Trains.com

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

Post Your Favorite or Unique Railroad Item

4887 views
40 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    March 2017
  • 8,173 posts
Post Your Favorite or Unique Railroad Item
Posted by Track fiddler on Wednesday, December 12, 2018 9:28 PM

We all have a favorite or unique railroad item, model or prototypical. Probably more than one. Sometimes you wonder if anyone else has the same one or similar.

So post your favorite or unique railroad item. If you have the same one or similar image as someone else,  Post it.

You can elaborate on your favorite or unique item or let someone try to guess it if you wish.

You don't have to guess anything or State what anything is to post.

Here's one of mine. 

  • Member since
    January 2017
  • From: Southern Florida Gulf Coast
  • 18,255 posts
Posted by SeeYou190 on Wednesday, December 12, 2018 9:36 PM

I have posted this picture before.

.

It is my favorite, and it is absolutely unique!

.

.

-Kevin

.

Living the dream.

  • Member since
    March 2017
  • 8,173 posts
Posted by Track fiddler on Wednesday, December 12, 2018 10:00 PM

SeeYou190

 

.

.

-Kevin

.

 

Stratton and Gillette railroad, custom painted and decaled. Originally an undecorated triple Bay Hopper. Your wife is Mary and you were married in 1988?   Wink

  • Member since
    March 2017
  • 8,173 posts
Posted by Track fiddler on Wednesday, December 12, 2018 10:12 PM

My favorite switchers I see almost everyday.

  • Member since
    February 2008
  • From: Potomac Yard
  • 2,767 posts
Posted by NittanyLion on Wednesday, December 12, 2018 10:17 PM

Mine is ultra-unique as well.  It lives in the hallway right now until I figure out how to get it mounted on the wall.  My dad and I made it, she did all the lettering herself.

  • Member since
    January 2009
  • From: Bakersfield, CA 93308
  • 6,526 posts
Posted by RR_Mel on Thursday, December 13, 2018 5:01 AM

I would have to say My Layout is my favorite.
 
Next to my wife and family it has to be my Favorite.  After I retired it has become my release from the reality of living.  It constantly brings back memories of the best time period of my growing up, the Fifties.
 
Can’t remember any violence, no graffiti, didn’t have to have intrusion alarms everywhere or a gun to protect us, and . . . . the sound of Southern Pacific articulated steam locomotives was great pulling the 1.2% grade going North.
 
 
Haven’t watched TV or listened to the radio in years, the NEWS is seldom ever GOOD NEWS and model railroading is always GOOD NEWS.
 
 
EDIT:
 
Great Kevin!  Down the road there will be a post on WPF of a Mel & Andra 1968 car.
 
 
A favorite on my favorite, our retirement home on my layout.
 
 
 
A layout within a layout.
 
 
This is the Perrydice garage with the roof off.
 
 
 
Mel
 
 
My Model Railroad   
 
Bakersfield, California
 
I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.
 
  • Member since
    January 2017
  • From: Southern Florida Gulf Coast
  • 18,255 posts
Posted by SeeYou190 on Thursday, December 13, 2018 6:40 AM

Track fiddler
Stratton and Gillette railroad, custom painted and decaled. Originally an undecorated triple Bay Hopper. Your wife is Mary and you were married in 1988?

.

Yes. I made this car in 1988 right after we were married.

.

This car was on display on the Scale Rails of Southwest Florida N Scale display layout for years at train shows. Women in the crowd loved it.

.

-Kevin

.

Living the dream.

  • Member since
    December 2017
  • From: Buffalo, NY
  • 144 posts
Posted by Lonehawk on Thursday, December 13, 2018 7:27 AM

My favorite RR item (image not mine, and not used for profit):

This'll always hold a special place for me, even though she's in mothballs now.

- Adam


When all else fails, wing it!

  • Member since
    August 2003
  • From: Collinwood, Ohio, USA
  • 16,367 posts
Posted by gmpullman on Thursday, December 13, 2018 7:32 AM

Track fiddler
We all have a favorite or unique railroad item, model or prototypical. Probably more than one.

Yes, TF, sometimes it is tough to pick out one favorite.

