Its been quite some time sense I have been able to participate. My layout is DCS controlled and has many different kinds of original and Repro 0 gauge trains. Lionel, Weaver, Williams, and MTH all run on my FasTrack layout at the same time. The Lionel 263E Tin Plate original and the 263E MTH Repro, are amoung my most favoite train possessions. For those of you who are new to OGR the 263E was one of Lionels earliest 0 Gauge Trains, the 263E Work Train is very rare, few were actually made, mine was gven to my Father by my Grandfather at Christmas time when he was very young. During the WWII to keep moral high, just after taking Guadacanal, the Admiral in command of the 46th Seabees had my fathers 263E flown to Guadacanal for his men to watch as they ate Chrismas dinner, the Navy returned the train to my Grandfathers home during the war. My 263E is part of American history, I prize it greatly. I was lucky enough as a little boy to have a Father who worked for the Union Switch & Signal and Engineering life size Railroad equipment & electronics was his chosen profession.
Of course this led to Model Railroading in a big way, and may very well explain why I became a NASA
Professional Engineer. Professional Engineering is our family business and Model Railroading has played a big part in both my fathers career and mine. The next time someone says to you that model Railroading is just a kids toy, remember that a lot of us Professional Engineers, started our engineering careers by engineering layouts for Model Railroading. I can't explain it but there is something about Model Railroading the produces a highly disciplined Engineering mind.
My father once took a poll in his USS Engineering office to see how many of his Engineering friends
built Model Railroads as children, 96% of his engineering crew built layouts. I took the same
poll at NASA - (Martin Marietta), 98% of them had also built Model Railroads as young boys.
Unknowledgeable people may continue to call Model Railroading toys, me I know what it really is,
hands on education for Professional Engineers.
PCRR
On the Left the Original Lionel 263E on the Right the MTH DCS controlled Repro
