What's the Item That Got Away?

glennac Aug 4, 2014

  1. Run8Racing

    Run8Racing TrainBoard Member

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    I'm looking for the N scale version.
     
  2. marc1kim

    marc1kim TrainBoard Member

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    In my facebook group South Texas Model Railroad a local Texan posted an Atlas Cotton Belt GP40 fo sale at $35 shipped. I was about 3 minutes too late to be able to buy, as someone else beat me to it. :-(
     
  3. Calzephyr

    Calzephyr TrainBoard Supporter

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    I remember now another couple of items that got away because I was not interested in ready-to-display buildings. About 10 years ago Bob and Lynn Lunde began their newest model building venture Lunde Studios. Their first two or three offerings were very nicely built and decorated city buildings... I can only remember the one named The McAdam building. They were very pricy... about $75.00 a piece plus shipping. The price and the fact that a lot of stuff doesn't arrive intact from the postal service was a reason to pass on them. Within a few months after being announced they were discontinued. I remember that they (the Lunde') had a backlog of orders to fill for these hand built and decorated structures. I asked if they would ever consider just making them as kits... but their answer was NO... perhaps other models would be released in the future. To this date I have bid on the FEW that have shown up on eBay... but the price gets ridiculously high... over $130 for one of them the last time I seen one. NOT that $130 was all that high if you really want something rare and well made... but... the fact I passed on them at almost half the price several years ago bothers me. Now-a-days the Lunde Studio KITS... are in that $75.00 range... and I don't pass on them.
     
  4. glennac

    glennac TrainBoard Member

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    Would like to resurrect this thread and hear everyone's 2015 stories of "The one that got away". Any *bay listings you were dying to win and lost out on?

    It can be therapeutic to get these things off your chest. ;)
     
    Last edited: Jul 19, 2015
  5. tgromek

    tgromek TrainBoard Member

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    Not so much an item that got away, but an item I never see show up are Atlas 90 ton hoppers in the Burlington Northern rotary scheme, thankfully Atlas will be running more, but the four numbers they already did are just never on the bay.
     
  6. Keith

    Keith TrainBoard Supporter

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    One for me, maybe 3 years ago, long before I quit working, was
    a pair factory paint Hallmark brass Rio Grande F9A/B set.
    Wasn't able to place any additional bids back then, since they both
    ended after I had gone to work for the night. Had my folks send me
    a quick text, letting me know the situation.

    Lost both sets by$5. However, I lucked out and came across another set
    being offered, at a price of $195. And even luckier, was the fact the this set
    was put on sale, for 20% off. Was able to buy that set outright, for $156 and
    less than $7 postage!

    Don't see much of interest to me any more these days.
    Plus, being currently out of work, with no income, doesn't help!
    Doesn't hurt anything either!
     
  7. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    This past year I have not been looking. Just working with what I have at hand. So I am betting everything which is on my short wish list has been available at bargain prices, and as soon as I begin looking again, they'll all disappear!
     
  8. mtntrainman

    mtntrainman TrainBoard Supporter

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    I'm in the same boat. Disabled...zero left over $$$ after bills. I set a little aside payday to try and build a 'train fund'...but...by the end of the month it usually goes for other needed items. I guesss I could spend the cash at the beginning of the month...and starve at the end of the month...lol. I just run what I have. Better then letting the crickets and spiders take over the layout. ;)
     
  9. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Nice avatar, George. :)
     
  10. mtntrainman

    mtntrainman TrainBoard Supporter

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    Exactly how I feel somedays...lol :cool::cool::cool::cool::D:D
     
  11. badlandnp

    badlandnp TrainBoard Member

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    Saw a book at the Helena Railfair a couple years ago, "GN Steam Locomotives." Drooled on it for a few minutes before the show opened and walked back to my table. An hour later I go back to pick it up, gone! Dang!! Had drawings and everything too!

    George, the avatar is great!
     
  12. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    He who hesitates is lost... Too many of us have learned that lesson. :(
     
    SP-Wolf likes this.
  13. randgust

    randgust TrainBoard Member

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    To be fair, there should be an offset thread..... "Things I almost bought that I'm now glad I didn't......"

