BACKGROUND
Due to the amount of work our relatively large home required, we decided to move before we would not be able to keep up with the chores. More importantly, I did not want to wait until I became physically unable of dismantling my O-Gauge layout. We made the final decision to move in late August, and within a few weeks we sold our house, and bought a new one. We now had a target date by which we had to move – October 6.
THE TASK
The layout in question occupied most of the 33 ft x 38 ft train room. I used over 80 2x4’s, 24 sheets of 5/8” plywood, and Quiet Brace to make the basic bench. Eventually, it had over 900 feet of Atlas track, 58 turnouts, 26500 feet of wire, 150 lb of ballast, hundreds of trees and little people, scenery material, etc. Needless to say, it would be a challenging task to dismantle and remove it.
I had dozens of locomotives, over 100 railroad cars, dozens of buildings, dozens of automobiles and trucks. I also had several bridges, operating accessories, and in short, a multitude of items. At first, I thought I would keep enough to make a new layout, albeit smaller, but soon decided that after having the layout I now had to dismantle, nothing would really satisfy me. I did not want to find myself saying to our guests, “Oh, you should have seen the layout I had before.” Therefore, I decided to sell everything.
HOW TO SELL
About the time we had decided to move, my good friend Roger Wasson visited us. After looking at the layout, and running some trains, we sat down to have a snack, and talked about selling the train. Roger was unequivocal with his advice: “Call Derek Thomas, of Stout Auctions, and tell him what you have”. The next day, I called Derek, was impressed with his approach for selling my items, and decided to pursue this route.
PACK, DISMANTLE, AND PICKUP
It took me about three weeks, starting on August 22, to pack all the trains, buildings, and accessories in their original boxes, which I had stored under the layout. I also removed the track, washed off the ballast, and was able to restore it to nearly as new conditions; certainly fully usable. I bundled the track in similar pieces, and boxed them up as well. I ended up with well over 300 boxes, plus a number of single items, such as the turntable, a large Atlas bridge, as others.
On the mutually agreed date of September 14, Derek sent a truck to pick up the items, which I had been storing in a rental storage unit a couple of miles from my house. Less than a month later, on October 5 and 6, Judy and I moved to our new house. This was our 14th move, and they sure do not get any easier.
PLEASANT SURPRISE
The following week, on October 12, after catching my breath from the move, I emailed Derek and asked him when he anticipated that the auction for my items would start. His reply was quick, “Give me a call when you get a moment. I'll have a pretty significant update for you.”
I called Derek the next day, and he said, “You missed it!” “What did I miss,” I replied.“The auction!”, he said. He had put the items on auction when I was moving, on or about October 6, and everything had sold by the weekend. Unbelievable! We talked a little bit about the items and how they sold, and he said that I would see my check in about two months, to allow time for packing the items, shipping them, and receiving payment. A few days after two months I received the check.
THE OUTCOME
My items sold for more than I and most people had anticipated, and for over 25% more than an offer I had had from an individual who would have picked everything up himself. Together with the check, Derek sent me a very comprehensive, detailed list of all the items sold, how they were sold, and the price.
It was a pleasure dealing with Derek, and I know I could not have gotten anymore for my stuff than what I netted from his auction. This, combined with the fact that I did not have to deal with individual sales, ship individual items, collect the payments, etc., more than paid for the commission Stout charged. What they do and how they do it is worth every penny.
If you ever find yourself in a similar position as I was just a few months ago, Derek Thomas of Stout Auctions is the way to go.
Thank you for reading, and Thank You ROGER and DEREK!
Alex
PS. Taking apart and removing the layout itself proved to be just as challenging, especially physically, as packing the train and accessories, but somehow I got it done. My neighbors helped haul stuff away.
