Lionel Corp 263E and a few cars....I must need to clean my track, she needed a bunch of sand!!!!

Rats, I don't have anything to run on, however, in my mind I saw my SP 3800 pulling a long string of PFE reefers and my SP F3's pulling my Sunset Limited passenger train.   One of these days I'll have some place to run and hopefully it won't be too far off.  A move to the Dallas area is not too far off.  Great pics guys.

Three trains were running yesterday on my 12’-by-8’ layout. On the O-72 outer loop is a Sunset/3^rd Rail New Haven Railroad ALCO PA locomotive with MTH New Haven heavyweight passenger cars. On the O-54 middle loop is an New York Central freight train with MTH USRA 0-6-0 locomotive and Pacemaker caboose. On the O-36 inner loop is an Atlas O Conrail MP-15DC locomotive pulling New Haven Railroad boxcars and a Conrail caboose.

MELGAR

Although it is summer, I usually spend some time in the basement every day running trains or doing something on the layouts. Today I ran my New Haven EP-5 electric motor #371 (MTH PS-1) with a passenger train that now includes a Railway Post Office car (by Weaver) and a recently acquired New York Central GP-9 #6001 (MTH PS-3) pulling a freight train.

MELGAR

Lionel Boston & Albany Hudson  and Postwar Pennsy GG1:

Arnold

My currently favorite locomotive: LC+ Erie Camelback:

It runs slow and smooth, weighs a ton and pulls like a bulldog.

It also has great detail for an economical engine:

Arnold

None.

I have not run trains for a week now.

They are painting the outside of the garage and have been using a sprayer for part of it.

I covered the layout with very light plastic tarps before they started so that there is not chance of any paint getting on the layout, the trains, or the control panel.

Tomorrow they finish and as soon as they are gone, the tarps come off.

Shortly thereafter, the trains start running again!

the 392's

I am hopeful of running LC+ in remote mode with my 7 and 2 year old grandaughters today. In the past we have filled gondolas with their Shopkins. They love little people and things.

I hope to take photos/videos and post them here later today. Arnold

The Royal Gorge made it's daily run:

Here we go!

LC+ NH FAs pulling Postwar passenger cars with PopPop Pussycat (that's me because of my beard) on the remote, and LC+ Jersey Central Pacifuc steamer hauling freight with my 7 year old grandaughter, Karina, on the remote. My 2 year old grandaughter, Julie, is tending to the farm animals:

We are all doing different things we enjoy.

This was a peak experience for me this morning, and I wish you all peak experiences with your trains this upcoming holiday weekend. Arnold

As part of my peak experience with the trains  today, my wife, Shawn, actually did something on the layout. Here she is, helping our grandaughter, Karina, with the little people and animals:

This is a momentous event. Although Shawn is very tolerant of my passion for our hobby and knows it has been good therapy for me in coping with my, at times, stressful profession, I can't remember the last time she did anything regarding the layout. I think only our granddaughters could motivate Shawn to show any interest in the layout.

Also in the video is my 32 year old daughter, Maria, sitting on the couch and my 2 year old granddaughter, Julie. 

We all had a wonderful time with the trains today. Arnold

I have had the MTH Mallet #284 for sometime; but never ran it.

Something got me going early this morning and I put it on the rails. I gave it a little test and then assigned it to a coal drag that a 746 was having a problem with. Here it is taking on some water.

My 7 year old granddaughter, Karina, with remote unit running LC+ NJ Central Pacific steamer and boxcar unit train around the baseball field and washer/dryer in the laundry room:

Oh what fun we had today! Arnold

Hey Arnold!

What a great looking bunch of gals you got to help you run your trains!  I wish I had a bunch of good looking girls to help me run my trains.  But I only got one funny looking boy (he's funny looking, because he looks just like me! ).  And my wife (she's pretty, too) don't want nuthin' to do with my trains. 

How did all your gals get to be so good looking?  Did they go to college for that, or sumthin'?    

What a wonderful way to spend the day!!!   

Arnold - Great videos of your family in the train room!!  I sure wish I had a grandfather like you  You are the best!! 

We all know that boys, by and large, love our toys, but let's not assume the girls won't be interested.

Daughters and granddaughters can go for model railroading in large numbers, and so can the occasional wife and sister.

The girls may naturally focus more on the little people (like playing with dolls) and the arts and crafts involved in model railroading. That is true of my 7 year old granddaughter, and was true of my 32 year old daughter when she was a little girl.

