I have enjoyed reading all the stories how my dear friend "Luigi" has touched so many lives. These past couple days have been really hard. I considered Louie as one of my best personnel friends. I grew up in this business with Lou. He gave me so much advice throughout my life and I will never forget him. One story that comes to mind is in the early 1980's after purchasing all the Williams Tooling for the Tinplate Trains I had purchased the original samples of the 214R Reefer Car, 214 Box Car, and the 213 Cattle Car, which cost me a lot of money as a 24 year old kid. I was going to all the Greenburg Train Shows with Lou. When attending the Cherry Hill Mall Show one time a guy came up to me looking at the different Tinplate Items I was showing and asked me where I was making all these trains. I told him in the US and he said that he had a manufacturing plant in Italy that could make these trains, which is where the some of the old Lionel Tinplate Tooling was made. So I was really interested. The guy ask me for samples to get quoted and I sent him the three 200 Cars I had purchased. After many followup phone call and many excuses this guy stopped answering my calls. It was a huge loss for me loosing these samples I paid so much for. This guy happened to live in Philadelphia. I was talking to Lou and told him of my problem. Lou quickly said; "Don't worry I will take care of him". I gave Lou the address of this guy and Lou went out for a few nights and sat in his car outside this guys house waiting for him to come home. He came home one night around 11:30pm as I recall and Lou got out of his call and called his name. The guy stopped and Lou told him you have my friends model trains and I want them back. The guy tried giving him a song and story and Lou told him he wasn't leaving without the cars. Finally the guy opened the trunk of his car gave Lou the cars and he sent them back to me. The rest is history. I miss him so much. Luigi I will see you again! Mike
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