El Dorado Narrow Gauge action on eBay.com

It's been several years since we reported on Mallory Hope Ferrell's El Dorado Narrow Gauge. The quintessential book on the construction and operating life of the Diamond and Caldor Railway periodically comes up for sale on eBay.com. The book was published in 1990 by Pacific Fast Mail, Edmonds, Washington.

The latest copy posted to the on-line auction site yesterday. The seller has listed an opening bid of $49.99. The auction closes on Friday, March 8, 2013 at 7:31 p.m. Pacific Time. We will follow the action with interest.

To our knowledge, Ferrell's book hasn't been republished, which adds to the selling price. Fortunately, the cost to purchase a copy of El Dorado Narrow Guage has significantly been reduced over the past four years. A copy sold for $175 in December 2009.

When you consider previous highs of $110 and $120, the current copy for sale seems like a bargain.

Copy of El Dorado Narrow Gauge for sale on eBay

If you've followed this blog for any time, you know that we post several eBay auctions each year of our favorite book: Mallory Hope Farrell's El Dorado Narrow Gauge: The Diamond & Caldor Railway, which was published in 1990 (Pacific Fast Mail, Edmonds, Washington).

The latest auction of El Dorado Narrow Gauge was posted to eBay last night. The seller has listed a $75 opening bid price.

You immediately purchase the book with eBay's Buy It Now feature. The asking price is $225.

Before you pay $225, read my comments of the high price these sellers are asking for Ferrell's book. It looks like the copy I refer to sold for $175 in December.

Overpriced copy of El Dorado Narrow Gauge

I think the high price of gasoline has infected the world of railroad booksellers. Only the seller missed the message that the per barrel cost has dropped significantly.

Unfortunately, the seller of the latest copy of El Dorado Narrow Gauge, the quintessential text on the Diamond and Caldor Railway, may be able to demand such an exorbitant sale price.

Last year we tracked two copies of the copy of the Mallory Hope Ferrell classic that sold for $110 and $130 each on eBay.com.

This copy appeared today on eBay. The seller is using the "Buy it Now" feature to sell the book.

He's asking $175. Like the inflated gas prices of last summer, this is a take-it-or-leave-it sale.

If you want the book, you must pay at the pump or wait for the price to come down. Of course, you risk loosing the book, a rare piece in the world of short line railroads.

The on-line sale ends November 13, 2008, unless a collector buys it before that date.

It's difficult to predict how high the book will go. It wouldn't surprise me if someone pumps out the full price.

Classic Diamond and Caldor Book Sells for $130

El Dorado Narrow Gauge: The Diamond and Caldor Railway by Mallory Hope Ferrell sold for $130 last Monday on eBay. That's a record price in recent memory.

The eBay seller (runaboutc4c) has 20 other railroading books up for auction at this time. Titles include: This Was Logging! by Ralph W. Andrews and The Heisler Locomotive 1891 - 1941, published by Benjamin F. G. Kline, Jr.

El Dorado Narrow Gauge by Marrory Hope Ferrell

I didn't see any copies of Mallory Hope Ferrell's El Dorado Narrow Gauge: The Diamond and Caldor Railway (Pacific Fast Mail, 1990) on eBay.com for most of the summer. I thought that maybe the market for these rare books had dried up.

Now two copies have appeared in the past month. About two weeks ago, a copy of El Dorado Narrow Gauge sold on an eBay auction for about $110.

This copy appeared yesterday. It has an opening bid price of $9.99 The auction closes Monday, November 26, 2007 at 5 p.m.

It's difficult to predict how high the book will go. It wouldn't surprise me if it goes for $90 or higher.

El Dorado Narrow Gauge by Marrory Hope Ferrell

I haven't seen El Dorado Narrow Gauge: The Diamond and Caldor Railway by Mallory Hope Ferrell (Pacific Fast Mail, 1990) on eBay.com since late last August. My intent was to come home today and track the book, which had a starting bid of $34.95 and a Buy It Now price of $69.95.

When I got home this afternoon, I saw the book sold earlier this morning, about 10 hours after the auction was posted. The buyer scooped it up for $69.95. That's a fair price in my book since El Dorado Narrow Gauge often sells for over $80 on eBay.com.

