Neil Young's contributions to the hobby and an awesome layout

I remember the magazine article but never saw this video.  Thank you for posting.  My wife and I got a little choked up during parts of it.  

Great video!

Happy railroading,

Don

Thank you Neil Young. More often than not an overlooked contributor to our hobby.

Steve

Mr. Young is a very talented and legendary musician, composer and  electronics specialist who has contributed much to our hobby and to our entertainment! Always "Searching for a heart of gold"!

Great video. Never saw it but was aware of the story. A reminder of how challenging life can be & how lucky most of us are. Thanks for sharing.

I remember seeing the video, but never saw or read the magazine article.

However, I just picked up the March, 1993 issue of CTT on the bay for $7, which included two additional 1993 issues and shipping - not a bad deal.

Loved  that year that Neil came to York with his F3 looking tour bus and had the jumbotrons up in the fairgrounds with the cameras in the trains.

If you recall Neil also posted a bit on the forum during that time.  I remember Neil had Lionel send out a new TMCC Command set to Barry B so Barry could do an evaluation of the system as compared to DCS.  Its a shame that turned out the way it did but Neil is a kind fair playing guy. During that time the forum would do surveys on who liked which Neil Young song.  Fun times - good memories !   JP

@E-UNIT-79 posted:

Loved  that year that Neil came to York with his F3 looking tour bus and had the jumbotrons up in the fairgrounds with the cameras in the trains.

I still have the Lionel catalog with his autograph from that show. It was very memorable. He was very patient with all of us waiting in line to get that signed copy.

The train magazine article about Neil Young and his layout that I remember showed him and his son having a great time with the trains. It also showed marvelous scenery including a mountain or cliff made of a red wood forest tree stump.

I also vaguely remember that Neil may have used real water on his layout.

The interaction with Neil and his son together with the layout and its scenery demonstrated that Neil is a creative genius with model trains as well as music. He was, and may still be, a very prolific songwriter. Arnold

Didn't he use the pseudonym Clyde Coupler (?) in the CCA website?

@CSXJOE posted:

Didn't he use the pseudonym Clyde Coupler (?) in the CCA website?

It was Clyde Coil. (Thanks for jogging my memory)  I recall Clyde from the old message boards. The best guess was that it was Neil Young, but I don't think ever proven.

I also forget what CCA stood for.

I used to go to the Coil Couplers of America web site for all the guidance on TMCC when I was an early adopter.

https://cprailmmsub.blogspot.c...lyde-coil-model.html

Thanks Paul. I sent this video to a friend whose son has the same condition.

FWIW: there's another Neil Young train layout on Youtube - it seems to have been part of a traveling Lionel exhibit, a nice figure 8 shape.

I understand Neil and/or Neil's band members or studio techs were instrumental in developing good systems in the trains. People who visit my train layout and have an ear for sound fidelity comment on Lionel's items.

I remember years ago reading about his contributions to the hobby, and his desire to open it up to a much wider audience by increasing accessibility of the control systems.

On that note, if anyone on this board still knows how to get in touch with him, send me a PM.  We've been working on something at our company that might be interesting to him.

Kind of a shame knowing Neil and Peggy divorced not all that long ago when watching this now, but it doesn't discredit that Neil really did a lot for this hobby, and being just a really cool person who thought about others.

The story behind Trainmaster Command shows his intentions were really done out of a lot passion and love, especially for his son.

We do owe a lot to him and Richard Kughn for bringing Lionel to where it is now.

@Jeff_the_Coaster_Guy posted:

I remember years ago reading about his contributions to the hobby, and his desire to open it up to a much wider audience by increasing accessibility of the control systems.

On that note, if anyone on this board still knows how to get in touch with him, send me a PM.  We've been working on something at our company that might be interesting to him.

He's on Twitter @NeilYoungNYA

Love this thread, thanks

I would venture to say that without Neil Young contribution to O gauge, we would not only not have TMCC, Rail sounds and Legacy but DCS as well.

DCS as you know is a cross between TMCC and DCC using open source code.

I believe both his sons had disabilities that was the impetus behind TMCC.  One sour note was for all the work he did with TMCC (and I believe also with Legacy, if I remember the story correctly), he kind of got the shaft when the Lionel bankruptcy happened, he had a piece of the company and basically ended up with little or nothing when the whole mess ended in 2008. From what I can tell he didn't end up bitter about it, but it was kind of sad that that happened. Hopefully, though, he is proud of his contributions.

One thing I wonder about (and this, folks, is pure speculation), had Neil not pushed Lionel to develop TMCC, would three rail toy trains have ended up with DCC? The DCC standards were approved right around the time that TMCC was introduced (1993-1994), so timing wise it was a possibility. I don't know if there was a technical hurdle there,if DCC could work with a Pullmor equipped engine (which raises a question, was TMCC ever offered on Pullmor equipped engines, or was it always on engines using DC can motors).

By the way this question is not in any way regretting that TMCC was developed, for many years TMCC and then Legacy were way ahead of what DCC could do (in large part I suspect because given DCC was aimed at the HO Market primarily along with 2 rail O, the size of the decoders was an issue, basically HO was the de facto target, TMCC had more room to work with in terms of decoders so could implement more). Grateful it was developed, but obvious if things played out differently we might have had a standard control/sound system in three rail, though likely one that would have taken more years to become as robust as TMCC/Legacy (and yes, DCS).

