Front End Friday

A restored Erie E8 on the turntable at Port Jervis, NY.

Here's one. I miss running at AGHR. Still designing the home layout.

Lionel GP from Alaska plowing the tracks with a couple just sitting around enjoying the day here in Russia, NY.

@RSJB18 posted:

I can personally attest to that statement Patrick. When I worked outside in construction during the winter, an occasional swig would warm the innards....

Bob

For the record.....blackberry was the most effective.....

Well hello F.E.F. fans, today my post has a little item from close to a century ago.  The American Flyer (Chicago Flyer) 3110 locomotive from 1928-29.  Now, before you look at the pictures, I will admit that this little guy has had his share of bumps and bruises over the years and shows some "play wear" as the advertisements on E-bay seem to always say !  However he has his pantograph, bell, light, type 2 handrails, brass ovals, red pilot and gold trim as per the guide book description of the original configuration, so he seems to have survived intact.  He has no reverse but he is happy to run forward and pull his little 2 car passenger train.  If I can still function this well at 90 years of age, I will be happy!

Happy F.E. F. everyone...Best wishes for a good weekend coming up.

Don

@Don McErlean posted:

The American Flyer (Chicago Flyer) 3110 locomotive from 1928-29.  Now, before you look at the pictures, I will admit that this little guy has had his share of bumps and bruises over the years and shows some "play wear"…

That is a great little toy.  Looks like someone enjoyed playing with it, and considering it’s age, did not abuse it.

MTH Santa Fe Yellowbonet in HO dwarfed by USA Caboose

Happy FEF!

@NYC Fan posted:

Happy FEF!

Beautiful Shot!

Ron @CAPPilot: Thank you for your comment.  You know, your comment about playing with the toy but not abusing it seems to bring back memories to me.  In today's world we sometimes forget that "electric toy trains" for most of our parents, (certainly mine) were EXPENSIVE Toys, meant to be cherished and played with (especially when we were younger) under adult supervision.  That's why for many of us, they came out of storage just after Thanksgiving and went back into storage just after New Years...that was the "window" of play.  I can just imagine in 1929 as the Depression deepened that my little guy did indeed get played with carefully and as you say without abuse.  Too precious to abuse for sure.

Best wishes

Don

For FEF day.

Southern California Surfer Dude visiting Santa Fe, New Mexico says, "Dude, like wow, which end is the front"?! Bystander, "Um, the locomotive with the crew in the cab most likely". Socal dude, "Oh Dude, that's so true man".

Having been born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, I feel obligated to razz my Socal surfer friends, one of which is a doctor that graduated from Stanford Med! Takes all kinds!

Happy Friday!!!

Scott @Western Pacific2217 :  Dude...Funny!

Don

Some idle front ends with no road to run on.

@coach joe posted:

Some idle front ends with no road to run on.

Joe, is that your collection? Very sweet if it is. Lay down some carpet central and let them run free!

@coach joe posted:

Some idle front ends with no road to run on.

Very nice roster, Joe. I agree with Strap Hanger - to an extent... Getting up and down off the floor can be problematic to us older folks, BUT you have a solution right in front of you. Get some more shelving units and you can have a multi-level round-the-room layout

@coach joe posted:

Some idle front ends with no road to run on.

Looks good Joe. I'll see your BL2 and raise you 2

WOW great photos everyone!

Coach, what an impressive collection! I have maybe 4 engines and 2 switchers. That seems plenty for me! LOL

Thanks guys.  Those are the engines.  Most rolling stock is boxed in the garage some boxes still on the floor of the "trainroom".  Trying to get all the boxes out of the was so I can get the 4x8 out of the garage and in the room.

Mike the theory was to wind up with a big enough layout to run 4 trains at a time but things didn't work out that way so now I have way too much of everything.

@Capetrainman posted:

Seemed the right time to post this one again, with a snow storm raging this time at the "Charles Street Yard" and out my window...Merry Christmas to all!

How did you make it snow on your layout?

LOL, Arnolf

@Capetrainman posted:

Two Santa Fe units switching in to pick-up a days production at the local brewery...

Very nice. I suspect your snow is a camera trick, is that so?

Have a great Front end Friday, Williams NYC PA-1 Meets a PW 4-6-4 2055 and a U.P. 2023 rolling out of a tunnel. HAGD

Happy Friday everyone enjoy your weekend.

