My wife and I are getting up there in years. We decided a few years back to do a raised platform instead of putting the display and train under the tree on the floor. Previously we changed from year to year putting up Lionel Standard, Lionel O, or American Flyer S. The raised platform is not as large as the previous floor area. So I was restricted to something O gauge only. I tried to change each year from pre war to post war. I missed my American Flyer though.
This past summer I was scouring the flea markets when I found a Gilber American Flyer 3/16 O gauge Northern. The loco was in great shape and I got it cleaned up, swapped out the lead and trail truck wheels and was able to run it. I fell for these beautiful trains. The tender was crumbled into pieces from the zinc pest. I managed to find an original Gilbert tender shell in need of restoration, and a reproduction tender frame, and I was able to get a tender back together. While I was looking for a nice set of Tuscan long truck Pullman passenger cars, I came across a beautiful K5 and tender. Yes I was definitely hooked. Sadly Gilbert only made these beautiful trains for about 2 years or so before the Second World War, and the loco's commonly suffer from zinc pest. I was now fortunate enough to have my two favorite steam loco's complete and in running condition. Originally during my search I came across two of the Tuscan long truck Pullman passenger cars in dirty condition. I sat them aside for a while as I was behind in my other projects due to being laid up from spine surgery. I then found a full set of Tuscan passenger cars in excellent condition with the boxes. The set consists of two long truck Pullman passenger cars, an 8 wheel coach, and an operating baggage car. I loved them so much I cleaned up the two long truck pullmans I had purchased earlier. They can out beautifully.
This weekend was decoration time. We put up the tree and put up our raised platform. Decisions, decisions, do we put up the long passenger train with the Northern or do we put up the shorter train with the K5? In the end, our display is rather small, and the wife is from PA, so the shorter K5 train won. Either way, this train is beautiful, and runs so smoothly. I can watch it running for hours.
