Show us your western trains! 🤠

[Flintlock76]

@Matt_Wilson

MTH did a nice job with those for sure

That they did. Personally I find MTH’s “General” types much more impressive than Lionel’s. The things are built like tanks!

[Flintlock76]

@palallin

During the mid-19th century, there was precedent for murals on tenders They were the pride and joy of the engineers who commissioned them and, naturally, needed to be maintained.

Their colorful and ornate paint jobs and finishes are what’s always attracted me to 19th Century steam locomotives, they’re more like works of art than machines.
We can blame Commodore Vanderbilt for the demise of those elaborate decorations. As you said they had to be maintained and one day Vanderbilt got fed up with the expense so he issued a “Paint 'em black!” order concerning New York Central steam locomotives. Other railroads followed suit pretty quickly.

[mdmasc91]

I agree that the 19th century locomotives were beautiful, and certainly more varied in color.

But hey, even black can look nice if it’s got some trim.

[pennytrains]

@Flintlock76

@Matt_Wilson

MTH did a nice job with those for sure

That they did. Personally I find MTH’s “General” types much more impressive than Lionel’s. The things are built like tanks!

I always thought the MTH cabs were a bit short (in length) though. I’m not sure about prototype accuracy but if memory serves they’re not 1:48 scale models so maybe they could have shifted things forward a bit internally to have a larger cab.

Just a matter of personal taste on my part.

[Matt_Wilson]

I’ve only seen the MTH ones in photographs

[Flintlock76]

Just so no-one gets the wrong idea I’m not rollin’ in dough and got very, VERY lucky with the MTH 4-4-0’s I have. I’ve had the first three, the “General Haupt,” the UP #119, and the B&O #231 about 20 years. I found them in a local antiques mall where one of the vendors had used toy trains for sale and didn’t pay more than $150 each for them. I found the “General” at a “World’s Greatest Hobby On Tour” show in Newport News about 2015 for $150 used and the “Texas” at the DC Big Flea Market a year later for $80!
I don’t expect to get that lucky price-wise if I run into a “Jupiter” but who knows?

[Flintlock76]

@pennytrains

I always thought the MTH cabs were a bit short (in length) though. I’m not sure about prototype accuracy but if memory serves they’re not 1:48 scale models so maybe they could have shifted things forward a bit internally to have a larger cab.

Right, just like with other models in the RailKing line MTH played a little “fast n’ loose” with the dimensions, real 19th Century steamers were a bit sleeker than the MTH versions but hey, I like 'em. And they’re good runners!

[Road_Foreman_of_Engi]

I need to get one of those…
Paul

[Matt_Wilson]

@Road_Foreman_of_Engi

need to get one of those…

The Thomas Branch Line or an MTH? Or the caboose?

[Flintlock76]

@mdmasc91

But hey, even black can look nice if it’s got some trim.

Anyone besides me notice the “Star of David,” also known as the “Star of Damascus” on the headlight casing of #600? I know it wasn’t too unusual for religious or Masonic symbols to find their way on 19th Century steam engines but I wonder what the story is on this one?

[mdmasc91]

It doesn’t describe the rationale for the decorations but the B&O railroad museum does have a bit of history on it here: https://www.borail.org/collection/bo-no-600/

[Flintlock76]

@mdmasc91

It doesn’t describe the rationale for the decorations but the B&O railroad museum does have a bit of history on it here

Thanks much! Interesting!

[amflyer1]

Paul they are great little runners fun to watch to.

Chuck

[Road_Foreman_of_Engi]

Sorry, I was looking at the Flyer Franklin at the time. But, I like your black 4-4-0 in the first pictures.
Paul

[Matt_Wilson]

@Road_Foreman_of_Engi

Flyer Franklin

They are good looking little engines!

[pennytrains]

@Matt_Wilson

@Road_Foreman_of_Engi

need to get one of those…

The Thomas Branch Line or an MTH? Or the caboose?

I’d just answer “yes”

[Matt_Wilson]

@pennytrains

[El_Fixes_Things]

I’d love one of those Thomas pieces, but I don’t see myself getting that lucky any time soon.

I just remembered, I need to do something about my 1862’s collector assembly. The crummy repair job it had when I got it has finally given up, and I need to either replace or somehow repair the collector assembly.

-El

[Road_Foreman_of_Engi]

Very true ! All great stuff.
Paul

[pennytrains]

I’d never even heard of Thomas before I read Roger Carp’s 101 Classic Toy Trains: Best of the Postwar Years but I instantly fell in love .

It wasn’t the only item in the book I’d never heard of. I mean how many Gen X, MPC era, post Apollo 11, post Woodstock little girls, even space happy ones like me who tried to climb the landing gear of the Space Shuttle Enterprise, had any idea what a “Dynamic Injection Compressortron” was???