In a newsletter this last spring, Carl wrote about how he got into the TT selling business, i.e. he bought the entire collection of another dealer who was retiring, and he mused about the possibility of someone coming along and doing likewise for him. Don't know if that happened or not.

Anyway, he's 83 or 84 years old IIRC, and may not have the energy required for running a business. As someone who has owned his own business for 27 years, let me tell you it's not always easy, and you pretty much live with it 24/7. My wife calls it "the other woman."

If this is simply a matter of Carl saying "enough," I wish him good health, good luck, and thanks for the enjoyment he provided to all of us railfans.