What is Your 'Centerpiece'?

Yes.  It's the recreation of the Panhandle bridge (all 11' 9" of it) across the Ohio River between Steubenville and Weirton.

George

Original 1930 American Flyer catalog artwork.  Hangs in the living room.

NWL

Great topic, difficult choice, don't you think you have multiple centerpieces? I do. But,  if I had to choose one, here it is:

Arnold

I have so many I cherish but I think between my bridge and my Daylight.. I also love those MoP E6s.

3 years building a working miniature of this bridge

Eagle

Cab Forward

my favorite train by far, 1938-1941 Daylight

@Arnold D. Cribari posted:

Great topic, difficult choice, don't you think you have multiple centerpieces? I do. But,  if I had to choose one, here it is:

Arnold

that is so cool! 😎

But I do love those Warbonnets in my fleet! Tough one 🤪

The 'Clickety-clack' in your video above Erik is terrific!

@Erik C Lindgren posted:

that is so cool! 😎

Thank you, Erik, I bet you're a baseball fan too. Arnold

@Erik C Lindgren posted:

I have so many I cherish but I think between my bridge and my Daylight.. I also love those MoP E6s.

3 years building a working miniature of this bridge

Eagle

Cab Forward

my favorite train by far, 1938-1941 Daylight

IMO, these are all fabulous photos/paintings. Arnold

Here is mine...

This building was often removed from my home layout to be the centerpiece of my trackers' club shopping mall module. A thin Sony speaker can be seen in the windows of the lower pic that provided organ music I had recorded and marketed in the 1980's. Several years of setups passed before a fellow tracker club member asked: "Is that you?"

Cool idea for a thread. My quick PICs are crappy, but I have this original etching from the great artist Harry Sternberg hanging above a display of MTH Pennsy heavyweights being "pulled" by my Legacy E6 Atlantic in our family room. 

Fun to see what brings us to the altar of these things. Great stuff fellas 🙂

What a great station Ron - a kit?

@Arnold D. Cribari posted:

Great topic, difficult choice, don't you think you have multiple centerpieces? I do. But,  if I had to choose one, here it is:

Arnold

Arnold, I always enjoy seeing your ballpark and I love the backstory of how you came to find those terrific, charismatic figures at the Choo Choo Barn with your family here in PA.

Very cool “centerpieces” !!!!!  
Here’s the centerpiece of my MP and T&P collection.

Cheers !!! 🙂

What a wonderful thread!!!!!

I am loving all the masterful scenes and videos.

Thanks to all those contributing.

Happy railroading,

Don

1930's Coal Tipple.

@TrainBub posted:

Very cool “centerpieces” !!!!!  
Here’s the centerpiece of my MP and T&P collection.

Cheers !!! 🙂

Wow that thing is pretty 😍 

@c.sam posted:

The 'Clickety-clack' in your video above Erik is terrific!

N scale can't compare and HO still doesn't strike me like o scale. 👍😊

@c.sam posted:

What a great station Ron - a kit?

Thank you @c.sam.  This is a kitbash of three MTH banks.

Ron

@c.sam posted:

Here's mine - nothing like a warm fire and a large Hudson to brighten up a cold winter morning!

Let's see yours

@c.sam,

It's my choice too, only a little smaller.

Unfortunately my fireplace/mantel is presently under construction so these pictures come from my photo bench.

But, it'll be there soon.

Mike

Great photos and incredible work on your scenes.  Congrats to all of you for your "Centerpieces"

This is the Banff Springs hotel in Alberta, CA.  Built in1888 by the Canadian Pacific RR.

Well my "Centerpiece" is a glass front cabinet, likely at one time that held flat goods (cloth etc) as its only about 5" deep but is 4 ft 9" wide and 5 ft 6" high.  My wife and I refinished the cabinet (its antique oak) and added glass shelves inside to hold trains.  I keep it on the wall facing my desk in the office and fill it with my most rare trains, some tin toys, and a shelf full of Suitcliff clockwork boats.  We got this piece in 1982 while I was on a 1 year special duty in Boston, Massachusetts.

Most of the contents are from the 1920's to the 1930's.  It holds Lionel 603/604 passenger cars from 1920-25 , 253 Apple Green Engine and pass cars from 1932-34, a 248 red set and a 248 orange set both from 1928-29, Ives #50 Parlor Car and #52 Baggage from 1930, American Flyer Hummer from 1920, American Flyer 3110 set from 1928-29, and two Dominion Flyer 1106 passenger cars, a Marx 10,000 stream liner from 1930, and several Fandor Cars from Germany plus some other foreign stock that I have managed to find on some European trips.

