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Around the central Indiana area?

John C.John C.OGR Forum Member SUPPORTING MEMBER

I'm just curious.  I'm NOT asking anyone to post an address, but I'm just curious to know if any member/visitor to this forum has a layout in the central Indiana area.  The very few people I ever knew with layouts all had HO scale (including me for years).

 

I live in Avon, Indiana.  Is anybody else around my area?

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John C.John C.OGR Forum Member SUPPORTING MEMBER
We have done the Christmas Tree layout for many years!  I'm very lucky to have a whole basement.  When I saw this house my wife couldn't get me to come out of the basement to see the rest of it!
 
Originally Posted by Retlaw:

I live just down the road in Plainfield, but don't have a permanet layout.  I currently have an 'L' shaped figure 8 on the family room floor for the grandson to play with, and always set up a Christmas layout under the tree, around the couch, etc.

 

MrMuffin'sTrainsMrMuffin'sTrainsOGR Forum Member DIGITAL SUBSCRIBERFORUM SPONSOR
Originally Posted by Passenger Train Collector:

There is a Forum member that lives in the Indianapolis area. He is in the process of building a magnificent scale 3-Rail layout. He is a good friend and I will pass on your info to him.

Is it us, my friend?

 

John - please check out our website and Facebook page at MrMuffin'sTrains. We would be happy to have you visit! 

Last edited by MrMuffin'sTrains
Al K.Al K.OGR Forum Member

 

 
 
Ladies and Gentlemen, Start Your Engines! - Indy 2014
 
 
Trains, Trains and more trains!  You guessed it, the 44th annual Lionel Collectors Club of America (LCCA) convention will be in Indianapolis, IN in 2014. This center of automobile racing will welcome us the week of July 20 – 26, and the Marriott Indianapolis East will be our home. This will be our first convention in the racing city and it will be a fast paced week. We will have plenty of real train excursions and plenty of Lionel toy train activities.  Tours are being planned that will mix both traditional Indy sites as well as those typically enjoyed by train. While I was looking at the city and wondering whether or not you, our members, might enjoy some of the tourist locations around the city, I stumbled across a couple of dining venues that I said had to be on the tours. I know you think all I think about is food, and you are not too far wrong, but I assure you these two spots are top notch and if you don’t agree, then blame Jerry Calkins since he’s in charge of tours. There is Shapiro’s deli that has been in Indy for 107+ years and is a downtown icon. We are planning on having lunch at that delicious spot one day and dare you to leave hungry. The second place is a German restaurant, the Rathskeller that is also a well-known local dining establishment that starts you off with fresh baked, warm pretzels and some of the spiciest and hottest mustard I’ve tasted. To paraphrase the Brylcreem commercial, A little dip will do you. 
 
On Monday July 21 members will enjoy a special live steam train excursion aboard primarily vintage passenger cars headed up by the famous NKP 765 Steam locomotive.  OGR Publisher Rich Melvin will be at the throttle for a round trip excursion from Kokomo IN to Logansport IN.  There will be numerous other faily oriented tours and activities such a a visit to Mr Muffins new operating train layout and store in its new location.  A team from Lionel will be there all week long with their massive operating layout which was designed  and built by TW Train Worx of Dallas TX.  We will be havering numerous free clinics seminars in some of the evenings.  Please visit our website www.lionelcollectors.org for more information about all of the unique and fun Tours!
 
Many members have asked, “What is there to do in Indianapolis?” To be honest with you, I did not know either at first, but soon found out that this city in the heartland has more to offer than just the Indy 500 and the Brickyard 400.  Yes, racing is a major industry and the tourism it brings is important too, but you will discover that the War Memorial is a must see place, especially if you have served any military time. If history is important to you, then the Benjamin Harrison home should not be missed with all its original artifacts including: rug, piano, kitchen utensils, desk and chairs and books, to mention a few. The home is like it was when Harrison returned after being president. Then there is the Indiana RR Museum and the Whitewater Valley RR, so we have trains and automobiles lined up for you to enjoy with more to come.
 
 
 
There are a lot of items still being worked on to provide you memorable tours and an outstanding week in Indy. Did I mention the Indianapolis Raceway? That famous race track will certainly be on the tour schedule with the wonderful museum that houses most of the winners from the Indy 500 races. To see the evolution of the open wheel racers from the first winner to the latest, is to see innovation and science melded together into a truly work of art.
 
The Convention Committee welcomes all members and their families to Indy in July 2014.  There will be our traditional events and activities, a return of Indy Bob and the now-famous flapper raffle, and a few as of yet unannounced surprises.  Registration for LCCA members and their families is currently  open.  Register now, because tours are filling up fast.  
 
So make your plans now, schedule your vacation and clear your calendar for July 20-26, 2014, and the LCCA’s 44th annual convention in Indianapolis, Indiana. This will be another one you will not want to miss. It seems we have been having one great convention after another and this one will prove, one again, that the LCCA is the best toy train club on the planet.  See you in Indy!
 
 
For more information about tours and planned activities go to the "convention tab" on our website www.lionelcollectors.org
 
Al Kolis
President Elect
Lionel Collectors Club of America
Agkolis@comcast
248 709-4137
 
John C.John C.OGR Forum Member SUPPORTING MEMBER
I'm glad to know that we, my wife and I, aren't the only two people I know in Avon!  I know other people have to have O scale trains and layouts but its funny that at least for me I have rarely ever known anyone with a layout in O.  Years and years ago I ran into a guy at a flea market who knew a guy that had a large Lionel set-up in a basement.  Another guy, my friend's step dad, had a Lionel train in the early 70s.  That was it.
 
Have you got a spot or plans for your layout?
 
Originally Posted by 86TA355SR:

I also live in Avon.  Small world!

 

No layout yet, just expensive boxes sitting around.  Hope to get one up this fall.

 

Mr. Muffin, I'll have to get up to see your shop.  I go to Carmel a lot.

 

Often wondered how many folks here lived in Indy.

 

John C.John C.OGR Forum Member SUPPORTING MEMBER
Don't forget about Indianapolis only exclusive O scale train shop!
 

  1. Train Express - Welcome - Indianapolis

    <cite class="_Fe">www.trainexpress.com/</cite>‎
     
    Lionel Authorized Service Station Center. L.G.B. Authorized Train Stop. M.T.H. Authorized Dealer. Train Express has a knowledgeable sales staff with decades

     8555 Zionsville Rd, Indianapolis, IN 46268
    (317) 879-9300
 
Originally Posted by Al K.:

 

 
 
Ladies and Gentlemen, Start Your Engines! - Indy 2014
 
 
Trains, Trains and more trains!  You guessed it, the 44th annual Lionel Collectors Club of America (LCCA) convention will be in Indianapolis, IN in 2014. This center of automobile racing will welcome us the week of July 20 – 26, and the Marriott Indianapolis East will be our home. This will be our first convention in the racing city and it will be a fast paced week. We will have plenty of real train excursions and plenty of Lionel toy train activities.  Tours are being planned that will mix both traditional Indy sites as well as those typically enjoyed by train. While I was looking at the city and wondering whether or not you, our members, might enjoy some of the tourist locations around the city, I stumbled across a couple of dining venues that I said had to be on the tours. I know you think all I think about is food, and you are not too far wrong, but I assure you these two spots are top notch and if you don’t agree, then blame Jerry Calkins since he’s in charge of tours. There is Shapiro’s deli that has been in Indy for 107+ years and is a downtown icon. We are planning on having lunch at that delicious spot one day and dare you to leave hungry. The second place is a German restaurant, the Rathskeller that is also a well-known local dining establishment that starts you off with fresh baked, warm pretzels and some of the spiciest and hottest mustard I’ve tasted. To paraphrase the Brylcreem commercial, A little dip will do you. 
 
On Monday July 21 members will enjoy a special live steam train excursion aboard primarily vintage passenger cars headed up by the famous NKP 765 Steam locomotive.  OGR Publisher Rich Melvin will be at the throttle for a round trip excursion from Kokomo IN to Logansport IN.  There will be numerous other faily oriented tours and activities such a a visit to Mr Muffins new operating train layout and store in its new location.  A team from Lionel will be there all week long with their massive operating layout which was designed  and built by TW Train Worx of Dallas TX.  We will be havering numerous free clinics seminars in some of the evenings.  Please visit our website www.lionelcollectors.org for more information about all of the unique and fun Tours!
 
Many members have asked, “What is there to do in Indianapolis?” To be honest with you, I did not know either at first, but soon found out that this city in the heartland has more to offer than just the Indy 500 and the Brickyard 400.  Yes, racing is a major industry and the tourism it brings is important too, but you will discover that the War Memorial is a must see place, especially if you have served any military time. If history is important to you, then the Benjamin Harrison home should not be missed with all its original artifacts including: rug, piano, kitchen utensils, desk and chairs and books, to mention a few. The home is like it was when Harrison returned after being president. Then there is the Indiana RR Museum and the Whitewater Valley RR, so we have trains and automobiles lined up for you to enjoy with more to come.
 