This NYC Hudson happened to come to mind.

 Alco Promotional Paper weight by Edmund, on Flickr

These were produced as a promotion for both Alco and New York Central in 1928 shortly after the No. 5200 Hudson was built for the NYC. There were ads in the public timetables and employee magazines as well as ordering information in the dining car menus.

 IMG_7580 by Edmund, on Flickr

 NYC_464ad_600 by Edmund, on Flickr

I've seen them sell for a pretty princely sum. I believe the reason I won this auction for a very reasonable amount is 1, it looked a mess and 2, maybe the true collectors thought it was a basket case. I cleaned it up, stripped the paint and buffed the nickel finish.

It looked like this when I first recieved it!

 NYC_5200d by Edmund, on Flickr

My kids will probably use it as a door stop when they inherit it Whistling

Cheers, Ed

 

  • Member since
    April 2018
  • From: Northern NY (Think Upstate but even more)
  • 1,306 posts
Posted by Harrison on Thursday, December 13, 2018 7:58 AM

My favorite train is just a P2K GP38-2, D&H #7312. This engine has a personal connection though, as when I was little I remember seeing it parked in Plattsburgh. It was repainted in 2014, but it still serves the Plattsburgh local on my layout. If I get the time I will add the little sticker CP put on the side. It is also the first loco I bought when starting my layout last year.

IMG_4770

 

Harrison

Homeschooler living In upstate NY a.k.a Northern NY.

Modeling the D&H in 1978.

Route of the famous "Montreal Limited"

My YouTube

  • Member since
    November 2018
  • From: Just another small town in Ohio
  • 268 posts
Posted by Erie1951 on Thursday, December 13, 2018 12:26 PM

RR_Mel
A favorite on my favorite, our retirement home on my layout.
 
 
 
A layout within a layout.
 
 
This is the Perrydice garage with the roof off.
 
 Mel

 
Now that's very cool, Mel. 

Russ

Modeling the early '50s Erie in Paterson, NJ.  Here's the link to my railroad postcard collection: https://railroadpostcards.blogspot.com/

  • Member since
    March 2017
  • 8,173 posts
Posted by Track fiddler on Thursday, December 13, 2018 4:51 PM

I best be a good OP and follow-up this evening. I see a lot of neat stuff here.

Kevin... we all have our Railroad worlds we create, but you have your own Road name in your world. That's cool. I do believe I have seen some of your other custom cars in the past. I've never done that, it looks tedious, they look great.

Nittany... the arrival and departure board with cards looks interesting. I must say I know nothing about this. I hope you may care to elaborateWink

RR Mel... the retirement house was a great idea. It looks like you had fun with that project. I like it. Great scratch build.

ED... the casting of that steamer is really cool. Who would ever paint something like that. Sure looks like you cleaned it up well, looks like it weighs a lot. I really do hope it's not used for a doorstop someday.

Harrison... that is a unique locomotive. I've never seen one like that, the paint job is definitely unlike any other Road I've seen.

Adam... I like those roadside steamers, she's beautiful. I have too many I visit to pick my favorite one, they're all unique in their own way.

This is one of my favorites at Bandana Square which used to be the Northern Pacific passenger car servicing faculty in St Paul.   Thanks for everyone's participation so far.                 

                                     TF

                                               

 

  • Member since
    November 2018
  • From: Just another small town in Ohio
  • 268 posts
Posted by Erie1951 on Thursday, December 13, 2018 5:12 PM

This is one of my favorite Sn3 cars that I built from a kit by Rio Grande Models, IIRC. It was designed to carry fresh New York State apples to a produce loading shed for further transfer. I added the small sliding ventilation doors on the upper corners of the sides from the parts box along with other details. It has fully detailed brake rigging and I did the air-brush painting and lettered it using custom herald and road name decals. I'll try to dig more model photos out of the vault.

