Brad's 1911 and #10 series freights

Brad has posted a wonderful Youtube of his 1911 with a newly wound motor and some wonderful #10 series freights trailing. Without any further discussion:


 

More Steamtown Pics!

Steamtown NHS August 2012

Just wrapping up the summer bucket list and this is one of my key to do's: visiting Steamtown in Scranton, PA.  If you haven't been here on one of the many jaunts to York or the like, you really should go.  If you like trains and are interested in how they work (along with Trolleys), Steamtown is a national treasure.  It is one of the few places to get a good, close up look at UP's best loco as well (hint, it is "Big").

Marc

PS Check out my Pinterest site for some very close paint and detail shots of the trains.  The textures these 100 year old items produce (and my camera can take) are really something.  You can almost smell the fresh paint!  Click on the pics to blow them up!

 The inside of a mail car (above)...

 (look familiar?  Lionel reproduced these in different gauges)

 Just a way cool little train in front of the Trolley Museum.

The ZW Prototype Grand Daddy of them all (above and below)!

At Rockefeller Center...

Ya I know, we've all seen it before. Never gets boring though, love the signage!!  Especially at Rockefeller Center (was there last night!).

Marc

No more GG1's.

You can't open a toy train magazine these days without at least 5 advertisements and no less than 40 references to the GG1.  In 2012, there ARE actually other trains that do run in the United States that are COOL and unique.  I myself have 4 O gauge GG1's and a few standard gauge flavors so I like the product but enough is enough.

In a nutshell, this thing has been beaten to a pulp.  Can the O gauge train producers and magazine editors please put the breaks on the enthusiasm for this particular engine?  I can count the times I've been excited about the GG1:

#1  Seeing one on a side track in NJ a few years back.
#2  Seeing a very nice one in the museum in PA.
#3  Seeing numerous GG1's on my pike as well as on many club pikes.
#4 Talking to and making friends with an actual engineer that piloted PA GG1's (that should probably be #1)
#5 Watching a standard gauge loco roll around the giant SGMA pike.

And there are a few others.  Suffice to say though, when I open a new catalog or eBay or anything and see yet more GG1's with an exciting modification of more accurate paint and grab railing application, my heart not only doesn't flutter but I actually get irritated.  More of the same made in Asia.   Concentrate on making less of what is already there and focus on quality and (dare I say), exclusivity.  End of rant...

Marc

In Seattle, these should be standard gauge!

While I am not usually a fan of purple trains, this streetcar in Seattle would be a wonderful addition to any standard gauge fleet.  Isn't it time that we move standard gauge into the 21st century with something like this?  And these things do move really nicely as well and they are near silent.  Oh yes, I took this yesterday, I am standing a few feet away.  Very cool streetcar system!  Tried the monorail but there was a line to get on, decided not to.

Marc

What the?

I just saw some of the prices people are asking on eBay.  They still are looking at the books and thinking that  mint in the box for reproductions gets full/list price!  Or that a trashed mess is still worth mint in box/full price!  People, people, people...  Really?  Do you think anyone is really going to buy that MTH 384e for $750?  Are you kidding?  Sheesh.

Marc

Summer Restoration Project Completed

This is the Howard set that I posted about below. It needed some heavy duty soldering repairs, cleaning and almost total repainting. Early American 2" gauge electric trains are the cousins of Standard gauge. They were manufactured from the late 1890s until the early 1920s. Electric toy trains from this period have a certain charm that sets them apart from the glossier classic era trains.

TCA Convention Tour (Atlanta Dixie Division) - Arno Baars Collection

Definitely blow these up if you have a good quality monitor (click on the pics).  These are from Arno Baars collection.  These shots were set up for TCA Atlanta Convention (Dixie Division) and they show quite a collection. I WISH ARNO WOULD PUBLISH THE DAMN BOOK ALREADY!

