finding info on older trains - engines, cars, accessories

[edwardalanzo]

I just came across some Bachmann HO items that my mothers late boyfriend had. He died in 1988 and the stuff has just been sitting in a closet since then.  I have no idea how far back [before his death] that he purchased the items.  It looks like a train set + extra stuff, but they are NOT in a train set box. "Some" cars are in their boxes but not all.

I've been trying to look up the items on the Internet but I haven't been able to find anything on the items, engines, cars, accessories. I've tried item description, item number, and every other thing I can think of to use in my search. Nothing!

Where can i find information on pre 1988 items???

[Doneldon]

ed-

Your best bet is to look through the Bachmann listings on ebay. However, I must warn you that older train set equipment was cheaply made so not much survived. That means your search will be a frustrating one. Unfortunately, that rarity doesn't translate into value. Very few older trains, the great mythology notwithstanding, have any value. Their level of detail was minimal by today's standards, their trucks were junk, their couplers were usually worse than awful, they didn't run especially well even when new, their motors and operational characteristics are very poor by today's standards, and it is a great deal of expense and work to bring them up to date. If you do that, you'll have as much invested in them as if you had purchased current equipment, but they still won't have the detail. An old power pack might be useful to run building lights or switches but that's about it. I don't know anyone who would run a modern electronically locomotive with the juice put out by a 25-30 year old power pack.

Yes, if you have a rare old Lionel or Ives Line train in outstanding (i.e., new) condition in its original box -- also in new condition -- it can be worth a considerable amount of money. But old HO stuff? Almost none of it is valuable, certainly nothing from a train set.

The best thing you can do with this is give it to a youngster who might enjoy it for a while because s/he won't know how much better modern model trains are. Who knows? Maybe it'll spark the child's interest in the hobby. If not, well, it's no great loss.
                                                                                                                    -- D

[phillyreading]

I was curious about old H.O. stuff myself, so after reading this post, I find that I am at a loss about selling some older H.O. stuff.
Was planning on selling some of my H.O. stuff, like older engines(non DCC) because of budget cuts at my job and the wife's job, but not so sure now.
Does H.O. track made by Atlas or Bachmann still sell? It don't have the roadbed look, just the old two rail with cross-ties.

Lee F.

[Doneldon]

philly-

Yes, old sectional track does sell. It does matter whether you have brass or nickel-silver rail. Brass isn't very popular anymore for the obvious reason that it needs a lot of maintenance. This is a bigger consideration all of the time as DCC grows since DCC is extra fussy about good electrical continuity. Try ebay if you have track to sell.
                       -- D

[phillyreading]

Thanks Doneldon, about the info on H.O. track, not sure but don't think I have the old brass track.
I am mainly into O gauge trains but have some H.O. and S gauge as well.

FYI, some of the old post war Lionel stuff don't sell for good prices either as there was too much of the item made or people don't want that item.
Example Lehigh Valley quad hoppers, too many made and too many re-production pieces being made. Williams by Bachmann makes this one in O gauge, MTH may even have their version, and Lionel may sell it as a conventional classic.
Sort of like Chrysler re-producing some of the original muscle cars from the late 1960's to mid 70's, the value may drop accordingly. The thinking could be, who wants to buy the antigue car when you can buy the new model for less than half of the antigue.

Lee F.

[Johnson Bar Jeff]

I was curious about old H.O. stuff myself, so after reading this post, I find that I am at a loss about selling some older H.O. stuff.
Was planning on selling some of my H.O. stuff, like older engines(non DCC) because of budget cuts at my job and the wife's job, but not so sure now.
Does H.O. track made by Atlas or Bachmann still sell? It don't have the roadbed look, just the old two rail with cross-ties.

Lee F.

philly-

Yes, old sectional track does sell. It does matter whether you have brass or nickel-silver rail. Brass isn't very popular anymore for the obvious reason that it needs a lot of maintenance. This is a bigger consideration all of the time as DCC grows since DCC is extra fussy about good electrical continuity. Try ebay if you have track to sell.
                       -- D

Sometimes there is just no telling what will sell, or why. I'd suggest that if you can put together in one "packet" enough of even the old brass track to make a circle or the old train set 36 x 45-inch oval (including a terminal section, if you've got one), clean it up, and offer it for sale.

I actually bought some Atlas brass track at the Greenberg show in Lancaster in December because I'm trying to "restore" some early 1960s Mantua/Tyco sets that have lost the track that was originally packaged with them.

[Loco Bill Canelos]

Bachmann does not maintain any historical records of products they made or how many runs or the quantity of a run.  To date no other source or guide is available on these and there is not much chance there will be any forth comming any time soon.  The amount of time and effort it would take to do it would make almost any author cringe.

