So, did u bid on the any of the MTH stuff being auctioned off so far? What did u think?

This will be interesting ..the only thing l would have wanted was that prototype McKeen car that was shown at York one year, which l hope you got, but l bet didn't.  Wonder if it will surface?

I bid on and won a Preproduction O Scale Premier 2-10-0 Russian Decapod Steam Engine w/Proto-Sound 2.0 (Hi-Rail Wheels)  This was my only bid.  I got it for about 40% or original cost.  I was notified it was shipped to me today.  I only live on the other side of Pennsylvania from Cabin Fever.  The shipping cost was reasonable.  I bid on this engine because I have wanted one of the PS3 version of this engine.  The first two things I will do upon unpacking is put a BCR in and lubricate everything.  After charging the BCR a bit, I'll try to give it a test run.  I'll see how it does.

I bid on and received the red 713 passenger car in the first auction.  I bid on a bunch of other stuff too but it all went past my notion of what I was willing to pay when factoring tax, fees and shipping.  I paid more than retail but i was willing to do that anyway because I had been hunting that item for 3 years.  It actually went for a good bit less than I was willing to pay.  I actually live within driving distance of the auction house but have been slammed at worked, so I knew shipping was going to have to be included.

It was in perfect condition.  Came with the original box that was slightly different from the boxes the matching equipment used.  It was packed in an mth outer carton from somethign, which I don't really care about so that's fine with me.

Overall I was pretty happy with how the website worked.  I too would have like some more info on things, particularly engines. I would also really like to see a clear underneath shot on the engineering samples.  There were a couple of those I might have sprung for, but I don't have time for more projects and the ones I was interested in were really hard to discern if they included motors and protosound boards.

The only thing that caught me off guard during the process was the automatic charge to the credit card.  I don't actually have a problem with it, because its right in the terms.  I just was used to Stoudt's practice of sending an invoice.  That way if i decided to change the card I was using it wasn't an issue.  No big deal, I was just caught a little off guard. 

I know Jared was looking at about one auction a month for a year.  I am sure the items will get more varied and less complete as time goes on.  It will also be interesting to see how well they keep up the pace through the holiday season.  Since the Cabin Fever Expo got covid-cancelled, that's takes a huge thing off their plate for the coming year, but it's a shame to see that event have to go.

Overall I think it went well.  I wish mth the company was sticking around, but I will continue to participate in these auction with great interest.  I also wonder if the flood of auction right now will just bring on market fatigue.  We will see.

I won the bid for the pilot Erie Built A/B set from the first auction and have it now running on my layout. Prior to running, it was thoroughly cleaned and lubricated, tires replaced and smoke units serviced. I also had to replace the speaker as well as repair the wire connections on the tether plug. The base of the units are brass and the ladder detail are fragile. The engine now runs great and I am happy to own a piece of MTH history.

I also purchased a GP38 pilot from the last auction and look forward to following the same maintenance procedure prior to running.

In the second auction, I won the RailKing CSX F3 ABA set and the N&W J 609.  Both seem to be running fine on my layout.  Headlight and some auxiliary lights on J don't work, so I'm starting with ordering a bulb from MTH.  I did replace traction tires on the J as it was slipping.  Problem solved.

Overall, I'm very happy with my wins!

I bid on several items that I got out bided on. I didn't think that some were worth pursuing. They didn't even state if they ran or not. Some other items seemed like the descriptions were better and less risky? I bid again on those and still lost out.

For me, the money is tight and I didn't dabble as much as I normally would have. The first auction had G scale items that interested me. The second auction, did not have any that I was interested in. Both had 2 rail stuff. I finally won a sample item in the second. It has not arrived here yet so I can't comment too much.

I see just a few of the items already for sale on Ebay. So now I know more about who was bidding.

I can state that some items surprised me in how much they sold for. I personally would just order a brand new one. I have to guess that there was some extra value placed on the fact that these items will become a collector's item?