Arno is an expert on Postwar Standard Gauge, specifically from eclectic sources that weren't Lionel or Flyer.  As you can see, his collection is spectacular and highly unique.  He has been working on a book for some time of these items and I for one would LOVE to see it.

I think I'm probably one of the few behind him that has such a huge yen for these toys.  Although I do like prewar stuff as well.  The Green City Of Denver on top is probably my favorite.  

Devastation collection!  Please send more pics!

Marc

PS If you are a TCA member... James Hall's wonderful collection was also in the TCA Magazine this month.  James has one of the nicest collections in the toy train world as well, probably the largest McCoy collection anywhere!  Check out the magazine (which should have arrived world wide by now).

Hanging out in Mystic Yesterday....

Hanging out in Mystic, CT yesterday out on the fishing boat and I happened to have a very good camera with me (not a phone).  Ok, normally boats and fishing don't have much to do with trains.  Except that Mystic has some great bridges (prototypes) and I got to see a couple of Acelas fly by (really cool to see them in action).  Took some pics!!

I uploaded the one of the boat just because I thought it was so cool.  This boat really has some character!

Marc

PS These are all of my pictures from yesterday, I forgot to watermark a few of them.  Please don't use them w/o my permission first!

Summertime Restoration Projects

These are Howard 2" gauge tinplate cars ca 1910. The Pullman has no paint at all, and several epoxy repairs that have come apart. The clerestory is epoxied to the roof and the whole roof is repainted with a heavy black coat of poor quality. The mail car has <5% paint left and also needs a few solder repairs. Finding colors that are close to originals will be challenge too. Lot 502 from the Ward Kimball auction shows what the cars will look similar too hopefully after I'm done.

It was inevitable....

I thought TMCC and DCS were the fusion of technology and trains.  Not even close.

Check out this article here (click here).

And this Youtube:





In a nutshell, it is a full computer inside of a running steam train.  Ok, it was bound to happen.  No, it isn't standard gauge but at least it is affirmation.  A computer that looks like an early 20th Century toy is just a hoot. Come on, you know you want one!  And if you want to upgrade all you need to do a push up the ZW and your PC will go even faster!

Marc

New Lionel Study Group Open Invitation

Four examples of Lionel 10s. Top: Department store special 10E in peacock with green frame, orange stripe, red lettering and Bild-A-Loco motor at left. The “E” indicated a two position reverse unit controlled from the transformer. Peacock painted 10 with black frame, Ives plates, and a regular motor at right. This locomotive has a manual reverse. Lionel owned Ives in 1931 and 1932 and took some regular production Lionel items and replaced the Lionel plates with Ives plates. Bottom: Red 10 and Macy's 10E in State Brown. Lionel finished some items for Macy’s in special colors. R. Sullens and T. Riley Collections.

Clem Clement and Bruce Greenberg welcome you to join our study of these locomotives and learn more about them. Date: June 2, 2012: 10 am to 2 pm. Place: 5233 Bessley Place, Alexandria, VA 22304 Please call Bruce Greenberg to RSVP at 703-461-6991. For previous study reports, please write Bruce at brucecgreenberg1@gmail.com

More Trolleys

I do love these things.  I never tire of seeing them.  I can see the romance that is connected with these vehicles. Some interesting lore I found out about these vehicles...

Guess how much they cost after they were decommissioned?   The wood one's were $300, metal was $500!  Can you imagine?  A whole trolley for $300?  It took quite a few years (about 40) to refinish the single truck trolley however I think it was worth it.

Below is the front of a wonderful interurban.  They have a couple.  Wish someone could make these in standard gauge.  Interurbans are unique vehicles, they go up to 70 MPH and can still roam around a city somewhat like a trolley.  Blow up the pic!

Why did the chicken cross the tracks?

Click on this one to blow it up... I took it yesterday.  I've always seen huge train layouts with chickens and roosters.  Here's a few of both next to the trolley tracks.  Guess there is a prototype for everything!  They don't cross the tracks, at least not while my son and I were there.  They do give dirty looks though!

