classic standard gauge at trainfest, 2007

[Lord Atmo]

hello again! trainfest 2007 was a great and fun time. and as always, the prewar layout was amazing! i took even more pictures this year and i hope you all enjoy them! here they are:

here's a passenger train making its way past the blue comet 

some of the trains that werent yet  running were sitting on display here. you can see the black diamond and a 408E apple green passenger trainset sitting on it

a freight train emerges from the hellgate bridge. the layout operators told me this is a vintage hellgate. though the paint is wearing. it is to my knowledge that the silver and red version is newer, right?

there's the power station. looks like it's not the rare "Edison Service" variant

the Ives Olympian rests on the opposite side of the aforementioned table

i returned to the layout later and found that the Olympian was now being run. so i took a shot of it passing the station

here comes the blue comet! looks like it has 4 cars. i thought it just had 3 (Faye, Westfall, and Tempel). i forget what the 4th car was named

and finally, i'll wrap things up with the black diamond coming across a bridge

 

i spoke with the operators of the layout while i was there this time. they claim that the blue comet being run is a rerelease from the 80s. they also stated that they own the president's special, banker's special, and several transition cars. but did not have them at the show. the state set was also there, but i never saw it running.

that's all for this year! i hope you all enjoy the photos! 

 

[prewardude]

Outstanding photos! Thanks for posting.

 - Clint 

[Lord Atmo]

thank you. and no problem at all. i LOVE the classic standard guage era. but it's too expensive for me to collect and operate. but just seeing it in action at all is a real treat. especially that blue comet. wow!

[Lord Atmo]

and again, does anyone know what's the deal with that 4th car on the blue comet set? it had a different name completely. i cant remember what it was though

[prewardude]

Well, the original Lionel Blue Comets from the 1930s did have only three cars. When Lionel re-issued the set in the 1980s (actually made by MTH) they produced a fourth car called "Barnard." These cars are very scarce and pricey.

MTH has also reproduced the Blue Comet sets several times (with MTH plates on them). I believe they have offered add-on cars as well.

 - Clint

[Lord Atmo]

oh cool. thanks. then that train is not a common one there. thanks for the help. maybe some day when i have more money, i'll try to get this set...it's such a sleek and cool-looking train

and it was so cool to see the olympian in action.  were those passenger cars the matching ones that came with the original olympian set? i have never seen the whole set

[envfocus]

Sounds like Trainfest was great.  Thanks so much for posting these photos.

[Cesco]

Great !!!

i love standard gauge... thanks for pictures :)

[palallin]

If you can afford to collect and operate O, you can afford to collect and operate SG.  You may not be able to run mint IVES 1134s or Lionel State sets, but plenty of "starter level" SG can be had at prices comparable (or less than) O.  Small electric pattern Lionel engines along with 300-series passenger cars and 500-series freight cars can be had very reasonably. Some accessories are almost dirt cheap.  Take your time and look for bargains.

 

I've managed to put together a small grouping--Lionel #10E, 332, 337, 338; IVES tank car and caboose; IVES two-section bridge, Lionel #101 bridge, 3092 tower, #45 Gateman (early), #124 station, #69 crossing signal, a couple of lamp posts, a #119 tunnel, and a bungalow on a Ron Morris repop plot--for just a couple hundred dollars over the course of several years.  None of the pieces is in great condition, but I have rewheeled the #10E and repainted the 332 to make them operable and more pleasant to look at.  I run them on a lop under the CHRISTmas tree on a platform I built to look old-timey.  I generally pick up one piece/year.

 

If you can afford any trains at all, you can have enough SG for a small display or to run on a loop.  And, once you indulge yourself, you'll find it very hard not to go SG all the way!

[Lord Atmo]

thank you for that info. i'm not yet able to collect and run O yet as i'm only 19. i run HO for the time being, and plan to have an HO layout somewhere in the future. but i also would love to have a smaller, yet equally amazing, SG layout elsewhere in my house. hopefully with a blue comet and state set at one point. but i will keep a lookout for good prices.

are 408Es usually costly? and is it hard to get one in apple green? those are among my favorite electic locomotives in SG. those and the Olympian. the blue comet and the black diamond are tied for my favorite steam trains

i love SG because of how colorful the trains are. they look great running. especially multiple trains all in different colors running on the same layout

as for accessories, one i would love the most is a silver and red hellgate bridge. it looks very neat to me

[palallin]

Well now, those are fairly pricey items.  The #408 is very desireable because it has two motors and ALL the extra trim and lights (as opposed to the #402).  The #318, which is loosely based on the same prototype, can be had much more reasonably.  SG steam will be fairly pricey, and the big, famous stuff will be, too.  The #101 bridge is a kind of mini-Hell Gate (and, unlike the big Hell Gate, actually lifts the trains off the floor if you use the ramps with it).

As another f'rinstance, I just saw a complete, clean (but repainted) 200-series gondola go on eBay for less than $30.  A 200-series tanker in same condition went for less than $60, IIRC.

 

As a rule, SG ain't nickle-and-dime, but it can be had on a budget if you have patience and are willing to work on some of the pieces.

[Lord Atmo]

i see. thank you. i dont plan to get a LOT of the famous stuff, but a little of it. i'll probably start small if anything. but that's a plan for another year. till i get older and can work for more hours a week

[palallin]

If I may make a suggestion, pick up the relevant books on SG.  Peter Riddle did a really good intro to it, and Dave Doyle's Stadard Catalog of Prewar Lionel are conveient (and easily obtained) volumes to start with.  The TCA book is easy to find, too.  The Greenberg books are available on the used market, but they are rather pricey, especially Dave McEntarfer's book on sets.

Oh, and Yahoo groups has an SG list, and Marc Kuffler runs a nifty SG blog http://stdgauge.blogspot.com/

Still, you can learn and plan (and drool), and, when the time comes to buy, you'll be better prepared and possibly clearly focused.

[railfan23]

Great pics Lord Alto. I to enjoy standard gauge but in my case I don't have a lot of space to put up a standard gauge layout. With that said, I am working on an o gauge prewar type layout. As palallin wrote you can't go wrong with the books he memtioned as well as the T/M books and dvds. Tom has shot some awesome collections and layouts such as the late Tom Snyders, Chuck Brashers and the late Frank Pertrozious (sorry for mispelling his name) as well others who have both Standard gauge and prewar o gauge on the same track.

[Lord Atmo]

interesting that you bring up the TM videos. because over 50% of what i know of SG came from those tapes! i watched them almost all my life and still love them. viewing brasher's layout was how i was introduced to SG. i thought they looked neat. and then when i watched that tape again as an adult, i was able to pay better attention and learn some cool stuff. then seeing all that in person was just such a rewarding experience. everyone i talk to about SG cant belive a young 19 year old boy like myself knows so much about these wonderful toys. and i'm glad i'll be able to keep SG interesting for my and future generations

[sparky]

Thanks for posting the pics. Always enjoy looking at prewar tinplate trains. Have to go now and wipe the drool off my chin. 

Ken D

[Lord Atmo]

you're quite welcome :D