09/16/2026
Few things on my mind lately and they are worthy of a share here:
Firstly: Walthers Trains changed their company wide computer system recently which has created shockwaves in the industry. Besides my dealer site changing to the point I am struggling to maneuver through it, the main company computer system changeover has created large backlogs in shipping and processing. Because of this I will not be doing my customary weekly orders while they sort everything out. I can get many things other places though so it does not hurt to ask if you need something.
Secondly: Online orders. I know and understand the mentality of online orders and having things shipped right to you for convenience of time and travel. I get it. I really do. It is becoming exponentially more common in every day life. Systems built or expanded during COVID for business to continue to operate are still in place and make it convenient to have things waiting for you on your doorstep. But I've built a simple business model here that is operated by a single person and is sustainable that way. For me to build an online inventory and ordering system would require a staff I do not have and cannot afford. Sorry. That being said I can take phone orders and ship if necessary. I will try to be more consistent giving updates on what is on the shelves.
Thirdly: We are are getting a lot of phone calls and messages lately "Do you buy trains" and the answer is always "yes", but something you have to understand if you are the one asking: We are a business. A business of selling trains and not a business of owning trains. We pay wholesale. We cannot stay in business without this simple principal. This is compounded by the fact that, especially with Lionel type O gauge, the market is getting absolutely flooded right now with collections and estate sales and the such. I cannot pay $100 for an item just because your departed uncle said that's what it is worth especially when it is trading for $50 on online markets. We also can no longer make house calls because of logistical and time restraints. It's just me here (and occasionally Mom), and I can't take all my days off chasing collections and also keep my sanity. There are plenty of pickers in the area that will come to you and take a couple items and leave you with the rest. If you want to get rid of everything you are better off bringing it here a car load at a time. I will make the time to go through it all on the counter during store hours. Also we appreciate the invite but we do not attend estate sales or auctions. If we did the result would be us competing with our own customers for items and I feel that is bad business. That being said we will make an offer on almost any train related item that comes across the counter. Most model kits too. No RC though. I won't make that mistake twice.
We are entering a weird era in the hobby where large collections will be coming available with regularity and it is creating a buyer's market. When we buy a large collection and only sell 5-10% of it in the first few weeks it just creates an inventory surplus and cash deficiency. HO is still pretty strong at least but technology advancements are having a significant effect on the value of older items. This rant is not prompted by any particular interaction but mostly an accumulation of events over the last couple months.
