Gene - I too have used a stick eraser. Good advice.

I thought that I was one of the few remaining Ogden Nash fans out there. Having lived and worked in the Bronx, NYC, I always quote my favorite Nash poem: The Bronx?
                     No thonx!

Neil Young was a partner in one of the resurrections of the Lionel Company. I don't think he is still involved.

He has an autistic son and claimed that working on a train layout had helped his son.

Just don't get frustrated getting couplers the right height can be maddening. Be sure to get a coupler height gauge - Kadee makes a beauty and Micro-mark has a very simple design that works well.

I suggest you do a transition car for the time being. Putting Kadees on some poorly manufactured 20 year old car might be a waste of good money!

The late Tom Snyder had an extensive collection of Lionel trains. He told this story once: His father used to sell seasonal decorations to stores. They always looked at Christmas decorations on July 4th. His dad amassed a collection of Lionel trains as they were often part of the display. He continued collecting.

When he did his cable show (either MSNBC or CNBC) he had a loop of LGB trains running around the edge of the set and would run them during station break.

He was a great TV journalist and there are very few on TV today who are his equal. Too bad he smoked so much.

to Great Western: as the son of a native South Carolinian I do not understand why you should not want to use the word "Dixie." It is a generic term for the old south. whether the word is good or bad depends on context.

The L&N used the slogan "the Dixie Line"and I think maybe the NC&StL did also. There were also southern democrats in congree called Dixiecats.

If you are modelling a period prior to 1960 the word would have certainly turned up on L&N freight cars.

I was very surprised to find out that my nieces, who are now both in the University of South Carolina, had never heard the tune "Dixie."

The use of the battle flag is another issue entirely. I know that the captured Confederate battle flags that were on display in Grant's Tomb in Manhattan were removed two decades ago, ostensibly for "preservation" but in fact due to complaints of locals who felt that the Confederate flags were degrading. Some of them only recently reappeared on display. I haven't visited since they did a restoration on the tomb but I bet there are no confederate national flags - just regimental flags.

The Narrow Gauge and Short Line Gazette has had articles and pictures of passenger cars that have been shortened. I'm sure there are other articles in other publications.

The suitcase may be worth more than the HO trains.

The MDC Harriman cars have what is called a turtle roof  and if I remember correctly , they measured out about 72 feet. If your roof has a raised section, called a clerestory, They are probably the MDC Old Timer coaches.

Lannie: I too was a teacher and I remember gas at .34 cents a gallon and starting for $5400 a year (that was 1967). This was a time when you could get an Athearn box car kit for under two bucks.

Hobbies are all expensive. My neighbor's boat died this week in the middle of LI Sound - engine work will be in the area of 5 grand. Have you seen the price of fishing reels?

Golf is another expensive hobby/sport. RC airplanes are a great hobby and tend to be expensive.

Collecting wine is expensive, as mentioned above, but how about the cigar afficianados who pay $75 for a smoke?

Best bet with trains is to decide on exactly what you want and focus in on acquiring a piece at a time. Sets are nice but often you are paying for stuff you don't need or want. Part of the great attraction to model railroading is the opportunities that develop. You can learn to be a carpenter. Teaching yourself some basic electronics is a good thing. I personally found doing scenery very relaxing. Once the initial outlay is done there is plenty to do that only requires spending some time and minimal expense.

People new to the hobby want the latest engine such as a big boy, challenger and all the DCC bells and whistles. Then they find out that they have no idea what they are doing!

I think you're asking a huge question. I would imagine that the size and shape of an auto tunnel would depend on many things. I'm sure that Uncle Sam has federal standards.

Your best bet is to do some resarch but I don't see why the tunnels designed for railway use couldn't be used as is. It's your railroad and your layout!

Don't forget that a 4-4-0 is an American.

Sometimes new shirts come with clear plastic, or maybe vinyl, inserts under the collar around the neck button. These things are great for shimming in general and shimming enlarged holes in specific. There is also the old "use the sprue from a kit trick." Unfortunately many cars are now RTR and sprues are getting scarce.

I suggest that the writer check out the North West Short Line website for tools and screws. Kadee, as mentioned, is also good.

The newly formed Oyster Bay RR museum has the remains of a LIRR G-5 ten wheeler - I forget what the number is. There is another one way out on Eastern Long Island. I don't think that one is running yet.

The loco in Oyster Bay looks like a big Bowser kit. It is in parts - boiler, frame, drivers, tenders, trucks - all in red primer. They hope to get the loco up and running but money to redo the boiler is prohibitive. Adding to the problem is that, under PRR control, the steamers were run until they were almost junk. The Pennsy got every nickel they could out of them.

I'd love to see the P-7 pacific running again. Again, with all these non restored machines, the cost of boiler work, and then insurance, is astronomical.

My godfather had a basement filled with O gauge hi rail trains. It was all handlaid two rail with an ouside third rail. His Lionel GG-1 pulling a train of Madison cars left an impression on me. His Lionel NYC F-7s pulling a streamliner was also very impressive. My favorites of his were the Walthers PRR MU cars that he had converted to more resemble Long Island Railroad MU cars.

After that I was converted. A neighbor's American Flyers were very nice but they didn't have the appeal of Lionel trains even though they were two rail.

A set of Lionel trains for Christmas from my godfather was all I needed to get involved in a great hobby.

The MDC  HO Old Timer tank car was a nicely done car. It was easily converted to Hon3. I liked their Old Timer caboose - I had several and kit bashed them into all kinds of work train cars.

Best bet is for interested parties to contact Horizon.