In memoriam: Len Carparelli

Leonard Carparelli has passed away at the age of 75 on August 27, 2025. 

It seems fitting to share part of an article Roger Carp wrote for the November/December 2022 issue, where one of Len’s repainted engines was featured on the cover. 

We at CTT send our condolences to the Carparelli family. – Rene

Len Carparelli, a respected member of the toy train hobby, mastered the guitar as a teenager and has jammed with Paul Butterfield, Joan Jett, Stevie Nicks, and other inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame while maintaining a friendship with the great Neil Young.

But as talented as Len is as a musician, still playing clubs with his lovely wife and powerful vocalist, Ruthann, he has truly distinguished himself as an artist and businessman restoring Lionel trains. He knows how to breathe new life into Standard and O gauge locomotives often left scratched, dented, and faded from decades of play and sometimes of misuse and neglect. 

A half-century after launching L&L Model Train Restoration Co., Len continues to revive Santa Fe F3s, Virginian Train Masters, Pennsylvania GG1s, and occasionally a prewar classic. And, as shown by the cover (see photo above), he’s also capable of creating paint schemes Lionel never made: F3s in the demonstrator scheme developed by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in 1950.

When it comes to Lionel, Len’s parents were mentors. They bought him his first set in 1955 and kept getting him more cars and locomotives for every Christmas and birthday for the next 10 years. 

In 1969, Mrs. Carparelli gave Len an ultimatum: “If you don’t do anything with your trains, we’ll throw them out!” No way Len would allow his treasures to get tossed. In search of help and guidance for Len, his mother reached out to Frank Rochat, who owned a small retail establishment selling and repairing Lionel trains. He became Len’s next mentor.

Len will be the first to admit his initial restoration work was horrible. On the verge of giving up, his streak of meeting the right person at the right time continued. A customer at Frank’s store heard Len talking and said, “You should get in touch with Ed Kraemer; he’s a great painter.” Ed turned out to be the expert Len had been waiting for. He had some advice for the aspiring restoration artist.

Endless practice followed until Len had mastered the different techniques and materials. Only then in 1972 at the age of 22 was he ready to launch L&L.

Good as Len was becoming, he needed customers to make the new business profitable. Displaying his work at local and regional train shows was a solid beginning, but more exposure and additional work were necessary.

Ed Kraemer rode to the rescue by telling Len about Madison Hardware Co., the internationally known store in midtown Manhattan that carried Lionel trains from all eras and had seemingly endless supplies of engines and parts. Although a steady and trustworthy client for Ed, Madison was demanding too much of him.

Now that Len had shown his array of talents as a restoration artist and budding business owner, Ed had no qualms about introducing him to Lou Shur, Madison’s owner. Before long, Len found himself inundated with restoration projects. 

L&L Model Train Restoration was, by the 1980s, highly established and respected among the key people in the hobby. Len’s superb work for Madison Hardware paved the way for him to meet and gain the trust of several of the men whose work had secured Lionel’s reputation during the glorious postwar era, including Frank Pettit, Vincent Cardinale, and Lenny Dean.

Len was also gaining the friendship and confidence of virtually all the movers and shakers in the field of toy trains. He lists in the most casual manner the top guns he has worked with since the 1980s: Peter Bianco, Allan Drucker, David Laughridge, Boyd Mason, Lou Palumbo, Ed Prendeville, Ed Rosenthal, Charles Ro, Don Shaw, Jerry Williams, Mike Wolf, and others.

He can’t leave out Neil Young, among the greatest singer-songwriters of the past 60 years and at one time a part owner of Lionel. Len’s friendship with Neil dates to the late 1980s, when Len was dating the rock star’s sister, Astrid.

Neil didn’t take to Len immediately, although before long he was studying Len’s restoration work and sharing his compliments. Eventually, after getting to know Len better, Neil said to his sister, “Is there anyone in the train industry who doesn’t know who this guy is?”

Len broadened L&L by acquiring the vast inventory of original and reproduction screws, fasteners, and other parts belonging to the late and respected dealer Ted Nyerges. “I felt grateful to continue his legacy,” Len said, “just as I was able to handle more of the restoration work done by Elliot Welz before he retired and sold me his business.” Increased orders called for hiring Astra Moore to assist at L&L.

Best of all was Len’s marriage to Ruthann in 2012. Besides sharing the musical stage with him, she has enjoyed learning about the toy train hobby and assisting with sales. They make a wonderful team and are looking forward to many more successful years with the premier toy train restoration business.