Show us your "Fun" trains

Children visiting my layout have been entertained by giraffes ducking under the telltale:

hello guys and gals......
oh, i LOVE the railking Aquarium cars, the are FUN to have !!!!!!!
the woman who loves toy trains
Tiffany

The only operating cars I have are made by K-Line by Lionel (besides an MTH 6 wheel truck searchlight car) and are a Boston and Albany Diecast log dump car (fun to pull with doubleheaded K-Line porter engines) and a B&O operating boxcar (the one where the figure pops out of the door when activated). They're fun cars to play with.

If I had enough cabooses, I'd run a caboose train every now and then too.

The Aquarium car and Radioactive Waste unit trains.

I run 'fun' trains almost exclusively. Command control scale trains are not my thing. My favorite time with my grand kids is just a loop of track on the floor. We write notes to Santa Claus telling him how good we have been and what we want for Christmas and put the notes in a boxcar.

Earl

All my trains are fun trains!

http://youtu.be/Btz27UlCrTg

quote:

Originally posted by EIS:
I run 'fun' trains almost exclusively. Command control scale trains are not my thing. My favorite time with my grand kids is just a loop of track on the floor. We write notes to Santa Claus telling him how good we have been and what we want for Christmas and put the notes in a boxcar.

Earl

Earl-
This one made me smile. Reminded me of when I was a Kid, and setting the trains under the tree was a big event.
My kids are still too young to set something up under the tree. My youngest still likes to play Godzilla. But I am going to try this when he gets older.
Pictures are great guys keep 'em coming!

quote:

Originally posted by ed h:
The Aquarium car and Radioactive Waste unit trains.

Ed,
Like the Aquarium Accessory, what does it do?

Kusan Army Train

I have several things to grab the attention of young visitors. The operating log dump cars from Lionel and MTH are good to use. Visitors seem to really like the Lionel speeders with the flashing light on top.

My most recent fun cars...
...added a conductor to a scale Polar Express coach...



...a RailKing log dump car repainted for Polar RailRoad...



...a Lionel operating barrel car, repainted for Polar Railroad, will deliver cocoa to the Polar Express...

quote:

Ed,
Like the Aquarium Accessory, what does it do?

The fish move like the Lionel aquarium cars. Actually two sets of moving strips so the fish swim in both directions. Lionel made it sometime around 2000 or so.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Susan Deats:
A friend and I were playing with her new video camera the other day. "We're beginners, not ready for prime time."
Click here for video. http://www.slsprr.net/features/engineconsists.htm

The engine is NTH 20-2082-1 UP FM H-10-44 Diesel Locomotive - This was my first MTH locomotive and I upgraded it from Protosound 1 to Protosound 2.

Susan Deats: That was fun!

I wanted to yell at that first cowboy to watch out they were behind him

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qf3NdYW0aKA

The Arcturus Express:









Jim

The Beatles Yellow Submarine Operating Launch Car

That's cool too, what does the sub/car do?

Joe, like the Snoopy and Woodstock hand car action, is that a kit? Or something you made yourself? I think I could watch that for quite a while

quote:

Originally posted by Joe Rampolla:
url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qf3NdYW0aKA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qf3NdYW0aKA[/url]

Joe,
That is really cool. The handcar elevator is awesome. Nice job!

Hi J Daddy and Keith,

So happy you both liked it and took the time to post; usually my stuff goes over like a lead balloon on the forums!

The elevator is homemade, and the handcar was made by Lionel back in 1990-1991. I made a few cosmetic and functional changes to the handcar. I am very fond of the handcars! A sound effect of an explosion is triggered when the handcar goes into the dark red shed with the gray roof. The shed is supposed to be the entrance to a bottomless shaft! I didn't have the sound effects turned on when I shot the video. The shed solves the problem of having a place for the handcar to wait while the elevator descends.

Take care, Joe.

Here is a new HD video of one of my "fun" trains. I must confess that the idea was borrowed from a local HO club layout. Shhhh!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umSS0a-WTqw

quote:

Originally posted by CandO:
I have several things to grab the attention of young visitors. The operating log dump cars from Lionel and MTH are good to use. Visitors seem to really like the Lionel speeders with the flashing light on top.

My most recent fun cars...
...added a conductor to a scale Polar Express coach...

Really nice professional looking job there Keith.

Joe Rampolla, your Snoopy Handcar is excellent. Thank you for sharing.

quote:

Originally posted by mike dench:

quote:

Originally posted by CandO:
I have several things to grab the attention of young visitors. The operating log dump cars from Lionel and MTH are good to use. Visitors seem to really like the Lionel speeders with the flashing light on top.

My most recent fun cars...
...added a conductor to a scale Polar Express coach...

Really nice professional looking job there Keith.

Thank you very much, Mike!

Thought the Trainmaster Demo. would make a perfect engine for a circus train. Don

Fun Trains? Bah Humbug!!!! I'm a serious O Gauger!

Hi Susan and Folks,

I am always impressed by all the fine workmanship and creativity I see here on the forum! My compliments to everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Take care, Joe.

I don't have a "fun" train per se, but here is a photo of my daughter taken a few years ago showing her having some fun on my normally rather serious rendition of the PRR:

Fun stuff my @#$
Let's keep to the realistic stuff

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHZ80UugWvo

Steve

Kids of all ages instantly recognize this car's cargo...



(I made it from four Halloween-size Milk Dud boxes and a "runner" flatcar I found at a train meet. That empty flatcar was just screaming up at me from a table, "I've got a lot of miles left in me! So...now it has a load to carry on those miles!)

(Did you see my article on this car in the Aug 2011 edition of the LOTS Switcher magazine?)

Here's our fun trains. I've been wanting the Lone Ranger Wild West Set since the first moment I saw it and finally bought it yesterday from my LHS. The General has the usual Trainsounds. The Lone Ranger and the Outlaw take turns popping out the top of the boxcar to shoot at each other. The ATSF Horse Car and ATSF Cowboy & Outlaw car were already favorites of Mr. Two Year Old (have to really watch the baby as she likes to play Queenzilla ) . And the US Mail Car plays the original Lone Ranger theme music and voice over from the Clayton Moore Lone Ranger show. Luv it.

Love the smiles from the youngin's... that just says it all!

A friend of mine gave me the Lionel Aquarium building. It was an hour of Ohhs and Ahhs. Very cool... Its met rave approvals as additional animals were stacked around and on top of it.

Can anyone recommend a good aquarium car that will go with this structure?
Which ones keep moving even when the car is stationary?


Scale is cool but FUN is great for the kids!

quote:

Originally posted by J Daddy:
Love the smiles from the youngin's... that just says it all!

A friend of mine gave me the Lionel Aquarium building. It was an hour of Ohhs and Ahhs. Very cool... Its met rave approvals as additional animals were stacked around and on top of it.

Can anyone recommend a good aquarium car that will go with this structure?
Which ones keep moving even when the car is stationary?


Scale is cool but FUN is great for the kids!

Any of them w/ the motor will move even if the train is not. The only 2 I know of are the postwar & MPC versions. I thought Lionel LLC made one too, but I can't remember.

All my trains are fun when my daughter is around the layout

quote:

what does the sub/car do?

It launches the sub into the water...slideways.

The awe in a kids eyes are worth any layout. Remember my first set, where it was, running it, etc. Went to O gauge before it became a price gougers resale dream instead of a hobby. Now in HO brass, since I can't have a layout realistically now anyhow. Should set up a small oval track in livingroom and let cats get curious, then blow the horn. Would be a hoot. May make the news.

Marx trains for fun ...