Weekend Photos - 1/11/19

[christopher2035]

Happy Friday!

Busy week on the layout. Made a bunch more changes. Decided to get a few more realistic buildings & replace the Plasticville. New signals & crossing signals arrived as well. The farm is being relocated at request of my cow/horse crazy kids to a new spot w/ a new Woodland Scenics barn & more grazing area for the cows.

While not a big fan of 60's Lionel, I do have a few items from that decade. 230 C&O FA-2 leads 1961 set 1643 through the rural countryside


Decided to keep the 132 station ( albeit in repainted form) as I needed something to tie in w/ PW Lionel. It was relocated close to it's original spot, but I added a spur on the rear for REA shipments. With the layout of the station, it works well. The new signals stand guard looking north.




Built a small hill to act as a scenic block between the 2 tracks


few more shots of the station & hill -




Added an MTH farm house in the back corner. Having a farm house was on my list of must haves.


With the land left vacant from the farm move, urban development quickly moved in & added a road & country post office. The grain bin & corn field will stay put however.




2046 gets a highball as she pulls out of the station w/ a set of 2400 series Pullmans.


My new kitten Beto loves hanging out when I'm working on the layout & running the trains





Lorenzo & Lucia watching some trains in TN -







A chilly Fall morning finds NS SD60E 7017 (ex NS SD60 6640) departing Roanoke's South Yard with coal train 820


NS AC44C6M 4074 hustles the NS geometry train westbound through Richland, PA on the Harrisburg Line


NJT ALP46 4627 leads a mid day local bound for Long Branch through Red Bank, NJ on the North Jersey Coast Line


NS ET44AC 3630 brings a westbound coal train through Glen Lyn, VA on the western end of the Christiansburg District


My last train photo of 2018 was a good one! A pair of ex Conrail EMDs lead a short local past Jersey Pike in Chattanooga, TN on the last day of 2018.

[Neil]

Great photos and work Christopher. While I love the nostalgic feel of Plasticville, I can see how looking at it on a layout for a long time might leave you longing for more realism. Can always display them on a shelf. It's amazing how youthful memory creates a halo of beauty around very simple and not particularly distinguished objects like Plasticville. I realize Plasticville wasn't likely part of your youth as it was for us older folks. Party on.

[MartyE]

Here's a couple more from Christmas...
The rear railing has since been snapped back into place without drama.

IMG_4515.JPG (1.82 MiB) Viewed 7308 times

The MTH North Pole Station with lights is really nice. I added the Lionel Lamp Posts. Nothing is prettier than a tinplate train with lights reflecting off of it.

IMG_4495.JPG (2.29 MiB) Viewed 7308 times

[christopher2035]

Great photos and work Christopher. While I love the nostalgic feel of Plasticville, I can see how looking at it on a layout for a long time might leave you longing for more realism. Can always display them on a shelf. It's amazing how youthful memory creates a halo of beauty around very simple and not particularly distinguished objects like Plasticville. I realize Plasticville wasn't likely part of your youth as it was for us older folks. Party on.

It actually was - all the layouts I had as a kid had my Dad's plasticville stuff on it. I remember the station, switch tower, ranch house, split level house & the factory as being on there. I think if I wasn't going for that Hi Rail look, it wouldn't bother me. If left in a traditional classic Lionel 50's setting, they work fine. With me working on doing realistic scenery , they were sticking out like a sore thumb!

[christopher2035]

Here's a couple more from Christmas...
The rear railing has since been snapped back into place without drama.

IMG_4515.JPG

The MTH North Pole Station with lights is really nice. I added the Lionel Lamp Posts. Nothing is prettier than a tinplate train with lights reflecting off of it.

IMG_4495.JPG

That station does look really sharp!

[MartyE]

My dad always had Plasticville and for the most part so does my brother. I passed all my along to him. I think he does a great job at incorporating it into his PW layout. I think it definitely has its place still. There is a certain charm about it.

[Neil]

My late dad had neither time for, money for nor interest in toy trains for most of his life. He was a great father in many ways, but I do envy those of you whose roots in toy trains comes from time with your father. A small blessing, but a blessing none the less.

[MartyE]

I think this is one the last layouts at dad's house. Scale was nowhere to be found. LOL!





One of my brother's layouts...

[christopher2035]

My late dad had neither time for, money for nor interest in toy trains for most of his life. He was a great father in many ways, but I do envy those of you whose roots in toy trains comes from time with your father. A small blessing, but a blessing none the less.

I shared a lot of interests w/ my Dad - playing guitar, his love of Sinatra & the Beatles, but the trains are the thing I remember most & now that I have kids of my own, the thing I miss the most w/ him not being here

[christopher2035]

I think this is one the last layouts at dad's house. Scale was nowhere to be found. LOL!





One of my brother's layouts...

Classic postwar!!!
That reminds me of my Uncle's layout when I was a kid. He had a basement & always had a big board set up w/ all plasticville & the classic accessories. Was so jealous

[Neil]

Great stuff. Thanks for sharing guys. I'm jealous too . As Simon and Garfunkel once sang (for us older folks): "Preserve your memories, they're all that's left you." Thankfully you two have lots of things to looks forward to at your ages.

[christopher2035]

Great stuff. Thanks for sharing guys. I'm jealous too . As Simon and Garfunkel once sang (for us older folks): "Preserve your memories, they're all that's left you." Thankfully you two have lots of things to looks forward to at your ages.

I know the song well. Bookends. I used to play it with my pop

[Neil]

Yes, I believe the song is entitled "Old Friends."

[christopher2035]

Yes, I believe the song is entitled "Old Friends."

I always knew it as Bookends. My pop was big into S&G as well as Dylan & the Beatles. Heard all those songs a million times

[Neil]

I believe Bookends was the title of the album. One of their last great collaborations.