You have to be very careful when it comes to the high end models in regards to either pre-production samples, or engineering samples as they’re called.....I own quite a few of these....they can range in a state of disarray from either being complete, or being gutted like a fish on the inside....the models I’m referring to usually show up un-painted and in their raw state.....you could easily surpass the secondary market price for the same model trying to obtain parts to make them run...if you’re looking for a shelf piece, or just a unique conversation piece, then you’ll be fine, but with MTH parts as scarce as they are in the first place, a lot of the parts needed to make these things run are made out of unobtaium .......there’s some of us on the forum with the machines and know how to make or modify other parts to get these things back to life, or bring to life in the first place.....so word of caution to those looking at these neat pieces....you have to look at what you’re expecting to do with the model to make an educated purchase....that’s not all of what’s being auctioned, clearly, there’s some pieces that are ready to run straight from the auction....I’m referring to anything listed as pre-production, or engineering samples.....good luck guys & gals!..

and Beth, you da bomb!..your customer service is wayyyyyy over the top!..I’ll be spending my hard earned money with you here really soon!..

Pat

I lowballed bid about 40 items  Didnt win one  But I think I am better off  Nothing was guaranteed to be in working condition let alone have motors or electronics in it  I am happy with my non-purchases

I already have several customers that have asked me about getting some of this stuff running.  In an extreme case, one is just the shell and frame of a steamer, not even a motor inside.  Needless to say, he is a bit disappointed, and there's no way I can revive it for anything remotely resembling a reasonable price!  A couple of others have decided to just make their purchases shelf queens.  Given that feedback, I'll keep my money for stuff that actually has a description that I can trust!

@bluelinec4 posted:

I lowballed bid about 40 items  Didnt win one  But I think I am better off  Nothing was guaranteed to be in working condition let alone have motors or electronics in it  I am happy with my non-purchases

HA!

Hey Ben,

How is it we are both alive and kicking.  Stranger than truth.  Hope u r well...

beth

I haven’t seen anything worth bidding on.  Most looks like junk as stated above.  Engineering samples production samples that can’t run.  Buyer beware.

Yea, most of this is novelty shelf queen stuff.    Im just wondering if prices are going to go up as more ppl find out about the auction and start bidding, or prices will go down as ppl decide they own enough of this sort of stuff, or run low on funds.  It will also be interesting to see if ppl can get their asking price on "the bay".

I bought several items from the first auction and a couple from the second. PEOPLE NEED TO READ WHAT IS WRITTEN. I saw the engine listed that was mentioned here with nothing but a shell. It said that in the description. NOW with that being said that still means you can get burnt. I bought a PS3 Big Boy on the first auction to find out it is a PS1 in a PS3 box. As for running, all I bought run except one run and I am happy with that as I expected it to be a Shelf Queen. It was a 3 piece locomotive that consisted of PS2 and PS1. Can't complain about the Auction House as they spell out their terms very well. I am shocked people want priority shipping in front of other people because they spent more money or Their credit card gets charged a dollar to make sure it isn't fake. That is simply GOOD Business. Nothing worse that either not getting paid or someone bidding and then not wanting. It ruins it for everyone.

No paint, no motor, no motor mount, no worm shaft, no problem 😉.

https://ogrforum.com/...locomotive-from-junk

I wasn't going to take a chance on something electronic that wasn't a production item. So I went for simple things and I am happy with my wins. Instead of waiting I drove to auction house and picked up my items. Since I am sales I spent the day cold calling on the way back. This place is outside of Reading, PA in the middle of no where; two lane farm roads.
     So I got standard gauge passenger cars-all unpainted. 3 300 series cars at $39.99 each. Three car set of American Flyer Hamilton Cars; those were unpainted sample and they had orange marks on showing changes at $91 each. The best bargain was a unpainted 4 cars 400 series passenger cars for $200.00. When I placed the bid I thought there was no way that bid could win, but it did.

     I bought these to repaint; however my local dealer has told me I shouldn't paint the Hamilton Cars. I have already been offered $600.00 for the three cars. So for the time being they are going to be left without paint. I am tempted to car with the offer, that would nearly cover what I spent on everything else.

Scott Smith

I've been frequenting Cabin Fever for quite some time, long before I got back in to trains.   I have noticed an enormous uptick in the prices common items are selling for, let alone the more rare items.   For instance two postwar Lionel 153 block signals, without boxes for $75 plus premium?  Three well worn 450 signal bridges devoid of boxes for $125?  WOW!  

