I inherited a large train collection 20+ years ago. At the time I was busy working and didn’t have the time to deal with it, so the trains sat on shelves in my basement. Since I’m now retired, and like so many folks sequestered at home, I figured this would be a good time to find this collection a new home. After searching the internet and talking to several buyers/sellers I had the good fortune to come upon Doug at Model Train Market. He responded promptly to my emails, reviewed my inventory in a timely manner, and offered me a fair price. I have to admit I was a little concerned shipping this collection off to someone I did not know and hoping that he’d make good on his word. I shouldn’t have wasted one second worrying. Doug not only sent a proper contract and shipping labels, but he promptly made payment as we had agreed. I highly recommend anyone looking for help selling/buying model trains to talk to Doug.
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September
The owner of Model Train Market showed true professionalism and courtesy when I initially approached him regarding my husbands train collection. He visited my home and in one day did a complete inventory and gave me a fair offer to purchase the collection. My husband had just passed a few months earlier and I guess at that time I was not ready to give up something that he truly loved. A year passed, and I again contacted Doug and he was kind and considerate during our conversation and said that he was still interested in purchasing the trains at his original offer.
When he came with his workers, they worked quickly and efficiently. They were packed up and ready to leave that day.
I would recommend Model Train Market. I believe that they were fair and showed great proficiency in their work ethic.
March
I found myself with a surplus of model trains that I realized would never be used. Upon deciding to liquidate, I searched the internet and the modelling press to identify someone who might be interested in purchasing my trains. One factor in identifying Doug was my belief that he would be interested in my 100% plastic collection. I put together a list by manufacturer, model number and condition and emailed it to Doug who subsequently notified me of his interest. A couple of emails later, Doug made me an offer. I was very happy with the offer, felt it to be very fair, and accepted it. Doug then responded with a document detailing the offer. I was somewhat daunted with the prospect of packing and shipping my trains, but Doug responded with a very detailed description of how to pack the models. In addition, Doug took care of all the shipping details including insurance and sent me pre-paid shippng labels, so that I simply applied the labels to the packages and dropped them off at my local UPS store. My checks were sent to me expedited mail, with 50% up front and the balance upon delivery and inspection. It was a pleasure working with Doug and I found Doug to be a person of his word. I heartily recommend Doug and would not hesitate to deal with him again.
August
It was expectedly difficult to collect and sort through the large collection of HO Scale model railroad equipment of my Father's estate.
I found Brasstrains.com on the internet and saw that they offered information on how to handle the task of liquidating any size model train collection.
David at Brasstrain.com advised me that they were interested in the brass models of the estate and that his associate, Doug at ModelTrainMarket.com would look through the rest of the list and provide a combined offer for the entire estate.
Doug and I e-mailed back and forth a few times with the usual questions and answers which led to an ample offer for the entire collection. Once I accepted the offer, Doug and I kept in close contact regarding packing and shipment of the collection which had to travel clear across the country. He answered all my questions and handled all the shipping logistics. All I had to do was carefully pack it all into the provided shipping crates and let it go.
Pick-up, delivery and payment for the collection went just as Doug had said it would.
Both gentlemen were professional, courteous and took time to talk to me about my concerns during the process.
I HIGHLY recommend Brasstrains.com
and ModelTrainMarket.com for liquidating a model railroad collection of any size.
July
After years of collecting, I decided that I needed to downsize and find a new home for my HO model train collection. I reached out to a few different resources and I am so glad to have found Doug and his team at the Model Train Market. As he and I exchanged a few emails to start the process, I found Doug to be highly forthcoming and he just made me feel at ease throughout our dealings.
Process started after I sent Doug a list of my collection along with a few pictures to give him an idea of my collection. After a day or two, Doug made me an offer for my collection. I will admit that Doug’s offer was better than any previous offer I had received for my collection. Once we agreed on the price. I packed up all of the items to send to Doug. I would like to also mention that Doug covered all of the shipping costs of my collection to him as well.
