Allison M. Cox???

Allison Cox was THE place to go when you needed original parts for postwar trains.

Allison Cox was a well-known dealer with an enormous collection who passed away in 2008.  His catalogs of trains for sale always interesting to read when received in the mail. 

Is the other one to which you are referring Chester Holley?  Chester also had a great collection of pre-war.  He passed away in 1991 and his daughter kept his Tampa shop open for about 14 or 15 years after he died.  Not sure exactly what year it closed.

Bill

I never purchased anything from Al Cox, but I did get several of his price lists.

once I ran into him in Madison Hardware when it was still in NYC

Some of his finished inventory was on Ebay not all that long ago, I think I picked up a few modern era items that came from his business.

A couple of fellows purchased his parts inventory, they sell on EBay under the ID: lionelservicestation311.

I've purchased parts from them via direct sale (emails), and from their tables at York.

I did not see them at the last two York shows I attended (April '12, and Oct '12).

Yes, Chester Holley is the other one.  Thanks for the updates!

When I lived in Seattle, I used to go visit Allison in his home/store/museum.  I always managed to find something of interest. He was an interesting gentlemen with lots of stories.  Later, when I was stationed in Germany, one of my Air Force buddies invited me over to his house to see his Lionel layout.  He ordered most of his new trains from Allison Cox who shipped it to Germany via APO (Military Postal Service).  The next time I visited, I mentioned his name; Al called his wife down to the basement to introduce me.  "This man knows Cyril."  I never knew Kevin's first name was Cyril, but that's who he was to the Cox family.

I once sent to Al Cox for his price lists, and was amazed when they arrived. They were huge!  I am in New Zealand and had never seen anything like it before.  I subsequently bought some items from him.  

Allison Cox was a fine gentleman. His train lists were a piece of history by themselves.

He was always courteous and with good humor in telephone conversations and his written communications were always proper and succinct

He is missed.

Several years ago my wife and I were in Seattle and I took the opportunity to visit Al Cox. He had an amazing collection and I had a good time

Al

http://www.tinplatetimes.com/p...les/Al%20Cox/cox.htm

At one time Al Cox's price lists were comprehensive enough to serve as price guides for many brands in pre-Greenberg days.

Jim

All the posters are right on about the significance of Al Cox in his day.  To me the most fascinating thing about him was how he had his personal collection displayed.  He hosted an open house many years ago for the TCA Board members during a Seattle convention.  To reach the display you went downstairs to his "basement".  But when arriving there, after a small entry room (with some if his prized items displayed) you saw what looked like a tunnel leading off it.  Walking down the tunnel, you passed narrow rooms extending off each side.  And every wall was lined with shelves containing his fabulous collection.  I could swear, he had built his house over abandoned mine shafts, but actually guess that he had literally carved the rooms off his original basement.

I remember him from when I was quite young.

He was a very nice guy.  I purchased an 1882 "Orange" General locomotive from him at a train meet-the headlight was missing from it (which he pointed out).

He sent me the missing headlight within a few days.

Very good person and a man of his word.

It's surprising that TM didn't do a video segment on him. The only time was during their documentary on accessories because he had the original prototype 213 lift bridge from the Lionel archives.

I bought two 90 watt transformers from his son, John, who worked with his dad on the mail order business.  They worked out of the home, and there was a small office to do the transactions.  The collection was written up in the October 1991 Classic Toy Trains. 

Did anyone keep a copy of the price list?

I also bought a 256 set from John Cox in about 2007. I was looking for one for about three years, and I still don't know how, but somehow he had found out I was looking for one. I woke up one morning, and there was an email with pictures. Bought it immediately, and still have it.

I'd have loved to see the Al Cox collection in person. Some crazy stuff there.

L

I agree with what others have said.  I met and then visited him several times in 1990-92 when I was stationed in Bremerton.  Al's collection was everything thats been said.....Plus a bunch more.  There was so much there.  Dealer displays, prewar, postwar, flyer, marx, you name it he had it.  He also collected and had bunches of variations in postwar and Prewar.  I distinctly remember  the wall that had 400E's and Blue Comet sets.  There had to be 8 or 9 sets there and his  whole collection was that way.  Further, at the time I used to visit, those catacomes as he called them were also almost stuffed full of boxes at floor level.  Of course the boxes were full of trains and parts as well.

He was a CPA originally and began by advertising to purchase unwanted trains as early as 1950 if I remember correctly.  He was a very nice man and his wife was so sweet to us as well.  Even at that time his health was not great although I think he still attended the local TCA meets and probably York as well.

Certainly meeting and visiting with him was a highlight of my train collecting memories.

There have been some illustrated articles on his collection in the railfan publications.

Unfortunately I'm on the road now, and can't cite chapter or verse.  I remember one I think in either the TCA or TTOS that showed his Hornby collection, which of course was of great interest to me.  I never had the chance to meet him, but I did acquire a beautiful Hornby locomotive from the estate.  What I really remember was the size of his mail order catalogs printed on legal size paper.  Weren't they called the WishList?

Lew Schneider