Big kid, I’ve got a couple of engines with Pullmor motors and TMCC dating to around the late ‘90’s.

At the time, those who should know said the development of TMCC was driven by at least two technical limitations of DCC at the time.  The lack of ease of retrofitting AC open frame motors (which were the predominant historical motor in three rail) and the lack of availability of high capacity (e.g., 5-10 amperes) hardware for DCC.  Young also, as many know, is extremely passionate about sound quality and Railsounds was his solution to the sound quality issue of QSI sound and similar systems available at the time.

@Landsteiner posted:

At the time, those who should know said the development of TMCC was driven by at least two technical limitations of DCC at the time.  The lack of ease of retrofitting AC open frame motors (which were the predominant historical motor in three rail) and the lack of availability of high capacity (e.g., 5-10 amperes) hardware for DCC.  Young also, as many know, is extremely passionate about sound quality and Railsounds was his solution to the sound quality issue of QSI sound and similar systems available at the time.

Given that DCC was in its infancy at the time, neither of those surprises me, the NMRA standard if the Wiki I read was correct was only formalized in 1993 or 1994. TMCC remained a superior product to DCC for many years as did its follow on, Legacy, as well as DCS. Was just speculating about what might have happened if Lionel didn't develop TMCC. Lionel could still have ignored DCC and sometime down the road develop its own proprietary standard if TMCC didn't happen when it did.....obviously doesn't matter.

Paul K.,  Wow, what a Wonderful thread, and yes, Neil Young and family have really added so much fun to our three rail hobby, what ingenious idea, for kids with very special needs, being able to have Fun running their toy trains. Wow!  When I watched the video, it brought tears to my eyes, it shows how “with a lot of Love” mountains can be moved, rivers crossed, and Friendships for a lifetime made. Yes, he has/had a wonderful layout, brought a new way for Us to operate our trains. You know, Kevin Costner, actor, was a star in the movie “Field of Dreams”, build it, “They will come”  It’s so true. Also, Richard Kuhn, although deceased now,  saved Lionel at the most critical time, (Money Talks) and together, listened to each other, and made the TMCC operating system that changed the way we look at the hobby. This new command system brought me back into the hobby, TMCC, now Legacy, and all I can say is, Thank you Neil Young and Lionel for sharing great ideas and making this the most fun hobby in the world. Happy Railroading Everyone

A couple of months ago we were having lunch at a restaurant in Solvang (CA) and looked over at the next table and recognized David Crosby (of Crosby Stills Nash and Young fame). We started to talk and I mentioned that I was a train guy and how great a contribution Neil made to the development of Lionel train technology and he we discussed Neil’s amazing train room and how he created the technology to enable his son to run trains with him.

Watching the video really made me appreciate the amazing creation that Neil provided for all of us! Simply wonderful!

Neil Young has at least 20 toy train patents. Attached is his most well known.

Paul, Thanks for the link to the video.

Also I do recall the Clyde Coil posts well and the threads it would generate from it!

Great times!

It would be nice if "Clyde" would once again join us in a discussion or two.

I like his early acoustic stuff... 🎶

Mark in Oregon

I should add that TMCC equipped AC Pullmor locomotive are alive and well - at least on my layout. I believe most of Lionel's initial TMCC offerings were in Pullmor equipped models.

“Old man, look at me now

I’m a lot like you.

I spend all of my time

playin’ with O-gauge Choo Choos”

“Teach your children well.

Play with O-gauge Trains,

including Lionel”

@leapinlarry posted:

Paul K.,  Wow, what a Wonderful thread, and yes, Neil Young and family have really added so much fun to our three rail hobby, what ingenious idea, for kids with very special needs, being able to have Fun running their toy trains. Wow!  When I watched the video, it brought tears to my eyes, it shows how “with a lot of Love” mountains can be moved, rivers crossed, and Friendships for a lifetime made. Yes, he has/had a wonderful layout, brought a new way for Us to operate our trains. You know, Kevin Costner, actor, was a star in the movie “Field of Dreams”, build it, “They will come”  It’s so true. Also, Richard Kuhn, although deceased now,  saved Lionel at the most critical time, (Money Talks) and together, listened to each other, and made the TMCC operating system that changed the way we look at the hobby. This new command system brought me back into the hobby, TMCC, now Legacy, and all I can say is, Thank you Neil Young and Lionel for sharing great ideas and making this the most fun hobby in the world. Happy Railroading Everyone

Love your passion, Larry.

"Teach Your Children" was actually a Graham Nash tune...

Mark in Oregon

I actually have a set of Pennsylvania F 3's that are signed by Neil Young....He was at an auction back in 2005 doing a benefit event for a private school on the upper west side of Manhattan.  At the time, he was promoting the Neil Young Signature Line in Lionel Trains.

Besides that, I have loved his music!

@Bruce Brown posted:

Neil Young has at least 20 toy train patents. Attached is his most well known.

Hey Bruce,

Thanks for the INFO. on his Patents. Was really interesting reading. I had the Pleasure of meeting him and shaking his hand one time at a LIONEL Meeting in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. He was a down to earth kind of guy when it involved "TOY TRAINS" and TMCC.  Thanks Neil, for what you have done towards the development of the Control for our O Gauge & S Gauge Trains!

FREDSTRAINS