Baseball & Trains

I just don't believe that the Yankees will go far in the playoffs. They don't have the pitching, and now German is in trouble. But then I don't know much about the Yankees. i have only been a die hard fan for 80 years. I was at Babe Ruth day in 1948.

Watching the game through the windows of the Yankee Stadium main entrance:

The trick was to get my smartphone camera to focus on the game in the distance, and not the window up close.

Arnold

Arnold, very cool.

jhz563 posted:

How about a full size baseball field with a scale train instead?

On City Island in Harrisburg PA, home of the Harrisburg Senators,  there is a 20” gauge train that goes around the Island.  The station is steps away from the ballpark entrance.  All my little two wanted to do the whole game was ride the train.  Next time we will ride it first so I can enjoy the game!

What a cute picture of your family.So sweet made my teeth hurt.Naw just kidding .My grand father loved baseball and played in his younger days.I talked to a guy who played with my grand day.Said he could not hit all that well.But he could pitch and said  to catch his pitches always hurt his hands.So here you have the very best of both worlds.

Visited the McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park in Scottsdale, AZ.  I’m sure many of you have visited the park and the model railroad building.  They run O, HO, N and Z scales in the building.  Here’s their baseball park with the Yankees and DBacks playing...

Hey Ted, if the game was in Houston, you'd have to include the illegal centerfield camera so those houstons can hit better.   What a GREAT ballclub!  Can't wait to see what MLB does....

Eddie G, your comment was in September, but, I've been telling my people for three years about houston and boston.  I'm pleased MLB has been forced to take notice.  You watch enough baseball, you can often tell when the hitter knows what's coming.

Jerry

jhz563 posted:

How about a full size baseball field with a scale train instead?

On City Island in Harrisburg PA, home of the Harrisburg Senators,  there is a 20” gauge train that goes around the Island.  The station is steps away from the ballpark entrance.  All my little two wanted to do the whole game was ride the train.  Next time we will ride it first so I can enjoy the game!

Hi,
I have been looking for an MTH Rail King Amtrak Genesis Phase 4 PS3 loco for a long time, and see that you had one for sale as of May of 2018.
The problem is that you have no email attached to your profile, so there is no way to contact you regarding your items for sale.
The forum has been changed so that any for sale posts are immediately closed, and the only way to contact the seller is by email of whatever method is in the profile.
I have found a lot of your posts with items for sale, but with no email in your profile, I can't figure out how people are contacting you.
I have tried Private Messaging you, but you must not be a digital subscriber, or you have private messaging turned off in your personal settings.

Have you sold any of your items?
I am mostly interested in the, the Amtrak loco.
If you still have it, and still want to sell it, is it PS3 or PS2?

Roger

A while back, we had a great relationship with the local Triple-A Baseball "Syracuse Chiefs".  They were the minor league team for the Washington Nationals.  We partnered with the ball club to produce a full train in O scale.  The cars were all Weaver Models and the locomotive is an MTH Electric Trains Railking Proto-Sound 2.0  2-8-0 consolidation, also custom decorated by Weaver models.  It was great working with the local community-owned team until they sold out their ownership to downstate interests.  Unfortunately when the local management was forced out, that ended our relationship and now the team goes by the "Syracuse Mets", and sadly no longer community owned.

The locomotive is the only part of the train that we still have a few available for sale.  The others are all long since sold out and in train and baseball memorabilia collections.  I have been told these cars appear on e-bay from time to time.

https://jrjunction.com/product...racuse-chiefs-2-8-0/

This MTH Railking locomotive was chosen because it somewhat resembled the official Chiefs logo.  We acquired the locomotives directly from MTH Electric Trains, programmed the Proto-Sounds 2.0 sound and information files in our own service department and applied the tiny baseball decal on the front of the boiler.  Weaver painted (pad-printed) the tender shell like they did with all the cars.   The "50" commemorated "fifty years of community-owned baseball in Syracuse NY" in 2010.

This boxcar was the first release of the set in 2007.  Proved to be the most popular car.  They were sold out within a month.

In 2008, the ball club removed the artificial turf they had and replaced it with real grass, hence the need for this hopper to transport the seed.  It was a cute way to commemorate the big news and update at the ballpark.

