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I was reading an article today on the Fox News website about the top ten places you should see before you die.  So I thought we could put together the top ten train place to see.

1) TCA Eastern Division Meet

2) New Jersey HiRailers layout

3)National Toy Train Museum

4)Tony Lash's layout (where ever it is now)

5)Nicholas Smith Trains

6)Charles Ro

7)Cal Stewart Show

8)Choo Choo Barn

9)Trainfest

10)MTH's showroom

 

Let's see your list and compare.

Scott Smith

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The Miniature Railroad & Village at the Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh, PA (especially during their annual Locomotion Weekend events in December).

 

PatrickH's layout (see his layout thread over on the layout building section of the forum or the recent thread about his video here on this section).

 

The Lionel Service Center open house events.

 

OGR World Headquarters. 

 

Andy

I believe the RR museum of Long Island has the former Lionel Showroom display from Mt. Clemens.

 

And while maybe not one of the top 10, my Christmas display at the Redford Theater here in Detroit is quite popular in this area.  This coming Christmas will be my 3rd year doing the display and we've been trying to make it better every year.  Kids of all ages crowd in front of the Orchestra pit to see the action.  The Theater itself is part of the fun though.

Originally Posted by Texas Pete:

My top three:

 1. Frank 53's Layout.

2. NJHR Layout.

 

Too late now, but...

 3. Norm Charbonneau's layout.

 

Pete

Norm will be building a new one shortly.  And I'd put that on my short list!

 

 

">The place in Frankfurt? Germany that has the huge building with trains"

 

That would be in Hamburg, Germany. That's not O but still worth seeing.

 

Also the PAL layout in Rochester, NY.

The OP listed #7, the Cal-Stewart show. I would add to that the RMD-TCA show in Denver twice a year. Having been to both I would rank the two very similar size wise and while the Cal-Stewart show may have more extras, train races and demolition derby and so forth, Denver is a lot closer to a lot of you.

I would also add to the list O Scale West.

It's in Hamburg but it's HO gauge, even though, I'd love to see it.
 
 
 
Originally Posted by Santa Fe VA:

>The National Toy Train Museum

>The place in Frankfurt? Germany that has the huge building with trains

>Alex Mallaie's layout (sorry Alex if I butchered your name again)

 

 

>Any Christmas tree layout with a couple of little (or big) kids gathered around

 

 

I've been to York TCA meet

I've visited the NJ Highrailers

I've visited the National Toy Train Museum,

and I agree with all three.

I've also visited the home layouts of Jim Policastro, Alex Malliae, Eliot Scher and others.

These, and many others are wonders alright.

But, I want to tell you about my club layout in Sydney Australia, AMRA.

It was first built 50 years ago, and a couple of these first members are still involved.

It's not the biggest club layout, but it's not small.

It is pretty much all hand made. All the track and switches of the original layout, 80% in total, is hand made and can run 2 rail, 3 rail, AC, DC, DCS, TMCC, DCC. All the signalling is hand made, and actually works through a relay system interlinked to blocks, switches, etc.We recently expanded the layout to accommodate US style 2 and 3 rail, using Atlas track, but with all handmade switches. And they are faultless in operation. All the original buildings, structures, turntables etc were scratch built.

Most of the locos and rolling stock that runs on the original part of the layout are scratch built. One of our very distinguished old members, Col Shepherd, is now 92 years of age, has been there from the start, and has built more than 50 engines in his life and countless pieces of rolling stock. (He still skates every week). Col even built loco models for the government state railways of the day. Over time, when older members passed away, many of their collections of scratch built trains were donated to the club, and are on permanent display.

This club, and it's older members are indeed wonders of our O gauge train world.

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If we are talking about true wonders, then meeting Mike Reagan must be included, for he truly must be one of the 10 great wonders of the 0-gauge world. 

 

Mike is truly a stand up guy.  He took the time to answer many questions from everyone that approached him and even repaired some engines while at the TrainWorx Open House.

 

Artyoung

 

The B&O layout has moved from its historic home in the Cincinnati Gas and Electric building, each Christmas, to the lower level of the Cincinnati Museum Center during the Christmas season, along with several nice PW Lionel dealer displays and about a dozen huge oil paintings of the PRR. On the main level they also, have a year round S scale model of the city ca 1940, and the entire Museum Center is in the Art Deco masterpiece that is Cincinnati Union Station. It is easy to find, served as the model for Marvel's Hall of Justice. Entertrainment junction is just up I75 in West Chester. 

I guess I have a different perspective on the "Top Ten Wonders of the O Gauge World"...

 

As awesome as the huge, popular, published, renowned, incredibly crafted layouts are, and the giants of this forum and the O gauge business, past and present, I would suggest that some of the most 'wonderful' parts of this hobby segment lie in the lesser known inspired creations of younger hobbyists, those hobbyists who work with severe physical disabilities or limitations, those who have created much to be admired with an income that would be classified as poverty or below, those for whom the hobby has been life-changing, life-extending, introducing them to friends they otherwise would have never met.  Or, in my case, finding a wife who actually shares in the hobby...will wonders never cease???

 

Actually, everytime I go down to the basement to my own O gauge world, I am in wonder...what to do next!...so many choices, so little time, so much fun. 

 

KD

There a guy who has his 3 rail o gauge trains out side.Something to see double headed steam locomotiveAnd model day locomotives pulling  double stack trains with a pusher on the end.He runs some pretty long trains freight and passnger.Tomstrains on youtube 60 something sheets of 4by 8 plywood.He has freight trains with a hundred plus cars.He was on a news talk about train overload.My eyes just about poped out of my head.

Good thread!  My suggestions are as follows:

 

Every layout (public & private) that introduces children to trains

 

The Train Factory (formerly Railroad Hall) in The Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, where visitors can ride in the cab of Baldwin 3-cylinder compound 4-10-2 No. 60000

 

Tom & Linda Groff's CHOO CHOO BARN at Strasburg

 

Bob Board's S gauge ALL ABOARD RAILROAD (www.bartspneumatics.com)

 

The Christmas Putz in The Lutheran Home at Topton, PA

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PutzTree

 

And Norfolk Southern's Reading Heritage Unit

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