We'd love to see Ferrell's classic re-printed and made available on the railroad book market. I personally believe that there's sufficient interest in the Diamond & Caldor Railway to warrant the expense of a second edition.

Sould Ferrell does decide to re-print the book, the El Dorado Western Railway Foundation would definitely sell it out of the engine house and on the website.

Railbus Engine Revisited

I have more clarification on the engine to the Diamond & Caldor Tally-Ho No. 10 Railbus . In the past month, I have mistakenly reported it was a Waukesha, Studebaker and Stewart. According to most published sources, the original engine in the Railbus was a Waukesha.

Many of these same sources, like Malory Hope Ferrell's El Dorado Narrow Gauge: The Diamond & Caldor Railway (Pacific Fast Mail: Edmonds, Wash., 1990), report that the second engine was a Studebaker.

I said on February 3 that Ed Cuhna said that the engine was a Stewart (or Stuart) Marine engine. Once again, I was mistaken. Keith Berry and I have for the past several months saying the engine is a Stewart.

While there appears to have been such a brand, Ed Cuhna's visit to the engine house yesterday helped to clear the issue. Ed told Keith yesterday that the engine was made by Scripps Marine Motor.

As I reported on February 3, Ed discovered the engine's identity after web-based research effort.

Railbus Plans

Discussion on the Diamond & Caldor Railway Tally Ho Railbus No. 10 has centered around the time period we select for the focus of our restoration. In 40 years of service to four railroads, the railbus has gone through three major configurations.

D&C master mechanic Arlie Smith built it in 1929 with no roof or projection from the elements (see photos from Ferrell's book below). Smith later added a steel roof, enclosed engineer's station and added fabric sides for inclement weather.

After Hal Wilmunder purchased it in the early 1950s, he first operated it on his private Antelope & Western Railroad at his Antelope, California home. He later used on the Camino, Cable and Northern Railroad in Camino, California from the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s. Wilmunder enclosed the sides and moved the entrance to the rear.

The railbus served back east during the late 1970s and through the 1980s. I believe it was with the East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad Historical Society. They purchased the railbus from Wilmunder.

Dale Mace and Keith Berry discuss their approach to restoration of the railbus. We plan to restore the Tally Ho to its second major configuration. As much as possible, the El Dorado Western plans to restore the railbus to the configuration in the lower photographs. This is a page out of El Dorado Narrow Gauge: The Diamond & Caldor Railway, by Mallory Hope Ferrell (Pacific Fast Mail: Edmonds, Wash., 1990).

Keith and Dale have already began to make cut marks for Dale's welding torch. The remains of Wilmunder's CC&N logo is still visible.

El Dorado Narrow Gauge Book Tops $70

Remember the copy Ferrell's El Dorado Narrow Gauge that sold for an impressive $35 last week?

The latest copy of the book went for $70.99 this evening. That's about $10 less than the $80 average.

Keith had told me at lunch today that we should secure a copy of the book for the railway's library.

My concern was that the bidder, who appears to live in Diamond Springs, had placed several large bids after he had placed himself on top Friday evening . My fear was that this gentleman (I assuming he's a man) had placed a very high proxy bid into the eBay auction system.

I was right. Had Keith or bid today, we certainly won the book at a hefty price -- over $80, I suspect.

Since the book surfaces once or twice each month, we'll wait to get a copy for the railway.

El Dorado Narrow Gauge Sold for Less Than $40!

Earlier this week I made note of a copy of El Dorado Narrow Gauge by Ferrell for sale by auction on eBay.com. I said that this book often sells for over $80.

The book sold for an impressive $35.05 earlier this afternoon.

The nice thing about an on-line action like eBay.com is that you find occasional deals. To find these deals, you have to stay on top of eBay and watch.

Set your personal top bid and wait. Unless the item is extremely rare (or you want it today), you'll be rewarded with patience.

It may take time, but in the end, you'll have the item that you searching for.

El Dorado Narrow Gauge for Sale on eBay

The El Dorado Narrow Gauge: The Diamond and Caldor Railway by Mallory Hope Ferrell (Pacific Fast Mail, 1990) is available on eBay.com.

The auction ends on Sunday, August 20, 2006 at 2:13 p.m. PDT.

Although the book is currently being offered for $23.99, I've seen this book sell for over $80.

Both Keith and I won actions at that price last year. There are no bidders as of press time.