Big Blue has inspired some purchases

[TMo]

I have a coworker who had dreams of a Reading RR layout, having grown up in the area.  He collected some HO rolling stock, some track, some structures, a transformer, a couple of locomotives.  

After years of moving the boxed items around his basement, he came to realization that it was never going to happen.  This is the story of many, many potential model railroaders.  Big plans, fits and starts, dumpster.

He did sell his locomotives and some other items on ebay and facebook marketplace but came to the realization he wasn't really even going to break even.

I've shown him some of my work, so he knows what and when I model.  A box appeared on my desk this week.  There were some decent items that I was interested in - an unassembled box car kit, a high cube Conrail box car, a set of 3 Bev Bel coal hoppers, some of Reading's last box cars (Mantua's, Tyco, etc.).  Except for the stuff I was interested in, truck mounted couplers.  Not a lot of quality, but decent quantity.  I figured if I didn't bite, the stuff was going to end up in the trash (which is probably the appropriate place for some of it).

When I offered to buy the items I was interested in.... you guessed it - he said it was a package deal.  All or nothing.

And, you probably realize by now, I now have a box of rolling stock under my desk, and there's less cash in my wallet.  I think of it as a pre-Christmas gift...

Over the next few months my plan is to retrofit some of this stuff and bring a little delight to my coworker, who has already said he wants to see some of his stuff running on my layout.  (No pressure, Todd....).  I'd like to try to upgrade some of these cars.  There are a lot of pooh-poohers out there who cringe and head for the can when you utter Life-Like, Tyco, AHM in the same sentence, and I get it.  Today's rolling stock is really very nice, but it comes at significant cost - you get what you pay for.  There is a fringe out there that actually enjoys trying to make the clunkers somewhat believable and operating well, and I'm going to give that a try with some of these items in this box under my desk.

Anyway, more to follow - I'll periodically post something here regarding the un-magic box.  Heck, the worst thing that could happen is that some of this stuff ends up in the dumpster - it was probably going to end up there anyway....