In the upcoming stout auction there are several items listed as “carail” - any idea what this signifies???
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@Geojr posted:In the upcoming stout auction there are several items listed as “carail” - any idea what this signifies???
Carail was the private museum, of toy trains and automobiles, owned by Lionel's former owner Richard Kughn (c.1986) and located in Detroit.
Mike
I was wondering the same thing @Geojr. Thanks for the info @Mellow Hudson Mike.
Thanks for the info. The items are in the upcoming stout auction. Many of them in large lots.
All that one had to do was Google "Carail", and they would have multiple entries regarding it.
I attended the 1992 (or so) LCCA convention in Dearborn. We went downtown to tour Madison Hardware, and there were many autos on the ground floor. I almost forgot to go upstairs to see the trains.
I first learned of Carail a few years earlier - but in Car and Driver magazine, not the model RR press. Car and Driver mentioned the trains in passing.
David, I went to that one too, Didn't see you there! I was interviewed by Touey (TM) or his partner in their VCR report on the Convention but have never seen it.
Kughn's cars were amazing...
The truly impressive items in this auction are the Smithsonian 2 rail O and Gauge 1 items. There are at least 2 full sets of 20th Century Limited cars which are nearly impossible to find, especially a complete set. The German decapods are even rarer. I have never seen one for sale in the 25+ years I’ve been collecting. The streamlined K-4 is another ultra rare model which I’ve only ever seen once. The 2 rail Dreyfus hudsons are easier to come by but still harder to find than the 3 rail model and there are 6 or 7 of them in this auction!
For those that appreciate fine detail, the 2 rail Dreyfus is way nicer than the 3 rail model. I had a chance to examine the 2 side by side several years ago and it is night and day difference. Samhongsa did the the 3 rail models and Kohs did all the 2 rail Smithsonian locomotives.
Was it also Kohs that did the Williams 'Masterpiece' Hudsons years ago? As unlikely as that sounds, I used to know this but the years have not been kind...
I have a hard time remembering what I had for breakfast.
@c.sam posted:David, I went to that one too, Didn't see you there! I was interviewed by Touey (TM) or his partner in their VCR report on the Convention but have never seen it.
Kughn's cars were amazing...
Sam, I didn't see you either....did I get the year right? 1992? I have some photos, but where are they?
@c.sam posted:Was it also Kohs that did the Williams 'Masterpiece' Hudsons years ago? As unlikely as that sounds, I used to know this but the years have not been kind...
I don’t know but I doubt it. The Williams masterpiece models are nice but they don’t approach Kohs level of quality by a long shot. Also, I don’t think Kohs ever did any 3 rail models.
@Ryan Selvius posted:I don’t know but I doubt it. The Williams masterpiece models are nice but they don’t approach Kohs level of quality by a long shot. Also, I don’t think Kohs ever did any 3 rail models.
Ryan,
Quality, or detail? These are two very different things.
You would expect the Kohs version to be nicely, even surprisingly-well, detailed. Having a Williams version myself I realize that it's not as well detailed, but still nicely done. The key here is the price. My Williams is about 1/4 the price of the Kohs and I'm very happy with it.
Both are quality, just at different levels of detail.
Mike
Kohs doesn’t win strictly on level of detail. They are better models across the board: level of detail, quality of detail, paint, drivetrain, operation, construction, etc. If you get a chance to really look at one up close, take the time to. They truly are works of art.
The Williams masterpiece models are nice models, no doubt about that, but a Kohs model trumps them in every category. Of course you would also expect a brass model that costs several thousand dollars to be far better.
