Atlas FE GP-40 Locomotive - Santa Fe 1341 - N Gauge

Make

Atlas

Operator

Santa Fe

FE GP-40 Locomotive

Catalogue Number

1341

Condition

Good - with small defects, In hard Atas case.

This is a nice item. The providence is it came from a collector of many things who just thought this was cool. He never had a layout or even N Gauge rails, so like new even though possibly a few decades in storage. I do not have an N layout but have tested this loco using a DC HO controller to the pick up wheels and it appears to run fine at varying speeds in both directions, from a crawl to way fast. No light (is one even fitted?) I would strongly recommend one gives it a mild service at very least clean wheels and a drop of oil on gears as it has bene standing for years. The box insert with serial number etc is missing. In terms of defects, as best I can tell:

- Rear coupler present but end hook missing - see picture.

- Left side missing small rail in front of cab and then most of side rail missing - see picture.

As I always say, Locomotives being a bit expensive can evoke stronger emotions if things aren't as expected. If you are concerned by the defects mentioned, rather not bid and avoid disappointment.

Regarding price

Long time buyers may have noticed a sharp increase in item prices. For the sakes of transparency, let me explain:

I obtain most of my goods from overseas, Europe mostly. Due to the inexorable devaluation of the rand, goods whose price has remained relatively static overseas have near doubled in terms of cost to land here. This is not just a direct per item cost, but includes postage (which has greatly increased in cost), customs and even bank charges. All are affected as they get charge on a rand value. i.e. Because the model cost me more in rand terms, I get charged more in terms of customs.

Then there is BobShop who have changed their shipping policy. Where in the past you bought an item and then postage was added, now BobShop has included a portion of postage in the listing value.  What this means is that they deduct a portion of postage from the seller.  Example:

I sell a model for R85. BobShop charges the buyer R145, being R85 item value + their shipping charge. But behind the scenes, they don't give me R145. I get R85, less their ~10% fee (R8,55), then on top of that they charge ME R60 for shipping. If i leave a skid mark to get the parcel sent I may get a R30 rebate. So in effect BobShop has collected R90 from buyer and seller to cover courier cost of their chosen courier (buyer and seller don't have much say in this). But doing the maths, I end up with R46,45. For an item which may have cost me around R40 to land.  So unfortunately, I and other sellers no doubt, am obliged to add ~ R30 to each item to defray the hidden mandatory courier costs.