Oh and Jim, just so you don't worry, you will see me here off and on today as well.
Today is a DVD production day here. So I will be on and off as I wait for the video clips to be captured, then I will be editing the content and then while it is being converted, I will be back here.
But, never more than 10 feet from the phone in case a client needs help. Having the editing studio in my home office is so convinient, I get much more done now. Also with 3 computers running in the room, I stay warm all winter, it is currently -28C up here.
Now, Jimmy, I never said my opinion was the only "correct" one. I guess you just get that impression after reading my comments.
Actually today it is -31C (-24F) with a wind chill of -35C (-31F). I am 100 miles north of Toronto.
To keep it on a train topic.
Even up here I have a very good LHS just 15 miles south of me. An active club in the same town, 18 members currently. We put on 2 train shows a year to raise money. There is also a big train show in Barrie, which is 50 miles south of me. If I go in to Toronto, there re numerous train shops and at last count, four shows a year.
He happens to be one of the most crooked human being to walk the earth.
There are warrants for his arrest, he owes the IRS more money from spending employees withholding taxes, he littetally stole two business out from the owners without their knowing they were getting screwed until it was way too late.
He took me in total for over $60,000.00, over a three year period. He is judegment proof as his assests are either in his current wifes name, or listed under a used car dealership, which is far removed from the train business thru holding companies.
I have had the FBI here investigating him and more suprising than anything is the way the industry treats him. Everyone knows who he took, including the magazines whose ads he never paid for, yet, as soon as he changes his company name all the magazines allow him to advertise again, even with huge unpaid balances on the books.
It would not surprise me that he is selling the consumer product for less than what he sells dealers, as long as he can turn a buck he will make a deal.
The owner or ex owner of one of his companies was obtained in such a method that the original owner who did not comprehend he just lost his business to Mr. B suffered a mental breakdown at a trainshow, and had to be rushed to a local hospital. When he was released from the hospital the next day he was back in the booth with Mr. B. deny'ing he had just lost his business, but was near tears for the whole show.
There are a lot of people who swear by Mr. B, but for everyone that stands by him, there is probably 250 who would like to see him swinging from the end of a rope.
He is one loathesome individual. You cannot and most likely would not believe how many people he has hurt in the industry.
I don't think that is the case, his is but a rank amateur.
If that were the case and there were in fact warrants and you have the FBI involved, he would be served on those warrants.
That is the true American way, Capitalism at it's best. A freedom to sell what he wants to whom he wants for whatever he wants.
But obviously a rank amateur. Take a look around you, people are taking control of other peoples businesses everyday. The most advertised on in the last 15 years was when Steve Jobs was fired from Apple. It was his company to begin with, but he lost control.
Sounds like your average shrewd businessman to me.
He just saw the flaws in the system and Capitalized on them.
His methods, while you may not personally like them, are shrewd. He sees an opening and moves. Makes profit while the business is viable and liquidates when the business is not.
Over the years I have worked with several firms that have been "purchased" by other corporations only to be liquidated. Some when to bankruptcy, some simply closed. Some businessmen wait until a company is on the brink of bankruptcy and then purchase just the product and the name, not the debt. To an outsider it looks like the new owner is stiffing the creditors, but legally, the old owner is responsible. To you it looks like he has screwed owner, more likely he just played the system and acquired the titles and left the debt with the original owners.
It is hard to believe, but some people who start companies are just not able to run them.
It reminds me of M*A*S*H when Henry Blake would sign whatever Radar gave him.
If a businessman does this he deserves what he gets.
It is good to see you posting again!! Almost like it was a loooong time ago with real gentlemen involved like Big John, The decal guy, etc..... Stick around.
What is wrong Steve, cannot there be a discussion on this group?
We are discussing a model train vendor, the fellow TrainFred.
Some people feel he is a good vendor, some such as Bondo Bill think he is terrible. With BondoBill, it is just that Bondo was a bad businessman and Fred was able to get some money out of him.
I did not realize I was a bad business man until now and that Fred is cool cause he got me for money.... what a great hobby!
Think I will stick around, just to irk Fred's public defender.
It has been a long time, in fact I am uncovering brass engines and brass traction models that i did not know I still had, plus 2 draws of built up by the factory Alloy Forms cars and a desk drawer full of boxed Prieser figures.
I also must be the King of Hartel,,,,, where I got all of this I have no idea, a pair of turnouts are marked $49.95 and they have had to be sitting here since the early 90's. I have found so far 9 packages of Hartel turnouts, Finescle kits, kibri kits and tons of other stuff.
I know what I had planned to do with it back in 89/90, make a huge factory complex in HO of my version of the Studebaker Motor Company, that why all the Alloy Forms, and stuff.
The best laid plans of mice and men often go in the desk draw. I also have found a carton that contained everthing I thought I would need to make a 8 foot length section of New York elevated railroad structure and a four foot long below ground station.
I must be the biggest hoarder of stuff, I have three different sets of the NJ International or Hobby Images subway cars too:
When am I going to stop buying stuff I don't need or use, or even remember I had.
Anyone need door handles for a 56 Golden Hawk, found extras the other day.
Nice tobe welcomed back. sounds like the hobby has changed a bit>Stick around.
Well, I had no clients booked for today (one tomorrow and two Sunday). So last night and this morning I decided to stop procrastinating and organize my info. It makes it easier for me to see it as well.
Actually, I have just put in some module ideas. Nothing is carved in stone, just some ideas.
Will, When you get to building rolling stock you might check out the Westerfield site. I believe they have some 1880s-1890s era Canadian prototype kits that might work for you. Westerfield kits are made from resin and take sometime to build but that's the fun of it and you end up with a beautiful model.
Nice site. In addition to Westerfield you may also consider LaBelle Woodworking kits for passenger cars. I'm half way through a 3 car consist of their open platform kits (combine, baggage & coach) and the are beautiful. At 50' they may be a bit longer than than the MDC's Overton Car's (probably similar to MDC OverLand cars), but it might be worth checking out. They may also have some freight cars as well. Their site is at
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I've recently transformed my modeling interests to late 19th/early 20th century as well. My plywood pacific freelance diesel layout was going nowhere. So now I'm researching and planning for a 1900-1905 model of the Central New England Railway shortly before it was absorbed by the New Haven. I'm finding having a specific prototype gives me a roadmap so I don't have to make everything up and the research into local history is rewarding in its own right. True, I'm still using a "close enough" approach, but there really aren't too many people alive that can critique my plans with much authority! :-)
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