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 Posted - September 27 2013 : 7:46:54 PM
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I am surprised I didn't bring this up yet!
I live in Brockton, Massachusetts, and for a long time there hasn't been a hobby shop in the area. BUT, in November 2010, a Brockton history and train buff opened up a hobby shop in the downtown area, and I have been a regular customer since. He and I have become good friends too, and he even works a bit with the Brockton Rox baseball team (where I am their mascot!)
Now, the owner is planning on opening a museum of sorts, which is going to be a combination Brockton history and model railroad museum! He plans to have me work at this museum once it opens, and I am even going to donate a bit of my old model train stuff I don't use anymore, or isn't working (in that case it'd be for display only). I have so far planned to donate my Bachmann action depot and crossing signal/gate operation accessory, along with my non-working Tyco Chattanooga 2-8-0 (especially now that I have a working Chattanooga 0-8-0 instead!) He also wants me to make booklets on Tyco and Life-Like's history that we will print professionally and give out at the museum.
In fact, I learned a bit more about this today when I visited the hobby shop. He also got a box of some neat stuff from another friend for his museum, including some interesting late '80s/early '90s Tyco/Mehano products, like an Alco-style Rock Island diesel (it was an obvious substitute for the shark nose, but it wasn't the F-series one typically used.) We also got out an old Marx train set he had been storing for the museum and tested it out today!
It didn't come with the track, telephone poles or figures, but no matter, as we already had a nice O-gauge track oval set up at the front of the store. The locomotive actually operated like new, and the smokestack worked pretty well! It was a Marx 2-4-2 666-style steam locomotive, very much like the kind seen on some older Gumby episodes.
And with that mentioned, we even are planning a Gumby-themed layout for the museum as well! But for that we might want to get a Lionel 2035 steam locomotive 
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Posted - September 27 2013 : 7:59:37 PM
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Nice! Glad to see someone putting up some historical model train stuff to educate people. Hope it works out!
Jerry
" When life throws you bananas...it's easy to slip up"
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Posted - September 27 2013 : 9:50:54 PM
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That sounds like a really cool idea. Will the museum be attached to the hobby shop? I honestly can't see a model train museum being a profitable business endeavor (unless it was a huge museum), but it would be a great way to bring people in to a hobby shop! 
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Posted - September 27 2013 : 10:06:34 PM
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Wiley, Brockton.... interesting! Good to see they have older items there! Hows their prices?
~John
Many have tried to, and failed, ya just can't repair stupid... 
Do NOT try to Idiot-Proof anything!!!! God, will simply create a better......IDIOT!
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Posted - September 27 2013 : 10:52:42 PM
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quote:Wiley, Brockton.... interesting! Good to see they have older items there! Hows their prices?
Originally posted by EM-1Â -Â September 27 2013Â :Â 10:06:34 PM
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Yeah I wanna know the prices too
Cause I looking for a Marx HO caboose
Edited by - microbusss on September 27 2013 10:53:10 PM
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