since I work in the power plant industry I am truly never sure what my spring or fall schedule will be. Although I live in PA this fall I've been spending more time in KY, IN, and WV then around home. Since I was actually home and off for a weekend what a pleasant surprise it was when I checked in with Barry's train shop in Elizabeth town and found out that the MTH NS/Reading heritage engine I had pre-ordered came in the day before and yes I could come pick it up.
Now let me say that it was a very busy day at Barry's as a few gentlemen were there going over lists of things they had ordered, one gentleman was preparing to sell a large portion of his collection, and there was another father like myself that had his boys with looking around. Not to mention York being a few days away.
After teaching my son that we simply need to wait our turn for a moment as it was a busy day in the shop, one of the staff members went and got the new loco from whenever it was stashed. I opened the engine right there and everything was in fine order. In addition to a generally good experience I have to say that my son had a five dollar car (automobile) on the counter that Barry hadn't seen when he rung me up. Barry tried to tell me to not even worry about it. Now that was very generous but I insisted on paying as i don't want my son to think its okay to take advantage of other peoples generosity. Overall it was pleasant experience and both Barry and his staff member made sure that myself and my son were happy before we went on our way.
Thanks again Barry.
JZ.
FYI when I got my new prize out someone brought the lionel engine to put on the counter next to mine. The overall size and quality is very similar. The vent over the exhaust stacks was a little different (I think the mth model had a slightly bigger grate over the exhaust) and the lionel paint was very shiny while the mth paint was a like a matte finish. The mth unit looks very good by itself but noticeably less glossy side by side - No I did not get to snap a picture. I will post some photos of the new engine when I get a chance.
