# I bought an old collection today



## JeffHurl (Apr 22, 2021)

Hi everyone. I'm really new to hobby, and I plan to build N gage. Today, I bought the remains of a collection from the widow of a modeler who had both N and HO. I bought the collection for the N gage pieces, but the HO stuff this guy had is really cool. He put a lot of time and effort into some of these cars. I'd like to share his work for you here. I believe there are 15 cars, 2 locomotives (neither work) and some sort of station. I hope you all enjoy the pictures as much as I enjoyed digging them out of hibernation.

I will make a separate post for each car. That way, if you want to comment on one car, your reply won't be cluttered by the other cars in this thread.

I'll start with this Boston & Maine Mogel locomotive and tender.


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## JeffHurl (Apr 22, 2021)

Next up this little guy


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## JeffHurl (Apr 22, 2021)

Here is a caboose


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## JeffHurl (Apr 22, 2021)

Boxcar


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## JeffHurl (Apr 22, 2021)

No clue what this is, but it's really neat


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## JeffHurl (Apr 22, 2021)




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## JeffHurl (Apr 22, 2021)

This thing is very cool. The front panels articulate and are held with chains


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## JeffHurl (Apr 22, 2021)

This is a unique looking car


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## JeffHurl (Apr 22, 2021)

Hopper


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## JeffHurl (Apr 22, 2021)

Flat bed


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## JeffHurl (Apr 22, 2021)

Flatbed with 4 trucks


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## JeffHurl (Apr 22, 2021)

Another hopper


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## JeffHurl (Apr 22, 2021)

This is another really unique piece!

















I was afraid to remove the rubber band, LOL!


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## JeffHurl (Apr 22, 2021)

Here is another unusual piece


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## JeffHurl (Apr 22, 2021)

OPen door boxcar


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## JeffHurl (Apr 22, 2021)

Not sure what you call this one


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## JeffHurl (Apr 22, 2021)

Another boxcar


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## JeffHurl (Apr 22, 2021)

And lastly, here is the station


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## Sideways (Jan 25, 2021)

Thats a nice lot you've snagged there! Needs some TLC as all old collections that end up auctioned off usually do, but everything looks to be in fair shape. A good deal of them seem to be either customs or older kits, going by the large amount of genuine wooden contruction. That "station" on the end appears to be an old time observation car, missing its trucks and couplers.








This is neither mine, nor the exact same coach, but its something like what that one should be looking like.


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## Chops124 (Dec 23, 2015)

A rare and beautiful set, the prior owner clearly put some thought into what he was doing. I hope to see what you do with it.


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## JeffHurl (Apr 22, 2021)

Not sure what I'm going to do with these. I was really after the N gage items. There are boxes of scrap wood which I will keep.

There are a lot of small, new in package, items like decals, locomotive detailing items, knuckle couplers, etc.

There is a Ziploc bag of turntable parts, pieces of hand built bridges, a partially assembled steam loco, a couple dead diesel locos.... Just a whole bunch of cool old stuff.

There are also many HO rolling stock without the trucks and couplers.

I may hold onto this stuff, I may sell it off. Not sure yet.

I really had no plans to acquire HO items, but they were in the same lot as the N gage items.


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## Murv2 (Nov 5, 2017)

JeffHurl said:


> Next up this little guy
> View attachment 559087


Tyco "Little Six". A kit-built engine.


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## Murv2 (Nov 5, 2017)

JeffHurl said:


> View attachment 559094


An express reefer. Added to passenger trains to haul perishable items like strawberries. This one appears painted for Railway Express Agency.


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## Murv2 (Nov 5, 2017)

JeffHurl said:


> This is a unique looking car
> View attachment 559098
> 
> View attachment 559099


I think it's a chicken car.


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## Murv2 (Nov 5, 2017)

JeffHurl said:


> Here is another unusual piece
> View attachment 559110


A pickle car.


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## Murv2 (Nov 5, 2017)

JeffHurl said:


> This is another really unique piece!
> View attachment 559108
> 
> View attachment 559109
> ...


This looks like a sightseeing car for the Cass Scenic Railway or something similar. It's marked maintenance of way so it might be for hauling gandy dancers?


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## JeffHurl (Apr 22, 2021)

Thank you, @Murv2 !!


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## Stumpy (Mar 19, 2013)

JeffHurl said:


> Not sure what you call this one
> View attachment 559113
> 
> View attachment 559114



Stock car


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## Stumpy (Mar 19, 2013)

JeffHurl said:


> No clue what this is, but it's really neat
> View attachment 559093
> 
> View attachment 559118


MoW tool car with water tank.