 

Russ

Modeling the early '50s Erie in Paterson, NJ.  Here's the link to my railroad postcard collection: https://railroadpostcards.blogspot.com/

  • Member since
    January 2011
  • From: NS(ex PRR) Mon Line.
  • 1,395 posts
Posted by Jimmy_Braum on Thursday, December 13, 2018 6:32 PM

My employee timetable for the Pittsburgh and West Virginia in 1956 is one of mine.  Model stuff? Well, my HO scale Concor model of the Durango & Silverton Narrow gauge railroad Alamosa parlor car

(My Model Railroad, My Rules) 

These are the opinions of an under 35 , from the east end of, and modeling, the same section of the Wheeling and Lake Erie railway.  As well as a freelanced road (Austinville and Dynamite City railroad).  

  • Member since
    February 2008
  • From: Potomac Yard
  • 2,767 posts
Posted by NittanyLion on Thursday, December 13, 2018 7:42 PM

We recently got married. She picked the Georgia State Railroad Museum for the venue and we decided to go hard with the railroad theme. It was her choice years earlier from when she saw it during her sister's wedding venue search.

Relying on my expertise, we decided rather than have a simple table with place cards to make an arrival/departure board and assign people to "Track 6" or whatever. The place cards had the appropriate herald for whatever railroad's name train matched their table  Each table had the herald on it too  She did the lettering to match the advertisements for those trains.

Unfortunately, Hurricane Florence forced us out of the roundhouse for the reception (ceremony was still at the museum) and indoors at the hotel. We still used all the decorations. 

  • Member since
    March 2017
  • 8,173 posts
Posted by Track fiddler on Thursday, December 13, 2018 8:22 PM

Nittany... that is really cool. The picture of the arrival and departure board now matches with your story.

What a fun wife you have. What a gem, It looks like you did done good. Too bad you had to cancel the reception in the Roundhouse to complete all your work in planning that night...... but to have a wedding in a hurricane!  It sounds like you all had a blast that night.

What a great memory. I would find a place to hang that railroad wedding directory board tooWinkYes

                                     TF

  • Member since
    November 2013
  • 2,775 posts
Posted by snjroy on Thursday, December 13, 2018 8:39 PM

Oh, I have so many favorites... All steam, except for this one:

Simon

  20180622_171552b by " alt="" />

 

  • Member since
    March 2017
  • 8,173 posts
Posted by Track fiddler on Thursday, December 13, 2018 9:06 PM

Good God. You definitely have the most unique so far Simon. To me that looks like a cross between a Shark, a 50's automobile and a pickup truck pulling a train.

If you look up "character" in the dictionary, you don't have to page through too far, there will be a picture of thatLaugh........ how fast does that thing go anyway?

                      

  • Member since
    January 2017
  • 2,980 posts
Posted by NWP SWP on Thursday, December 13, 2018 9:58 PM

Here's some more info on the Aero Train TF

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerotrain_(GM)

Steve

If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!

  • Member since
    January 2001
  • From: US
  • 263 posts
Posted by tankertoad70 on Thursday, December 13, 2018 10:14 PM

Well, not too unusual, but was fun to do back in the day when Herald King was busy with Bicentennial decals.  Tis a MDC 40 footer with Herald Kings complimentary decal set.

Don in 'Orygun' City
  • Member since
    February 2008
  • From: Potomac Yard
  • 2,767 posts
Posted by NittanyLion on Thursday, December 13, 2018 10:58 PM

Track fiddler

Nittany... that is really cool. The picture of the arrival and departure board now matches with your story.

What a fun wife you have. What a gem, It looks like you did done good. Too bad you had to cancel the reception in the Roundhouse to complete all your work in planning that night...... but to have a wedding in a hurricane!  It sounds like you all had a blast that night.

What a great memory. I would find a place to hang that railroad wedding directory board tooWinkYes

                                     TF

 

Fortunately, the weather wasn't too bad.  It was very windy, which wouldn't have been very good for outdoors.  Only had a tiny bit of rain.  I don't regret having had to move the reception.  I was the one that made the call to move it.  I'd have enjoyed having the roundhouse, but I think our guests enjoyed having air conditioning more.  Savannah is quite a humid place, even in September.

