Well... sort of! The past two weeks I've been on a mission to commence clearing out all my non-S scale model RR stuff, as well as other non-model RR hobby junk. All of this so I can do two things: * Free up SPACE by reducing clutter. * Generate some hobby cash. My clutter had gotten so bad I couldn't even SEE the top of my layout! Plus, other hobby crap was spilling over into the room and closet space as well. As of today, I have sold off enough stuff to clear up meaningful closet space, which has allowed me to move S scale stuff stacked on the layout into the closet shelves where it belongs. THIS means I can see some of my layout again!!! As proof I offer a couple of pics taken just a few minutes ago. I have even included a Frisco engine in the pic! (Forgive me for the CB&Q switcher... I still haven't got anything appropriately lettered for the Frisco yet.) My goal is to have my junk under control so that when the days start getting shorter and the nights longer... I am ready to go back to work on the layout. Sooooo.. the West Bottoms are coming back to life! Andre Ming
andre, if you ever get a chance to look at a book called trackside around st. louis 1952-1959 on page 83 there is a nice picture of a frisco nw2 #253 dated sept 4 1960 its black and yellow
It's all good- I like the Q. The town I was born in Nebraska was on a CB&Q branch than came north out of Wymore, 15 miles south. And Wymore was where my mother was born.
Well thank'ya... thank'ya... thank'ya vury much. I don't know why this little layout has been so slow in coming along. In the past, I worked like a trojan to get a layout up and functional... then would kick back and began to enjoy the fruits of my labor: Operation. Not so this one. Seems like things come along at a agonizingly slow pace. I think part of it is because this one is to go DCC... and I don't know a thing about DCC yet. Plus, DCC complicates the wiring at the switches (isolated frogs/etc). I already have the system: NCE Radio. Just haven't applied myself to install/learn it yet. Procrastination. ALSO: Bear in mind ye fellow Phriscophiles that this layout will NOT be a Frisco layout per se. No doubt in my mind that the Frisco will have a heavy presence, BUT, I'm leaning more and more toward making the primary road my own proto-lanced Kansas City & Gulf. Doing so frees me up to move in a path of least resistance. Odd though, my thoughts run along the lines of getting some Frisco equipment painted/decaled/weathered FIRST instead of some KC&G equipment. Soooo... what does THAT tell us? HmmmMMMMM???? Okay enough of this drivel. It's off to church... then to Mom's place in Mulberry, AR... then back home to Poteau... then... you get the idea. I'll check in later tonight! Andre
Andre, for any issues about the NCE, help is nearby. There is a beautiful Milwaukee layout in Inola, using NCE; I've operated there. There's a vendor in Eureka Springs and other users in Tulsa. I'm still hoping to meet you and discuss Fort Smith operations. I got a tip the other night from a KC modeler about backdrop buildings that might work for the West Bottoms, but haven't checked it out yet. (Perhaps it has been discussed on the group, but I've been off for a few weeks.)
It's ALIIIIVE!!!! Getting home from Mulberry and getting my shower out of the way... I sat down and (gulp) opened the NCE box. This being my first foray into DCC, I have procrastinated this for waaaay too long. Anyhoo... followed the instructions... set up the system (sans R/C for now)... hooked up a test track... set my SHS NW-2 DCC w/Tsnami in it... hit the Big Button and... Presto! It lives! It sounds GREAT revving and moving slowly back and forth on the test track. I know... I have a LOT to learn about DCC... and I still need to hook up and test the R/C side of the system... BUT... I've at least started the process! Life is good. Andre
LOL it is a small world. I was in Mulberry yesterday on the way back from a party. I go to school in Alma,AR Do you know if/about Dave's Hobbies & Collectibles reopening in Mulberry they used to be on Main street in Van Buren. I wish to know what happened to them. I hope your DCC system works good. I plan on getting a good system for my HO but the closest hobby shop I now know of are in Down town Fort Smith & south of Fayetteville. Your layout looks pretty nice by the way. I have to set up mine at my Grandparent's place. Not enough room in our house Ship it on the Frisco!!! Murphy Millican
There's a hobby shop in Ft. Smith? I hadn't seen one since the Golden Spike closed when Dave McDonald retired. I'm somewhat familiar with Ft. Smith- whereabouts is this hobby shop located? I live only an hour from there, and I have a daughter and granddaughter down in Huntington I visit from time to time.
