Buy anything cool lately?

Some new rolling stock. Mth Premier Susie-Q, MS& L Norther Pacific Wood Chip Hopper, CB&Q Hopper, Santa Fe Hopper, Lionel DT&I, Atlas Trainman Penn Central. These were purchased over the last month. As always, a thanks to Berwyn's Trains who always has something I want.

I had preordered one of the MTH Norfolk & Western GP35s. I have always liked the look of this engine, but wanted one in NS livery and could never track one down. When the engine finally arrived I handed it off to a good friend and fellow club member, Jim Dorsett, to make the conversion. Now, the modifications done may not be completely prototypical, but Jim transformed this engine into an almost identical version of the one I was photographed in a couple years ago. To say I was blown away when I got my engine back is a complete understatement! He even painted a little conductor figure to look like me!

How the engine looked before

…AND AFTER!!

@ArtsModelTrains posted:

I didn't make it to York this year but I was able to take advantage of free shipping at Trainz.com to pick up some stuff.  I made a quick video of the stuff I picked

Sixteen minutes is quick?  Clearly, I don't understand the world of YT channels and generating clicks.

I bought yet another Atlas Trainman 60' coach off E-Bay the other week (Yes, I'm fond of them). This one was letttered CRRNJ,  I bought it because I distinctly remember one of the Santa Fe Southern's (ex ATSF Santa Fe-Lamy branch) coaches being lettered CRRNJ and remaining that way for several years. So despite the fact that my thoughts about this car have very little to do with New Jersey, this car makes me think about New Mexico.

The Fall beat goes on as both Lionel and MTH  pick up their delivery schedule to get in as much as possible before the end of their fiscal year. Good for their bottom line, terrible for the collector..

Here are the latest two engines I picked up this past weekend.  One is a Lionchief B&O Pacific.  Not too excited about the color blue shade.  IMO, the blue should be a few shades darker. At least this engine's colors aren't as bad as Lionel's Pacific Southern color green.

The second engine is an MTH  4-6-2 Southern Cresent.  The engine looks great right out of the box;

@p51 posted:

Guys, you are NOT going to find someone on this forum with a greater appreciation of American military history, especially for the 1940s, than myself.

But it's a matter of context. It would be wrong of me to post a photo of a swastika on a model train forum unannounced. Considering the age of a lot of people in the hobby, it could suddenly find itself in front of eyes that saw these symbols firsthand and witnessed those horrors in person, or saw/heard what it did to family members.

I love this forum and the magazine and the VERY LAST thing I want is someone faced with something like that, which they wouldn't have gone into the forum had they known might be there.

Geez P51! Speaking as a former adjunct history prof., just how old ARE you, anyway? 🤔

@Yellowstone Special posted:

Geez P51! Speaking as a former adjunct history prof., just how old ARE you, anyway? 🤔

I'm 53. I've just been collecting and doing living history since I was a kid, do I really know how to get shots that look like this...

Lee: It looks like a photo right out of the 1940s. Nice work. 👍

@p51, Lee, your just a bit older than me. That photo almost looks like it was at the Reading Air Show, or something like that. I used to work with a guy that would go there with his wife and do the Fox Trot as well as other dances around that time. He was an artist as well and could draw some really realistic combat scenes of the day.

Another engine added to the BNSF fleet.

Well I guess I will continue my habit (sorry about this) of posting some fairly humble additions to my trains and collection that I happened to purchase.  This item, although not a train itself, is part of a company with a long and splendid history with toy trains.  The "Erector" set was invented and introduced as a plaything by A.C.Gilbert in 1913.  A.C. purchased and went on to lead the American Flyer train line in 1939 and then subsequent to WW II of course was the leader of the company that produced the well known "S" gauge trains of the 1950's and 60's.  However the company continued to produce Erector sets throughout this time period and often advertised how a young person could use the Erector pieces to build things for their trains (bridges for example).

So today, while accompanying my wife to her antique booth in a local antique mart, I found a neat Erector piece, this would be the cab or cabin piece that could be fastened to a bridge or crane to house the operator.  It was priced at $5 so produced an irresistible urge to purchase.  At about 2" square, its small but the lithographed doors and windows are "O" scale (scale 6-7ft door for example).  This will definitely find a place on the layout perhaps as a gatekeepers shelter by the crossing guards.  

Here is the end view, both ends (and both sides) are the same.

Here is the side view.  Note the "Erector" trademark (line connecting the "R" and the "T") below the windows.  The plate with the holes in it, should be folded down flat and would serve as the way to fasten the cabin to other Erector pieces.  Small nuts and bolts were used in the Erector sets.

