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Here are some infrastructure acquisitions from the last several weeks for the PENN AMERICAN RAILROAD.

MOTIVE DEPARTMENT

2-10-0 Decapod Steam Locomotive “Strasburg” #90 (1990’s) (Lionel 2231020)

This is the locomotive that I’ve been wishing to be made for nearly forty years! In that time I’ve photographed, video recorded and rode trains behind this famous motive power. It will look beautiful hauling my MTH Strasburg wood sided passenger cars or some Strasburg freight.

The No. 90 was built in 1924 for the Great Western Railway of Colorado by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia, Pa.  The Strasburg Rail Road purchased No. 90 from the GW in April 1967, and the locomotive arrived on Strasburg’s property one month later. It is currently undergoing its 1,472-day inspection and overhaul.

It runs in Legacy, in TMCC and conventional mode or with Bluetooth using the Universal Remote or LionChief app.  This brass-hybrid locomotive has numerous features too long to list, so if you’re interested click Here!  At 19” long it is recommended to operate on O54 curves.  The sounds come from the actual recordings from Strasburg.  The tender features a nice coal load, backup light and hatches.  The smoke, Bluetooth and Program/Run switches are located in the dome on top of the engine by removing the cover.

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The unique packaging has Velcro straps around its foam cradle.  Underneath are four wing nuts holding the engine securely to its metal base.  I did not remove it from its base until I’m ready  to operate it on the layout.

FDE17AAC-ED4A-4112-AABB-FB767EDCBF97283A527D-5971-4681-8315-9416341D6A53

Intermodal Department

(2) MTH Premier Flat Car "Milwaukee Road" w/ 48' Trailer (Custom Run for MrMuffin'sTrains 20-95649 & 20-95650)

I love intermodal unit trains so I had to get both car numbers. At one time a lot of trailers were owned by the railroads and now intermodal trains are the largest class of freight on American railroads. They are 1:48 Scale Dimensions and 14 1/2” long, 4 1/2” high and operates on O31 curves.

E5430C5E-9DF4-4BF5-861E-063C7885B2CD

(2) MTH Premier Flat Car "Pennsylvania" w/ 48' Trailer (Custom Run for MrMuffin'sTrains 20-95651 & 20-95652)

Same as above. Since they are Pennsylvania Railroad I had to add them to my fleet. These flat cars are solid and heavy and track well.

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MTH Premier Flat Car "Pennsylvania" w/ 48' Trailer (Truc Train) (20-95157)

I was scanning the internet hobby shops and found this older flat with trailer in stock. It is Pennsylvania Railroad so how could I not buy it, especially since it was the last one!

CEC879E1-20C7-4E93-AEB6-6041B5745189

(2) MTH Premier Flat Car “New York Central” W/ 2 20’ Pup Trailers (Habbersett Scrapple) (20-95556)

Many people have been lobbying for some sort of scrapple freight car to be made for a lot of years. Although most of those discussions centered around breakfasts at the Round The Clock Diner during the TCA York Meet, I would have thought the flat car would be PRR. And some hoped for Rapa or Hatfield’s (Hatfields is served at the diner). But no matter, we got our scrapple represented, finally! These are also 1:48 scale cars, 14 1/2” long, 4 1/2” tall and will run on O42 curve track.

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(2) MTH Premier Flat Car “Nickel Plate Road” W/ 2 20’ Pup Trailers (Sears and Roebuck) (Custom Run for Stockyard Express 20-95569 & 20-95570)

I missed out on the first run of these but cashed in on the second run. Everyone has a story for why they buy certain trains. For these, my story is that I once worked at the Sears Catalog Department in Philadelphia during the early 1980s, before they closed and imploded the building in the mid 90’s. (They did keep the power plant and tall smoke stack that are still there now connected to a shopping center anchored by a Home Depot.) With all the closures of Sears stores they will still be represented on the PENN AMERICAN RAILROAD. There is a neat ‘Craftsman’ logo on the door of the trailers.

D7013298-80FF-4655-9C7E-DF0F828BE8590E48559F-1C81-4726-88FC-89E567FE5B9B

(2) MTH Premier Flat Car "Virginia and Tennessee" w/ 48' Trailer (Jack Daniels Tennessee Sour Mash Whiskey) (Custom Run for Roundhouse South 20-95655 & 20-95656)

I hadn’t seen these advertised anywhere previously. I was reading a MTH Electric Trains Special Announcement email when in the side bar there was a link for items to be delivered shortly. I was scrolling through when I saw these beauties! The shop doesn’t do internet sales from their website so I called right away hoping they weren’t all accounted for. They hadn’t arrived at the store yet so I blurted out my credit card number and asked to be put on the list. They arrived about two weeks later.

