Model Train Journal

Going to be another week till I get you guys some photos of the new layout I'm doing, but basically I'm going off the whole idea of a layout based on early postwar stuff. Rather than going with the traditional PW look, I decided to try the Diorama Studios approach this time. Early PW accessories & traditional plasticville structures in realistic scenery in the vein of the early catalogs. The early PW stuff is some of the best Lionel made & has that nice realistic look that the later stuff doesn't match. It will be good for the small space I have.

On other news, my wife's boss gave her this 919L tunnel to give to me. It was his Dads. Had to re-wire the light but it works great. Was going to go w/ an realistic looking tunnel, but I think this fits in well & I had to use it




NKP 765 steams it up on an excursion through English Lake, IN back on 5/23/09 -


NS GP38-2 5662 (ex PC/CR GP38 7726) leads H24 - The Hershey Shifter, through Hershey, PA as they head to work the Reese's plant


Canadian Pacific ES44AC 8781 leans into the curve at Riverside on the Whitethorne District as it leads 52V


Eighteen year old NS SD70M 2583 leads eastbound 590 through Duncannon, PA on the Pittsburgh Line.


NS AC44C6M 4005 (ex NS D9-40C 8867) leads a helper set through Farm on the Pokey.

As always, interesting and well presented stuff Christopher. Thanks very much for continuing to provide the rest of us with education and entertainment. As I get older and older, the old prewar and postwar stuff seem more enchanting. I know you are much younger than most of us, so it's interesting to see the attraction of these toys to someone who wasn't born yet, by a long shot .

That 119L tunnel looks to be in great shape, Christopher. The metal can vary, but the ones I have are sheet brass. I've heard that sheet steel was used as well. Usually they are rather scuffed up...this one looks E+.

Healey

healey36 wrote:That 119L tunnel looks to be in great shape, Christopher. The metal can vary, but the ones I have are sheet brass. I've heard that sheet steel was used as well. Usually they are rather scuffed up...this one looks E+.

Healey

I think this one is brass, as there are a few small chips in it. Light didn't work when I got it, but that was an easy fix

Neil wrote:As always, interesting and well presented stuff Christopher. Thanks very much for continuing to provide the rest of us with education and entertainment. As I get older and older, the old prewar and postwar stuff seem more enchanting. I know you are much younger than most of us, so it's interesting to see the attraction of these toys to someone who wasn't born yet, by a long shot .

I was just thinking about that the other day actually. Trying to figure out what draws me to them. Could you be nostalgic for a time that you weren't alive for? lol I've always been a history buff & the period from say 1945 - 1963 has always been a favorite of mine. Love everything about it and have read a ton books on that era. So that could be 1 factor. The other I'd say would be my Pop & Uncle. Yes, I grew up in the MPC era, but the trains I remember as a kid for the most part were postwar trains. Those are the ones my pop had & we ran on our layout w/ a few MPC cars thrown in & same goes for my Uncle. That's what introduced me to Lionel, so there's that as well