They also enjoy Polar Express excursions on tourist trains, which we are considering doing as a family, and steam engine rides. 

The girls may be an untapped market in the world of model railroading.

Pastel colored toy trains for girls, however, is not the answer. LOL, Arnold

Tonight I ran an all Lionel lash-up with a SD70ACe Spirit of Union Pacific 1943 / C44-9W Southern Pacific UP Patch (non-powered) 9647 & SD60M Union Pacific 6187. 

Arnold,

We visited my son and daughter-in-law today. My three-year-old granddaughter watched videos of my train layouts on my phone. She also asks me to go downstairs and run trains whenever she's at my house.

MELGAR

Amtrak phase 3 Lionel F40PH and a mix of equipment

A Lionel PW Burlington passenger trains was stopping at the stations on the S&Y RR.

Had a run with a (British) Great Western Railway mogul with passenger and freight train:

Regards

Fred

trumptrain posted:

Great looking scenery Patrick, I can't wait to get started on mine. Jahn's ! You just brought back a ton of memories from the 50s!

pennsyfan posted:

trumptrain posted:

Great looking scenery Patrick, I can't wait to get started on mine. Jahn's ! You just brought back a ton of memories from the 50s!

Thanks so much Bob!  I greatly enjoy the scenery aspect of model railroading.  Jahns as I understand it was a small chain of sweet shops in  Queens and Long Island?  I would have liked to have sampled their delights many times over, however, I missed out because I grew up in Maryland.  However, running trains always brings back wonderful memories from everything from Christmas season, to walking along the B&O mainline and branch line in the summer when I was a kid .... ahhh, the aroma of creosote in the summer! 

VistaDomeScott posted:

Amtrak phase 3 Lionel F40PH and a mix of equipment

Very nice 👍

trumptrain posted:

pennsyfan posted:

trumptrain posted:

Great looking scenery Patrick, I can't wait to get started on mine. Jahn's ! You just brought back a ton of memories from the 50s!

Thanks so much Bob!  I greatly enjoy the scenery aspect of model railroading.  Jahns as I understand it was a small chain of sweet shops in  Queens and Long Island?  I would have liked to have sampled their delights many times over, however, I missed out because I grew up in Maryland.  However, running trains always brings back wonderful memories from everything from Christmas season, to walking along the B&O mainline and branch line in the summer when I was a kid .... ahhh, the aroma of creosote in the summer! 

Patrick,

Yes Jahn's Ice Cream Pallor originated in Queens, NY and did expand into Brooklyn and LI; however they were never the same as the original.

One actually opened in my neighborhood in Brooklyn (Marine Park) when I was a teenager, my excitement was quickly dampend; but I did take my girl out to the original several times. 

Living in the city, I didn't get to see many trains; althogh I do recall riding in my Dad's car as a youngster down along the East River waterfront. There were tracks in the pavement, and my dad had to pull to the side as a steam engine bared down on us with a few boxcars in tow. There was another spot near my Grandmothers where the Long Island railroad freight line ran from the East River through Brooklyn and Queens in a cut. At McDonald Ave they would switch out cars onto the trolley tracks. I remember waiting for the trolley and watching a steam engine pushing freight cars down the street.  The last action that I saw there was when they offloaded subway cars from a barge and a diesel pulled them down the trolley tracks all the way to the Coney Island subway yards.

Those memories led me to install EZ Streets on my layout and create a connection to an O Gauge loop. I also installed two EZ switches with short sidings; one to deliver an auto carrier to the Ford dealer and the other to deliver a Robert's Meats reefer to a butcher shop. Its still all a work in progress.

Moved my B&O Geep and spotted a couple of cars on the Team Track

Ran my MTH N&W 611, in anticipation of seeing her down in Strasburg this month. also NYC Niagara and NJ transit E-8.

The photos and video below show my K-Line model (K2544-0412) of Metro-North Railroad 412, an EMD F-unit diesel, with two Atlas O Comet II coaches of the Connecticut Department of Transportation. The K-Line model was shown in the 2000 catalog at a list price of $309.95. The Comet II coaches were offered in 2008 at a price of $109.95. Although I can’t find evidence that Metro-North Commuter Railroad (MNCR) ever had a locomotive with road number 412, it did have road number 413, an FP10, in this color scheme, which ran on the branch line between Bridgeport and Waterbury around 2005 pulling a short train of Comet II coaches. Thus, the consist shown in the video is reasonably close to one which actually ran on Metro-North not too long ago. The K-Line model is an excellent runner and is doing about 55 scale miles per hour in the video.

