Monthly Archives: November 2022

Caveat Emptor

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“Caveat Emptor” is a Latin phrase that means “let the buyer beware.”

I had two years of Latin while in High School, but that is not what I want to talk about. I think I’m going to start a new “Category” for the site called “Caveat Emptor“

Today, I saw this on the auction site. It was listed as “YODER PRR 50 TON FREIGHT TRUCKS.” It clearly isn’t.

As you can see in the photos, the truck does not have a spring plank, brake beams or brake shoes. Also the wheels appear to be plastic and without any backside relief. This sure looks like an Athearn truck that was painted red.

We have all done this, buy a pair of trucks at a show to replace a pair on a finished car. When you are done installing the new trucks on the car you put the old trucks into the box. It a convenient place to store the old trucks. I know I’ve done it with some trucks.

Trouble is when someone buys a collection and has no idea what these are and lists them as a pair of brass trucks when in reality they are cheap plastic trucks. It’s even worse when they ask more for the trucks than when they were new from the importer.

Just be careful, not everyone selling stuff knows what they are selling.

Model photos cropped and edited from online images.

Thanksgiving Day

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I would like to wish everybody a Safe & Happy Thanksgiving!

Here is the view of my workbench this morning. You can see an AB pair of CNJ F3’s, a pair of MTH 2-rail conversion trucks that recently came off of an MTH LV Fshbelly Twin, and a pair of spare Weaver AAR Type-B road switcher trucks that I was fitting a set of Protocraft conversion wheelsets into. I need to get these parts/projects back together and off the workbench today.

In the early Fall of 2021, I was sitting with some friends BS’ing about different models that have been released in the past that for whatever reason did not end up on our radar. I mentioned that I wish I had picked up the Atlas-O CNJ F3’s back when they were released. But that was not in the cards for me when they were released. It was joked that it would be easier to build a Time Machine and go back in time and buy them, then to find them in today’s secondary market.

I started looking for them online and at the shows, I listed what I’m looking for on my Interchange Track page. They were around in 3-rail but not as 2-rail models. Then to my surprise one showed up at a Strasburg Show. Then a pair online. Over the last year I have been fortunate to find four CNJ units. I’m still looking for one more CNJ F3A, the details of what I’m now looking for are listed on my Interchange Track.

I was working in the basement this morning on the shelves which are making up the benchwork for the back wall. The parts are stained and about to be assembled. I should have some photos to show the progress soon.