Christmas Magic? I think so.

[Seayakbill]

A whole bunch of electric trains get their one month work-out in Dec then are put away for 11 months. Some folks will build elaborate floor layouts for that one month of operation.

[SantaFe158]

Very good :D have you worked on that Erie locomotive yet? It shouldn't be hard to trace a broken wire if that's all it is.

[Cheese]

SantaFe158: Yes, I did know that! I've done my research on postwar steamers, being a postwar fan and all

rtrain collector: yes, I got the message. Thanks a bunch!

[rtraincollector]

cheese sent you private message thru the forum hope you get what you want and been there done that just the story is a little different.

RT

[SantaFe158]

Cheese

I remember once some friends stayed the night and asked about them. I took them out and ran them, and let them have a go, and we had a blast. But, as we all know, playing with trains in high school isn't exactly the trendy thing to do, so it was kept on the downlow.

I know how that is :D I have the same problem, though I have a couple of friends who also have trains, so that's fun, they come over every now and then and we run them on my track. I don't know if you know this or not, but the 2065 hudson you have, is exactly the same as the 2055 hudson you had except for the boiler front. Hope you get your Erie RR Hudson up and running.

[SantaFe158]

Cheese

I remember once some friends stayed the night and asked about them. I took them out and ran them, and let them have a go, and we had a blast. But, as we all know, playing with trains in high school isn't exactly the trendy thing to do, so it was kept on the downlow.

I know how that is :D I have the same problem, though I have a couple of friends who also have trains, so that's fun, they come over every now and then and we run them on my track. I don't know if you know this or not, but the 2065 hudson you have, is exactly the same as the 2055 hudson you had except for the boiler front. Hope you get your Erie RR Hudson up and running.

[SantaFe158]

Cheese

I remember once some friends stayed the night and asked about them. I took them out and ran them, and let them have a go, and we had a blast. But, as we all know, playing with trains in high school isn't exactly the trendy thing to do, so it was kept on the downlow.

I know how that is :D I have the same problem, though I have a couple of friends who also have trains, so that's fun, they come over every now and then and we run them on my track. I don't know if you know this or not, but the 2065 hudson you have, is exactly the same as the 2055 hudson you had except for the boiler front. Hope you get your Erie RR Hudson up and running.

[Cheese]

Hello Everyone,

I'm not new to the forums, but it has been a while since I have posted, which brings me to my story.

So, last saturday the tree and decorations came down, and within 12 hours the house in and out was finished, tree and all. Every year I put a loop of Lionel track under the tree and a train. I hoop up the transformer and run it around a few times, and sometimes when we have guests, but nothing more. Then, everything is packed away and me venerable Erie hudson is placed back on display on mt bookshelf. That has been the process for the past few years.

I got the Hudson as part of the "Riding the Rails" hobo set for Christmas 2004, and ran it, along with later aquisitions for a few years regularly. My collection soon grew to include a few more pieces of rolling stock, a Polar Express set. a 2343 Sanra F3 A-A, and a 2055 Hudson. The year I got the hudson was just before I started high school. In my frist year of high school I didn't really have a niche in the school, so kept mostly to myself, and learned quite alot about toy trains, until I found the drama department.

I had always done theatre as a child and loved it, playing Oliver in "Oliver!" the musical, as well as Colin in "The Secret Garden" (In which Mandy Patinkin , fellow trains enthusiast and thesbian starred in), and several others. My middle school did not have a theatre program, so I really was out of place. Once I found the drama department and chorus department, I had little time for trains, as I did the musicals and all the concerts and other perfomances (Advanced Show Choir).

The trains were still used every now and then. I remember once some friends stayed the night and asked about them. I took them out and ran them, and let them have a go, and we had a blast. But, as we all know, playing with trains in high school isn't exactly the trendy thing to do, so it was kept on the downlow.

Then I graduated and started college, as a musical theatre major of course. In addition to school theatre, I became involved with local professional and community theatres (I am currently rehearsing 3 DIFFERENT shows at the same time), and had even less time for trains. I also have to work to pay my insurance and other bills. There have been times while doing shows for a long stretch of time with no break that I've been in tight spots financially. So, as much as I regretted it, I went through my train collection and sold most of it, whenever I needed cash, to get by. I kept my hobo train set, as well as some extra cars. The polar express (loco, coaches, and transformer only), 2343's, 2055, and other bits are now all gone.

Well back to Saturday. I put the train around the tree and ran it. The Erie Hudson ran sluggishly, and the reversing cycle would not work properly. So I just left the train on the tracks to look pretty and thought nothing of it. Then sunday the family went out to dinner and came to our house after and asked to see the train running. It ran, feebly. So, while they were talking, I took the hudson to the kitchen and removed the shell.

A piece of wire had broken off, and I noticed it when it fell as the shell was removed. The smoke unit hasn't worked for years, and neither has the headlight, nor the whistle in the tender that I love so much. In short, I realized it was time for the engine to have an over haul. I cleaned it a bit and oiled the wheels as best I could with some generic lubricant I found in the cupboard, which helped a little but not much. So, still dismantled, I put the engine in a shoebox to deal with later.

Which brings us to today. I simply had to have a train running under the tree. I felt like it had been long enough of a wait. My best friend gave me a Lionel 2065 hudson that had belonged to her Grandfather. I had sent it to a local man to be fixed (he did amazing work on both my 2343 and 2055). He called this morning and said it was ready, so I went to get it. I came home and put the engine on the track. It ran flawlessly.

It was like a weight was lifted from my spirits. I removed the engine, cleaned the track with goo gone, followed by a slightly damp rag then a dry one (a LOT of dirt was removed from that loop of fastrack; 2 rags are permanently stained). Then I placed the engine on the tracks again, along with some rolling stock. After a bit of running, with the smoke unit working and the whistle blowing, I got out some more cars and the motorized handcar that came with my hobo train and was having a marvelous time.

Soon I had also broken out the Lionel, MTH, and Williams catalogs I have (the current ones) and some CTT issues. Mind, just because I wasn't active does not mean I wasn't keeping up to date!) I began dreaming, thinking of things to ad to my collection, now that I'm working and can afford to treat myself. Everything from some new rolling stock, a Williams diesel or steamer, MTH equipment, and a Lionel Mikado or Hogwarts Express (I'm a HUGE Harry Potter fan) passed through my mind. Then I knew it was official, I was back in the hobby.

I still haven't made my decision, but I looked up prices for the Hogwarts Express and they are going pretty cheap, so I'm leaning towards that, as well as some fastrack switches and other pieces, and maybe a new freight car or two (The Williams N&W hoppers are very tempting!). I also plan on sending my Erie hudson to a service station to have a good overhaul. Now of course, the trains will be packed away by the end of Christmas and I'll start school again and rehearsals and shows, but one thing is certain, I won't be drifting away as badly as I have been.

And of course, the trains will be run more often.

Christmas Magic? I think so.

Merry Christmas,

Nicholas (Cheese)

BTW, feel free to share your stories if you have any. I would love to hear them!