A couple of tidbits...

The November 4th NETTE auction is up here. Looks like some nice standard gauge. Mostly classic era stuff.

The new MTH catalog is up here. The site is slow as molasses. Can't imagine why...

Been a ton of debate and discussion on pictures at York.

I actually enjoy the discussion even if it doesn't yield any huge change. I won't babble anymore opinions about it on the blog.

Next time I get that voting card in the mail from the TCA, I am going to be looking for leaders that want to make a difference and a change. I'll be looking for leaders that tell me about their positions and not just what they are doing pre or post retirement....

M

SGMA Kickin some serious standard gauge butt!

Just follow the link up top to the Tinplate Times. The one thing about this hobby that I love is seeing happy people! And these were about to see some serious standard gauge metal running around the tracks in York, PA.

I just wish we had pics of the full layout and YouTube movies of the action (in lieu of me actually being there and helping out). Seeing thier happy faces really did make me wish I could have been there and offered up a couple of my trains.

Funny, I never thought there would be a part of any toy train hobby that told me I couldn't do something (like take pictures). Wierd :(

M

Rail Inspection Car

A little article from a 32 year old TTOS bulletin....

I'll post a few more pics of neat rail inspection cars. This is one scratchbuilt flavor.

It's really nice and Larry Archer does a great job of giving us a blueprint of how to make these.

MTH can't make everything. It might just be up to us.

Marc

Sorry for the strange rendering...

Hi All,

I have to apologize, the blog seems to be rendering itself a bit strangely depending on your browswer, screen real estate and so on. Or maybe it's just York and the Blog wants to go?

Whatever the reason, I'll figure it out and fix it. IE7 (the new Microsoft Browser) does do some caching and strange rendering that's different than IE6. At any rate, if you are seeing the blog incorrectly spaced do not adjust your monitor; it's my HTML.

Marc

A few new MTH Pics

The Prewar Times has a few new MTH Standard Gauge Tinplate pics. If Blogger behaves today the rest might get posted!

Go check them out and go check out O Gauge Watch's York report.

Marc

JAD Hiawatha

I've seen quite a few speculations about JAD in the Tinplate forums. Here is the TTOS Bulletin where the first JAD Loco (the Hiawatha) was introduced.

May 1974 was a good year for standard gauge. Actually 2006 and 2007 isn't too bad for standard gauge either.

Check out John Daniel's (it's Daniel by the way) introduction to JAD. This is a small part of the story of Daniel and the various toy train hobbyists in California. I've heard some good stories. They were a very, very creative bunch (think Dick Mayer, Ward Kimball, John Daniel and on and on).

Check out John's write up below.

M

PS Join TTOS and be part of a whole bunch of people that are also nuts for standard gauge stuff (and tend to take matters into their own hands!)

Check this out....

Here's a neat little trolley from George Templin. The ad was done in the 1970's. The train reminds me of a 2 7/8 gauge trolley. You can blow it up by clicking on it.

I always wonder how these low run items perform, especially over the decades? The train itself is unusual and has some real charisma.

Does anyone have one they can contribute pics of? 25 units and 30 plus years old. Sounds "rare" to me!

M

Holy Schnikey's!

I got a look at this catalog today. Wow! If there is one thing MTH definitely likes, it's our niche market.

I don't know about you but I am going to vote with my dollars. This catalog is fantastic. It is one heck of alot of tinplate.

I like trains. If I had to stop collecting tomorrow I'd still be happy with my collection. When catalogs like this come along, it makes me want to double the size of the pike and collecton. I should be medicated.

M

PS Holy Schnikey's is from one of my favorite flicks, Tommy Boy. It's a silly movie and I miss Chris Farley every time I watch it. A few of my others : Trading Places, Ghostbusters, The Blues Brothers, Dr. Zhivago and Lawrence of Arabia and almost any World War II movie (Battle of the Bulge and Bridge at Remagen are two of my favorites).

I saw this in a 1974 TTOS bulletin. It fascinated me for a couple of reasons; the scratchbuilt standard gauge Bi-Polar being one of them.

The little note from the builder Bill Crippen was also interested me; especially his last comment. This was over 33 years ago and yet the commentary is still very similar as it is today on our standard gauge groups and forums.

