MR items lost in house fire.

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

On Wednesday, December 13, 2006, the house I used to live in burned down. Fortunately, no one was staying in it at the time. Here are some pictures.

This is a view looking from the back of the house to the front.

This is another view looking from the back of the house to the front.

This view is of what was my trainroom.

Unfortunately, we still had things left in it, including clothes, dishes, furniture, and odd and ends. I still had railroad related items in it that was lost. Things such as most of my MR mags, Trains mags, locos, cars including Walthers “RAIX” funnel flow tank car, trees, highway signs, track, bridges, power packs, and other items. Most of these are Life-Like, Model Power, and Tyco items. I also lost 2 buildings, both Walthers kits, ‘North Island Refinery’ and ‘Grain Elevator’.

Gladly, I had gotten my ‘Trees, Trains & Tall Timbers’, ‘Along the Waterfront’ and 'America’s Driving Force" series items as well as My Athearn, MDC, and Walthers cars out months before.

For those who are interested in helping, please send me an e-mail with the subject “House Fire Help”. I’ll reply with more details.

2

Being a firefighter, I know the extent of damage when I see it, and judging by those pics there was very little that could be be salvaged. What the flames didn’t get, the heat did. That was what we call a ‘catastrophic’ fire, in which one loses everything.

3

I think that tree in the foreground of the first picture would reply, “No kidding!” It looks well burnt on the side closest to the fire.

Sorry about your loss, Robert. I don’t suppose it helps much to hear that it could have been much worse. I hope that you had insurance.

4

[|(]Sorry for your BAD LUCK…Do they, the Fire Department, know what was the cause? I hope you had some insurance to help you out. I once had some of my stuff stolen and another time lost to water damage in a place that I was renting but I had insurance. Even with the money (minus the $500 deductable) some items were to rare to replace or had more meaning to me than money could replace. But the hardest part is to get over the feeling of being a victim of such a mishap. I feel for you and hope you have better times arround the next curve! Hang in there…

5

I’d say the same about the tree. A piece of the tin had part of it’s edge grown in the tree.

And we had no insurance on the house.

6

Ouch, that has to hurt.

7

I have no insurance on mine either. It’s too old. Nobody in their right mind is going to insure a 56 year-old trailer, even if the wiring does go beyond code, which mine does. I do however have insurance on the contents.

8

Hello fellow Texan. I’m sincerely sorry about the fire and what you lost in it. That’s one thing I’ve always been extremely fearful of, and have always said that if I ever win the lottery I’m building a totally fire proof house composed entirely of nothing but concrete and steel!..

Tracklayer

9

Thanks, and I would too. If, I ever won the lottery. What part of Southeast Texas are you from, btw? I live 50 miles North of Beaumont.

10

Not to butt in, but I’m originally from Tyler myself.

11

Howdy neighbor. No such thing. I have family living near Tyler. Some in Whitehouse, Neches, Jacksonville, and Palestine. In fact, one of my aunts lived next to the Texas State Railroad tracks. And yes, I saw the trains. The first time I had saw real live steam before. Very [8D][wow][yeah] They lived in Maydelle, between Palestine and Rusk.

12

I’m actually from a little town outside Tyler, called Troup. I often went to Whitehouse, palestine and Arp. My grandparents, Woodrow and Grace Reneau, God rest their souls, lived in a house that was originally a stage stop, built in 1847. My grandfather had his welding shop on the property. After he passed on in the 70’s, my grandmother got along on a meager income derived from working odd jobs and working for the church. She finally passed in the 90’s. My mother had to sell the antiques in the house, a minor fortune! We finally were able to sell her car, which her grand nephew had wrecked by slamming it into park at 50 mph.

13

Texasrailnut, my sympathy on your loss but I am going to thank God that no one was living in the house and, therefore, no one was hurt. Everything, or almost everything, that you lost can be replaced - life can’t.

God’s richest blessings on you.

Jay Anderson
Phoenix, AZ

14

Only in Texas will you find such brotherhood. What can we say, us Texans stick together.

15

We have to! Mexico still wants Texas back!

16

Aint you in Louisiana, Jeff?

17

Yeah, but I’m originally from Texas. My family still has some property near Troup, a small oil field.

18

I’m from Hempstead in Waller County about 50 miles from down town Houston. Not the greatest place in the world, but like Groucho Marx once said, everyone has to be from somewhere…

Tracklayer

19

Maydelle, the little community that use to be… I rode the Texas State Railroad last year and that’s what they were saying about it. Ain’t it a shame they’re shutting the TSRR down.

Tracklayer

20

Actually, I heard a couple of weeks ago, a report that the state has funded it for one more year. Atleast, I believe it was the TSRR getting the funding. So, don’t say goodbye to it yet.

Also, I just remembered that I lost some Athearn locos and cars. GP38-2s, GP35s, 55’ ACF hoppers, 54’ Covered hoppers, 40’ Hoppers, Gondolas, Tank cars, and Cabooses. I’ve lost more than I thought.[:(][:(][:(][:(][:(]