Hi George, I am kind of buddies with the guys at America’s Best in Itasca. I hadn’t been there for years, but did stop by last month, saw Tony, browsed for a short bit, not in the market for anything, so it was a short visit.
True story, when the economy got really rough in 2008 + 4, at least for us guys in const., it was the depression. So I advertised here on a lark, I called my company Layout Grunts LTD to start, no kidding, ended up building a $16,000 layout for a guy, bought all my gear from Tony, I made a list and got most of it all at once. That’s how I roll. With plenty of extra. From Tony, I built 3 other layouts for people, all of them being interesting and rewarding experiences. I had the gig for the Itasca train station renovation, I had a contract for a 6x9 layout for $ssss. But I backed out of the contract because I was getting divorced and well, that’s the way it goes. I also did service on the trains for a couple Bryn Mawr department stores. A lead from Tony. So we are buddies. He remembered me. The repair guy there Joe, was actually in an article in OGR one time, an article about Lionel training classes I think. So I always tease Joe about that, but it’s been a while, I’m not sure joe is back there anymore. He fixed stuff for me before. I’ll prob just go there. Sorry for rambling. Brings back memories.
It was so much fun designing layouts for each job. I was pretty handy at that. But, I never thought I could make a living out of it. But, you never know unless you try... I might try to get Layout Grunts LTD fired up again. Put the tools back in the wagon, hitch er up and go. On the side. Give Tony the business.
Have fun! W1