Still, in dark green, this whole set must really be something. It's another one of those "Where are they today?" discussions. I hope an amazing set like this wasn't broken up (as I've discovered even I have done without knowing all the facts).

Marc

Dorfan - What could have been?

There's no denying it, Dorfan Trains are some of the most unique trains ever developed. If only the castings had been better developed.

I often wonder what an innovative company like this could have done with some venture capital and a little better marketing with some less lethal rivals (like Lionel).

It's signficant that we have MTH and some smaller manufacturers building standard gauge but it must have been really exciting to have multiple manufacturers developing these toys in the early part of the 20th century.

I wonder what would have happened if companies like Dorfan had been allowed to develop their products unfettered by the economics of the times?

The Dorfan lithography was really amazing, especially on the freights. Maybe some standard gauge with less rivet detail and more litho?

Any thoughts?

Marc

Amazing 1 Truck Set

Check out this amazing standard gauge set. I was perusing some old TTOS bulletins and I saw this little set. How cool is this?

These one truck cars are really cool. I bet they don't need 072 curves either. I could have a layout that's practically z-scale up in my office and still have a standard gauge pike! I wonder where this amazing little set is now. Talk about a "one of a kind" masterpiece! So when everyone is waxing on about what they'd love to see a manufacturer make, this would be my addition!

M

PS The TTOS Bulletin this came from was May, 1974.

Something I'd like to see....

These were just some whistful trucks lying around here in CT. I thought they made a poetic picture. Useful, purposeful and un-used. Seems like a familiar refrain in the world of railroading.










I liked the little PA Weight car. I think I have seen something similar in standard gauge by Rich Art. I'll have to dig around and see what I can find. I also found some interesting stuff by John Daniel in a 1974 TTOS bulletin on JAD. I'll post it later.

M

Buffalo Terminal

Central Terminal Restoration Corporation 2006 Slide Show

Hi All - I was just goofing around on YouTube and I found a neat slide show on the revitalization of Buffalo's Central Terminal. This is the right thing to do with old relics like this. The World's Fair station (1933) has a very strong resemblance to this particular departure area....

M

PS The music wasn't the right choice, I'd shut off the sound.


Buffalo Central Terminal

A real turntable (that works!)

Danbury, CT Turntable

Was goofing around today at the Danbury Railway Museum. We went on one of the few working turntables in New England (or anywhere for that matter).

I posted a YouTube video of it rolling. The roundhouse is gone but the wonderful turntable remains, even through the 1955 flood in Danbury that put almost 5 feet of water over the turntable (hard to believe).

It was really fun riding it and seeing some idle motive power hanging out around New England in fall. The foliage is what drew us to Southern New England. I also got a look at some mint refinished gear like the Budd Cars and some incredible rolling stock. Damn, they'd be nice in standard gauge....
M


Real Turntable in Danbury, CT

Julia Nov. 11 2006 Auction

We're heading into that part of the year again. The part of the year I still haven't paid off from last year.

That's right, auction season! When train shows and auctions stretch an already negative bank balance even further!

The picture here is a rare C&F Interurban. It's part of an enormous and amazing collection of trains and antiques being sold by Julia Auctions. My experience with them has been positive. I've bought some items from them and they were exactly as described, well packed and expeditiously sent. I can't make that claim for every transaction every person has had with them but mine was extremely positive.

Go out to their website and check out the preliminary pics from this auction. Looks like a doosey!

M

NETTE Auction Oct. 11 2006

I stopped by the NETTE auction last night. It was fun and it was relatively empty.

It was at a Holiday Inn and I think there was a party next door because the music was LOUD!

I really enjoyed watching Mark Tobias in action. It was also kind of cool to see how the eBay live auctions work. I always wondered what it looked like on the other end of the auction. They have a big screen flat TV that shows all of the items up for sale and on the Internet.

This seemed like a big auction but one of Mark's colleagues told me the upcoming auctions are going to be bigger.

The prices were totally reasonable, especially for the standard gauge. The prewar O gauge was really doing well. All told the prices were completely decent and so were the toys. It was a great auction for one of their "quick" auctions.
I hope I can get to more of them.

M

Pride Lines Interurban

Jim Kelly put up a great YouTube Video of the new Pridelines Interurban. This new train is just artwork. Plain and simple. I can't wait to see more of these riding the rails!