In 2009, Syracuse Chiefs ended their relationship with the Toronto Blue Jays and signed on with the Washington Nationals.  We designed this flat car to carry a real "minor-league" players baseball.  The same year, we had two pitchers from the team sign the baseballs in our store as a meet-and-greet.  The ball came free with the purchase of every flat car.

Like the boxcar, the caboose was the last item to be produced and was very popular.  It had a fully detailed interior and featured every year the Chiefs won the "Governors Cup" game.

It still amazes me to this day how popular the Weaver cars were.  The sheer fact they were 100% made, painted and pad-printed and boxed all in the USA is awesome too.  NO decals or computer printed graphics on any of the freight cars!

Boy....Do I miss Weaver Models!

Panther97 posted:

Unfortunately, I think I would break my trains if I had to run them while watching my Pirates!

Panther97,

I have been trying to contact you for a while now regarding an MTH Amtrak Genesis Phase 4 locomotive that you had for sale back in May of 2018.

There was no notice that it ever sold, and there was no email in your profile. I did try to PM you but that was not available either.

So I am reaching out to you here, to see if you still have that loco, and if so, if you still want to sell it, and if it is PS2 or PS3?

Thanks,
Roger

Panther97 posted:

Unfortunately, I think I would break my trains if I had to run them while watching my Pirates!

Panther97,

I have been trying to reach you regarding the MTH Rail King Amtrak Phase 4 Locomotive that you had for sale.
There was no contact info that I could find, and I have reached out to others who have no info either.
Do you still have it?
Is it still for sale?
Is it PS2 or PS3?
I am interested..............

Roger

Arnold, I just caught up with this very entertaining thread. About 2 years ago, you posted your plans and excitement to make a field of dreams layout, so I have been looking for it. Did you ever get to make it?

Will posted:

Arnold, I just caught up with this very entertaining thread. About 2 years ago, you posted your plans and excitement to make a field of dreams layout, so I have been looking for it. Did you ever get to make it?

I was going to do that, and even bought O Scale corn stalks. However, I decided not to make a Field of Dreams because there were no trains in Field of Dreams. The only place I could put it on my layout would be inside a reverse loop in the basement laundry room, and to do that didn't look right to me.

Instead, I made the Polo Grounds inside that reverse loop. Here it is:

And, on the other side of the laundry room is Yankee Stadium:

As a result, I have developed my Sedgewick Avenue Station in the Bronx, with was the Southern most point on The Put.

Arnold

PS: I put the corn stalks on the dairy farm on the opposite side of the layout in the basement playroom:

Cool, love the Polo Grounds. Maybe you could sneak a Joe Jackson or baseball figure in the cornfield as a subtle tribute.

Will, I know Arnold and I had talked a few years ago when I posted my baseball field. I do have a Field of Dreams on my layout. I was a high school biology teacher and baseball coach for most of my career. I played college ball. Baseball has been a big part of my life. So when I started my new layout about 6 years ago, I knew I had to have a Field of Dreams on it. I actually made a poster that is on the stairwell wall inviting folks to The Shady Hollow Scenic Railroad. I had my 3rd annual open house just before Christmas and had 150+ people show up. And, yes, you can see Shoeless Joe Jackson emerging from the cornfield. Here are a few pictures:

Here is the news article that was done this year on the layout. https://www.wnewsj.com/news/12...tj0OYV1Mkr95Nu13rpAs

Rick

Within the hour, there will be a Spring training subway series game this warm July evening between the Yankees and the Mets. 

Both teams will do anything to win. Bragging rights are at stake.

The Yankees have consulted with the best scientists in the Universe to assure victory tonight. Thanks to these scientists, they have developed a time machine to go back in time. Arriving on the Comodore Vanderbuilt:

the Yankees are bringing in a big kid, originally from Baltimore who developed his baseball skills playing sandlot ball at an orphanage. He has a Gargantuan appetite, pitches no-hitters and hits towering homeruns that are called Ruthian shots. 

LOL, Arnold

Here is a short video of that MTH Commodore Vanderbuilt hauling Postwar passenger cars bringing Babe Ruth to the game tonight:

Arnold

At the request of Don Winslow, here are a few relatively recent photos of what I call my Popsicle Stick Yankee Stadium:

The O Scale metal figures were made by Kramer Products:

Arnold

Great thread - inspired me to include a field on my newly under construction layout   I will eventually add stadium seats / bleachers and probably concessions  Right now working out some bugs and adding accessories/lighting.  Here is my version  Happy new year to all  

A Brooklyn locomotive circling Yankee Stadium?

