Just a heads-up, the large collection of buddy Bob Woods (AKA Longtrain) will be available for sale soon. Here's Bob doing what he loved best, running a long train on the SunNSand N scale club layout in Scottsdale, Arizona. He's on the right, accompanied by John Sing: Bob had an amazing collection of new and older models spanning an eclectic assortment of roads and transition to modern eras. Bob was an active participant in this and other N scale forums, and passed away in 2006. He is missed by his many friends in the hobby. I am helping his wife and son arrange the sale, and it is her preference to sell the collection in a single lot. A list will be available shortly, I will post a follow-up notice here when it is available offline. I hope posting this notice here is OK, rather than in the sale forum - as Bob was a good friend and given his widow will receive 100% of the proceeds, I thought some of you might be interested. Please contact me offline by direct e-mail (vgniner@cox.net) with any inquiries, thanks.
Verne, this is a very humanitarian thing you are doing here, for the benefit of Bob Wood's wife and family. Thank you for helping them.
Here's another picture of Bob visiting my former layout with Pete Nolan. I like to kid Pete that it looks like his left hand is getting ready to grab the Pennsy box car sitting on the siding.
Sure miss having him active here. He was just an good old fashioned nice guy! I hope the sale does well for his loved ones. Boxcab E50
Man, I miss him! I just posted today about my day in Arizona with Bob and Verne back in 2006. I was there at SunNSand in the morning when we ran a single Atlas RSD 4/5 pulling 85 cars: It had two traction tires. I was amazed that someone as big as Bob had such agile fingers. And his sense of humor and humanity was equally amazing. I know that, unused to the Arizona heat and, on that day, humidity, I gulped down four large glasses of iced tea, one after another, when we got to Verne's. And was still so dry that I asked the hotel if they had a bar! I didn't realize I'd be saying bye-bye to Verne's N-scale layout with this picture: Maybe Verne knew. An ATSF station master waving goodbye at a PRR caboose . . . Bob had told me, when we met for breakfast that day, that the MRI scan of his brain was not good, that there were dark spots. That he died of a hemorrhagic stroke shortly later still scares me. Verne, I'm sure I can't purchase the collection in its entirety. Please look for a PM in the next few days from me.
Bob.... A very kind & generous man,I was fortunate enough to have some long email chats with this gentleman & lucky enough to buy some items from him..... Very noble thing your doing here Verne.
That was a fantastic day, Pete, it was a pleasure meeting you and spending it together. No, I had no idea when you came over that the layout would be out 8 months later. The On30 bug was still biding its time! Bob was one of the best I have ever seen at railing N scale rolling stock. Given his nickname and tendency to live up to it, that he became a pro at putting cars on the track is no mystery!
He was also good at repairing things. That day at the club, the RSD threw a traction tire on the first attempt. With only a screwdriver, he had the truck off, new TT installed, and everything back together in about three minutes. I think he used the screwdriver only to loosen up the frame (and maybe not even that); everything else was done with just his fingers. I think he also swapped axles around, as the engine was a bit nose- or tail-heavy under load. I was amazed! I have very small hands, but could never think of doing that type of repair without Optivisor, dental picks, etc. Yes, it was a fantastic day! Let me know if I can help with this sale.
Thanks for the kind comments, and to all those who have expressed interest in Bob’s collection through private messages. I met with the Woods family, and had the privilege of sitting at the kitchen table where he had disassembled so many of his locomotives to work his magic. I had never seen all of Bob's trains, just what he brought to run at the club. It is a large collection, with items spanning a dozen railroads and all eras. Per his widow’s request, the collection will be sold in its entirety, or in several large lots on eBay grouped by railroad and era. Unfortunately, it will not be possible to sell individual items from the collection. I will post updates on the forum, and on the web page I have set up. Prior to any public sales, I will post an update here (but no auction links, of course). You can bookmark this page on my website and check back for updates: http://members.cox.net/vgniner/bobwoods.htm The Woods family is very grateful for the kind comments and thoughts expressed for Bob.
