Congratulate me! I'm going to be a Standard Gauge guy soon!

Congratulations Eddie!! Warning: once you catch the Standard Gauge bug, there is no cure. Looking forward to seeing your photos. 

Thank you!  I understand that: My father has a few Standard Gauge sets, including a Blue Comet which we ran one Christmas.  He got those sets and those are his first love in trains.

beware,,,,very

My gosh, what beautiful machines!  My mind is now going back to the Ives factory, people on the line assembling the train I'll be getting.  How it was run and enjoyed under Christmas trees, maybe a layout or just on a floor.

A child and dad (or both mom and dad) watching the train go round, having it make stops on it's route from New York to Chicago.

These are the trains, to me, that fire an imagination.  

Congratulations Eddie!  When I got interested in tinplate, I started out with o-gauge.  Standard gauge soon followed.  Hope you have many years of collecting and running those trains.

I wanted one set 10 years

Congrats Eddie - first thing I'd do would be to talk my dad out of his Blue Comet. Offer him $50 - Clem Clement says that the fitty dolla Blue Comet is out there somewhere!.  There is just something about that shiny rattly train stomping down the track that just gets in your head. I recently got my 8 section modular layout running, the grandkids were completely captivated.

Jim Waterman

Jim - I've always been told that the Comet (as well as most of the trains) will become mine anyway someday!

I'm really looking forward to getting some track and getting the set.  I have some late Prewar O and Marx tinplate O, but Standard Gauge, to me, is something special.

Welcome to the asylum!    You're done for!  Or at least your wallet is!    Standard Gauge is more addictive than crack!

The Ives set (which looks to be set 690 from 1924 or so: 3235 loco, 171 Buffet and 173 Observation) arrived on Friday!  I will post pics as soon as I can, but I am simply amazed at how beautiful this set is.

The look, feel and craftsmanship "From the Ives Shops!" is simply amazing.  I never thought I'd be bowled over by a train by just looking at it in the box.  

Now to get some track and get her ready for Christmas!

After that, more locos and cars to keep it company!  Not that it will be lonely from sitting  - this will be run as much as possible!

Congratulations Eddie!!! 

Nice! 

Welcome to the shiny side.

Eddie, welcome to Std. Gauge, and kiss your $$$$ goodbye now...

Oh, IMHO for Std. Gauge do NOT get the Lionel or MTH made in China track- many of us here learned our lessons the hard way. See Kirk Lindvig for his USATrack. You will be far happier with his track.

terry hudon posted:

beware,,,,very

Terry-you enabler you....

Carey TeaRose posted:

terry hudon posted:

beware,,,,very

Terry-you enabler you....

Terry, what is this green and yellow set, especially that yummy engine?

Eddie M., have you seen this? Posted months ago by a OGRR member- one of my favorites that I found on here... 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3q56yEuYZjM

that is the remake of the American flyer legionnaire,they remade them in 2012,the one I have is older from the mid 2000,i love it,

*bump* Eddie, how’s it coming along? Been a few years’s now!

@Eddie Marra posted:

After talking with a couple dealers at the Atlantic Division meet this past weekend and their dealings now with Prewar trains, most have mentioned that the Standard Gauge market is softening and not as in demand, despite some dealers having older market prices on their Standard Gauge now as well as general public perceptions of the trains being worth a fortune.

With that, I figured I'd take a look around online and see if that was the case.  Sure enough, just a few minutes ago, I pulled the trigger on a really nice Ives Standard Gauge set that cost me less than a Prewar O or even some Postwar O!  In fact, it was cheaper than a current Lionel starter set!

I'll post photos when I get it, as well as after I get a circle or oval of Standard Gauge track!  

I guess this decides what runs under the tree this year!

Let’s see Eddie??

Welcome to the wonderful community of standard gauge.  It is a little like a crack addiction so beware but every single time you walk into your train room, those colors pop and you smile.  Much cheaper than a therapist.

@SteveMa posted:

Welcome to the wonderful community of standard gauge.  It is a little like a crack addiction so beware but every single time you walk into your train room, those colors pop and you smile.  Much cheaper than a therapist.

SteveMa, love what you said.

However, in my case, we have TWO Standard Gauge layouts in this home. So we get to smile twice as much!

I and hubby Tom both love the bright, shiny, colorful stuff that is all things tinplate.

Hubby has his own G scale in the back garden and an HO layout in the basement, and I'm building my O layout in its own dedicated room upstairs as we speak,  (and recently oh yeah, I commandeered a portion of the Foyer for a small Halloween Std. and O layout). But best of all, Tom really digs the Standard Gauge Tinplate. His favorite is the Great Room Showcase Layout.

And to reflect back, that when I started in Std. Gauge late 2015, early 12016 - I began with just an MTH Ives Circus set pushing it around the hardwood floor around the pool table legs, as I had no track initially!

Fast forward a few years-

1) We have my Standard Gauge "Showcase" Layout on the Main Floor, at the back of the Great Room:

2) And in Spring 2020, we began my Upstairs Standard Gauge Layout, in its own dedicated room:

Colorful, cheerful, wonderful.

Fantastic!  I can only strive to make mine half as nice as yours

It’s been a slippery slope for me ! Sold most of my O gauge so I could join this crowd .  Have fun !

@JohnnieWalker your track plan is one of my favorites for a single run standard gauge loop layout. Enjoy you didn’t choose wrong!

@Rich Wiemann posted:

@JohnnieWalker your track plan is one of my favorites for a single run standard gauge loop layout. Enjoy you didn’t choose wrong!

Thanks Rich !  I have gotten quite a few compliments on the design over the years of setting it up .  One day I hope to get it off the floor and have a tabletop layout .  

Eddie Marra: Do NOT be frightened off by the exemplary layouts shared on this thread, none of which evolved "overnite"! And please share some photos of your Ives treasure.

Photos or video? THANKS! :-)