Well that's my purchase today, hope you enjoy

Best Wishes

Don

@Don McErlean posted:

Well I guess I will continue my habit (sorry about this) of posting some fairly humble additions to my trains and collection that I happened to purchase.  This item, although not a train itself, is part of a company with a long and splendid history with toy trains.  The "Erector" set was invented and introduced as a plaything by A.C.Gilbert in 1913.  A.C. purchased and went on to lead the American Flyer train line in 1939 and then subsequent to WW II of course was the leader of the company that produced the well known "S" gauge trains of the 1950's and 60's.  However the company continued to produce Erector sets throughout this time period and often advertised how a young person could use the Erector pieces to build things for their trains (bridges for example).

So today, while accompanying my wife to her antique booth in a local antique mart, I found a neat Erector piece, this would be the cab or cabin piece that could be fastened to a bridge or crane to house the operator.  It was priced at $5 so produced an irresistible urge to purchase.  At about 2" square, its small but the lithographed doors and windows are "O" scale (scale 6-7ft door for example).  This will definitely find a place on the layout perhaps as a gatekeepers shelter by the crossing guards.  

Here is the end view, both ends (and both sides) are the same.

Here is the side view.  Note the "Erector" trademark (line connecting the "R" and the "T") below the windows.  The plate with the holes in it, should be folded down flat and would serve as the way to fasten the cabin to other Erector pieces.  Small nuts and bolts were used in the Erector sets.

Well, that's my purchase today, hope you enjoy

Best Wishes

Don

Those tin toys sure stood the test of time. Nice find Don, as I've said before I love the early stuff but can't keep up with what I have,

@Don McErlean posted:

Well I guess I will continue my habit (sorry about this) of posting some fairly humble additions to my trains and collection that I happened to purchase.  This item, although not a train itself, is part of a company with a long and splendid history with toy trains.  The "Erector" set was invented and introduced as a plaything by A.C.Gilbert in 1913.  A.C. purchased and went on to lead the American Flyer train line in 1939 and then subsequent to WW II of course was the leader of the company that produced the well known "S" gauge trains of the 1950's and 60's.  However the company continued to produce Erector sets throughout this time period and often advertised how a young person could use the Erector pieces to build things for their trains (bridges for example).

So today, while accompanying my wife to her antique booth in a local antique mart, I found a neat Erector piece, this would be the cab or cabin piece that could be fastened to a bridge or crane to house the operator.  It was priced at $5 so produced an irresistible urge to purchase.  At about 2" square, its small but the lithographed doors and windows are "O" scale (scale 6-7ft door for example).  This will definitely find a place on the layout perhaps as a gatekeepers shelter by the crossing guards.  

Here is the end view, both ends (and both sides) are the same.

Here is the side view.  Note the "Erector" trademark (line connecting the "R" and the "T") below the windows.  The plate with the holes in it, should be folded down flat and would serve as the way to fasten the cabin to other Erector pieces.  Small nuts and bolts were used in the Erector sets.

Well that's my purchase today, hope you enjoy

Best Wishes

Don

Perfect Don.

Looked for an ice skating scene for the Christmas layout for two years.

FINALLY........bought something cool

Note the green and red suited sax and horn player outfits...........................

...............I remove the railing and added snow everywhere  AND  the sax and horn players ........well with just a little carving and paint we had to have The Blues Brothers on stage.

@Dallas Joseph posted:

Looked for an ice skating scene for the Christmas layout for two years.

FINALLY........bought something cool

Note the green and red suited sax and horn player outfits...........................

...............I remove the railing and added snow everywhere  AND  the sax and horn players ........well with just a little carving and paint we had to have The Blues Brothers on stage.

That is just too cool for words, love it!

These arrived today, more K-Lines originally from The Western Depot in California. I purchased these used on eBay, but I can't tell if they were ever on the track, they look new. Metal sprung trucks, functioning ice doors on top, separately applied ladders and grab irons, corrugated walkways on the roof, and the side doors do open with the help of a small screwdriver. I can pull these in a SP or UP freight consist.

There's a video in Western Roads Wednesday too. Here's the link:

https://ogrforum.ogaugerr.com/...2#167403361601307002

@WesternPacific2217 posted:

That is just too cool for words, love it!

Thanks Scott.          We couldn't get over the fact that we were able to find 5 different kinds of Lemax ice skating scenes.      An amazing Christmas store inside the True Value HardwRe in Phillipsburg Pa.

@WesternPacific2217 posted:

These arrived today, more K-Lines originally from The Western Depot in California. I purchased these used on eBay, but I can't tell if they were ever on the track, they look new. Metal sprung trucks, functioning ice doors on top, separately applied ladders and grab irons, corrugated walkways on the roof, and the side doors do open with the help of a small screwdriver. I can pull these in a SP or UP freight consist.

From your description and photos Scott , these look like really quality items.

NICE 

I got this NIB Pennsy PS-2 because of the detailing.

@texgeekboy posted:

I got this NIB Pennsy PS-2 because of the detailing.

