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

Nice Dean, Never thought I would have space in Socal f

Nice Dean, I live in your neck of the woods now, sold off most of my G stuff because I didn't think we would get a yard big enough, now we do, would love to check yours out.

 

Just an update on my latest project

 

Bert, What powers that?
NICE

P.S. I grew up in Chesterland. My Dad taught auto body repair at Mentor High.

 

Powered by 8HP Briggs and Stratton hydraulic pump and two hydraulic motors driving all wheels. I grew up in Euclid but I believe I met your father years ago.

 

Beautiful work Bert. I'd like to see it run sometime. Is there trackage near CLE? There's a 7.5" gage line near us.

 

we enjoy going to LARS and viewing the train layout
our 2019 trip to USA and LARS we did a trip out to Palm Springs and visited the Living Desert Zoo
where they have a train layout,sadly it was not running,here are a few photos,enjoy
Noel

 

My friend has a couple miles of track in Mentor. He is also a steam expert and has a few steam engines. We regularly have parties there and run the trains. Also, Holden arboretum nearby has a very large 7.5" railroad which my friend and father established.

 

Interesting. My Mom is just a few miles SE of Holden Arboretum. Didn't know about the railroad. Next time I'm there I'll check it out.

 

yup

 

Last year I lost my best Cat train buddy RIP { she was 17 years old},from the time she was a kitten ,she played every Christmas with the trains ,tree , town an little cars,yet never broke anything. This year I have not put the tree up,with trains around it. But I did do a Christmas town on top of book shelf.
Merry Christmas an happy hot rodden!

 

Been working on my model railroad for some time I model the New Haven the railroad I grew up around. What started as a hobby as a kid turned into my career working on the original New Haven railroad property for 38 years first with the Penn Central then Conrail and finally Metro North Commuter RR. Seen some amazing things during my career wouldn't change a thing. Heck this year on our drive to Bonneville to run our record setting roadster we stopped in Nebraska so we could see the Big Boy in operation. If its cars or trains Im all in.
onnieroadster

 

I hot rod in HO scale. I take a couple of small layouts to shows twice a year.

Below are some pictures of some of my work. If you search Youtube for the Nowhere Specific Railway, you may find the video of one of these layouts in its infancy.









Speaking of LIVE STEAM here is a picture of a home built piece of art representing the steam powered local excursion train. You don't have to be a train guy to appreciate the craftsmanship.

 

Artistry comes in many forms and model railroading is one we all enjoy as car guys/gals. For me it all started with my Dad building the train garden at Christmas in the 50's. I just seemed to be a part of Christmas . The layouts many times show the history of our towns . There is something magic about looking at these recreations. I especially like the rural America scenes . I have saved all the trains and Lionel fixtures from my childhood and hope to set them up again.

 

To help celebrate the years end here's this years videos of trains running. Wishing everyone a much better 2021

 

Nice
Thanks
I've got a Lionel O gauge electric loco in NH livery.
Happy New Year

 

That first one was one seriously long local.

Happy New Year from the Defiance & Rogue Creek.

 

Yeah they do.

 

recording of the last steam run A.T.S.F. locomotive 3759 I play it every once in a while
I belive its been on diplay in Arizon

 

Just an update for those interested Heres the train I built at my friends railroad

 

Bert, Is the railroad in Mentor Ohio? My dad taught auto body repair at Mentor High School.

 

For those who might enjoy it,there is a museum in Dover Ohio called the Ernest Warther Museum & Gardens. Ernest Warther was an incredibly skilled carver who had a passion for trains.Some of the trains in the museum are carved from ivory and are all to scale.Rather than try and explain it,Google the Warther Museum and the site has pictures of the displays within.
I found out about it reading an article on knives(I collect vintage knives).He used to make his own carving knives and his grandsons still make custom kitchen cutlery at the shop in Dover.

 

Been doing model trains for about 45 of my 53 years,it was my brothers fault for putting up his Marx set under the Christmas tree ,when he came home from the service in about 1971.i still have his Marx set today, but this is my N scale layout.

 

safarinut, I am glad to hear the museum is still open. I visited it on a school field trip many decades ago and still can envision an ivory and ebony locomotive that fascinated me. I also remember the working pliers he carved of a single piece of wood for sale in the gift shop

 

I have a pair of pliers that were made from a single piece of wood but I don't know if they were from Warther's. I do have one of their paring knives I bought at a resale shop for $2. Found out they sell for $40 new!

 

OK question for you HO guys . . . My old Bachmann Norfolk & Western J class gave up the ghost this last Christmas. The pancake motor fried and shortly after cleaning it up one of the drive gears disintegrated. I know these were cheap when new but I'm looking at replacing it with a Bachmann Spectrum or a newer Bachmann DCC sound value unit.

Has anyone had experience with either of these?
I'm not set up for DCC and these should run ok on regular DC. I only set stuff up for Christmas and spending ton of cash really cuts into my garage projects.

 

Try youtube. There is a guy named SMT MAINLINE that has dozens of videos of him rebuilding / repairing / re-powering cheap locos he buys on line.


BTW that's a beautiful loco.

 

Well after spending idk how many hours researching how to repower the old loco I said to hell with it and pulled the trigger. I still have the old one to monkey with sometime down the road but this should last me for quite a while. I think my old J3 Hudson in the background is jealous . . .

 

That "J" is pretty ,even in HO.
Here in Miami Fl. we have a few RR clubs,I was happy that some also have hot rodders in them like myself. For about 6 years we had a very active Module RR,many tables that all fit together,built to spec. so each plugged in to next,but other wise free too add what ever buildings or mountins ect. too.
I had to be a oddball ,an built roundhouse that hooked to the side of one of my own 3 modules. This photo was at clubs peck,with 26 modules plus 1 roundhouse. We did them in big LGB size{ G-gage//also known as #1 gage.

 

Judging by the background you're awol in the guitars thread!

 

Yeah . . . . I picked up a new Gretsch hollow body a few years ago because it was on sale, it was kind of an impulse buy and I never really learned how to play aside from a couple riffs. But there's a Fender Vibrosonic Reverb on a half stack here too should I ever find more ambition . . . .