Can anyone tell me how far apart the parallel tracks need to be to fit the Pride Lines Ives glass double dome? Will the track spacing provided by a Std.42 switch give the proper spacing for this accessory?
And while I'm asking, would whoever has one of these care to comment on the quality of the Pride Lines reproduction of this Station? I'm thinking about buying one.
Thanks,
John.
Replies sorted oldest to newest
I'll echo the comment about Pride Lines and lousy packing. If you are getting a canopy that will have to be shipped to you, get a commitment from the seller to open the thing up, verify that all the glass is OK, and then repack it properly - meaning that the glass is fully supported against any bending or impact. A friend of mine bought an original, specifically because it had all the original parts including the glass. It was supposedly packed by a professional, and it arrived with most of the glass in pieces. Be sure your seller is going to pack it right, and knows what he is doing.
Here's an original on The Christmas Putz in The Lutheran Home at Topton. The train is an "O" Gauge Lionel 262E restored by Vic Panza heading MTH Tinplate Traditions Ives/Lionel 1695 cars.
Thanks for the comments so far. I didn't know that it originally was intended for #1 gauge and my be a bit small for Standarg Gauge. Maybe I'll reconsider the Ives and go with the Ace canopy instead.
John.
John, just to clarify, both my canopies are on my standard gauge layout and most of my STDG trains run through them without difficulty. You just have to be careful when setting them up, but close clearances are prototypical after all. I would say anything that can fit through a Hellgate bridge can fit through the Ives canopies.
I was just cautioning about some of the very largest of the newer standard gauge: like the Super 381 or the Lionel STDG Hiawatha. I have the canopies on a loop of my layout that has the traditional 42 STDG curves, so any of the big stuff that does better on 72 curves doesn't run on that loop, and doesn't have to negotiate the canopies either.
I had mine set up briefly, and you should probably consider a space 24" long and 30" wide.
The station and domes are about 21" long. The domes are about 8" wide, and the station base may be 10" wide. It's a large, impressive accessory. And it is fragile. I bought mine new in the box, unassembled, and it arrived in decent shape. No broken glass, but it did have some nicks to the paint here and there, which I guess was a given for Pridelines items throughout their existence.
Still, a good representation of the Ives station. Cast window stations in original condition are impossible to find and expensive.
Access to this requires an OGR Forum Supporting Membership
