Fiddling around with a way to set the phone on the layout for shooting videos.....A small spring clamp works just fine.
Bob
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Bob, we need a pic of your phone setup. I have wondered how people hold their phone and blow whistles or ring bells at the same time. Thanks.
John
@Steam Crazy posted:Bob, we need a pic of your phone setup. I have wondered how people hold their phone and blow whistles or ring bells at the same time. Thanks.
John
John- I used a small spring clamp on one end of the phone and let it sit on the adjoining track. The handles act as feet.
I also have a tripod that I can set on the floor in front of the layout. Same attachment method to hold the phone to the mounting pad.
Bob
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Test ran the Rio Grande Ski Train 21" passenger cars.
Having trouble finding Rio Grande Ski Train F40PH engines that are not missing parts, or damaged or jumping off the track in a lash-up.
Sincerely, John Rowlen
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Here is my old post-war Lionel C&O 624 Switcher circa 1952 hauling a rather long consist of 19 mixed freight cars to include 6 Lionel die cast freight cars from the early 1990s and 13 additional mixed freight cars from the same era. Pretty impressive for a 71 year old dame. Who says magne-traction didn’t make much of a difference.😛😛😛😛😛😛😛😛.
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I had a chance to run some new C&O freight cars behind the H7 #1578 while I did loads of laundry.
Sincerely, John Rowlen
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Today we ran the Sante Fe war bonnet with passenger cars and the Sante Fe yellow bonnet with freight cars 
and a UP passenger train to… Happy Railroading Everyone
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Here's the Santa Fe Super Chief pulled by its standard F7 ABBA set and a Union Pacific freight train pulled by an EMD GP7, circa early 1960s.
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Couple rail fans watching some trains on a evening run.
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@Sitka posted:Couple rail fans watching some trains on a evening run.
Nice video. I like the roof top vantage point. Not a view often seen. All that was missing was a blast of exhaust when the engine went by.
-Joe
@Farmall-Joe posted:Nice video. I like the roof top vantage point. Not a view often seen. All that was missing was a blast of exhaust when the engine went by.
-Joe
I got some good ps1 Steamers next time around, that was a Williams GP-38 conventional. ty Mark
I have not run this engine in a year. This is my prewar #252 (1928) with it's original consist.
Bill
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Ran four freight trains today. Apologies for the video being in portrait mode. Made it real quick and didn’t think to turn my camera.
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I watched Melgar give a very nice presentation to our TTOS club tonight on one of his layouts and it put me in the mood to post some operations from my layout. So here is a DL-109 A&B units hauling a revenue freight from Maybrook to New Haven. The New Haven did not purchase any B units but the model was so handsome I had to have it for he pairing.
As a finale tonight, a pair of EMD F-3's passes a New Haven Mountain type heading into Cedar Hill Yard, with a returning empty string of coal hoppers. The F-3's are new MTH special run in NYO&W livery for JR Hobby in Syracuse NY
A New Haven Mountain type pulls out of Cedar Hill yard headed for Maybrook
@Bill Park posted:I watched Melgar give a very nice presentation to our TTOS club tonight on one of his layouts and it put me in the mood to post some operations from my layout. So here is a DL-109 A&B units hauling a revenue freight from Maybrook to New Haven. The New Haven did not purchase any B units but the model was so handsome I had to have it for he pairing.
Outstanding layout and trains, Bill.
@Bill Park posted:As a finale tonight, a pair of EMD F-3's passes a New Haven Mountain type heading into Cedar Hill Yard, with a returning empty string of coal hoppers. The F-3's are new MTH special run in NYO&W livery for JR Hobby in Syracuse NY
Empire!
@Bill Park posted:A New Haven Mountain type pulls out of Cedar Hill yard headed for Maybrook
Gorgeous
@Farmall-Joe posted:Nice video. I like the roof top vantage point. Not a view often seen. All that was missing was a blast of exhaust when the engine went by.
-Joe
Some rails fans sitting on top of a bridge taking in some close shots and a blast of exhaust.
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@Sitka posted:Some rails fans sitting on top of a bridge taking in some close shots and a blast of exhaust.
Cough cough cough NICE!
