Anyone go to Brass Expo at Timonium?

Dear Simon, et al,

     I could not attend the Brass expo due to a family commitment-Daughter 32nd birthday and surprise finding out we will have a third Grandchild come 11/2015 !!! . One of our members from the Cherry Valley club went Saturday and said O scale-standard and narrow gauge- was well represented and the participating dealers appeared to be busy. He said everything was there for a PRR B-6 to a UP BigBoy.

Congrats to Howard Zane and his staff for holding a "meet within a meet" and hopefully will continue in the future. Regards, John

The brass portion of the show was physically segmented from the other regular portion but one admission price got you in to both areas.

There was more O scale than I expected with Bill Davis, Norm Pullen, Jack McGarry, Ron Rosenberg, Jim Williams, Sunset Models, and a few others there. I estimate 15 % of the table space was occupied by O scale. Brass Trains was there with an elaborate and quite large HO display.

The white elephant tables had some O scale brass at rather high prices which did not sell.

I sold two Sunset locomotives which is probably two more than I will sell at Strasburg. Strasburg tends to be more of a "when is this coming in and what are you planning for the future" show for Sunset/Golden Gate rather then a "sales" show.

I would say almost all the O gauge/scale attendees at the brass show were 2 railers which figures since MTH and Lionel dealers were not placed in the brass expo area.

I attended today Sunday. Saw about half a dozen locos (all HO  BTW) I have highlighted interest on vendor websites but didn't purchase a one. Never saw a clinic schedule or Saturday evening program posted online or elsewhere despite there chairs and space. Vendors were friendly. Closest I came to buying was a vendor outside the Brass Show on the main show floor. Brasstrains.com's display was breathtaking...Overall seemed an "insiders" show; people looking...no one buying.

Yea, re entering the brass market (from the 90's) I don't know any of these dealers or names so I'm re-starting from ground zero. I did a lot of my early brass experience via Bob Brass (RIP). I'm looking for primarily classic brass....with a few contemporary exceptions.

Like I said, lotsa lookers and no buyers. For a collector field that's moribund the prices are ridiculous. It reminds me of real estate. Dealers and individuals stuck with lots of art mantle-pieces in a dead market and scared to death to lower the price for fear what's left will crash and they're out big cash.  But the pieces ain't moving and dealers are stuck with an increasing inventory (from aging and dying collectors). It's a buyers market guys and I ain't buying....yet.

For disclosure...I'm developing modelling in O 2 rail but also collecting in HO for a specific road.  I have a print out on my cork board of 15 primarily brass and some asst RTR locos from dealers at the show with interest, plus some from watches from the 'bay...and I'm buying monthly...and selectively.

Heard a very similar report from a major brass dealer at the Chicago O meet last month,good attendance but very little buying a lot of older brass way overpriced for current market.

Sounds as expected.

After seeing what the o scale brass locomotives sold for on Stouts friday I was amazed over the high prises of even the well used items were selling for at the Brass expo

One vender $795.00 for a repainted Williams N&W

i went to Chicago with 3 other guys and we returned with 7 locos total, including 2 NYC Hudsons with Stu Kleinschmidt drives for less money than Stu would have charged for just reworking the drives. there were many bargains there you just had to look. if money were no object there would have been a bigger pile coming home with us.

yes there were some people who thought they had the worlds rarest piece and charged accordingly. we all know a All Nation NW2 is worth in the thousand's,but because so many feel O 2 rail is dying and they want to get items for what less than what Max Gray imported them for so they are still sitting on their wallets.

for example a Westside EM1 with reworked drive with 2 motors was offered at 650. i sold a Lionel EM1 for 800. which would you rather have? speaking on Stout's i bought a N&W J original Mort Sr's sunset not MORT JR's 3rd rail with a Jerry White Drive painted by Bob Ansen for less than that. 

so if anyone wants to sell or sees high priced brass with reworked drives or custom built locos and feel they are way to expensive email me i would be interested.

that's Anson...

sorry for the mistake on your name

Sounds like a winner in all 3 respects. Bob's work is superb.

Simon

I just completed an online purchase of a Rich Yoder diesel from Brasstrains.com. The model wasn't at the show but, after considering several of the same model from different sources, and having briefly chatted with the dealer at the Expo, I decided to give BT.com a try. Lots of pics and tested/described as a good runner.  Would I have purchased if they weren't at the Expo?, don't know...I'd been considering it for a while but it didn't hurt.

At Brass Expo/Timonium, there were two N&W J class Early Sunset engine for sale: one was unpainted (not even sure it was running) for $1K and the other one was painted (kind of lousy/sloppy work) and was slightly less. Finally, there was another unit (early Sunset) where the price had been bumped from $850 to $1250 using the same sticker.... Pathetic.

Yves

Yves, sounds like someone did not know the going price of their piece and didn't want to just give it away after seeing others there.. Yes, we would like to get that buy but put yourself in their shoes. I don't know what the current prices of  the models I own and would just take a guess and y0u can be darn sure if I went somewhere and saw others priced higher, you can bet I'd re write the ticket.