Perhaps not being able to attend any shows has caused a burning sensation in wallets.  

Few photos and a weak description has worked the other way for me recently however.  In their last auction I snared a LGB cable car set, which through my own research found to be a dealer only display piece.  The icing on the cake was a complete second cable car set not shown in photos, or mentioned in the description.

Tom

To be fair... there are some good stories like mine.  I got this 2-rail NP Z6 in the last auction and it is a "diamond in the rough".  It is like new with only a few scale miles.  On receipt, I replaced the battery with a BCR, put it on the track and it added to the remote no problem.  I started up and ran very smoothly at low speeds on both 3-rail and 2-rail track.  With commission I paid almost what I would pay from a dealer, but it was worth it.

it was you! just kidding.

I have another of those MTH NP Z6 Challengers w/ scale wheels and it runs great. For some reason our grandson usually wants it removed and UP steam put on the rails?

To my surprise, the last session he asked to run it. So I guess it was me overlooking that he just wants variety? Funny, he usually just wants different UP steam for variety. Yeap, must be me.

He also wanted to run diesels last session. I don't have an opinion on that one yet. I do love diesels more..... sorry for the rambling.

I bid on and won a BN E9 ABA set (the green ones used to pull Metra trains in Chicago) as well as an unfinished, stripped 6-4-4-6 S1.

The BN stuff was Railking production samples. I paid what I think would be a really good deal on the used market. I'm not afraid if the boards don't work, my plan is to convert everything to PS1 using surplus PS1 boards that I own and have learned how to quickly install in whatever engine I want to. Those locos in that color scheme have great sentimental value to me, and they don't commonly show up on the used market. I probably would have paid another 50 bucks and still been happy that I got a deal.

The other one, the big Premier S1, the auction description clearly stated that it contained "no motor or parts". I've got a few spare parts that I might be able to use to get me started, and I really don't mind if it takes me a year just to get it running. I intend for this to be a "project" loco that I can work on whenever I get a chance. I was really just interested in having a REALLY BIG steamer at some point. And even just a shell of a monster like this is impressive.

I've also already emailed Midge at MTH with photos, and even though she's probably overwhelmed right now with all of this, she sent me back a message offering to help me find parts and telling me where to take photos of the interior so she can see what she can find in the shop. (That's something that I've come to not expect from most places, Midge really is fantastic).

@Cabin Fever Auctions notified me that the items were pulled and shipped less than a day after I sent the email requesting shipment, and Fed Ex tracking says the items will arrive today. No complaints at all on that one.

All in all, I'd say that the unpainted RK and premier, and the Tin were the best deals.  I was really surprised how cheap the tin went.  I dont deal in it, but was tempted to bid.   2 rail went high,  and O gauge RK and Premier freight cars generally went for something just south of retail, and up.   I dont know anything about HO and S, but obviously there was a bit of that in the auction too.

I bid on a few items in the first 2 auctions.  In all cases I found the web site worked very well for me.  Easy to register, easy to save items in a list for review later, etc.

The first auction, I bid on 3 different items.

The item I won was pretty simple, a 1995 Christmas Reefer (though the auction description did call it a wood side box car - not an issue really, but a small error).  Description did not state it was necessarily a production sample, but I assumed it might be.  No box, per description.  I picked it up in person 2 weeks ago.

While I didn't get  this for a steal, I didn't pay a lot for it either, so I knew I would be happy with it whether it was a sample or regular production (around $67 after adding buyer's premium and tax). I'm still not sure which, as I've never had a regular issue one in my hands to examine.  (Shell seems to be possibly orange or yellow underneath, car is painted white on the sides and red on the roof/ends.  A bit of base red showing under the white to almost make it look a little pinkish, depending on the light.  There were no markings underneath as might be seen on other sample items).  Anyway, I'm a happy camper.  Tiny little piece of what might be something that sat on a display somewhere at MTH over the years (could have been anywhere of course - I'll dream and hope it was sitting in the main display room on a wall around the layout   Or maybe it was on a shelf in a janitor's closet... ).

