The Train Show Haul

 

As threatened, I ventured to Easley, SC for the Central Railway Model and Historical Association train show. I didn't have my hopes up very high as the past few years were kind of a disappointment with very little N Scale. This year however bucked that particular trend. 

One thing I was hoping to find were some DPM kits to finish of Johnstown. Not only did I find some but, they were an absolute steal at $6.00 apiece! They normally sell for $13 to $18. So needless to say I snapped them right up. Normally I like to walk through a train show before buying anything just to get the lay of the land, but in this case, I knew if I didn't buy them right then an there, they'd be gone.

My other big find was a fully-reconditioned Lionel KW transformer. At 190 watts, the KW is the slightly less-powerful little brother of Lionel's legendary ZW. When I built the V&R railroad for my kids, all I had were a pair of train set transformers. I found that Postwar-era Lionel locomotives overloaded them in short order. But the KW can run this pipsqueak of a layout without breaking a sweat.

Despite being 60 years old, ZW and KW transformers remain in high demand and as such usually command premium prices. There is a caveat, they must be reconditioned or subject to a thorough safety check before being put into use. Mine was reconditioned with a new power cord, new rectifier disks and new rollers. I paid $70. You can find them as is for less but it's not worth risking electrocution or burning the house down.