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## Stumpy (Mar 19, 2013)

JeffHurl said:


> OPen door boxcar
> View attachment 559112


Horse car.


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## Stumpy (Mar 19, 2013)

JeffHurl said:


> This thing is very cool. The front panels articulate and are held with chains
> View attachment 559095
> 
> View attachment 559096
> ...



Ballast spreader... I think.


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## JeffHurl (Apr 22, 2021)

Thanks, @Stumpy !

I'm tinking about just sellig this lot, plus all the other HO stuff I ddin't take a picture of. BAsed on the pics, and assuming the trucks/couplers are in fair condition, what do you all think would be a fair price for the lot of items I posted above? I'm not looking for top dollar. I'd keep them if I had any inkling of going HO rather than N gage... but space is a factor for me, so I'm sticking to N gage.


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## BigGRacing (Sep 25, 2020)

In my opinion, a good deal would be a pro rated portion of what you paid for the entire lot.


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## Sideways (Jan 25, 2021)

JeffHurl said:


> Thanks, @Stumpy !
> 
> I'm tinking about just sellig this lot, plus all the other HO stuff I ddin't take a picture of. BAsed on the pics, and assuming the trucks/couplers are in fair condition, what do you all think would be a fair price for the lot of items I posted above? I'm not looking for top dollar. I'd keep them if I had any inkling of going HO rather than N gage... but space is a factor for me, so I'm sticking to N gauge.


Good on you! Its no good hanging into things that you can't use/don't like. As far as I can say, it'd be fair to take off a percentage of what you payed, and then charge what remains. If you're selling individually you may have some issues getting buyers for the rolling stock, but locomotives priced well almost always sell in no time.


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## 65steam (Dec 18, 2019)

* gauge


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## JeffHurl (Apr 22, 2021)

65steam said:


> * gauge


I never get that right...


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

JeffHurl said:


> This is a unique looking car
> View attachment 559098
> 
> View attachment 559099


 Poultry car, looks like an Ambroid kit.


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

JeffHurl said:


> OPen door boxcar
> View attachment 559112


Ventilated boxcar, also know as a watermelon car, another Ambroid kit....


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

JeffHurl said:


> Here is another unusual piece
> View attachment 559110


Pickle car, carried brined cucumbers in those vats, an Ambroid kit.


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

JeffHurl said:


> This is another really unique piece!
> View attachment 559108
> 
> View attachment 559109
> ...


That looks like an observation car for a scenic railroad. It also could have been used to haul loggers out to the work sites....


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

JeffHurl said:


> Flatbed with 4 trucks
> View attachment 559104
> 
> View attachment 559105


Ooooooooooooo...I love articulated cars of any kind...I've seen this one in the HO Primer and in the pages of Model RailroaderMagazine back in the late 60s...


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

JeffHurl said:


> Here is a caboose
> View attachment 559088


This one is awesome...a scratchbuild based on an MR article...at least it looks scratchbuild. I just read the article recently. Very cool....


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

JeffHurl said:


> No clue what this is, but it's really neat
> View attachment 559093
> 
> View attachment 559118


Another Ambroid kit...."1 in 5000" was their tagline. Very cool....


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

JeffHurl said:


> Thanks, @Stumpy !
> 
> I'm tinking about just sellig this lot, plus all the other HO stuff I ddin't take a picture of. BAsed on the pics, and assuming the trucks/couplers are in fair condition, what do you all think would be a fair price for the lot of items I posted above? I'm not looking for top dollar. I'd keep them if I had any inkling of going HO rather than N gage... but space is a factor for me, so I'm sticking to N gage.


I'd be very interested in 2-3 myself if you get to that point.


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## JeffHurl (Apr 22, 2021)

Thanks @shaygetz !

It's pretty amazing you recognize the kit manufacturer. Thanks for the awesome information!


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

JeffHurl said:


> Thanks @shaygetz !
> 
> It's pretty amazing you recognize the kit manufacturer. Thanks for the awesome information!


They were all from my golden days in the hobby, the 60s and 70s. Wood kits have always had a feel and texture that screams model railroading to me. I wish I could make an offer on several of them, they just take me back so...😊


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## BigGRacing (Sep 25, 2020)

It would add to a nice collection for sure !


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## Eddie K. (Apr 9, 2020)

JeffHurl said:


> No clue what this is, but it's really neat
> View attachment 559093
> 
> View attachment 559118


That is a tool work car. A lot of times it would be a caboose. With a crane on another car opposed to the open deck of this car.