Two things I did not win, which I was probably better off not winning anyway were 2 unpainted tinplate structures, a Hellgate Bridge and a PowerHouse.  I admit my history on these is lacking.  The Hellgate looked to have a somewhat production type of label on the box, so maybe MTH actually offered these for sale years ago and I am just not aware of it?  During the first auction they were unique, one of each type (though there was another Powerhouse, but it was painted, I believe).  During the second auction, another unpainted Hellgate appeared(also with a labeled box), which is what made me wonder about the history of whether these were samples or actually produced in some quantity.

Second auction I won a tinplate O Gauge Lionel Lines 2814 Boxcar that was a DAP offering years ago.  I'm not huge into tinplate, but have the 263E and passenger car set that came out several years ago, and I purchased the close matching Reefer and Caboose that were offered around the same time or a catalog or 2 later(so I'd have some freight to run using the same engine).  I've had in the back of my mind to try to pick up other cars from earlier in this series at some point, but had not been terribly active about it.  This DAP Boxcar seemed to fit the bill, so I went for it.  It did not state production sample in the text, but did show a marking on the bottom (and also a sticker with same handwritten number on the end of the box) that would seem to indicate it is a sample.  Pictures looked good (styrofoam under the trucks and in the door, just like would be for a new item).  I've not picked it up yet, so can't give further opinion yet.  With buyers premium and tax, I certainly paid significantly more (was around $146) than it would have been for a recent catalog offering that could be pre-ordered, but these are not able to be pre-ordered, obviously... .  I may have gotten slightly bid happy at the end to win it, but I'll be happy with it I believe.

I also watched a few other items in the second auction, but they got higher than I was comfortable with (and/or I re-thought it and said to myself "what the heck would I really do with those??!!" ).

I thought the NYC and Santa Fe Boxcar Display cabinets (the ones MTH brought to shows such as York) would ave been a neat piece of MTH history to own, but they each had a problem (broken door on the NYC(probably repairable with minor wood work), bent metal frame on the SF(probably hard to fix, for me at least)).   This also fell to the combined "where do I justify putting it" and "how do I get them home?" bucket .  They went for $255 and $220, respectively.  Still an interesting piece of history for the buyer.

The big item I was curious on, but could not justify going for a winning bid (engine, unknown if it runs, etc) was the Walt Disney World production sample 4-6-0.  This concept/project was in the works around 9 years ago, but as many of us know never came to be offered due to some sort of issue with MTH and Disney working out the details (I believe people have demonstrated that the 2 President Washington and Lincoln engines actually had these Disney graphics underneath).  This one went for $1665 before buyer's premium.  IF (a big if since such details were not claimed) this was the engine that was on display in Disneyland back then and it's one of a kind, I would probably agree it's worth that (but again, with the unknown's, hard to justify a bid of that magnitude).  If there was more than one surviving unit with this paint job, then maybe not so much.  I'll keep an eye out during the future MTH auctions to see if another one pops up, but I'm not thinking one will.

Sorry for long read.  Hopefully I broke it up into enough paragraphs it's easy for readers to skim past items of lesser interest.

-Dave

I liked the auctions overall but was careful to bid on items that I was pretty confident that were running or operating. I thought the descriptions were fairly accurate when an item didn't work or had parts missing and if they were not, the pictures said everything that I needed to know.

The items I won worked perfectly, and will be more than happy to bid when another auction comes up.

I found it interesting how the items in the second auction went cheaper than the first one.  Was there less people bidding this time?  I'm guessing it was due to the unknown running capabilities of the engines from the all-encompassing "production sample" or "production prototype" labels but not really sure. (If there's a 3rd auction does that mean the prices will drop further?!?!?)

I don't mind the system, but the premium (and the outrageous cost to ship, which will for me inevitably including having to pay import fees at the post office too) doesn't leave the greatest taste in my mouth.  Kind of wish it was more like ebay in which the % fee is taken from the seller, not the buyer...

As for me, I got a nice pair of Tuscan CP Railking passenger cars (Dinner/Combo) in the first auction, which despite a slight chip on the roof I really like.  Auction 2 things were cheaper so I got the CN U1F 6060 (yay!).  Not sure if it will run, but even if I cant get it to (and my go-to train store can't either), its more of a U1F collection addition for me.  Looking forward to its delivery in like a month.

