A Nostalgic Layout

A marvelous video.  Its chock full of 1950 memories especially with the huge robot like "Dude" from "The Day the Earth Stood Still".   Great music as well.  It made me want to put everything Lionel in the yard and run nothing but Marx.  Thanks for the trip down memory lane. 

The layout belongs to Chuck Farley up in Chico, CA

Steve

A wonderful representation of what truly is the foundation of this segment of the hobby.

THANKS for sharing! 

Question: WHO made the model of the robot, Gort? - I want one!!

The ORIGINAL Day the Earth Stood Still is my all-time favorite science fiction motion picture, directed by the incomparable Robert Wise (West Side Story, The Sound of Music, etc.).

Did NOT bother to see the re-make - how can you improve on perfection?

Really great!

Peter

That was a lot of fun.  The music was great too!

Art

The wonderful years before HO corrupted our happy world.

Al

Gentlemen,

   Great old layout!

PCRR/Dave

What could be more fun than that wonderful layout??  Thanks a million for posting it, Charlie!    The circus/steam calliope/Warner Bros. cartoon music in the video fit perfectly, too.

Thanks for posting this video Charlie!

I enjoyed it!

Gary

Not sure who makes it, but being on Chucks layout it probably was not expensive

MTH hand cars had reversing bumpers, but I am not aware of them doing a MM one.

Steve

Gary, I was locked on to the same thing.  I paused the video and got a good look at the mold of the handcar body.  Not Lionel, Marx, K-Line, Flyer.

Steve's right, the molding matches the MTH handcar (M & M's) 30-2597, which has an automatic bumper reversing mechanism, but is not Mickey, and MTH has no Mickey handcar.

MTH designs are usually borrowed from another source - the MTH Polar Express elf handcar design uses the Lionel molding.  

Where did this reversing handcar design come from?

Or did someone switch the figures on the MTH M & M's car?

"Product Number: 30-2597

O Gauge

Product Line: RailKing

Roadname:  MARS - M&Ms

Features - Intricately Detailed ABS Body
- Metal Wheels, Axles and Gears
- Colorful Paint Scheme
- Precision Motor
- (2) Moving Car Figures
- Automatic Bumper Reverse Mechanism (ABRM) - Unit Measures:4 3/8" x 1 15/16" x 2 15/16" - Operates On O-27 Curves

The RailKing handcar features two M&M's characters pumping the handle up and down to get the car rolling. The faster they pump, the faster the car goes. The unit operates on any O Gauge track system and features an Automatic Bumper Reversing Mechansim (ABRM) that changes the car's direction when it hits a track bumper."

I just sent an e-mail to Chuck, hopefully he can provide an answer.

Steve

Charlie...great video...thanks for posting it...

Alan

Nice video.  Enjoyed watching it.

Thanks!

Great video and layout ...thanks for posting it!

I agree about the 1951 movie; it is my favorite SF flick, and the "remake" shouldn't be called that, because it is not. But then, you couldn't "remake" the movie unless you had Michael Rennie as Klaatu, and Gort as himself. I've been looking for a  1/48 Gort, as well as that classic spaceship. No luck.

Ok, here is Chucks answer on the handcar.

Steve

Hi Steve,
Good to hear from you. It's a MTH reversing handcar. It had a broken step when I acquired it, so I removed the rest, painted it red, and added the Mikey and Minnie figures from a Hallmark, Disney hand car ornament. The figures legs are coil springs, so they bend.
Hope the grand kids are keeping you busy, that's what they are for.
Regards,
Chuck

For what it's worth, I found a Gort and other robots here: http://www.tintoyarcade.com/

Well, that explains it.  We were on the right track, but it's a one-of-a-kind.  We're out of luck Gary, unless we make our own the way he did.  

Chuck did a really fine job, that's a great handcar and the figures have a very antic movement.

Thank you Steve, it's always fun to find what other creative geniuses are doing and how they do it!!  Please tell your friend that we appreciate him sharing his trade secrets!

Chuck made a video to answer your questions.

Steve

Here's one I built a few years back with basically the same construction as Chuck's. Figures are from candy dispensers I found at Walgreen's. Scale is a little large - see Marx 490 in background.

Bill, geez, nice job!  when it comes to MM on the layout I'm not too worried with scale, I think they're great.

Steve, wow, thank Chuck again for us, that was really great of him to make the video.  

I guess we all tinker around with things and sometimes they work out and sometimes not so well, but  I think it says something for Bill's and Chuck's creative eyes that these came out so well.  All the charm of the original 1930's MM handcar, and then some - using the reversing mechanism really makes it!

I have a weakness for these bump-n-go things: it's great feeling some big standard-gauge tinplate roaring around the track, but trains, like trix, are for kids, and there are few things in train land sillier or more fun than these bump-n-go trolleys and handcars bouncing back and forth.

A while back here somebody posted a video of letting about a half dozen Lionel gang cars loose on several crossing loops of track, it was about the best show of bumper cars I've seen!

Charlie, thanks for finding the original video and getting us started!