Chi Town Union Station on the block

[E7]

Just happened to see that Chi Town Union Station was being auctioned by Stoudt's. Wonder if that sucker would fit in my back yard?

Rich

[bob turner]

Auction over - mostly impressive prices, but some real sleepers buried in there. All apparently high quality 2-rail:

https://connect.invaluable.com/stout/au ... e%255D%3D6

[up148]

Very interesting. Except for a few hard to find or desirable items it looks like a buyers market with some prices at 50% or less of current market. I guess this is where the eBay crown gets their stock.

You would almost have to be there to inspect wheel/driver wear since these ran all day on a club layout. I remember a set of used KEY F units I once purchased that didn't stand up to layout running. Excellent paint and yet they had run so much the axles were falling out of the truck/bearings. Fixable at the time, but it was still a surprise.

[Chris Webster]

Just happened to see that Chi Town Union Station was being auctioned by Stoudt's.

Have there been any published articles about the layout? I can't recall seeing any.

Auction over - mostly impressive prices, but some real sleepers buried in there. All apparently high quality 2-rail:

I had my eye on the P&LE 2-8-4, but it was up to $1000 before the live bidding even started. It sold for $1,450, which is $1,682 after the 16% buyer's premium.

Very interesting. Except for a few hard to find or desirable items it looks like a buyers market with some prices at 50% or less of current market. I guess this is where the eBay crown gets their stock.

Even after the 16% buyer's premium, the boxed freight car lots were selling for $10 to $20 a car. I think sellers with established ebay accounts and good feedback could flip them for $10 to $15 profit *per* car, after ebay's commissions.

Lot #13, the Weaver flatcars with trailer loads, was the only outlier in the group of boxed cars. It sold for $325, which got the buyer 11 cars with trailer loads plus two extra trailers. Those Weaver TOFC cars have been going for $75+ on ebay, so I think even that lot will be quickly flipped.

Lot #22 had a green PCC car in a weaver box - I wonder if that was a load atop a flatcar or just a trolley in the wrong box?

You would almost have to be there to inspect wheel/driver wear since these ran all day on a club layout.

That was my thinking too. $750 for a PSC B&O EM-1 (Lot #184) seems to me like a bargain if it runs fine, but it would be a lot of money for a shelf piece!

I remember a set of used KEY F units I once purchased that didn't stand up to layout running. Excellent paint and yet they had run so much the axles were falling out of the truck/bearings. Fixable at the time, but it was still a surprise.

FWIW, the second most expensive lot was #220, the set of four Key ATSF PAs that sold for $2,100. The set has cosmetic damage - one horn is bent upward, three of the four side number boards are missing, etc -- which I assume indicates it was used on the layout.

Four of the five most expensive lots were Kohs pieces - the C&O Allegheny, two N&W Y6bs, and a GG1. The 11th most expensive item was the OMI five-car Powhatan Arrow set that sold for $1600 - that works out to $371 per car after buyer's premium, which is less than what 3rd rail charged for their Amfleet and Viewliner cars. (The 3rd rail cars are extremely nice models of their prototypes, but the prototype Amtrak cars are a lot more utilitarian than the prototype Powhatan Arrow cars.)

The final item of interest to me is lot #85, the Glacier Park model of SP #1744 that sold for $1,400. I rode over La Veta pass behind the prototype engine back in 2007 when #1744 was running on the San Luis & Rio Grande. #1744 didn't last very long in that service -- it could only pull four cars over the mountain -- but it was a spectacular show while it lasted!

[up148]

I agree it all depends on condition and wear. The KOH's models were not great runners when new unless the wheels were re-gauged. Gary did my 9000 and said he'd never found one KOH's model properly gauged. Unless you plan on display only that is something huge to think about.

[Erik C Lindgren]

It’s hard to believe even Chi-Town fell. My old club was on borrowed time for decades since the 90s but Paul owned that Piggly Wiggly or whatever. It was supposed to be immune and it was in a relatively un-hot market not like downtown Denver where apartments are 2 million for 850 square feet. How? Didn’t someone in that organization want it to survive or? Odd and sad. I wish I could have seen it in person. Sad. Thank God for the TCMRRM.

[Erik C Lindgren]

Yeah much if not all that equipment that ran on his layout would qualify as …., needing much and good candidates for weathering or mods. Irresponsible or careless or just plain unaware uneducated volunteers mishandling the Kohs locomotives.. eek I’m nervous how I handle my stuff let alone the Boy Scouts volunteers sister that re railed a 5k Kohs engine.. don’t tell me non-o scalers didn’t handle the equipment; I followed a kid (16-19) on instagram (2018) that was a volunteer in his own words there working on track, handlaying, etc, among other things. Chi-Town was open daily and they need careful people but at times, all best laid plans fail. We had issues and we were only open 1 night a month; ran by a club of dozen men and wives. Just imagine the parts you’d have found on the floor at Ch-Town … yikes, I found parts at DSMR that some ex-member would love now for his prize Key L95 that fell off. As much as I would like some of those models, I’d expect a rebuild project from all of it. I saw a photo somewhere a number of years back on Flickr or like at Chi-Town showing detail of the Wasatch UP cars, and what looked like some kid spit on it as it ran past; dried and …yeah yuck. So much for light dust.

[Erik C Lindgren]

https://youtu.be/rvfAzkTY1jg?si=QR_FsPmtfWOnmrET

[Erik C Lindgren]

https://youtu.be/okTYf1tWlbU?si=-4Tu7oUtHnfuowlA

[Erik C Lindgren]

Light dust on the PRB Daylight.

https://flic.kr/p/bq783F

[pitogo]

some good some not so good

first the not

Tender was gutted of all the dallee electronics when I received it, yay. So I needed to gut the engine to get rid of those ugly wires. I will probably do dual Lok Sound 5 with sync to power each motor.
https://flic.kr/p/2qyLLdR

The C&LS FM Trainmaster came with no motors, yay. Stouts must have put the motors in a box with all the others…
https://flic.kr/p/2qySCi6

The good, none of the lots I purchased had shipping damage and I got one of the lots UP coal each car was ~$10.

[up148]

That is what has always scared me away from auctions I can't attend. Not really knowing what I'm buying. I have a friend who bought a SP 2-10-4 from Henry knowing it wasn't powered (pilot model I think). In the end he had Gary Schrader power it.