@Bill Park posted:As a finale tonight, a pair of EMD F-3's passes a New Haven Mountain type heading into Cedar Hill Yard, with a returning empty string of coal hoppers. The F-3's are new MTH special run in NYO&W livery for JR Hobby in Syracuse NY
Bill: Your new MTH F3s are gorgeous. Presumably they have fan driven smoke units but to me the smoke (from both the A and B unit) just appears to be swirling above each roof instead of shooting straight up. Perhaps my old eyes are playing tricks but wonder if you've noticed that?
PH1975 Your eyes are fine. I had been running them for a while and I think they might have been low on smoke fluid. I will run them again soon and see. They did come with fan driven smoke. I am away on vacation now but when I am back, I will run another video with them smoking correctly, I hope. Bill
Wow, what beautiful trains appear on this beautiful thread, and here’s an attempt to see my trains in motion, hopefully…. Happy Railroading Everyone 
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4014 is rolling out with a load of vehicles that are more than meets the eye.
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Ohhhhh @Patrick B....I was hoping to hear that fabulous whistle and see the steam coming out the whistle! Great video 
but SOOOO disappointed (okay...maybe not that disappointed)! 
Lionel’s set #6-1665 New York Central Empire State Express from the year 1976 still riding the rails on The Shenandoah Short Line in 2023. The much maligned Lionel Fundimensions/MPC era of the 1970s has often been accused of producing less than reliable motive power. This set and it’s engine still run smoothly and even its melodious Sound of Steam still functions with all of its original components. I purchased this set in January of 1977 and over the years it has seen a lot of run time. Not too shabby.😃😃😃
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Speaking of The Old Reliable of Lionel and the NYC, here's a shot of a NYC F3 "growler" AA set from '54 or '55 pulling the 20th Century Limited into the late evening sunset along the Water Level Route to the Windy City:
The coaches are RK 027 streamliners, so they're a little small for the scale F3 set but it all still looks pretty good and I can't imagine that this F3 set didn't pull her fair share of 027 rolling stock around a Christmas tree or two over the years. The goofy-sounding battery-powered horn works, too. Oh, and she's cruisin' along at only 8.5V. Thanks to Sitka for tips and tricks to get her running like this.
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@OKHIKER posted:Lionel’s set #6-1665 New York Central Empire State Express from the year 1976 still riding the rails on The Shenandoah Short Line in 2023. The much maligned Lionel Fundimensions/MPC era of the 1970s has often been accused of producing less than reliable motive power. This set and it’s engine still run smoothly and even its melodious Sound of Steam still functions with all of its original components. I purchased this set in January of 1977 and over the years it has seen a lot of run time. Not too shabby.😃😃😃
Great video! Not a darned thing wrong with MPC! I've got the Blue Comet and Joshua Lionel Cowen Commemorative Hudsons and the FARR#5 PRR Turbine. I had to do a little work on them, especially cleaning up and replacing the foam pads with felt in the tenders, but now they run great and sound as they're supposed to!
@Bill Swatos posted:Speaking of The Old Reliable of Lionel and the NYC, here's a shot of a NYC F3 "growler" AA set from '54 or '55 pulling the 20th Century Limited into the late evening sunset along the Water Level Route to the Windy City:
The coaches are RK 027 streamliners, so they're a little small for the scale F3 set but it all still looks pretty good and I can't imagine that this F3 set didn't pull her fair share of 027 rolling stock around a Christmas tree or two over the years. The goofy-sounding battery-powered horn works, too. Oh, and she's cruisin' along at only 8.5V. Thanks to Sitka for tips and tricks to get her running like this.
Nice looking F3 Bill, runs great for 8v was all you at your maintenance facility shop Nice set all you need now is to load it up with passengers
Ran this one awhile back one of my favorites of the Weavers RS-3.
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Take a look...
Dave
A very spiffy and well preserved set of Unique Art F7s which I purchased off of E-Bay a couple of days ago . I’ve been looking for a set of these beauties in almost like new condition for quite some time and finally struck it rich and for a very reasonable price . Here they are running light. They run as good as they look. 
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Unpacked and ran my WbB Sharks recently. They've been sitting in their boxes since I bought them in 2019.