As I was packing up my collection, I realized that I had more items than what I had recorded on my list. I reached to Doug to let him know about this. Doug suggested to send him everything that I wanted to sell and he would re-evaluate my entire collection and then figure out a new final price. Once he received my items, a few days later, Doug reached out to me with a new final figure that was much higher than I even imagined. Thank you, Doug!
I can only speak from experience, if you have a model train collection for sale, reach out to Doug and his team – I highly recommend!.
May
When my father passed away at 94, I wasn't sure what to do with his small model train collection. I live in very rural Montana and actually had no idea of anyone who would be interested in owning them. I didn't want his collection to just sit there and not be enjoyed by other train enthusiasts so I went online and found Doug and Model Train Market. I instantly felt comfortable selling my Dad's trains to Doug after a few emails back and forth. I knew they were going to a good home and would be enjoyed by others. Doug explained the whole process thoroughly including how to wrap, pack and ship the collection. Not once did I ever have any qualms or questions about the trustworthiness or honesty of Doug and Model Train Market. My father's collection went from Montana clear to Florida and I know it is being well taken care of. Doug provided payment promptly and kept in communication from beginning to end. I am so glad I chose Doug and Model Train Market to entrust my father's collection to. I would choose them again without question. Thank you, Doug!
April
My father in law Bill Taub was the senior Photographer for NASA from its inception thru the end of the Apollo Space Program. His hobby was HO trains and having traveled all over the world he had amassed a rather large and unique collection.
After he passed it was time to sell the collection. Knowing that the thousands and thousands of engines, tenders, cars, original boxes and accessories would be worth quite a bit, we began researching the best way to sell. After many months of educating ourselves as to the approximate value and best way to sell the collection, it was our good fortune to find Doug at The Model Train Market.
We had considered selling the items ourselves but decided against that and then spoke with a number of folks that buy collections. As you can imagine the offers were all over the map and most quite low. We even had some local collectors come and go thru the everything, however their offer was much lower than the final figure from Doug.
Doug and his team were very easy to work with right from the start and helped us get a real handle on the value of what we had. They also understood the uniqueness of the collection and gave us an initial estimate of its potential value. After reading other reviews we were impressed with the way everything was handled thru Model Train Market and went with them. The contract was clear and concise and we received a check within a few days for half of the estimated value.
Doug arranged for shipping containers to be delivered to our home & we packed everything carefully in bubble wrap. We found that banker boxes worked the best and were easiest to handle. Then the containers were picked up and within a few days arrived at Doug’s. They kept in touch with us thru the whole process and after going thru everything came up with a final figure much higher than we expected.
If you are considering selling a few pieces or a whole collection we highly recommend Doug and The Model Train Market. They are consummate professionals, understanding, and caring, you won’t be disappointed.
January
I would like to take a moment to share my experience with the team at Model Train Market, specifically Doug. When my father passed away, we knew he was a collector of trains. We had no idea that he had been collecting thousands upon thousands of them. When sorting out his estate, we had no idea where to turn. He was a railroader, and many of his friends had pointed us to folks who were willing to buy some, but not all; or folks who were giving us very, very low estimates. My husband happened across Model Train Market, and put everyone in touch. Doug went above and beyond to work long distance with us as we sorted through 6,000+ locomotives and freight cars, provided us a more than fair estimate, was patient with my family as we made decisions, and was a consummate professional every step of the way.
