The Trolley on Mr. Rogers

I loved watching Mr. Rogers. I thought the trolley was cool too, more so because I love trains and have since I was little. I would love to have an O-gauge version of his trolley or at least represent one on the layout in some way...

Used to really bug the C--P out of me when the jogged the ****ed things back and forth so as to shake it's little head.

My dad would have killed me if I did that with the HO stuff.

Jim

"Fred Rogers was a gifted and gentle man who had a genuine gift for communicating with children in a very positive way!"

Indeed...

Jim: Making the trolley "shake its head" as it were, was actually brilliant in retrospect!

I loved to watch Fred Rogers, I watched the show nearly every single day.  I had heard but can't verify that it was actually 1:29 scale or G Scale.  I always thought that it was that large as it looked pretty large in size.  I was really saddened to hear that he had passed away, he was a great man.

Whether a fan or not, this 2018 documentary (Won't You Be My Neighbor?) is well worth viewing. Mr. Rogers was truly an extraordinary "good guy" who sincerely cared about children and their healthy emotional and intellectual development. In our especially cynical world today, we all could use a dose of Fred Rogers!

I don't recall the issue, but some years ago I ran an article about the fellow who actually created the Mr. Rogers trolley. Might have been a sidebar to a layout feature from the fellow, who was on the Mr. Roger's Neighborhood production staff. I don't have time right now to research which issue it may have been, but perhaps another of our forum members will remember.

With the upcoming feature film starring Tom Hanks as Mr. Rogers it might be a good time for one of the train manufacturers to introduce a licensed 3 rail version of the trolley. 

Brad

grp24 posted:

I loved watching Mr. Rogers. I thought the trolley was cool too, more so because I love trains and have since I was little. I would love to have an O-gauge version of his trolley or at least represent one on the layout in some way...

This may help!  https://ogrforum.com/...gers-tribute-trolley

Mitch 

My Girls watch Daniel Tiger, which is the cartoon continuation of the Rogers show my parents let me watch as I grew up. It looks like a trolley project is in my near future! Thanks for the info Mitch.

My LHS has a large G scale collection, I may ask him to see if he has anything I can use.

Thanks!

Fred Rogers was a guest speaker where my wife worked as a VP. She spent the day with him and told me he wasn't the mild, kind man portrayed in TV & public. I said,"He is an actor" and she agreed.  Good kid's show, famous but still human.

Jim: No disrespect intended, but you should view the documentary, which includes his sons and his wife. Of course he is human, but his family, co-workers and staff thought highly of him, and that has got to count for something.

I would be in for a G gauge version in 1:22.5 scale with bell sounds!

Here's the old thread on this topic: https://ogrforum.com/...ister-rogers-trolley

Tinplate Art posted:

Jim: No disrespect intended, but you should view the documentary, which includes his sons and his wife. Of course he is human, but his family, co-workers and staff thought highly of him, and that has got to count for something.

Several people in the documentary, who I assume knew him from more than one meeting, commented that his on-screen persona was exactly how he was in real life. Like Art said, he was human, and may have just been having a bad day when Jim's wife met him. I can attest that there's a place in heaven for anyone having to deal with the public on a regular basis while maintaining their composure. I also loved the scene where he changed the mind of the Scrooge-like congressman in regards to funding public television. It was almost a tear-jerker. 

The fellow I mentioned in my earlier post--the man who built the HO version of Mr. Rogers' trolley seen in the opening credits--is Paul Lally. Paul's own layout appeared in RUN 261, our January 2013 issue, along with biographic info about his role with the Mr. Rogers program.

A detailed article titled "Mr. Rogers' trolley" was published in Model Railroader magazine in January 1988. I have that article but cannot post it here (nor can any of you folks) due to copyright restrictions.

And, yes, some O gauge manufacturer should most certainly produce a model of this very famous trolley that was beloved by generations of youngsters.

Allan Miller posted:

The fellow I mentioned in my earlier post--the man who built the HO version of Mr. Rogers' trolley seen in the opening credits--is Paul Lally. Paul's own layout appeared in RUN 261, our January 2013 issue, along with biographic info about his role with the Mr. Rogers program.

A detailed article titled "Mr. Rogers' trolley" was published in Model Railroader magazine in January 1988. I have that article but cannot post it here (nor can any of you folks) due to copyright restrictions.

And, yes, some O gauge manufacturer should most certainly produce a model of this very famous trolley that was beloved by generations of youngsters.

 

LMAO I think you are 2.5 years too late:

https://ogrforum.com/...ly=57883406174299535

I hope posting the link to another page on the forum isn't copy right!

Thanks!

GERMAN: My wife and I definitely teared up at that amazing Senate hearing sequence where the soft spoken and gentle man made his case for quality children's television, and succeeded in changing the mind of that skeptical Senator! He not only secured the funding, but also received a hearty round of applause. Sadly, I do not believe we will see such a sensitive and genuinely caring person in children's television again anytime soon.

Daniel J. Gonzalez posted:

Allan Miller posted:

The fellow I mentioned in my earlier post--the man who built the HO version of Mr. Rogers' trolley seen in the opening credits--is Paul Lally. Paul's own layout appeared in RUN 261, our January 2013 issue, along with biographic info about his role with the Mr. Rogers program.

A detailed article titled "Mr. Rogers' trolley" was published in Model Railroader magazine in January 1988. I have that article but cannot post it here (nor can any of you folks) due to copyright restrictions.

And, yes, some O gauge manufacturer should most certainly produce a model of this very famous trolley that was beloved by generations of youngsters.

 

LMAO I think you are 2.5 years too late:

https://ogrforum.com/...ly=57883406174299535

I hope posting the link to another page on the forum isn't copy right!

Thanks!

AMAZING!  

Jim

ALLEN: THANKS for the link to that informative thread with the contributions of a former show director, Mr. Lally.

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