lionel parts

Very long for my last order if it isthmus place. He told me Covid restrictions ,what else in this day and time?

I placed an order last March (during the initial height of Covid).  It was not until July that I received the order, after several email exchanges.

A key member of the team recently passed away.  I suspect that might have something to do with it.

Stu

I think the title of this thread needs to add “Just Trains”.

@MartyE posted:

I think the title of this thread needs to add “Just Trains”.

Yes, and maybe "Just Trains of NJ" because we're NOT talking about Just Trains from Delaware.

Stu

Not LionelLLC Stu

You beat me to it. I was going to say make sure they know it is Just Trains of NJ and NOT Delaware. Also It is NORTH Jersey to those of us that live in SOUTH Jersey which we consider from Delaware Memorial Twin Spans SOUTH! Pete at Just TRains of Delaware is Great to deal with. TOP NOTCH Dealer!

Curtis

I glow because of the nuclear plant

OK, I'm confused. I thought the two "just trains" were branches of the same organization. Are they two separate entities?

Must be Just Trains in NJ. I ordered some parts from him a couple of years ago and after waiting three weeks I just filed a disputer in ebay and got my refund. He was very nasty and rude. We had a Just Trains in Clearwater Florida also which was owned by The Late Gary Hughes way back in the 1980s, he sold used trains at reasonable prices.

@RoyBoy posted:

OK, I'm confused. I thought the two "just trains" were branches of the same organization. Are they two separate entities?

Yes totally separate. Owned by two different people. And to add to it near me is another JUST TRAINS except they added to the name  Just Trains n Things.

Curtis

I have had good experiences with them. They have very high quality postwar parts. It is clear from many part descriptions that they are very knowledgeable and take pride in their efforts. Shipping was prompt. No complaints here. But...something must have changed recently if these problems are occurring.

Just Trains in Sussex, NJ is run by Dennis Waldron, a life long professional repair person of Lionel Trains. His health has not been good recently. About two weeks ago I read on the TCA blog site that Dennis had passed away. However, I have not been able to find any confirmation anywhere else of this. If this is accurate it is possible that Dennis’ wife may continue the business. I do not know. If anyone has better information than I do, please post it. Thank you.

I too have parts ordered from Just Trains in NJ.    For the past month I have been checking their sight and the order is still processing.  I also sent Mr. Waldron a prewar motor from a Lionel Jr. streamliner to be repaired back in May and still nothing.  Back when I sent the motor we communicated over E-mail and he convinced me to send it.  The big problem is the motor is my father-in-laws and I wanted to get it repaired for him. Now my father-in-law is not to happy about it.  The other parts were for me to repair post war Lionel.  I sure hope Mr. Waldron is OK & just keeping safe from covid.  

Ordered some parts from Dennis for a 226E I restored back in November that no one else had, he was very prompt.

I saw this on the TCA blog site. This confirms that Dennis passed away and that the store will be closing shortly. This is sad news.  Dennis was a very interesting person to talk with. There are not many around anymore that knew Lionel like Dennis did.  He was also a source of very scarce Lionel parts. I will miss him. Rest In Peace Dennis.

“From: Dennis Waldron
Date: Tue, 02 Feb 2021 13:28:18 PST

Dear Charles,

I am sorry to hear of Mr. Waldron's passing. I think he had the best website, I have often ordered parts and  used the website and pictures as a reference source for parts. I did send an e-mail of condolences but it has gone unnoticed.  I been to the website a few minutes ago, seems like it is up and running,  it seemed like you could order parts. I called last week and a message informed me there was a death in the family, that it is closed until February, when they will start fulfilling orders. I do have orders (in processing) from Nov.  I hope they can work something out to stay in business.

Here is more from TCA site today.

“Dennis wanted no fuss when he passed away on December 5th.  He was cremated in Pennsylvania and brought back to Sussex to be buried in a veteran’s cemetery later in the spring.  There was no wake and for my own protection nothing appeared in the papers.  I do not have a date for his burial yet.  I will let you know at a later date.

Thank you Mr. David Johnston, all very sad, end of a era.

Hello All,

Len Carparelli of L & L Model Train Restoration here.

I'm sure a lot of you have been asking about Dennis Waldron and 'Just Trains' of Sussex NJ, and the many pending orders with his company, so I'd  like to clarify the most recent events regarding Dennis and 'Just Trains'  for all my fellow model railroaders.

