What model railroad products are you wishing for this Christmas?

[Rick McClellan]

I start off the thread by saying that I asked for decoders. My well-intentioned wife has no background for this sort of thing so I ordered and received them about two weeks ago. Some are already in their locomotives. She is more than happy to be the railroad financier and I am more than willing to let her do that.

BTW she received her Christmas present early too. She is in skool now learning about interior and floral design. She needed a digital camera to facilitate her studies so she got it early.

That's the great thing about being an adult. As a child, Christmas comes once a year. As an adult, it comes whenever we want/can afford it.

What are you asking for this Christmas?

[FriscoGeorge]

I start off the thread by saying that I asked for decoders. My well-intentioned wife has no background for this sort of thing so I ordered and received them about two weeks ago. Some are already in their locomotives. She is more than happy to be the railroad financier and I am more than willing to let her do that.

BTW she received her Christmas present early too. She is in skool now learning about interior and floral design. She needed a digital camera to facilitate her studies so she got it early.

That's the great thing about being an adult. As a child, Christmas comes once a year. As an adult, it comes whenever we want/can afford it.

What are you asking for this Christmas?

Maybe you should have asked for a dictionary, you spelled school wrong, Just kidding Rick!

[klrwhizkid]

Last fall I asked my wife, Elise, what she wanted for Christmas. She came up with a couple small items. I told her that wasn't much - what did she really want for Christmas. She then said what she really wanted for Christmas was for me to clear out the area of the basement that I had been saving for a model railroad and start building it.

Here we are a year later and her wish is still in progress. Asked again this year she stated that her big wish is for me to continue (I think mostly because when I'm in the basement, I'm out of her hair).

My selfish wish for Christmas is for her to bear with my monetary expenditures to support the enterprise (mostly infrastructure, I'm in pretty good shape in the rolling stock and locomotive departments).

My real wish is that everyone have a most blessed Christmas, full of good cheer, friends and family and joy and thankfulness for the real reason for the season - the gift of our Lord and Savior.

[Sirfoldalot]

My real wish is that everyone have a most blessed Christmas, full of good cheer, friends and family and joy and thankfulness for the real reason for the season - the gift of our Lord and Savior.

I ditto that PLUS one of the best gifts from above: Good Health.

[Karl]

Class Engine 4500, all decked-out in her Zephyr blue livery and with the red Meteor splashed across the tender, should be appearing shortly.

[bob_wintle]

Being an old kid I too look forward to Christmas but being a young at mind adult I agree with Rick Christmas comes many times a year. The only thing I need this year is to go back to work. Being laid off is not much fun. What I want for Christmas is good health for all my friends and the possibility of making more friends. God Bless you all and I hope that you enjoy this Holiday Season with family and friends.
Bob Wintle
Jolly Fatman
Parsons, Ks.

[Rick McClellan]

Class Engine 4500, all decked-out in her Zephyr blue livery and with the red Meteor splashed across the tender, should be appearing shortly.

Hey if this wish comes true, you have to bring it to my layout and run it!

[rcmck]

Rick's point is right on: as adults, we give ourselves gifts, from time to time, when they are affordable. My gifts are sitting in boxes on the top shelf of the bookcase in my office at the house. A nice caboose kit that needs to be put together - three accurail kits - all purchased this year - I can't complain - just need to make time to work on them.

I would like to echo Keith's remark about the reason for the season. Christmas music on two local FM radio stations, starting November 1st - seems too early! Then, there's "Black Friday" and people with a border-line obsession about getting that "good deal". And as we approach Christmas, people will become frantic, cranky, pushy, etc., as the seasonal stress sets in. The reason seems far removed from the season, at times.

Health is right up there too: I've been able to stay active in Scouting and enjoy a clean bill of health (a blessing, but also a great deal of work for an hour each day at the gymn).

Okay, so what's my final answer for the Christmas wish list?

A wonderful day of work, relaxation, learning, fun and the gift of meeting new Frisco friends at Rick's Northern Division on the 19th of this month.
Would like to receive the gift of giving more frequently - Christmas is all year in the grown-up world - right?
Throw in a ditto for birthdays, as well - why not celebrate people's lives all the time?
The gift of renewed excitement, in a youthful way, for life and the freedom we have to enjoy hobbies like model railroading, railfanning, rail history, and the overall fun we share with each other in this brotherhood of rail enthusiasts.
The gift of children and young people - they are a wonderful gift - considering they are our future "gift givers". Ethan - I am looking forward to meeting you soon!
So, this is pretty much it. The tangible gifts continue to arrive all year round. The intangible ones are special and priceless - a cause for celebration!

Oh yes - one more wish - a cookbook with recipes including peanut butter, so that our dear friend Rick receives some variation in his diet!

And finally, a very warm wish, for all of you, that hope, joy, love, and peace increase and abound in your hearts this season and all!

Bob
Lenexa, KS

[meteor910]

Then, there's "Black Friday" and people with a border-line obsession about getting that "good deal".

And finally, a very warm wish, for all of you, that hope, joy, love, and peace increase and abound in your hearts this season and all!

Bob
Lenexa, KS

I'll add some real-world evidence to what Bob is saying above. Son Kurt runs the Best Buy store in Olathe, KS - at 119th & I-35. For "Black Friday" (so named because the lore is that retail stores finally make it into the black ink on this day - the Friday after Thanksgiving), he had to be at the store at 4:30 am to get ready for the mob at 6:00am when the doors opened. When he got back home that night, I asked how big the 6am crowd was - I was astounded when he told me they counted them ..... 2000 people! Good grief!