The large cardboard Lionel sign comes from the Christmas display from what I believe was the last small retail store that carried Lionel trains at Christmas in Waco .  The Marx B&0 F3 Diesel F3 set is not that old, roughly 1953, or rare...but it was one of the very first sets that I found when I was starting to collect.

Best Wishes

Don

@C Sam, Wow, great thread, beautiful Centerpiece, beautiful Hudson, beautiful mantle, beautiful fireplace, it’s a jaw dropping gorgeous. As you can see, this thread is bringing out the best of the best, @Eric C. Lindgren, your a Master Modeler and your art is unsurpassed, just amazing, your pictures are so beautiful, @Don McErlean, your display cabinet is full of fun to review trains, the cabinet is really nice, @Wood, your Canadian Pacific diesel in the tunnel beside the mountainside is really neat, and the couple horse back riding looks like Roy Roger’s and Dale Evans, great memories, @Mellow Hudson Mike, now that’s a beautiful Hudson, it’ll look great on your new mantle, @Ron045, your pictures reveal a lot of beautiful modeling and I love the Grand Central Station, all a Wow, @Arnold D. Cribari, that’s a beautiful baseball field, which is as American as the beautiful Hudson’s on display, your layout is so cool, Everyone, thanks for your contributions. Happy Railroading Everyone

@Erik C Lindgren posted:

Wow that thing is pretty 😍

Sure is!

This thread has been one to savor for me. There is such a rich diversity of talent and creativity demonstrated by all who have contributed. Makes one very grateful for this Forum. Arnold

My 44 year old 027 Toy train layout has two center pieces, one being the homemade turntable and round house.

An the second is the actionable control touch track diagram panel.

Charlie

Really nice submissions by everyone!

Cameron Station is the centerpiece of my upper loop.

@G37500, George, forgive me, I meant to mention your beautiful Centerpiece, the beautiful Pennsylvania Passenger train and the Beautiful double header Steam Locomotives pulling a long freight train over a truly unique bridge, awesome scene, your background clouds look real, the scenery is really looking great, @Trainbub, wow, that’s a beautiful steamer #610, it’s highly detailed and I bet it’s a fun to run locomotive. This is truly unique thread. Happy Railroading Everyone

On the modular layout, where I am responsible for 18' of scenery, the MAX FOODS complex.....

Have a great Sunday, folks!

Peter

So I guess my centerpiece at the moment would be this tricked out oak shelf.  I change out favorites as the mood strikes.  Of course a new engine goes up right away for some "beauty" shots.  Lots of FEF posts come from this shelf.  

This is what I call my fuel tower and associated pieces, all scratch built

Well until I finish the basement and build my new layout this is currently my centerpiece.

This bell came off the OHCR 8530, which just happens to be the first engine I operated. We swapped it out for a E-bell. Once the basement is finished I’ll weld up a bracket for it and have it on display.

My centerpiece is this lift-out bridge that I acquired a couple years ago.  It has some local history as it was constructed by the owner of a local business. 

Tom

My centerpiece is a small diorama I made to fit on the fireplace mantle.  It makes use of different photo backdrops and whatever cars or motive power I wish to show.

Below is one aspect for it, which interprets a January 1957 prototype photo by Julian Graham of Lucius Beebe and Charles Clegg's private car "Virginia City" parked on a siding at Pacific Grove for the Crosby Invitational Golf Tournament that year.  Both of their automobiles are there as well, for the drive over to the Pebble Beach Golf Course.

The private car has interior LED lighting. The diorama can be set up with a hidden HO power pack connected to the track so the car could be lit up at night.

S. Islander

In my OP, I alluded to "multiple" centerpieces, which I believe many of us have. Indeed, IMO, the best layouts (which mine is not) have many centerpieces.

Another expression for centerpiece(s) in the context of a layout that conveys a similar meeting, is "show stopper scenes."

I believe I have multiple centerpieces or show stopper scenes on my layout, and my #1 is my Popsicle Stick Yankee Stadium shown in my OP.

Now, for fun, I will unveil my #2. It's a tough choice, and I'm a little torn about choosing my #2, but here it is.

Drum roll please (LOL).

It's the South portion of my removable river

showing the Lionel NY Central Tugboat and the Lionel Bascule Bridge and Lionel Drawbridge, both in the raised position.

Arnold

I absolutely love that tug, and often find myself looking out for a Pennsy version. And it's almost impossible to ignore the charm of the term "removable river"!

The Rolls in this scene is somewhat reminiscent of Goldfinger's RR (not railroad!) in the Bond film

Great composition!