 
 
There are a lot of items still being worked on to provide you memorable tours and an outstanding week in Indy. Did I mention the Indianapolis Raceway? That famous race track will certainly be on the tour schedule with the wonderful museum that houses most of the winners from the Indy 500 races. To see the evolution of the open wheel racers from the first winner to the latest, is to see innovation and science melded together into a truly work of art.
 
The Convention Committee welcomes all members and their families to Indy in July 2014.  There will be our traditional events and activities, a return of Indy Bob and the now-famous flapper raffle, and a few as of yet unannounced surprises.  Registration for LCCA members and their families is currently  open.  Register now, because tours are filling up fast.  
 
So make your plans now, schedule your vacation and clear your calendar for July 20-26, 2014, and the LCCA’s 44th annual convention in Indianapolis, Indiana. This will be another one you will not want to miss. It seems we have been having one great convention after another and this one will prove, one again, that the LCCA is the best toy train club on the planet.  See you in Indy!
 
 
For more information about tours and planned activities go to the "convention tab" on our website www.lionelcollectors.org
 
Al Kolis
President Elect
Lionel Collectors Club of America
Agkolis@comcast
248 709-4137
 

 

L LuOGR Forum Member
Originally Posted by John C.:
I'm glad to know that we, my wife and I, aren't the only two people I know in Avon!  I know other people have to have O scale trains and layouts but its funny that at least for me I have rarely ever known anyone with a layout in O.  Years and years ago I ran into a guy at a flea market who knew a guy that had a large Lionel set-up in a basement.  Another guy, my friend's step dad, had a Lionel train in the early 70s.  That was it.
 
Have you got a spot or plans for your layout?
 
Originally Posted by 86TA355SR:

I also live in Avon.  Small world!

 

No layout yet, just expensive boxes sitting around.  Hope to get one up this fall.

 

Mr. Muffin, I'll have to get up to see your shop.  I go to Carmel a lot.

 

Often wondered how many folks here lived in Indy.

 

Greeting from Indianapolis.  We have a group that meets monthly on the first Thursday of the month; to gather for the “Retired Guys Train Talk”.  Mostly this is an O Gauge/ O Scale group but we also have several that are Flyer and Pre-War collectors.  There are around 65+ members in the group and most work around Indy and a couple from places like Greensburg and just outside of Rockville.  Usually, we gather for lunch at a restaurant close to the home where we will have “Train Talk”.   Then we go to one of the gentlemen’s home to talk about trains and often we get a chance to look at their layouts.  Some of our members are part of the Pacific and Eastern Group – “Live Steam” group that opens their facility during the year to ride the rails in Johnson County.  Our group started with just 6 folks in 2010 and the good part about this group not only do we talk about trains often we have presentations about a train related item.

 

John C.John C.OGR Forum Member SUPPORTING MEMBER
How do you where the next meeting takes place?  I still work but at times an free on Thursdays.
 
Originally Posted by Lu:
Originally Posted by John C.:
I'm glad to know that we, my wife and I, aren't the only two people I know in Avon!  I know other people have to have O scale trains and layouts but its funny that at least for me I have rarely ever known anyone with a layout in O.  Years and years ago I ran into a guy at a flea market who knew a guy that had a large Lionel set-up in a basement.  Another guy, my friend's step dad, had a Lionel train in the early 70s.  That was it.
 
Have you got a spot or plans for your layout?
 
Originally Posted by 86TA355SR:

I also live in Avon.  Small world!

 

No layout yet, just expensive boxes sitting around.  Hope to get one up this fall.

 

Mr. Muffin, I'll have to get up to see your shop.  I go to Carmel a lot.

 

Often wondered how many folks here lived in Indy.

 

Greeting from Indianapolis.  We have a group that meets monthly on the first Thursday of the month; to gather for the “Retired Guys Train Talk”.  Mostly this is an O Gauge/ O Scale group but we also have several that are Flyer and Pre-War collectors.  There are around 65+ members in the group and most work around Indy and a couple from places like Greensburg and just outside of Rockville.  Usually, we gather for lunch at a restaurant close to the home where we will have “Train Talk”.   Then we go to one of the gentlemen’s home to talk about trains and often we get a chance to look at their layouts.  Some of our members are part of the Pacific and Eastern Group – “Live Steam” group that opens their facility during the year to ride the rails in Johnson County.  Our group started with just 6 folks in 2010 and the good part about this group not only do we talk about trains often we have presentations about a train related item.