Bob
Today I ran two postwar locomotives built in 1947 ... a 1666 and 2025. Both are steam locomotives by Lionel. These engines haven't been run for a year, perhaps longer, so I wanted make sure to give them some run time so their motors didn't seize up. I'm happy to report that both ran fine! Since I had a liquid smoke unit installed in the 2025, it really pours out the smoke! I also ran a Williams 4-8-4 which is in B&O livery ... somewhat modeled after the B&O Cincinnattian, however, the prototype Cincinnatian was a Pacific type locomotive.
On Wednesday night I ran my Williams brass scale Camelback. This was the first run since it had new board and smoke Suethe unit installed. WOW! The new Suethe smoke unit really has great smoke output! As many of you already know, Williams smoke units are notorious for anemic smoke output. I am thrilled with the new smoke unit.
Finally got to the O Scale layout today and ran this Lionel FA Santa Fe I Custom painted last year.
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@trumpettrain posted:Today I ran two postwar locomotives built in 1947 ... a 1666 and 2025. Both are steam locomotives by Lionel. These engines haven't been run for a year, perhaps longer, so I wanted make sure to give them some run time so their motors didn't seize up. I'm happy to report that both ran fine! Since I had a liquid smoke unit installed in the 2025, it really pours out the smoke! I also ran a Williams 4-8-4 which is in B&O livery ... somewhat modeled after the B&O Cincinnattian, however, the prototype Cincinnatian was a Pacific type locomotive.
On Wednesday night I ran my Williams brass scale Camelback. This was the first run since it had new board and smoke Suethe unit installed. WOW! The new Suethe smoke unit really has great smoke output! As many of you already know, Williams smoke units are notorious for anemic smoke output. I am thrilled with the new smoke unit.
Patrick, I also make a point of running all my engines at least once per year to keep them in good working order.
Ran this one this evening. Lionel NW2 Switcher with some Lionel Standard O cars.
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Yesterday I decided to run one of my PW 2502W Budd sets, 400, 2559 and 2550.
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At peace enjoying the hobby.
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@Genemed posted:At peace enjoying the hobby.
Nutin' wrong with dat' !!!!
A vintage Korean War era Lionel 671rr with its consist of green and gray 2400 series passenger cars from 1948 breezes its way through the small hamlet of Andyville on the Shenandoah Short Line. I love watching the new stuff but the old post-war motive power and rolling stock has a charm all of it’s own.
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Serviced and cleaned this Lionel GP7 this evening and gave it a good work out.
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I call it the "Cybertron Express" as the homeworld of the Transformers is Cybertron.
This train includes both an Autobot and Decepticon section, and at some point I will likely go out and get a few cheapo mpc boxcars/gondolas/caboose to recreate the cars of the old HO scale Tyco Transformers train set, but that's a project for another day.
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ALL ABOARD FOR GLACIER!! Lionel’s Great Northern Empire Builder from 1992 resplendent in its brilliant Omaha orange and Pullman green color scheme awaits to depart for Glacier National Park. Then it sprints its way cross country until it slowly glides into the mountain passes. I have always loved this train and just picked up the passenger cars off of E-Bay at a very good price.
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Staging some cars with my Missouri Pacific Lionel GP7 on a side track
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Testing my siding this evening with my Lionel Missouri Pacific GP7.
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Running a couple short freights.
Western Maryland RS3 (PS-1) and B&O GP-9 (Lionel pullmor w/TMCC)
Bob
A laid back Sunday morning for the crew and operator.
Fresh out of the Harmon Shops in Shiloh North Carolina, the Weaver 2-8-4 Berkshire makes its way around some of the layout. The engine was regeared from 44-1 gear ratio to a 20-1 along with a new transmission and can motor. The result is a very good low speed performing engine without loss of power at that slow speed I now have my 3 Weaver New Haven I-5's there to have the same regearing and motoring.
@Bill Park posted:PH1975 Your eyes are fine. I had been running them for a while and I think they might have been low on smoke fluid. I will run them again soon and see. They did come with fan driven smoke. I am away on vacation now but when I am back, I will run another video with them smoking correctly, I hope. Bill
@Bill Park - Hi Bill.
Further to my March 3rd inquiry, just wondering about the status of the 'fan driven smoke' issue on your beautiful MTH NYO&W F3 AA set?