Photos and video by:

MELGAR

I ran my Lackawanna TMCC Trainmaster

Raw Power:

Those are Williams Penn Central F3s with tremendous pulling power hauling an oil tanker unit train. Arnold

Arnold,

This video shows an interesting city section of your layout. I like the locomotives too.

MELGAR

Arnold

Raw power indeed.  I have several Williams locomotives...all great pullers.  Thank you for another superb video.

Fendermain

Thanks Melgar and Fendermain.

The river/stream and urban scene in the distance, as the F3s and oil tankers pass by in my video, could be wherever one's imagination will take you. 

For me, it is a Hudson River city or town like Tarrytown, Ossining, Peekskill, Poughkeepsie or Troy, NY further north. My preference is Troy because that is where my wife lived as a child and teenager before I knew her.

Arnold

Well, I ran my postwar, 2020, 2055, 665, and 736, now  All cleaned lubed and running like the day they left the corporation! 

Pulled unit trains, tankers, gondolas, boxcars. 

Arnold, you just have a fantastic family! Thanks for the movie!

Fendermain, great video too. I watched TOAD today after train play in respect to Ginger Baker.

Melgar always a pleasure seeing your trains and layout.

leroof.

Leroof posted:

Well, I ran my postwar, 2020, 2055, 665, and 736, now  All cleaned lubed and running like the day they left the corporation! 

Pulled unit trains, tankers, gondolas, boxcars. 

Arnold, you just have a fantastic family! Thanks for the movie!

Fendermain, great video too. I watched TOAD today after train play in respect to Ginger Baker.

Melgar always a pleasure seeing your trains and layout.

leroof.

Leroof

Great to hear from you sir!

You have a nice collection of steamers...keeping them tuned up is part of the fun.

Have you seen the film Beware of Mister Baker?...it's both enlightening and entertaining.

Fendermain

I ran a Lionel freight set ( with all the B units) and my favorite K-line Santa Fe passenger set.

John

John Meyncke posted:

I ran a Lionel freight set ( with all the B units) and my favorite K-line Santa Fe passenger set.

John

John Meyncke sweet Santa Fe depot and F units.

Fendermain

Thank you Fendermain, I scratch built the depot last year. I up-sized an old HO kit and and re-sized it onto foamboard. The tile roofing is O scale and is usually used for a school California History mission project in elementary school out here. Search the OGR archive for "Palm Springs Station". Sometime last year I did a fairly detailed how-to thread on how I built it. I hand built the Palm trees as well and I still plan to do a how-to thread on those complicated beasties.

John

John Meyncke posted:

Thank you Fendermain, I scratch built the depot last year. I up-sized an old HO kit and and re-sized it onto foamboard. The tile roofing is O scale and is usually used for a school California History mission project in elementary school out here. Search the OGR archive for "Palm Springs Station". Sometime last year I did a fairly detailed how-to thread on how I built it. I hand built the Palm trees as well and I still plan to do a how-to thread on those complicated beasties.

John

You are quite the craftsman.  Good job.

Fendermain

Hey guys....this is a train forum and not the place to discuss gigs and amps, etc.  If you want to discuss those kinds of things then use email to do so....

Roger that...understood. Thank you.

John

Ran some empty Pig Flats the other day 

Fendermain, many a time I have viewed beware of mister Baker! Indeed a real close look!  Man, he lived his life the way he wanted and time was his friend. Your layout is a showroom of so many fantastic colors, here in a wonderland.....hey Mr Fendermain, nice to hear from you too.

Fendermain, I never pulled apart and cleaned maintained any steam locos. These were my favorite long lost ones. 

so I took a chance on the "as is" 2020, 2055, 736, and 665! 

Wow, what a great experience. They all smoke, whistle, and run well! Postwar Corporation year's lionel are my favorite.

what a sense of fulfillment. 

Fendermain, great grey roof station, meticulously  well built!

Next winter what might you build?

man, your layout just glows with vibrant  color and action.

thanks for video.

Leroof posted:

Fendermain, I never pulled apart and cleaned maintained any steam locos. These were my favorite long lost ones. 

so I took a chance on the "as is" 2020, 2055, 736, and 665! 

Wow, what a great experience. They all smoke, whistle, and run well! Postwar Corporation year's lionel are my favorite.

what a sense of fulfillment. 

Excellent choice of locos and congrats on getting them up to speed as it were.  Top notch!

Leroof posted:

Fendermain, great grey roof station, meticulously  well built!

