The DIS Campers Train Thread: From Model Trains Up To The Real Thing

[bama_ed]

And after I fix the dryer, next week will be working on the layout. Hopefully!

You just described my life for the last three weeks, Spencer.

But the UPS man, he keeps knocking at my door.

ED

 

[Sjm9911]

And everyone loves pictures!

 

[Sjm9911]

 

[Sjm9911]

So most eveything is unpacked, a little of everything, cheap, new , old, etc. I have 4 rolling racks filled with rolling stock ( mostly). The bins on the large shelf are ground cover and tools for building train stuff along with some sets , and other unboxed stuff. I have lots of transformers, most have been serviced and work to original spec. I have boxes of extra track and switches , and varrious boxes of operating accessories. The area is mostly clean now, and has the bar stools for watching. They may get decals down the road. Next is to make 2 shelving units for more display stuff, and then on to the layout work. It will get done, and I have time........

 

[Stratman50th]

I don't know if everyone loves pictures, but I certainly do!!!

 

[bama_ed]

My dad, sons, and I did the train tour also. Fantastic.

Found the pics. From May 2006 (I was behind the camera mostly).

Meeting outside the Turnstiles (DS#2 behind to the right).



Main Street was E-M-P-T-Y when the morning 1st ride came around to take us to the roundhouse.



Mom (on the left) and Dad (on the right) up in the cab.



Up close and personal.



The tour.



Our boys up in the cab.



Me and our boys.



Look back at the roundhouse.



2006, ya'll. I feel old. Don, "hep" me.

Bama Ed

PS - DW and DD hit the MK early while me, the two "train nuts" boys, and my mom and dad (who paid their own way) did the Steam Trains Behind The Scenes Tour.

 

[Sjm9911]

Still havent done much, will be building a few more train shelves soon. But I have been running a few things on the outside semi done loop. This is a lionel 6220 bell switcher, so the bell dings as it moves along. I decided to max it out a bit and add some sunocco cars on it. It did well until one of the couplers broke loose. Luckily I shut off the throttle. It will pull more but the stuff needs oil bad like the tin man did. Too much drag. This was made from 1949 to 1954. The sunocco cars are from all eras.

 

[bama_ed]

We are taking down the Christmas tree today. It was left up until DS#2 visited last week from Texas for Christmas (he had to work during the holidays and wasn't able to get off until then). But DS#1 gave me an ornament for the tree that I got a pic of as it was going back into the ornament box.



I believe he said it came from Lionel? I could be wrong.

You're looking good there, Spencer.

I have a lot of boxes and things laying around mine (I drag things out and don't put them away, just lay them aside). Need to do a little housecleaning after I come back from the upcoming FW trip (and the temp in the attic gets out of the teens).

Ed

 

[Sjm9911]

Yup, hallmark makes lionel train ornaments. They are cool. I have 1 or 2.

 

[Stratman50th]

Ha, yeah I'm a Nerd. I have a little over a dozen of those Hallmark ornaments Ed.
Nice Layout Spencer. I'm still trying to figure out how to do some type of foldaway in the garage.
All of our Christmas decorations are down and boxed. Just need to push them up in the attic. I need a new/better attic ladder. The one I have is contractor grade and pretty sketchy. Plus it's a 12' ceiling. On the plus side, the train board is still up!

 

[Sjm9911]

Ooh , fold away layout. Did we go over this before? You could do a drop down layout on a pully system hooked to a winch. Or a fold down table on the wall.......

 

[Sjm9911]

https://ogrforum.ogaugerr.com/topic...d?reply=158111058660653496#158111058660653496
Fold down.

 

[Sjm9911]

Winch.

 

[Stratman50th]

Ooh , fold away layout. Did we go over this before? You could do a drop down layout on a pully system hooked to a winch. Or a fold down table on the wall.......

Yes, we talked about it. The fold up solution would work best. The ceiling in the garage is 16' where the layout would have to go. That doesn't leave enough space between the ceiling and the top of the RV, which is 13'. I remember our conversation and am still working on it. Here it is when still under construction.

 

[DL1WDW2]

Scottsdale Az has a great Train Museum Park for all ages
McCormick -Stillman Railroad Park
This is a fun picture of me in the drive in movie screen !

 

[bama_ed]

Scottsdale Az has a great Train Museum Park for all ages
McCormick -Stillman Railroad Park
This is a fun picture of me in the drive in movie screen !

So cool, @DL1WDW2 .

We are going out to the Phoenix area this spring and I will put this place on my "To Do" list.

Bama ED

 

[Sjm9911]

Since I am posting to Facebook now, Ill post here also. New to facebook, and really any social media thats not set up like these message boards.
So, Front End Friday. A nice lionel pre war 238, so around 1938ish. Looks real good for being 85 years old.

 

[4077]

Roy O Disney Locomotive Leaves for Refurb

The Roy O. Disney #4 locomotive is off to Pennsylvania where it will undergo a multi-year refurbishment in Strasburg Railroad. The locomotive left Walt Disney World property recently, and will likely be gone for a few years as it undergoes an extensive refurbishment. The Roy O. Disney is the last of the four Walt Disney World locomotives to undergo an extensive refurbishment.

It is unclear exactly what is being done to the locomotive during the refurbishment, or the planned return to service date.

Interesting from Rumors and News thread....

 

[bama_ed]

Interesting from Rumors and News thread....

There's a number of things that have to be done periodically to true steam engines like those on the WDW RR, @4077.

Main thing is the boiler tubes have to x-rayed and any problems (cracks) fixed. Wheels that have ridden only in one direction (hits one side more than other) need to built up and turned on a lathe. Firebox (WDW loco's burn oil rather than coal/wood) may be burned out somewhat and needs to be replaced. Plus any other number of things to check.

Our Federal Government (your tax dollars at work) mandates periodic (years/# of hours in operation) rehab to look for problems, fix them, and put the loco back in operation before it becomes a problem.

Obviously this policy came into effect when some tourist railroads didn't check the boiler pipes, the firebox, the wheels, and more. Things went "BOOM" unexpectantly.

Strasburg RR (in Pennsylvania) is equipped to handle that (as is my "home" railroad in Chattanooga which is the Tennessee Valley Railroad https://www.tvrail.com/restorations/ ) who maintains their own 3 steam locos from A-Z including complete rebuilds).

The main issue in these periodic checks is how much manpower to assign to the project. Put some manhours on in full-time to push through or make use of man-power when "slack time" (somewhat predictable) is available to work on other projects not belonging to Strasburg RR.

Disney has multiple loco's still available to operate so they could take the low/slow bid from Strasburg to get this done. Strasburg RR was in the news not long ago when they had a little bumpity-bump a few years ago which obviously required a fix.

https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/strasburg-collision-damages-no-475-no-one-hurt/

Do you want the work done cheap and later or do you want the work done right and soon?

Disney made their call.

Ed

PS - I've ridden Strasburg RR twice over the years (most recently 2021 IIRC) and they have a long record of operation . But sometimes, no matter how good of an operation you have, the odds catch up with you once in a while.

PPS - there's only a handful of places that can do this steam loco review/rehab from A to Z and Disney may not be one of them. Oh, it knows how to operate them on a daily basis but the extensive back-shop operations that are required for a rehab, it may not have.

 

[Sjm9911]

What looks better? I got the reprodution hellgate bridge after I started building this. It was a good price. Its way big as its standered guage, but it may work. Originally was the 3 smaller bridges. Now I want to add the iconic hellgate bridge.