Sadly, the oldest items on my layout are from 2000 when I started my latest layout. All of my motive power and rolling stock from my involvement in the hobby from the 1980s disappeared when my ex-wife and I separated.
Marlon
See pictures of the Clinton-Golden Valley RR
This is a great topic! Here's a few shots of some of my old stuff.
This Varney B&O Docksider is my first locomotive - from about 1958. It still runs, although a bit lumpy and is missing a pilot step and corner of the roof since it took the big dive to the garage floor a few times. These kids are so careless.... The tank car is also from a Varney kit of about 1959 or 1960 that my dad built for me. I added Kadee couplers many years later.
This building is a Tyco freight station from the early '60's. It's been pretty beat up but I dropped in this spot on the layout about a dozen years ago.
Here's some old vehicles also from the early 60's. The roller, dump truck, compressor truck and the camping trailer and car that is pulling it are die-cast Matchbox vehicles. I have others but these are the closest to scale - actually, the trailer and car are a bit big.
I have some other items too. I am one of those who never throw anything out!
George V.
This old 1950s Athearn metal box car is one of my favorites running on my layout. Seperate ladders and grab irons made this a fine model for the day, and even today. Wonder if it has lead base paint on it?
The oldest locomoitives on my roster are a number of MDC Roundhouse units, I have a 2-6-0 and a 2-8-0 and a 4-4-0. These date from 1975. These are the all metal kits. All have the open frame electrical motot.
Rolling stock would be a few dozen Rivarossi passenger coaches. These were the upper end of the quality class for 1975 with metal wheels, lighting, interior finish. With the exception of replacing the couplers and the metal wheels they are stock. They track well and I have no wish to replace them with new replacements.
I do have some old still still on the layout. But that's not much of a story.
My situation is old stuff I haven't gotten around to putting on the layout yet. Prime case, an unpainted Fleischmann N scale F-3 set I haven't gotten around to painting yet or installing working couplers....
Besides myself? That would my C-D scale (pre-WWII S scale) permabuilt Pennsy reefer kit, it will forever remain an unbuilt shelf queen, the wood has hardened over the decades to the point that it can't be glued or worked!
I have a few HO items that qualify
A small sample of some 60's production items:
2 Tenshodo factory painted Big Boys, the infamous ones with the incorrect smokebox color.
The pride of my fleet, United D&RGW L-131 2-8-8-2, overhauled in the eighties, it should last for a hundred more years or so!
Dave
EriediamondOk, this may be crazy, but does anyone remember the wooden milled roadbed from the 40's?- 50's that you hand laid rail into and does anyone still have it.
CTValleyRRHow about the guy standing next to it operating the throttle?
Actually looking through the thread I have many of the things mentioned:Manuta PacificMRC power pack from 1965AHM Reno 4-4-0 locomotive from 1965Athearn GP9 from 1980Varney box cars and misc freightMarx F3Athearn SW7 on its 3rd or 4th paint scheme.
I was originally just going to say 20 years of dust.....
This Athearn SW7 is 22 years old and this is its third or fourth paint scheme.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
narrow gauge nuclear When I tore down my old HO layout last year and while packing away the cars, I noted I had an old metal sided Varney Box car and a plastic Varney gondola and flat with their original old sprung trucks. All were from the 50's and my first HO layouts. I also found an old Tyco "General" 4-4-0 with the old yellow passenger cars from my christmas gift in 1959. For those who are old enough, Old 40s and early 50's Mantua became Tyco for a decade or more and then reverted back to Mantua. Varney just slid off into the MR sunset. Richard
When I tore down my old HO layout last year and while packing away the cars, I noted I had an old metal sided Varney Box car and a plastic Varney gondola and flat with their original old sprung trucks. All were from the 50's and my first HO layouts. I also found an old Tyco "General" 4-4-0 with the old yellow passenger cars from my christmas gift in 1959. For those who are old enough, Old 40s and early 50's Mantua became Tyco for a decade or more and then reverted back to Mantua. Varney just slid off into the MR sunset.
Richard
Actually, the Varney plastic freight car line and EMD F3 body was sold to Life Like and it became the basis of their first train sets.
Most of the rolling stock and F3 in the current Life Like train sets, now owned by Walthers, are still based on original Varney tooling.
The rest of the Varney line went elsewhere, Bowser had the metal steam loco stuff, the docksider, and Ten Wheeler. The metal freight cars Im not sure about.
