Model Train Journal

...you just never know.

Let me begin by saying eBay has supplied me with 90-95% of all my train stuff; 90-95% of the time, I have received exactly what I was expecting. There have been the occasional "hic-ups", but never anything I couldn't either fix myself or get a refund. Case in point:

I recently saw a "Westbrook" flat car listed for very low $. I put in a bid, and forgot about it. Turns out my opening bid ($4.15) was the winner, so with shipping figured in, I got a car for under 20 bucks. Great deal. It arrived today.

Turns out this "Westbrook" was really simply a chunk of balsa with some parts attached; I figured I'd just salvage the parts and call it good. Here's what my 20 bucks got me:

A pair of cast Walthers bolsters (I can always use those);

A pair of MDC couplers (I can always use those; I really like the way they look and operate);

A pair of those nice die cast, sprung Athearn trucks, which I equally like: they look good, roll really well and are nice and heavy;

Some miscellaneous screws, washers and springs, which I never seem to have enough of.

So, even though I did not get exactly what was listed, I still feel I did okay and am quite content.

Mark

I think I have a Westbrook flat kit. At least the box says so.
Box of matchsticks.
Next cleanup, probably bin it.

Not trying to be rude/nasty, but what were you expecting for $4.15?

As Al Cox used to say 30 years ago, the trucks are worth five bucks!

I'm trying to remember..Westbrook flats had metal frames with WESTBROOK embossed in the center?

E7 wrote:Not trying to be rude/nasty, but what were you expecting for $4.15?

Hmm..I guess I wasn't clear.

Seems like eBay is often a target here, so I thought I'd look at it from a different perspective.

Although the item was not "as advertised", I am still happy with the purchase, especially given that very low price.

Dunno how else to put it...

M

ScaleCraft wrote:As Al Cox used to say 30 years ago, the trucks are worth five bucks!

I'm trying to remember..Westbrook flats had metal frames with WESTBROOK embossed in the center?

Yes...at least the ones I have...

M

WindyPines-1810 wrote:

E7 wrote:Not trying to be rude/nasty, but what were you expecting for $4.15?

Hmm..I guess I wasn't clear.

No, you were clear....

Seems like eBay is often a target here, so I thought I'd look at it from a different perspective.

Although the item was not "as advertised", I am still happy with the purchase, especially given that very low price.

Dunno how else to put it...

New Athearn trucks in kit form retail ~$14.99 and a set of IM wheelsets run $10. You got bolsters, couplers and other stuff you can use.

Seems a decent buy that you're happy with.....and that's all that really matters.

Rufus T. Firefly wrote:

WindyPines-1810 wrote:

E7 wrote:Not trying to be rude/nasty, but what were you expecting for $4.15?

Hmm..I guess I wasn't clear.

No, you were clear....

Seems like eBay is often a target here, so I thought I'd look at it from a different perspective.

Although the item was not "as advertised", I am still happy with the purchase, especially given that very low price.

Dunno how else to put it...

New Athearn trucks in kit form retail ~$14.99 and a set of IM wheelsets run $10. You got bolsters, couplers and other stuff you can use.

Seems a decent buy that you're happy with.....and that's all that really matters.

Thanks.

Plus those Athearn trucks are, as I said, the nice older metal ones. The wheels themselves are a little wider than the IMs, so I guess that speaks for their "age"...but unlike the nice Intermountain wheel sets, they are in perfect gauge. Those IMs tend to be a hair on the wide side...

M

WindyPines-1810 wrote:Plus those Athearn trucks are, as I said, the nice older metal ones.

Yup. If I can find those as archbars, well worth it at that price.

Rufus T. Firefly wrote:

WindyPines-1810 wrote:Plus those Athearn trucks are, as I said, the nice older metal ones.

Yup. If I can find those as archbars, well worth it at that price.

I have a pair of the newer plastic ones; if you're interested, they're yours.

M

WindyPines-1810 wrote:

Rufus T. Firefly wrote:

WindyPines-1810 wrote:Plus those Athearn trucks are, as I said, the nice older metal ones.

Yup. If I can find those as archbars, well worth it at that price.

I have a pair of the newer plastic ones; if you're interested, they're yours.

Appreciated - I'll contact you off list - email sent.

I have a few un-built Westbrook box car kits, interestingly they appear to have sold them new as two separate kits; one for the car body and another thinner box for the under-body with the under frame casting.
I like Westbrooks. The flat cars in particular look good if assembled well and track well, benefiting from the weight of that under-frame casting.

Last year I refurb'd and ebayed off some old Westbrook box cars from the club donation pile that had their under-bodys bashed from various Walthers, SC and Athearn pieces from, an economy move I suppose done by the original builder.

Just so we're clear.
ebay IS like a box of chocolates. See the pictures! That is what you get!
Except.

Some really are chocolates. Closeup photos of selected contents proves it to be.

But the rest are freeze-dried turds. The really bad ones have soft centers.

Try to get THAT image out of your mind!