STEAMday Sunday (2/16/25 edition)

Bronze, brass, and aluminum, no pest on these shelves.

Here’s another video of that same B&A Hudson running on my layout in the distance:

Thanks for getting the steam up Arnold!.

Here is my MTH PS1 Souther Pacific Cab Forward #4136.  As I was setting this run up, I became keenly aware that all my hoppers were from Eastern roads. So I did a little research. SP did have connections to St. Louis as did PRR and I suppose other Eastern roads. Was the timing right? I don't know. Then I questioned how far away from the mountain tunnels did the Cab forwards stray? All that 2nd guessing aside. I decided that it was good that this Cab Forward picked up this coal drag and is moving it across my layout.

My steamer for this week is Raritan River Rail Road #20, a Railking Imperial model (30-1866-1) of a USRA 0-6-0 steam switcher with PS3 that I acquired at the recent Railroad Hobby Show in West Springfield, Massachusetts.

#20 was built by Lima for the U.S. Army in 1944, purchased by the RRRR in 1948, and scrapped in 1954.

Photos and videos show #20 at the head end of my “New Jersey Train,” including two CNJ boxcars and a CNJ caboose on the O-36 inner loop of my 12’-by-8’ layout.

MELGAR

This week I’ve been running two legacy engines, a New Haven Atlantic and a NYO&W Mogul.

Peter

There’s something awesome about this one, an MTH PS2 Commodore Vanderbilt Hudson:

Here it is hauling Lionel NY Central Madison Heavyweights through my Little Town:

Arnold

This week I’m running my Lionel PRR A5 hauling a couple of boxcars.

Gene

Good morning, StDaySun fans!  I hope the weather where you live is better than the snow/sleet/freezing rain we’re getting here in Central MA!

Well, the weather is a perfect excuse to head to the cellar, right?  I’m getting plenty of train time this weekend because my grandson, Isaac, is here for a visit.  His favorite train is headed up by my MTH Premier B&M P3 Pacific no. 3702, followed by a seven car set of MTH Railking B&M Madison passenger cars.  Scale Premier cars would look better with the Pacific, but this consist always looked fine to me.

John

Here's a lionel pre war 225 I restored for a friend. The tender trucks were replaced with pw trucks by a previous owner. Happy steamday Sunday everyone, hope all is well.

@Steam Crazy posted:

Good morning, StDaySun fans!  I hope the weather where you live is better than the snow/sleet/freezing rain we’re getting here in Central MA!

Well, the weather is a perfect excuse to head to the cellar, right?  I’m getting plenty of train time this weekend because my grandson, Isaac, is here for a visit.  His favorite train is headed up by my MTH Premier B&M P3 Pacific no. 3702, followed by a seven car set of MTH Railking B&M Madison passenger cars.  Scale Premier cars would look better with the Pacific, but this consist always looked fine to me.

John

Fabulous post, John, particularly the picture of you and your grandson, and your layout is very impressive. Arnold

Thank you, Arnold, for the nice compliment!

John

@Steam Crazy posted:

Good morning, StDaySun fans!  I hope the weather where you live is better than the snow/sleet/freezing rain we’re getting here in Central MA!

Well, the weather is a perfect excuse to head to the cellar, right?  I’m getting plenty of train time this weekend because my grandson, Isaac, is here for a visit.  His favorite train is headed up by my MTH Premier B&M P3 Pacific no. 3702, followed by a seven car set of MTH Railking B&M Madison passenger cars.  Scale Premier cars would look better with the Pacific, but this consist always looked fine to me.

John

John, looks like a special, fun time. Plenty of passengers on board, did you install them?

Gene

Yes, Gene, I installed Beep people in the cars.  The cars are full, a couple of my friends think I went overboard!  My reply is passenger business is still good on the Steam Crazy Lines!

John

Out of town this weekend, so posting an older video of a pair of K-Line Allegheny engines. Both upgraded with Cruise M and run perfect speed together.  Only difficulty was figuring out how to couple them together with a non-operating die cast front coupler.

The CN Mountain steamer reached the South Main Street crossing in seconds...

IAW some Marx history, Louis Marx and Sammy Bergnam had been close friends for many years.  Sammy directed Unique Arts , a New Jersey toy manufacturing company.  Marx both sold toys for him and purchased Unique Art toys to resell and the two companies commonly exchanged tools and dies between the NJ and Gerard, Pa plants.  Suddenly as a complete surprise, in 1948 Unique Art developed a line of 0 gauge trains which would be a direct competitor to Marx trains.  The Unique Art train was marketed as both a boxed set and as individual circus animal cars through the Jewel Tea Company (I seem to recall that pennsyfan has this circus set).  Marx then did what only Marx could do...he decided to market a line of trains in direct competition to Unique Arts, initiated their design in January of 48 and had the line complete and ready for shipment by Christmas of 1949.  These cars are now remembered by Marx Collectors as "Seven Inch Trains".  This situation didn't last long.  Unique Lines quickly faded from the scene but the Marx 7 inch cars lasted until about 1958 for freight cars but longer for the passenger cars which derived from them.  The most famous being the 1860's type train which went by the name "William Crooks" and even more famous, the most colorful train Marx ever produced, the Disney windup Mickey Mouse Meteor.