Shocking! Blasphemous!

LOL, Arnold

PS: Just Kidding. I would have loved to go to the World Series games in the 1950s between the Brooklyn Dodgers and the NY Yankees. A couple of years ago while on vacation, I read Doris Kearns Goodwin's book, Wait Till Next Year, about growing up in Carle Place, Long Island in the 1940s and 1950s, going to Ebbetts Field with her dad, and rooting for the Brooklyn Dodgers. What a fabulous and charming book.

Speaking of the Dodgers and the Yankees in the 1950s, here, on my layout, is the scoreboard of Don Larson's perfect game in the 1956 World Series:

@Arnold D. Cribari posted:

A Brooklyn locomotive circling Yankee Stadium?

Shocking! Blasphemous!

LOL, Arnold

PS: Just Kidding. I would have loved to go to the World Series games in the 1950s between the Brooklyn Dodgers and the NY Yankees. A couple of years ago while on vacation, I read Doris Kearns Goodwin's book, Wait Till Next Year, about growing up in Carle Place, Long Island in the 1940s and 1950s, going to Ebbetts Field with her dad, and rooting for the Brooklyn Dodgers. What a fabulous and charming book.

Speaking of the Dodgers and the Yankees in the 1950s, here, on my layout, is the scoreboard of Don Larson's perfect game in the 1956 World Series:

Arnold, "The more I know, the more I know how little I know."

Thanks for pointing out the hidden nuggets. And my apologies that I did not notice the subtle nuances you place in your modeling. Fantastic, as always, and  I marvel in the skill it takes to move past my "Ewe Mountain".

Much to the chagrin of my wife, who reads intently, spell and fact checking every news paper article she reads, I do not. She asked me last year to start acting my age. I responded honestly, directly and tossed in a some facts and data. Yup, I know, I took a risk. But, I know that is what she would LIKE.

"Honey, I have acted my age, that being a 5 and 1/2 year old, for the 47 years you have known me. I doubt that will change anytime soon." It's been a quiet WEEK...

So Arnold, please accept that this 5 1/2 year old, views all your fantastic effort through eyes filled with wonderment, awe and an abundance of JOY!

Did anyone say Baseball and Trains? Sorry Arnold, but that awesome Yankee Stadium you built demands one of these riding around -

Its a great replica of the 2000 Subway series trains that went to Shea and Yankee Stadium.

Not to steal this thread but on a similar topic in 1:1 scale...

I grew up in Staten Island and took a bus, the S I  Ferry and the # 4 train from Bowling Green up to the Bronx. Nothing beat the sight of seeing Yankee Stadium when the # 4 train popped out of the underground and climbed up the elevated tracks into daylight!  Especially on May 14, 1967 when Mickey Mantle hit # 500!

@Strap Hanger posted:

Did anyone say Baseball and Trains? Sorry Arnold, but that awesome Yankee Stadium you built demands one of these riding around -

Its a great replica of the 2000 Subway series trains that went to Shea and Yankee Stadium.

Strap Hanger, your Subway Series subway is awesome.

Arnold

I posted this photo on the Forum 3 years ago, but it is still, and always will be, on my layout:

The cleverest thing I ever made for my layout: my Popsicle Stick monuments on the field of play in center field at the old Yankee Stadium. Mickey Mantle in his prime hit baseballs into those monuments where the ball would rattle around while he ran like a deer around the bases for an inside the park home run.

Like the comedian, Billy Crystal when he was a kid, I believed when I was a kid that those monuments were gravestones where Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig were buried.

LOL, Arnold

I'm in heaven these days watching Yankee games on TV while posting and reading things on the Forum.

@Arnold D. Cribari posted:

Strap Hanger, your Subway Series subway is awesome.

Arnold

Thanks Arnold. Nothing like baseball and trains (particularly subway trains)!  Absolutely love that popsicle stick monument park you made. Spent many a pre-game there as a kid in the original Yankee stadium and later, at the new stadium with my kids.