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## Eddie K. (Apr 9, 2020)

JeffHurl said:


> Here is another unusual piece
> View attachment 559110


That's a pickle vat car.


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## Eddie K. (Apr 9, 2020)

That's a cattle stock car.


JeffHurl said:


> Not sure what you call this one
> View attachment 559113
> 
> View attachment 559114


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## rsv1ho (Oct 16, 2019)

Just think of the pleasure that the previous owner derived from detailing each piece.


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## Jscullans (Jul 8, 2019)

It appears it may have been a maintenance of way train with some other miscellaneous rolling stock in there. The 2-6-0 appears to possibly be a brass model. The bachmann model I believe has a different cab and the 0-6-0 is either a rivarossi or a mantua from what I can tell. Nice equipment


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## Flyer4ever (Mar 26, 2017)

JeffHurl said:


> Not sure what you call this one
> View attachment 559113
> 
> View attachment 559114


This is a nice Stock Car.


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## Flyer4ever (Mar 26, 2017)

JeffHurl said:


> Hopper
> View attachment 559100
> 
> 
> View attachment 559101


This is a Gondola.


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## Flyer4ever (Mar 26, 2017)

JeffHurl said:


> Here is another unusual piece
> View attachment 559110


I think this is a Water Car with wooden tanks.


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## Flyer4ever (Mar 26, 2017)

JeffHurl said:


> Next up this little guy
> View attachment 559087


This is a Tank Engine.


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

Flyer4ever said:


> This is a Tank Engine.


Specifically a Mantua Little Six...


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## nkpltrr (Jun 5, 2019)

Eddie K. said:


> That's a pickle vat car.


If you decide to sell off part of the HO items, I would be interesting in this pickle car. The collection looks to be a lot of older kits as the others have said and they were very well built. Let me know if you decide to sell. I think they all would sell depending on what you decide. Dave T


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## Flyer4ever (Mar 26, 2017)

JeffHurl said:


> No clue what this is, but it's really neat
> View attachment 559093
> 
> View attachment 559118


Tool Cars were full of special equipment for repairing cars, engines, track... this one is complete with a large Water Tank.


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## scenicsRme (Aug 19, 2020)

Murv2 said:


> I think it's a chicken car.


Or for cotton bales?


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## scenicsRme (Aug 19, 2020)

JeffHurl said:


> Thanks @shaygetz !
> 
> It's pretty amazing you recognize the kit manufacturer. Thanks for the awesome information!


Yes, Ambroid kits (Ambroid was primarily a model glue manufacturer) were the gold standard of wood car craftsman kits back in the day. Those are some very unique cars and appear to be very well built! I'm an N scaler myself, but after drooling over this HO collection, I am Jones'n to know if the N stuff you got was as rare?


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## BigEd (Oct 28, 2014)

shaygetz said:


> Poultry car, looks like an Ambroid kit.


Not sure of the brand kit, but it sure looks like a poultry car. I have a similar one in my display case.

I also model in N but I have a nice big display case that I keep HO stuff in - rare, or weird or nice looking or just stuff I travelled in as a youngster. Maybe that? Or generate more revenue for N by selling - something I always do.


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## wallaboutterm (Jun 26, 2020)

Chops124 said:


> A rare and beautiful set, the prior owner clearly put some thought into what he was doing. I hope to see what you do with it.


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## wallaboutterm (Jun 26, 2020)

My guess is that the modeler was doing HO many years ago (60s&70s) and switched to N when “downsizing”. All of the equipment is based on prototypes circa 1920-35. The kits appear to be Ambroid and are considered “craftsman” kits in that the kit consisted of basswood shapes with multi page instructions and templates and painting/ lettering instructions. Appropriate decals were generally included. The wood was manufactured by Northeastern and was milled basswood ( stronger and finer grained than balsa) the line included floor, roof and end block sections as well as channels, “hat sections” beams and angles. Metal parts were steel wire formed “grab irons” and stirrup steps. Castings ( lead or some alloy of zinc, lead & who knows what) were supplied for smoke stacks, passenger/ caboose steps. Also produced was milled car sides for both passenger and freight cars. The kits were considered state of the art for their time. Also, they were considered quite accurate at the time. Back in the 80s a lot deep research on prototype cars of the cars from 1900-50 and a few minor discrepancies were pointed out. I’ll comment on the individual rolling stock as time permits. Thanks for sharing. BTW the dollar Bill represents 44-1/2 feet in HO - very helpfull.


