What other railroad related activities do you augment your toy trains with?? As much as I love toy trains, I find it necessary to pursue other “Railroad” related interests to keep me satisfied.
I have a modest Railroad Book collection that I keep adding too. I also collect a little “paper”. Currently have Operating manuals, flimsies, and schedules for the SOO Line. Also have a neat little SP Lunch menu. I photgraph trains while on business trips, and always visit local museums and hobby shops in the areas I travel too.
As I have said many times, if it has flanged wheels and runs on steel rails, I like it.
Have quite a few books on real railroads, PRR, Reading & Lackwanna mostly. Some paper such as stock certificates for several roads. A little Railroad china, 10 lanterns & a switch light. Also lots of caps & t-shirts. And I ride REAL trains whenever possible, living along the Harrisburg - Philadelphia main line of Amtrack we go to Phila, NYC & Washington on occasion. Also some long distance trips over the past 10 years. Plus short line excursions.
Oh, and of course way to much O gauge stuff. [:)]
I forgot the videos, about a dozen I think. Some are loaned out.
They don’t really mix so different area. My backyard can support 2 gauges. In fact, GRR magazine editor today asked me the same question!
Marc Horowitz loves my articles, handlayed track, etc., but said to take photos a year from now, as GRR likes the plants to be a bit more mature and spread out; which is fine with me!
BTW, John, glad to hear you like anything with flanges and are not hung up on a single gauge, scale, toy or scale look, etc. I like 'em all as well, from Marx and Tinplate, to “scale” and 1:1. In my book they are all coool.
Actually, I would expand flange to include trolley buses that ran on overhead wire and rubber tires, subways that use rubber tires (Paris), cable cars, and roller coasters.
Well, I’ve always loved both real and miniature trains. I have a large collection of books and magazines about real trains and am always anxious to learn something new. The majority of my books and the reading I do concerns the historical aspect of railways, although I like to stay up on what going on today. I also have a variety of railroad memorabilia, including three old kerosene lanterns, one battery lantern, switch locks and the crossbucks from a real railroad crossing, among other items, which I have displayed in the basement in conjunction with my toy trains. I photograph trains and visit any railroad museums or museums with railroad exhibits whenever I can. Whenever I travel somewhere, I always make sure to find out ahead of time about any rail-related things in the area worth checking out, such as steam engines in parks, etc.
Read books and mags, watch plenty of programs and movies on TV if train related. I have a small yard near where I work and I drive through the yard and check out what is going on. I tend to notice all trains while I am driving, and try to imagine scenery on my layout. I also am a bit of a photographer and take plenty of train opportunities.
I really enjoy photography, whether it be of my layout or rail fanning, it’s just very enjoyable for me. Sadly, because of the new crappy software that CTT is using I cannot share it with you. Perhaps they will fix it someday for all of us. Jon