I have researched and maintain a list and database of all Bachmann Large Scale Locomotives and rolling stock.  I have to date spent over 6500 hours over a period of 9 years just to do it, and have never been able to find a publisher willing to print it.  Not only that Bachmann has only made Large scale products since 1989.  Trying to go back to the beginning in HO or N,  wow I don't even want to think about it.

Try to find old catalogs of HO they do turn up from time to time.  I have all the G Scale catalogs mostly from Ebay. 

Luckily I did it for the fun of it.  

When selling any Bachmann train items the best way is Ebay and start the prices at .99 cents, if it sells you will get a real world price for your offering.  

Best of luck seling.

[phillyreading]

I go to train shows to sell stuff and like J. B. Jeff mentions, there is no telling what will sell that day. Not able to say even what time of year something will sell, for whatever reason-tooo many variables.

Lee F.

[Johnson Bar Jeff]

I go to train shows to sell stuff and like J. B. Jeff mentions, there is no telling what will sell that day. Not able to say even what time of year something will sell, for whatever reason-tooo many variables.

Lee F.

Exactly. To an extent, the same situation obtains even on eBay. Even with something that's a sure-fire seller, like the old AHM Lincoln Funeral Car, the sale price can vary widely. It depends on who is looking for the item when it's offered for sale, or how many people are looking for it and how badly they want it.

[Loco Bill Canelos]

You guys are right about variables in selling, but unless you go to a lot of swap meets and are willing to wait for the right day you may have the car forever.   If you are not into trains like Edward and want to move them out your best bet is Ebay and starting cheap.  Having helped a few friends widows sell their late husbands "train stuff" I found that they did not want to wait a year or more to sell an item or take time at swap meets year after year.  They just wanted to get rid of it.  Ebay was best, and provided a record of each sale to show the widow.  Some stuff sells for way over what it is worth, and others do not, but they are at least sold quickly.

[phillyreading]

Speaking of selling a collection of model trains, a few years ago a freind of mine near Stuart FL sold a collection for a widow and he had the stuff for over a year as it sold slowly, even on ebay. He had to relist some items two or three times, even then he didn't sell it all, as there was a few thousand dollars worth of O gauge trains to sell.
A word about price guides, worthless when you are selling. Nobody wants to pay book price!!

Lee F.

[Loco Bill Canelos]

I did have to relist some items where I had a starting price above .99, but after I reduced it to .99 cents they all went. It does take a long time, and I would never do it for free for other than a very close friend, and even then I would try to get them to sell the whole collection in one package, and just make sure they don't get totally ripped off.  They would get less money, but there would be none of the hassle of selling on Evil bay.

[Doneldon]

FYI, some of the old post war Lionel stuff don't sell for good prices either as there was too much of the item made or people don't want that item.

philly-

You're absolutely right. As my OP said, the values are only high for "rare old Lionel or Ives Line train in outstanding condition." It's sad that everybody thinks their old Christmas tree trains from the '40s and '50s will let them retire early when the truth is that the vast majority are worth next to nothing. Maybe it's a remnant of that delightful, childlike belief that there's treasure everywhere, all you have to do is find it. I remember thinking that the gravel on our driveway had gold ore in it and that the beaches in Santa Monica had pirate treasure just inches below their surface. Now I know better but I get a real kick out of watching my grandkids try to figure out where the nearest free fortune is. So ... I guess it's okay if people want to imagine that the corroded hunk of zinc in the basement is valuable.

                                           -- D

[Ken G Price]

And, where is the original poster? 

[Doneldon]

Having helped a few friends widows sell their late husbands "train stuff" I found that they did not want to wait a year or more to sell an item or take time at swap meets year after year.  They just wanted to get rid of it.  Ebay was best, and provided a record of each sale to show the widow.  Some stuff sells for way over what it is worth, and others do not, but they are at least sold quickly.

Bill-

Yes, ebay will help liquidate the stuff. Avoid the consignment listers on ebay, however. They don't care what an item sells for since they have no ownership and will often throw things away. I'd rather give my collection to an established club which could keep what they can use and sell the rest for a reasonable return. Or, there are two national sellers who are very reputable when it comes to selling models. I hope I can use their names or, if I can't, that the people who might need this information will see it before it gets yanked by the Powers-that-Be.

One is Dad's Brass Trains in New Bern, South Carolina. He'll buy individual items or an entire railroad. I've done business with him (Don Black) and have found him to be scrupulously honest. The other is Dan Glasure at Dan's Train Depot in Ocala, Florida. He and his son run a very active business with primarily brass models. I haven't had as much personal experience with DTD as I've had with Dad's, but that experiences has been very good. Dan Glasure authored the recent brass trains compendium and catalog/price list. You can find both businesses on ebay or in any issue of Model Railroader and other model railroading magazines.
                                                           
-- D