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## JeffHurl (Apr 22, 2021)

wallaboutterm said:


> My guess is that the modeler was doing HO many years ago (60s&70s) and switched to N when “downsizing”. All of the equipment is based on prototypes circa 1920-35. The kits appear to be Ambroid and are considered “craftsman” kits in that the kit consisted of basswood shapes with multi page instructions and templates and painting/ lettering instructions. Appropriate decals were generally included. The wood was manufactured by Northeastern and was milled basswood ( stronger and finer grained than balsa) the line included floor, roof and end block sections as well as channels, “hat sections” beams and angles. Metal parts were steel wire formed “grab irons” and stirrup steps. Castings ( lead or some alloy of zinc, lead & who knows what) were supplied for smoke stacks, passenger/ caboose steps. Also produced was milled car sides for both passenger and freight cars. The kits were considered state of the art for their time. Also, they were considered quite accurate at the time. Back in the 80s a lot deep research on prototype cars of the cars from 1900-50 and a few minor discrepancies were pointed out. I’ll comment on the individual rolling stock as time permits. Thanks for sharing. BTW the dollar Bill represents 44-1/2 feet in HO - very helpfull.


Thanks for that great information!

I put the dollar bill in there based on a reply I saw on another thread saying that it would be helpful. That thread was trying to determine something about an unusual piece someone had come across. So I thought I'd pout a dollar bill in there for scale and pretend like I knew what I was doing. 😄 

I'm really quite fascinated by these cars. They have so much character compared to the plastic cars available today. I'm tempted to keep them as display pieces, but that's just me being selfish. These really need to find a home where they can be used, and displayed while not in use.


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## JeffHurl (Apr 22, 2021)

scenicsRme said:


> Yes, Ambroid kits (Ambroid was primarily a model glue manufacturer) were the gold standard of wood car craftsman kits back in the day. Those are some very unique cars and appear to be very well built! I'm an N scaler myself, but after drooling over this HO collection, I am Jones'n to know if the N stuff you got was as rare?


I'll post some pictures of the N gauge items when I can get a chance. They are mostly Atlas, Model Power and Micro Trains that came in jewel boxes, some of which have yellowed over time. They all have Bittendorf (sp?) couplers on them, so the original owner had upgraded them. I also believe they may have had weight added, as they are noticibly heavier than anythnig I have that was bought back in the 90's. I also believe that a few of the cars are all metal.

The lot I bought also had a lot of packages of N and HO accessories, including Bittendorf (sp?) trucks, and also knuckles specifically for frame mounted couplers.

Sory if I butchered the name of the couplers... I'm at work and I'm going off memory from a couple nights ago when I was replacing the couplers on my newer N cars.

There is also a bunch of scrap wood, wire, sheet metal, all sorts of "industrial" looking bits and pieces, which I'm really stoked about, as I plan to scratch build a pier along the riverfront I'm envisioning.

I've been bitten by the modeling bug really bad!


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## Maddog (Jan 14, 2016)

Nice collection of HO cars. They seem to be of wood construction maybe La Belle or Silver Streak? Interesting Rio Grande boxcar with the sides and doors. The yellow car is in maintenance of way service so maybe an office or dorm car?

Too bad the locomotives don't work.


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## wallaboutterm (Jun 26, 2020)

My guess is that the modeler was doing HO many years ago (60s&70s) and switched to N when “downsizing”. All of the equipment is based on prototypes circa 1920-35. The kits appear to be Ambroid and are considered “craftsman” kits in that the kit consisted of basswood shapes with multi page instructions and templates and painting/ lettering instructions. Appropriate decals were generally included. The wood was manufactured by Northeastern and was milled basswood ( stronger and finer grained than balsa) the line included floor, roof and end block sections as well as channels, “hat sections” beams and angles. Metal parts were steel wire formed “grab irons” and stirrup steps. Castings ( lead or some alloy of zinc, lead & who knows what) were supplied for smoke stacks, passenger/ caboose steps. Also produced was milled car sides for both passenger and freight cars. The kits were considered state of the art for their time. Also, they were considered quite accurate at the time. Back in the 80s a lot of work was done on deep research on prototype cars of the cars from 1900-50 and a few minor discrepancies were pointed out. I’ll comment on the individual rolling stock as time permits. Thanks for sharing.


JeffHurl said:


> Boxcar
> View attachment 559091





Murv2 said:


> I thunk it's a chicken car.


You are correct, that is a poultry car. The ambroid one I remember had one half as a refer, an unusual prototype. The one you have very prototypical. The space in the middle is for the chicken attendant. He would water and feed the birds through a central passageway down the middle of the car. I
Would be interested in buying this car as I don’t have any N gauge equipment.