@DylTrains posted:

I found it interesting how the items in the second auction went cheaper than the first one.  Was there less people bidding this time?  I'm guessing it was due to the unknown running capabilities of the engines from the all-encompassing "production sample" or "production prototype" labels but not really sure. (If there's a 3rd auction does that mean the prices will drop further?!?!?)

I don't mind the system, but the premium (and the outrageous cost to ship, which will for me inevitably including having to pay import fees at the post office too) doesn't leave the greatest taste in my mouth.  Kind of wish it was more like ebay in which the % fee is taken from the seller, not the buyer...

As for me, I got a nice pair of Tuscan CP Railking passenger cars (Dinner/Combo) in the first auction, which despite a slight chip on the roof I really like.  Auction 2 things were cheaper so I got the CN U1F 6060 (yay!).  Not sure if it will run, but even if I cant get it to (and my go-to train store can't either), its more of a U1F collection addition for me.  Looking forward to its delivery in like a month.

I found it interesting that the portable layout in the second auction went for MORE than the large main display layout at MTH headquarters. Which sort of might validate people's suspicion that the buyer may just demolish the large layout and strip it for all the items that were on it.  Only time will tell if it survives in a state that can be re-assembled in the future, unless it's already known that the buyer brought a dumpster with them to the front of the MTH building when they removed it.  I'm guessing the "portable" layout is going somewhere in one piece.  (well,multiple pieces, but I suspect it's not going to be stripped for parts)

The portable one in the second auction sold for $3000.  The main display layout in the first auction sold for $1700.

As to the eBay comparison, you realize eBay doesn't process anything but a bunch of 1's and 0's as data, right?  They don't have the items on site, they don't take the pictures, they literally just have the fancy database all the users have access to.

Not really the same business model.  (and regular auction houses existed 1st, I'm pretty sure ! )

Don't get me wrong, I'm normally not in the game for things with 15% premiums either, at least not for general items I can likely find elsewhere like on a table at a train meet (whenever those happen again...).  But we all are supposed to know the terms that are laid out for us when we click that "I agree" button.

-Dave

I bought several cars and 3 locomotives - cars are in great shape and I will test the locomotives tomorrow.  Two were Proto 3 and one was Proto 2.  Found stuff pricey, but wanted souvenirs from MTH and items that may be hard to find.

Tried for 1 item. Didn't get it. I was ahead when the time ran out and thought I had it. Next thing I see is more time on the clock. What????  I also didnt like the increments  of 10.00. Guess I was expecting/ wishing it to be more like Ebay. I regret leaving my credit card # while signing up. I will probably get a new credit card next week. I think I will stick with Ebay,seem to do better there. I am glad to hear alot of you did well and were satisfied.

@jini5 posted:

Tried for 1 item. Didn't get it. I was ahead when the time ran out and thought I had it. Next thing I see is more time on the clock. What????  I also didnt like the increments  of 10.00. Guess I was expecting/ wishing it to be more like Ebay. I regret leaving my credit card # while signing up. I will probably get a new credit card next week. I think I will stick with Ebay,seem to do better there. I am glad to hear alot of you did well and were satisfied.

The time thing was explained in the terms, specifically to prevent a last minute snipe winning with no time for other bidders to react.  So someone put in the last minute bid that was higher than you, it reset to 2 minutes to allow the person just outbid (you in this case) to react, if they wish.  All covered in the terms.  (So were the bid increments, they change as the bid price goes up... I don't have them memorized, but it is not a flat $10, it's less while the bid price is at lower levels (unless the start price is high enough to put it in the $10 increment range).

-Dave

Yeh, I've had a couple of goes at trying to win a RailKing "Big Boy", but have been outbid at the last moment.

It's hard for me to be "online" during the closing stages of the auction as I live in Australia, and the time difference gets me every time.

I just wonder what the shipping costs would have been to get the "Big Boy" to me here down-under...guess I'll never know, unless there are still more RailKing "Big Boys" still to come out in the next auction. I need a RailKing version to be able to run on my 031 Buco curves.

