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.
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.
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.
(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.
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!
(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.
(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.
(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.
More acquisitions coming up next!
Ya gotta pay shipping anyway so........