M

The 1910 in Sheet Metal

Here's two pics of the 1910 (O gauge) in sheet metal. If I do anything with this blog, I hope it is to start a new age of tinplate maniacs like myself building this stuff and not just buying it. These are Joe's great creations. Wait until you see some of the scratchbuilt standard gauge I have found. And when you see the not at all sophisticated parts that when into it, your first words will be the same as mine "I can do that!"

By the way, here is a note from Joe on getting started:

"Have your bloggers check to see if they have any local "Metal Clubs" in their areas. I just joined the "Home Metal Shop Club" in Houston. It is full of people who enjoy working with metal (dentists, professtionals and most importantly retired metal shop workers). They are a wealth of information and can assist anyone in obtaining used metal equipment."

Thanks Joe and keep 'em coming. All you tinplate nuts out there - are you listening? What have you built lately?

M

Joe's O Gauge 1910

Joe,

This is way cool. It's really neat to see a brand new 1910 (even if it is in O Gauge). I always wondered what these things looked like new. Whenever I see them they are heavily scratched, even at train shows (which is admittedly rare).

So it's encouraging to see new 1910's. I think this also shows how nice a simple engine can truly be.

M

Standard Gauge Colors (in Real Life)

Was just in lower Manhattan yesterday and I saw this building right next to the Staten Island Ferry. It's been undergoing some serious refurbishing in the last year and looks awesome.

I kind of see where old JLC got his colors from. The colors in real life are just as nice as the colors on the trains and accessories....

Marc

Joe's Scratchbuilt SteepleCab and Mining Buckets

This is Joe F's scratch built SteepleCab and mining buckets. Man, these are cool.

It looks like he's really refining his art.

So Joe; when can we get a little tutorial (or big tutorial) on how you make these? Can you take some pics through the process?

There are quite a few people that would like to know all that goes into making these. I know it is mostly trial and error. Your errors and trials have made some pretty nice stuff!



Marc

Toyzine

I was goofing around with Google last night and I found this site. Very cool. I know everyone here in the standard gauge world likes more than just toy trains. You have to!

Buddy L trucks, Mr. McGregor Battery Ops, Ives Boats; we all like toys besides those amazing trains. My desk has one of those little Marx Frankenstein's on it. You know, the one that has his pants fall down and face turn red!

But enough about my desk. A&E wants to have some archaeologists come and find out if there are Knights Templar buried underneath the piles of bills on my desk.

This site links to auctions, advertisements for collectors, a news area. It's kind of a cool bookmark. I can't put it on my page because it really doesn't have enough to do with our little slice of heaven. But still, for a toy nut...

M

Joe's Scratchbuilt 1910 Set

Joe F. Scratchbuilt this 1910 and set of cars. This is the kind of amazing little set that will pull more folks into our hobby.

He also used some imagination and built a 1910 in O gauge. I'll post it later along with some pics of his completed C&F Mining set.

Really cool stuff Joe. Keep up the great work.

Any thoughts on grabbing some video of some of these trains running on your layout? I'll do the heavy lifting and get them out onto YouTube and published.

M

Mike Wolf Interview

Mike Wolf & Standard Gauge Trains

What can I say about Mike Wolf that hasn’t been said at least a thousand times before? He’s probably one of the most savvy business men I have ever spoken with and he is absolutely one of the most passionate participants in the toy train world I have ever met. One of the things I did get from speaking with him is that there is definitely a difference between building toy trains and buying/playing with them. I know that I am stating the painfully obvious however the differences are still apparent.

Understanding the demographics of the toy train industry today and the toy train industry over 50 and 100 years ago is no small task. All train collectors of old toy trains own some piece in their collection that is at least 60 to 100 years old. Maybe even older. Everyone that buys toy trains thinks they understand the market based on what they’ve seen and heard, usually from the collecting community. It’s part of the lore that was created in the early days of Lionel, American Flyer and Ives catalogs. It is an ingrained part of our culture; the need to look forward to an exciting new invention or product while looking back with nostalgia.

Manufacturing and spotting market trends today is vastly different than in the early part of the 20th Century; however the demographics aren’t as different as we’d like to think. In talking to Mike Wolf, I heard a guy that is very close to the process of building and selling trains. The depth and knowledge of the market can sometimes be overwhelming and not just from Mike but from anyone who has been in it for over a quarter of a century and relies on it to make a living and pay the bills.

