Hello from Kamloops

Yo,

How did I get here?
It's a bit of a long story.
I'm been retired for 2 months and was looking for something to keep me occupied for the winter.
I thought about building a plastic model and started searching the internet for something interesting.
A picture of a train popped up, and an idea came to me.
Back in the 80's, before the internet or x-box's; we played board games.
A favorite was the game 'Rail Baron'.
It's remained a favorite, and our well worn copy is still enjoyed today.
While the rules are loosely based on Monopoly, the game board is wonderful.
It is a map of the USA, with a network of 28 real railroads, much as they were mid-century.
Their beautiful logos from that time period are featured on the edges of the board and on the deeds.
I thought it would be nice to collect all 28 logos on model train cars or locomotives.
More searching revealed that many of those railroads no longer existed, or had merged with other railroads. Many that still existed had dropped their logos and now just used their initials.
I decided to press ahead anyway. I also realized that, rather than just a static display on a shelf, that a moving display would give me the model train that we never afford when I was a kid.
I started looking for a nice starter train set.
When I found the 'Harvest Express' set from Bachmann, I had to have it!
Why?
Because I see that train everyday in real life!
Kamloops is a rail town, located on the main line from the seaport of Vancouver to Eastern Canada, and is the junction for the line north to Edmonton and on to the seaport of Prince Rupert.
The 'Harvest Express' set has a GP40 Diesel in Canadian National logo; and 3 grain cars, each painted as the real ones are today.
Every day I can see a train, or 2, with 3,4,or 5 CN or CP locomotives pulling or pushing 80 to 100 grain cars.
Now I started searching for the best price on the set. The best prices were in the US, but, after adding freight, duty, taxes, and exchange, they weren't cheep.
Before pushing the sold button, I decided to visit a place I had never been, our only hobby shop in town.
Much to my surprise, not only did he have the set, it was a better price!
I quickly bought it and headed home.
As I was unwrapping it, I realized that, while I hoped to have many different types of railcars in the future, my rolling stock at the moment consisted of 3 grain cars.
That meant my first building was going to be a grain silo or elevator.
I searched and one of the first things to pop up was a post from your forum.
I realized that I knew very little about this hobby, and this forum looked like the best place to seek help as needed.
So, here I am, a crusty old senior, a newbie, with a bright shiny train going around in circles on my living room floor.

Grinch

 

So you're the Grinch who stole your own Christmas train for your layout?

 

Isn't it fun watching the train go in circles? Make sure you take a photo of your empire and show it to us. And get the wallet ready, you will be using it a lot , and welcome.

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Welcome to Trainboard, Grinch. I have always wanted to visit Kamloops, and many other places in Alberta and B.C.

 

Hi Grinch, and big hardy Mississippi welcome. (Originally form New Hampshire but got tired of you Canadians leaving your back doors open, sending your unwanted cold and snow for us to deal with.) Forget all that, happy to have you on board. You didn't mention, but I assume your Harvest Express is HO scale. No matter, hop on over to the N-Scale Forum and search for "Saucier Central". I spent the last ten or so years creating branch lines and scenery reminiscent of my youth in rural NH. OK, so its not the bleak uninteresting plains of central Canada (), but it might give you an idea of what your artistic right-brain can do if you let it run free. Above all, have fun. After all it's YOUR hobby. Everyone else, like myself, merely have opinions, though are happy to offer constructive advice from experience to any/all questions.

 

in2tech, watching the train going in circles seems to have hypnotized the cat! She's perched on the coffee table, intently following the train's progress.

Right now, my empire is just a vague blur in the back of my mind.

Thanks for the warning on the wallet, but it's come too late. On day 2 of train ownership, I was back at the hobby shop for more track and some switches!
And it gets worse, I've discovered we actually have a 2nd hobby shop; one entirely devoted to trains!
He had been located downtown for 20 years but disappeared 2 years ago. I assumed he had gone out of business, but it seems he just moved to a small town a half an hours drive west of the city.

Road Trip!

 

Sounds like a trip to the local hardware store is in your future, as well as hobby shops, the wallet is gonna get tired

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Yo,
Russell, that is a beautiful picture of a Kamloops sunrise!

I had forgotten to mention that Kamloops is home, headquarters, and the overnight stop for the Rocky Mountaineer. This is a tourist train that does a 2 day run from Vancouver to Edmonton, through some of the most beautiful scenery in the world.

Russell, I envious of your trip!

Kamloops also owns a steam engine, the '2141', a 2-8-0 built in 1912.

It operates daytrips; this weekend it's doing 'Ghost Trips'.

It's located in the building on the left of your picture, that's it's rolling stock located outside the building.

It's website is here: https://www.kamrail.com/

 

Grinch, you obviously have an appreciation for the finest things in life: environmental beauty; historical steam; and modelling trains. That combination can't be all that bad.

 

Yo,

Hytec, I found your 'Saucier Central'.

Very impressive! I can only hope mine will look 1/10th as good someday.

Kamloops is located in the Cascade Mountains of BC, so it's scenery is a bit like NH.

I've already gotten some ideas from your setup.

Thanks

 

Yo,
Maybe one reason you are getting more Canadian's is because we're getting older.

To quote a popular TV ad:

'Your glory days of hockey are over!'

We just need a less strenuous hobby.

 

Grinch,

I want to see a post in the Inspection Pit or Layout Design area if you don't mind, so we can see it go from the original set, to the extra track and switched you bought the next day, you should still have the box right? And photo's from a starter set on the floor, to being on the kitchen or dining table, to a plywood pacific, to a hollow core door, to filling an entire room maybe I bought my N Scale Bachmann set in the late 1970's or early 1980's and it has gone through so many transformations it unbelievable!

Please, it will be fun to follow!

 

Welcome Aboard Grinch, Great intro!
Thank you for the sharing of history.

 

Grinch,

Any update lately? Are you getting anything for the holidays? Even if you give it to yourself You may have a thread and I just missed it.