Woohoo! Finally!
Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2009 8:03 pm
Today I have officially started my own crossing signal collection. Several of you long time members know that every August I go to the Badger Steam & Gas Engine Show near Baraboo, WI. They have a giant flea market where you can buy all sorts of antiques - engine parts, toys (including a $7,000 7 1/2" gauge live steam locomotive!), books, electronics, tools, household knicknacks, etc. Since the 2006 show (about 6 weeks before I came across Mike's site and asked if I could be a regular) I have been seeking out a particular vendor there who has a large amount of railroad equipment, including models, and numerous crossing signal parts every year.
At the 2006, 2007 and 2008 shows, I always got to him too late for the best things. Anything I was interested in was already marked "sold," or else he would have nothing and later in the day I would run across somebody who had a huge trailerful of signal parts after buying it all out from under my nose.
Well, today my luck finally changed. There on top of his display was a complete set of 8" Griswold Type B lights, including all visors, backgrounds, wiring and brackets. There was no "sold" tag on it and it was marked for $80. He offered it to me for $70, and I talked him down to $60!!!!
I called my dad and asked him to drive over in the borrowed golf cart he had brought to ride around the show (he has a bad hip) so I could use it to haul the lights back to my car. We did that, then Dad got a socket wrench set from his car and helped me un-bolt two of the lightheads from the bracket and remove the visors from the other two, so it would be easier to fit in my car.
So there you have it, I picked up a complete set of Griswold lights for $60. They seem to be in good shape, the lenses are all solid with no cracks, and the backgrounds and visors have faded paint and are somewhat dented and bent up, but there are no significant cracks or breaks.
The lights immediately after I bought them:
Here they are loaded into my car:
At the 2006, 2007 and 2008 shows, I always got to him too late for the best things. Anything I was interested in was already marked "sold," or else he would have nothing and later in the day I would run across somebody who had a huge trailerful of signal parts after buying it all out from under my nose.
Well, today my luck finally changed. There on top of his display was a complete set of 8" Griswold Type B lights, including all visors, backgrounds, wiring and brackets. There was no "sold" tag on it and it was marked for $80. He offered it to me for $70, and I talked him down to $60!!!!
I called my dad and asked him to drive over in the borrowed golf cart he had brought to ride around the show (he has a bad hip) so I could use it to haul the lights back to my car. We did that, then Dad got a socket wrench set from his car and helped me un-bolt two of the lightheads from the bracket and remove the visors from the other two, so it would be easier to fit in my car.So there you have it, I picked up a complete set of Griswold lights for $60. They seem to be in good shape, the lenses are all solid with no cracks, and the backgrounds and visors have faded paint and are somewhat dented and bent up, but there are no significant cracks or breaks.
The lights immediately after I bought them:
Here they are loaded into my car:
