Collector Advice from John Gray

Allen Keller sits down with the owner of the Union Pacific model railroad, John Gray, to ask of his advice to other brass collectors to ensure their stock is running. First, rather than just leaving a piece of brass in the box and storing it away when they collect it, they should catalogue it in their inventories so they know what they have. They should do all the work necessary to make it run properly, because they don’t always run beautifully out of the box. They should also get display cases, which are readily available from a number of manufacturers to display their models. If they are collectors, they really should build at least a simple layout to run their stock around. To him, that is the pleasure of it all, these are not stuffed animals, these are things that need to be operated.

John believes that the ability to create smooth spline construction and double track enables him to create the illusion that the model might be the real thing. That is what he is proud of. His layout looks more real to him than almost anything he has seen. It is a great diversion from everyday life, it is something that he can do all by himself. John likes it because nobody in his family really appreciates it, so it is his own private world. Sometimes he is sitting on an airplane and he can occupy his mind with ideas for the layout. It is a nice mind diversion that can carry into old age since it doesn’t require a great physical condition, eyes being the only drawback as he ages. It is a great form of relaxation for John. It also teaches a great deal of patience, as the layout had been going on for almost 10 years prior to the video.