I am going to go through the interview with Mike Wolf using my own verbiage and periodically quote him. To say the least, Mike is a storehouse of knowledge. When I was speaking to him, he had so much to say that it actually became hard for me to keep up. If I actually just listed what he said it would take up three blogs and not just mine. In most areas I have to paraphrase what he said; not because I don’t want to quote him word for word (I do as much as I can) but because the amount of information he has just couldn’t fit into an article and be readable. I had to make some decisions because one hour with Mike is like 4 hours with any other serious train collector.

The other impediment I had to get past was my own biases. I thought I knew something about making toy trains based on my experiences working for companies that make other mass volume consumer products plus the fact that I have been an insane train $&%&@* my whole life. I was wrong. The bulk of our discussion was new news to me.

In the beginning…. No, that sounds too ominous.

When I picked up the phone and called Mike, his secretary put me through to him right away. Typically when I speak to executives in my own company or others, I have to wait for them to make a grand appearance; either in person or on the phone. His promptness is really only the beginning of a first impression but it is important to mention because I believe that focus comes along with being timely. Time is finite, so being on time speaks volumes.

To coin a really cheesy phrase: Mike’s focus is like a laser. If you haven’t spoken to Mike Wolf before and you have the opportunity, I highly recommend it. Even if you hate the guy (which you really can’t after you speak to him and I certainly don’t) you will respect him after you speak to him.


It is glaringly apparent after speaking with him that his knowledge of trains comes not just from running a company or selling the trains; he actually has the wisdom that comes from the guy that has put them together, painted them and then boxed them up and shipped them out. It’s called “working the line”. His perspective is rare; it reminded me of some of the discussions I had with other people that have made trains for many years such as Dick Mayer and Jim Cohen. Both Mr. Cohen and Mr. Mayer are well respected low volume train manufacturers and are rapidly nearing retirement (both are over 70 years old). (By the way Joe, I respect you as well, you just ain’t over 70!)

His overall standard gauge volume is vastly different than any other manufacturer, even Lionel in its’ heyday. He also does a great job addressing some of the critics that are “purists” for antiques and he is neither glib nor arrogant about his place in toy train history.

His knowledge of the industry is vast and it goes back to the very beginning. He can quote pages about early toy train production by chapter and verse right out of books like Ron Hollander’s. His perspective is unique because his company has built a diverse portfolio of standard gauge items and has been exposed since day 1 to people that shape how toy trains are made, bought and sold. MTH is more diverse in standard gauge manufacturing than any manufacturer on the planet at any point in time.

Key:
SGB = Standard Gauge Blog
MW = Mike Wolf

We started out with the litany of questions I received from the blog readers:

SGB: “Can you make xyz?”
MW: “Remember, standard gauge is a niche, not the whole market.”

SGB: “That might be true, but is it a profitable niche? Is it a niche where the customers are loyal?”

MW: “For MTH it is profitable but it is still a niche nonetheless. It is important to remember that the demographic for standard gauge isn’t the same as for O gauge. The average age of a standard gauge purchaser is 52 years old.”

SGB: "52? But I know guys younger than that in the hobby that are actively purchasing all kinds of trains."

MW: “The average age of most purchasers for O gauge and Standard gauge is 52 years old. The prime difference being that standard gauge is a smaller niche than O gauge however the standard gauge enthusiast spends more on trains per year than an O gauge enthusiast.”

That was actually some real news to me. What this says to me is that our particular fascination for this gauge may present a conundrum to most manufacturers. If they cater to us, the risk is that they won’t sell their gear, the payoff is that we spend more money on our gear, period.

SGB: “How does MTH compile its’ customer metrics on Standard Gauge? How do you know what to build?”

MW: “Since MTH’s inception, we’ve been putting these little cards into all of our products. Product feedback cards. We really do look at them and we track trends over a period of decades. It’s one huge advantage MTH has. Our customers have been giving us feedback for years. It’s probably some of the best market research we could have bought.”
MW: “We know with a high degree of certainty who’s buying tinplate products and the mix we need to offer. It really hasn’t changed much since the early days of standard gauge and tinplate. If you check in Ron Hollander’s book it is quite clear that the demographic, even when production was substantial in the 30’s, was focused on an older age demographic. The dollars just make sense. We don’t have 4 year olds buying or playing with this stuff, the bulk of it is focused on an older crowd.”