I did all of the graphic design for everything (except the actual invitations) and she did calligraphy on anything that had to be hand written.  Which did include the invitations.  We needed print quality heralds and there's very few of them that can be readily acquired.  Union Pacific, Kansas City Southern, and Baltimore & Ohio, I think, were the only ones I didn't have to redraw myself.  She wanted us to have our own herald and after showing her a ton of them, we ended up with something that was basically an upside down N&W Hamburger to get the M&N for our initials.  We also used my entire vintage lantern collection and her small collection of Marx tinplate rolling stock as decorations on various tables too.  She gave me a B&O china butter dish(!) to use as a ring dish on my nightstand and that made it into photos of the rings.  Her wedding present to me was a Kadee PS-1 Savannah & Atlanta boxcar.  Oh, and a nice Tissot watch, but...that Kadee boxcar is as fine as any Swiss watch.

Speaking of the Swiss, I wanted to do London for the honeymoon and she wanted Italy.  I realized if I traded a few of my London days, we could travel over the Alps on the Bernina Express on our way from London half to our Venice-Florence-Rome-Amalfi Coast half.  I saw what Great Western, South Western Railway, TGV, TGV-Lyria, SBB, RhB, Trenord, and Frecciarossa had to offer, spread over 18 different train stations spanning from London to Naples in just two weeks.

Lots of words there, but when you spend a year getting ready for it, it consumes so much of you that you can't stop talking about it even after it happens!

  • Member since
    January 2017
  • 2,980 posts
Posted by NWP SWP on Thursday, December 13, 2018 11:10 PM

NittanyLion, congratulations, you got yourself a keeper there!Laugh

A woman with an interest in trains makes a model railroaders life much easier I'm sure.

I noticed something off on the sign though, all the railroads were under "train" and the name of the train (Broadway Limited for example) is under "line", I could be wrong or confused, otherwise it's a really awesome conversation piece.

Steve

If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!

  • Member since
    August 2003
  • From: Collinwood, Ohio, USA
  • 16,367 posts
Posted by gmpullman on Friday, December 14, 2018 12:56 AM

Track fiddler
ED... the casting of that steamer is really cool. Who would ever paint something like that.

Actually, TF, I think the paint helped preserve the finish underneath. Sort of like Cosmoline. Once I had the thick paint off it buffed up pretty nicely.

I sometimes kick myself for the stuff that I got rid of over the years! Lots of dining car china, lanterns, even a seven foot tall semaphore signal blade Bang HeadSuper Angry

Que Será Será

Ed

  • Member since
    August 2011
  • From: A Comfy Cave, New Zealand
  • 6,253 posts
Posted by "JaBear" on Friday, December 14, 2018 3:12 AM
There’s a lot of really Cool Stuff here, thanks for sharing, ffolkes.
 
My two favourite items are my genuine New Zealand Railways Drivers cap complete with badge given to me by the son of a late driver as he knew I was interested in such things…
 
NZR Drivers Cap by Bear, on Flickr
 
…and a unique pencil drawing of double heading NZR Ja class locomotives of which I use part of, for my avatar.
 
DSCF1814 by Bear, on Flickr
Cheers, the Bear.Smile

"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."

  • Member since
    November 2013
  • 2,775 posts
Posted by snjroy on Friday, December 14, 2018 6:44 AM

Track fiddler

Good God. You definitely have the most unique so far Simon. To me that looks like a cross between a Shark, a 50's automobile and a pickup truck pulling a train.

If you look up "character" in the dictionary, you don't have to page through too far, there will be a picture of thatLaugh........ how fast does that thing going anyway?

                      

 

Yeah, real fast at the club when there is a younger crowd. Cheers.

Simon

  • Member since
    March 2017
  • 8,173 posts
Posted by Track fiddler on Friday, December 14, 2018 6:19 PM

Hey kids, it's the OPP.... yeah you know meLaugh  Happy Friday Night, another weekend at last.

Russ... you did a great job on that boxcar kit. The decals and your modifications look FactoryYes

Jimmy... I am not familiar with the Durango & Silverton Alamosa parlor car. I must admit that's a new one on me. If you can't post a picture I may have to look that one up.

Steven... thanks for the infoWink 

 Ed... I never thought of how paint could preserve the metal underneath. 1928, yep that makes sense. I'm just curious what kind of metal is it? 

