Canadians in O (+S and other)

Great idea! I've often wondered how many Canadians actually collect/operate in O (or S).  You never really see or hear much. I'm in Ontario. No club affiliations. I don't really have a local shop I support. There's no one close by. I've bought a few things from George's, CVRCO and Hugh (027 Trains) over the years. I live near the Michigan border, so truthfully most of my purchases are from the US. I can order exactly what I want and have it shipped to my parcel pickup place. I save a ton shipping, brokerage, etc. Although, that hasn't worked out too well over the last year....

I live on the Canadian border in Niagara Falls, NY. I spend my summers ( except 2020) at my cottage at Long  Beach, ON.  My favorite roads are NYC, CN, and TH&B.  I am currently working on a 13’ extension of my layout representing southern Ontario.  Here’s my favorite engine, CN 5607. JohnA

Here to....on the St Lawrence River, beside the Thousand Islands Bridge across from New York State.

Legacy, MTH, a little Postwar and a touch of HO.

Most of what I purchase comes from the US.  Trainworld has been a great place to purchase especially when they have the 10% off offer.

The OGR For Sale Forum has been great also.  I've never had a bad experience buying or selling via OGR.

I'd like to buy more used items from Canada and avoid that nasty 30% exchange rate.  Don't mind the tax but the exchange rate is brutal on expensive items.

May I suggest including email contact info in one's profile.

Cheers

Dave

I'm in Portland, Maine and have strong interest in CN and in particular the GT route between Montreal and Portland. In the past I have frequently visited NB and NS, look forward to doing so again soon. I've managed to collect a good bit of CN equipment...

Born in Ontario, living in NH. Layout being developed.

I live in Toronto. Have bought a lot of stuff at York. Still have a few year's worth of inventory to assemble and install on the layout. Layout space is maximised, unless I remove a wall, which may be more trouble than it is worth.

I have also purchased from George's Trains, Credit Valley, Just Trains, Custom Signals, Eastside Trains and every train shop I have visited over the years.

I have a switching layout, which can accommodate up to 3 Operators. The layout is fully analogue and fully computerised using Hikel designed technology. This was installed before MTH WiFi was invented. I use Ipads to operate the switches and unclouplers. You can also use an Iphone to run the trains, however I prefer the tactile feel of the MTH remotes.

The layout is a twice around the room design, with green being the upper level and grey the lower level. My layout is based on the CP Kettle Valley alternate main line through the Rockies. (now abandoned) I have travelled much of the old roadbed which inspired my layout and helped me choose my town names.

I originally came from Montreal, near CN corporate headquarters. Now live in Massachusetts

Former Provence of Quebec resident now living in North Carolina.  I love the cars produced by LCAC back when no one was paying any attention to Canadian road names except for CP and CN.  I occasionally see them on the secondary market but always at pretty high prices.

Used to have items shipped to me to a friend who lived in Vermont and would pick them up from time to time.  Exchange rates were never a problem as this was back when the Canadian dollar was actually stronger than the US dollar!  I am really showing my age here.

Still always on the look out for Canadian and D&H items for sale at reasonable prices.

As a total aside I recall when Lionel came out with the Napierville Junction boxcar, a lot of folks thought that Lionel had made a mistake and that it should have been Naperville, which is a suburb of Chicago.   Spent some time visiting Napierville back in the day and now the Convent is an old folks' home.  How times change.

Don

Here’s one of my CN trains with several custom painted cars. Many of the 100 ton hoppers and boxcars were custom painted.

@Jeff78rr posted:

Here’s one of my CN trains with several custom painted cars. Many of the 100 ton hoppers and boxcars were custom painted.

Nice consist! Those 86’ CN boxcars are excellent

Welcome all Canadians and USA friends,

The market is small here in Canada for selection especially now that boarders have been closed.

I have been able to find some wonderful pieces lately. Just picked up a Lionel 6-18271 in mint condition. CAN’T wait to try it out this week.

Always looking for something nice. Contact me if you want to deal.

Take care and stay safe and enjoy the trains.

