Jusrt to letthe new folks know: loads of track plans and other goodies at http://www.thortrains.net
Many plans are for small spaces, but we have larger ones. Also resources for Postwar, Marx trains, etc.
And if you evrer had fun with plastic army men, check this out:
Thor, I can’t tell you how many hours I spent playing with plastic army men when I was a kid! My neighbor and I would spend entire weekends outside or in our living rooms setting up hundreds of them. Remember the Fort Navarone set? To this day, when ever I see a bag of plastic army men (or cowboys and indians for that matter) on a store shelf, I smile and instantly become an 8 year old kid again. And more than once, I’ve been tempted to buy some.
Jim
When I first started in trains as a kid in the sixties, the first layout figures I had were toy soldiers. I did not have anything else. This was before I even knew what “plasticville” was. Anyway, I would pretend, as only a child can, that those guys with machine guns, rifles and packs were really brakemen, engineers, gandydancers and station agents. I had the most heavily armed bunch of railroaders on the planet.
George
When I was a kid, I used to put soldiers and cowboys and Indians in the gondolas and hoppers of our old Lionel trains. That used to be a lot of fun. BTW - rememebr the small M48 tank packed with Tim mee soldiers? It is 1/48! With some paint, and decalts, it makes a decent flat car load. Paint the tank olive drab, and the track a steel color. (Steel - mix silver and flat black) Two other 1/48 tanks are the Auurn M26 and the Marx M46 The old Payton truck and Centurion tank was also 1/48.
One of the greatest joys I had as a kid was when my dad and I would cast toy soldiers out of lead. We had several molds for soldiers in different poses and even one that made a cannon (barrel, carriage and two wheels). We’d cut the led and put it in a small electric crucible, watching it melt into a shiny pool, we would use candle smoke to put carbon on both sides of the mold to allow easy releasing, put the two halves of the mold in a special clamp, pour the lead (usually three castings per mold) then wait for the lead to turn hazy before opening the molds.
After making a set, we would do battle with large marbles rolling across our carpet battle field knocking soldiers asunder. Those days are done, though. I don’t think you can buy the lead soldier molds, etc. anymore (fears of lead poisoning, etc.). I liked my plastic soldiers too, but the heft of the lead soldiers made the battles with marbles more fun.
Thor, I want to add my appreciation for your fine website. I have enjoyed the many articles and excellent trackplans you provide. It is, without a doubt, one of the best toy train sites on the 'net!
Thanks, folks! I appreciate the kind words!
Belive it or not, they still sell lead casting gear and molds. There are three outfits in the States that offer them. These days, silicon molds are more popular than the metal ones. I have both. A friend sold me all his molds last year, and that’s how I got back into doing it. I have molds for knights, Civil War guys and classic tin soldier types
Here are some of the knights I did recently - http://www.thortrains.net/milihistriot/knights.html
Now I have to sell them to get money for a new duplex laser printer. My old one fizzled.
Wow! I didn’t realize you could still get the molds for lead soldiers. Thanks for the info, Thor!
Dr. John,
Here’s the place that made most of my molds:
http://www.miniaturemolds.com/
I have a lot of fun casting metal. Unfortunately, they don’t make any O gauge molds. However, they make all kinds of soldiers.
Just a note of thanks. That is truly a superb resource which you identified,