Hi Everybody-- Before everybody gets excited about the mystery warehouse in Sacramento that the family of TOM GIBSON located, and which is having a big sale this weekend in Sacto,
the collection that was actually found is literally VERY MINOR compared to what has been and IS going on in Aurora, Oregon lately !!

Tom Gibson

Tom Edward Gibson passed away in April of 2016 and left behind an incredible story and an amazing toy train collection. How did he become such an avid collector? His father worked for Southern Pacific Railroad and every year the family would take a trip by train to visit family in Illinois. As a child Tom and his brother were given a wind up train and a few years later they received a small freight set and bought extra track to form an oval around their Christmas tree. Tom and his brother would pool their money and buy more items during the after-holiday sales.

In 1965, while Tom worked at a very small milk processing plant, he purchased a small train collection from one of his customers. This was the beginning of his train collection and once he started there was no stopping him. It wasn’t enough for Tom to run trains; he had to discover how they worked. After taking several trains apart and putting them back together, Tom became a train repairman too. The family kitchen table was always full of train repairs before Christmas and he worked his hardest at finishing the repairs before Christmas so no child would be without the train around their tree. He had an exceptional memory about trains where he could recall with detail what should be included in each set, the rarity of a set or individual train item, and what their value should be. People contacted him all the time about information regarding trains because he was the train expert.​

In 1984 Tom opened a store in Old Sacramento that combined his passion for trains with his wife Diana’s love of Teddy bears. The store was called Teddy's-N-Trains.​

Tom was very involved with model train clubs and every year Tom, Diana, and his two children would spend their family vacation at train meets which were always held in a different states.

Tom held leadership roles within the Toy Train Operating Society (TTOS). He was the founder of the Sacramento Valley Division; the Sacramento Valley Division President for four years; Member of the Southwest, San Joaquin, Bay Counties and the Sacramento Valley Divisions; National Convention Chairman in 1984 and for the 25th anniversary in 1991; National Nominations Chairman in 1985; and National President from 1988-1991 and National Vice President from 2014 - 2015. Within the Train Collector’s Association (TCA) he was Nor-Cal Division Treasurer for three years and Sac Sierra Chapter President for six years. Tom was also a founding member of the Toy Train Heritage Foundation which provides train sets and layouts to organizations who provide educational development for at-risk-kids.​

From the time he was a boy with his first wind-up train to serving as National President of TTOS and co-founding Toy Train Heritage, Tom dedicated his life to trains and helping others to experience the joy of toy trains.

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21507-Highway 99E NE

PO Box 82

Aurora, OR 97002

503-678-2441

info@mclarenauction.com


McLAREN AUCTION SERVICES
SUNDAY-- APRIL 2, 2017

Giant Auction of all of Tom Gibson's "choice" Models. Thousands and thousands of dollars worth !! Don't miss out if you are a Modeler or Collector.

Cheers.

Ken Shattock (KRK)

Member, PSGRS
Member, LCCA
Member, NRHS
and others ...

(Above information verified by Ray Dumke-- House of Trains-- Hoodsport, WA.)
(also by Dave Dansky- David's Toys-- Ridgefield, WA)