Mr. PH1975, Here is a video made a short time ago today showing the smoke units working as advertised. An enhancement would have been to put one of the smoke units in the B unit. I have a DL-109 A&B units and they both smoke so it would not have been out of the realm of possibility. Bill
whttps://photos.app.goo.gl/L1K4BSxps8rNo4PH6
Corrected link address for above NYO&W F-3's
Here is a corrected link for my post above concerning the outshopping of Berk 759 from Harmon Shops
MTH Railking Pennsy Consolidation on the point hauling stone and coal:
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@Arnold D. Cribari posted:MTH Railking Pennsy Consolidation on the point hauling stone and coal:
Play Ball!!! Great video Arnold.
Lionel Missouri Pacific GP7 going through town with a manifest of O27 cars.
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@Bill Park posted:Here is a corrected link for my post above concerning the outshopping of Berk 759 from Harmon Shops
Both locos look great Bill.
Bob
Ran this Railking Hudson this evening with a manifest of Menards’s cars and a Lionel caboose.
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Got my old Lionel F3 out this evening and Serviced it. I’ve been working on this Shell for a couple years now I have to decal the other side yet then it will be done. The boxcars are from Menards I custom painted and decaled the New York Central boxcar.
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This great running 2321 Lackawanna from PW Lionel 1955,56 Support your Veterans.
It be blurry to if you ran across the rails in front of this FM
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Dropping off some Reading Coal cars at the Kimbrel Coal Co.
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Today I ran my original Williams ( not WbB ) scale GG1 with 4 silver Pennsy streamlined cars. Here the train is departing late this afternoon. 
Later, in the evening, dinner is being served in the dining car. This is a MTH car with a custom built interior with candles and place settings on each table. The car also contains flicker free lighting. I bought this car at York from a Canadian gentleman who does customization of dining cars. His booth is in the Orange Hall. 
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WbB BL2 pulling a set of Lionel streamliners. MTH 0-4-0 on the high line.
Bob
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@trumpettrain - Patrick, the name of the Canadian gentleman that customizes dining cars is Jack Pearce and he lives about 35 miles north of Toronto Ontario. As well as being a nice guy Jack has perfected customizing over the years. Even Eric Siegel has made reference to Jack in one of his videos, as he also has acquired one of Jack’s customized dining cars. 😊
A 1952 Erie freight set (1467w) turning laps on my Super O layout:
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Some of my grandkids visited recently. They all wanted to go downstairs to run trains on my model railroads. They prefer to run three trains at a time – and have them moving right along. These photos were taken by one of my grandsons. New Haven Railroad trains were on the layout at the time.
MELGAR
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@MELGAR posted:Some of my grandkids visited recently. They all wanted to go downstairs to run trains on my model railroads. They prefer to run three trains at a time – and have them moving right along. These photos were taken by one of my grandsons. New Haven Railroad trains were on the layout at the time.
MELGAR
Makes it all worthwhile when the grandkids initiate to run things.
Jay
@MELGAR posted:Some of my grandkids visited recently. They all wanted to go downstairs to run trains on my model railroads. They prefer to run three trains at a time – and have them moving right along. These photos were taken by one of my grandsons. New Haven Railroad trains were on the layout at the time.
MELGAR
Mel, what is the stuff surrounding the building supposed to be? A combination of stone and water runoff or something else?
@PH1975 posted:@trumpettrain - Patrick, the name of the Canadian gentleman that customizes dining cars is Jack Pearce and he lives about 35 miles north of Toronto Ontario. As well as being a nice guy Jack has perfected customizing over the years. Even Eric Siegel has made reference to Jack in one of his videos, as he also has acquired one of Jack’s customized dining cars. 😊
PH1975 - thanks for jogging my memory! Yes, Jack Pearce of course..... a very nice man! His work is impeccable!! I look forward to seeing him at York his month. Thanks again.
First day back on the layout, I got out the Pennsylvania K4s. Still puts out great steam
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Take a look-see...
Dave
Dave - what track is that in the tunnel? Looks like Atlas but the ties are fooling me and rails are too bright for NS.
@Tranquil Hollow RR posted:Makes it all worthwhile when the grandkids initiate to run things.
Jay
Can’t wait to have grandkids to pass on my trains and layouts.
Here’s a different shot dropping off tbe Reading coal cars.