There’s a story behind my purchase of the Jack Daniels flat cars.  I’m not much of a drinker of alcohol at all.  But I would always have a three-fingers glass over ice of Jack with my Father every Christmas and Easter holiday once I was of legal age.   He taught me not to abuse it and it was something we cherished and shared on those special holidays, even on the night he died. He was also a fan of Frank Sinatra.  On this past Christmas Eve while shopping in Costco of all places, they had just a few bottles in special packaging of ‘Jack Daniels ‘Sinatra Select’. This brand of Jack is so exclusive that the gift shop Jack Daniels Distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee we toured a year and a half ago didn’t even carry it.  The boxes on the shelf were empty, you had to take the box to the merchandise pickup window after you paid for it.  We bought two bottles and I’m not sure we’ll drink them both in our lifetime.  But the nostalgia is priceless.  Then I saw the flat cars.  I didn’t hesitate.

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More acquisitions coming up next!

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Last edited by Traindiesel
@RSJB18 posted:

I was browsing for some parts over the weekend. I wound up on Trainz. They had the parts I needed and a few more things happened to fall into my cart....... Ya gotta pay shipping anyway so........

Weaver New Haven RS-3 (conventional)

K-line D&H extended vision caboose.

Bob

Ain’t it funny how that always seems to happen At least some nice roads chose to fall as your cart passed buy!!! But I am a bit concerned that you are backsliding to conventional operation

@Apples55 posted:

Ain’t it funny how that always seems to happen At least some nice roads chose to fall as your cart passed buy!!! But I am a bit concerned that you are backsliding to conventional operation

Not to worry Paul. I'm heading to Trainland soon for a Lionel LC+ 2.0 Doodlebug just to even things out.

I don't have any Weaver engines and this one looks like new with very little wear on the rollers. I also didn't have any NY/NH & Hartford engines. I like the older paint scheme and lettering from before McGinnis turned them into pumpkins.
Besides...I may throw a ERR or Bluenami board in it one day.

The D&H caboose was a no-brainer for the guy with no brains.....I still miss K-line.

Bob

@RSJB18 posted:

A great haul but these are my favorite. I'm a big Gentleman Jack fan. The special editions are cool too. Amazing the stuff that pops up at Costco.

Bob

It was the last thing I thought I’d see at Costco. And then I discovered the TOFC’s. As a fellow Gentleman Jack fan, I’ll raise a glass to you for my next sip.

I wish my Dad was still around to see these cars.

Bob I agree with you about K-Line.  With the stuff they were putting out at the end I think Maury was trying to force Lionel to make nicer stuff cheaper.  The cabooses were awesome.  As were some of the engines they were putting out. See everyone's favorite looking Hudson.

2024-02-22 15.45.44

Paul are you feeling okay?  I'm used to you posting here regularly and it has been a while.

My son and I went to the train show at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds today. Lots of vendors, but nothing quite said “ Take me home.” Then I spotted this! I’ve always wanted a railroad lamp, and this one is from my “home” railroad, Southern Pacific. I could not be more pleased!

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  • SP railroad lantern

Paul, manifest destiny and westward expansion were halted by the natural barrier that is the Pacific Ocean.  Expansion of my little empire also has barriers of the manmade type, walls.

Mike thanks for the suggestion but most of those cars are in boxes in the garage right next to most of the rolling stock.

Donnie, thanks for the offer.

@coach joe posted:

Paul, manifest destiny and westward expansion were halted by the natural barrier that is the Pacific Ocean.  Expansion of my little empire also has barriers of the manmade type, walls.

Mike thanks for the suggestion but most of those cars are in boxes in the garage right next to most of the rolling stock.

Donnie, thanks for the offer.

That's why sawzalls were invented.........

This coming from the guy who's layout is landlocked by concrete walls.......

Last edited by RSJB18
@coach joe posted:

Paul, manifest destiny and westward expansion were halted by the natural barrier that is the Pacific Ocean.  Expansion of my little empire also has barriers of the manmade type, walls.

