Toy trains and building hot rods,seem too go together.

I've met a lot of hot rod builders,that also had toy trains as a kids. I got my first toy train in 1947 an learned a lot as a little kid from putting it together an making it run. There is for sure some of that used in my building hot rods,I think it's one of the things that got me building cars too,along with my Erector Set... I find when I ask,many hot rod buddy' s still mess around with the trains also. I've put one up around the Christmas nearly every year from my very first one an long with some fav. toy cars as well !
What do you all do too?? Ho Ho Ho Merry Christmas

 

You got something there,I had one also.Merry Christmas.

 

You would be surprised how many "real railroad" employees I have met that are into cars, racing and scale trains.

 

My older brother got a train set. Six years younger, I was banned from playing with it. These days I still love them, follow some HO scale builds on YouTube, and keep regular tabs on the restoration of the 4014 Big Boy real one.

I have a sweet O Scale set (with extra cars and stuff) that was only out of the boxes for pics and to make sure it works. $100 and shipping gets it all. It's perfect for the Christmas tree.

 

Yes, I "mess" with trains, still. This shot was taken on the railroad in my back yard.




And this is me and my late partner with our 1953 EX Santa Fe rail speeder on the Cumbres & Toltec Senic RR.

 

This would be a good thread for the antiquated sub forum

Also hey @Austin kays

 

Yup, I'm in. Like you, I've noticed a lot of hot rodders happen to be model railroad enthusiasts. It's a case of reliving our kiddyhood.

 

Hey, another three foot freak. Good looking Mike.

Sn3 freak here, scratch builder & scratch build collector, with the last surviving section (Diablo Ridge) of John Ulman's original "Los Pinos Western" as an operating stop on my own layout.

 

Yup, I'm into Colorado narrow gauge.

 

Dana and I were once in the now-dwindling but persistent Florida Garden Railroad Society. But my garden RR took a hit from hurricane Francis back in 2004. And like Dean, I'm also doing 1/20 NG and... get this... starting to dabble in 1/8th scale on the same gauge track. FYI, I'm taking the day off from life today and will be running one of my trains today on the Sundance Central, located within the Finescale Center in Odessa, FL. If you are out and about north of Tampa Bay, they are only open to the public on day a month, on the 3rd Saturday. Must be seen to be believed. My dad and I have had some kind of model trains around the house since the 1950s. Gary
https://www.finescalemodeling.org/

 

I learned how to make match plates for casting alum parts,an too cast them in high school metal shop in early 61. Made a few parts later for my hot rod an some for race cars. In the 1970s I made toy trains with the combind skills of building cars an trains. These are hand made Engines with alum bodys I cast in the early 70s. On the layout in the back is some of my pre WW2 Standard Ga. trains, those were toys for kids in the 1930s.

 

I'm in the landscaping stage of my HO layout. 36' x 8' Union Pacific 1969 and older is my era. Will try to get pictures soon.

 

Haha headed to a train show now! Once locomotives are in your blood its hard to shake!

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I collect Marx 027, got my first set as a kid in the mid 50s. My old craft room had 3 tracks with operating trains in a glass case around the ceiling of the room. Train collection is about as big as my Willys die cast collection! Will probably try to replicate that room in our new home.

 

This thread likely won't last, but it's always cool to see how many rodders're into modelling of various sorts. I've done nearly every facet of the hobby, from planes to boats, at one time or another. Guess it's a building/making things gene lodged somewhere in the brain. Hell, I build Rose Parade floats as well these days. Ya just gotta have hobbies, right?

 

These old trains are about as antiquated as anything else in this forum.
Always loved them. Never did start a collection. Cool stuff!

 

As I read through this thread I am pleased to see that many who have posted here are forum members whose comments entertain me on so many other threads. I too have had a life long love of trains, especially the steam era. I also have some HO and O gauge trains. And when others may speed up to get over a grade crossing ahead of the train I'll slow down so I can watch the train pass by.

On a somewhat tangential nature I am really astounded at the artistic talent I see on some of the car graffiti.

 

Yep, we are lionel people (post war) and have collected for years. I have built a 15 x 27 foot train room on the 2nd floor of the new shop / man cave and will be moving our O-gauge basement layout once the shop is completed


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Yes, Still have the HO stuff Dad built in the early 1950's and my Lionel stuff Santa delivered. The transformer needs to go out for an overhaul so I can set things up for the grandkids. Bob

 

I have done both Hot rods and trains as hobbies and work. I still have all of Dads Lionel trains from when he was a kid as well as everything I bought when i was younger. After bouncing around from auto shop to shop, including a few speed shops, I am currently a Carman(inspect and repair passenger cars) for the BNSF railway. Hopefully after I build a new garage I can finally build a layout in it.

 

Sort of soul mates. I worked for Santa Fe Energy (the rail road's oil company) before BN acquired the rail road and Texaco acquired the oil company.

 

The Engineers don't wave from the trains anymore.

 

Mr. Barlow, it appears that you have a trespasser on your ROW blocking your tunnel entrance.

 

Yup!! Well the town and RR is run by the cat,she controls what happens an when.

 

I don't collect trains as a hobby but somehow they seem to find me.I have pictures around here somewhere(they seem to keep disappearing)of some Standard gauge trains and equipment we have that we found while cleaning out my wife's aunt's house about 25 years ago. They were wrapped in newspaper dated 1947.I'll see if I can find and post them.
Here is one I found at a yard sale that was a bit unusual. Battery operated on the monorail and missing a couple of the connectors between cars. I think I paid $5 for it. Turn it on and a voice tells a bit about it.

 

I took a brake from working on hot rods an racing cars in 1976 to be part of crew for AFT,engine SP#4449 a 4-8-4,thats me working on replacing staybolts in firebox sheet. She has 80in. hight drivers and can run 120MPH,that's a really big hot rod !!!!

 

@dana barlow That is so cool!
My dad took my brother and I to see the AFT when it stopped in Wichita, Ks.
Later I got the Lionel HO Freedom Train set for my birthday, although the set has a diesel locomotive.

 

Not to be dumb, but how do these backyard railroads work? Is it a permanent deal? Doesn't the weather hurt the equipment?

 

Permanent, yes, but serviceable. Maintenance, weather, erosion, corrosion, critters, ad nauseum, are part of the deal. A bit closer to the real thing.

 

One of the highlights of going to the GNRS and the L.A. Roadster show is checking out the model railroad exhibit there at the Fairgrounds. It is a huge layout and is very well done.

Mick