Does anyone know if Len Carparelli is still painting, and repainting, model trains? He repainted my 1954 Lionel Santa Fe F-3's several years ago and did great work. I have not seen his ad in the train magazines for some time and I can not find him on the internet. I have some more trains to reprint.
Mike
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He is a TCA member. If you are, too, you can find him in the Directory.
Yes I am a TCA member and I have his phone number, but I don't want to bother him if he is not longer in business. I was hoping to hear from someone who knows the 411 on him. Thanks. Mike
Does anyone know if Len Carparelli is still painting, and repainting, model trains? He repainted my 1954 Lionel Santa Fe F-3's several years ago and did great work. I have not seen his ad in the train magazines for some time and I can not find him on the internet. I have some more trains to reprint.
Mike
Mystery solved, sort of....
I found Len's phone number in an old train magazne and I called it today. He was not in, but his recorded message said he was doing inventory this week and to call him back on Monday the 5th. So, I assume his is still in business.
I hope to speak to the actual Len next week.
Thanks for all your help.
Mike
I would like to talk to Len too. A couple of years ago at York I paid him to purchase and paint the Lionel O-27 Alco "set that was never made", i.e. green to match the green O-27 passenger cars. Last I heard from him was a letter saying that "humid weather" had prevented him from being able to paint. That was at least a year and a half ago if not longer. I've misplaced the letter and don't know how to contact him for a refund or delivery of the completed project engines. Thanks for any help in advance for getting him to contact me or for contact information so I can call or email him to get this straightened out. Several hundred dollars were involved in the transaction.
WorriedBear
shouldn't take a couple of years to paint.
He is still in business and has done a few locos for me over the past two years. I'll be picking up the latest one at York in a couple of weeks. He will be in the Orange Hall, aisle JJ, booth #5. His website is www.llmodeltrain.com. Hope that helps.
I would like to talk to Len too. A couple of years ago at York I paid him to purchase and paint the Lionel O-27 Alco "set that was never made", i.e. green to match the green O-27 passenger cars. Last I heard from him was a letter saying that "humid weather" had prevented him from being able to paint. That was at least a year and a half ago if not longer. I've misplaced the letter and don't know how to contact him for a refund or delivery of the completed project engines. Thanks for any help in advance for getting him to contact me or for contact information so I can call or email him to get this straightened out. Several hundred dollars were involved in the transaction.
WorriedBear
I've used Len for a number of projects over the years. I think this is a business he runs in addition to other activities to support himself. Each time, the work took a long time but if you call to check in he'll give you an update. And when the trains are done, they look perfect. I got that same letter, btw, and I called him. He explained the situation and I was satisfied.
Given that the stuff I had given him should have otherwise been trashed other than the fact it had sentimental value, the time involved was to be expected to some degree. Moreover, I always pay on pick-up so what's the difference. I think if you stop by to speak with him in person at York, rather than, with all respect, talk about it on the internet, you'll get a better sense of the guy and a good deal of confidence that the work will be done correctly. That's more than I can say about a lot of folks with whom I've dealt over the years, both inside and outside of the train hobby.
Fwiw, I've also used JLM (Joe Mania) to restore some things too. He also did a beautiful job, and it also took a very long time. Again, this is consistent with my experience that this work is a labor of love and to a large degree there is artistry involved. Patience will be required. It's just the way it is. HTH.
Never delt with Len, but have never heard anything bad about him either.But I hear this with restoring old cars, they take years to get done sometimes. Bearlead said he paid in advance, a year and a half ago. Did Len give him this kind of time frame? I'd said almost two years is patience.
Hello All,
Len Carparelli here.
Unfortunately this 'Google' topic 'Len Carparelli Out of Business?' STILL comes up, and all too often, whenever model train enthusiasts 'internet-search' my name. Even though this post is over two years old, I always believe it's never to late to clarify, or to update out-of-date information.
For starters: NO, I'm not out of business, never was, just Google my website address with all my contact info. In fact, we recently purchased ELLIOT WELZ's restoration business, as Mr. Welz retired from painting last year. Elliot was kind and gracious enough to act as a temporary consultant and help us integrate his gear into our own restoration systems. Anyone who knows Elliot knows his work is absolutely exceptional, and we strongly feel that combining his equipment, paint, silkscreens and tooling into ours will only increase the quality of our product. Elliot recently sold his last restoration, a #763-E on E-Bay, and, like all his work, was flawless.
However, in 2014 my Mother passed away and we were forced to sell the house, where my shop was located. An incredibly difficult, emotional and time-consuming move, [I grew up in that house] along with a lot of legal hoopla resulted in my being unable to take and/or deliver orders in a more timely fashion than I would have liked, which unfortunately resulted in the incorrect rumor that I was 'Out of business'. The legal issues did not help, but happily, we've purchased a brand new 3,600 sq. ft., modern climate-controlled building in an rather large industrial complex, [no more humidity problems with paint drying] and set up a truly streamlined operation which has become much more modern and efficient.
Mom - and Dad - [who passed away in 2008] would have been proud.
Regarding the post from my good friend Bearlead, yes, we settled our transaction amicably , and he was very happy with his order. Mr. 'Bearlead' is without a doubt one of the nicest, kindest and most understanding people in the train business, and was very gracious about the problems with the long delay in his transaction. The situation with Mom passing, as well as the move to our new building exacerbated a lot of orders at the time, but we're running on full steam now. While I didn't see Bearlead at York this year, last time we spoke and had a wonderful conversation for over an hour.
Lastly, I would like to wish a very Happy and Healthy Thanksgiving to all my fellow model railroad enthusiasts and their families.
All the Best,
Len Carparelli
good to hear all is well. It's always hard to deal with the loss of a close loved one, and then to have to sell your boyhood home sure didn't help, let alone where you had your shop.
Bearlead posted:I would like to talk to Len too. A couple of years ago at York I paid him to purchase and paint the Lionel O-27 Alco "set that was never made", i.e. green to match the green O-27 passenger cars. Last I heard from him was a letter saying that "humid weather" had prevented him from being able to paint. That was at least a year and a half ago if not longer. I've misplaced the letter and don't know how to contact him for a refund or delivery of the completed project engines. Thanks for any help in advance for getting him to contact me or for contact information so I can call or email him to get this straightened out. Several hundred dollars were involved in the transaction.
WorriedBear
Great to read ya Bear. Your post says a lot, if I had someone's money they would most definitely hear from me on a regular basses.
How many dry days have there been over the past two years? 
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