@Arnold D. Cribari posted:

I'm in heaven these days watching Yankee games on TV while posting and reading things on the Forum.

And its even better when we have a win!

Thanks Arnold been expecting this to come back to page one soon! although I'm from the other side of the tracks in Flushing. We have baseball!

I was present at Shea for games 3,4&5 in 2000.

To paraphrase Baseball, Hot Dogs, Apple Pie, and O Gauge!

@bptBill posted:

Thanks Alan been expecting this to come back to page one soon! although I'm from the other side of the tracks in Flushing. We have baseball!

I was present at Shea for games 3,4&5 in 2000.

To paraphrase Baseball, Hot Dogs, Apple Pie, and O Gauge!

Well then BPBill, as a Mets fan in attendance at those games, then I think below is the train for you, although I’m not sure you want to be reminded of the outcome of that series, LOL! (Even though you guys did eke out a win in game 3)

https://youtu.be/jLtO-uDKkFc

@Arnold D. Cribari posted:

I posted this photo on the Forum 3 years ago, but it is still, and always will be, on my layout:

The cleverest thing I ever made for my layout: my Popsicle Stick monuments on the field of play in center field at the old Yankee Stadium. Mickey Mantle in his prime hit baseballs into those monuments where the ball would rattle around while he ran like a deer around the bases for an inside the park home run.

Like the comedian, Billy Crystal when he was a kid, I believed when I was a kid that those monuments were gravestones where Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig were buried.

LOL, Arnold

Thanks Arnold for this, I like the "in play" monuments from the old, old Yankee Stadium.

A non Mickey HR July 20th 1965 (4 days after my 12th Birthday) when Mel Stollemyre hit an inside the park grand slam behind them! Remember it like it was yesterday.

Like many of you, I don't have the room on my layout to put in a correct scale baseball field, and it wouldn't make sense for my extremely-rural layout concept. I also never use figures in dynamic poses frozen in time either.

Now all that said, it would have bene neat to have modelled a correct-size baseball field just to prove it could be done.

I liked going to watch the Braves play when I lived in north Florida, the Orioles (and toured several farm league fields for games) when I was stationed at Aberdeen MD and now love going to watch the Rainiers play in Tacoma, but of course the pandemic had stopped all that for now.

I was hardly any jock when I was a kid and teen, but in my late teens I found I wasn't that bad at baseball. Too late a bloomer to really do anything with it other than play men's league softball for a while. All that said, I'm really no big fan of the sport in regard to knowing from memory as to who played any specific position for a certain team in one season. When I was in the Army, we had a bunch of big name ball players come to the Proving Ground one weekend and as the staff duty officer that day (and the only one they could find who knew tanks pretty well), I had to go down and show them the insides of an M1A1 tank we set up with other vehicles. Many years later I realized I was showing around several all star team players, some really big names in baseball. Cal Ripkin was the only I knew at the time as he was from nearby Havre De Grace, MD and there was a museum devoted to him outside the post.

Those of us who helped out that day were invited to a game at Camden Yard, in one of the up front roped off areas where they wait on you. I almost didn't go until someone told me how rare a chance that is. I'm glad I went, and I later heard that a couple of the players had commented how the "LT in the tank" hadn't pestered them about their careers and begged for autographs as many of the other soldiers had. I didn't have the heart to explain I had no idea who any of them other than Ripkin were. Besides, I don't impress easily. Before that, I'd met many awardees of the Medal of Honor, more than a couple of astronauts who walked on the Moon and one President of the US. Ball players, compared to that, don't really get me worked up...

@bptBill posted:

Thanks Arnold for this, I like the "in play" monuments from the old, old Yankee Stadium.

A non Mickey HR July 20th 1965 (4 days after my 12th Birthday) when Mel Stollemyre hit an inside the park grand slam behind them! Remember it like it was yesterday.

Bill, I always thought Mel Stottlemeyer was an outstanding pitcher. I tried to model myself, unsuccessfully, after him when I pitched in the Pony League and for my high school baseball team.

I vaguely remember that inside the park homerun by Mel.