Forgot to add picture of road trip. Fitting for the

I do 98% Amtrak, but I've started to dabble in Canadian steam as well. I picked up a Weaver brass CN (not CP) Hudson a few months back, #27 of 67 made. I wish I hadn't because I've started to fall in love with Canadian steam, so many cool engines. I'd love to have a ton more when Golden Gate Depot isn't busy beating up my wallet haha.

Jubilee, 2816, Royal Hudson, Selkirk, P2g Mike, U1f, U4a, U2g, U3b, and CP 3100/3101 are all on the wishlist of things to eventually get.

How many modelers operate VIA's Canadian on their layouts?  In my opinion it should still run on the Canadian Pacific instead of CN.

Item: There's an interesting news item at www.railwayage.com titled Back on Track: VIA Rail Canadian.

Every now and then I describe myself as a "closet" Canadian...

Bashed this RS-10 from a Life Like HO RS-11 way back in the last century:

Also a couple of repainted blasts from the past:

Rusty

Trinity River Botttoms Boomer,

Thanks for the link above showing the Canadian's resumption of service next month. Even though a very recent announcement,  the surging Covid numbers in Canada will likely cause delays and further modifications to service. This year is a big wedding anniversary year for us and a trip from Toronto to Vancouver on the Canadian was going to be a treat to ourselves. But at present, there is no Prestige level of service and no Park or Skyline car. One must stay in his/her cabin or assigned seat - no wandering the train, no domed observation cars. We will wait for next year.

And yes, I operate a Canadian on my layout, 38' x 14' round the room, in Ottawa. Pictures later.

Bob

Bob, that's tough indeed.

Covid sees Germany on another severe lockdown that began today, 19 April 2021.  Model railroaders do have an advantage over many humans because they have a hobby that can be enjoyed in the comfort of their home 24/7.

Despite the circumstances, enjoy your anniversary.  Looking forward when you can post the photos of your Canadian.

Do you happen to have a Royal Hudson in your collection?  They were, and the ones that are still with us, truly poetry in motion!

Joe

Soo Line - That certainly is a TALL gentleman standing adjacent to your station.  Quite the eye catcher! (lol)

Trinity River Bottoms Boomer,

Thanks Joe, for the good wishes. It is # 50, which we can hardly believe. Of course, we tell all our friends and family that we were wed when still pre-teens! We will be patient and still get to ride VIA's Canadian in due time.

No, sadly, I do not have a Royal Hudson. I'm late to this hobby, having only 3 years under my belt, not counting the 2-3 years or so as a child in the 1950's when my father built a small layout for us. Our only engine was a Berkshire 726 RR. Still have it and it runs well when I flip the Powermaster switch to conventional. Still tweaking the layout and playing with scenery.

DylTrains (the original poster): For the record,  in the Ottawa area, our three "O" gauge hobby shops are as follows. Malwood Station in Dunrobin; owner Harold Rowe, passed away in late December 2019; the website still lists opening hours but no products. The Toy Train Workshop in Cumberland; owner Tom Belfoy, announced his retirement for later this year after 30 years as an MTH authorized dealer. The Christmas Train Store in Kanata; owner Hugh Laing, has had recent health issues and his wife, Linda, is winding down the business. No other LHS that I know of.

Bob

Bob, congratulations are in order on anniversary #50.  My wife and I celebrated our #50 in 2017.  Regretfully, I am responsible for several derailments that occurred along the way, for which I deeply regret.  No soap box sermon intended, however, I have asked my wonderful understanding wife and the Savior for forgiveness.  Life is like a mountain railroad and my journey has been anything but smooth for the most part.  In my opinion, the late country western singer George Hamilton IV sings the old traditional Gospel tune Life's Railway to Heaven better than any one else in the business.

The Good News: Railroaders, railfans, and model railroaders will all gather together one day and listen as George sings this gospal tune when we join him and all Believers in the Roundhouse in the Sky that's just beyond the Big Rock Candy Mountains.  What's so wonderful: We'll travel First Class on the Heavenly Express!  O Happy Day!

Confession: I don't possess a Royal Hudson either.  Of course, it's never too late, right?

Item: George Hamilton IV also sang Canadian Pacific.  O God, goosebumps!

