Re: The Day the Music Died (was T&R Electric)

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: "Dave Leddon by way of Terry Fritz <teslalist-at-qwest-dot-net>" <dave-at-leddon-dot-com>

To those of you who believe that the loss of T&R Electric as a supplier of 
transformers to the coiling community is no big deal and that there are 
plenty of fish in the pond, you've obviously never tried to buy a 
pig.  Sean Taylor and I went through this last year.  He collected a large 
list of suppliers and I attempted to contact each and every one with a 
request to purchase a pair of 10 kva pigs.  Only one, in Arkansas, 
responded with a quote of $300 for each transformer.  But with shipping by 
an independent freight company to the West Coast, the total cost was $700 
per pig.  Way too much for our budget.  We did finally scored a pair of 
transformers from D.C. Cox (thank you very much Dr. R) that, with shipping 
via Yellow Freight, still came to $460 per pig.  And then I had to rent a 
truck and drive 50 miles round trip to their terminal to get the transformers.

Then I purchased a nice, reconditioned 5 kva pig from Larry Millard (the 
guy on Ebay who had some kind of deal going with T&R) for $199 delivered to 
my front door.
Here's a picture of the T & R Electric transformer man parked in front of 
my place last fall.
http://hot-streamer-dot-com/temp/TRintheFall.jpg
So I assume that T&R delivers what they sell with the cost of delivery 
folded into the cost of the product, a very big deal when you live long 
distances from the supplier.  If I knew that we were going to lose them as 
a source I would a have bought a dozen transformers knowing that I could 
always find a buyer in California (sort of like investing in pig futures).

Dave

At 10:35 AM 8/2/03 -0600, you wrote:
>Original poster: "by way of Terry Fritz <teslalist-at-qwest-dot-net>" 
><wysock-at-ttr-dot-com>
>
>Hi Terry,
>
>And thanks for posting my letter.  I felt I just had to get it off my chest.
>Perhaps I sounded as immature as some others who have posted in
>the past.  I've read all the responses  and several have already "flamed"
>me.  I suppose it will be a cold day in Heck, before I offer to send another
>post to the TCML.  BTW, I don't have the CD, but I do have the origional
>LP (I also have the referance acetates, as I was the disk mastering
>engineer on that release).  Those were the days....
>
>Take care and keep the faith.
>Bill.