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Gene Autry

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  • Member since
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  • From: Henrico, VA
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Posted by Firelock76 on Sunday, January 7, 2018 8:19 PM

Best movie sub EVER!  Even better than the "Seaview", and that was a pretty cool sub as well!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYb_2hECbUM

And the theme music's pretty classic and stirring as well!

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Posted by Penny Trains on Sunday, January 7, 2018 6:49 PM

54light15

Didn't Ward Kimball have a live steam railroad on his property that was once way "out in the country" until the orange groves got developed which naturally was the end of that? 

 

As mentioned Ward had the Grizzly Flats Railroad in his "back yard".  It was a real narrow gauge "12 inches equals one foot" railroad with "no toy locomotive" as Ward said in one interview.

http://www.oerm.org/3-foot-gauge-grizzly-flats/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grizzly_Flats_Railroad

His railroad buddy, Walt Disney, had the Carolwood Pacific in his garden.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolwood_Pacific_Railroad

Ward gives Salvador Dali a ride on the Carolwood Pacific:

And Walt drove the Grizzly Flats line as well:

Ward was also an avid toy train collector:

If this photo had a caption, it would read "Mine!"  Laugh

And there was the Firehouse Five Plus Two:

For which Ward played trombone.  Harper Goff played the banjo.  He's the guy who designed the Nautilus.  But that's a different mode of transportation.  Smile, Wink & Grin

Trains, trains, wonderful trains.  The more you get, the more you toot!  Big Smile

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Posted by erikem on Sunday, January 7, 2018 1:18 PM

54light15

Didn't Ward Kimball have a live steam railroad on his property that was once way "out in the country" until the orange groves got developed which naturally was the end of that? 

It was more like Ward getting too old to run the Grizzly Flats RR. I got a chance to see it in 1992 as part of the process of moving the majority of his collection to OERM in Perris. He had about 300' of 3 ft gauge track.

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Posted by Firelock76 on Sunday, January 7, 2018 11:07 AM

A LOT of people had property "way out in the country" in California until post-war and then late 20th Century development took off like a rocket.  El Toro Marine Air Station was a recent casualty of development, with the new homeowners screaming about the jet engine noise.

The Corps was pressured into selling the property, but at least they made out like bandits from the money they got for it.  As a matter of fact, most of the former "out in the country" property owners made out like bandits.  

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Posted by 54light15 on Sunday, January 7, 2018 10:53 AM

Didn't Ward Kimball have a live steam railroad on his property that was once way "out in the country" until the orange groves got developed which naturally was the end of that? 

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Posted by Firelock76 on Sunday, January 7, 2018 9:04 AM

Penny Trains
 
Firelock76
And how! Although parting with the thundering majesty of O gauge would be a pretty wrenching decision on my part!

 

Build it around the O gauge layout!  Big Smile  I've always had this daydream of using "lottery money" to build a live steam oval around my house.  But not just any mini railway!  I'd have the house rebuilt to resemble a Lionel station, I'd put the Hellgate bridge in the driveway and a big tunnel in the back yard!  I would ride around on my giant 392E and annoy the neighbors with the whistle!  Laugh

 

Now why didn't I think of that?  Let's see, a replica of the Tenafly NJ Erie station to house the O gauge layout, then the live-steam line circling the property and stopping at the station.  Of course, I'd build it out in the boonies so the neighbors wouldn't moan about the whistle noise, as a matter of fact the closest neighbors might even enjoy the sound of "That lonesome whistle cuttin' though the night" as the late, great Johnny Cash once put it,

Just gotta win the "Mega-Gazillions."  Haven't managed it yet.

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Posted by kgbw49 on Saturday, January 6, 2018 9:21 PM

That locomotive is on The Whiskey River Railway at Little Amerricka Amusement park in Marshall, WI which is just east of Madison.

http://www.littleamerricka.com/rides

Here is the Whiskey River Railway Page On Faceplant.

https://www.facebook.com/Whiskey-River-Railway-Marshall-Wisconsin-16gauge-258337366872/

And a video (many are out there).

http://videoclips24.com/watch/_4dqRNkob0g

 

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Posted by SD70Dude on Saturday, January 6, 2018 9:02 PM

Why not move to the countryside, buy a quarter-section of land and build your dream layout.  I know a couple folks who have done that, with live steam too!

And (for better or worse) once your layout becomes known there is no shortage of fellow live-steam enthusiasts eager to run their engines on it, and they will usually help lay more track too!

Greetings from Alberta

-an Articulate Malcontent

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Posted by Miningman on Saturday, January 6, 2018 6:38 PM

By-Law Officer will shut you down right quick. Everything's OK until you started with the whistle. 

But.....I would do the same thing!

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Posted by Penny Trains on Saturday, January 6, 2018 6:31 PM

Firelock76
And how! Although parting with the thundering majesty of O gauge would be a pretty wrenching decision on my part!

Build it around the O gauge layout!  Big Smile  I've always had this daydream of using "lottery money" to build a live steam oval around my house.  But not just any mini railway!  I'd have the house rebuilt to resemble a Lionel station, I'd put the Hellgate bridge in the driveway and a big tunnel in the back yard!  I would ride around on my giant 392E and annoy the neighbors with the whistle!  Laugh

Trains, trains, wonderful trains.  The more you get, the more you toot!  Big Smile

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  • From: Henrico, VA
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Posted by Firelock76 on Saturday, January 6, 2018 9:55 AM

54light15

That Melody Ranch "Daylight" is awesome! If I had that to play with I sure wouldn't bother with N scale anymore. 

 

And how!  Although parting with the thundering majesty of O gauge would be a pretty wrenching decision on my part! 

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Posted by 54light15 on Saturday, January 6, 2018 9:47 AM

That Melody Ranch "Daylight" is awesome! If I had that to play with I sure wouldn't bother with N scale anymore. 

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Posted by Miningman on Friday, January 5, 2018 8:45 PM

Removed my INCO thread on string lining and all the pics wiping out 10 years of my Mining career in the process. Have no idea why. 

Have a hunch, but not sure. 

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Posted by Paul of Covington on Friday, January 5, 2018 8:41 PM

Penny Trains
I guess it was deleted because it was more of an advertisement than I thought.

   I wish that when moderators delete entries, they would include a note telling us why.

_____________ 

  "A stranger's just a friend you ain't met yet." --- Dave Gardner

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Posted by Penny Trains on Wednesday, January 3, 2018 6:41 PM

I guess it was deleted because it was more of an advertisement than I thought.  Still, it was the only vid I could find of the "Melody Ranch Daylight" so try googling that phrase and you should find it again.

As for the other stuff, the Travel Town Museum at Griffith Park and D&RG 463 is pulling at Chama, which is a public secret.  So maybe an edit would have been preferable.

Trains, trains, wonderful trains.  The more you get, the more you toot!  Big Smile

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Posted by Paul of Covington on Wednesday, January 3, 2018 3:32 PM

   What happened?   Maybe I'm senile, but it seems that yesterday there were several replies to this topic, including pictures.

_____________ 

  "A stranger's just a friend you ain't met yet." --- Dave Gardner

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Posted by Overmod on Tuesday, January 2, 2018 5:17 PM

He had a full-size steam train at the Melody Ranch -- apparently both the engine and coaches are at Travel Town in Griffith Park.  He also optioned or bought some other steam engines, one from ET&WNC and D&RGW 463 that I know of.

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Gene Autry
Posted by 54light15 on Tuesday, January 2, 2018 3:01 PM

I understand that Gene owned a railroad. Any idea which one? Maybe I'm wrong but that is what I've heard. I do know that he was a railroad telegrapher. Love his music. 

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