Just fiddling with the 2 7/8ths Stuff....

Just moving around some 2 7/8's. I think I am going to make room for an overhead layout on my current layout. I think the Leland Detroit Monorail may have to come off.

By the way, I thought I would drop a pic on of 2 McKeens. Both very different approaches by Dick Mayer to the same car. Either one is really cool (UP or Virginia and Truckee).

Marc

Work Car

Saw some great pics of Pat's new Work Car on the forums. Thought this work car in 2 7/8 by Jim Cohen might provide some food for thought.

There are plenty of prototypes for work cars. Arcadia Publishing has a wonderful book on New Haven Trolleys with some really nice pics of work cars. They look much like the one below. Typically the trolley lines would "repurpose" old trolleys or rolling stock used for local shipping. There are plenty of very close prototypes to the 2 7/8 gauge versions and my guess is Pat's won't look a whole lot different than the prototypes when he is done. Makes me wish all the manufacturers would stop making so many GG1's and Hudsons and start making stuff that was in quite a few neighborhoods.

Marc

Another Hertz Pic....

I liked this one, it shows Hertz with Walter Popek comparing 2 7/8 gauge finds....

Marc

Joe Mania at METCA

Boy was I glad to see Joe at METCA. It was great to see his amazing set up of the toys he builds so well. If you ever want affirmation that you've picked the right hobby, go spend 5 minutes with Joe at his table.

He's a true craftsman when it comes to toy trains. I'm going to break up Joe's area into different parts. There were a few new arrivals there that I hadn't thought I would see at the METCA meet. Let's start with the best and brightest 2 7/8 gauge made in the USA!

It was great seeing all of these models in one place at a show. The Converse Trolley on the table is just the nicest version of the 2 7/8 models I have ever seen. These trains really do attract people of all ages. Joe's gear was in a room with other layouts and the circle of 2 7/8 track demanded much of the attention. I couldn't take my eyes off of the trolley as it smoothly moved over the track that was designed over 100 years ago.....

M

Joe's kicking butt!

Joe is s really kicking some serious scratch built gluteus maximus!

He's shrank down most of the most famous 2 7/8 gauge items to standard gauge size. Check out how beautifully these things scaled down. He told me that much of his work involves trial and error.

The payoff is obvious. The 2 7/8 next to the standard gauge version says it all. Hopefully somone like MTH will catch the idea and pay Joe for some consulting on this gear. He's on to something, no doubt about it. This is just one of those plain old smart ideas.

There's some irony, I was reading a Lionel catalog yesterday and it was discussing Railsounds 5.0. It was saying how the new Hiawatha can have multiple levels of sounds (louder chuffs, quieter whistle, etc.); every sound is adjustable. Practically everything is adjustable.

While quite interesting and entertaining for a couple of minutes, I'd rather have any of these trains in my collection versus the entire feature set of a new sound system. It's almost like the movie "Field of Dreams". "Make great trains and they will come." Concentrate on making innovative trains with an eye on the past and future. All of these toys had prototypes. Some are closer to the prototypes than others. Regardless, Joe has put some great ideas into metal. He's made me a little jealous because I want to be able to do the same thing. The first thing that should tell anyone is that he's on to something.

That moldy coal room in my 110 year old house may be getting some nuetrocrete soon....

M

2 7/8 - The forgotten gauge

Before standard gauge there were a multitude of different track sizes available. There was 2 inch track, 2 7/8 gauge track and so on. Voltamp, Knapp, Carlisle and Finch, Howard, Marklin, Hornby, Bing, Fandor and on and on used all different sizes of track.

Interestingly, markets and timing can make or break the scale of a toy train.

I had a friend up in my trainroom yesterday and he was looking at my O gauge stuff and he said "that's what I always thought was the big stuff". Since I have standard gauge and 2 7/8, there's much more that's bigger in my trainroom.

I'm not sure how much has changed since the turn of the century. All of those wonderful brands mentioned above are gone. We seem to have gravitated to two places: size and prototypical representation. Z, N, HO and O seem to be the mainstream. S gauge and standard gauge being the aging and ugly cousins of the above. 2 7/8 is the old man that lives up in the attic that walks around in a velvet bathrobe and rambles on about knowing Bing Crosby.