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## wallaboutterm (Jun 26, 2020)

shaygetz said:


> Another Ambroid kit...."1 in 5000" was their tagline. Very cool....


This is a crane tender. The boom would be lowered over the lower part of the car. The water tank was to provide water for the boiler on the crane and the storage boxes are for shackles dunnage, retailers, etc. I believe it to be an ambroid kit.


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## Scotty (Oct 25, 2013)

JeffHurl said:


> Hi everyone. I'm really new to hobby, and I plan to build N gage. Today, I bought the remains of a collection from the widow of a modeler who had both N and HO. I bought the collection for the N gage pieces, but the HO stuff this guy had is really cool. He put a lot of time and effort into some of these cars. I'd like to share his work for you here. I believe there are 15 cars, 2 locomotives (neither work) and some sort of station. I hope you all enjoy the pictures as much as I enjoyed digging them out of hibernation.
> 
> I will make a separate post for each car. That way, if you want to comment on one car, your reply won't be cluttered by the other cars in this thread.
> 
> ...


Very nice!. I'd recommend wrapping them in plastic wrap. The foam has a bad habit of decomposing and clinging to the engine, ruining the finish and nearly impossible to remove without some damage.


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## Scotty (Oct 25, 2013)

JeffHurl said:


> Here is a caboose
> View attachment 559088


That is unusual


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## Scotty (Oct 25, 2013)

JeffHurl said:


> This thing is very cool. The front panels articulate and are held with chains
> View attachment 559095
> 
> View attachment 559096
> ...


Looks like a "spreader" used for clearing snow


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

JeffHurl said:


> The lot I bought also had a lot of packages of N and HO accessories, including Bittendorf (sp?) trucks, and also knuckles specifically for frame mounted couplers.


That would be "Bettendorf" they were a common friction bearing truck until the advent of modern roller bearing ones


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## JeffHurl (Apr 22, 2021)

SO, all the HO items are all packed up and ready to be mailed out tomorrow.

2 good size boxes full!


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)




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## JeffHurl (Apr 22, 2021)

2 boxes headed your way, good sir!


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

They aren't here yet.....


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## Murv2 (Nov 5, 2017)

shaygetz said:


> This one is awesome...a scratchbuild based on an MR article...at least it looks scratchbuild. I just read the article recently. Very cool....


I'd love to build that B&O caboose, any chance you can remember the date of the article?


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## BigGRacing (Sep 25, 2020)

JeffHurl said:


> SO, all the HO items are all packed up and ready to be mailed out tomorrow.


Do you need my address Jeff....lol?


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

Murv2 said:


> I'd love to build that B&O caboose, any chance you can remember the date of the article?


It would be mid 80s...irony is the issue is in my bathroom now---with 200+ other issues...sigh...which means I will have to find it now that I own one.


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## Murv2 (Nov 5, 2017)

I might ask the magazine if they can find it. I'm fond of B&O cabooses.


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

Murv2 said:


> I might ask the magazine if they can find it. I'm fond of B&O cabooses.
> View attachment 559430


I'm fond of cabooses in general...I have over 45 of them, including this old Revell you might like....


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

Stumpy said:


> Horse car.


You, sir...win the chicken dinner.

It is a horse car. They look very much like the Ambroid ventilated watermelon car, but there is one less crossbar on the door and vents near the bottom....and watermelon does not need grain to be transported. I will post side by side pix in the near future.


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## BigEd (Oct 28, 2014)

shaygetz said:


> I'm fond of cabooses in general...I have over 45 of them, including this old Revell you might like....


I might be fond of cabooses (or is cabeese) too. I have 75 in N, another 20 in German, Swiss, Japanese and British and then a few in HO SAR too. Only thing is outside the USA they are called brake or guard vans. I have travelled in 2 types, but my best memory was travelling alone as a 4 year old in this one being fed coffee laced with condensed milk...didn’t sleep for 2 days! My dad was the fireman or stoker and he took me along to give my poor mother a rest.


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

BigEd said:


> I might be fond of cabooses (or is cabeese) too. I have 75 in N, another 20 in German, Swiss, Japanese and British and then a few in HO SAR too. Only thing is outside the USA they are called brake or guard vans. I have travelled in 2 types, but my best memory was travelling alone as a 4 year old in this one being fed coffee laced with condensed milk...didn’t sleep for 2 days! My dad was the fireman or stoker and he took me along to give my poor mother a rest.
> View attachment 559621


Somebody paid dearly to have a caffeinated four year old running around one of those.


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