I hear you on regretting getting rid of stuff. I used to be a big Hot Wheels collector when I was a kid. At Christmas time I received two of the El Caminos with surfboards on the back rack. I played with one and left the other one in the box. I had them for many many years. My mom sold the one in the Box in a garage sale. Decades later I found out it was a limited edition and worth $700 in the BoxCrying

Bear... I admire the Hat. The reason I do, is because I zoomed in on it. Without zooming in, it's a little tricky to make out the insignia. I noticed there is an N woven with a Z and an R... New Zealand Railway, cool.

I've seen that sketch before of the NZR Ja Class Locomotive on your posts and always liked it, I'm curious who did the sketch? ......... you had mentioned once that you have always been known as the bear but somebody else had that name here on the Forum. The sketch must be how you came up with JaBear....... PS  please bring back the wilderbeasts!  Someone really appreciates them hereSmile, Wink & Grin

Don... I like the bicentennials too as I'm sure you gathered from my first post. They hold a special place in my heart because my Grandfather gave me my first N gauge Bicentennial Seaboard Coast Spirit of 76 set when I was ten years old. 

Here's a picture of the original. I still have it after all these years. I beat the crap out of it because I was too young to appreciate it and always tried to see how fast it would go.

I keep it on my fireplace mantel and remember my Grandfather every time I look.

 

 

  • Member since
    October 2006
  • From: Western, MA
  • 8,571 posts
Posted by richg1998 on Friday, December 14, 2018 7:34 PM

A Union Pacific Photographer's car a made quite a few years ago. Kit was sold by B.C. Models in the 1990's. Mostly wood parts, couple plastic, papaer sides. I put a set of antlers on the roof like the prototype and a figure on the model later. Never could make a flag of the era. Paper was too thick.

I use to run it on my 1900 era road with tender drive DCC UP 119.

I found the photo in a Google search. Trucks were not correct. Bitter Creek has the correct trucks. I do not have Photo Bucket anymore.

http://victorianweb.org/cv/models/apg/freight/photocar.jpg

Rich

If you ever fall over in public, pick yourself up and say “sorry it’s been a while since I inhabited a body.” And just walk away.

  • Member since
    March 2017
  • 8,173 posts
Posted by Track fiddler on Saturday, December 15, 2018 8:39 PM

I could show you a purchase of all the cars I bought at my last railroad showWhistling I bought way too many.

I get a little carried away with my Rolling Stock purchase problemTongue Tied

I'm trying to do better now, refraining from buying to much stuff.

I have curved this problem by just buying what I consider unique railroad cars...... this has helped.

So here's the last two for youWink

Last two about 20 cars ago that isLaugh

  • Member since
    March 2016
  • 1,553 posts
Posted by PRR8259 on Sunday, December 16, 2018 2:57 PM

I once enjoyed Mantua's GP-20...in Santa Fe.  My first train set also was Santa Fe--the infamous Mantua C-430 in red and silver warbonnet.  The GP-20 was the second engine I owned...

Now all these many years later, my favorite railroad related item is the Athearn Genesis Santa Fe GP7u in the blue and yellow warbonnet scheme.  They did a particularly good job on this model, at least the individual ones I've seen.  The handrails and assembly are pretty darn good...

I've been critical of Athearn in the past, but not with regard to these models.

Best thing is I can afford a few...

John

  • Member since
    November 2018
  • From: Just another small town in Ohio
  • 268 posts
Posted by Erie1951 on Sunday, December 30, 2018 12:22 PM

Track fiddler
Russ... you did a great job on that boxcar kit. The decals and your modifications look FactoryYes

Thank you for your kind words, Fiddler. My Sn3 Catskill & Ramapo cars and critter used decals that were made for me. Smile, Wink & Grin

Russ

Modeling the early '50s Erie in Paterson, NJ.  Here's the link to my railroad postcard collection: https://railroadpostcards.blogspot.com/

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

Users Online

There are no community member online

Search the Community

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Model Railroader Newsletter See all
Sign up for our FREE e-newsletter and get model railroad news in your inbox!