Marc

More Shoreline

I know, a little artsy.  I just see pics online and I always want to go closer and can't.  These pictures are off an interurban they have in the car barn.  Blow them up (although these interurbans are just way cooler in person).

Marc

The Wonderful Shore Line Trolley Museum

For those of you that have not spent much time in the Northeast, the Shoreline Trolley Museum is a highly recommended destination.  I've gone many times and I plan to go many more.  I went yesterday for a couple of reasons.  I had an extremely bad week at work (it probably can't or won't get much worse than last week) and I needed a break.  I also went to commemorate a friend of mine.  The Shoreline museum was one of Jim Cohen's favorite spots in Connecticut.  He really wanted to go and work on the real trolley's not just the toys.  Unfortunately he never got to. 

I would very much like to do the same however it is a bit far from where I live.  I know for a fact that once I pass a certain age and my kids are well on their way to independence, they will be able to count on me as a volunteer.

This place is interesting for train people for a variety of reasons.  Next year will be the 100th year of operations for the line and that will make it the oldest continuous running trolley line in the United States.  No small feat.

The Shoreline also has some of the MOST beautiful cars and rolling stock in the world.  I'll post some additional pics after this post, this is just the initial post to get the topic rolling.  The museum is important for a number of reasons.  It is highly relevant today, probably more so then ever. 

Trolley's are low maintenance, comfortable, cheap and probably one of the best over land forms of transportation there is.  America drank the automaker/oil producer kool-aid long ago.  Cars are a part of our culture, no doubt.  However it only takes 5 minutes on one trolley ride to understand the immense value these vehicles offer.  They are gorgeous inside, reliable and are vastly more comfortable than any bus or car mass transit vehicle is today.

Sorry, I can't help myself with public service announcements.  The civic minded guy in me loves these things and wishes they were still available in every city.  We've just got so used to driving around.  Pay $4 plus per gallon of gas is making these look very attractive.

Let's move away from the civics lesson and talk about why they are important to train nuts.  The colors on prewar toy trains from Flyer, Lionel, Ives and so on were and are glorious.  Even 100 years later.  What you discover very quickly  is that these colors really did have prototypes.  The colors on real trolleys are every bit as engaging as are the trucks, the beautiful woodwork and the wonderful signage and controls throughout the vehicle.  The prototypes are as or more gorgeous than the toys. 

This isn't typically obvious in many areas of model railroading.  I've seen a Dash 8 in person and I've seen the toy.  Both are pretty neat but you don't walk away with any kind of awe and wonder.  A 90 to 100 year old trolley that still works and has the same wonderful colors as any classic car will have you trying to pull your jaw off the floor.  It is just that amazing.

And I did see some some rolling stock while I was there.  Why care about rolling stock?  Well because it looked distinctly like some of the Voltamp models I've seen out there as well.  Prototypes can be as interesting (if not more) than the toys.  And the ideas for layouts can really spring forth...

Try blowing up some of the pics (click on them).  I used a Panasonic Micro 4/3rds camera to shoot these with some pretty high definition.  I down sampled them to 1200 DPI for download speeds for everyone.  They should blow up quite well.  More coming...

Marc

The exhibit part of the museum has a neat area with some original Fontaine Fox trolley drawings and lore.  Check out the below.

This car is the same as the cars running in New Orleans now.  It actually did run on "Desire" street.  Hence the name "Streetcar Named Desire".  The inside is gorgeous and the ride was really fun. Some of the line is closed due to some destruction from Hurricane Irene (still).  However the ride on this trolley is wonderful and shouldn' be missed.

A prototype trolley truck.  They have a nice green patina.  Never have seen it on a model.

Love these chairs.  Solid wood and still comfortable.  Plus they flip around when the trolley reverses direction.  A bit more comfortable than the ripped plastic junk on mass transit today.