My K-Line ESE running on the High-line

Front End Friday - Santa Fe 3945 from Menards finds a home…🚂😉😺

Well Happy F.E.F to everyone...its a sunny but cold (35 deg) day here in central Texas...sorry about the snow some of you posted.  My offering today is a late postwar, 1962-63  Alco diesel from Lionel.  This was sold as an A unit only and was part of the "Advanced Catalog Set" #11011 along with a red 3510 satellite car and an unmarked yellow work caboose both somewhat rare.  It was also part of 23 different promotional outfits for various retailers between 1963-64 ( see "Authoritative Guide to Lionel's Promotional Outfits, 1960-69" by John W. Schmid).  So cheap thou it was, Lionel exploited it quite a bit in the 60's but after '64 it disappeared.  So here is the Lionel 221 Rio Grande Alco A.  By the way, in the MPC thread many have talked about the poor drive mechanisms used by MPC especially on their lower lines. Well, I have never seen a worse drive mechanism that this loco. A vertical shaft, right out of the motor armature to a rt hand drive to the one powered axle.  All exposed to the air...  Only saving grace is that after 62 years she still does work (see video) and can pull a few cars (very few).

So here is the official F.E.F view

Side view showing more of the cab

Two pictures of her pulling a short train with Rio Grande caboose #9077 offered by MPC from 1976-1983 and then offered by both MPC  (till '85) and then LTI (till1991) as an uncatalogued car.

Well Happy Friday everyone. Hope you have a great weekend

Don

Happy FEF

Happy FEF to everyone.  Here is a prewar Lionel 264-E.

Fendermain

Happy Front-End-Friday. Chessie covered hopper drag is lead by B&O GP35, C&O GP38 and WM GP35.

@Don McErlean posted:

Well Happy F.E.F to everyone...its a sunny but cold (35 deg) day here in central Texas...sorry about the snow some of you posted.  My offering today is a late postwar, 1962-63  Alco diesel from Lionel.  This was sold as an A unit only and was part of the "Advanced Catalog Set" #11011 along with a red 3510 satellite car and an unmarked yellow work caboose both somewhat rare.  It was also part of 23 different promotional outfits for various retailers between 1963-64 ( see "Authoritative Guide to Lionel's Promotional Outfits, 1960-69" by John W. Schmid).  So cheap thou it was, Lionel exploited it quite a bit in the 60's but after '64 it disappeared.  So here is the Lionel 221 Rio Grande Alco A.  By the way, in the MPC thread many have talked about the poor drive mechanisms used by MPC especially on their lower lines. Well, I have never seen a worse drive mechanism that this loco. A vertical shaft, right out of the motor armature to a rt hand drive to the one powered axle.  All exposed to the air...  Only saving grace is that after 62 years she still does work (see video) and can pull a few cars (very few).

So here is the official F.E.F view

Side view showing more of the cab

Two pictures of her pulling a short train with Rio Grande caboose #9077 offered by MPC from 1976-1983 and then offered by both MPC  (till '85) and then LTI (till1991) as an uncatalogued car.

Well Happy Friday everyone. Hope you have a great weekend

Don

Nice selection Don and lash up. Thanks for sharing

Boston & Maine Berkshire and a couple of F3's*

Happy FEF!

how about the front end from the engineers perspective? (that is most definitely the back end of 1553)

FeF to All - Stay warm and enjoy your trains this weekend especially to my Northeastern costal train brothers!

Here's my end of the front kind for this fine Friday!

I may have posted this in they past but here is my addition from the old layout.

Patrick, great shot.  From the upper two thirds of the photo I actually thought you took it at a museum or of a cosmetically restored relic sitting in a park.  As I scrolled down and saw the diverging track I realized it was your layout.  Very believable realism!

Here's my contribution for this week.

Happy FEF! Still one of my favorite locomotives, WP 485 GS-64.

Happy Friday to all!

Lots of great photos this Friday!

Patrick, so are the engineer and conductor in the Billiard Hall having some lunch and playing the tables? ;-)

DETROIT, those EL PA’s look great! Are they MTH? They don’t have the look of the earlier Lionel, or the paint issues of the latest release.

@Artie-DL&W posted:

DETROIT, those EL PA’s look great! Are they MTH? They don’t have the look of the earlier Lionel, or the paint issues of the latest release.

Yes Sir but they are FAs, thank you!  They were an MTH ABA SET 20-2651-1 from a few years ago, I love them but don't ever run with the B unit.  Jim

Happy FEF.

Wow! Simply awesome Johan!