Front end Friday.....

Thanks Don. I have a PW trainmaster similar to yours but had not seen that livery before. Unfortunately my current layout is so “tight” in terms of radii and clearances I can’t really run anything as big as a trainmaster any more.

all the best

Don

FRONT END FRIDAY…and the Pere Marquette 1225…🚂😉😺

P&W 2215 Super 7 formally the GE  demonstrator unit. In the shop for a new battery box.

@Don McErlean, thanks for the compliment, the FM Diesel is a Trainmaster 3, Lionel legacy version I purchased 2 years ago on BTO, I love the sounds, and the bright colors. I like your pictures with the brief history lessons, and your unique purchases, Marx, American Flyer, Hornby, probably Colber to, very fascinating. Also pictured by @Don Winslow the Southern Pacific F3’s, simply beautiful, and above, UKE KAT, Paul, that’s a beautiful steamer, Wow. Happy Railroading Everyone

WOW Great engines everyone! I shouldn't look here as there is a lot I would love to have! But I always have to try and check out what everyone is running on their layouts or holding down track in the living room!

@UKE KAT posted:

FRONT END FRIDAY…and the Pere Marquette 1225…🚂😉😺

Excellent photo for those of us that want to add details to our 1225s Paul. 🤓

@WesternPacific2217 posted:

Sitka, impressive collection of locomotives, and they all look to be in beautiful condition, too!

Thank You! many PW bought as is and many steamers that need repair, Thats the fun part bringing them back from the dead,

Mark

Have a great FeF all! Pennsy F3 looking for passengers

Great FeF - One of those buys you hope it's just ok condition and you find out it's new never out of the box.  Picked up this Atlas C630 a few weeks ago, first time out - feel really lucky!

FEF
Left, a tin Dakin S gauge battery powered Daylight set, on the right, a Tenshodo H0 Daylight set.

Steve

Well hello everyone, it's F.E.F. again !  Leapinlarry, Sitka, Detroit, beautiful engines thank you for posting.  Steve Eastman great trains, but I still can't get over your multi rail track!  Able to take 0,S, and HO !!  Wow - did you make that yourself?  (I expect that you did as I don't know of any commercial source).  Anyway great posts everyone thank you.

My offering today is from Hafner trains.   William Hafner founded his toy company in 1901 and produced clockwork toys. He began to make clockwork trains in about 1905-1907.  In 1910 Hafner facing mounting financial troubles went into partnership with William Coleman - a Chicago hardware store owner to start American Flyer.  He left American Flyer in 1914 for reasons not yet entirely known but part of his leaving is that he did not believe in "electric" trains, he felt these were too expensive to be toys.  Hafner's company (under both he and his son) produced clockwork trains from 1915 to 1951 (son took over after William Hafner's passing in 1944).  So the company stayed true to Mr. Hafner's belief that clockwork was the proper power for toy trains.  (Note - much of this information can also be found on the tcawestern.org / hafner.htm website).

The company made numerous trains and in 1938 they brought out a new, more streamlined set of engines, passenger cars, and even freight cars.  The engine was numbered #1010 - many years later it was learned from the son that the number 1010 was picked because it was the address of the Company's Chicago factory...1010 North Kolmar Avenue.

The #1010 loco was made for many years and in many varieties.  I have this red/chrome version which is the most fancy livery I have but I also have some in black / silver paint that are the same locomotive and clockwork mechanism just different decoration.

So here is the Hafner #1010 clockwork locomotive for today's F.E.F.

Here she is exiting my yard area.  You can begin to see the nearly fully chromed tender as well as the chrome side splashers

Here she is ready to take her train up the main line.

Well best wishes for a happy weekend and happy "F.E.F" to all

Don

Have a great FEF…🚂😉😺

Here's my photos for this fine Friday!

Meet the front end crew!   ...  Engineer Bo Whaley on the front deck, and  brakemen Jake "the brake" Farnsworth and Smitty Dean.  These fellas " giter done!"

Ready for assignments!!

Early morning equipment check at the "Charles Street Yard"...a rare site of  a Pennsy "Tuscan" and SF PA's side-by-side

For the run out to the east end industry sidings, this is the front end.

Happy FEF!

9998 spotting an ALCO S2 on the fuel pad.

The crew on the 0-4-0 don't get these newfangled engines quite yet.....

Happy FEF

Happy FEF guys! Great pics so far.

Old no. 193 idle on a siding.

Andy

Happy FEF.

Nice videos Ron. Great scene as always Johan.

