peters180a/170b
Well-known member
Put away the cars, and in with the trains...L.O.L ..Too cold outside here.. Starting to Set the trains up for Christmas.
I had a nice HO train collection until some jerks kicked in my front door and stole and broke them, along with my Ertle collection. Between taxes and thieves it's hard to have much. I no longer go to the train swap meets and don't have much anymore in toys. I'm still waiting for steam to come back to the rails!LOL
Tom,
If steam does come back, a bit of advice. Don't EVER EVER EVER lean over a bridge railing waiting to drop a big snow ball down the smoke stack when the engine goes under the bridge.
Yes, there is more than smoke coming out of that stack! And yes, I am speaking from experience.Those were the days.
Tom W,I rode the 261 up in Duluth a few years ago. It was pulling 10 antique coaches where you could hang out the windows as it rode along the tracks. When we boarded the conductor was handing out goggles. I thought this must be some OSHA crap we have to deal with now. He also said that if you get any cinders in your eyes, don't rub them. Well, I stuck my head out the window and soon found out how useful those goggles were. I didn't realize that the coal would make such fine cinder dust and still get into the eyes even 6 cars back from the engine.
Yup, time to put the trains around the tree again this year.
If you are reading this, then you are probably interested in both Model trains and Model A's. Back in 1996 Märklin made a special box car for the Köln (Cologne), Germany train fair that featured a Model A on it. They made it in Z, HO and Gauge
They occasionally pop up for sale on eBay.
Below is a photo of our Christmas train layout. All trains are LGB (G scale) and include a trolley, two RhB (Swiss) passenger trains and cog railroad delivering Christmas trees on the hill top.....and a German Christmas market with an East German cardboard church and lodge as well as a Department 56 electric ski slope and sledding hill. When it is all running, there is lots of action.
Brad in Germany
Tom W,
If you ever get the chance, ride the "Cog Train" on Mt. Washington in New Hampshire. Besides being a mechanical wonder...goes straight UP the side of the mountain...it throws off such an amount of cinders that the cinders are measured in feet thick on side of the mountain! A woman sitting behind me stated that she didn't know how/why this train was allowed to operate 'due to the pollution'. Don't pass up the chance to ride it if you're in the area..it's a thrill. You didn't see any windows open eigher!