There are three things that really stood out to me about Doug and the team – First, Doug made personally sure that I provided him appropriate documentation that I was an Executor on the estate. I appreciated his diligence on that, and how seriously he took the matter (as opposed to many other folks who aggressively pushed us for cash offers on tight deadlines). Second, we did our homework. And the wholesale estimated value of the trains was exactly in line with what Doug offered. Third and finally, while Doug was at my father’s estate, he treated it with such care. He even made a point to talk with my stepdaughter. He is a true family man, an excellent business person, and the most knowledgeable person we have met on the subject. We are so lucky we found Model Train Market. Doug and the team provided my family with the best possible outcome of a very daunting, stressful, and emotional situation. Thank you Doug :)
August
After my father passed away, we had to decide what to do with his large N scale model train collection, which was comprised of over 500 engines, cars, track sections, as well as numerous model buildings and other accessories. After doing some web searches, I came across Doug’s company, Model Train Market. I sent Doug a fairly detailed description of the train collection, plus some photos. He immediately responded with a fair offer to purchase the collection. Over the next few weeks I had several conversations with Doug and he provided me with valuable packing suggestions. I shipped the train collection in 17 boxes to Doug. It was a lot of work, but well worth it. We not only received a fair price for the collection, but the satisfaction of knowing that dad’s model trains would be available to other train enthusiasts to enjoy in the coming years. During the entire process, Doug’s professionalism and helpfulness made the process go very smoothly. I know my father would have liked Doug. I highly recommend him if you have a train collection that you need to sell.
August
My husband left me with a very large N-Scale collection and cases of train memorabilia. After struggling for four years with what to do with all of these trains and knowing very little about trains or model trains, I was fortunate to make contact with Doug who responded immediately to my inquiry. He actually came to Maine to view the collection -something that was important to me as opposed to the blind offers others had proposed. He explained and helped me understand not only the values but I also learned quite a bit about how my husband had put this collection together. I felt that his offer was fair and well explained. He made the arrangements for all the shipping right out of my garage before he left.
Although parting with all these trains was a bit sad and another milestone in the end of a 43 years marriage, I felt good about the entire transaction .
Doug is a pleasure to deal with both personally as well as professionally and would highly recommend his company and services!
July
Over the years, I have sold collections of everything from comic books to Boy Scout memorabilia... French wines to large format cameras to online buyers whom I never met. Why? Because they always pay significantly more than locals shops.
I recently inherited a 350 piece (~$10K retail value) n-scale model train collection which lead me to discover ModelTrainMarket.com (MTM), whom I found to be head and shoulders above the other model train buyers AND indeed the best online buyer I have dealt with period.
Overall, Doug at ModelTrainMarket.com, always did what he said he would do or what his website promised, on time and often days sooner than stated. I was able to relax through-out the entire process because the process and the people at MTM engender trust.
For more information, please visit Hot Sale Railway Rail.
If you have model trains to sell, and are under any time crunch, save some effort and stress and just go straight to ModelTrainMarket.com.
April,
When my husband recently passed away, I was left to deal with his very large N-scale model train collection and accessories. Fortunately, before he passed, he had worked with Dan Glasure of brasstrains.com. Dan was extremely knowledgeable, honest and fair when my husband sold part of his collection to him. Doug Soard of Model Train Market took over Dan's business, and was equally helpful in purchasing the remainder of the collection. Doug made the process of identifying the items that I had to sell and transporting them very easy and seamless. He was fair with his offer and made me feel good to know my husband's collection would bring pleasure to another train collector. I highly recommend Doug if you have a train collection to sell.
November,
After many years as model train enthusiasts with an "empire" in our basement that included a homemade 12' x 15' train table, we made the decision that it was time to downsize and sell our HO model train collection of almost 1,300 rolling stock and engines. We researched several options for selling, contacting both auctioneers and model train collectors and vendors. Through very good luck, one of the individuals we contacted, who was not interested in our collection, passed along our information to Doug Soard of Model Train Market. We worked directly with Doug through and calls to ensure he could make an accurate evaluation of our collection. We found Doug to be highly ethical and trustworthy, and we were very pleased with the offer he made for our collection. The process of receiving the shipping crates and packing them to send to Model Train Market went very smoothly. Payment was made promptly as promised. For anyone trying to decide what to do with a train collection that you no longer need or want, we highly recommend that you contact Model Train Market for an evaluation of your collection.
April,
Do you run trains year-round?