Mike thanks for the suggestion but most of those cars are in boxes in the garage right next to most of the rolling stock.

Donnie, thanks for the offer.

Lol ok, I know all about boxes right now! We have to get this place sold so I can get a new train room and get started again! Lol

@coach joe posted:

Paul, manifest destiny and westward expansion were halted by the natural barrier that is the Pacific Ocean.  Expansion of my little empire also has barriers of the manmade type, walls.

Mike thanks for the suggestion but most of those cars are in boxes in the garage right next to most of the rolling stock.

Donnie, thanks for the offer.

So model the Coast Starlight. San Francisco to San Diego

@mike g. posted:

Wow that's not encouraging, I hope I can get it done a little faster! Lol 😆

Hopefully you find a home with enough storage that all the train boxes don't have to go the Train Room when you move in. Here it's no basement, no sheds, not much attic, only the garage. I had to figure out the logistics and make it happen.  All the other unpacking and setting up house (Honey Dos) and regular day to day also contributed to the delay.

@coach joe posted:

Hopefully you find a home with enough storage that all the train boxes don't have to go the Train Room when you move in. Here it's no basement, no sheds, not much attic, only the garage. I had to figure out the logistics and make it happen.  All the other unpacking and setting up house (Honey Dos) and regular day to day also contributed to the delay.

Joe, I understand! The CEO and I have an agreement,  she gets room for a garden and I get a basement for a train room!

@coach joe posted:

Hey Paul, I'm hearing voices again and they don't sound anything like you.  They ain't saying anything about expansion of the road but they are singing about the expansion of the roster!

Well, Joe, I’ve been working on disguising my voices!!!

And, I can relate - while the last two years have been very complicated and I’ve not really done any work on the layout, I have done some significant roster expansion (like I need more trains said no one ever).

And since you are in roster expansion mode, might I suggest a nice set of Lionel aluminum passenger cars to go with your Dreyfuss??? They issued a nice set back in 2002 - 15” long and runs on O-31 curves. You can still pick them up on the secondary market occasionally (6-15326)

Last edited by Apples55
@coach joe posted:

So my latest addition is my first brass locomotive.  A Weaver Dreyfuss Hudson.  As I only have a 4x8 I don't know how much run time this minimum 42" radius beauty will actually get.

Don't run it until you go through it.   I ran my Williams Dreyfuss, the motor came loose and had to eventually replace the reverse board as a result.  See my notes on a similar Dreyfuss in why you should always check a new engine.

@Apples55 posted:

Well, Joe, I’ve been working on disguising my voices!!!

And, I can relate - while the last two years have been very complicated and I’ve not really done any work on the layout, I have done some significant roster expansion (like I need more trains said no one ever).

And since you are in roster expansion mode, might I suggest a nice set of Lionel aluminum passenger cars to go with your Dreyfuss??? They issued a nice set back in 2002 - 15” long and runs on O-31 curves. You can still pick them up on the secondary market occasionally (6-15326)

Yet it do get to be a problem when you have more engines that track

@mike g. posted:

Joe, I understand! The CEO and I have an agreement,  she gets room for a garden and I get a basement for a train room!

I prefer my boxes in the train room, that is under the layout where they belong instead of me crawling around under there.  Beside it is (five letter word describing a female dog0 to go  out to shed during the rain to get my Sante Fe P.A.s

Funny how we all are experiencing delayed gratification these days when ordering new trains.  I put an order in to @Berwyns Toys and Trains quite a while ago for custom run MTH Pup trailers and added a couple of cabeese along the way. They recently came in. 

For those of you familiar with the Chicago area, Jay's Potato Chips and Marshall Fields were/are Chicago staples. Could not resist getting them. Forgot to take a photo of the Great Western caboose - later.  Jay's   “Can't stop eating 'em”   --- Now to figure out how to model their Chicago potato chip factory.

BN BayFields PupsJays pups

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  • BN Bay
  • Fields Pups
  • Jays pups
@ScoutingDad posted:

@mike g.  Mike, Berwyn's still have them in inventory. I am not letting my only BN caboose go. I was startled to see how few BN rolling stock pieces I have. The CEO will cut my budget if I buy more new stuff.

Lol I totally understand! I have been selling things just to have a new train room budget for when we get a new house! The CEO already it's not coming out of monefrom the sale of the house! Lol 😆

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