About East Coast Train Buyers

Meet Ken

Meet Josh

If anyone was destined to become a model train collector, it was Ken.

His connection to Lionel trains actually began before he was born. During the 1950s and 1960s, Ken's father owned a sporting goods store that sold hunting and fishing equipment. One of his wholesale distributors also carried Lionel trains, so every Christmas season the store became a Lionel dealer. Those holiday displays left a lasting impression.

At just three years old, Ken received his first Lionel train set. From that moment on, trains became a lifelong passion. Every Christmas brought another addition to the layout, and by the age of twelve he had begun seriously collecting vintage trains.

At eighteen, Ken became a member of the Train Collectors Association (TCA), an organization he has proudly belonged to for more than fifty years. He currently serves as President of the Palmetto Chapter of the TCA and has also been an active member of the Grand Strand Model Railroad Club for more than fifteen years.

Today, Ken's personal collection spans more than a century of model railroading history, with trains dating from 1908 through the modern era. His interests include nearly every major scale—N, HO, S, O, O-27, and Standard Gauge—but his specialties are prewar, postwar, and modern-era Lionel and American Flyer trains.

Ken travels throughout the East Coast, attending and exhibiting at 25 to 30 train shows each year from Florida to the Canadian border. His experience buying, selling, collecting, and evaluating model trains allows him to accurately identify collections and provide fair, honest offers.

As Ken likes to joke, borrowing a quote from Will Rogers:

"I never met a train I didn't like."

Anyone who knows him will tell you that's probably true.

Josh's journey into model railroading began more than twenty years ago—and it all started with a teacher who shared his passion.

Josh first met Ken over twenty-three years ago when Ken was one of his high school teachers. Looking for a way to earn some extra money, Josh began helping Ken at train shows, loading trailers, setting up displays, and watching the sales tables while Ken searched the show for new treasures.

What started as a part-time job quickly became a genuine love for the hobby.

Over the years, Josh developed his own collection and became deeply involved in buying, selling, and collecting model trains. His primary interests are HO and N Scale, along with Lionel and MTH O Gauge trains.

Today, Josh regularly attends train shows throughout the East Coast alongside Ken and has become an experienced buyer and collector in his own right. He is an active member of the Train Collectors Association, belongs to the Grand Strand Model Railroad Club, and currently serves as Treasurer of the Palmetto Chapter of the TCA.

Working together, Josh and Ken combine decades of collecting experience with a genuine appreciation for the history behind every collection they purchase. Their goal is never simply to buy trains—it's to help collectors and families find a trustworthy home for collections that have often taken a lifetime to build.