First, Dennis' company, 'Just Trains' [in Sussex NJ] and 'Just Trains of Delaware' are two, separate, distinct entities. Neither one is related to the other in any way.  All further comments in my post will be about 'Just Trains' of Sussex, NJ.  From what I hear, the folks at 'Just Trains' of Delaware are wonderful people to deal with, so please refer any questions about them to their own website and email.

Sadly, Dennis passed away last December after a long bout with some major kidney problems. Towards the end he was on dialysis  three times  a week, until, finally, they had to move the dialysis machine into his home. He was in a lot of pain towards the end, and was unable to process orders. His widow, Sharen, was not that familiar with the train business, and as such, my wife RuthAnn and  I will be helping her fulfill all outstanding back orders.  I will be heading up there today [Sunday, March 7, 2021 as I write this] to assess the situation, and there is a distinct possibility that I may purchase Dennis' business along with his massive parts inventory.

Please understand: NOTHING IS SET IN STONE YET, but at the very least, at first I hope to get everyone's orders out to them as soon as we can- and keep in mind, all you L & L MTC clients - I am feverishly working on YOUR restoration orders as well - yes, I still have quite a backlog of my own!

Sharen has closed down her website and E-Bay store, as she is unable to process new orders.  She asked that you not call or email her as she is quite overwhelmed and certainly emotionally distraught.. [see her previous post, which I have copied and pasted immediately below] However, If you need more information regarding your 'Just Trains' order, you can call me anytime at [201] 438-1266, or, if you prefer, you can always email me at lionellennyrestoration@gmail.com, and I'll get back to you just as soon as I can.  I'll be happy to do my best to help you get your order completed, so simply reference 'Dennis' or "Just Trains", and  I'll know it's not an 'L & L' order you are referring to.

Now, it's no secret that Dennis could be a bit cantankerous and sometimes a little short with his customers.  But he is gone now, and previously he'd served two tours of duty in Vietnam. I also believe he was exposed to Agent Orange while there, so, as Dennis was a veteran of our military and served his country honorably, I respectfully ask that you please respect his service, and bear with both Sharen and myself as we try to get the situation under control.  Certainly it's hard enough to suffer the loss of your spouse, and when you add to that the business problems that she is experiencing, naturally it can be an awful lot to bear.

Thanks to all for reading, and thanks for your understanding. 

Kindest Regards,

Len Carparelli,

L & L Model Train Co

(201) 438-1266

lionellennyrestoration@gmail.com

*****Here is Sharen's note from 2/23/2021:

There is always Bill Harrison at OGR sponsor S $ W Parts and Supply.  He will take an interest in your order.

Charlie

This is sad news for me. I ordered quite a bit through Dennis and spoke with him on the phone a couple of times. Never had a problem and as far as I'm concerned, he was a stand-up guy. My condolences to his family.  I will miss him. RIP Dennis.

I just saw this.  Very sad news.  I had a lot of dealings with Dennis about 10-15 years ago when I was restoring/repairing several postwar and prewar items.  Dennis was a great source for original Lionel parts and an even better source of information.  In fact, I saved my email exchanges with him because he provided so much detailed information.  He really knew a lot about prewar and postwar Lionel!  I will miss him.  Condolences to his friends and family.

Does anyone know where Dennis's Just Trains parts inventory ended up?  Dennis had a great inventory of hard to find postwar and even prewar parts.  I hope that somebody purchased them and will make them available.  I am a bit lost now without Dennis as a resource.

jtrain - Why don't you contact Len Carparelli as he provided his phone number and email address in his Post above?

Hello All,

We will be approaching a year since Dennis Waldron passed away [Dec 5, 2020].  A very  sad anniversary, to be sure, especially around this time of year.  RIP, Dennis.

I am still in touch with Sharen, Dennis' widow, and she has informed me that most recently Scott Griggs, of Trainz.com, in Buford, Georgia, has purchased Dennis' entire inventory and business, lock, stock and barrel.  Scott has a very thorough and extensive website, and, in addition he offers thousands of auctions on eBay.  I've known Scott for almost 40 years and he's a good guy to do business with.  I f you have any needs for Lionel parts, he certainly has them now, with Dennis' vast inventory in his warehouse.

Best wishes to all for a very Merry Christmas, and a Happy Holiday Season.  I've reprinted my contact information below, if anyone wishes to contact me.  If I can be of any help to you, I'll be most happy to do so.

Sincerely,

Len Carparelli

L & L Model Train Co.

(201) 438-1266

email: Lionellennyrestoration@gmail.com

Website: lencarparelli.com