Arnold, your monuments took me back to this article during the Pirates brief respite from the nearly 30-year doldrums.  I saw 3 of the 4 heroes whose statues adorn the entrances play at Forbes Field and Three Rivers Stadium.  I would happily go back to those parks of bygone eras than have 20 years of the 'supposed' most beautiful ballpark and few players who can win.  The author wrote "each home game is a fiesta".  Maybe in 2015, but then they got rid of those guys. 

Regardless, I wore one of my half dozen Pirates hats proudly today.  Beat 'em Bucs!

Home → Attractions → PNC Park: America’s Most Beautiful Park

PNC Park, the new home of the Pittsburgh Pirates, opened to rave reviews in 2001, and is still regarded as one of Major League Baseball’s premier fields. PNC is the fifth home of the Pirates. It combines the charm of Forbes Field, the team’s third home, with the scenic riverside location on the North Side of an even earlier venue, Exposition Park.

After touring all 30 major league ballparks, ESPN’s Eric Neel has ranked PNC Park as the best.

PNC Park is heralded for its classic architecture, natural grass surface, and excellent sight lines. An intimate setting with a seating capacity of approximately 39,000, PNC is the league’s second smallest field, and it definitely brings the game to the fan. The highest seat is only 88 feet from the field, and there isn’t a bad seat in the park. The deepest part of the park is in Left Center at 410 feet.

The shortest distance from home plate to the Allegheny River is only 456ft. In 2006, PNC Park hosted the 2006 All-Star Game. During the Homerun Derby, five different balls were hit out of the park and made a splash landing in the Allegheny River. Daryle Ward of the Houston Astros was the first player to hit a ball into the river during a regular season game on July 6, 2002. In addition to views of the river, the grandstand offers fans a stunning sight of Pittsburgh’s glittering skyline and the Roberto Clemente Bridge.

The Best Ballpark in America

While PNC Park is a “field of dreams” for baseball enthusiasts, you don’t have to be a sports fan to enjoy the amenities of this park. Everything is state-of-the art, yet doesn’t seem sterile. An interactive, one-of-a-kind tour, entitled “The Best Ballpark in America,” gives fans an insight into this remarkable sports venue. The tours are available from April through September, Monday-Friday at 10 a.m. and noon when the Pirates play an evening game.

Concessions offer something to appeal to every taste, from legendary Primanti Brother’s sandwiches to wings from Quaker Steak and Lube. Bucaroos offers a menu that caters to children, and of course, it wouldn’t be a baseball game without peanuts and Cracker Jack. PNC’s “All You Can Eat Seats” allow fans to munch their way through the innings. For those who like to sit back, have a beer and enjoy the game, PNC Park offers numerous beers from national brands on tap to local craft brews.

PNC Park was designed to meet the needs of its visitors. It is one of the most accommodating for disabled visitors, offering everything from drop-off zones to assisted listening devices.

Rambunctious children can work off a little energy at the Kids Play Land located near the Right Field Gate. The play area features a miniature replica PNC Park and a multi-purpose play set. Parents anxious about losing a child in the crowd may obtain free ID bracelets that are personalized with the child’s name and seat location. On select Sundays, children 14 and under are offered the opportunity to run the bases. Family restrooms are also situated throughout the park.

Each Home Game is a Fiesta

The fun isn’t limited to inside PNC Park. Each home game is a fiesta. The streets surrounding the park are filled with fans, music and children’s activities. The Roberto Clemente Bridge, which connects downtown Pittsburgh to the North Side right outside of PNC Park, is closed to vehicular traffic on game days, allowing pedestrians to walk to the park.

Statues of Pirate Hall of Famers surround PNC Park. Honus Wagner, Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell, and Bill Mazeroski have all been immortalized. The beautifully landscaped Riverwalk along the Allegheny River connects PNC Park with Heinz Field, The Rivers Casino and Carnegie Science Center, and offers strollers a delightful view of Pittsburgh’s three rivers and the downtown area. The Riverfront Park waterfall will entice even the most staid visitor to kick off the shoes and dip their toes in the cool waters. Since the construction of PNC Park, numerous restaurants, pubs, and hotels have arisen around it, making PNC Park and the surrounding area an entertainment center par excellence. Even getting to the park is fun. It is easily accessible by car, by foot or by boat.

The Gateway Clipper Fleet provides a shuttle to the game. It leaves from its Station Square dock and drops off fans outside PNC Park, then shuttles them back to Station Square after the game.

