Look in craig's list and yur paper for people selling already busted stuff, hey as long as it rolls, have fun. I was at a train show Sunday, there's still guys selling beat up cars for a buck, I'll tell ya, the eventual repairing of this stuff is the point where you and your son leave toy trains, and enter model railroading. I still have a use, even if it is just part of the scenery, for cars I broke 40 years ago...

What the heck are you guys talking about? Sounds like a glass bottom boat! Can you really see the sore spots with this contraption? with the height and depth of my track, I will need a mirror angled on on side, but I'm open for any ideas like this one. I  think I have some plexi glass laying around somewhere.... 

And you guys don't correct 'crank' into the proper term 'ratcheting brake lever'? The pull string came out in the 1840's, went to a small bell in the cab, a sharp old photo can sometimes focus in on the cord strung thru all sorts of hangers. My local bus has that system to remind the driver. I really don't think modern -or rebuilt cars- have public access to the 'brake signal' anymore, just a few half hidden places the 'car attendent or client services representative' can get to in a hurry, yes I believe it dumps the air and signals the whole crew.

you tested a rivarossi correctly, most of the old ones were like this from day one. A doulbe cross over? 2 diamonds? then you might need power leads to a dead spot in the middle that MOST engines will handle, but this one just-won't. I have insulated switch frogs like that, every loco is a toss up. Do 0-4-0 tanks stop there too? All wheel pickup on a long engine is sweet at times like this..

goggle  'Gorre and Dephetid' or spelled something like that, the guru of model railroading from the 40's till he died in the late 70's, I think he 'invented' scenery, before him, people were happy with raw plywood and the kid's toys stuck on there....and he wasn't a perfectionist like many nowadays, he had fun- and was proud of it! he also like to lay track ..........the allen wrench was invented by a Canadian hardware store owner with bad eyesight and the shakes...

almost an opical illussion, seems one- a new one was built over the unfilled pit of an old one, with all the leads from the lower one. the shadows overlap too. Has to be a new one on top. How old is this? a goggle earth? 1990's or newer huh? wow. Wasn't a double exposure was it?

GG you did it again! those should be trump cards in the guessing game.... I'm gonna start calling you "Pam Am surface tranportation" And I forgot, who owned them before the logger? ...!!! never mind! put that in the guessing game!

buy a couple yards of flex track, pin it down to the diameter you want it to fit in. the train will either stay on the track or it won't. Snap track is very restrictive.... flex track is very versitile....and you need to experiment with your Bull, and bank the curves while you're at it... personally, I think it could run around a party pizza....

Like the man said, does anyone make the model? and I guess the answer is no, 'not yet' but the mdc's were- in those days, the beginning of a project to make a particular series of-whatever you needed. It seems they always came with the rods on the wrong axle, with wrong diameter, wrong valve gear or valve type, but that all got changed on the workbench, my pet peeve were the cast on domes.....they weren't goin' noplace....lately, I gave up kibashing these things 'cause someone will mass produce exactly what I want within a year....but the old kits WERE based on one of the SF- or SP?? praires...how close to which one??? But the price was right, ran better than brass-and the only game in town.... and the people who wanted Harriman types, these were for them too... I bet they are resurrected, better than ever, one of these days....   

So? did you win the one on Ebay? did you bid on it???

I know Amtrak and VIA still do this to a point, you might have been seated in a Santa Fe car, destined for -Fort Smith? Dropped off the SF in -Topeka? and within minutes coupled to the end of a say-Frisco? train the rest of the way....this is why sometimes a conducor sez "if you leave this car, come back before we get to X"...MR Bob, you probalby slept thru it.... I know many years ago some British railways did this drop off 'on the fly' never would be dreamt of nowdays...Mr Tony LMS needs to hunt down some reading material on the NYC, it was too big and lasted too many generations to list here. Basicly, in the 1950'? stam and diesel? They had atleast one of everything....including a jet.....

You guys are more worried about my one corny remark abut Calgary than helping poor lo' grumpy locate the lunch box he left in that GP-9, get to work you guys....that baloney sanwich is pushing 50.....guess I got to do all the serious research around here... me and all these high school kids than can make a computer jump thru hoops, I bet they can dig up division rosters for certain time spans.....

A few- several years ago, I told a New Haven historical society memeber at a table at a trainshow about a New Haven stainless steel diner surrounded by trees in the West Springfield yard, actually on a beer distributor's spur. He said nothing, just 'thanks'. A little while later, the company cleared the siding to start recieving by rail again, the car was gone. A few months later I saw it in a dead line of passenger stock the Central Mass was going to restore for excursions, I'd like to think I dropped a dime for a good cause. I told every one I could about a friction bearing flat- 1920's NYC I think, in the same yard, on a main road! It is now gone, but I don't know where....I just hope not into a dumptser....a maint.  employee said it was going to be free to any orgainization that wanted it.... I doubt it....

Not RTR, but I believe MDC/ Roundhouse made that series for years, as a kit- YOU had to paint and number it....on ebay now and then....

If you can't find a Bacmann Santa Fe war bonnet version within a few weeks, email me, I 'haven't yet' modified mine, no, not '70's, more like 3 years ago..... there got to some around....who is helping people find stuff on ebay? Ask him to keep an eye open, gosh they were already cheap at retail.....