In December 2021 I dropped by a LHS and saw something I had to have. It was on the operating train layout at the LHS. As soon as I saw it, I told the LHS owner that I thought it was the most beautiful thing I ever saw related to the model railroad hobby, and I asked him how much he wanted for it. He said it was not for sale.
It was the Lionel NY Central Tugboat.
That is when the search for the Holy Grail began.
First, the LHS owner, who is a very nice guy and always reasonable in his prices and a pleasure to do business with, said the tugboat was not for sale because he wanted to keep it on his store layout through the Christmas holiday season. I said that's fine, and I asked him if I could approach him about it again after the holidays, and he said yes.
So I waited until mid- January and revisited the LHS again, this time with a friend, saw the tugboat on the store layout again, and asked the owner about it. This time he snapped at me, in front of my friend, shouting at me: I already told you it's not for sale!
I corrected him, reminding him that he previously gave me permission to bring up the subject of the tugboat after the holidays, and that was all I was doing. He said several other customers offered to buy the tugboat, and he didn't want to sell it because if he did, the other customers would be unhappy. My friend, who is very practical, told the LHS owner: why don't you sell it to the highest bidder.
Incidentally, over the past 20 years, I have easily spent over $15,000 on numerous train related items at that LHS. Also, whenever I buy something there, I rarely ask the owner for a price reduction because his prices are almost always reasonable and I want him to stay in business and think of me as a preferred customer.
Regarding the tugboat, I reassured the LHS owner that I would never bring the subject of the tugboat up with him again.
But, the search for the Holy Grail continued.
In mid to late January 2022, I went with a friend to the Big E. There was a big snowstorm that weekend so we went on Sunday when the snow subsided.
I figured maybe there was a 1 in 10,000 chance that I would find the Lionel NY Central Tugboat at the Big E.
Within 10 minutes after entering the Big E, I thought I was hallucinating when I saw my coveted tugboat sitting on a table in the distance. A young 20+ year old fellow appeared to be the dealer and, of course, I asked him about the tugboat. What was his reply? It's not for sale. I asked why. He said his father just bought it from another vendor that morning for $75 and he liked it.
Somehow I kept my composure, but believe me, inside I'm going crazy. I can be this way when I'm under intense pressure in court as a lawyer, and in life and death situations like when I'm driving and believe a car accident is about to happen.
I calmly asked the young fellow would it be OK if I discussed the tugboat with his father. He said sure, and proceeded to call his father on his cell phone. The father, who was in another building at the Big E, showed up about 15 minutes later.
When we met, I simply said I'm very interested in the tugboat and willing to pay him $150 in cash for it right now if he would sell it to me. [I knew his son told me his father just bought it for $75, and I believed the fair market value of it was about $250 to $300, and was willing to go even higher to get it.]
The father hesitated, so I immediately raised my offering price to $250. He replied that he had young kids at home, could use the money, so he accepted my offer.
I got the Holy Grail and will post a photo of it on my layout in a few minutes. Arnold
