nevertheless express my interest in it. Kind regards, Corrado
Al, you do the railway modeller frantenrity such a great service, you should really chargge for this amazing blog. $5 a year would not hurt anyone and maybe offest the time you spend producing stuff that we enjoy so much.
keep it up ‘best regards
peter in Australia
Yes, by all means a for sale section!
Layout is absolutely stunning!
Great idea Corrado. Yes, for a ”for sale” section.
A for sale section wouldn’t hurt anything and people can still choose to view it or not so it’s not a bother to anyone that isn’t interested.
A ‘For Sale’ section would be good but it could prove very time-consuming for you and you already give us so much of your time already. I agree with Peter that an annual charge for membership of your site would be an excellent way for us to show our appreciation for all you do.
If you did launch ‘For Sale’, I suggest you make a small charge for a listing – and a listing only – but insist that buyers and sellers make their own arrangements re shipping, payment, etc., and you, personally, don’t get involved.
Dear Al:
Can’t tell you how much I look forward to your articles each day. They have given me a lot of ideas for my own layout.
Thanks, and keep up the great work!
A for sale section would be great. A lot of us are getting older and have been collecting for a lifetime. Many of us have extra model railroad stuff in boxes because of lack of space and we just don’t use it.
collection looks like a friend of mines collection. his takes up 3 stories in an historic house, and you wouldnt know it to look at the outside. really nice canyon.
Loved that bridge and the layout it’s going on.
Yes a For Sale add might prove to be worthwhile.
One of the best high trestles I’ve seen in a while! More pics with more lighting of the gorge please.
You have my vote on for “sale section”. Perhaps it could be regional to help reduce shipping costs.
impressive river gorge done, can’t imagine going over such a thing in real life without rails on the sides, especially on a windy day but this is a toy thus it fine & very well done, nice collection of trains for sale, wonder if he has any auto carriers with cars & or trucks on them for sale. great photos.
I like the “For Sale” idea.
I also think the membership cost is an idea to be considered.
Pat- that’s a great collection of Lionel post-war trains.
If you are trying to sell it off, an auction house might be your best bet.
I know of a few that are reputable.
Trainz.com
Cabin Fever Auctions
Stout Auctions
Probably easier than piecing it out. By the time you list everything, manage the sales, pack, and ship, you will want to kill yourself.
Bob
Keep ‘for sales’ on ebay
Al, I vote for a For Sale section as well. And charging for a listing, so you can make a few dollars is also a good idea.
Rob Schweitzer
St. Goar & Murren Scenic Railroad
Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
John from Vancouver Island
Scale please.
That bridge on that layout is beyond amazing. I guess if you are going to get it right all track on a long bridge like that must be custom laid, custom additional anti derail track, & custom ties. How did you do that? I get the bridge, which looks authentic enough, supports and all but I dont know how you got the track so perfectly.
Cassio
Wow! Impressive collection. Nice to see your trains again.
Pat
That’s an enormous collection. Good Luck.
Big Al
One Evil Bay is enough. I say that, not because the company is nefarious, but some of their clients are the slime. trolls, & scum of the earth who cheat by omission, trickery, & chicanery. As in life, most people are OK and want to do right but others are greedy & dishonest. You need this like an abscessed tooth and you will attract the scum like bears to honey. Also the government, as they did to Evil Bay, will get involved with tax collection, customs and will want all your profits. I really dislike being negative but this one struck a nerve. Dont do it.
On a happier note- Thanks for all you do.
I like the idea of a ‘for sale’. You never know when you might find that special thing you were searching for.
Alastair, thanks for a great blog, enjoy reading and learning from everyone each day.
I also believe an annual membership would be a good idea and certainly willing to pay for a membership. Checking out the 4-sale site would be an added pleasure for sure and agree that all details should be handled by the buyer and seller eliminating any added work on your part short of managing the added page. A small listing fee could be added as well.
Keep up the great work.
I will add another vote for a 4 sale section. I would also like to toss out a request for an “ in search of” section. Just judging from the comments, it does seem to be wide, reaching and adding in the friend of a friend part, we may be able to reach individuals that lie out of normal searches.