One thing Mike did say is that MTH will be making more 2 7/8 gauge product. That’s probably not going to happen in the short term (not in the next year for sure).

SGB: “Not all of standard gauge goes to an aging demographic though. Isn’t it our job to recruit younger people?”

As a side note, this is something Mike is very passionate about. He has very strong ideas on the direction of the TCA as well as other clubs and events. He very strongly believes we need to get more people into trains. Not just kids but grownups as well.

MW: “We do need to get substantially more people into trains. I don’t see the audience changing for trains anytime soon. The most successful endeavor we’ve had with recruits for standard gauge comes from our starter sets. Customers buy them and put them in a Christmas Garden or around a tree and end up playing with them much more than they thought.”

MW: “We also should think about modifying some of the rules and regulations for getting into clubs like the TCA. The environments for creating toy train enthusiasts can’t be limited or it will shrink.”

SGB: “Won’t different and new trains like a Hudson (Creswell 600E) bring customers into the hobby?”

MW: “We’ve thought of quite a few different designs and options for our standard gauge trains. We tried the Articulated 400E and it just didn’t happen. We just didn’t see the orders. Even with our traditional standard gauge, the best selling items are the classics. The items that are in the traditional form and colors.”

SGB: “How about all of the new paint schemes you have tried?”
MW: “Even the new paint schemes don’t sell as well as the traditional colors. For one reason or another they key into the psyche of the operator/collector.”

SGB: “What is your favorite piece of standard gauge?”

MW: “The 400e. It was a big risk to make the first time and I remember that. Also it is the best looking engine in my opinion and it is why it is incorporated in our logo.”

SGB: “So you’ll never make something out of the ordinary? Everything has to have been done before?”

MW: “Hold on there, we aren’t closed to ANY idea. But there has to be a market for it. Keep the ideas coming; we are a company that will always listen to our customers!”

SGB: “What is your best selling standard gauge item?”

MW: “The 200 Series Freight cars.”

SGB: “How about the wrinkle of Contemporary vs. Original?”

MW: “Contemporary outsells original 5 to 1. Much of that is because of the newer motor technology. It just pulls more cars efficiently. Much of that is unlocking all of the Protosound 2.0 Sound Effects and capabilities. Our standard gauge products can just do some things that the originals cannot touch.”

SGB: “But does it work better? Is it in the spirit of the original?”

MW: “Yes. There are purchases that are impulse and then there are purchases that are strategy. Protosound is part of a layout and operating strategy. It’s all about how you enable the trains to be used now and in the future. For instance, the Leland Monorail in Contemporary form has outsold the Traditional product. That is going to really be great to watch, it is a terrific product. Protosound really makes an operating difference.”

SGB: “How are you evolving Protosound for tinplate operators?”

MW: “We have quite a few ideas for DCS. We are trying to prioritize them and define which one’s will be most viable for the market. We just released an upgrade that has some fixes and some new features. DCS is only going to get better over time.”

SGB: “I’d like to see the DCS interface evolve a bit. Do you have anything on the horizon?”
MW: “I can’t discuss specifics; we have quite a few opportunities and options we are looking at.”

SGB: “I’d love to see the interface simplified a bit. I love the old ZW.”

MW: “You should look at our Z-4000 coupled with DCS. It has an excellent interface and is something everyone is used to yet delivers more power consistently than any of our competition.”

SGB: “Let me switch gears a bit and talk about eBay. Does it help or hurt the standard gauge market to have your gear available on eBay at all sorts of prices? Is it dumping?”

MW: “No, not at all. We need more people in the hobby and eBay is a good way to recruit folks that might not be interested otherwise. The more people that get involved, the more track that gets put out in layouts, the better off we all are.”

SGB: “So eBay is not a threat to your business?”
MW: “Nope. It’s a way to pull in more customers. It isn’t a bad thing at all.”

We had a substantial and long discussion about DCS. More than I’ll print here because there are many folks out there that aren’t DCS fans and there others that swear by it. I’ve had DCS since day 1 and it has come a very long way since its’ inception. All of my MTH purchases are Proto enabled and I have never been disappointed by the product.