Happy Rails

Joe

Howdy DylTrains: I'm a Texan with lots of love for Canadians and your railways.  Canadian blood flows in my veins.  Quebec.  Thanks for making me honorary Canadian Bacon!

My only piece of Canadian O:

Bought from a friend and two-railed.

Edit: I just realized that I have an Athearn or All Nation Roberval and Saguenay Railway boxcar, also.

There are a lot of folks on the west coast some on the forum in the Canadian Toy Train Association. Also several members across Canada and in the US. We have a zoom meeting now monthly last Sunday of the month and show off projects and engines cars etc. each meeting. Also lots of members layouts and projects posted on the club website. And produce custom run Canadian O Gauge club cars and engines.

If you want to join this coming Zoom meeting look up the club for details;

http://www.canadiantoytrains.org?

I am in B.C. near the US border. Buy many of my trains from CTTA members at meets or when posted to our group. Some from various OGR advertisers. I have been painting up mostly Canadian engines, freight cars and cabooses about 1 a week for the past year of Covid as I have not had to get anything ready for shows have had time to catch up on painting.

Here are some shots of my trains on my backyard garden railway and some custom paints and builds;

There is a shot of my CP Canadian and VIA blue Canadian trains running + many more.

https://ogrforum.com/...nd-first-run-photos?

Here is one of my more recent repaints some good engines to pull the Canadian. I removed the speaker from the A unit and filled it with lead and ran a jumper wire to the B unit and placed the speaker at the end of a long cardboard poster mailing tube with other end sealed, this inside the B shell. Now the A has more pulling power for the 10 car Canadian train and incredible sound much more bass and overall improved volume and sound;

https://ogrforum.com/...4#154307984181755974

For the past half century I've been a frequent visitor to various parts of Canada for both professional and personal reasons, and I've developed a great deal of appreciation and respect for the country. I'm a New York Central modeler at heart, but my interest in Canadian Pacific, especially in the modern steam era, is not far behind.

FWIW, here's my small collection of CP power -

I've long wanted to model CP's Long Island sub. Those Selkirks in the print above are shown battling the Ronkonkoma Moraine at the foot of Mount Montauk.

Cheers,

- Mike

Way back Bing exported a number of items to North America with a Canadian focus

CP set

...and there were two CP cars offered in their lithographed boxcar series - a wood sided and an outside braced

American Flyer also catered to the Canadian market with their offerings of Dominion Flyer which came in either CP or Canadian National markings

Great stuff - sign me up! Hello everyone!  I'm in Coquitlam, BC (outside of Vancouver). I model CN, CP but have adopted a love for local historic roads BC Rail and PGE, BC Electric and BC Hydro. For US roads I love the NYC and Sante Fe. I'm with the Canadian Toy Train Association (CTTA). (We were formerly TTOS Canadian Division.) We've had several locomotives and many custom cars done by MTH, Atlas & Weaver.  I do most of my Shopping at Central Hobbies here in Vancouver, but also have regular dealings with Eastside Trains in Kirkland, WA; George's Trains and CVRR in Ontario. I serve on the BOD at the railway Museum of BC, home of Royal Hudson 2860 and CN FP9A #6520!

Great collection you have, Kyle.

I think that the CP Royal Hudson No. 2860 that pulled the Royal Train westward across the country (without help or replacement) in May-June 1939 is now housed at Expo Rail, Saint-Constant, Quebec, near Montreal. Am I mistaken?

Bob

Hello Everyone (Bonjour!)

I was born in Pawtucket Rhode Island as part of the great French Canadian Diaspora in New  England. My mother is 100% French Canadian and her ancestors include the first French settlers of Nova Scotia (Hélène Desportes, Dr. Louis Hébert , etc.) We also also have notable First Nation ancestors to include Mi'kmaq Sachem Henri Membertou https://augustinesalley.wordpr...ove-and-to-be-loved/  and Penobscot Madockawando (my OGR name) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madockawando

As for train connections, I remember seeing a huge CN locomotive rumble by the campground we are staying in in Ontario when I was a child. I mention all of this as an introduction so you can see how I fit into the Canadian connection. So, I do have a great deal of emotional connection to Canada, especially the land and people of Quebec.

