Let's See Your Electric Trains!

[Diamondback]

Scary thing is, I actually used to be an OK modeler--nothing spectacular, but could hold my own. I still try every now and then, when it looks like my hands are settling down for a little bit and I have a couple hours. (The megadoses of caffeine probably don't help much either...lol)

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

Major, once again you leave me impressed!
(And what does it say on that alien billboard?)

Glad you liked the pics Charlie, thanks.
It of course says, "The Truth Is Out There", on that billboard.
This particular layout does not exist in it's entirety now I'm sad to say, but someday we hope to resurrect it and bring it back to it's former grandeur, and more.
I would love to get back into it as the last things we were working on were a large art deco skyscraper and a museum both of which promised to be cool.
Kit-bashing is the most fun.

 

[Air Boss]

Wow

Great thread, great models. My eldest Uncle had a beautiful set of Lionel, probably early 1940's, youngest Uncle had a great HO layout - with slotcars! I don't havethe time or money for a layout so I'm patiently collecting O Gauge and G Gauge for later years. I'm old enough to remember when Christmas displays in the store windows all had a tin-type train set.

 

[Diamondback]

The real thing used to make special summer runs through the city where I grew up. Don't know if it's still operational or not.

Think N&W 611 still runs every so often, gimme a bit to doublecheck.

EDIT: Nope, last run '94, displayed at VA Museum of Transportation.

 

[Mike in Seattle]

Since it's a post on trains and running your own railroad, let me go somewhat out on a similar tangent. I've been angry with our local county executive for a couple issues, but the biggie is this. Years ago, someone who loved trains and had collected a few REAL ones decided to start a business running a dinner train from here Renton to one of the wineries in Woodinville. Drinks & salad & dinner on the way up, wine tasting at the winery while the train turns around, coffee & dessert on the way back. Friends also work the run several times a month doing a Dinner Mystery Train. We've done the trip three times in the last 12 years, but alas, never the Dinner Mystery Train.

Aforementioned county pin-head decides the county should buy this thriving business for the county to run. Business owner says, "Thanks, but no thanks!" My opinion - they can't even run the county well - why are they trying to dabble in real business? Taking over an existing business is NOT a function of county government. I've been waiting 18 months for them to pay off on an accident the court's already ruled the county was totally negligent in, and they're too busy to have time to cut a check in all that time? My solice is that the amount they have to pay increases by the day. And they want to operate a for-profit business?

In retaliation, county pin-head announces shortly thereafter that the county suddenly doesn't have funds available to replace the Wilburton Tunnel when a freeway widening project begins shortly. NOW, when he wanted to buy the train, he had huge sums of money (more than twice what the tunnel replacement would cost is what I've heard) available for the purchase plus additional funds for tunnel replacement. Where did it all go?

In any event, the train makes its last run next Tuesday. I've got many fond memories of being in downtown Renton on Saturday evenings with "Swing Years and Beyond" playing on the radio or in one of the nearby restaurants as the train pulls out of the station. The train's temporarily going to run from Tacoma to Eatonville, and may eventually be running from Woodinville to Snohomish...but all the money this guy put into renovating the collecting & restoring engines & dining & observation cars, renovating the old station, parking lots, taking over a nearby old car dealership to build a mini-convention center in Renton must be heartbreaking to a family that's run built up a highly successful business from nothing. And tens of millions of dollars in business income, sales tax revenue and economic stimulus will be gone from Renton. It's about the only tourist attraction the city had. I think there would be a resounding round of applause if said county exec were to be tied and left on the tracks Tuesday...if only it worked like it did in the movies...

 

[Diamondback]

I think there would be a resounding round of applause if said county exec were to be tied and left on the tracks Tuesday...if only it worked like it did in the movies...

Mike, I think the entire state outside of Puget Cesspool--oops, I mean "Sound"--would agree with you, but to go any further would stray into politics.

 

[MrNewportCustom]

Shortly after my last post to this thread, I sent an e-mail to Tom Daniel. I remembered my father to him, and his, Mr. Daneil's, visit to my father's layout. I also mentioned my guarding of the Vette when I was a kid. The following is our exchange. The friends I mention are you folks here in the Fedora Lounge.


Mr. Daniel,
While telling friends about my father's HO scale train layout, I remembered an evening when you had paid us a visit to view my father's layout, which he kept in the back half of our garage. My father's name was Donald Raymond Vaubel, and I'm sorry to say that he passed away a few years ago September. He lived in La Puente, CA. I seem to recall that you had brought another man with you.
I remember that you brought your "Cal Street Vette" at a time when it was painted a pearl white (possibly metallic) that reflected pink (to my young eyes) under the street lamps. I was the youngster who "stood guard" over it during your visit. I also built the model of your car, as well as "Vandal", "Quick Silver" and a few others.
When I was a kid, it was an honor to protect such a wild, wonderful and well-known car. But now, as an adult, I kind of wish I'd spent the time talking with you, instead.


Thank you for the memories,
Lee Sterling Vaubel


----- Mr. Daniel's reply. -----


Hello Lee.

How nice of you to write.

Very sorry to learn of your fathers passing. I remember Don as being a very likable, sincere gentleman; and a good model builder.

We had a kind of informal HO train model group including Don, Bill Crain (Crains Trains hobby shop in La Puente), Chuck Yost and a couple others whose names escape me right now.

We all exchanged HO freight cars - each imprinted with the names of our private RR creations. I still have (packed away) those HO freight cars, including one your dad gave me that had his hand painted RR logo (I think it was the Crystal lines). If you would like to have it, Lee, please e mail your mailing address. Somewhere I also have some sketches of an HO factory I was going to build named after your dad: VAUBEL VACUUM WORKS.

