# choo choo's train collection...



## tooter

Since there's still no layout yet, I've been collecting trains. This is everything so far...














































4 steamers, 5 diesels, 1 eloc, 2 trolleys, and 10 cabooses, 9 log cars, 3 log buggy pairs, 7 passenger cars, 8 flats, 2 gondolas, 5 hoppers, 2 cranes, 1 tank, 2 boxcars, and an assortment of very small logging, mining, and smelting rolling stock.


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## NIMT

Very impressive and diverse collection you have. I have seen some of them close up and the detail on your collection is incredible too!:thumbsup:
I bet you are so looking forward to getting a layout going so you have a home to use them on!


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## tooter

NIMT.COM said:


> Very impressive and diverse collection you have. I have seen some of them close up and the detail on your collection is incredible too!:thumbsup:
> I bet you are so looking forward to getting a layout going so you have a home to use them on!


You bet I am, Sean...

It won't be long and I'll be ready to start building the table. I still need to finish levelling the basement floor and then I'll be ready to go. I specifically acquired small odd engines and unusual modified shortened rolling stock, so every piece is out of the ordinary in one way or another. Everything can easily negotiate the really tight 10 inch radius curves which I'm planning to use in the layout.

Greg


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## tjcruiser

choo choo said:


> 4 steamers, 5 diesels, 1 eloc, 2 trolleys, and 10 cabooses, 9 log cars, 3 log buggy pairs, 7 passenger cars, 8 flats, 2 gondolas, 5 hoppers, 2 cranes, 1 tank, 2 boxcars, and ...



"... and a partridge in a pear tree!"


Wow! :thumbsup: What a collection! While we've had the treat of seeing snippets and details of this before, I'm amazed to see the collection as a whole. It's a really clever, focused, short-stuff theme, and we're all waiting with baited breath to see how this materializes in a layout.

Thanks for the "big picture" post, and do keep us updated!

TJ


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## gunrunnerjohn

Nice collection! I should do a similar thing since I still don't have a home for my platform. Soon... I hope.


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## tooter

Hi John, 

Not having a layout caused my train interest to be expressed through other outlets like building kits and modifyng rolling stock. Just got this little old fashioned highly detailed wood and metal crane kit on ebay for only $16... 










It conveys *exactly* the kind of old fashioned atmosphere I want to create in my layout. 

Greg


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## gunrunnerjohn

Well, that is certainly an "old fashioned atmosphere"!  Cool looking rig!

I keep bidding on the TMCC cranes, but they always go for more than I want to pay.


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## NIMT

You just keep coming up with them!
Your working on smaller and smaller running them on 10 inch radius curves.
I'm trying to keep around curves over 44-48 inch radius.
I still need more cars like these!


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## gunrunnerjohn

Those are unusual cars to say the least!


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## tjcruiser

Sean,

Ohhh ... "schnabel cars" ... just learned about them for the first time via a recent post in Big Ed's road train thread. Neat!

"Schnabel" ... from the Latin "Schnabelectus" ... meaning monstrous, huge, ginormous.  

TJ


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## gunrunnerjohn

Well, bit certainly applies!


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## NIMT

I've got my eye on the lookout for several Schnabel cars I'd like to get.
It's kind of like potato chips you just can't have one!
Choo Choo,
If you find me any Schnabel cars, I'll trade you for a set of super short hoppers or Tiny log cars! I have to keep a few of my little cars or my shay won't have anything to do.
I'm going to have to kit bash some other models of long cars I've seen threw the years.


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## tankist

nice 

hope you going include your latest acquisition - it were you who got set of marklin freight cars the other week, no?


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## sstlaure

NIMT.COM said:


> I've got my eye on the lookout for several Schnabel cars I'd like to get.
> It's kind of like potato chips you just can't have one!
> Choo Choo,
> If you find me any Schnabel cars, I'll trade you for a set of super short hoppers or Tiny log cars! I have to keep a few of my little cars or my shay won't have anything to do.
> I'm going to have to kit bash some other models of long cars I've seen threw the years.