Andy

B&M E-8 before it over takes the PRR B-6

Wow, beautiful Front End Friday pictures, I’m in Tybee Island getting ready for one of my sons getting married and love the fact that we can keep in touch via the internet. Technology is amazing. The front end locomotives are from my friend Dr. Jack Fisher in Tennessee. His layout is awesome. Happy Railroading Everyone

@Steamfan77 posted:

Nice videos Ron. Great scene as always Johan.

Andy

Andy,

Thank you. When I look at your great LIRR layout, I get motivated to build it.

Johan

Thank you for the kind words Johan.

Andy

Andy,

thanks!

Well hello F.E.F. fans, guess I will lead off today.  I just put into operation a new engine from Williams and I am really excited about it.  Its an Amtrak, F59PH Pacific Surfliner.  Now my layout is sort of on the other side of the US set near Savannah, but in my fantasy, suppose Amtrak decided to duplicate the Surfliners on the Atlantic side?

I will admit, I am really excited about this new engine.  My prior Williams acquisitions have been 2 GE 44 tonners but they worked so well when I saw this gal and her streamlined shape I just had to try her.  No disappointment for sure.  She pulls like mad, runs really smooth, has great diesel sounds and a neat horn.  She pulls around my layout at only 6.5 Volts on my ZW, I can hardly set the transformer lower!

Here is the F.E.F. view, love the detail including 3 windshield wipers, rear view mirrors, crew inside, and lighting.

Here she is pulling up at my depot, ready to take on passengers for the North.

Here she is taking the curve to the suburban station platform.  Sorry commuters, this train is not for you

A little video of her in action.

Best wishes all.  I intend to post some additional detailed pictures in "buy anything cool today" later on this afternoon ... had to hurry had some things to do this morning.

Best wishes

Don

FEF…Have a great Memorial Day weekend!!! 🚂😉😺

Happy FEF.

www.youtube.com/trainbros89

@Don McErlean posted:

I will admit, I am really excited about this new engine.  My prior Williams acquisitions have been 2 GE 44 tonners but they worked so well when I saw this gal and her streamlined shape I just had to try her.  No disappointment for sure.  She pulls like mad, runs really smooth, has great diesel sounds and a neat horn.  She pulls around my layout at only 6.5 Volts on my ZW, I can hardly set the transformer lower!

Here she is pulling up at my depot, ready to take on passengers for the North.

Here she is taking the curve to the suburban station platform.  Sorry commuters, this train is not for you

Best wishes

Don

Don- If that is a dual-motor engine, you can rewire the motors in series to slow it down. I've done all of mine and it makes a big difference.

I haven't taken the Amtrak plunge yet but I may one day.

Bob

Happy FEF!

A gaggle of GEEPS taking a break, waiting for their next assignments.

Don, while it is the Surfliner paint scheme, it doesn't have Surfliner emblazoned on the sides like the passenger cars do so there's no reason that beauty couldn't be flying up and down the tracks hereon the east coast.

Uke Cat, great addition to F.E.F.

Ends of the front kind for this fine Friday!

FEF on the PRR

@RSJB18 - Hey thanks for the tip, I am no electrician (classically trained ME) but I can likely figure that out.  May try that (once I get over the fun of running a "new" loco )  Hope you try Amtrak, this is my first entry into it as well and now I have to find some "offical" passenger cars.   @coach joe :  Thanks for your comment, appreciate the info, and your right...my gal could be running high speed from Savanna to Atlanta instead of LA to San Diego !!

Best Wishes

Don

Miss Daisy in the Chrysler Town and Country picking up hubby at the station for the long holiday weekend...

@Don McErlean posted:

@RSJB18 - Hey thanks for the tip, I am no electrician (classically trained ME) but I can likely figure that out.  May try that (once I get over the fun of running a "new" loco )  Hope you try Amtrak, this is my first entry into it as well and now I have to find some "offical" passenger cars.   @coach joe :  Thanks for your comment, appreciate the info, and your right...my gal could be running high speed from Savanna to Atlanta instead of LA to San Diego !!

Best Wishes

Don

Here's some pix of my NW-2 that I rewired. I was able to remove the two wires from the plugs on the board and put them together with a jumper wire. No soldering required.

Bob

Lots of great FeF photos today, I haven't posted for a while, so here's some GS-XX.

The engineer and fireman on the WP GS-64 #485 are celebrating live!  Go to the following link and you'll understand why!

https://ogrforum.ogaugerr.com/...0#162334965487259730

Happy FeF everyone!