Next winter what might you build?

man, your layout just glows with vibrant  color and action.

thanks for video.

Leroof, thank you for the kind words.  I'm not exactly sure what but I do know it will be wooden as is the station.  I am introducing the wood textures to meld with the prewar tin and postwar plastic.  And yes I find the color choices to be of great importance.  It's like art to me...but then that's just me.

Fendermain

One of my 1055 Texas Specials hit the rails to test switch wiring done today.  My 915 switch engine did the box car shuffle, and the 4501 pulled passenger duty.

Bill

MTH Rail-King  •  Big Boy 4014  •  Heavy on the smoke....

Gary

Tested out some old AHM cars I re-done yesterday 

Ran my Williams PRR NW-2 after re-wiring the motors in series.

Postwar 736 Berkshire. The 2nd biggest engine made before non states made trains. And a real good value compared to modern expensive engines.

RSJB18 posted:

Ran my Williams PRR NW-2 after re-wiring the motors in series.

RSJB18

Great looking layout and engines.  How does the rewire affect the operation?  I have several Williams locomotives and like them a lot.

Fendermain

Running from yesterday morning.  MTH N&W Y6b mallet, Williams scale PennsyGE 44 tonner, MTH B&O Docksider, MTH trolley. 

I ran the CSX Imported Peach Shipment train. It's symbol is IMPEACHMENT. 

Ran two of my favorites today. Inner main is a Lionel ABBA set of Santa Fe freight F3s I've had since I was 11 (upgraded with ERR TMCC) with a SFRD refrigerator block. Outer main has a MTH Premier Southern Pacific GS4 (a locomotive I wanted since I was 13 when it came out) with a PS2 upgrade on The Golden State. 

Lou1985 posted:

Ran two of my favorites today. Inner main is a Lionel ABBA set of Santa Fe freight F3s I've had since I was 11 (upgraded with ERR TMCC) with a SFRD refrigerator block. Outer main has a MTH Premier Southern Pacific GS4 (a locomotive I wanted since I was 13 when it came out) with a PS2 upgrade on The Golden State. 

Lou

I see why there  your favorite. Love that Reefer Santa Fe train thanks for posting 

Ran my old Lionel FA 202 with my Milwaukee Road  Menards car my wife bought me the other day with the other 2 that I have. I also hooded up my Lionel 404 Beacon 

Fendermain posted:

RSJB18 posted:

Ran my Williams PRR NW-2 after re-wiring the motors in series.

RSJB18

Great looking layout and engines.  How does the rewire affect the operation?  I have several Williams locomotives and like them a lot.

Fendermain

Series wiring slows down the engine by reducing the voltage to both motors. Takes away the jack rabbit starts and smooths out the operation. I posted photos of the re-wire on another thread but here they are again.

Ran this one yesterday 

Santa Fe All The Way:

Regards

Fred

A Northern Pacific Challenger with a coal drag was running on the S&Y RR today.

Santa Fe's Fast Mail Express and The Super Chief. 

RSJB18 posted:

Fendermain posted:

RSJB18 posted:

Ran my Williams PRR NW-2 after re-wiring the motors in series.

RSJB18

Great looking layout and engines.  How does the rewire affect the operation?  I have several Williams locomotives and like them a lot.

Fendermain

Series wiring slows down the engine by reducing the voltage to both motors. Takes away the jack rabbit starts and smooths out the operation. I posted photos of the re-wire on another thread but here they are again.

Question, does the same issue exist with the older KLine diesels ?

lee drennen posted:

Lee, every time I look at a pic or video of your Pike I want to start ballasting my Fastrack. Yours looks so much better than plain does.

Thanks to everyone for the great videos. I really like LOU1985's with the two ATSF trains passing each other. Great work everyone.

My postwar 2046 is on the layout right now.

geysergazer posted:

lee drennen posted:

Lee, every time I look at a pic or video of your Pike I want to start ballasting my Fastrack. Yours looks so much better than plain does.

Lew,

I used the same method. Slather the plastic with white glue and sprinkle the ballast on. Let it set and spray it down with diluted glue to hold it all firm.

Before

After

RSJB18,

Good ballast work.

MELGAR

trestleking posted:

RSJB18 posted:

Fendermain posted:

RSJB18 posted:

Ran my Williams PRR NW-2 after re-wiring the motors in series.

RSJB18

Great looking layout and engines.  How does the rewire affect the operation?  I have several Williams locomotives and like them a lot.