NICE

I'd been considering adding a powered Santa Fe F7B to my Super Chief train to help take some  stress of pulling the 7 aluminum passenger cars off the powered F7A. They are not easy to find. But lo and behold, I was able to purchase one from laidoffsick (Doug) and thanks to his assistance, was able to integrate it into the prototypical ABBA lashup for this train.

To me, it looks a little odd with 4 engines in front of only 7 cars, but I like it and it's good to have 4 motors doing the pulling instead of two. So, thanks again Doug, for making this possible.

@WesternPacific2217 posted:

That is just too cool for words, love it!

Awesome, where did you buy it?

@Yellowstone Special posted:

I'd been considering adding a powered Santa Fe F7B to my Super Chief train to help take some  stress of pulling the 7 aluminum passenger cars off the powered F7A. They are not easy to find. But lo and behold, I was able to purchase one from laidoffsick (Doug) and thanks to his assistance, was able to integrate it into the prototypical ABBA lashup for this train.

To me, it looks a little odd with 4 engines in front of only 7 cars, but I like it and it's good to have 4 motors doing the pulling instead of two. So, thanks again Doug, for making this possible.

Now you can add more passenger cars.

Yet another Southern Pacific Boxcar for my SP consist. I've been wanting a round top boxcar, found it on eBay for a decent price. Was not listed as NIB, but it sure looks brand new! It's a double door too. :-) I'm happy. Looks like I'll have to do a video of the whole freight train pulled by SP Black Widow AA LionChief set and post it.

@WesternPacific2217 posted:

Yet another Southern Pacific Boxcar for my SP consist. I've been wanting a round top boxcar, found it on eBay for a decent price. Was not listed as NIB, but it sure looks brand new! It's a double door too. :-) I'm happy. Looks like I'll have to do a video of the whole freight train pulled by SP Black Widow AA LionChief set and post it.

That's a really good-looking boxcar Scott!

I found these at the Lionel Store last weekend .

@Dave Ripp. posted:

That's a really good-looking boxcar Scott!

Thanks Dave, I really like it! Here's a link to a video I just posted in Freight Trains - Let's see them! check it out.

https://ogrforum.ogaugerr.com/...2#167684843604238882

Some more old school MPC trains. Bought these from a fellow forum member and for a great deal! Santa Fe FM Trainmaster and cars. I found a Santa Fe tool car from Trainz. Gave them some tlc and they're running awesome.

Picked up from the local Hallmark store; this years 'all american trucks series' 1972 Ford F-150,along with this years 'happy camper series' travel trailer. The Ford is darn close, but not quite 1:48 scale; the wheelbase measures about 7" shy of 10'4"; so close enough.

Modern, then postwar, and now i find myself liking prewar too!

Lord help me ....😁

Train-Nut, it looks like excellent shape. Very nice.

@romiller49 posted:

Train-Nut, it looks like excellent shape. Very nice.

Thanks!    The person i bought it from claimed it was wrapped up in their fathers "sock drawer" for over 50 years!

I went to a model train show in Kent today, found a vendor who had several EMD artist renderings of diesels for sales to railroads, a few were originals. I got this for just ten bucks, original and painted with gouache on artist board!

I could have bought several larger originals for not much money but I have no wall space left and I'd just be permanently storing them and hoping nothing happens to them. Best that the rest goes to homes which can display them as they deserve.

Two newest additions to the roster. Lionel postwar 6520 Searchlight Car  with orange and rare green generators joining their maroon brother!

Great buys as always everyone! You all make me feel more justified in expanding my collection. LoL!

Yesterday was my first time going to the First Frost Train Meet in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Excellent sized show! I had a blast like I usually do! I saw many deals, a few I passed over and went back for just to find out they were sold. I did pick up this Menards Morton Salt covered hopper and the entire Spirit of 76 set I spotted under a table and for a price I couldn’t walk away from.(Yes I have doubles of a few boxcars and one triple now LoL) This is a show I’ll be sure to attend in the future. A few nice layouts on display along with train races for the kids! First time ever witnessing that! Definitely put a big smile on my face watching the kids all enjoying the hobby.

A Lionel Dale Jr. boxcar  to go along with the Lionel Dale Sr. boxcar I got about 5 years ago and some Weaver 40' boxcars of other NASCAR greats, Benny Parsons, Rusty Wallace, Davey Allison and Bill Elliot.

My haul from the Ameritowne 40% off sale.  I'm not going to have room for many more buildings or else I would have bought more butmy down town needs another tall building for Tall Building Tuesday.

Nothing new lately, finally got around to framing this for my train room. Thought you guys would get a kick out of it. I think we have all been there at one time or another..  Jeff

I was at Menards getting a new front door handle and lock set and picked this up. A Sinclair tow truck to go with my Sinclair service station.

@Dave Ripp Did you remember the lock set?😜

@pennsyfan posted:

@Dave Ripp Did you remember the lock set?😜

LOL just finished it, but pictures of the new tow truck came first.