Tougher gains cash at auction; Sale by company in bankruptcy court reaps at least $200,000 for creditors.(Business)

Byline: ALAN WECHSLER - Business writer

MENANDS - They came by car; they came by truck. Some drove up with trailers or flatbeds; some just walked up with backpacks.

The auction at Tougher Industries Inc. headquarters brought hundreds to bid on 3,000 items offered at rock-bottom prices. Items ranged from arc-welding machines, ladders and vans to an old railroad boxcar and a pile of wooden pallets.

The two-day auction ended Thursday afternoon, and pretty much cleared out the company's building compound on Broadway in Menands. The company, which is trying to exit Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, is moving to an office down the road that will employ a …