We also had a long discussion about why trains are so popular in Europe and don’t seem to have as much traction at retail in the US. Much of it is cultural and how train companies have marketed to Europeans non-stop over the last 100 years. I pondered the retail presence and the availability of trains to every European. Mike said that European train manufacturers don’t exactly have streets paved with gold (as the recent Marklin sale highlites). Selling trains is a challenge regardless of the locale.

SGB: “Sometimes it is hard to find MTH Standard Gauge items at local hobby stores. Is this something you are going to remedy?”

MW: “We already have. We have some great hobby retailers that are Tinplate Megastations. Western Depot is one of them. There are others out on the MTH website. They are excellent resources for everything we make. Mizell Trains, Brady’s Train Outlet and so on. They stock and carry almost every tinplate (meaning standard gauge and tinplate O gauge) that we make. If they don’t have them in stock they can almost always get them for you. I highly recommend looking to them for Tinplate purchases.”

SGB: “So you’re not considering the direct model? The one that has made Dell famous?”

MW: “No. We need to offer a higher level of service to our customers and the only way we can do that is with trusted business partners in key geographical areas. It’s more than just having product on hand; we need to have service departments that can recognize problems that they can fix vs. sending it back to us and make sure that they are there for customers throughout the entire experience. Remember, it is expensive to stock and inventory everything we make. Even the largest dealers have finite resources; they need to pick the best options for their customers.”

SGB: “I have a question about a rumor I heard that MTH still uses original dies for the standard gauge and O gauge tinplate. Dies that were developed in the 30’s and dies that were developed for the Classics line of another manufacturer.”

MW: “I’d love to know where that rumor came from! We make everything for all of our trains, especially the dies. We are constantly refining and retooling to make sure our products are as good or better than the originals. There is no possible way we could use any old dies from anywhere. Everything we use is our own, developed especially for us from scratch. We don’t use anyone else’s dies, just our own.”

The one interesting thing I detected from Mike was not one ounce of bile or anger about the pending and “resolved” lawsuits. I didn’t engage him in conversation about it because I don’t think it is germane to our discussion. The man is singularly focused on moving forward in a big way. I definitely did get the sense from him that his company was focused on innovating and making quality. I know I can sound kind of like a kiss ass in some of these articles and interviews but a good attitude makes a strong impression on me and I’d rather take the high road.

He didn’t strike me as vindictive, angry or even a little unfocused. His sole job is to make trains and recruit as many people as he can to MTH. Remember, I spoke to him very shortly after his latest legal tussle with another manufacturer. He’s a guy that definitely takes the high road.

SGB: “Do you guys have an archive? Do you keep all of the flavors of every train you make.”

MW: “We do. We have almost all of the tinplate we manufactured from the last quarter of a century. Some of it is missing but only a small amount.”

With that we started to run out of time. I did detect that Mike is a very busy man and since I wanted to honor my hour of time with him, I called it a day. He was very gracious and let me know that if I had more questions I could send them to his staff. I did and he has consistently answered promptly.

So some things are clear from this article and there are other things I’d still like to know. MTH does use its’ customers as a sounding board and takes directions from them. That’s a fact. I’d still like to know more about the nuts and bolts of making tinplate trains. How long does it take, what are some obstacles to making the volumes MTH makes and so on. All told though, the vibe that I received from Mike was that MTH is in the market for the long haul. They are investing substantially in forward thinking with DCS and with tooling. That’s good news for everyone in the hobby, operators and collectors alike. It was good to speak to a guy that was clearly passionate about everything he does. As I said, I have quite a few questions for Mike (most of which require factory info) and I’d love to take a 6 Megapixel camera and a 2 Gig SD card to his factory. My last question for him:

SGB: “What do you think people will think of when they see your collectibles 100 years from now? Do you think they’ll be the hot collectible in 2106?”

MW: “It doesn’t matter to me. I just want people to have fun with the stuff we make right now. That’s all that’s important.”

Amen to that.

A quick note - My buddy Arno said that the fonts were not rendering properly; I have since changed the font to "Times" which should render on any and every system from the last 10 years.

RailTech NorthWest Steeple Cabs

This little guy popped up on eBay and I KNOW there are a whole bunch of bidders.

I think we should all drop Al a line on this and let him know we'd like him to make some more of these (with CAN motors).

