Large Scale Central

Rairoad Books & Videos

General Discussion
#1

My neighbor, who was quite a rail fan, passed a few months ago. Before he went, he told the executor of his estate that anything railroad related should come to me. It was a wonderful gesture and I was able to personally thank him. I had no idea how much stuff he had. Some of it is not of much interest to me and I definitely don’t have room for all of it.

So here is the question. Should I go to the bother to catalog everything and offer it up or sale? I’m not looking to make a lot of money, just a few dollars to cover packaging and perhaps in the end allow me to buy a few books or videos that I’d like.

The alternative is just to pack up the whole lot and haul it down to the local railroad museum and donate it. On the off chance that there are a few out-of-print gems in the group I’d much rather have them go to someone that can use them.

The first step is to haul it all across the street. I’ll try and get that done next week.

#2

Jon,

Since you have to haul it all, now’s the time to sort it, too. Then you have a look on eBay to see if there’s demand and go from there. At least that’s what I would do.

#3

Jon,
Put the list up here first, so your ol buddies can take a look.
j

#4

Jon,

Is there really nothing that you don’t think you’ll be interested in? I believe the man gave it to you because he thought you would take care of it properly. I would think some of it was his enjoyment and he wanted to share that with someone he thought would understand and appreciate it. I think sorting and analyzing may become enjoyable and you may learn a little about the neighbor.

#5

I’m with Ric…sort it and you will be amazed at what you will find that you might not think, at first, is of interest to you.

I’ve been given, over the years, a lot of “Stuff” that I didn’t think I’d be interested in. The people gave it to me because they thought I might use it to extend my knowledge, and share it with others. Most of the knowledge I’ve accumulated has come from some of the stuff that I never thought I’d need.

You are quite fortunate to be appreciated enough, that a person would share his passion with you…enjoy…

If you do decide to part with some of the stuff…share it with your friends here on the web site…and at the museum, if they have the space to use it properly.

#6

Jon,

I can only assume that your benefactor was aware of the museum and he chose to bequeath the collection to you.

Jack

#7
John Bouck said:
Jon, Put the list up here first, so your ol buddies can take a look. j
That was the point of the post. eBay isn't worth the hassle. Since there is definite interest I'll see whet I can do about getting a list posted ASAP. If you guys end up wanting some of the stuff that would be great.
#8
Ric Golding said:
Jon,

Is there really nothing that you don’t think you’ll be interested in? I believe the man gave it to you because he thought you would take care of it properly. I would think some of it was his enjoyment and he wanted to share that with someone he thought would understand and appreciate it. I think sorting and analyzing may become enjoyable and you may learn a little about the neighbor.


There is lots that I’m interested in, and I’ve put aside quite a bit for myself. I just don’t have the room for it all, and frankly some of the videos are pretty boring. There is a whole series of 2 hour Amtrak cab rides. After about 15 minutes I can see how guys who drive trains for a living don’t understand the fascination with their job :slight_smile:

I think by sharing it with you guys it will be going to people that will appreciate it. That’s why I posted it here first before just donating it to the museum.

#9

"After about 15 minutes I can see how guys who drive trains for a living don’t understand the fascination with their job "

I don’t think most people understnad how much the job of a Railroad Engineer is controlled. And how much they are punished by infractions that we wouldn’t even think of reporting.

#10

I’ll be glad to take any copy of “The Silver San Juan” you find off your hands for a decent price…

#11
Victor Smith said:
I'll be glad to take any copy of "The Silver San Juan" you find off your hands for a decent price..
Vic, I got my copy on Evil Bay fairly cheap ($35.00) cause it had no dust cover. I'm not a book collector per se, so I was happy as a clam to get it that cheap. About half of my books are swap meet / auction / etc.

j

#12

I don’t recall seeing that one. Most of what I kept was anything narrow gauge, Baldwin, Alco or railroads that served where I grew up. So don’t get you hopes up for any rare narrow gauge stuff !

Most of these don’t have a dust cover either - but they sure are covered with dust :o The must have been kept near the kitchen because they have that nice yellow sticky dust on the top edges of the pages. The videos were kept in a sealed closed cabinet and are in much better shape.

#13
John Bouck said:
Victor Smith said:
I'll be glad to take any copy of "The Silver San Juan" you find off your hands for a decent price..
Vic, I got my copy on Evil Bay fairly cheap ($35.00) cause it had no dust cover. I'm not a book collector per se, so I was happy as a clam to get it that cheap. About half of my books are swap meet / auction / etc.

j


$35! good catch!

At the last show I was at, two vendors had copies, one wanted $125, the other $135! So far thats close to what I’ve found online at Amazon and Ebay. :frowning:

#14

Jon; Please let us see a list before you do any more with the tresure trove! I am some what in the same boat, I have all my fathers book, most of which he read, plus what I have aquired. Now There is no one in my family (extended) who has any interest in trains so what to do with all of them. One does need to think and maybe plan ahead for what to do with all the stuff.

Paul

#15

I’ve got the first two dozen books cataloged and will try to get more done this weekend.

I placed a list with pricing in classifieds: http://www.largescalecentral.com/LSCClassifieds/showad.php?adid=227 - Prices include Priority Mail shipping to anywhere in USA. I’ll ship to Australia, Canada & U.K. too, but there might be a small charge.

My tab formatting didn’t work out in the ad, so if you would like a clean list in Excel format that also includes ISBN numbers, condition, and a brief description of the subject matter - just email me. If you don’t have Excel I can make a PDF of the list.

There are probably another 20 books or so to catalog, then about 100 VHS tapes. Not sure the tapes are worth the effort.

Prices are firm and based on used book prices on the net plus a small amount to help cover Priority Mail postage. I will barter for anything in 1:20.3. Yes, I know I said in my original post that I didn’t want to make any money, but as I dig through these and see how nice many of them are I’d rather try and find a way to keep them rather than sell them for less than their value :smiley: