I met someone back in 2005 that was just getting into trains. We became very good friends, unfortunately he was dealing with medical issues that eventually took him back in 2010.
In the short time I knew him he was not familiar with where to buy trains but knew what he wanted. He had several O-gauge items. I will never forget the look on his face when he saw some of my tinplate. His first reaction was "where did you get that"?
He browsed some of my catalogs and came across the MTH 384E PRR Ready to Run Set, and said he had to have it, as this was where he was from. So, I set out to find the set and ordered it for him. When it came he was like a kid at Christmas overwhelmed by the beauty of the set. He asked me to set it up for him and he ran this set every chance he got.
Ever since he passed, I have been looking for this set, only to find used sets that are running for retail or twice that. I was able to purchase a new Boiler in perfect condition for this engine and was wondering how difficult it would to change out and an old or newer MTH or Lionel 384E? Has anyone tried doing this. Any suggestions would be appreciated, since I have never tackled this.
Thanks,
JoeG
