Do you remember 2005

Classic Toy Trains Forum
1

A few of you weren’t born yet, but most of us probably recall 2005.

It’s been 20 years since 2005 and BB is getting way way up there in years, as doggie years go. I believe the record for a beagle is Butch, another Virginia beagle who lived to be 27, a record that still stands.

And she still chases after rabbits!

2005 was a good time to run trains but 2025 is so much better. I recall in 2005 when no 3-level, 89-foot auto transporter existed! Man, the selections are so much better today.

I still have my old Acela. The real one was taken out of service in 2007, after a number of mechanical glitches, replaced by a bullet train that goes 300 mph.

America finally got its act together on high speed rail after many spits and starts and fizzles.

Anyway, it’s much nicer now. I still recall when modelers had stationary figures on their layouts. Man, we don’t give little people animation a second thought these days.

And the big people animation (robots). How would we live without them. I mean, they mow the lawn, clean the house. Heck I even got married to one, divorced her and married another. And no alimony either.

Well, the old Lionel and MTH rivalry has finally gotten settled but let’s not discuss that as it brings up some bad feelings–even after 2 decades.

I say, let bygones be bygones.

Hey Missie the robot, bring me a rum and coke. On the double!

And a milk bone for BB.

2

Remember when we had Auto that ran on Gasoline at only $2.25 per gal. Boy that was the good old days.[B)]

3

Chief was planning on building a train layout, but he is still on the floor.[:O] [:D][^]

4

Remember the old hobby stores where you could look at something before you bought it. I heard the Smithsonian has the last one in storage and they’re planning to display it on the mall next year.

Enjoy
Paul

5

Yep. Back in 2005 MTH hadn’t made every locomotive that ever existed.

6

I think I was still going to work way back then! [:D][:D] Thanks, John

7

I especially like the electronic backdrops that we can change on the fly, and the fuel-cell powered models that now run on our rails. No third rail needed anymore - except on my 027 track for both nostalgia’s sake and to run my 102 year old model 248.

8

I sold all my highly collectable Lionels, since old Mike whats his name ran them out of business, and bought me an island in the carribbean. No more snow blowin for me. Just hurricanes blowin me around.

9

I can’t wait for this @#$%^&* year to be over!!!

I will try to forget 2005!!!

10

After winning the lottery in 2005, I purchased my own private rail car. Wouldn’t you know that now with the high speed trains, the new AmeriRail (Replaced AMTRAK) organization refused to let it on the tracks. Since I don’t have ceramic wheel sets, they say it is unsafe at 150 MPH.

11

Well, there were some nice things about 2005.

You could still buy a car for less than $100,000.

Remember that Wal-Mart was small enough to have locations on Earth and you didn’t have to take the shuttle to Wal-Moon?

You could buy Williams locomotives for a little over $100? (Of course, they are cold-fusion powered now, so I understand why they had to go up on price.)

You could go to see a movie, buy popcorn and a coke under $200. (I know, I know, my grandkids don’t believe me either.)

Cell phones were optional and not implanted in your head at birth.

You could actually buy food that wasn’t good for you like hamburgers and fries - and it was still LEGAL!

Those were the days! . . .

12

And you did not have a number stamped on you. [Dr. John will know what I’m talking about].

13

I know what you mean too…

14

Ah yes, 2005…remember when you could just get in your car and drive it and you didn’t have to worry about the daydream sensor tripping and forcing your car into the auto park spot next to the road. You didn’t have to get a visual disturbance permit to get permission to take a picture of a train either. You could just stop your car by the side of the road and take it. Back then you could smuggle your latest train purchase past the spouse. Now, with those $#%! auto package content detectors everywhere the stupid thing will announce its contents to the entire house the minute you cross the threshold…Oh well, that’s progress…I guess…

15

I wish I could go back to 2005 and tell the manufacturers to stop listening to the rivet counters! With my failing eye-sight, I was unable to see the water level in the sight glass on the fireman’s side of my new Hudson, and had a nasty boiler explosion.

And thanks to the scale fidelity guys, I had to pay to have an aesbestos abatement team come to my basement to remove the shreaded boiler jacket and firebox lining!

But still, there are good things about now too, like that Clyde Coil movie episode 47 hinting at a TMCC-2 just around the corner…

Jon [8D]

16

Yep, I still remember that. It was the year when the first step to unite Europe was blown off by a few countries. It was also the year that my first layout was build in 0 scale and I had to buy everything in the USA because europe was not marketing the stuff.
We had gasoline, though expensive, enough to drive a car and windmills where only fashionable structures of wood from the ancient past.
Now our whole country has a windmillpark for every city. We have electric vehicles and my motorbike I had to rebuild for very expensive biogas. In 2005 you could buy a house for 200.000 euro’s, nowadays you only can buy a small car for that money. I remember the day when you had a job and where secure of your employment for the years to come, but now you are constantly moving from one job to the other on freelancebasis.
Yep in 2005 the government screwed up big time and resulted that I had to move away from holland (which flooded anyway in 2020)

Nope, I’m not that depressed about the future…

17

HOW bout the neat VIDEO that BUCKEYE did of the coffee pot?
laz57

18

And just think, with a little bit of luck some of us may still be around in 2025.