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John Howell made a film of the Mighty Casey backyard train layout he built for his grandson RJ back in 1980.He recently sent me the Super 8 movie to me so I could transfer it to dvd and then post on You Tube.I just posted the video on You Tube so everyone can see the impressive layout with many custom items he built.

 

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Man, that brought back some memories of  Christmas 1971. I saw those in the Sears and Roebuck catalog, and ordered one set plus some extra track and cars for my kids.

All I can say is, they had a ball. My wife sold it all, in one of her "Great Yard" sales, you guys know the kind, where you recover 7 cents on the dollar, and that don't figure in the local news paper advertisements!....................Brandy!

Todays Kids leave the womb looking for an X Box!

Thanks for posting!

Last edited by Brandy

Wonderful video.  We, too, have two locomotives and a couple of freight and passenger cars but the grandchildren have outgrown them.  I was intrigued

when the freight came into the picture because the first time around you could partially see a caboose.  Remco supposedly made a caboose but it is very rare if it exists at  all.  My guess is that the video yellow caboose was home made.

 

lewrail 

kjstrains posted:

Dan,

Great video.  I remember your post a couple years ago of the Mighty here on the forum.  I don't remember mine very well, but it was my first train that my Dad bought me.  I wished my parents filmed it for me back then, but I am glad they took a couple of photos.  Thanks for sharing!

Can you post your old Mighty Casey photos?As you can see by this thread,I am fascinated with anything Mighty Casey related,old and new.

 

lewrail posted:

Wonderful video.  We, too, have two locomotives and a couple of freight and passenger cars but the grandchildren have outgrown them.  I was intrigued

when the freight came into the picture because the first time around you could partially see a caboose.  Remco supposedly made a caboose but it is very rare if it exists at  all.  My guess is that the video yellow caboose was home made.

 

lewrail 

IMG_6275

It exists.Fifty of the cabooses were made.A Mighty Casey collector friend said he missed out on a New York Craigslist ad that had the caboose for sale by hours many years ago.There must be some survivors.The Holy Grail in train collecting for me.

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Last edited by Dan986

Dan,
Here are the photos. I posted these a couple years ago on another thread. I was 2 years old when I got the Mighty Casey for my birthday. In these photos, are my dad and my 2 older brothers. My brother told me that I had the boxcar and gondola along with the engine. My brother said that my Dad wanted to purchase the passenger cars, but they were already gone. I don’t remember riding it, but I remember it being set-up in our basement around our stairwell on plastic track. I was told the fate of it happened when it no longer worked.

Casey1Casey2

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Besides the movie of his Mighty Casey backyard layout,John Howell also sent me an ultra-rare copy of a Mighty Casey brochure he had.The brochure is grainy,but it shows the caboose,freight station,side dump car and right and left switches Remco had planned for the Mighty Casey before they cancelled the entire line.I have never seen a photo of the side dump car and finished switches before.I am very thankful to John for sharing this rare information with me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Last edited by Dan986

Mighty Casey Layout 1Mighty Casey Layout 2Mighty Casey Layout 3Mighty Casey Layout 4Mighty Casey snowMighty Casey Snow 2

John Howell's backyard layout added many new custom items that he made.The layout was built in 1980.The photos above show how the layout in 1983.Take a close look at all the outstanding buildings John made.There is also a great looking tank car in some of the photos.I am very impressed with all the skill and ambition John had building his backyard train layout.John told me that all the items shown still survive in good condition.His grandson,RJ,that he built the layout for,has everything in storage. 

 

 

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Last edited by Dan986

I have 2 of these engines that were broken. I made them into A-A unit for the Milwaukee road. I made couplings using plywood. I made a bay-window caboose using plastic from political signs(pick them up after the elections). I also made passenger car tops to fit over box car from political signs. Rear end passenger car is a Barbie train car modified to set on a gondola. I run the train in the yard and call it a yard ornament.  I am thinking about making a station to go with the train. I made 4' straights using clapboard.  I have several broken curve and think I can use them and clapboard to make automatic switches so I and make a dog bone layout. I also have a black engine with track and box(box in bad shape). Have original battery but missing the charger.  I have copied the paper work. If anyone would like PDF files contact me. There is a forum on yahoo groups but not active for awhile now. 

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Don77 posted:

I have 2 of these engines that were broken. I made them into A-A unit for the Milwaukee road. I made couplings using plywood. I made a bay-window caboose using plastic from political signs(pick them up after the elections). I also made passenger car tops to fit over box car from political signs. Rear end passenger car is a Barbie train car modified to set on a gondola. I run the train in the yard and call it a yard ornament.  I am thinking about making a station to go with the train. I made 4' straights using clapboard.  I have several broken curve and think I can use them and clapboard to make automatic switches so I and make a dog bone layout. I also have a black engine with track and box(box in bad shape). Have original battery but missing the charger.  I have copied the paper work. If anyone would like PDF files contact me. There is a forum on yahoo groups but not active for awhile now. 

I would definitely like pdf copies of your Mighty Casey paperwork.Your profile does not appear to have a way to contact you direct.Please add an email address to your profile.I would also like to see the custom work you did to your Mighty Casey trains.Please post some pictures of them.

Wow, I'd never even heard of this until seeing this thread just now.

When did they make these? I was born in 1969, so I guess they were long gone from toy stores about the time I could have played with one as a toddler?

Oh, what I would've given later in life to have had something like this as a kid. But even if they'd still been in stores, I doubt my parents could have afforded much more than a single car, if that.

p51 posted:

Wow, I'd never even heard of this until seeing this thread just now.

When did they make these? I was born in 1969, so I guess they were long gone from toy stores about the time I could have played with one as a toddler?

Oh, what I would've given later in life to have had something like this as a kid. But even if they'd still been in stores, I doubt my parents could have afforded much more than a single car, if that.

They were made in the seventies I believe.

p51 posted:

Wow, I'd never even heard of this until seeing this thread just now.

When did they make these? I was born in 1969, so I guess they were long gone from toy stores about the time I could have played with one as a toddler?

Oh, what I would've given later in life to have had something like this as a kid. But even if they'd still been in stores, I doubt my parents could have afforded much more than a single car, if that.

I think when I saw these for sale was Xmas 1969 at 3D store. If I remember right they were about $30 for set of engine and track. Almost bought one for my 3 year old boy who liked to watch trains. $30 then was a lot of money to spend on a toy.

Don77 posted:

I think when I saw these for sale was Xmas 1969 at 3D store. If I remember right they were about $30 for set of engine and track. Almost bought one for my 3 year old boy who liked to watch trains. $30 then was a lot of money to spend on a toy.

Too true. I showed my parents some photos of these. They replied that they don't remember seeing them for sale anywhere.

Yeah, $30 was a lot for a kid back then, even when you adjust it for inflation. No way could my parents have afforded any of this stuff, maybe one car for Christmas but that'd been it for the year. I'd have outgrown this long before I could have had anything to run at that rate.

RonH posted:

Very Nice, thanks for posting.

Question: Did  grandson RJ  ever get into trains? Could not find his name on all the other post.

John Howell didn't mention if his grandson became a fan of trains,but he did tell me that RJ has all the items in the video in storage. I wanted to buy the excellent custom made caboose,but I was told that none of the items are for sale.

PHILA posted:

I have some Mighty Casey trains and enjoy them very much.

Surprised some company doesn't reproduce them or make something similar?

Thanks,

Phil

 

There are some similar ride on trains being made now. The Peg Perego train set,#1 on the list in the video, is very similar to the Mighty Casey train set.

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