...awaiting ice

Cool, Very Cool

Brrrrrr !

nicely done

gandydancer, you've previously posted some very nice photos illustrating that even postwar traditional types of Lionel trains can appear to be so much more realistic in the right setting. Good work!

Now, my curiousity is piqued. Some of these reefers shown in your photos look very much like the short Lionel box cars from the ends. In the second and third photos, I also notice the give-away sheet metal steps that were common to those Lionel cars. And the Swift reefer is obviously - or appears to be a former Lionel shorty Milk Car.

So, how did you do these? I've had this very exact idea, of using either cardboard print outs (commercially available) or making my own computer generated car sides. My thinking, you'd have to fill in the door hole, and sand off the car sides to get them flat, to then put on the new woodside reefer facia.

I love the idea of having shorter woodside reefers like what you've shown. My own latest project was making some Procor Tank Cars (so common on the rails today) from some short 027 Lionel tank cars.

Again, great job on the cars and your layout. Along with others like Frank53 and Jaabat and more, you prove that toy trains are more than toy trains in the right setting!

Beautiful photos of your layout.

Great photos and a wonderful layout. May we see more please?

Brad

Very nice scene.

Thanks for the response. That's what I suspected, and am going to proceed with my own. Love the look of those.

I've been experimenting with printing on paper to replace lack of decals. I recently took a Lionel traditional 3-dome tank car, that has 2 nice rectangular spaces on each side of the car. Measured them and created computer generated PROCOR markings and cut them to fit right inside those spaces. That turned out so good, well now I feel confident enough to proceed with what you've done.

Doing an entire car side would be much easier and better looking than doing a patch work of paper decals, where the edges would stand out like a sore thumb.

Hey, and were in good company. The Menard's box cars, which are so popular with many, utilize stickers for differing car numbers versus the added expense of printing them.

dumb question...

I have never seen an ice station operate in person- I have seen you tube videos where they push the ice into the cars. I am looking at one on the bay now- how does the ice load onto/into the station? by hand?

Not dumb rogerpete. Yeah, the ice is lined up on the station platform by hand. The little man "pushes" it into the waiting ice car.

Then unless the ice melts first , you also unload the ice out of the specialized ice car via a "hidden" door on the side of the train car by hand.

Depending on the budget of your train layout, you may or may not get paid for this extra work. Though I don't think the little blue man is making much money either.

hello rogerpete,  the short answer is yes....kinda. Five or six blocks of ice fit on the chute and the man unloads them one at a time. The chute then has to be reloaded. Great accessory. In my opinion one of the best and most reliable Lionel has ever produced, great animation and kids and grown people that have never seen it before seem to love it. Hope that answer helps.

Great photo's and a nice operating accessory too boot.  I modified my last Lionel Icing station by adding interior lighting, exterior goose neck light and more.  These small changes make a simple, plain accessory more realistic and come to life.  Your have a nice layout as your photo's reflect.

Steve, Lady and Tex

Nice shots and cars.   Thank you!

Very nice looking scene--excellent artistry!

--Greg

thanks fellas for the info- I am probably gonna pull the trigger on the ice depot and use it at our holiday layout, hooked up for the public to activate. I guess we will just half to be around to reload the stinker-

So is there a point to the chute that goes from the high level down to the tracks?

I picked up a lionel cola ice car years ago, new in box, and it has just been sitting on the shelf, all dressed up with nowhere to go...

The chute is just for looks with some blocks of ice glued to it.

Steve, Lady and Tex