The Vero Beach Model Railroaders had our 4x8 O gauge layout at a show a couple of weeks ago. I usually run my NYC 0-8-0 with a short freight train. The loco is a basic set engine from a number of years ago. It's a good runner with smoke and basic sounds but isn't an expensive engine so I don't have to worry about it at shows. While perusing the aisles I found this NYC caboose for $5. It looks good but isn't lit. It will be the caboose I take to shows. I also found these tank cars for $5 each. They will have a home on my layout. That was my big shopping spree, $15 well spent INMO.
The UPS man delivered this Railking Imperial Trump Train SD-70ACe and caboose set this afternoon. It joins this Railking Imperial Trump Train ES44 engine and caboose set Tonight I was running two Trump freights. 2020 was pulling an intermodal train and 2024 was heading a reefer express. Passengers were served by an Amtrak Genesis pulling amfleet cars. It was a fun night of contemporary railroad action on the A&JB.
I've added a few items in the last month. First is this Railking Imperial Trump Train SD70ACe and caboose Next is this Railking Imperial New York Central Heritage SD70ACe Last is the FEC boxcar That's it for now.
Please keep in mind that your political views may not match other people's views, and a political arguments are not allowed.... Though my dad has this one...
I received an order from Menards Friday. In it were these two modern tank cars I also bought a box of 16 modern autos for my Lionel Evans Auto Carriers. 12 of them went onto the 3 auto carriers I have I have 4 cars left over. They will find a home on the layout or maybe eventually end up on another auto carrier. I don't like the cars that Lionel supplies with the auto carriers. There was a train show in Melbourne, FL on Saturday and my only purchase was this gold bullion car. I doubt that there ever were any cars like this but it's a fun car to add to a freight train. I bought this jug band a while ago but forgot to show it here. They are playing in the gazebo at the Gitchie Goomee Noonee Wa-Wa Campground. I will eventually get chars and sitting people for an audience but right now the band is playing for their own amusement. That's is for now.
I found a Ft. Knox gold bullion car at a garage sale in about '67 when I was a kid and have had it ever since. Never one to waste a mold, Lionel used the same carbody for its 3435 Aquarium Car, changing the center panel. It was motorized and the fish swam past the windows.
The Aquarium car is a fun car. The only differences I can see, other than the fish vs gold load, is that the windows of the Aquarium car are wavy so the fish look like they are swimming as they go by and the gold bullion car has a safe door between the windows with a combination dial. Lionel has been making these cars for over 60 years. I think they got their money's worth from the mold.
My Ft. Knox car is packed away, so I can't check for myself, but does this car have a coin slot on top? I'm thinking mine does, but I could be completely wrong.
I hadn't noticed but the one I just bought has the coin slot on the top. Almost all Lionel cars have the year they were manufactured on them but this one doesn't. It just says Lionel Postwar. It must be a post war reproduction because the sprung trucks and fast angle wheels are definitely not from the postwar era. The number on the car is 6445PW. I don't have any other gold bullion cars to compare it to.
"PW" indicates a series named "Post War Celebration" produced late 1990's into the early 2000's. They used the original car molds.
I went to the Deland, Florida train show last Saturday. After the show I visited Roundhouse South Electric Trains in Port Orange, Florida. I've been looking for an American flag for the layout for a while now. I found this flag by MTH Railking for a very reasonable price. I like the flag in this residential area but I'm also going to put it in the city park and the recreational campground to see which scene I like best, or I may try to find another flag. Time will tell. At Roundhouse South, primarily an O gauge store but with a little HO and N, I found this hobo camp by Lionel. I haven't wired it yet but the campfire glows and it plays harmonica music. I added some hobos that I had. The scenery in this area needs a little work so this will blend in better. That's it for now.
As I said in the post above I've been looking for a few American flags for my layout. I found the one pictured above at the Deland show on Saturday the 8th. I went to a show in Martin County, FL, with some other Vero Beach Model Railroaders on Saturday the 15th. I found this American flag with a Lionel pennant at this show. After looking for American flags for a few months without luck I found 2 in a week. It's sometimes funny how things work out. The new flag is in the campground and the other will remain in the residential area. Here are the photos of the new flag. I will post more as I make progress. I have some scenery and wiring to do.
I ordered 2 freight cars from Menards and they arrived today. This CSX gondola will see action when I am running contemporary trains. This P&LE boxcar will run with my transition era trains. I also got 2 lighted pickup trucks as freebies with the freight cars but haven't unpacked them yet. I'm not sure where they will go yet. That's it for now.
I placed an order with Menards and it arrived Sunday. I received these two boxcars I also received 2 lighted ambulances as freebies with the purchase of the boxcars. Also in the phots are 2 ivory and black pickups that were freebies with the P&LE (NYC) boxcar and the CSX gondola, and 2 black pickups with the 2 modern tank cars. I also received some plug and play wiring components so I can get these guys on the layout sometime this week. I plan on moving a few of the lighted vehicles around. With the plug and play system it's as easy as unplugging, moving and plugging in.
I finally got around to starting to put people inside my Railking Amfleet cars. When the cars roll around the layout it's painfully obvious that they are empty. Putting people in passenger cars really brings them to life. I've put people into 2 sets of Railking streamline cars and one set of Aerotrain cars. Those cars were quite easy to do. Not so with the Amfleet cars. The procedure starts like any other Railking car, removing some screws from the bottom of the car. These cars have 6 screws that need to be removed. After removing these screws the procedure for these cars is very different from the others. On the streamline cars it's easy to remove the roof revealing the interior. Just glue people in the seats and reassemble. Easy Peasy. The Aerotrain cars are a bit different but just as easy. Take it apart, glue the people in and reassemble. After removing the 6 screws from the bottom of the Amfleet cars I had to remove 2 screws on each end that held the end of the car in place. Then the seats and overhead lights must be slid out. They are on tracks and fairly tight. In this photo you can see the tracks. The shell is upside down. The light board is upside down but you can see the slots it must slide into. When taking the car apart I had to remember how it goes back together. If the floor and light assembly are not facing the right direction the lights won't work. When I placed the first person in his seat I discovered that the seats on these cars are different than those in my other Railking passenger cars. In these cars the seats are deeper and the people's backs don't touch the back of the seats so I had to cut off the bottom part of their legs. With their legs surgically removed the people now fit nicely. The hole on the right side of the interior shown in the picture above is where the wires for the lights go. When I was fitting the people in the seats the lights came unplugged. I tried inserting the plug without success. I finally removed the female part shown here. I fed the wires through the hole, plugged them in and reinserted the black part, and reassembled the car, but it wouldn't go together. I was so focused on the plug that I assembled the light assembly upside down. UGH. I had to take the car apart, unplug the wires, remove the black receptacle and then reassemble the car. I put it on the track and this is the result. One car is done, 3 more to go. This is a long slow process but I'll get it done. If you have these cars and want to add people it's really not hard but somewhat more involved than most Railking cars, but I think the finished result is worth it.
Those passengers look great @country joe . Good work! Being an anthracite roads guy, I fancy the D&H and LV boxcars too.