I'll add my Christmas holiday good wishes as well to all in frisco.org, and for a wonderful 2010 as well. Over Thanksgiving, Caroline and I learned that the baby Kurt and Jennifer are going to have in April will be a second little girl, so that will be our best gift!

Ken

ps - And ..... all you folks in the KC and Johnson Cy Kansas area ..... go spend some big bucks at the Olathe Best Buy! Ask for Kurt. They have a lot of neat adult toys there.

[Iantha_Branch]

What are you asking for this Christmas?

An Atlas Lumber industry building, 2 Athearn Frisco 60' Lumber cars and a Athearn caboose.
I see all these post about you guise getting Cristmas when you want it. Well, since my parents don't know much about the hobby, and I want train stuff for B day and Christmas, I pick it out ahead of time, and I get it on that day. I already know I'm getting a 2-8-2 on the 13th for my B day, and the stuff listed above as part of christmas. The last thing on my list is a B day/ christmas for me. An op session on Rick's layout. I can't wait to get there and see some friends i haven't seen since convention (exept for Bob, saw him at joplin train show), as well as make some new friends.

Frisco.org's curently yungest member signing off.

[Boomer John]

I learned early not to ask for model railroad equipment for Christmas. Not unless you want to own a Tyco Chromed Alco 630 lettered Santa Fe, and thus inquiries why you never take it out of the box.

John

[Iantha_Branch]

I learned early not to ask for model railroad equipment for Christmas.

Tonight I learned that solder stays hot, even after leaving the iron and falling 6"...

[bob_wintle]

Ethan:
I am sorry but I had to chuckle when I read your last post. It reminded me of the time I learned that very same lesson all those years ago. I know I have stated this on here before but for your sake I will do it again. Never ever do your soldering in shorts. You will learn to regret that also.
Keep up the good work there are alot of guys here on this site that are rooting for you and very proud to see what you are accomplishing. See you in a week. Happy Holidays.
Bob Wintle

[DanHyde]

U.S.A. Trains 2009 Christmas car to add to the Christmas train.
A very Merry Christmas to all, and lets pray for a more sane 2010!
Dan:)

[Iantha_Branch]

O, I was wering jeans alright. I was working on soldering a feader to the bus. Some how a blob of solder got out from behing the wire and droped. Luckly the human eye can blink faster than falling solder so I guess I was lucky that is hit my eye lid, and not my eye ball.

[HWB]

I learned early not to ask for model railroad equipment for Christmas. Not unless you want to own a Tyco Chromed Alco 630 lettered Santa Fe, and thus inquiries why you never take it out of the box.

John

learned that lesson myself. I find it best to keep the hobby wishes in the basement. Ask for clothes and then spend the money you would have spent on socks and underware on those hobby needs. I have a closet full of clothes I never wear and a basement full of trains I use all the the time. Works for me:)

[Charlie Dix]

Since the question was;


What model railroad products are you wishing for this Christmas?

I will say that I would like to see a set of N Scale boxcars in Quanah, Acme & Pacific livery. A set of six from someone like Intermountain or Micro-Trains would sure be nice.

http://www.frisco.org/vb/images/icons/smilehat.gif... not holding my breath.

Merry Christmas.

Charlie

[meteor910]

I would like to see Atlas do their very nice HO ALCo S2 model in Frisco colors, with the correct RR Roman lettering.

Ken

[Iantha_Branch]

I would like to see GP38-2's with sound and DCC for $100 with all prototypecal details installed. Give me an Oxygen mask, I might be holding my breath for a while. :cool:

[TAG1014]

While were wishing, I'd like an N scale four-unit lash-up of Hi-Hood U-25B's in original black and yellow! You HO'ers could probably do with some of those also huh?

Tom

[pbender]

While were wishing, I'd like an N scale four-unit lash-up of Hi-Hood U-25B's in original black and yellow! You HO'ers could probably do with some of those also huh?

I'd like to see those as well, but something tells me when we do it will be brass... Unfortunately, the HH U25Bs were very few in number, and basically Unique to Frisco.... (I know, there were UP versions as well, but, if i recall correctly, they were slightly different than the Frisco version...)

Paul

[meteor910]

Does anybody know (I don't), were SLSF 800-803 and SLSF 804-807 identical?

800-803 were purchased new from GE in late 1961. 804-807 were originally a set of GE U25b demonstrators that were built new in early 1961 as GE 753-756. After they toured arond the country for almost a year, they were purchased from GE by the SLSF in late 1961, along with the four new units.

Were these year-old demonstrators the same as the new bunch the Frisco bought?

Ken

[Iantha_Branch]

My guess is yes. It would make since if they were if they were made at the same time.

[meteor910]

My guess is yes. It would make since if they were if they were made at the same time.

That's ther point of my question: they weren't made at the same time - they were manufactured roughly a year apart.

Ken

[Karl]

The articles in Diesel Era, Sept/Oct 1996 and a two-part Greg McDonnell article in the Aug/Sept 1982 issue of TRAINS do not detail any carbody (or otherwise) details between the two sets of units. They are listed as phase Ib. Of course that doesn't necessarily mean anything.

[meteor910]

Thanks Karl. I figured since the two series of SLSF hi-nose U25b's were built many months apart during the time the design was still under development, there might be some differences. Looking at pictures, however, I don't see any so far.

Ken