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This title just popped into my head, and I thought I would share it with you, my fine Forum friends.

It doesn't have to be a basement, it could be your attic, garage, dedicated train house or shed, backyard, whatever. You can share vdeos, photos or thoughts about your layout or collection that brings you happiness and makes you feel like you they are in your perfect little world.

Most of you folks already know my slice of heaven:

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Arnold

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Last edited by Arnold D. Cribari
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Arnold, I knew you would show a photograph of one of your ball parks.  My slice of paradise is intended to be a slice of “Almost Heaven, West Virginia” in my basement.  That is why I like the Western Maryland Railway in West Virginia, where we lived at one time.  Though my only scenery is the backdrops, I still was able to make a truncated version of the WM coal drag as I saw in print battling the Blackwater Canyon (Black Fork) grade.

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Last edited by Mark Boyce

My little paradise is in a spare room on the second floor. It’s not one scene or section. It’s the whole environment and the moment I open this door, a weight literally lifts off my shoulders and I’m transported a million miles away from the office, the world, and all that is in it. I’m literally in that paradise you refer to, Arnold. Seriously, there are times that I just take a break and sit on my stool without even turning on the layout and I feel that I’ve been recharged. It’s that good for me. I totally get what you are saying, Arnold.  Enter here-



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Arnold, you nailed it, paradise in the basement, I agree our train rooms are great places of relaxation and simply forget everyday issues. A place of calm, no worries, just a place to unwind, watch our little world that is pandemic free, and running our trains gives us a great bit of satisfaction. Great thread… Happy Railroading Everyone AD2DFD0C-0735-4976-A6C0-82154D45FFC423F907B8-B567-49AC-B633-E66339BC5F79AE3182A6-4831-49BD-BB4C-82378C061B94

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Mark, I tip my hat to your “Rocky mountain High, West Virginia”, as I wake up in my City that never sleeps, top of the heap! Only a fellow train guy understands that feeling we are talking about. Arnold nailed it by calling it our little Paradise.



Edited to reflect that I would literally kill to have LeapinLarry’s excellent man cave basement pictured above. Unfortunately, no basements in Florida. Thanks for rubbing that in, Larry. LOL!

Last edited by Strap Hanger
@Mark Boyce posted:

Arnold, I knew you would show a photograph of one of your ball parks.  My slice of paradise is intended to be a slice of “Almost Heaven, West Virginia” in my basement.  That is why I like the Western Maryland Railway in West Virginia, where we lived at one time.  Though my only scenery is the backdrops, I still was able to make a truncated version of the WM coal drag as I saw in print battling the Blackwater Canyon (Black Fork) grade.

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Mark, you are well on your way to creating a masterpiece of a model railroad.

@RoyBoy posted:

Almost as good as paradise by the dashboard light, depending on one's point of view.

RoyBoy, you gave me a great idea. I'm going to play the section of that great song by Meatloaf when Phil Rizutto makes the call, while the train is rounding Yankee Stadium.

Phil was playing shortstop in the 1956 World Series when Don Larson pitched the perfect game:

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Last edited by Arnold D. Cribari
@Sean007 posted:

Arnold,

Nice thread as always, but wasn't Gil McDougald playing shortstop that day?

That is very possible, Sean. Gil was another very fine player. I will Google Phil to check when he retired.

Sean, you must be correct. Phil played in very few games in 1956, and did not play in the World series that year.

Last edited by Arnold D. Cribari

That is very possible, Sean. Gil was another very fine player. I will Google Phil to check when he retired.

Sean, you must be correct. Phil played in very few games in 1956, and did not play in the World series that year.

Thanks Arnold - I thought that I had recalled Scooter talking about the game one time during a Yankees broadcast.

Anyway, right now my little slice of heaven is in one side of my garage!

