“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.