Storytime with another new guy!
Nov 20, 2020 6:03:11 GMT -5
TK Dave, JNXT 7707, and 3 more like this
Post by sort187 on Nov 20, 2020 6:03:11 GMT -5
To everybody getting ready to go to work, good morning! To everybody coming home from work, good evening. It's 5:00am, so you shifty workers know what I'm talking about!
My name is Carl. I live in good ol' Bay City MI. I just recently pulled all of my model railroad gear out of a nearly ten year storage, and I'm getting ready to tackle the track layout known as Atlas Track plan HO-29, The Midland Central. I've already got my framing lumber put together (notice I did NOT say put together CORRECTLY) and now I need the trackboard lumber. I'm taking pictures as I go, because I'm posting to Facebook (when I'm not in Facebook jail).
If you notice my avatar, it's one of Mackinac Mac. That little guy had a big impact on me when I was a little guy, around eight years old or so. I used to camp during the summer with my folks in a quaint little town called East Tawas, MI and one of the highlights of being there was that I got to witness up close and personal the motive power and rolling stock of the Detroit and Mackinac Railway. Truly a big deal, as the sound of an oncoming train drew the child (and a few adults) population to the chain-link fence separating the campground from the town's main drag (the railroad tracks run parallel to the street). I had the privilege of seeing it up until I turned fifteen, which was the point my interests started to include high school things (sports, girls, cars......) so everything else took a back seat, including trains.
I didn't start seriously thinking about model railroading as an adult until I turned 21. I built a twice around, over and under, folded dogbone, stuff like that. And I started collecting..... and collecting, and collecting..... pretty much for the next twenty-six years. I started out buying whatever I could lay my hands on, or what my wallet could afford. I always had my eye on the classified section of the Sunday newspaper, because it seemed like there was always somebody selling train stuff. I admit it, I had the bug. When you drive two hours just to go to a yard sale for "toy" trains, that's saying something.
I don't remember who turned me on to actual train shows, but after one of my last yard sale aquisitions, someone had told me about a little train show in a city called Durand. That's about the time my obsession with building my own personal Detroit and Mackinac railway started. One of the vendors there, whom later I would be privileged to call a good friend, was a custom painter, and some of his work dealt with Michigan railroads. We got to talking, and I told him about my summertime train watching. I don't remember the entire conversation, but I ended up purchasing an undecorated Atlas RS-2, to which my friend said he could transform into D&M #469. I agreed, and after several weeks, I got a call saying the engine was done. I went to pick it up and sure enough, it looked just like the actual 469, right down to the marker lights! I thought it was the coolest thing ever! So cool, that he talked me into buying an Alco C-425 D&M #181, (another masterpiece) which I remember being paired up with 469. So I had a set! And it was all downhill from there (lol). Over the next ten years, I would purchase locomotives that matched the D&M roster, take them over to my friend, and he'd show me what the finished product would look like, and in a few weeks, voila! I had my own! And now with the exception of an Alco S-2, I have the entire D&M diesel fleet.
Oh, wait.... this is a TYCO forum. I almost forgot. Sorry about that. Yes, I do have some Tyco stuff...... mostly rolling stock, and a couple Chattanooga steamers, and several Chessie GPs..... buildings, too. But what brought me here was the possibility of getting a couple of older Bachmann J Class 4-8-4s that belonged to my grandfather up and running. I was told that there were folks here that could help me out with that. So I'm looking forward to seeing what happens.
Thanks for reading my rambling word salad!
Carl
My name is Carl. I live in good ol' Bay City MI. I just recently pulled all of my model railroad gear out of a nearly ten year storage, and I'm getting ready to tackle the track layout known as Atlas Track plan HO-29, The Midland Central. I've already got my framing lumber put together (notice I did NOT say put together CORRECTLY) and now I need the trackboard lumber. I'm taking pictures as I go, because I'm posting to Facebook (when I'm not in Facebook jail).
If you notice my avatar, it's one of Mackinac Mac. That little guy had a big impact on me when I was a little guy, around eight years old or so. I used to camp during the summer with my folks in a quaint little town called East Tawas, MI and one of the highlights of being there was that I got to witness up close and personal the motive power and rolling stock of the Detroit and Mackinac Railway. Truly a big deal, as the sound of an oncoming train drew the child (and a few adults) population to the chain-link fence separating the campground from the town's main drag (the railroad tracks run parallel to the street). I had the privilege of seeing it up until I turned fifteen, which was the point my interests started to include high school things (sports, girls, cars......) so everything else took a back seat, including trains.
I didn't start seriously thinking about model railroading as an adult until I turned 21. I built a twice around, over and under, folded dogbone, stuff like that. And I started collecting..... and collecting, and collecting..... pretty much for the next twenty-six years. I started out buying whatever I could lay my hands on, or what my wallet could afford. I always had my eye on the classified section of the Sunday newspaper, because it seemed like there was always somebody selling train stuff. I admit it, I had the bug. When you drive two hours just to go to a yard sale for "toy" trains, that's saying something.
I don't remember who turned me on to actual train shows, but after one of my last yard sale aquisitions, someone had told me about a little train show in a city called Durand. That's about the time my obsession with building my own personal Detroit and Mackinac railway started. One of the vendors there, whom later I would be privileged to call a good friend, was a custom painter, and some of his work dealt with Michigan railroads. We got to talking, and I told him about my summertime train watching. I don't remember the entire conversation, but I ended up purchasing an undecorated Atlas RS-2, to which my friend said he could transform into D&M #469. I agreed, and after several weeks, I got a call saying the engine was done. I went to pick it up and sure enough, it looked just like the actual 469, right down to the marker lights! I thought it was the coolest thing ever! So cool, that he talked me into buying an Alco C-425 D&M #181, (another masterpiece) which I remember being paired up with 469. So I had a set! And it was all downhill from there (lol). Over the next ten years, I would purchase locomotives that matched the D&M roster, take them over to my friend, and he'd show me what the finished product would look like, and in a few weeks, voila! I had my own! And now with the exception of an Alco S-2, I have the entire D&M diesel fleet.
Oh, wait.... this is a TYCO forum. I almost forgot. Sorry about that. Yes, I do have some Tyco stuff...... mostly rolling stock, and a couple Chattanooga steamers, and several Chessie GPs..... buildings, too. But what brought me here was the possibility of getting a couple of older Bachmann J Class 4-8-4s that belonged to my grandfather up and running. I was told that there were folks here that could help me out with that. So I'm looking forward to seeing what happens.
Thanks for reading my rambling word salad!
Carl