Sheldon
If I can't fix it, I can fix it so it can't be fixed
wjstixI have a couple of MRC power packs that I use for accessories, the oldest dates back to maybe 1980 or so.
I have the MRC power pack from my original early 1960s layout. I have it on my workbench for testing lights, etc.
George In Midcoast Maine, 'bout halfway up the Rockland branch
I have some rocks on my layout that are at least several thousands of years old.
Modeling the Baltimore waterfront in HO scale
Eriediamond Ok, this may be crazy, but does anyone remember the wooden milled roadbed from the 40's?- 50's that you hand laid rail into and does anyone still have it. On second thought how far back does things go that are on your layout?
Ok, this may be crazy, but does anyone remember the wooden milled roadbed from the 40's?- 50's that you hand laid rail into and does anyone still have it. On second thought how far back does things go that are on your layout?
My whole first layout was built with Tru-Scale milled roadbed track, but that was very late 50's and early 60's. Actually that product was readily available up until the the late eighties, made a short comeback in the late 90's.
My current layout has a few areas where the flex track is layed on Tru-Scale plain wood roadbed.
I have lots of freight cars and a few building kits that date from my orginal layout in the early 60's, actually built for me by my father.
Above is an AHM locomotive my Mom bought for my Dad back in the 60's. Still runs & i have the matching AHM V&T passenger cars to go with it.
This one was one of my Dad's too, again from the 60's & Mantua. It did run until a few years ago but needs to be re-motored
Brought to you by the letters C.P.R. as well as D&H!
K1a - all the way
This is a Manta Pacific that I bought as a kit around 1956: paid $19.95 at America's Hobby Center in New York city. I don't know if I will convert it to DCC for my current layout, but it is still one of the smoothest running steam locos made.
-Bob
Life is what happens while you are making other plans!
I have one fo those Tri-ang Rockets too, but I don't run it. The deep flanges don;t work on code 83 track and I haven't figured out how to put DCC in it. Referencing another thread - I still have the original box it came it, too. Along with the cars for it.
It was my grandfather's, I remember running it on his layout when I was little. When he passed there were two things I wanted, that train and the old 50's mower we dug out o his shed one year and got running.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
How about the guy standing next to it operating the throttle?
Seriously (this is a GOOD photo for me, so pardon the image):
The Stephenson's Rocket on the right was a Triang Hornby model from 1968. It blew up about a year ago, and needs a total overhaul / rebuild. The 0-4-0T is a Mantua loco purchased in 1970. Still shoves cars around on my son's layout.
The Clever cardstock structures shown here date from the same era (late '60's, early '70's):
Connecticut Valley Railroad A Branch of the New York, New Haven, and Hartford
"If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right." -- Henry Ford
This is my original consist, a Christmas gift from my parents some time back in the mid-70's. All still on the active roster. Can't say it's "really old," because that would also make me "really old," too.
"I am lapidary but not eristic when I use big words." - William F. Buckley
I haven't been sleeping. I'm afraid I'll dream I'm in a coma and then wake up unconscious. -Stephen Wright
I have a couple of MRC power packs that I use for accessories, the oldest dates back to maybe 1980 or so. Although not currently on the layout I do still have several c.1971 Tyco freight cars that I bought from ebay a while back; they're some of the same cars that came with my 1971 Tyco train set when I was 13 that got me started in model railroading ( and were later sold to a friend ). At some point I'll probably convert them to Kadee's and use them "just for fun" once in a while.
EmpireStateJR Here is a mock up of a proposed intermodal facility with a Cox 30 Ton crane that is still in great condition as the centerpiece. Lurking in the upper right is a Tyco truck loader / un-loader that came with a flat car, two trailers, a tractor and a loading and unloading ramp. Here are two old Athearn F7 Super powered units traveling on the shelf portion of my layout . The track is old Atlas flex track with fiber ties attached with metal staple.
Here is a mock up of a proposed intermodal facility with a Cox 30 Ton crane that is still in great condition as the centerpiece. Lurking in the upper right is a Tyco truck loader / un-loader that came with a flat car, two trailers, a tractor and a loading and unloading ramp.
I have that one also.
