Reply to "LOPO'S CAMERAS AND TRAINS: DO YOU REMEMBER THIS LIONEL DEALER AND ITS LOCATION IN DETROIT?"

Looks like I stumbled into this site 2 1/2 years late.  I was doing a little research and stumbled across Martin Derouins name and he is a great guy.  I had just bought a used Lionel switcher 8977, 0-6-0 and the pickup in the tender went bad so I posted on this forum looking for one. Well I get a reply back from Martin telling me he has spares and he will mail me one.  As it would be I live about 4 miles from Martin so he has me come over the house with the engine and tender and right there on the spot he digs the old one out of the epoxy and puts me in the new one.  We run the engine on his layout and it works great.  Martin is a good man because he charged me only $10. to do the job.  I need to hook up with Martin again to see how he is doing and see what his latest projects are,   I'm a true Eastsider born and raised in the Hoover 7 mile area.  I remember all those shops except Lopo's.  Love Alinosi's ice cream.  Now I'm up in the Mount Clemens area and I was a very good friend of Wild Bill's.  Our wives all belonged to the Macomb County Mothers of Twins Clubs.  My buddy Ken and I got Bill into trains when he saw the layout I was building back in the late 70's.  I miss the guy a lot.  I still visit Whistle Stop on Harper in St. Clair Shores and do a lot of business to this day with Pat at P&D Hobby shop.  He has a great selection of everything I want or need.  If your looking for the best old friendly train shop in Michigan go to Brassuers Trains up in Saginaw.  Bob is a great guy and the repair guys have repaired a few engines for me and the parts department is loaded with old parts.  It's a very friendly place and when you walk up them old steps to the repair shop you will know you are in an old train shop.  I see Bob at least once a year or more.  I am so glad I visited this site.  Thanks for bringing back fond memories guys to this 75 year old fart.  Adding a few pic;s of my layout I've been working on for 40+ years and still hoping I can get something going for a feature article in the O gauge magazine.  Now all I need is the guy who makes and sell those Michigan custom trains so he can change the number on my 1201 Pere marquette to the 1225 I just bought.  Anybody know the guy he was always selling at the train shows around the East side.    And Martin if your still around I'd love to see your latest work with those LED's in the engines and cars.  That might be my  next project.