    As a kid I was fascinated by the first brass steam locomotive in N - the Jamco 3400-class ATSF 4-6-2. Followed those for years after Ebay got started.

    Yeesh. What was I thinking. Mark, you likely saved my wallet on that one.

    I similarly was accumulating NGI etched brass car sides, and even trying to accumulate Kato Superliners for frames and roofs, to add more converted cars to my existing pair of ATSF hi-levels, when I got the rumor that the El Capitan cars were coming out RTR..... Full speed reverse, sell everything! That was close.

    I did, however, then get three El Capitan sets and split the cars up for separate sales, made enough money to get my own set for free.

    I do wish I'd bought that second Atlas shay when they first came out though. That's become investment grade, until the new container finally arrives.

    I just checked the book value of one of those Kato "San Lucia Sound" El-Cap lounge cars for the Pacific Parlour service. Only sold on the Amtrak website, and kept showing the 'on stock' declining in real-time, until they'd mysteriously add more stock. That's as close to a Black Tulip craze as I've ever seen around N scale in recent times. I almost bought several just for speculation. Lets see, so was I smart to stop at one, or was I an idiot?

    Ah. We have an answer. Closed sales search.

    Idiot.
     
    Last edited: Jul 20, 2015
  14. Rossford Yard

    Rossford Yard TrainBoard Member

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    I have had two similar experiences, and neither involved me diddling around for an hour.

    One was seeing a UP Pecos River Brass caboose. Turned around to tell my brother I was going to buy it, and someone else snatched it off the shelf.

    Like your book story, I once saw a book on the Chicago "L" I wanted, and went to the ATM to round up the cash. When I returned, the book was gone.

    While IM and others have solved my caboose need, I have never found that old book, but a newer version from someone else has come out, reducing the pain....somewhat.
     
  15. JMaurer1

    JMaurer1 TrainBoard Member

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    Atlas SP daylight trailers on the 50' TOFC flat car. Saw that they were announced but never saw that they had arrived. They must have only done like 10 cars or something because they NEVER made it to ANY of the west coast train stores that I go to (and I go to as many as I can) before they were out of stock. I haven't been able to find any on line or at that auction site as well (ok, I found 1 at the auction site and another 1 in England, but shipping made the car $45...too much to pay for an Atlas TOFC).

    If anyone knows where I can find any, I'll take all I can find...
     
  16. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Sounds interesting. Feel free to start it! :)
     
  17. Rossford Yard

    Rossford Yard TrainBoard Member

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    Can't recall which vendor at Sacramento had one, but I saw one there. So, they are still out there somewhere. I recall that they did the minimum of 300 in each road number. I always wondered if they could have that much interest in a regional short line. Great scheme, though. Also, at one time, I think Wig Wag picked up the leftover stock. Might try them.....
     
  18. montanan

    montanan TrainBoard Member

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    For quite a while ebay was one of the few places for me to find model railroad supplies until recent years when online retailers came on board.

    Occasionally I may look on ebay, but so many times I see items that are at full retail, and then with shipping on top of the price or see items bid way over retail. I can't count how many times I have done a search of online suppliers and found the items bid well over retail selling at a discount through these online retailers.

    I haven't bought any model railroad items on ebay for years. Guess I'm just a cheapskate and would rather do a little searching to save a few bucks.
     
  19. umtrr-author

    umtrr-author TrainBoard Member

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    This is way I don't bother with Buy It Now while I look at eBay. The percentage of at/above MSRP listings is a non-starter. I also have an extensive "ignore list" of sellers I don't look at.

    What's left is about five to ten percent of the active listings.
     
  20. Jerry M. LaBoda

    Jerry M. LaBoda TrainBoard Supporter

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    While not directly modeling related (but suitable reference material none the less) I have seen several instances where two or three snipers decided to bit in the last few seconds of an auction for a valuable slide outrageous amounts (in excess of a Grand) who bid themselves up so badly that only the seller would have been happy... and I really do hope that the seller didn't decide to discount the entire amount to give them a break... just to teach these people a lesson makes such outrageous bidding sweet to those who often are done wrong by sniper bids!!! Be golly... be gosh... and be granny... they deserve having to pay so much!!!
     

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