I've had the Lionel Vision Santa Fe 3000, 2-10-10-2, on my wish list for several years. In the few instances that one has crossed my path the price has been more than I could or was willing to pay. (champagne taste, beer budget).
This most recent TCA Meet was my 3rd time to York. This time I went with a very short shopping list and my priority was less about buying and more about meeting and putting faces to names from gents from this forum like Alex M., Don Jones, David Fortney and others.
I did find some unexpected and pleasant surprises in some Weaver Army freight cars and got an amazing deal on a set of 3 mint condition Weaver WWII Troop Carriers. I was quite happy with these finds and they were enough to fill the empty suitcases I brought for the return flight home.
My return flight was on Saturday, last day of the meet, out of Baltimore at 4:15pm. Which meant leaving York no later than 12 to 12:30. So after having breakfast and packing I left the hotel intending to drive directly to the airport. But I figured I'd take a few minutes to pop into the Orange Hall, say goodbye to Alex and his lovely wife Dina, the very nice folks from Korber and several other vendors who I'd met.
As I rushed making the rounds for a few quick goodbyes, something caught my eye. A black Vision box. Out of sheer curiosity I stopped to take a look. Whoa, low and behold, the Santa Fe 3000. With a hefty price tag. The seller was busy chatting and after a few minutes I got his attention and asked about it's condition. It was used and untested.
By now it was 1pm. I really needed to get on the road. But I made an offer on the condition that I could test the engine right there and then. The Lionel booth was not far away and they still had their tracks up and running. I made my way over with this big Vision box, introduced myself to Mike Regan, who couldn't have been more gratious. Asked if I could please test the engine on their track. "Of course," he said. Within minutes one of the chaps from Lionel had the engine programmed with a new ID number and gave her a spin around their track, tested the moving bell, blow down, whistle, stack, forward, backwards, etc. etc.
Everything checked out. I knew the smoke units were likely ready for a tune up, new wick, elements, etc. So we sealed the deal, I paid for the engine, now she was mine.
But wait. How on earth was I getting this thing home? Two suitcases, both full. One with a Mikado I picked up from Don Jones, the other with rolling stock I purchased at the show. Certainly United Airlines wouldn't let me take this engine on the flight as carry-on. At least I assumed they wouldn't. And I didn't have time to go to Walmart to buy luggage to carry my purchases home, as I'd done on my previous 2 York meets.
So as I stood there thinking I probably should have thought it through our dear friend Alex Malliae came to the rescue. I sheepishly asked him if he could take it with him, give the engine the once over, make any fixes or adjustments needed and then when it was ready kindly ship it back to me. "No problem, be happy to," he says to my great relief.
The rest of the story plays out without a hitch. Made it to BWI with minutes to spare, turned in the car rental, checked luggage, got to the terminal as they were boarding 'Group 3' passengers. Got bumped to a premium aisle seat (my favorite) and breathed a sigh of relief. Closed my eyes and starting daydreaming of my new engine!
I was pleasantly surprised to have taken receipt of this beauty yesterday. Alex, with his Midas touch of gold, gave it a quick once over, all checked out, new wick and good to go. I don't have the necessary radius on my layouts to run it at home. She will spend most of her time in my display cabinet and I'll run her at my club layout and at the Old Town depot. After putting the kids to bed and all was quiet, I cleaned, lubed and shined the engine, then spent a solid 45 minutes admiring this piece. Can't wait to get home and run her on rollers.
Not sure if there's any profound lesson in this story. But in retrospect a few things occur to me:
1. York for me was more fun when I wasn't running around from hall to hall looking for bargains
2. Taking my time and enjoying the atmosphere and the company was much more rewarding
3. This forum is invaluable and I'm lucky to have access to it for free
4. There are some really genuine people involved in this hobby. Alex is at the top of that list.
5. And finally, sometimes when you least expect it, the gods will smile on you. I found the engine I've been looking for when I was least expecting to find it and when I was doing anything but looking for it.