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Had a nice run this morning before going out to enjoy the early summer weather.
Gene
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@Genemed posted:Had a nice run this morning before going out to enjoy the early summer weather.
Gene
Nice looking layout and freight trains. Only, where is the steamer freight's caboose? 🤔
@Yellowstone Special posted:Nice looking layout and freight trains. Only, where is the steamer freight's caboose? 🤔
Vern, thanks. My first 2 on preorder from Mr. Muffin’s. 👍
Lionel 2326272 - N6B Caboose Cabin Car "Pennsylvania" #981530 x 1
$ 98.39
Lionel 2326290 - Wood Caboose "Strasburg" #12 x 1
$ 98.39
Gene
Fresh from the wash rack, a shiny pair of F units pulls a local passenger train headed towards New Haven. The units are special offerings from Jr, Junction in Syracuse. On my fictitious New Haven/NYO&W, scenes like this happen.
Broke out the MTH 0-8-0 switcher as well as a pair of MTH RS-11s to pull some GGD heavyweight passenger cars last night.
Still having some electrical gremlins (need to add a power drop on the far side of the loop), but did my best to try to stitch together multiple views to try to tell a mini-story.
Well, you've seen my Lionel Santa Fe Super Chief passenger train before. But here it is again, only this time running in the other direction with a new MTH R50B express reefer at the head end of the cars. 
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Today I ran my 28 year old Frisco FM H-10-44. Goes to show that with proper maintenance these engines will last. As Neil Young sang “Long May You Run”.
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Love this Lionel TMCC NY Central Ten Wheeler, made in the early 2000s:
Arnold
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MTH PS3 NY Central RS3 and MTH Railking NY Central Pullman Green Madison Heavyweights. Turn the sound up so you can hear the announcement:
Arnold
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I'll be putting these away and bringing out the next batch of boxed, unloved and neglected rolling stock!
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Ran a couple before work this morning, not because I planned to, but because I was up an hour earlier than I needed to be. When I woke up and checked the clock, I thought it said 6:50, didn't realize until I was getting dressed for work that it must have been 5:50 and my bad eyes didn't see the difference between 5 and 6......
So what better way to kill some time before leaving the house.
Bob
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Bob, you were up that late: 5:50 AM?
I almost always beat that by at least 1 hour, and in those wee hours of the morning, running trains can be a joy.
This morning it was a pleasure for me to run this recently acquired MTH Proto 3 Baltimore & Ohio F3 A B Units:
I'm in "Royal Blue Heaven."
Arnold
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@Arnold D. Cribari posted:Bob, you were up that late: 5:50 AM?
Arnold
One of the benefits of living 5 minutes from my office.....
Nice looking F units!
@Arnold D. Cribari posted:Bob, you were up that late: 5:50 AM?
I almost always beat that by at least 1 hour, and in those wee hours of the morning, running trains can be a joy.
This morning it was a pleasure for me to run this recently acquired MTH Proto 3 Baltimore & Ohio F3 A B Units:
I'm in "Royal Blue Heaven."
Arnold
Arnold! Nice B&O F3's! Always a pleasure watching your videos.
So...is it me or do the MTH F3 horns in general sound pitifully anemic (I have a set of MTH Santa F3's that have the same horn). And rest assured Arnold; I'm NOT trying to insulting your beautiful layout.
I lived by a Pennsy route and saw/heard F3's all the time and I don't remember it sounding that way. Can anyone confirm the MTH F3 horn sound is realistic? I've always wondered about that horn.
Junior, I have found MTH F units to have realistic sounding horns, but I'm no authority on the real locomotives.
Like you, I'm interested in what others say about the MTH horns.
I think what one thinks of the MTH horns may largely depend on what you compare them to.
For instance, IMO the MTH F3 horns are a lot more realistic and better than the Lionel Postwar diesel horns that sound like a bicycle horn.
On the other hand, some modern Lionel have excellent horns, whistles, bells, and other sounds, some of which are arguably better than MTH. Neil Young may have made that happen for Lionel in the past.
Lionel 225e on rollers after service
The Baltimore & Ohio Columbian passing through My Little Town:
The B&O locomotive is an MTH Proto 3 F3 (A & B units) and the passenger cars are K Line Madison heavyweights. Arnold
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