I don't recall the night you mention, but do have memories of visiting your home on several occasions. The Cal Street vette color was a tangerene orange/pearl that refracted light to sometimes look pinkish red to orange. At night under a street lamp it may well have looked white as you remember it. (Thanks for the 'guard duty'). La Puente even in those days was a rough location.

Kind regards,
TD


I wrote Mr. Daniel to accept his offer, and to tell him that it'd be an honor to return the freight car to my father's collection. The HO factory sketches he mentions was a surprise to me. I asked if he was also offering those. I also told him that I'd be happy to stand gaurd over his car again.


Lee
________________________________

"Thanks for the memories." - Bob Hope

 

[Mike in Seattle]

Mike, I think the entire state outside of Puget Cesspool--oops, I mean "Sound"--would agree with you, but to go any further would stray into politics.

While sitting on hold numerous times today resolving a matter with our friends at the IRS for a client, I kept wondering..."What would be more vintage correct if one might desire to leave, oh, let's say, a politician on the train tracks...bound with rope or bound with chain? What would Pearl White have been bound with?"

 

[Katie Brookes]

the entire lower floor of my parents house is filled with my father's model trains... i will have to put up some pictures. or maybe i will get him to join, i think he would enjoy reading a lot of what gets written about here. he is a big steam train enthusiast and that comes with a lot of vintage stuff attached just by nature.
(my dad when he was much younger, the beard has been white and santaclausesque for a long time now)

 

[chanteuseCarey]

A Golden Era favorite at Christmas- TOY TRAINS! Show us yours!

Anybody out there Lionel (and G scale) fans?

We have been into G scale trains for years, and more recently I got into Lionel and MTH O-scale. We have done outdoor model train G-scale layouts at the Holidays that we shared with the community at our house. The last time, we added O-scale to the community layout. We had four O-scale trains running simultaneously on a 9'x12' raised layout with Dept 56 buildings, a large mountain that the Polar Express train ran through, and lots of little toy train-sized people and accessories in the front of the open garage. Three Lionel engines (Polar Express, an EMD ABA, and a repro Lionel pastel colored Girl's Train) and an MTH engine. We ran three of the O-scale trains on original pre- and post-war transformers, the EMD ABA (which pulled twenty cars) was run on a new Trainmaster. I used Atlas three-rail track.

What started as a G-scale little circle of LGB track pulling an Xmas starter set around the Xmas tree in 1994, eventually grew to be a 4 train G-scale set up, running on 4 tracks on a total size of 16' x20' seasonal layout on our front driveway in December. We have a carousel, a ferris wheel, a perfect G-scale Barbi dance floor, a circus tent and a 20 car consist G-scale circus train including 2 modified LGB circus cars with lights and custom built calliope car that plays music and and has lights.

Cannot find the O-Scale pics to share right now, but here's a couple of the G-Scale on the front driveway- pics from the first year we did it. It got bigger and better each year:

​

More pics at:http://www.sonic.net/~linsley/

Last year, we just had the PE running around the tree in the house with buildings, people and accessories laid out with the train. This year I'll hook up my 3 vintage (late 1920's) Blue Comet passenger cars to the PE tender. YES, I swapped out ONE vintage coupler for a new one to be able to put it with my newer engines- oooh sacrilege!

 

[scotrace]

Bumping this and another. I want to see some vintage electric trains!

 

[Bushman]

This had been my Grandfathers Lionel train set. Well, everything except the car flatbed, the semitrailer flatbed, and the vintage missile car:

He bought it back in the 50's, and I've since added on to it with some other vintage cars of my own: two more box cars, and an exploding box car. I didn't put them out because I wanted to keep things simple this year, but on some years by family room looks like a rail yard. lol I've actually been wanting to add some tanker cars to my collection for a while now. I've had the engine pictured valued at $500 alone! But I'll never sell. For me, vintage train sets are something to be kept in the family, passed down from one generation to the next.

 

[Nobert]

Not mine, but this is from the setup at the Railroad Museum in Medina, New York. At over 200 feet, it's one of the largest model train layouts in the country. This is the only picture I could get off my phone for the time being.



Some more impressive photos at the museum's website.

 

[Warden]

OK I'll confess I once had a dream I met Rod Stewart & we talked for hours about model trains.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3264325/My-favourite-tracks-ones-trains-says-Rod-Stewart-Singer-reveals-books-second-hotel-room-models-play-tour.html

 

[kampkatz]

Rod Stewart's HO (OO) layout has been featured in Model Railroader several times. He has said it was more of an honor to be in the hobbyist magazine than any music periodical. His train layout is one of the biggest private collections known. Along with his home soccer field, the layout helps him keep his sanity.

 

[MisterCairo]

This had been my Grandfathers Lionel train set. Well, everything except the car flatbed, the semitrailer flatbed, and the vintage missile car:
View attachment 21741 View attachment 21742
He bought it back in the 50's, and I've since added on to it with some other vintage cars of my own: two more box cars, and an exploding box car. I didn't put them out because I wanted to keep things simple this year, but on some years by family room looks like a rail yard. lol I've actually been wanting to add some tanker cars to my collection for a while now. I've had the engine pictured valued at $500 alone! But I'll never sell. For me, vintage train sets are something to be kept in the family, passed down from one generation to the next.

Where does one get a missile car?!

 

[Bushman]

Where does one get a missile car?!

Not entirely sure, hobby shops perhaps? I got that one as a Christmas present. It's a lot of fun.

 

[GHT]

OK I'll confess I once had a dream I met Rod Stewart & we talked for hours about model trains.

Somebody else in the music industry is an aficionado of model railways. You will need a spare 40 or more minutes to watch this video, then, if you are hooked, there's practically a library more of links to keep you happy for ever.

 

[scotrace]

Train Time.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

Not mine obviously but one of my favorite trains.