Yes! However, the Mount Washington State Park at the summit closes for the winter from mid-October thru early May. Once the Visitor Center locks up tight, there is no shelter accessible to the public up there, and it is absolutely not a safe or pleasant environment in which to be stuck outside! When the summit is closed, we run shorter trips to Skyline and Waumbek Station.
Where is Marshfield Base Station?
The Mount Washington Cog Railway is located on the western side of the mountain, and access to our base station is off of Route 302 near the Omni Mount Washington Resort in Bretton Woods, NH. Please be advised that some GPS navigation apps and devices still do not map our location properly and may direct you 50 miles away to Pinkham Notch/ Route 16 on the eastern side of the mountain, causing you to miss your train. For detailed directions click here.
How soon before my scheduled departure should I arrive at the Base Station?
It’s important that you arrive at the Base Station at least 45 minutes before your train is scheduled to depart. This will give you plenty of time to pick up your tickets, grab a drink or a snack at the food court, explore the museum, browse the gift shop and use the restroom. There are no restrooms on the trains, but there are facilities at the Base Station, at Waumbek Station, and at the Summit building.
Boarding begins 15 minutes prior to departure. All trains leave promptly on schedule– we cannot wait for late passengers. If you miss your train, we will always do everything possible to move your reservation to the next scheduled train, if seating is available.
How long is the trip?
The round trip to the summit and back is just under 3 hours. Our biodiesel-powered trains make the climb up to ’ in approximately 45 minutes. The steam engines are a bit slower and must stop once to take on water, so the same trip on the steamer is closer to an hour. Passengers will leave the train and lay over at the summit for approximately one hour before returning to the base station. In the winter, round trips to Skyline are roughly 90 minutes, and Waumbek trips are 1 hour.
How should I dress for the trip?
The summit of Mount Washington has a well-earned reputation for having the world’s worst weather, and even in the middle of summer, conditions above tree line are significantly colder and windier (and sometimes wetter) than those at the base station.
Rain, snow and ice occur throughout the year, so you should always bring a waterproof jacket or poncho and a hat.
The ground around the summit facility is mostly gravel and granite boulders, so visitors will be most comfortable in walking or hiking shoes or sneakers rather than flip-flops or light sandals.
We do discourage the use of umbrellas due to high wind gusts.
Winter trips to Waumbek Station include a short layover, and guests are invited to leave the train for about a half hour. Remember to dress appropriately for winter conditions, including warm, sturdy footwear.
If you are riding one of our authentic coal-fired steam trains, you will experience coal smoke and cinders that may soil your clothing, so please dress accordingly.
Where are Platforms A, B, C and D?
We usually dispatch several trains at the same time, and the trains are lined up in the order of departure each hour. The platforms are clearly marked. Platform A is all the way to the right as you are looking at the trains, platforms B, C and D follow in order. When multiple trains are dispatched, our steam train is always last in line behind the diesels.
If the weather is bad, do you still run trains?
Yes! We run trains safely in all weather conditions year-round, but high winds, ice, and snow occur above tree line throughout the year. Very occasionally, severe weather (generally sustained wind speeds at the summit exceeding 60-70mph) will force the temporary closure of the Auto Road and the State Park summit facilities. Whenever indoor shelter is not available at the summit, trains will terminate at either of two alternate destinations:
Skyline
Skyline is an area above tree line at an elevation of approximately ’. Clear conditions provide spectacular views of the Northern Presidentials, the western face of the summit cone and the Mount Washington Observatory. Trains will remain at Skyline for approximately 10 minutes. Passengers may be permitted to come out onto the front platform to take pictures, but must remain on the train while at Skyline. Round trips to Skyline are approximately 90 minutes, at reduced fares.
Waumbek
In the colder months, once the summit facilities are closed for the season, all trains terminate at Waumbek Station. Waumbek is located in an alpine meadow just below ’ and provides stunning views to the north and west. Passengers are permitted to leave the train for about 25 minutes to enjoy complimentary hot refreshments, warming huts and a fire pit. Round trips to Waumbek are roughly 1 hour, at reduced fares.
