With the start of a new layout with larger diameter curves which can accomodate bigger engines than the diminutive Edge of Town, I can now play a bit with some new technology. Lionel's Lionchief command and control system has been out for awhile but I saw no need to buy any of their sets or separate-sale engines until the bug hit me quite recently. Fortunately they offer a series of small 'starter' engines - 2-4-2 Columbia's - in several roadnames that are affordable and reliable. Each engine comes with a Lionchief controller and operation is simple. I bought an engine in Southern RR livery because I didn't yet have a Southern engine (or any rolling stock either) and I've always liked that green and gold scheme. The silver smoke box sets it off quite nicely.
There aren't that many controls on the hand-held controller so it's not option intensive and the instructions included with the engine are clear and concise. With these command-&-control set-ups one turns the transformer on all the way so the track is receiving max power. The instructions on how fast to move, direction, etc, are all controlled by the on-board circuitry. I like all the features but for my money the best one is the crew talk. By pressing the "announcements" button (bottom middle button with microphone icon) you get three short announcements. 'Short' is the key word here - you don't wait a half hour for 'crew yammer' to stop before you move on out! The engine smokes but I've noticed this is not a real strong smoker. You should only put four drops of smoke oil in the smoke stack and it'll go strong for a bit then peter off. But overall I'm still happy with the engine. I reall have enjoyed playing with this thing! Enjoy! Opa Fritz
I think for the most part we all do it. Do what? Well, we build a train board, lay track, plop down buildings in the middle and call it a day. Somewhere along the way we may add a bit of scenery and a single grade crossing with a road going off the board to the fantasy world beyond. Seldom do I see a layout wherein there is more than one way onto or off the board. This bothered me a little bit as I would sit at the EoT and allow my mind to wander down those rural paths in mid-central Wisconsin. Somehow it didn't seem right that the whole look of my little enclave was a dead-end. I wanted a way for travelers to come into the area and head on out again without having to doo a U-turn. The solution turned out to be simple. Right next to the newly graveled-in parking lot the flagstop station rests on was a space perfectly suited for one of Lionel's single-lane plastic grade crossings. All I had to do was cut down the crossing so that it would fit the space, and slice out a section of the Marx roadbed track to accomodate the crossing. Now motorists can enter and leave the area relatively unimpeded (unless of course traffic at the farmer's market ties things up some). Enjoy! Opa Fritz
Having done the 1998 version of Safari's Brachiousaurus, let's look at their 2008 version. The pose is quite different on this one, being more elongated with the neck stretching out and the tail further back to help balance that long neck. This one measures 14" (35.56cm) L x 7 1/2" (19.05cm) H. Enjoy! Opa Fritz
Here's a critter we haven't covered before: Brachiosaurus. From the generic Greek term meaning "arm lizard' for its extremely long 'arms' this herbivore roamed the earth during the Late Jurrasic around 154-152mil years ago. Originally thought to be cold-blooded - or ectothermic - it is now being considered as possibly warm-blooded and is estimated to have been around 18 and 21 meters (59 and 69 ft) long.
This Safari Ltd version from 1998 is a pretty big sucker at 9" (22.86cm) L 8 1/2" (21.59cm) H - certainly much bigger than any of its vintage Marx and MPC cousins. Enjoy! Opa Fritz
We've already covered the Stegosaurus back on Nov 29 last year when I posted the photo essay for the vintage Marx version, but this Safari Ltd is of the newer, modern batch of more naturally colored dinosaurs that have gained in popularity over the past twenty years or so. These are also larger than the the majority of the vintage toys with this one being 6 1/4" (15.87cm) L x 3 3/4" (9.52cm) H. Enjoy! Opa Fritz
Wellll, for the last 6 years I wanted a train layout which could accommodate larger engines and rolling stock than my Edge of Town micro-layout. My older Marxville and Plateau (MaP) layout was technically very nice and had great scenery but it was made with Marx O-34 track and I couldn't run some of the stuff I wanted to, so this layout will have O-42 diameter track.
The older Marxville and Plateau was a ca 9' x 14' 'U'-shaped layout but after dismantling it in 2016 I ended up with an 'L'-shaped board ca9'x8'. It's this cut-down board that's seen a lot of use for temporary train layouts and Little Green Army men and toy set-ups over the past five years, but after I start building the new layout I'll have to figure out a different way to play! :-)
Anywho, after removing the last piece of terrain leftover from the MaP, I quickly placed an oval of Menard's O-42 tubular track down. This track is what's called 'Standard O' and has a larger profile than the O-27 track I've been using all these years (I hesitated to use Lionel's FastTrack because of all the complaints out there about conductivity issues). I also find it odd and a bit funny that a lot of railroaders out there cover their FastTrack with ballast, even though it's made to look like there's already ballast.
Enjoy! Opa Fritz
Removing the last remnant of my old Marxville and Plateau layout. I'll keep this terrain piece for future use.
I have several new buildings from Menard's and right now it looks like this will be a more urban setting than the Edge of Town micro-layout
Marx, Menard's, and Lledo buildings populate the board today - tomorrow that will likely change!