Wow, Arnold, you really hit a happy nerve!   I frequently find an excuse just to "...gotta run downstairs to get a _________...".  Sometimes what ever I was supposed to be getting is long forgotten and I get engrossed with the various vignettes around the layout.  Enjoying certain accomplishments, reviewing one thing or another maybe even quietly running some non sound trains.  (Two rail running is essentially silent)

Years ago the wife wanted to move from our former home but I resisted.  I finally gave in when she agreed to a ranch & that the RR can have run of the entire basement.  No strings attached.

Little did she know...the washer and dryer came upstairs and there is a lock on the basement door for little feet.

Ranch houses can have twice the basement area of a 2 story home with similar square footage.

Yes Arnold, Paradise is only 13 steps away!

Last edited by Tom Tee

If my childhood playground named Claremont Park in the Bronx were ideal, it would have had more sports facilities (and trains) such as this!

MottHaven 022

But then again I lived within walking distance from Yankee Stadium and the Macombs Dam ballfields so what more could I need!

Hard to believe that living there I grew up a Dodger fan!!!!!!!!

...so the perfect game wasn't a fond memory at the time, but you have to appreciate greatness:

Untitled

Jim

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Jim, your football field is a fabulous slice of paradise.

Speaking of that World Series perfect game, Sal Maglie (the Barber) also pitched a great game that day for the Dodgers, and he might have won but for Mickey Mantle's homer and great catch in deep left centerfield. You also have the Dodgers glorious victory in the 1955 World Series.

A wonderful book about the Dodgers, Ebbets Field and life in the 1940s and 1950s is Wait Till Next Year by Doris Kearns Goodwin.

Arnold

Arnold,

That great catch by Mantle was off the bat of my hero, Duke Snider!

I was spoiled in 1955. That was the first season I was old enough to be a real fan, and the Dodgers won! I missed all the previous Dodger losses in the World Series that Brooklyn suffered through.

That is a great book by the way. She also had some great commentary in the Ken Burns "Baseball" series on PBS.

Here's another example of creating our own paradise - the Hellgate Bridge in a much more scenic location - with steam! (and with apologies to my birthplace of Astoria, Queens - location of the actual bridge)

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Poug-Schen 007

Jim

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Last edited by Jim Policastro

Great Post Arnold!

Welcome to my “paradise”.    My happy place is a 13’ x 19’ train room with a 6’ x 13’ shop area accessed through the door adjacent to the mountain.    This room is in the lower level of our town home.   My wife does not like it when I call it the basement.     It's a walkout so I guess it technically is not a basement.     We moved in eight years ago and I started from scratch in January of 2014.     I know that we all would die for more real estate, but I am happy with the space even though it can get a little crowded  when I entertain visitors.    In reality, it is "my world"; a collection of childhood memories and it functions just fine for me!    When I am there, I'm magically 15 years old again even though I'm in an  80 year old outfit.    

My pictorial tour:

IMG_4571IMG_4567IMG_2861IMG_2862IMG_4562IMG_4558IMG_4557IMG_4564IMG_4566

Cheers, Dave

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Last edited by darlander

Jim Policastro, your train room is amazing and yes a great way to escape the outside world, great scenery, beautiful trains, truly a Paradise in your home, Darlander, your layout is amazing and your small miniature world of trains is well done, a great escape from the world we live in, yes this is our paradise, train heaven. Thank you Arnold for your creative thinking. Happy Railroading Everyone CA9F99C1-0300-4BC5-85DA-0847F6E139656922A00F-24CE-4146-AB90-8A3DF31F4C2AB2673651-7357-40FD-BFEB-0D5EE004F70F6B920D55-27BD-4091-8968-C65220CEC4E0

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From yesterday’s running session with a few of my dear friends/family (before we hit the bottom of that last bottle of vino). I like to think of this as Paradise by the dashboard lights (photo taken by my guest) -

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Strap Hanger, speaking of Paradise by the DashBoard, were you rounding third, and did you make it to home (plate)? LOL

And are you hoping for the end of time? LOL

Your layout looks like a very interesting one that is full of fun.

Last edited by Arnold D. Cribari

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