 

 

T 86TA355SROGR Forum Member
Originally Posted by John C.:
I'm glad to know that we, my wife and I, aren't the only two people I know in Avon!  I know other people have to have O scale trains and layouts but its funny that at least for me I have rarely ever known anyone with a layout in O.  Years and years ago I ran into a guy at a flea market who knew a guy that had a large Lionel set-up in a basement.  Another guy, my friend's step dad, had a Lionel train in the early 70s.  That was it.
 
Have you got a spot or plans for your layout?
 
Originally Posted by 86TA355SR:

I also live in Avon.  Small world!

 

No layout yet, just expensive boxes sitting around.  Hope to get one up this fall.

 

Mr. Muffin, I'll have to get up to see your shop.  I go to Carmel a lot.

 

Often wondered how many folks here lived in Indy.

 

Going to build in my shop.  Not ideal, but all I got.  Plus, the trains will be out of boxes.  

 

I got a track plan that is pretty simple.  15x23, Big UP steamers are my focus.  o-120 to 150 wide radius curves.  

 

I remember when Train Express was on Industrial Blvd.  I also remember the fire at Schied Tire, which was owned by the same man.  Burned down Train Express also.

 

I was in TE about a year ago.  Always enjoy giving Larry a hard time.  Now I buy mostly on OGR or on-line.

 

I've looked at your layout photos and it looks great.

 

What is weird about this thread is many of you are from somewhere I have a connection!  

Brian WolfeBrian WolfeOGR Forum Member DIGITAL SUBSCRIBER

I live in Muncie and have a 12 x 12 3-rail O-gauge layout in my basement featuring Monon, Wabash, and Nickel Plate equipment.  The Muncie and Western Model RR Club which I belong to just hosted our 23rd Annual Muncie Model Train Show on Feb 22.  Attendance was HUGE with over 900 paid admissions.  Proceeds are used to maintain and improve the 3-rail layout at the Muncie Children's Museum.  The area NMRA group is organizing a home layout tour on Saturday, April 19 and I've been invited to show my layout that day.  Come on up to Muncie on April 19. 

John C.John C.OGR Forum Member SUPPORTING MEMBER
I will have to see what my schedule may be closer to that time.  Thank you for the invite!
 
Originally Posted by Brian Wolfe:

I live in Muncie and have a 12 x 12 3-rail O-gauge layout in my basement featuring Monon, Wabash, and Nickel Plate equipment.  The Muncie and Western Model RR Club which I belong to just hosted our 23rd Annual Muncie Model Train Show on Feb 22.  Attendance was HUGE with over 900 paid admissions.  Proceeds are used to maintain and improve the 3-rail layout at the Muncie Children's Museum.  The area NMRA group is organizing a home layout tour on Saturday, April 19 and I've been invited to show my layout that day.  Come on up to Muncie on April 19. 

 

John C.John C.OGR Forum Member SUPPORTING MEMBER
Please post photos of your progress.  I would like to come and see in person some time if that would be alright...
 
Originally Posted by 86TA355SR:
Originally Posted by John C.:
I'm glad to know that we, my wife and I, aren't the only two people I know in Avon!  I know other people have to have O scale trains and layouts but its funny that at least for me I have rarely ever known anyone with a layout in O.  Years and years ago I ran into a guy at a flea market who knew a guy that had a large Lionel set-up in a basement.  Another guy, my friend's step dad, had a Lionel train in the early 70s.  That was it.
 
Have you got a spot or plans for your layout?
 
Originally Posted by 86TA355SR:

I also live in Avon.  Small world!

 

No layout yet, just expensive boxes sitting around.  Hope to get one up this fall.

 

Mr. Muffin, I'll have to get up to see your shop.  I go to Carmel a lot.

 

Often wondered how many folks here lived in Indy.

 

Going to build in my shop.  Not ideal, but all I got.  Plus, the trains will be out of boxes.  

 

I got a track plan that is pretty simple.  15x23, Big UP steamers are my focus.  o-120 to 150 wide radius curves.  

 

I remember when Train Express was on Industrial Blvd.  I also remember the fire at Schied Tire, which was owned by the same man.  Burned down Train Express also.

 

I was in TE about a year ago.  Always enjoy giving Larry a hard time.  Now I buy mostly on OGR or on-line.

 

I've looked at your layout photos and it looks great.

 

What is weird about this thread is many of you are from somewhere I have a connection!  

 

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