Canadians in O (+S and other)

Great idea! I've often wondered how many Canadians actually collect/operate in O (or S).  You never really see or hear much. I'm in Ontario. No club affiliations. I don't really have a local shop I support. There's no one close by. I've bought a few things from George's, CVRCO and Hugh (027 Trains) over the years. I live near the Michigan border, so truthfully most of my purchases are from the US. I can order exactly what I want and have it shipped to my parcel pickup place. I save a ton shipping, brokerage, etc. Although, that hasn't worked out too well over the last year....

I live on the Canadian border in Niagara Falls, NY. I spend my summers ( except 2020) at my cottage at Long  Beach, ON.  My favorite roads are NYC, CN, and TH&B.  I am currently working on a 13’ extension of my layout representing southern Ontario.  Here’s my favorite engine, CN 5607. JohnA

Here to....on the St Lawrence River, beside the Thousand Islands Bridge across from New York State.

Legacy, MTH, a little Postwar and a touch of HO.

Most of what I purchase comes from the US.  Trainworld has been a great place to purchase especially when they have the 10% off offer.

The OGR For Sale Forum has been great also.  I've never had a bad experience buying or selling via OGR.

I'd like to buy more used items from Canada and avoid that nasty 30% exchange rate.  Don't mind the tax but the exchange rate is brutal on expensive items.

May I suggest including email contact info in one's profile.

Cheers

Dave

I'm in Portland, Maine and have strong interest in CN and in particular the GT route between Montreal and Portland. In the past I have frequently visited NB and NS, look forward to doing so again soon. I've managed to collect a good bit of CN equipment...

Born in Ontario, living in NH. Layout being developed.

I live in Toronto. Have bought a lot of stuff at York. Still have a few year's worth of inventory to assemble and install on the layout. Layout space is maximised, unless I remove a wall, which may be more trouble than it is worth.

I have also purchased from George's Trains, Credit Valley, Just Trains, Custom Signals, Eastside Trains and every train shop I have visited over the years.

I have a switching layout, which can accommodate up to 3 Operators. The layout is fully analogue and fully computerised using Hikel designed technology. This was installed before MTH WiFi was invented. I use Ipads to operate the switches and unclouplers. You can also use an Iphone to run the trains, however I prefer the tactile feel of the MTH remotes.

The layout is a twice around the room design, with green being the upper level and grey the lower level. My layout is based on the CP Kettle Valley alternate main line through the Rockies. (now abandoned) I have travelled much of the old roadbed which inspired my layout and helped me choose my town names.

I originally came from Montreal, near CN corporate headquarters. Now live in Massachusetts

Former Provence of Quebec resident now living in North Carolina.  I love the cars produced by LCAC back when no one was paying any attention to Canadian road names except for CP and CN.  I occasionally see them on the secondary market but always at pretty high prices.

Used to have items shipped to me to a friend who lived in Vermont and would pick them up from time to time.  Exchange rates were never a problem as this was back when the Canadian dollar was actually stronger than the US dollar!  I am really showing my age here.

Still always on the look out for Canadian and D&H items for sale at reasonable prices.

As a total aside I recall when Lionel came out with the Napierville Junction boxcar, a lot of folks thought that Lionel had made a mistake and that it should have been Naperville, which is a suburb of Chicago.   Spent some time visiting Napierville back in the day and now the Convent is an old folks' home.  How times change.

Don

Here’s one of my CN trains with several custom painted cars. Many of the 100 ton hoppers and boxcars were custom painted.

@Jeff78rr posted:

Here’s one of my CN trains with several custom painted cars. Many of the 100 ton hoppers and boxcars were custom painted.

Nice consist! Those 86’ CN boxcars are excellent

Welcome all Canadians and USA friends,

The market is small here in Canada for selection especially now that boarders have been closed.

I have been able to find some wonderful pieces lately. Just picked up a Lionel 6-18271 in mint condition. CAN’T wait to try it out this week.

Always looking for something nice. Contact me if you want to deal.

Take care and stay safe and enjoy the trains.

Forgot to add picture of road trip. Fitting for the

I do 98% Amtrak, but I've started to dabble in Canadian steam as well. I picked up a Weaver brass CN (not CP) Hudson a few months back, #27 of 67 made. I wish I hadn't because I've started to fall in love with Canadian steam, so many cool engines. I'd love to have a ton more when Golden Gate Depot isn't busy beating up my wallet haha.

Jubilee, 2816, Royal Hudson, Selkirk, P2g Mike, U1f, U4a, U2g, U3b, and CP 3100/3101 are all on the wishlist of things to eventually get.

How many modelers operate VIA's Canadian on their layouts?  In my opinion it should still run on the Canadian Pacific instead of CN.

Item: There's an interesting news item at www.railwayage.com titled Back on Track: VIA Rail Canadian.

Every now and then I describe myself as a "closet" Canadian...

Bashed this RS-10 from a Life Like HO RS-11 way back in the last century:

Also a couple of repainted blasts from the past:

Rusty

Trinity River Botttoms Boomer,

Thanks for the link above showing the Canadian's resumption of service next month. Even though a very recent announcement,  the surging Covid numbers in Canada will likely cause delays and further modifications to service. This year is a big wedding anniversary year for us and a trip from Toronto to Vancouver on the Canadian was going to be a treat to ourselves. But at present, there is no Prestige level of service and no Park or Skyline car. One must stay in his/her cabin or assigned seat - no wandering the train, no domed observation cars. We will wait for next year.

And yes, I operate a Canadian on my layout, 38' x 14' round the room, in Ottawa. Pictures later.

Bob

Bob, that's tough indeed.

Covid sees Germany on another severe lockdown that began today, 19 April 2021.  Model railroaders do have an advantage over many humans because they have a hobby that can be enjoyed in the comfort of their home 24/7.

Despite the circumstances, enjoy your anniversary.  Looking forward when you can post the photos of your Canadian.

Do you happen to have a Royal Hudson in your collection?  They were, and the ones that are still with us, truly poetry in motion!

Joe

Soo Line - That certainly is a TALL gentleman standing adjacent to your station.  Quite the eye catcher! (lol)

Trinity River Bottoms Boomer,

Thanks Joe, for the good wishes. It is # 50, which we can hardly believe. Of course, we tell all our friends and family that we were wed when still pre-teens! We will be patient and still get to ride VIA's Canadian in due time.

No, sadly, I do not have a Royal Hudson. I'm late to this hobby, having only 3 years under my belt, not counting the 2-3 years or so as a child in the 1950's when my father built a small layout for us. Our only engine was a Berkshire 726 RR. Still have it and it runs well when I flip the Powermaster switch to conventional. Still tweaking the layout and playing with scenery.

DylTrains (the original poster): For the record,  in the Ottawa area, our three "O" gauge hobby shops are as follows. Malwood Station in Dunrobin; owner Harold Rowe, passed away in late December 2019; the website still lists opening hours but no products. The Toy Train Workshop in Cumberland; owner Tom Belfoy, announced his retirement for later this year after 30 years as an MTH authorized dealer. The Christmas Train Store in Kanata; owner Hugh Laing, has had recent health issues and his wife, Linda, is winding down the business. No other LHS that I know of.

Bob