My locomotive collection includes a Quebec North Shore and Labrador Dash-9, a CN SD70ace, and a CN GP7.  I would love to join a Canadian sub group here on the forum!

@Kyle Miller

Kyle,

My error. The Royal Hudson that pulled the 1939 Royal Train across Canada from east to west was No. 2850 and this is the one now at ExpoRail.

Bob

Yes Bob, ours is 'a' Royal Hudson, not 'the' Royal Hudson

I've lived on the U.S. side within about 10 miles of the Canadian border my entire life.  As a result my wife and I enjoy travelling around and across Canada, with rail sites making up a good portion of what we visit.  She descends in part from a loyalist family in Ontario so we also like exploring the culture.

This is me many, many, many, many, moons ago, at SteamExpo; those Canadians really know how to throw a party!:

    ... many, many, many ...

(This picture, almost exactly 35 years ago, is the start of my adult fascination with rail history, events and particularly steam excursions -- but I was already hooked on toy trains long before that.)

   ..... many, many, many ...

Favorite Canadian roads: CN, CP, CaSo, VIA

   ..... many, many, many moons!  Where did all the years go?

M.H.M.

I’m not Canadian, though I have visited a number of times and loved it!!! I have always loved the Canadian liveries, especially CP (stayed in several of their hotels in the day). Here is my most recent Canadian addition:

@Kyle Miller - Back in the early 90’s, I was traveling on business in the Northwest, and took some vacation and headed up to Vancouver and some points east... I took a ride on the Royal Hudson (actually took the boat up to Squamish and the train back). Was the 2860 used on those runs??? Thanks.

Hello @Apples55, YES 2860 and friend 3716 were part of that fun. We hope to have #2860 running again in the future.

@Kyle Miller posted: We hope to have #2860 running again in the future.

Kyle

Be sure to let us know when that happy day arrives.

Bob

@Trinity River Bottoms Boomer posted:

How many modelers operate VIA's Canadian on their layouts?  In my opinion it should still run on the Canadian Pacific instead of CN.

I said I had a "Canadian" on my layout. But I told a fib. Mine is not pulled by VIA and I have only 2 cars. But I have a consist of CN and CP heavy weights that I love seeing together, although probably never happened in real life. I still need to put some people in my 2 Canadian cars and change the color of the interior.

I'm not Canadian, but I do run CN trains as part of my Grand Trunk Western layout

A few years back I commissioned some Canadian-style EMD wide-cab kits from Kaslo Shops. A run of 50 were made but I've only seen a couple of other modelers that actually installed theirs. Mine aren't "one-of-a-kind" but they're extremely rare nonetheless.  If you're interested in getting your own wide-cab units, you should let Ryan Kunkle at Lionel know you want some.

My CN wide cab units in action on the late, great, Independent Hi-Railers, Midwest Division Layout.

Those are fabulous @richtrow ! I've always dreamed of seeing Lionel do some CN wide cabs and stripes, like those SD60's! Your units look great. I was deliriously happy when Lionel did the CN FP4's a few years ago, they are my favourite engines. ( I have a nice A-B-B-B-A lashup) I used to see the real things all the time. Great post! Love that Grain Train too. I've got a whopper train of those gorgeous Lionel and MTH cars.

Bob "O"...  afterall, it's your railway, so you can run what you wanna run anytime with no coments from the peanut gallery, period!

I'm sure CP and CN consists were seen together at times during the Golden Age of Canadian Railways.  Derailments resulting in detours over the other road being a possibility comes to mind.

Canadians to the rescue.  Help needed.

The video clip is cool!  Thanks for sharing.

Joe

Oops! I’m in trouble. Not only do I run CN and CP locomotives on my layout at the same time but I further my crime by running mixed CN and CP freight in the same train!😁

@Kyle Miller posted:

I've always dreamed of seeing Lionel do some CN wide cabs and stripes,...

Well, what are you waiting for Kyle? E-mail Ryan Kunkle at Lionel and let him know you want some CN Wide cabs.