Excellent Book on Lionel Showroom

[overall]

I just received my copy of Roger Carp's book on the Lionel Showroom layouts. It is very well done. The scholorship is excellent. I never got to see the 49 showroom layout in person. When I was a kid in the early sixties, I received a box of old trains second hand from a co-worker of my Dad's. In that box was an old Lionel instruction book. The book was in sad shape. It had gotten battery acid on the back pages and they were gone. But as I turned through it I came across three small pictures of the '49 showroom layout.The pictures showed the GG-1, the ATSF F-3's and a steam engine leading trains on the bottom and the Turbine on the top level. They were my first inspiration. I studied those pictures for hours at a time. I used to wonder what it was like to watch that layout run. I vowed to myself I would have a layout like that someday. Rogers book served to give us the "rest of the story" as well as larger and better photograghs. Thanks Roger, for your excellent work. You have set the bar really high, my friend.

George

[Seayakbill]

Sounds like a terrific read, will have to place an order for one.

[Roger Carp]

Thanks for your kind and thoughtful words, George, and the neat memories of your own trains. "Lionel's Showroom Layouts" is the result of so much cooperation and assistance from many toy train historians and my colleagues at Kalmbach on the CTT team, the art and production and circulation departments, and much more. Enjoy it and hope to see you at York next week, Roger