Spitfire2865 Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 Not knowing much about high rail British modeling, but knowing some things about US based modelers, if they even know of its existence, it might only be seen as an impulse buy. Much of American O gauge is by the big names. Though Im ready to be pleasantly proven wrong. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spitfire2865 Posted November 29, 2015 Share Posted November 29, 2015 Hello everyone. While I have followed this thread for a while, I can finally add something you all may be interested in seeing. My 1923 Lionel No. 254 Electric with three matching lighted coaches. Still with the boxes too! This year it will grace the skirt of my Christmas tree. 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nearholmer Posted November 29, 2015 Share Posted November 29, 2015 Excellent stuff, Spitfire. Almost exactly a year ago, I nearly got tempted into this sort of thing myself, when I was offered the loco pictured below, plus contemporary wagons and caboose. It took a fair bit of fortitude to decide against it, because it was a cracking example of the early phase of models of electric locos - at the time I identified the exact model number,although I've now forgotten it. Kevin 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianusa Posted November 29, 2015 Share Posted November 29, 2015 The 254 set was certainly popular and I also have a boxed example.so there must have been a lot made to still exist in reasonable condition after all these years. I rather think the colour of our trains is tainted by the Hornby versions. Certainly no black till post war! Except the specials of course. Brian. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spitfire2865 Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 Excellent stuff, Spitfire. Almost exactly a year ago, I nearly got tempted into this sort of thing myself, when I was offered the loco pictured below, plus contemporary wagons and caboose. It took a fair bit of fortitude to decide against it, because it was a cracking example of the early phase of models of electric locos - at the time I identified the exact model number,although I've now forgotten it. Kevin That is beautiful. Was that standard gauge or O? Im not too familiar with the early early stuff. The 254 set was certainly popular and I also have a boxed example.so there must have been a lot made to still exist in reasonable condition after all these years. I rather think the colour of our trains is tainted by the Hornby versions. Certainly no black till post war! Except the specials of course. Brian. How have your boxes fared the past 90 years? Mine, the main box is whole but the lid has torn at each corner so now it sort of folds around the bottom rather than sliding on. The individual boxes, no surprise, have little if anything to the end flaps. Though they still hold the stock well enough. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nearholmer Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 Spitfire 'Standard' gauge. Bit of a mystery about how it came to England. It turned-up in the clearance of an an old country house in Northamptonshire, and the whole set was in "played with, but not a great deal" condition - looked as if a child had, probably pre-WW1, then it was packed away and never used again. Kevin Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianusa Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 That is beautiful. Was that standard gauge or O? Im not too familiar with the early early stuff. How have your boxes fared the past 90 years? Mine, the main box is whole but the lid has torn at each corner so now it sort of folds around the bottom rather than sliding on. The individual boxes, no surprise, have little if anything to the end flaps. Though they still hold the stock well enough. Not bad Kevin, as you can see. The usual scratches and marks but nothing disastrous. The train runs well for its age. Its not really my thing but I just had to have it as a representative of an earlier era. Brian. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nearholmer Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 (edited) "Not bad for its age."?! Looks very good indeed to me. Is it a fact that a lot of these trains in the US only really get an outing at Christmas, and that is what accounts for a high survival rate in good condition? Last year, having been offered that black loco, I delved into all this a bit, and found out about an entire sub-culture of "under the Christmas tree model villages" which I think might have come to the US from Germany, and has almost entirely bypassed the UK. A former boss-of-my-boss was an American, and when we came very close to taking over the ownership of the Post Office Railway, under London, after it closed, his eyes lit up and he said "The best Christmas Tree railway ever!", which at the time I only partially understood; now I know that he was, rather as usual, 'spot on'. Kevin PS: Just found a photo of a little lad playing with the very train concerned, under a Christmas Tree! Edited November 30, 2015 by Nearholmer Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianusa Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 Thanks Kevin although I should have mentioned Trevor also. The illustration sums up the Christmas tree layout very well. Still very popular each year over here. Brian. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spitfire2865 Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 That box! Holy hell! It looks barely used. Shame about the lack of loco box though. Mine still has that bit. But yours doesnt have missing or dented bits. Thats quite a good example. Mine has been well used over the years. No idea who the first owner was but they scrawled an assortment of letters in red over the top of the box above the label. And for the tradition, Its a shame its not a bigger thing in the UK. With your bigger modeling culture, Im surprised. I have a photo...somewhere...of my grandfather sometime before WWII, sitting under the tree with his American Flyer trains. Still have all those trains too! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RateTheFreight Posted December 1, 2015 Share Posted December 1, 2015 I'm genuinley loving all the posts. As a 'younger' member of the coarse scale fraternity it always gives me heart to see active discussion on the subject. As of Warley Show (big annual model rail show) last weekend I now own my first 'ACE' loco. Up to now i've owened ACE stock in the form of rolling stock (both coaches and wagons) but had relied on my trusty BL Peckett to haul them. Fortunately I was able to pick up a near mint ACE Schools Class 'Harrow' in Olive Green for a decent price which i'm extremely pleased with. It's a stunning looking loco and has features such as working firebox glow. There's something about the 4-4-0 tender formation which coarse scale seems suited for. I'll hopefully manage to get it out this weekend to take pictures/upload videos should anyone be interested. Greg 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamsRadial Posted December 1, 2015 Share Posted December 1, 2015 I agree about the 4-coupled locos suiting O-coarse. I have two Hornby 4-4-4T nut-n-bolt locos that are great for running round 2' radius curves that an LNER 0-6-0T struggles with, despite having flangeless centre drivers. I have also got one of the 4-4-2T specials waiting a repair to the drivers ( metal fatigue issues), but I have to say I far prefer the proportions of the 4-4-4T. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianusa Posted December 2, 2015 Share Posted December 2, 2015 Its always good to see new post on this site. Old Hornby and the new brands mix very well. Pictures welcome! Brian Dinky Toys go well with tinplate trains. Here is a selection in the station car park with a trunk being loaded on the Pullman car. Must have come from the Rolls! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nearholmer Posted December 2, 2015 Share Posted December 2, 2015 AR et al Another "four wheels driven" fan here. It's not so much that I have a curve-problem with 6-wheelers, they all seem to squeeze round 27" radius fairly happily, more that compact locos, with fairly short trains, look better on a small layout. So far, I have resisted what little temptation lies in the Hornby 4-4-2T, which, in the eyes of this particular beholder, is the second-ugliest loco ever thrown together (the ugliest is its tender-engine sibling), and my favourite of the freelances is the Ace 4-4-2T, which is a "near enough" LBSCR I3. The LBSCR did, I think, have one or two "fat boiler" 4-4-2T (class I4X maybe?), which were as un-beautiful as the Hornby, so maybe one day. In the mean time, roll-on the Ace M7, another compact loco. Kevin PS: Greg, I think I possibly still qualify for the "Younger Members" section too, but I'm not entirely sure where the cut-off lies! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamsRadial Posted December 2, 2015 Share Posted December 2, 2015 (edited) Well I, of course, yearn for a 4-4-2T that graced the metals of the LSWR and my particular favourite, the East Kent Light Railway. As nobody ever made one I've been saving up tinplate cans ready for a cut-n-bend-n-solder session next year. It takes a lot of hunting around to find food in metal cans that don't have that annoying double corrogation to them, but I've found black olives and tinned biscuits in the local B M Stores that have lovely metal. Not the best of diets. Oh, and Lidls have Espresso coffee in suitable tins as well. I do actually have a white-metal and nickel-silver kit to build of the Adams Radial sometime, but it's finescale, and that's what puts me off starting it. Finescale doesn't take kindly to being played with on the floor like wot ur ment to do (sic). Edited December 2, 2015 by AdamsRadial Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nearholmer Posted December 4, 2015 Share Posted December 4, 2015 Well Chaps, we've had pre-WW1, pre-WW2, and recent things on here lately, so, here is post-WW2, and a 4-4-0 for good measure. I cleaned and oiled Prince Charles last week (you wouldn't want the heir to the throne to be grubby and stiff, would you?) and he is now running very quietly, at <500mA light, and c650mA under load. The Standard tank needs the same, be ing slightly growly, and c1250mA under load. Kevin 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianusa Posted December 24, 2015 Share Posted December 24, 2015 Christmas wouldn't be the same without a train! Brian. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nearholmer Posted December 24, 2015 Share Posted December 24, 2015 (edited) Spot on, Brian. And, Coarse 0, with all its close links to the toy end of things, is definitely a very Christmassy format. Have a merry one, and keep enjoying the clattering in the new year. Kevin "Well, she'll certainly be pleased that I've put up the decorations, when she gets back!" Edited December 24, 2015 by Nearholmer 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spitfire2865 Posted December 25, 2015 Share Posted December 25, 2015 Merry Christmas. 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Il Grifone Posted December 26, 2015 Share Posted December 26, 2015 Spot on, Brian. And, Coarse 0, with all its close links to the toy end of things, is definitely a very Christmassy format. Have a merry one, and keep enjoying the clattering in the new year. Kevin "Well, she'll certainly be pleased that I've put up the decorations, when she gets back!" I love that! SWMBO vetoed my suggestion of something similar! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockershovel Posted December 26, 2015 Share Posted December 26, 2015 Ive been tempted by a Hornby tinplate loco on eBay, as a nostalgic impulse buy reminding me if the teachest of tinplate bequeathed me by older cousins in the 60s but long since discarded... but since it has been relisted so obviously overpriced. I didn't know about the train-around-the-tree thing coming from Germsny but I suppose that would be logical, being pretty much the originators if the model railway Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nearholmer Posted December 26, 2015 Share Posted December 26, 2015 Grifone I had to trim the image to get below the 1MB limit - the full thing is absolutely blooming enormous, spreading across an entire room. I can only conclude that the chap in a suit didn't have a SWMBO to keep him within the bounds of the reasonable. Either that, or she is somewhere under one of the mountains, knitting quietly away, oblivious to what is going on around her. K 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spitfire2865 Posted December 26, 2015 Share Posted December 26, 2015 Grifone I had to trim the image to get below the 1MB limit - the full thing is absolutely blooming enormous, spreading across an entire room. I can only conclude that the chap in a suit didn't have a SWMBO to keep him within the bounds of the reasonable. Either that, or she is somewhere under one of the mountains, knitting quietly away, oblivious to what is going on around her. K Well now you HAVE to show us the whole thing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nearholmer Posted December 26, 2015 Share Posted December 26, 2015 (edited) Try this link https://utsalibrariestopshelf.wordpress.com/2012/12/17/christmas-trees-in-san-antonio/l-1527-e/ (He's a bachelor; look at the picture over the fireplace) Also, check out the fire safety! K Edited December 26, 2015 by Nearholmer 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianusa Posted January 6, 2016 Share Posted January 6, 2016 A change to the American side of the layout. An SP Cab Forward climbs up the grade while a freight passes on the lower elevation. Brian. 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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