Leaving the blog part free will help broaden participation. While longer time subscribers are well aware of the benefits and value of the site, a first time visitor may not be aware, it may be put off it having to go through a pay wall
With all that said, I have zero idea of how to accomplish any of that. I still haven’t seen him pictures of the progression of my latest railroad.
But I do plan to
Bob!
Dear Al
Yes I agree that a For Sale site would help the people looking to buy or sell their layouts
I’m in my 70’s and looking to sell my 70’, 80’ and 90’ HO train set as I graduated to “G” series which I have running in my basement and outdoors
Many hobby shops will not purchase but people that are on your site more than likely would
Thank you for all you do
Steve “The Golden Greek”
Al: I agree with suggestions to add a “For Sale”section to your site with a listing fee as well as incorporating a modest annual membership fee. I’ve done business with Trainz.com and find them reputable so Pat may wish to contact them.
Al, You do so much for the model train community. And many of us have thanked you for that one way or another.. Ebay is too expensive, cumbersome and restrictive to sell on. It would be great if you did open an area to sell but no commercial establishments just private individuals. Stating with no liabilities on your part.
Thank you again.
I like the idea of a For Sale section. You could consider a flat fee based on a range of values to cover your time and expenses. I’ve given up on eBay because of cost and lack of quality items. Please give the idea your consideration!
Mr. Al,
As for the “for sale” section, I’d say that we should keep it in the family. Overseas shipping might be an issue, but it’s a start.
Thanks for all you do for the hobby.
Les
Al, add my thanks for all the work that you do to bring so much information and pleasure to all of us. For sale is a great idea to consider but if you proceed you must think about setting limits such as how many times a person may list, minimum cost of items to be listed etc. so that you will not be overwhelmed. The small fee is also a good idea but you may get all kinds of money. Thanks again for all you do.
There are many established sites already selling model railroad equipment. If you went along with it, you might eventually get sucked into situations that you wish you wouldn’t have to touch: damaged merchandise, people unhappy with the transaction, payment issues…. Even though you would not be directly handling the sales part, as the host, you may find that your responsibilities go further than you had planned, especially when there is an unhappy customer involved.
As for the membership issue: There is a membership already, but it is well beyond my means. If it were a smaller amount, then maybe I could pay it, however there is the issue of drawing in new readers. It would be much harder to gain them if people had to pay first to learn about your site. Perhaps a reasonable voluntary payment would work.
The canyon and bridge are beautiful. I enjoy this type of scenery very much. It must take up a lot of room. Please show more of your setup.
Yes a place on the site to list items for sale would be very helpful, also a place to list for looking to buy. Many times I am looking for a certain item such as a part that another model railroader may have in his parts box. This should not be a place for commercial sellers.
However no listing fees are necessary if you were to follow what a very successful site known as The Steel Guitar Forum has done for many years by asking for a 2 or 2.5% donation of anything sold. This would be members only to avoid/reduce chances of spam, Care is needed to list items with good pictures, good information regarding the item, everything above board to reduce chances of misunderstandings.Top notch communication is required. As others have mentioned regarding age, I am 82 now, still buying occasionally but really do need to move a lot of trains along to others that appreciate our hobby on a site I can trust. Safeguards would need to be in place to weed out dishonest individuals who would want to become a member of this site with bad intentions. Just some of my thoughts to add to the mix. Another site to look at for a good example, (my opinion) is discoverlivesteam.
While ‘discoverlivesteam.com’ caters mainly to Live Steamers, they do have a for sale column for full size stuff and one for table top trains. I think it will be very difficult to sell the collection as a whole, but I think selling it piece by piece would wear the average person down. I have been trying to sell a collection of 7-1/2″ gauge for 3 years for a widow of a friend of mine and everyone that responded only wanted a single item. The package includes track and a beautiful hand made model of an Ingersoll-Rand box cab. It is located in Rockford, IL, USA
Be careful getting into buying and selling, especially if charging a fee. You become a business and therefore government regulated. People could tip you for allowing them to post, but if you charge a fee, watch out. Don’t want to throw cold water on this but my dad, 1913, said an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. I love to read for sale list but am very skeptical most of the time. Like my wife, when she shops, I like to hold it in my hands and check it out with my own eyes prior to purchase.