If the person who won the last RailKing "Big Boy" for $360.00 (US) is online (I have learnt to forgive you), can you tell me how it performs.....is everything there and operational?

I'll continue to cry into my beer for now!!!!

Peter.....Buco Australia.

I checked MTH Product Locator to investigate when various locos/cars were manufactured and whether they were for sale anywhere else.  Overall, I found the auction a fun experience!

@hclarke posted:

I checked MTH Product Locator to investigate when various locos/cars were manufactured and whether they were for sale anywhere else.  Overall, I found the auction a fun experience!

Hey harold....JSYK...we sent u a paypal invoice for an Ontario Northland box car you ordered but never heard back.  The invoice could have gotten lost in the mail.  Pls email me at pdt212@gmail.com.   Thx...beth

I didn’t bid on any of the auctions. I own plenty of MTH souvenirs to remember them by!  

I didn't bid on anything, I have most of what I was interested in.  I'm not as interested in early or prototype MTH stuff as I am in Lionel.

Hope everyone enjoys there winnings! 

Thx Beth - your email must have got caught by spam filter.  Will attend to it today.

@Dave45681 posted:

Don't get me wrong, I'm normally not in the game for things with 15% premiums either, at least not for general items I can likely find elsewhere like on a table at a train meet (whenever those happen again...).  But we all are supposed to know the terms that are laid out for us when we click that "I agree" button.

That, plus the uncertainty of 3rd party shipping, is why I'm a spectator.

Any other dealers out there who are buying who'd like to chime in?    I guess if the ebayers arent talking, its cause they are doing OK with reselling, and dont want to encourage new buyers.  I thought about that before posting, but my feeling is that these auctions are hardly a secret.    Besides, Im buying mostly just for fun, not cause Im anywhere near reselling anything I bought.

Im still digging thru the backlog here and getting things up on the web.  Went thru NOS atlas cars yesterday, and will start in on Lionel freight cars today hopefully.  There are at least 100 NOS lionel cars here to go thru.  At least Im making progress. lol.

Beth, it seems whenever we make a public post, there's always at least someone who is offended in some way. It's almost like they get inventive in finding faults with posts. Negative people will find negative things in anything.

It's really funny when they blame others for their obvious faults and mistakes. Can be sad, but still funny!

I purchased one of the Ives tinplate passenger cars out of the three car set so that I could have a 4 car set.  I had no problems signing up and I thought the auction went well.  I like the time extension to eliminate snipers. I received the car in a timely manner and it was packed very carefully.  I thought shipping costs were fair and I had fun bidding. I plan on doing it again if I see something I want.

@Keith k posted:

I purchased one of the Ives tinplate passenger cars out of the three car set so that I could have a 4 car set.  I had no problems signing up and I thought the auction went well.  I like the time extension to eliminate snipers. I received the car in a timely manner and it was packed very carefully.  I thought shipping costs were fair and I had fun bidding. I plan on doing it again if I see something I want.

So you were the guy I was bidding against for Cadet Blue passenger car. You were not the only one thinking that. I tried to get the Orange one as well on the previous auction.

Scott Smith

Just chiming in a bit to Thank everyone for the comments here and feedback. 

As far as goods - I appreciate everyone's comments that these all do vary and we just do not have the ability to guarantee and of these or all the second hand goods we sell which is why everything is sold as is per the terms. This can be good or bad, but it is what it is.  As usual, we'll answer all questions to the best of our ability!

Shipping - We are shipping in house for basically ALL shipments.  Beth - this was quite a pile so we were happy you had someone to pickup.  It's not that we can't, but to pack everything safe your shipment would have been CRAZY!  We are working with another individual for a freight shipment, but the number of boxes would have been SIGNIFICANT for your purchases.   

I'd like to really thank those of you who ARE reading the terms and commenting about them.  Different companies run different, the terms are our set of rules, like it or not.  They do change now and then so they are not above feedback and criticism but they are in place for a reason.  Some people have commented about cards being charged immediately following the sale.  This is done so that we can service our consignors in a reasonable manner.  After all, If/when we sell goods for you, we want to give you the same 7-10 days payment from your collections being sold as we are able now!   

Thanks again all, any questions let us know!

Jared Schoenly