Same question: There's a hobby shop in Ft. Smith? The only "hobby oriented" shop that I can readily think of is Hobbytown USA. Pretty slim picken's there in regards to model railroad stuff. Shame "Tractive Effort" closed in Fayetteville. Wonderful selection, friendly owners. Andre
There was one in one of the downtown buildings off Garrison two years ago. It is closed now. I was unforchanetly was refering to Hobbytown USA. It is sorta ok If your into HO scale. Mostly what I got was Accurail & Athearn kits. I also got the Athearn Frisco Ex-Santa Fe caboose there(my best find). They were clearing out most of their model stuff a while back anyway. Looks like it may be a bit of a drive for some stuff now. I may have to turn to ebay if gas gose way back up Hope a closer shop will open. Tractive Effort had alot of their stuff for sell at the Model train show in Fayetteville last spring. I got an RS-1 and a NEO caboose. I got my first "train set" at Tractive effort when I was 10 My grandparents got my it. It was a group of Frisco Athearn kits & a loop of track. I still have it today but I don't run it often. An orange & White train set dosn't seem to fit into my Transition era layout(lol). I hope Dave's Hobbies & Collectibles will reopen still Ship it on the Frisco!!! Murphy Millican
"Off topic, is 18th Street Station still open in Fayetteville?" Yes, last I was through there it was. I have not patronized that shop since the last visit some years ago. Me thinks the two owners have been in the train hobby business WAAAAAY too long and now hate every minute of it. Andre Ming
After listening to this, I'm missing Dave McDonald more & more..............he was the guy that helped me really get going in the hobby after I graduated from medical technology school back in 1980.
Dave McDonald is my most long-term friend. I've known Dave since I bopped into his fledling (at the time) hobby shop "The Golden Spike" back in about April of 1969. Dave, Shirley and the girls are like family. Many are the times we've visted with them at their home and they likewise at our place. Even his train-crazy grandson Christopher has become like one of our own. He's a great kid. I get the pleasure of working with Dave during the winter, for Dave is a volunteer "Conductor" on the A&M's passenger train. Dave often draws duty on the same winter train I run. On one trip, some strings were pulled and Christopher was allowed to ride in the cab with me the entire trip. He sat through the entire trip almost silent (which is NOT like Christopher!). When we pulled into the depot to wrap up the trip... he said with awe in his voice: "This is the best job in the world!" Dave is not only one of my closest friends, but is truly a Gentleman that I respect and admire deeply. Andre Ming
As one of Dave's friends and longtime customers, I couldn't agree more. It's good to know he's keeping busy- I'll have to make a trip to that area to ride the A&M and say hello to him. I credit Dave for really getting me started in the hobby as my first train pusher, and every time I got to Ft. Smith until he retired, I'd make a trip to his shop.
Andre, I´ve been going back reading older threads before I registered at Frisco.org and came across your Return! I haven´t made the plunge into Proto 48 O scale yet. I need to sell off a couple of HO brass models and some books to generate cash for my proposed terminal switching pike along my 18 foot long livingroom wall. I am still doing a feasability study as to which best fits my plans best. I still haven´t ruled out S scale though the O scale Model Railroader project layout, the Pioneer Valley, has inspired me to consider modeling in O scale albeit a change of location would be in order from New England to a lazy Oklahoma tank town. I went to Google and typed in "Pioneer Valley O scale layout" and it provided me with a site with additional photos of this layout and it still interests me to the point of modeling in Proto 48 O scale. There are some beautiful brass kits manufactured in the UK (A stones throw from Germany...no V2 rockets of course!) of diesels that the Frisco rostered and a few neat TTX flat car kits as well! The older real wood craftsman kits that Quality Craft and LaBelle manufacturered are equally neat. The LaBelle wood WWI era passenger cars would make beautiful MOW cars! I am even looking for the Max Grey or Hallmark O scale brass "wood" T&P sidedoor caboose for my freelanced KAW! A Rich Yoder 44 tonner might be prototypical for a Frisco, though I need to do more research on this one. At any rate, I am still leaning towards Proto 48 O scale now especially since flex-track is being made available! I still admire your HO KC&G models and the S scale Frisco switchers though. They aren´t just models but true works of art! That said, please forgive me if I do decide to model in O scale! You should look at Athearn´s Rock Island Ford C Box Van in 1:50 scale. Now if we can gettem to do a Frisco...assuming the SL-SF had any? I even picked up the Rio Grande box van in 1:50. I had considered freelancing a freelanced railroad, Bill McClanahan´s Texas & Rio Grande Western. It was a 1950s built HO layout in his Dallas attic. Even got the 1931 Ford Model A pick-up with the Grande´s "toilet seat" herald...The late great Miss Bobbye Hall wouldda said "Cute!" My freelanced terminal switching pike might still see a T&RGW switcher in the midst of some Frisco power. It would be a "lest we forget" model, to honor Bill! Joe Toth
