Here is my newest tinplate toy train. She is a Bassett-Lowke Super Enterprise in the colors of the LNER(London North Eastern Railway). live steam powered(alcohol fired). BL made these from the 1930's all the way up to the 1960's. I am a member of a gauge 1/G scale live steam group, but our show layout does not have a dual gauge loop on it. So a me and a friend are starting a O scale group with the plan to do "loose lay" layouts on portable tables covered with table cloths and run coarse scale tinplate in live steam, clockwork and electric, both UK and USA prototypes. This is commonly done in the UK as few over there have vehicles to haul or transport modules like is more common here in the USA. What track, trains, buildings and accesories will vary on each set up depending on what members bring that time. My friend lives just south of Indianapolis and I live an hour to the north, so shows from that area and all the way up to my area is our planned set up territory. Mike the Aspie.
Silly NT's, I have Asperger's Syndrome
Nice find! And look who's back! Where ya' been Mike?
Well actually, I know "Where 'ya been," I was looking in on the MRR Forum and saw you over there. I was going to make a wise-guy remark about you getting back over here where you belong but thought better of it.
Good to see you!
My heart is always in toy trains, along with G scale with a side of O scale traction. Getting burnt out in G scale, so going to build an outdoor O gauge layout next to it for mostly live steam and clockwork engines.
Well back! You've been missed!
Thanks. Or one can thank my autistic friend that has gotten me back into the O scale world again. He cannot afford to go up to G as he is unable to work and is on SSI. He really wants a live steamer, so I am hoping to find him a Bassett Lowke Enterprise for a keen price in the coming months. He is saving what he can, just gonna take him awhile. I would love to do a layout that is nothing but clockwork and live steam with tinplate 2 rail track for shows. And Atlas O for my outdoor layout.
That would be cool!
Same me, different spelling!
The process has started, a wanted post to find him a lower cost live steamer has gotten a pair of nice Bowman locomotives donated free of charge. Havent seen pics, I will assume they are the model 234 4-4-0 type. Hopefully one is the crimson LMS version for my friend, the red will look good pulling his Harry Potter train. He has one folding table and a loop of Menards track. I will get another loop of Menards track and hunt down some dark green fire retardant table cloths. We are working on a name for the group now.
emdmike We are working on a name for the group now.
How about "The Tinplate Throwbacks Model RR Club?"
We are thinking of calling it "On the Spectrum Tinplater's" At the moment I am in a quandry. I have the funds to either get a nice vintate 12vdc Bassett Lowke Flying Scotsman A3 Pacific...or.....A Bassett Lowke Enterprise 4-4-0 live steam in BR black, 2 Hornby LNER Teak tinplate large bogie coaches(both boxed), a Hornby tinplate Wimbley station with ramps(boxed) and a Hornby tinplate signal box. All of that for the same basic $$ just the Scotsman will cost. I want an electric model, so I am leaning toward the Scotsman, and once my 5" gauge ride on sells, getting all of that other stuff if its still avaiable and a bit more hopefully.
"On The Spectrum..." That's not bad either.
Oh, and on that choice you have to make? You can always flip a coin, at least until you get the result you really want!
I will probably get the electric driven engine so we have something other than live steam, which itself needs a cool down period before we can run it again. Hopfully my 5" ride on gauge stuff sells soon, then I will order the track, some building and coaches. Working on table cloths right now, need something fabric that is flame retardant. I even found some that are LNER apple green if we want to go that route.
Hoosier Tinplate Daddy's.
Has a nice ring to it, me thinks...
Our goal is to recreate a layout like this Hornby layout made with mostly prewar style tinplate trains. But we will mix in B-L and Bowman trains as well as some of the modern stuff as needed. Picture is from Alan Levy's book A Centry of Model Trains. Mike
A prewar Hornby layout? Hmm, you'll have to find a portrait of King George VI to go along with it to add to the authenticity!
I mostly run LNER and he is going to do LMS. I am on the hunt for a Hornby Bramham Moor 4-4-0 in CW. I know of one in both electric and CW but they are top doller. Well over $1K per engine, ouch. I am talking to him to see if he wants to do the loop of track in 2 rail or 3 rail. I myself would love 2 rail and live steam/CW only.
Here is some live steam Tinplate action on the garden railway. About all I can manage while I heal up from hernia surgery. But I needed a live steam fix and O gauge is much lighter weight than my G scale Frank S live steamer. I have one more Jep sleeper/coach but it is waiting on replacement bogies as the ones under it have zinc pest issues.
Love it!
Too cool for words man! Thanks for posting!
See, now, I would have been tempted to loop it around the pool...
Thanks Penny. Wait till my Russian tinplate set gets here in the next week or two hopefully. I found and bought a 90% complete Russian set, the the plan for our first show set up will be a tripple track loop with Bassett Lowke 3 rail 072 loop, Russian 054 and then Lionel 042.
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