Russell
LOL, I was wondering what in the world am I keeping this stuff for. I have quite a bit of it, even the lengths of brass rail, some unused. If you are using it and want it let me know email. I even have some turnouts, now that stuff is old from 30's to 40's I believe. It's all in good shape! Jim
A great many of my steamers are older brass, some dating from about 1964. Here's one of my 3 Akane Yellowstones that date from that year: Still with it's original open-frame motor, but the magnet replaced with Rare Earth types. It crawls and will haul anything you want to put behind it.
I also have a fleet of the old Athearn metal cars that date from the late 'fifties, when I first got started with HO. Here's a couple:
I have squirrel blood--if it runs, I'll keep it, LOL!
Tom
Tom View my layout photos! http://s299.photobucket.com/albums/mm310/TWhite-014/Rio%20Grande%20Yuba%20River%20Sub One can NEVER have too many Articulateds!
John R.
LION did have some old Atlas brass flex track with fiber ties, and also some of those old custom line switches. These were all torn out when I got rid of the staging tracks and replaced them with a new four track mane lion.
But here is a piece of equipment, a 1 rpm timer used to start trains from the various stations around the layout. There are four 5 second pulses fifteen seconds apart. The timer made by GE at least 50 maybe as much as 70 years ago was procured by Br. John when I asked him for a 1 rpm motor. Since it already had the switches as part of the unit it was perfect.
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
doctorwayne SNIP Varney metal boxcar:
SNIP
Varney metal boxcar:
Wayne,
I really like how the metal sides on the Varney boxcar show authentic looking dents. Can't do that with plastic.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
I don't know, is 30'ish - 40'ish old? Today I'm running these two 70's era Atlas GP40's. Oh I know what's going on inside your head right now. Your eyes are seeing the shells and are telling your brain those are 21st century Bachmann's. Well, yes, the shells are. The chassis beneath them are old Roco/Atlas right down to the original 5-pole motors. Look closely and you can see where the notch on the fuel tank has been filled in and the trucks should be a dead giveaway. Both are DCC and are permanently mu'd. I put the Bachmann shells on them because they didn't have any pieces missing and the detail is better.
I also have these two Atlas FP7A's. The ex-PRR unit is a 70's era Roco/Atlas model and the ex-UP unit is an 80's era Roco/Con-Cor model. The second one tends to run a little hot. Probably because the metal frame is smaller and most of the motor casing is plastic. Both are DCC and permanently mu'd.
I have other antiques I run but they're not on the layout at the moment.
Dr. Frankendiesel aka Scott Running BearSpace Mouse for president!15 year veteran fire fighterCollector of Apple //e'sRunning Bear EnterprisesHistory Channel Club life member.beatus homo qui invenit sapientiam
The rolling stock shown below is all from 1957 or '58. Most of it has been upgraded with better details and new paint.
Varney hopper:
Varney tank car:
This cast metal depressed centre flatcar is from Authenticast:
This loco, by John English, came into my possession at the same time, but was not new - I'd guess that it dates from the early '50s. She's been cosmetically made-over several times, and is currently in the shop for another facelift. It has valve gear from Central Valley and a scratchbuilt tender, while the vestibule cab is from Kemtron.. Still powered by her original open-frame motor, she's a strong puller and an exceptionally smooth runner.
Wayne
The station at Dove Creek is the oldest item on my layout. I built it when dad was stationed in Germany with the AF. It won first place in the railroad model youth category in 1972 in a model show for military personnel and their dependents.
I built it according to the plan for "Small Town Station" by Joe Wilhelm on page 5 in Kalmbach's classic "Easy-to-Build Model Railroad Structures," edited by Willard V. Anderson. Pretty much as close to scratch as you can get. The battens were each cut and applied separately, for instance.
So this structure has a lot of miles on it. It's been on three different layouts. Currently it serves as Dove Creek's station on the lower, standard gauge line on my Four Corners Division of the D&RGW just before it disappears to run into staging.
At Boothbay Railway Village, we get a number of donations of old equipment, some work and some do not. This Seaboard 13567 outside braced boxcar has cast metal sides, roof and doors with a wood floor and came with sprung metal trucks. It is either Roundhouse or Varney dating from the early to mid 1950s. We added Kadee couplers and had to reppace the trucks because they were too worn out. The wheelsets would just fall out. We run the car often when the museum is open during the summer.
We also have a couple of transformers (today we call them power packs) dating from the 1920s. One is a Lionel. We have done continuity tests and the wiring is complete, but do not dare to plug them in because the insulation is too old.