2R Stout Auction - 10/26/2023

[Dennis Holler]

I should have kept my comments to myself as they reflect my lack of knowledge with early kit locos. I also should have read Carey's post more thoroughly as I didn't know he bought it. In his hands, I'm sure it will become a great model again.

Bottom line is even though they are 80 years old and lack detail etc, maybe even crude in some sense, they are still high quality well designed locos. They just don’t have a large audience these days. We are saving the planet by keeping these old locos out of the landfill lol. And it is fun to see people go “wow I didn’t know stuff like that existed” fun stuff either way.

[bob turner]

Opinions are good - absent pictures, they are all we have to continue this forum. If Butch had not commented, we would probably be looking forward to another week of no comments at all.

The Lobaugh FEF is one of the more rare pieces. We see more SP Mikes and Mountains by a long shot than we do FEFs. Yet they are worth little more than the much more common CNW Berk.

Part of the reason is that most are poorly built - but with a new cab and some details, they can be quite credible. The big thing is the lost wax, fully clevised nickel silver valve gear and rods. Tough to see in photos, but up close and personal they are works of art.

The gearbox in Carey’s model is postwar Lobaugh - not a great gearbox, but in my opinion better than the vaunted KTM boxes. Other than the huge prewar Scale Craft gearboxes and perhaps Henry Pearce’s robust design, the best O Scale gearbox was Raul Martin’s NWSL Mod 0.6. Wish I had contracted for fifty!

As soon as Carey posts a photo, I will post my version - not as good, but flanged.

[Retroniac1]

Unfortunately, I was one of the people who bid up on the Lobaugh Northern. Sorry Carey.

BTW, a Scale Craft 4-8-2 sold recently at Trainz for around $800 in worse shape than the Northern. Compared to that, the Lobaugh was a true bargain.

I was kind of surprised at the price of doorstops on this auction. Some were reasonable and others bewildering.

On the other hand, there were some real bargains on relatively new brass items. One example was a minty Car Works brass combine trolley for $250. The motorized truck is worth $150 alone. The Car Works stuff is really nice and underrated except for the Pacific Electric; that Venice Car went for $950. Good Grief! Another bargain, the Sunset B&O P-7 pacific with Box Pok drivers for $425 also minty. Yes I bought these. I seem to have an interest in steam locos that are not black.

[E7]

there were some real bargains on relatively new brass items. One example was a minty???????? Car Works brass combine trolley for $250. The motorized truck is worth $150 alone. The Car Works stuff is really nice and underrated except for the Pacific Electric; that Venice Car went for $950. Good Grief! Another bargain, the Sunset B&O P-7 pacific with Box Pok drivers for $425 also minty??????. Yes I bought these. I seem to have an interest in steam locos that are not black.

Carworks.....Stan Richmond out of New Jersey. He put out his last (I think) model about the time I started fooling around with this stuff....a Climax. If there was anything after that, I missed it. Some candy is "minty", but I never smelled any brass with that quality.

[R.K. Maroon]

Yes #60 was a Bill Lenoir built engine

I don't doubt you, but I'm curious how you can tell it was built by Lenoir?

Most Lenoir locomotives have a serial number and builder's mark on the frame ahead of the drivers. It is usually under the pilot truck. If you looked closely at the underside photo in the auction, the number and mark are visible -- not fully, but enough to confirm that it is a Lenoir. The serial number was 230, as I recall. That makes it one of Lenoir's later models -- one that was built after the Lenoir "201 locomotives" book was printed. Bill created a single-sheet addendum, which he included with books purchased later, to account for the later builds. Model #230 on the addendum list is a L&N 2-8-2. See O Scale Trains #110, Jul/Aug 2020 for more information on all this.



Jim

[bob turner]

There is another auction this week - apparently the estate of my old telephone buddy Bill Paul. Almost nothing of interest to me, but out of curiosity or maybe respect I looked at all of it. Some of those old and beat-up pieces are bringing more than expected.

He does have a P&S New Haven electric and several Sunset variations of the Great Northern Y1 - and several Lionel scale items.

Bill was most proud of his collection of Egolf items - they are not showing up in the auction. He sent me photos at one point, but I fear they have become lost in the arcana around here.

Back to Lenoir - as I recall, his philosophy on mechanisms was to spring the front and rear drivers by pivoting the driving boxes (axle bearings) around the centerline of the adjacent driver, via a lever or something. My philosophy is opposite - I prefer the slots (pedestals) as with the real thing. Of course my sprung models are constrained so that the drivers cannot move very far, and lately I constrain them totally, leaving space for springs if the next owner is so inclined.

I visited Bill in his Tampa retirement shop, and got to see his personal CGW steam. Nice looking models. I also saw an SP AC-9 model at a Chicago show many decades ago, and was quite sure it was not up to his usual quality.

Bill was a driving force in the Saginaw series of PRR steam. Every self-respecting O Scale historian needs a copy of his book, still available from Billy Davis.

[Carey Williams]

Hello all

Tomorrow I head to Stouts to pick up the FEF ...and a few other goodies mostly Mini- Scale cars in factory paint ...also attend auction .
Bill Paul had an eclectic collection .
Here is a link to see the FEF from Steve Neil's collection

https://youtu.be/f7QQshifftk?feature=shared

Cheers Carey

[bob turner]

Close enough, I guess. That locomotive is even better than the auction model, and is fully flanged.

Here is mine:



And of course here is the baby FEF doorstop, from a CLW/Scalecraft kit:

[Dennis Holler]

The P&S EP3 in yesterdays auction was a single motor version, all six wheels geared, looked nice, but went for a pretty good chunk of change. The unfinished one in last weeks auction was twin motored and the version with four wheels gear driven on each truck. That one is going one of Carey’s buddies and he will finish it up. I’m kicking myself as a few weeks back I bought one set of pantos from Art Hayes snd should have bought the other pair he had listed lol. Now if I could only make some time to actually work on stuff versus accumulating it. I did end up with an Alexander GG1, unfinished, from last weeks auction via Carey since he won the lot with the GG1’s and the EP3. Definitely good to know a guy!

[bob turner]

Often-posted - twin motored 9000-series motors, CLW transmissions on six axles.



History: These things came out of New England, probably from the Watty House era. The one with the obvious Lionel journal box covers went back to New England, and wound up in Philadelphia in the 1990s.

[Retroniac1]

It was an interesting auction. Since I work during normal hours it really is hard for me to participate. Seems like people with flexible schedules or retirees are the main clientele. Dollars to doughnuts this auction would be more successful in the Evening or weekends.

[De Bruin]

Agreed.
Moronically bad listing descriptions, serially awful packing and a very odd time-line for the auctions.
One would think they're trying to limit the number of bidders to mentally debilitated retirees (like me.)
I'm with ya' bro.

[E7]

A NOT too serious digression

O (Maybe it should be called Oh!) is so splintered and divided there probably always will be conflict. Not much tolerance among the various factions, and each one thinks they are the real true believers.

O Gauge 3 Rail

O Gauge 3 Rail TCS

O Scale 2 Rail

O Scale 2 Rail Proto 48

O Gauge doorstops/antiques

Standard Gauge (Standard?????........Shirley you jest!!!

Ain't nothing standard in this whole nuthouse!

[Dennis Holler]

I like what I like and that comes from all those sources but I do kind of chuckle at some of the comments that do get made from one group chopping down another…

[Chris Webster]

Moronically bad listing descriptions, serially awful packing and a very odd time-line for the auctions.

A week ago, on 12/8, I complained to them that I was still awaiting their shipping invoice. They finally sent it this morning, 6+ weeks after I'd paid their auction invoice.