Old Timers' Reminiscing

[CNE Runner]

Woody - Lord, I remember those early Athearn kits with the you-assemble-them sprung trucks. It didn't take long to learn two tricks: 1) pass a piece of thread through the spring before attempting to squeeze it enough to fit in the bolster ('remember you had to line each end up with those minuscule pins), and 2) you learned to shut all the room light off, lay a lit flashlight on the floor and 'sweep' back and forth until you located that errant spring...in the meantime every 'dust bunny' in the room was briefly illuminated. [This was routine prior to learning trick #1.]

How about all the times we needed to glue to dissimilar materials together (zamac to wood, or brass to plastic)? Given the choice of adhesives in the day Walthers Goo worked about the best...well, for a while anyway.

Ray

[ebtnut]

I got a old memory back the other night.  Our club lost its home a few years ago, and we put a lot of stuff in storage.  Deciding that storage wasn't doing anyone any good and with no prospects for a new home on the horizon, we've been cleaning stuff out.  We were going through the last few storage boxes and discovered some cars that were originally part of a display we put together almost 40 years ago illustrating all the different scales and gauges. It was an HOn3 gondola that I had scratchbuilt for the display, to approximately match an On3 gon (haven't found that yet).  It still has its original Central Valley trucks, and Model Engineering Works (remember them?) narrow gauge dummy couplers.  I'll get some Kadees to replace the couplers and it will look fine on the McKeesport club layout when the narrow gauge line gets running this summer. 

[CNE Runner]

EB - It is always good to see some of those 'old timers' running again. Occasionally I take some of my Ulrich, Silver Streak, Ambroid cars off the shelf and give 'em a run. The difference in detail is amazing...especially so when one couples a Silver Streak reefer (circa 1940s) next to a Branchline Blueprint Series car. 'Guess we had either a less discriminating eye - or a better imagination - back in the day.

Ray

[jward]

you keep mentioning the mckeesport club, are you now in the pittsburgh area?

[ebtnut]

J - We have a second home in McKeesport.  It's the one my wife grew up in, so we make regular treks up there.  The club is only about 6 blocks from the house, and I am an associate member.  The plan is to retire from the DC area in the next year or so and move up there permanently.  Then I can be a full-time participant.