Fendermain

Series wiring slows down the engine by reducing the voltage to both motors. Takes away the jack rabbit starts and smooths out the operation. I posted photos of the re-wire on another thread but here they are again.

Question, does the same issue exist with the older KLine diesels ?

Yes it does. I've got a bunch of K-line's and I've re-wired all of them in series. One big difference is that K-line's truck mounted motors are spinning in opposite directions so you have to wire both yellow wires together, and the blue wires go to the board. This is a S-2.

Pix

MELGAR posted:

RSJB18,

Good ballast work.

MELGAR

Thanks Mel.

geysergazer posted:

lee drennen posted:

Lee, every time I look at a pic or video of your Pike I want to start ballasting my Fastrack. Yours looks so much better than plain does.

Lew

go for it it’s easy 

Ran this guy the other day I’m liking this O27 more and more 

N&W Y6b with a 28 car freight ... slow running ... the way I like it.

Unfortunately, I did not make a video, but I ran my Lionel 001 Hudson and tender on some newly acquired track this evening.  Sure nice to see that baby run.

Ran the Christmas Train. The wife still has a lot of work to do to the tree 

Warmed up “Buzz” for tomorrow 

Lee, Buzz is lookin' good and the Christmas Elf has a fun ride.

Santa Fe's Chief led by an ABA set of PAs and a local Southern Pacific freight led by a Consolation. 

Lew. Thanks that Elf was my youngest daughter Carlee’s “Elf on the Shelf” for years 

Lou. Love those PA horns 

CNJ #107 is a USRA 0-6-0 steam switcher model offered by Atlas O in 2007 at a list price of $649. The video shows it in operation at about 26 scale miles-per-hour on my 12’-by-8’ layout. This engine has outstanding details, mechanical sounds and whistle. I have plenty of large engines and long consists to go with them but this small switcher with two boxcars and a caboose is just as interesting to me as any of them.

Photos and video by:

MELGAR

Nothing like a little lighting stripe and A-5 action to get your day started.

Fendermain

I ran my MTH PS 2.0 Baltimore and Ohio E-8 ABBA set with 12 matching 20" Weaver passenger cars on the FCTT layout at the WNYRHS toy and train show in Hamburg NY on Sunday 11-24-19.

My Lionel #1656 Postwar Put:

Below it pulls a consist that would be typical of the Putnam Division of the NY Central in the late 1940s and early 1950s: a few cars including an oil tanker car, merchandise car, milk cars and a caboose:

I understand that people either love or hate the bell ringing feature of this #1656 steamer. I happen to love it. Arnold

A Magma Mines ore train was passing through on the S&Y RR

Temperature outside is dropping 30 to 40 degrees so bring on the coal and oil:

Arnold

Chas posted:

I ran my MTH PS 2.0 Baltimore and Ohio E-8 ABBA set with 12 matching 20" Weaver passenger cars on the FCTT layout at the WNYRHS toy and train show in Hamburg NY on Sunday 11-24-19.

Nice video clip!!

Thanks to all who go to the time and trouble to post pictures and videos. Chas' B&O streamliner is especially cool, I think.

Santa Fe's Chief, lead by Hudson 3463 (MTH Premier model), hustles through a grade crossing at 80 mph westbound out of Chicago.

MELGAR posted:

CNJ #107 is a USRA 0-6-0 steam switcher model offered by Atlas O in 2007 at a list price of $649. The video shows it in operation at about 26 scale miles-per-hour on my 12’-by-8’ layout. This engine has outstanding details, mechanical sounds and whistle. I have plenty of large engines and long consists to go with them but this small switcher with two boxcars and a caboose is just as interesting to me as any of them.

Photos and video by:

MELGAR

You lucked out because atlas steamers do not have a good rep.I learned that from members of the forum.When I asked about their steam locomotives.

Lionel TMCC Ten Wheeler NY Central:

Love its sounds, smoke and prototypical slow speed.

This locomotive commonly ran on the Putnam Division of the NY Central (The Put). Arnold

Arnold,

Is that a newly acquired engine? Very nice.

MELGAR

MELGAR posted:

Arnold,

Is that a newly acquired engine? Very nice.

MELGAR

Yes, Mel. I just sent you an email about it.

Glad you got it. Beautiful.

MELGAR

Been running the MTH Standard Gauge Milwaukee #10 under the Christmas Tree every evening.

Ran these two Sunset/3rd Rail New Haven Budd RDC cars #21 and #121 on my 12'-by-8' model railroad - December 13, 2019.

MELGAR