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When does a toy train cease to be a toy train?

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Posted by wrmcclellan on Thursday, February 23, 2006 3:34 PM
[:-^]

Regards, Roy

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Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, February 23, 2006 8:05 PM
?????????? TOY OR NOT ?????????????????
I agree if it is not 1: 1 it is a toy. Unless you own say Norfolk Southern.
Jim D.
a.k.a. SOCKO

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Posted by laz 57 on Thursday, February 23, 2006 8:17 PM
BILL,
$1 at a time?
laz57
  There's a race of men that don't fit in, A race that can't stay still; Robert Service. TCA 03-55991
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Posted by mitchelr on Thursday, February 23, 2006 10:20 PM
IF I had known my "toys" would now be collectable and worth big $$$ I might have looked in the trash bin before my Mom threw them in the garbage. [;)][;)]


Mitch[:(]

Bob Mitchell Gettysburg, PA TCA # 98-47956 LCCA# RM22839

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Posted by Anonymous on Friday, February 24, 2006 9:18 AM
When they are bought or sold they briefly become commodities. Otherwise, never.

Dave, why worry? Have fun with your RC remote. Sounds like fun to me. Consider battery power, too!
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Posted by Odd-d on Friday, February 24, 2006 9:43 AM
If you had a four legged horse and you wanted a three legged horse and so cut off one leg you would have a MUTILATED four legged horse. If your track is just three rail with one rail torn out you just have mutilated toys. If you want realistic trains you have to use scale two rail O gauge and not tubular track with the third rail torn out. It sounds to me like you are uselessly ruining your trains just to make a mess. There is more to toyishness than an inside third rail. The trains themselves regardless of how many rails are under it still look like kiddie toys. But go ahead...don't let me stop you. They are your trains and you have every right to butcher them. IT'S NONE OF MY BUSINESS. Good luck. Odd-d
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Posted by andregg1 on Friday, February 24, 2006 10:14 AM
Hi to All
The toy trains sotp to be a toy train, when you stop to belive.....
Is the same like "the polar express bell". Just belive............
Andre.
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Posted by FJ and G on Friday, February 24, 2006 10:30 AM
Andre,

I BELIEVE. I BELIEVE!!! [:D][:D]

I believe I can fly
I believe I can touch the sky

I think about it every night and day
Spread my wings and fly away

I believe I can soar
I see me running through that open door

I believe I can fly
I believe I can fly
(Oh) I believe I can fly
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Posted by andregg1 on Friday, February 24, 2006 11:23 AM
QUOTE: Originally posted by FJ and G

Andre,

I BELIEVE. I BELIEVE!!! [:D][:D]

I believe I can fly
I believe I can touch the sky

I think about it every night and day
Spread my wings and fly away

I believe I can soar
I see me running through that open door

I believe I can fly
I believe I can fly
(Oh) I believe I can fly

ME TOO!!!!!!
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Posted by Odd-d on Friday, February 24, 2006 3:02 PM
Dave---In all seriousness I think you have to use scale two rail if you are seekig realism. IMO your track won't look any more realistic with one rail torn out than it does with the third rail. I think you are only ruining your toy train for nothing. If you want to do it do it right and go scale two rail O because that's where you will logically end up so you might as well save yourself the trouble and expense of chopping up your trains and just start out right. Odd-d
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Posted by pbjwilson on Friday, February 24, 2006 4:06 PM
Dave,
How are you going to illuminate your layout? Solar power? My little LGB set-up has some solar powered items on it. Fun going out at night and seeing everything lit up.

On another topic. How does Laz get away with saying "hard on" and "beaver" in the same post? Way to go Laz.
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Posted by Anonymous on Friday, February 24, 2006 6:27 PM
I'll throw one more thing into the soup. Some of us are 'reformed' scale guys who deliberately need a third rail to make sure we don't go off the prototypical mental deep end (and some of you scale guys probably know what I mean). Frankly, I need to remember that its ONLY a toy!
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Posted by lionelsoni on Saturday, February 25, 2006 9:41 AM
"MUTILATED", "ruining", "make a mess", "butcher", "chopping up"? I think this is a little over the top.

Bob Nelson

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Posted by pbjwilson on Saturday, February 25, 2006 2:59 PM
Dave,
Only two rails required for one of these.

http://cgi.ebay.com/MSS-Maroon-Steam-O-Gauge-Locomotive-England-NIB_W0QQitemZ6038036378QQcategoryZ485QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
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Posted by FJ and G on Saturday, February 25, 2006 5:06 PM
Thanks, Paul; that's exactly what I'm looking for!

Odd-d,

Surgery not quite as radical as you suggest since I already handlayed my toy train tracks. Of course I could always foul up and butcher it by accident; but that would chalk it up to learning[:D]
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Posted by pbjwilson on Saturday, February 25, 2006 6:10 PM
Dave,
How are you going to light up your layout for night running? Solar would be an option. How about propane. Could you make little gas lamps and run brass tubing to them? Little lamps with wicks and lamp oil?
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Posted by Odd-d on Saturday, February 25, 2006 6:43 PM
Dave---I still say that no matter what you do to your three rail toy trains it will never be as realistic as two rail scale O. As good and imaginative a modeller as you are even you can't make a realistic train out of a converted three rail toy. Odd-d
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Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, February 25, 2006 9:03 PM
Their not toys when they become work
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Posted by palallin on Saturday, February 25, 2006 10:38 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by Odd-d

Dave---I still say that no matter what you do to your three rail toy trains it will never be as realistic as two rail scale O. As good and imaginative a modeller as you are even you can't make a realistic train out of a converted three rail toy. Odd-d


2-rail O-scalers do it all the time and have for the life of O gauge.
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Posted by FJ and G on Sunday, February 26, 2006 6:01 AM
Paul,

I've got some solar lights that charge in day and come on at night, but at night, I kinda like the train itself to light up the track. Some of my industries have lighting as well and I can extend that along the track to signals and stuff.

Odd-d.

Eventually, I may change out the trucks and body-mount kadees as my min radius is 6' (12' diam). However, my modeling skills do not nearly approach those of the vast majority of 2-rail scale guys and probably never will. I'm a toy train guy at heart and can live with some non-prototypical blemishes (we all have our comfort levels). I'm not trying to create 100% scale but rather an impression.

Besides, outside in the garden, try as we might, even miniature trees will never scale out to true size leaves. Also, I never had a real problem with the look of the 3rd rail. The only reason I'm pulling it is b/c I can now extend the track by 1/3 and do lots less spiking and work since R/C will control operations and since I'm too lazy to clean the track after each session.

I'm staying on this forum b/c I enjoy all aspects of toy trains; even the tin-platish 3-rail stuff that has green painted boards and I even get a kick out of Chiefi'es floor running and Duda's ("****-ant") layout. I think we have more fun here and don't take ourselves or our modeling skills too seriously.
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Posted by crip on Sunday, February 26, 2006 7:09 PM
When I no longer have fun playing with them

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