Weather, heavy passenger volume or equipment problems occasionally cause service delays or disruptions, but we do our absolute best to maintain our schedule at all times. Passengers should remember to bring warm, waterproof clothing and sturdy footwear– weather at the summit is always different than at lower elevations.
I’m coming from out of state. Do I need to make a reservation?
Reservations are not required, however, we have limited capacity and most trains sell out in advance. We also have assigned seating, so we highly recommend making reservations if you want to choose a particular seat or stick to a certain schedule.
We experience very high demand on the weekends, holidays, school breaks and Fall foliage season. There is also tremendous demand for the steam trains. If you plan on visiting us during those peak periods or wish to ride on the steam train, reservations are highly recommended as trains can be sold out weeks in advance.
Do you offer discount fares for large groups?
Yes! Off-prime wholesale rates for travel agencies, bus tours, corporate events and school/camp field trips may be available. Family groups, wedding parties, reunions, etc not normally qualifying for wholesale group rates will automatically receive a discount when purchasing 20 or more tickets. Discount rates are not available on Saturdays, holidays, and during foliage season in the Fall. For complete information, please contact our Group Sales manager.
I’d like to hike to the summit and ride the train back down. Why can’t I buy a one-way ticket from the summit to the Base Station in advance?
Reaching the summit of Mount Washington on foot is a wonderful experience, but it’s a climb, not a walk in the woods, and it is difficult. In the best conditions, strong hikers might make it to the top in two hours, average hikers could take between four and five hours, and some will even take much longer. The return hike can take just as long and is nearly as difficult. Hikers should never assume that train tickets will be available for the descent. If you hike to the summit, you must always be physically and mentally prepared to hike back down.
Complicating matters, Mount Washington is renowned for its severe and unpredictable weather, and conditions often deteriorate rapidly from pleasant to life-threatening. Because the Railway operates on a strict schedule and the vast majority of our passengers pay for and reserve round-trip seating, and because weather and any number of other factors may delay a hiker’s arrival at the summit, it is just not possible to guarantee a one way seat down in advance. If seats are available, down-mountain tickets must be purchased in person at the summit post office.
Most importantly, please do not attempt to climb to the summit unless you
start early
are physically fit
consult the Mount Washington Observatory’s website for higher summits forecasts and current summit conditions before attempting the climb.
Are well equipped with warm, waterproof clothing, proper hiking boots or shoes, and appropriate maps or trail guides
bring sufficient food and water for a 10-12 hour round trip excursion. There may be no access to potable water on trails, but water stations are available at the Base Station, summit, and AMC huts.
Do not assume that cell service will be available anywhere on the mountain in the event of an emergency.
purchase a Hike Safe card from New Hampshire Fish and Game, which insures you against the cost of a search and rescue operation.
Pay close attention to weather forecasts and advisories from the Mount Washington Observatory– they are the best predictor of conditions.
“bailout” by returning to the Base Station as quickly as possible if the weather becomes threatening, especially when you are fully exposed to the elements above tree line. Most tragic outcomes on the mountain occur when hikers ignore or underestimate the severity of the weather and the difficulty of the terrain. That cannot be emphasized strongly enough.
understand that the summit Visitor Center and the Auto Road both close temporarily in high wind or other severe weather conditions, and train operations will be limited to Waumbek, Skyline or curtailed altogether. That means that the only way off the summit in severe weather is by foot.
Do not ride the Cog Railway off the mountain unless you climbed to the summit from the WEST on the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail or the Jewell Trail. Trailheads and parking lots for the Tuckerman’s Ravine Trail and other popular routes are located on the EAST side of the mountain near Pinkham Notch and the entrance to the Mount Washington Auto Road, and are at least 50 miles away from our Base Station. Taxi service is expensive and unreliable.
Here is an excellent Beginner’s Guide to Hiking in the White Mountains, from the Appalachian Mountain Club
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