WHAT IS

BUT FIRST…

We don’t do halfway. We are only interested in creating an heirloom that will be treasured - one that will go on your top shelf. But we aren’t talking about some museum piece that you never enjoy. We are talking about building your favorite train - the one you take the most pride in - the one you show off first - the one you want to run all the time.

This begins with an evaluation that asks if we are right for you and your train - because we can’t be the right answer for everyone and every train. So first of all we ask if your train is one we are qualified to restore - if what it needs falls comfortably within our skills. Can we deliver a 10 out of 10 experience for you? If we can, then together we have to determine if our fees and restoration timelines seem reasonable. If you can live with a 4-6 week turn-around and you find a $250 entry price acceptable, chances are we might be a good fit. If $1,000 is nearing the top of what you’d like to spend on something custom, one-of-a-kind, and truly special, then again, we’re probably a good fit. There are plenty of lesser and cheaper solutions available. That’s just not us.

Model train folks can be an opinionated if not dogmatic bunch. There are those that would never envision “restoration” of a vintage train being acceptable - much less the “modification” of one. Heated debates are something we avoid at all costs. We tend to fall in the camp of “do whatever you want to with your private property.” Nevertheless there are very special cases where a train is so rare and so valuable, that we couldn’t bring ourselves to modify it. Our rule of thumb is that we must believe our work will increase a train’s value, not diminish it.