So here is the toy that really upset Louis Marx, the Unique Lines, clockwork, steamer .  Pictured below with two of the associated freight cars, a box car and a caboose.

Best Wishes Don

P.S. @Steam Crazy - That is a great picture of you and your grandson.  Best wishes.  OBTW its warm and sunny here in Texas!!

Could Babe Ruth have taken this train in 1927 to the House the He Built?

Aren’t those MTH smoke units the best?

Arnold, yes, the Babe was on the train with Lou Gehrig.

John

@pennsyfan posted:

Thanks for getting the steam up Arnold!.

Here is my MTH PS1 Souther Pacific Cab Forward #4136.  As I was setting this run up, I became keenly aware that all my hoppers were from Eastern roads. So I did a little research. SP did have connections to St. Louis as did PRR and I suppose other Eastern roads. Was the timing right? I don't know. Then I questioned how far away from the mountain tunnels did the Cab forwards stray? All that 2nd guessing aside. I decided that it was good that this Cab Forward picked up this coal drag and is moving it across my layout.

Bob - Terrific pics and videos!!!  I love that cab forward! One day I hope to own a cab forward.  When that day comes  ...  Since I model eastern roads, my imagined scenario will be that one ( or all )  of my eastern roads ( B&O, Pennsy, N&W, and Western Maryland ) all wanted to try out a Southern Pacific cab forward ... so SP sent one east for trial purposes.   That's how I'll justify my eventual cab forward pulling my 30 plus car coal train of eastern road's hoppers  ( except for one UP open hopper ).  The beautiful thing about imagination is that it has no bounds .. lol!!  

Again your pics and videos are terrific!!  Thanks for posting!!

Thanks so much Arnold for keeping the boiler pressure up and getting us rolling for this fine Sunday! Got to love that NYC streamlined steam locomotive ... nice sounding whistle!!

Here is a video I took a year ago at the Great Scale Model Train Show in Timonium, Md.  Although it's HO scale ( at least that's how I remember it ... although it may have been N gauge? ) , the steam locomotive looks terrific pulling an express passenger train through town!  This was taken on a circus themed display.  The entire display is very well detailed!  

@Don McErlean posted:

IAW some Marx history, Louis Marx and Sammy Bergnam had been close friends for many years.  Sammy directed Unique Arts , a New Jersey toy manufacturing company.  Marx both sold toys for him and purchased Unique Art toys to resell and the two companies commonly exchanged tools and dies between the NJ and Gerard, Pa plants.  Suddenly as a complete surprise, in 1948 Unique Art developed a line of 0 gauge trains which would be a direct competitor to Marx trains.  The Unique Art train was marketed as both a boxed set and as individual circus animal cars through the Jewel Tea Company (I seem to recall that pennsyfan has this circus set).  Marx then did what only Marx could do...he decided to market a line of trains in direct competition to Unique Arts, initiated their design in January of 48 and had the line complete and ready for shipment by Christmas of 1949.  These cars are now remembered by Marx Collectors as "Seven Inch Trains".  This situation didn't last long.  Unique Lines quickly faded from the scene but the Marx 7 inch cars lasted until about 1958 for freight cars but longer for the passenger cars which derived from them.  The most famous being the 1860's type train which went by the name "William Crooks" and even more famous, the most colorful train Marx ever produced, the Disney windup Mickey Mouse Meteor.

So here is the toy that really upset Louis Marx, the Unique Lines, clockwork, steamer .  Pictured below with two of the associated freight cars, a box car and a caboose.

Best Wishes Don

P.S. @Steam Crazy - That is a great picture of you and your grandson.  Best wishes.  OBTW its warm and sunny here in Texas!!

WOW!  Don this is something we don't see everyday!  Thanks for the history and for posting these unusual   and cool looking ) photo!!

Here are a few more Unique Art trains.

A clock work

An Electric

Obviously not steam but part of the collection

@pennsyfan - Great Show Bob...love that cattle car!!

Don

@Genemed posted:

This week I’m running my Lionel PRR A5 hauling a couple of boxcars.

Gene

Gene - seeing and hearing your Pennsy A5 in action really makes me want one too!   Really fine  videos!!   You have a beautiful layout!!

@trumpettrain posted:

Gene - seeing and hearing your Pennsy A5 in action really makes me want one too!   Really fine  videos!!   You have a beautiful layout!!

Thank you Patrick, that means a lot coming from an experienced and talented modeler.

Gene