Of course Pirates fan love their home park, but fans from around the country also extol PNC Park’s virtues. Many rival fans flock to PNC Park to take in a road game when their favorite team plays the Pirates. The ticket prices are reasonable, the fans are accommodating to the visitors, and the area is a baseball fan’s paradise. Across the Internet, numerous websites hosted by devoted baseball enthusiasts from St. Louis to San Diego detail what a delight a road trip to PNC Park is for visiting teams and fans. PNC Park is within a day’s drive for several major league cities like Chicago, Detroit, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Washington, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Toronto, and New York.

Whether you are a Pirates fan or not, you will be a fan of PNC Park. This magnificent baseball park is worth a road trip whether you are coming from the Pittsburgh area or from across the country.

By Janice Palko

@Arnold D. Cribari posted:

Like the comedian, Billy Crystal when he was a kid, I believed when I was a kid that those monuments were gravestones where Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig were buried.

What, they are not!? Darn it Arnold you have completely disillusioned me.

On another note, I thought I'd do a little math to see exactly how much real estate you would need to model Yankee Stadium in O scale- 1:48.  For just the field alone, the old distance of 461 feet to the wall in center is almost 10'! And that doesn't include the copious amounts of foul territory behind home plate. If you go to Goggle maps, there is a measuring tool, and the new stadium is about 850' x 700', bleachers, walkways and all. That works out to 17 1/2" x 14 1/2' in O scale!!!

Last week for Opening Day I ran all of my baseball-themed train and freight cars. I also have a Weaver Nolan Ryan boxcar I forgot to include. Lets go Mets!

@RJ I posted:

Last week for Opening Day I ran all of my baseball-themed train and freight cars. I also have a Weaver Nolan Ryan boxcar I forgot to include. Lets go Mets!

The first World Series I ever attended was the 69 Miracle Mets. I was in 7th grade and it was all very exciting!

Will, having the space to have a scale model of Yankee Stadium that is 10 plus feet long would be wonderful. However, the other approach you can take, which is what I did, is to make a caricature of it, which would take up less space, but gives the viewer the same overall impression.

See in the photos how deep it is in centerfield:

@Mark Boyce posted:

Arnold, your monuments took me back to this article during the Pirates brief respite from the nearly 30-year doldrums.  I saw 3 of the 4 heroes whose statues adorn the entrances play at Forbes Field and Three Rivers Stadium.  I would happily go back to those parks of bygone eras than have 20 years of the 'supposed' most beautiful ballpark and few players who can win.  The author wrote "each home game is a fiesta".  Maybe in 2015, but then they got rid of those guys. 

PNC Park, the new home of the Pittsburgh Pirates, opened to rave reviews in 2001, and is still regarded as one of Major League Baseball’s premier fields. PNC is the fifth home of the Pirates. It combines the charm of Forbes Field, the team’s third home, with the scenic riverside location on the North Side of an even earlier venue, Exposition Park.

After touring all 30 major league ballparks, ESPN’s Eric Neel has ranked PNC Park as the best.

PNC Park is heralded for its classic architecture, natural grass surface, and excellent sight lines. An intimate setting with a seating capacity of approximately 39,000, PNC is the league’s second smallest field, and it definitely brings the game to the fan. The highest seat is only 88 feet from the field, and there isn’t a bad seat in the park. The deepest part of the park is in Left Center at 410 feet.

The shortest distance from home plate to the Allegheny River is only 456ft. In 2006, PNC Park hosted the 2006 All-Star Game. During the Homerun Derby, five different balls were hit out of the park and made a splash landing in the Allegheny River. Daryle Ward of the Houston Astros was the first player to hit a ball into the river during a regular season game on July 6, 2002. In addition to views of the river, the grandstand offers fans a stunning sight of Pittsburgh’s glittering skyline and the Roberto Clemente Bridge..

Mark,

I concur! I'm an avid baseball fan and have been to quite a few major league parks around the country. I used to be in a group of 25-30 that went to a different city every summer for a weekend of ball games.

PNC was one of the best and in fact is probably a solid Top 3 on the list of favorites. Everything about the experience was top notch and thoroughly enjoyed our stay.

Only problem with trying to visit ballparks these days is they build them so fast that it's hard to keep up!