quote:The store I buy most of my trains from gets these in all the time and per the owner's advice, the 60's 773 was perfected operationally and will best suit my needs.
That comment is counter to almost everything I've read or heard about the 1964 Hudson. Maybe Dennis Waldron will chime in. I think he's written up instructions on tuning up a 1964 Hudson to make it run well.
<< 2. why ask other people for advice pertaining to something you want. when you go to out to dinner do you take a poll of the other patrons as to what to order for dinner. >>
Advice on price. There are a lot of experienced, professional collectors on here who are knowledgable on the value of postwar trains; it's not so much WHAT'S ordered for dinner - it's whether or not it's worth my money.
<< rational thinking never enters the reality of our wants and desires because if it did would we have any trains hot rods guns boats etc? >>
I've got nothing but time to buy one. I could care less about how many rivets are on the 50's model vs. the 60's model, etc.; I just want to know which engine is gonna run & pull the best over the course of my lifetime.. The store I buy most of my trains from gets these in all the time and per the owner's advice, the 60's 773 was perfected operationally and will best suit my needs. My guess is, the price increase once the item arrived in his store versus what I was originally quoted was due to two factors: 1) how much he paid the widow of its previous owner vs. what he expects to make as a fair profit margin and 2) the unit needed a small repair/replacement of some sort of bolt or sleeve on one of the drive rods. Emotionally, I don't necessarily "need" this particular engine - I eventually would like to have a NICE one, as this one is, and as I said, I want to make sure I'm not blowing a hole in my pocket if there's plenty of others on the market in this shape for $300 - $400 less, which is what a lot of folks are telling me.
Surf and Turf or Filet may not be worth the price, but if you want it, you want it, if you know what I mean. Price is relative. It's never smart to spend $2K on something you know is worth a high of $1500, but to pay $1350 may not be a bad idea.
However, reading your statement that followed, I get the impression you may not be ready to buy this train, and there's something about it that isn't sitting right with you. If you have nothing but time, your LHS "gets these all the time", and you don't emotionally need this engine or set, then I'd pass. To me, these are the flags that end up with regret. I know it's a reversal of what I previously stated, but I had figured it was something you absolutely wanted. Another thing to remember is buying something for the sake of buying something is never a good idea either. You'll generally know immediately if a train set or component pushes your buttons enough that you want it. That extra $100 or so won't even come into play at that point.
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