This is what I mean about standard gauge. You just don't see anything this cool in any other gauge (not made 100% out of metal at least!).


Marc

Boxcar Betty Calendar

In case you don't belong to TTOS - The BoxCar Betty Calendar was recently featured along with a great article by the owner of the company that makes them. It is all cool trains and is for a very good cause.

The calendar can be purchased here. Just think; 50 years ago when the TCA was founded this would have sparked an uproar. Now it's just a catchy and neat calendar for my trainroom. Guess I'll have to take the old Farrah poster down!

I like the Dorfan Crane and the 217 caboose. I also have a bridge that would look great on any layout but right now it is crossing the FDR and East River going to Brooklyn.

M

Everyone's Hero

If you haven't seen or heard of this movie yet, you should. First and foremost, it is a great movie. It's animated and for kids but if you are a big kid like me; it's worth every penny.

It has trains (some of the nicest I've seen since Polar Express), great footage of Penn Station in the stylized era from the 20's and 30's and great period footage. It's just a great movie set in an era we're all interested in.

The other side of it is this: the movie has a message I really like. I won't spoil it for you, the kids or grand kids; it just has a message that is right on point and makes several other strong messages using subtle means.

Nuff said, don't let this one pass you by!

M

Testing, Testing...

Just testing out my linking to YouTube. It's kind of a neat train scene. If it works, I'll post some nice train movies....

2006 Club Car

Here's the latest TCA club car. I have to admit, I like this one much, much better than last year's. It's Ives, it's green, it's Gramps!

You can order it online here.

I have to say that I have never been disappointed by TCA car ever.

With all of these great auctions and new club cars, a Groucho Marx quote comes to mind: "I've worked my way up from nothing to a state of extreme poverty."

M

A freaky little car....

It looks kind of neat against a State Set backdrop. Scale? No.

Still, it does look good in the scene!

M

Hold on just a tick...

Signals are the undiscovered country of toy train collecting. They are everywhere! At least here in the Northeast.

I am curious, how many operators out there actually have working signals on their layouts? Do they work fully or just light up? What's your favorite signal?

I have a ton of the things and I NEVER intended on collecting them. These signals can do great things; keep trains from colliding, help us see when the layout is dark or just plain look old and cool.

Any thoughts?

M

Watched some auctions today....

2 Auctions in one day. Pretty cool to watch them both online.

The one thing I wanted got waaayyyy too expensive for me to afford. All in all both were kind of interesting.

I should take it as a sign. I have no room left in my train room and no cash left in my bank account.

If I set everything up, it would probably look like this (minus the huge space).

How the hell did they do this awesome landscaping?

M

Make that 390E!

We can hope future MTH catalogs have a 390E! Hopefully in green and in Blue Comet colors.

Read my upcoming article on Mike Wolf and learn how to give strong feedback to MTH!

M

An old shot from Kughn

Carrail was my holy grail. I've always wanted to make mountains like Dick Kughn had on this amazing layout. I have most of the accessories and none of the room.

M

Mr. Powerstation

I am nuts for Power Stations and 217 Cabooses!

Not my layout (but I wish it was)!

M

The simple things in life...

I remember in my first quest for Lionel (and getting fleeced bigtime) purchasing this lampost.

It has since been reproduced and is still REALLY cool. I've seen one or two of these in Manhattan. It's really freaky when you see one for real.

M

Sept. 06 Pics

Famous shot off of a famous layout. Mo matter what, I love this friggin powerstation.

I've seen something that looks very much like it in the Bronx, NY. I wish I could have hung around in the Bronx when trolleys were powered by power stations like this one.

Somehow the bungalow next to it just doesn't seem right....

M

Some nice pics for Sept. 2006...

Hi All,

Been super busy. But I just can't let a sleeping blog lie.

I am going to post a ton of pics from some of my favorite layouts. I'm also going to post some new stuff. Just the pics mind you. I'll put a little blurb with them and then I'll let the readers fill in the blanks.

M

A new knobby roof daycoach....

Here's a newly primed brand new Knobby Roof Daycoach. It's about time someone made some of these. This one is Jim Cohen's creation. There's just no other way to put it; it is really good to see these getting made.

String a few of these behind a Brass 1912 and you have one heck of a nice train.

I'm looking forward to seeing the entire set.