So why 2 7/8 gauge? Well for one thing, I love the heft of the trains. For some reason in my visceral mind, heft equates to quality. The more metal I have the better I like it. I bought my son a Z gauge set and it felt like I was setting up a flea circus. I've watched the T&M videos more than a hundred times and I do remember the whole story about how JLC got his first big break with the Electric Express in the window. I also remember the reason (it was reported) that 2 7/8 failed was because homes were getting smaller and there was no way to do switching. Actually, there is and there are some 2 7/8 gauge switches as well as some supposed prototypes from Lionel floating around. Laying 2 7/8 gauge track is a bit of a hassle but no worse than well balasted standard gauge or O gauge track.

To the point of this discussion; I urge everyone to look out for 2 7/8 both vintage and repro. After 1 or 2 recent purchases, here is what I can tell you.

1) It doesn't cost that much.
2) It is really fun to watch.
3) It's a bit easier to fiddle with because the parts are very large.
4) When it looks older it still looks really cool.

The accessories for 2 7/8 are really rare. I've only seen the bridge in person and things like bumpers. I know there are a few accessories out there but I haven't had direct access to them. One more thing; the Converse Trolley is the grand daddy of all the trolleys out there. Yes, I know there were trolleys before it but it still maintains a place in all train collectors psyche as the one trolley that epitomizes prewar trolleys. I've been working on the motor for one for a while and I can't seem to get some of the parts in correctly.

So some questions:

1) Who has seen 2 7/8 gauge accessories?
2) I know there are a few collectors out there. What's your favorite 2 7/8 piece?
3) Any pics?

I know 2 7/8 will never gain a large following in the hearts of large volumes of collectors. There's no steam and it only captures a small part of the United States prototypical running stock. But it does lend itself to one thing: it can be elevated using the cast iron pillars. It was designed to be elevated because the prototypes had elevation as well. Standard gauge (because of the way it is weighted) can have some pieces elevated. 400E's and 392's probably won't be so hot on well elevated layouts. Too much power too fast will give you airborne toy trains. Every peice of 2 7/8 can be elevated beautifully.

I've rambled enough. Any thoughts? Oh yes, the above pic is from the upcoming Maurer Auction.

M

Downsized 2 7/8 by Joe

This is a downsized B&O No. 5! Yes, it is standard gauge. Joe built this from scratch.

I'm trying to convince Joe to quit his day job and build trains full time.

Here's the thing that got me interested in 2 7/8 and this really captivating new standard gauge item: there are prototypes that reflect these models.

There's a couple of great books from Arcadia Publishing on New Haven, New London and Hartford Streetcars. I strongly recommend going out to Amazon and grabbing a few of these books.

I'd scan in the pics however they are copyrighted material and I know I'd receive a letter from an attorney after I hit the blogger "publish" button. Suffice to say, many of the work trolleys and the very early trolleys that carried freight look exactly like 2 7/8. Matter of fact (and I have said this before), it's kind of shocking how close Lionel came in the early days to a very strong reproduction of the actual real trains in CT.

Lionel wasn't in Connecticut! Actually, they were in Bridgeport for some time and JLC spent a good amount of time in Connecticut. The talent was here to build trains and Bridgeport is a port. I know from reading various opinions from 2 7/8 gauge experts like Louis Hertz that much of the "why" of 2 7/8 may have been lost to antiquity. I do know that I am glad guys like Joe are still bending metal and making some intriguing toys for those of us that never got to see the real thing....

M

Not a full deck...

My Brothers came over yesterday, they hadn't seen my train room or office for years.

My brother snapped a picture - this is the corner of my office.

Both of them think I have lost my mind.

I love looking at these toys every day (which is why they are in my office and not with the rest of the toy train populuation in the train room).

They inspire me and they represent overwhelming creativity.

Am I really nuts?

Marc

A Whole New Gauge For Me

I've somehow stumbled into Lionel 2-7/8" gauge. It was nothing I planned; it just sort of happened. I won an auction, and so now I have this whole new area to explore and learn about.

I've been doing a lot of reading about 2-7/8" gauge. Most of the reference books on standard gauge have chapters on 2-7/8" gauge. I've glanced at this material in the past but I never really paid much attention to this area because I didn't think I'd ever get into this stuff. The originals are rare and expensive, and even the reproductions are costly and somewhat scarce. And, then there's the whole question of layout space if you want to run this big stuff.

The track is a whole other matter. It's not readily available (is it?), and I suspect it's tricky to assemble, not really child's play. I can see how the move to three-rail tubular track was necessary. Yesterday, I built this display stand for my first 2-7/8" piece. I made a quick trip to home depot for a piece of scrap oak, some scrap steel, and some wood to make ties out of. I think it turned out pretty good.

Jim