What's the Item That Got Away?

glennac Aug 4, 2014

  1. glennac

    glennac TrainBoard Member

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    We have the "More eBay Humor" thread and the "What's Your Latest Purchase" thread. But I think some of us might be interested in the other side of the coin as it were.

    What items have you recently had your heart set on that ended up getting away? Perhaps the bidding got too high for your taste. Maybe you were simply to slow to snipe it in time. Or, the one that often gets me, I simply wasn't paying attention, lost track of time, and missed out on a great deal when it ended.

    Which listings do you kick yourself for losing?
     
  2. daniel_leavitt2000

    daniel_leavitt2000 TrainBoard Member

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    I was just in a bidding battle for three GHQ backhoes and lost by a dollar. These are very hard to find kits and build up really nice. The best part is, they often have enough parts leftover to make an additional backhoe with a little kit bashing and scratch building.
     
  3. Randy Stahl

    Randy Stahl TrainBoard Supporter

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    I've bid on a number of Pecos River brass tourist sleepers and every time I get seriously outbid. I still want 14 and 16 section tourist cars but for now I'm using 12-1 cars to fill in.

    Randy
     
  4. gatrhumpy

    gatrhumpy TrainBoard Member

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    I was at a train show last June in Milwaukee and some guy was selling the N scale Challengers from Athearn for $200. I passed them up, but now I'm kicking myself.
     
  5. Rossford Yard

    Rossford Yard TrainBoard Member

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    I've had a few EBay purchases that pricewise, might fall in the "One I got". As an IHB modeler who wanted/needed the entire fleet of 9 IHB GP 40-2's, and had all three road # but no more, I was excited when one came up a few years back, complete with IHB caboose. Got excited, bid up to $175 and won. The next week, two more were up from the same seller for more normal prices, and then they showed up periodically since then. My last two were bought for $45 each........and I now have more than a full fleet, and hoping no one happens to count! (am hoping some will be staging below layout or in the next room at all times, so no more than 9 will be seen at one time, LOL)

    Had a similar experience with a custom painted IHB unit, that, when the dust settled, I probably could have contracted with the same painter for less than I bought it for.

    So, maybe the lesson is to think of any lost bid as "lost for now" because there will always be another one out there.
     
  6. JMaurer1

    JMaurer1 TrainBoard Member

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    I don't like 'pre-ordering' anything. I usually wait until it is out then order it. Altas was coming out with some TOFC cars with SP Daylight trailers (not prototypical, but still look nice). I waited until they came out and went to order some...SOLD OUT everywhere. I've been waiting for some to come up on EBay and...nothing. I have won the only one I have ever seen on EBay and haven't ever seen one on line or in a store (if anyone has, please let me know!). I can't believe that these cars just disappeared! Now I pre-order, but that doesn't mean what I pre-order will ever be produced...been waiting on the IM Chateau Martin Wine milk reefers for YEARS. They still are available for pre-order on BLW but even IM no longer lists the cars as coming.
     
  7. glennac

    glennac TrainBoard Member

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    I've had plenty of wins in recent years. But I can't seem to close the deal on a MT 40' SFRD Steel Reefer (059 00 536) that I've had my eye on for quite some time that I'd like to add to my steel reefer collection.

    It's shown up several times since the beginning of the year. But I'm either not paying attention when it ends, or I'm more anxious about another item at the moment and have to let it pass.

    This one keeps getting away. Arrggghhh!
     
  8. omatrack

    omatrack TrainBoard Member

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    One of my interests is n scale military railroading. Right as I got started stockpiling items, I found an auction on ebay with a lot of great 1/144 stuff. I put in a bid for what I thought was a good amount, was outbid and then decided I would just wait. As I started to accumulate items, I realized I way undervalued that auction and to buy all those items (and I have) is a lot more expensive, even if I can find them. By bidding another $25-30 I think I could have saved over $250 on later purchases so penny wise and pound foolish on that bid. So now I make sure I do my research on the spot and put in more informed bids for lot items.
     
  9. HOexplorer

    HOexplorer TrainBoard Supporter

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    Any Shay in any condition.
     
  10. N2Z

    N2Z TrainBoard Member

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    For me, I am still looking for 2 weathered MT offerings: Illinois Central #077 44 120
    and the ATSF autorack from the weathered Southwest 3-pack #993 05 030
    I can't seem to find them anywhere. Anybody have one they want to sell?
     
  11. Kenneth L. Anthony

    Kenneth L. Anthony TrainBoard Member

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    It's not Intermountain, but, some guy who offers stuff regularly on "the-auction-site-frequently-mentioned-here" has (would you believe?) paper N scale sides for the purple Chateau Martin reefers. I bought a set and "may" possibly build it someday. After I build the ATSF dry-ice reefer.

