Donations
The Lansing Model Railroad Club accepts donations of railroad equipment,
railroad artifacts, books, model railroad items, and cash.
We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit tax-exempt educational organization. All
donations may be tax-deductible as charitable contributions depending on your individual tax situation.
Please contact a Lansing Model Railroad Club
officer for more information on donations.
We do not accept magazines.
IRS Information on Donations
Purchasing, Sales, and Recycling
From time to time, we are contacted by people looking to sell model train
items and other railroadiana. The Lansing Model Railroad Club rarely purchases items because of our limited space and resources, however let us offer some suggestions on selling or recycling your train items:
- Donate to Lansing Model Railroad Club because we might be able to use your donation for our museum or model railroad. For items we cannot use, we will sell them with the proceeds benefiting our organization.
- Offer to sell model trains and related items to our members. Please email (do not send through Facebook Messenger or through text messaging) a list of items that includes photos, scale, brands/make, descriptions, asking price, and your contact information. We will circulate the list to our membership and friends.
- Sell your item(s) at the Lansing Model Railroad Club annual Train Show. Either rent a table to sell your item(s) or sell them to the many
vendors who attend our show and are looking to buy or trade model trains or related items.
- Sell your items on eBay, Facebook Marketplace, Poshmark, Etsy, and other online selling platforms.
Please do not throw away your model trains or railroadiana. There's always a way to find them a good home! For further information or questions please contact one of the club officers
Appraisals
The Lansing Model Railroad Club does not provide appraisal services or any values for items.
We recommend the following:
- Attend our annual Model Train Show and Sale to discuss values with the dealers.
- Contact hobby shops in your area, they may be able to appraise your items or have leads on an appraiser who specializes in model railroad items.
- eBay is a great resource to let the buyers determine fair market value or one can search past auctions to see how much an item sold for.
- Price Guides are published that can help you determine the value of some popular model tains. One example is Greenberg's “Pocket Price Guides” which are published annually. There are separate volumes for Lionel (1901 -
present) and American Flyer (1946 - present) trains. These guides are available
through Amazon.com or your local hobby shop. Both guides are easy to follow and
provide market values.
eBay
Support Lansing Model Railroad Club Inc. when you shop or sell on eBay. This is made possible by the eBay for Charity program which has helped eBay buyers and sellers donate hundreds of millions of dollars to thousands of charities (and we're one of them!)
- Make us your favorite! First, personalize your shopping experience to benefit our organization by making us your favorite charity on eBay.
- Donate to us in ebay checkout: By making us your favorite, you will automatically see Lansing Model Railroad Club Inc. as your preferred charity when you buy anything on eBay, making it easy to add $1 or more upon checkout.
- Sell your items to benefit us: Last but not least, help us instead of a thrift store: sell your used items on eBay and donate as little as 10% (1% for vehicles) or up to 100% of your sale to benefit us. When you sell, simply look for the eBay for Charity signature blue and yellow ribbon next to "Make a donation". Check out the benefits you'll receive:
- eBay will waive your Final Value Fees to the extent you donate. (e.g. donate 20% and see 20% of your Final Value Fees waived)
- The tax credit from all of your donations is yours to keep.
- Items that benefit charity sell better, as buyers trust sellers that support charity more.
- Help the world by upcycling/recycling. Plenty of items that might otherwise end up in a landfill can be readily used by others that may not have the means to buy something new.
- Feel good for doing good.
- Sell your used vehicle to benefit us: Unlike other charity auto programs, you can sell your used vehicle on eBay and donate up to 100% to benefit Lansing Model Railroad Club Inc.. This often can result in a larger donation than the $500 or less you may receive from a dedicated charity auto program. Sell and donate the proceeds today.
Wish List
The Lansing Model Railroad Club is interested in obtaining and restoring items
of historical railroad interest and items that promote the operation of the organization and furtherance of it's mission. Here is a list of items we are would like to acquire:
- Documents and historical accounts related to the Millett Depot or MA Tower
- Caboose (preferably Grand Trunk Western, C&O, Michigan Central, or New York Central heritage)
- Timetables, rulebooks, and other railroad literature
- Interlocking panels and machines, telegraph instruments, and any other items from or similar to what was used in MA Tower
- Railroad ties, rail, and related hardware sufficient to lay approximately 50 feet of track
- Working (full size) railroad semaphore signal