Here's some brass parts to make more daycoaches. Kind of a nice change from the old Blue Comet cars and 400 series passenger cars.

I'll take more pics when they get closer to getting completed.

M

New England Toy Train Exchange Auction

The NETTE Auction is up! It has some absolutely terrific standard gauge.

PS A few of you have asked me why I like NETTE so much. Well, they are honest, decent and they are one of the few auction houses that bothers to answer my questions and treat me like a human being. If they treat me well when I'm not buying anything, I know their service will be (and is excellent) when I do buy something.

Go check out the new auction....

Marc

I'm not dead (yet)...

I am still here! Between work, writing the Mike Wolf article and general summer mayhem, I haven't had much time to post much of anything. I did post my new survey and I am interested to see how the results pan out.

The MTH article is tough. I want to make sure I get in as much info as I can, thus I am spending a ton of time pestering MTH for details. They've been very gracious about giving me information. Hopefully the article will prove interesting and worth the work...

A new NETTE auction is coming up. I just received the emailer from them. This is going to be one of their premium auctions, I am definitely looking forward to it.

By the way, the above pin is from Hakes Collectibles. If you have never seen a Hakes auction or auction book, they are one of the best. Check them out.

Marc

Train Video Poll

If TM Videos Made a Video about Standard Gauge Trains, which topics would you like to see most.

Select up to 4 of the following: Videos About Other Collectors (IE Frank Petruzzo, Chuck Brasher, Etc.) Videos broken up into O gauge and Standard Gauge Prewar Video's about specific manufacturers (Lionel, MTH) Videos about lower volume/lesser known manufacturers (McCoy, RichArt, Creswell) Videos about Rare Items or Accessories Videos about Early Toy Trains (2 7/8, Knapp, Howard, Voltamp) Videos about people that make and manufacture toy trains Videos about noted collectors like LaRue Schempp and Tom Sefton Videos about actual real trains that were made and built before WWII. A documentary about pre-WWII manufacturers (Ives)

Web Polls by Vizu

The Railway Channel

Yes, I know The Railway Channel has been discussed on the Groups and on other Blogs. This is just terrific. I can tell it is made by people that love trains.

Who knows, maybe if enough of us Yankees patronize this site, they'll come over here and do some of their mojo and film some of us train nuts in our natural habitat?

On another note, I watched the NETTE auction yesterday. The prices were outstanding. That means they were reasonable and completely in line with what we should or could pay for an item. I had a great time watching it on the web. There may be sensible people left that don't want to horde every train and don't jack up the prices on every auction! At least some nice trains got out there with some great collectors. Send me pics of those layouts!

Marc

Bits and Bobs of Tidbits....

Stout Auctions is rolling out another auction here. Not much major standard gauge but a few nice items. The NETTE Auction is also coming up. Both are being offered through eBay Live Auctions (a good thing I think).

MTH just started shipping their operating crane.

I ordered one of these. This is one heck of a neat item, I hope MTH keeps innovating. I've been working on my MTH interview. I just want to make sure I put together something better than ok; so I'm taking some time and doing it right. I gotta tell ya, that Mike Wolf has got real chutzpah and is one heck of an entrepenuer. I think the chronicling of his adventures is only at the beginning.

I've seen some interesting commentary on the forums about Lionel and how they seem to be missing the centennial of standard gauge. That's a mistake for them. I know this market is a niche, a niche that's lasted a hundred years. NASCAR and the UPS Centennial? That's not a niche? I read the O Gauge Trains interview with Jerry Calabrese and it looks to me like the secret to making Lionel successful is marketing and merchandising. Should be interesting; I know Jerry knows this market however I think Lionel still just doesn't get it. I couldn't find one O gauge engine I would go out of my way to own. The fact that they are not acknowledging standard gauge exists is short sighted at best.

I was checking out the Yahoo Standard Gauge Groups and I saw a little note about Jim's new layout. Click here to go see the beginning of a neat collection. Jim warns that his layout isn't for purists, he refurbs his gear. That's ok, it's still brilliant and I would also say his website his very well thought out as well.

By the way, I was in New Jersey this weekend at the shore. Got a few rides on this -

This would look neat in model form on any layout. For those of you that live out in the Western US or in another country, I highly recommend a trip to Wildwood, NJ. It was a little warm but there's tons to do and riding the tram is 2 bucks.

M