    [​IMG]
     
  12. PGE-N°2

    PGE-N°2 TrainBoard Member

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    Despite all the stuff I've got that I really did want, still too many misses to count.

    Most recently, a PWRS Milwaukee Road 4750CF Covered Hopper. The grey ones are more elusive than all the Federal Yellow ones.
     
  13. JMaurer1

    JMaurer1 TrainBoard Member

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    I've seen them but it's WAY too much of a throw back to the early days of model railroading. Talk about a lack of detail! I would love to get a ATSF dry ice car (as pictured) but would much rather have one from Shapeways or the like that at least has door hardware and rivets.
     
  14. tgromek

    tgromek TrainBoard Member

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    Interesting thread, anyway, about a year ago or so, I was bidding on some Deluxe 40 foot boxcars in CB&Q red, I thought I would win them for sure, but was outbid. Needless to say, I haven't seen any since then.

    I have, in the past, come across items mentioned in threads like these, then emailed the person looking for said item, so that was why I found the thread to be interesting. I will keep an eye open for these other items.
     
  15. mu26aeh

    mu26aeh TrainBoard Member

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    LHS in Baltimore commissioned Atlas to do 3 #'s for Maryland Midland, GP38-3's, a small railroad in central Maryland that interchanges with CSX. I didn't have money at the time to get them, and now I can't find any of them.
     
  16. umtrr-author

    umtrr-author TrainBoard Member

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    I just saw one in a lot on that Internet Auction Community--- but it was one of either five or six otherwise unrelated cars in a group. I've had to occasionally consider the question of whether I want a single car out of a group badly enough to bid on and win the entire lot.

    Meanwhile, Micro-Trains will have a Weathered Train Set featuring this very car later in the year. It's due out in December. I noted in the UMTRR that while the hatches were "backwards" on these cars vs. the MTL body style when the prototype was built, by the time the large circle cross paint scheme was in place, the Santa Fe had apparently changed the hatch opening direction to the more typical placement.

    http://micro-trains.com/cs-N_1412_atsf.php
     
  17. TrainboySD40

    TrainboySD40 TrainBoard Member

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    I saw a log car I liked. Forgot to bid on it. It didn't sell, I would have gotten it for $8 had I bid. It was relisted and sold for $19. :(
     
  18. Calzephyr

    Calzephyr TrainBoard Supporter

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    I don't know if this is a good thing that got away... or not...

    ConCor did a heavy 2-10-2 a few years ago which included one model that was lettered for D&RGW.
    I chose not to pre-order one because of my trepidation with many of the items ConCor had been making.
    Needless to say... it was one of those models that ConCor did not make many of... and once sold out at ConCor... no more were available. I haven't seen any of the D&RGW ones come for bid on eBay... so I'm guessing everyone that has one is satisfied. I know there had been some discussion about the model years ago; but, I don't recall if it was all bad... all good or just so-so.
     
  19. Doug A.

    Doug A. TrainBoard Supporter

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    A couple of deals come to mind.
    1. I like having extra shells for various locos. So for example, I only have 3 SD60 mechs with black trucks/fuel tank but among those I can run any combination of home road (BN or patched BNSF SD60M's both 2 window and 3 window) and pool power (DRGW, KCS, NS, CSX, SOO, HLCX, et al) One guy had a BNSF H1 C44-9W and also an ATSF Warbonnet C44-9W. This would have greatly expanded my combinations of silver trucks/silver fuel tank Dash 9's. I don't think it ended up going for some obscene price, I just basically forgot to bid it up like I intended.
    2. Getting rid of my circus train. I had the entire MTL Red Train, and got very frustrated with the trucks having problems, and plus all the work needed--including replacing the stock, incorrect trucks with the correct trucks that MTL makes themselves! That was really the straw, and then to have them say "we didn't think anyone would actually run them"....well that made my blood boil and I sold them at a loss. Now I really wish I had the set back since it was a train I really thought would be cool to have. (and it was era/locale appropriate)
     
  20. Calzephyr

    Calzephyr TrainBoard Supporter

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    Noooo... waaaayyyy!!!! The folks at Micro-Trains actually said THAT! What am I saying... that is exactly their M.O.!!

    I'm guessing they need to re-name their 'Runner-Packs" as "Collector Packs" now that they admit they don't expect them to be 'actually' run!

    Pssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssstttttt..... I just let all the factory air out of my Micro-train runner pack sets.
     

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