Yes, a “for sale” section would be great.
And I agree with the suggestion that a small stipend for hosting the blog would make sense. I have learned so much the past few months after joining.
Remember as a teenager hacking up to this bridge and walking across it. Also many tripson the “Dayliner” across it. Riding in the cab was a thrill.
A Capitol YES to adding a “For Sale section ” to your blog. I have a store full of Model trains, Signals, two complete lines of Bachmann and Atlas track with plenty of peco and Walthers switches to sell. Including plenty of Fleishmann and Roco DB locos and passenger cars (Mostly Fleishmann) also electronics and tools to sell, and much, much, more. I live in Haskell, N.J. My Name is Rocco. Al You have my permission to give anyone interested My E-Mail address. Also If they are from any where in North Jersey, I would even invite them to come and have a look see at My stock. They are all in boxes and locked away, That is why I do not have any photos to show, but trust me I have a lot to sell. I am 79 years old and not as flexible as I used to be. So It’s time to sell. Thank you Rocco from N.J.
“Ditto” Richard H. Chapple Sr. Great Idea’s
Quite frankly I think a for sale section here would be abused like all other sites. Although it might be worth a shot , If it gets abused. By all means take it down
Hello Al, and hello & everyone in the model railroad layout plans blog. Great job on the building and all the other details on this website.
The information you shared on this website as long as you don’t receive any money, for the listing information have as one of your options off one of the fingers to purchase the product through the person that is selling the product. You are not the person that is responsible for the sale. You already have people giving you information about their train layouts and what they are doing or changing up their layout. People listed what they have for sale have their information listed. The person buying the item ( items ), addresses the sale, ( sales ). You are not the middleman. That is my guesswork !!!! The bridge looks fantastic.
Have fun everyone in their dream land of riding the high rail. Al I just moved from St.Petersburg Fl to northeast Fl, south of Jacksonville Fl. I am now trying to figure out how much to add to my man cave. The room dimensions are, W11’6” X L14’ X H10’9” X H6’. The room reminded me of when I lived in Germany. Cool & Beautiful Place
. • |H’10’9” | |W11’6”
H6’I_______|. L14’ |__________|
I am typing this on my phone, I do not have a computer or a laptop. Draw the lines and you will have my room.! Thanks for everyone input. It makes a difference, it open my mind to the possibilities. Spader
To John: – A superb bridge.
To Pat: – Wow – What a wonderful collection.
To Alistair: – In my opinion it may be wise to avoid “For Sale”. You would get caught in the middle of buyer and seller disputes.
Andrew in Oz
While I have no opinion on a “for sale”, section, I would certainly look at it, but would be unlikely to purchase sight unseen and hands on. But I would be more than happy to contribute or subscribe to your site-I check it every day. How can I do that? Keep up the good work, it is so much fun to see layouts around the world!
What is so incredible about this layout is how much room he had to work with to make this amazing bridge layout. I am very impressed….. John my friend, awesome!!!!!
Al,
Guessing when you started your service to railroad enthusiasts all over this planet you had a vision. My humble suggestion is to stick with it. From my viewpoint you have been extremely successful and so many have benefited him I have gained much knowledge.from fellow railroaders I would have never met any other way. And that is through your emails that arrive at 2 AM. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
A for Sale section would be a great alternative to ebay and all the other for sale sites. You already have a large group of interested modelers.
Bob
John, I thought you were going to show us photos of your model bridge. But all I see is the real thing! 🤠
Al, the for sale site sure sounds tempting, but as a couple of posters have mentioned, “the Devil is in the details”. Perhaps a chat with your local solicitor.
Although I, too, would make use of the site.
If you do decide to go with it, it sounds like a second person will be needed.
Just my 3 pence. Or thrupenny bit as they used to say.
A for sale section could be good, if your selling fes are less than eBay, I’m sure it would prove to be very popular
Yes, to a “for sale” section.