I take it you've already seen these, right?

http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/405-16500

http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/405-16510

http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/405-16507

http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/405-16504


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## NIMT

Scott,
Thanks for the links, 2 of those I had not seen yet.
If you notice they are all Out of stock or Special order. Walthers has some excellent equipment when they have it. If it's Special order it means either you have to order 100's or a whole lot of people have to order it about the same time. I have gotten a few long load cars from them, But I'm always looking for more!
It's a real chore to get a collection like Choo Choo's, and I'd say he's also extremely talented to be able to detail them out so perfectly!


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## Canadian Car Knocker

Great. Another item to add to my I want it list.


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## Jamie23

Wow that is quite the collection you have, very nice


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## haphall

some closeup pics of the shorty logging cars (next to the Bachman handcar) would be nice. They look great from a distance. My eyes aren't what they used to be.


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## tjcruiser

haphall said:


> some closeup pics of the shorty logging cars (next to the Bachman handcar) would be nice. They look great from a distance. My eyes aren't what they used to be.


Hap,

I see that that's your_ first _post. OK, but you might want to also add a "hello" over in the "Introduce Yourself" thread, etc. Nice to have you onboard ... perhaps offer a little bio / introduction?

Cheers,

TJ


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## Russell

Nice photos Choo-Choo and an interesting collection. It struck me that the style of your photos, with all the cars and locos lined up in tidy precesion, is unusual just like your collection is for being soo small . Thanks. 

It will be fun to see your layout take shape.


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## concretepumper

Nice collection Choo Choo! Lets see that layout. Have you started yet?


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## tooter

Not quite yet, pumper... but I'm getting closer. 

Still levelling out the mancave floor. I'm taking it down another few inches overall to give it some more headroom. I'd like to make quicker progress, but work has kept me extremely busy. And that's *not* a complaint... because that's where train money comes from. 

Greg


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## concretepumper

Yes Greg work is a good thing! Just checking. Keep us posted.


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## tooter

haphall said:


> some closeup pics of the shorty logging cars (next to the Bachman handcar) would be nice. They look great from a distance. My eyes aren't what they used to be.


Hi hap, 

I don't have the skills to build those little guys, so I bought them from a superb builder who sells them...










However, I did scratchbuild this little flat car out of a metal crane base and an old time logging truck... 









Greg


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## mopac

I like your collection choo choo. Awesome detail work.
I also like the focus and time period of your collection.
Mine is all over the place.


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## tooter

HI bama, 

Yeah, I know whatyou mean. Many times people are all over the stuff and the bidding goes beyond a good deal. I search to find the best price from an internet store so I know what a realistic price expectation is. 

That particular crane auction happened to end in the middle of the week when less people were watching and bidding. I've gotten a few other things at pretty good prices by looking for non-weekend auctions.

Just remember... there's *always* another deal. 

Greg


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## tjcruiser

Greg,

The post by Obama649 above is spam. First poster ... one brief sentence (stolen verbatim from John up above) ... ends with a "watch TV online" link.

He's been zapped. See ya'. Gone. Outta here.

TJ


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## cabledawg

Greg, I love your collection and showed it o my wife and she giggled. I guess that means she likes it too :thumbsup:

I still havent brought myself to start cutting up good cars. The passenger cars I bought to shorten up ended up being in really good condition (one of the few times the online pics were worse than the actual product). But I've picked up a few of Anton's short cars and we're running those for now.

Out of curiosity, what do you use as a search parameter on ebay to find these small cars?


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## tooter

cabledawg said:


> Greg, I love your collection and showed it o my wife and she giggled. I guess that means she likes it too :thumbsup:
> 
> I still havent brought myself to start cutting up good cars.


Neither can I... so I only buy old cheap stuff off of ebay to cut up. I examine the pictures carefully to determine if they will lend themselves to shortening. Some are made for it, while others won't work.



> The passenger cars I bought to shorten up ended up being in really good condition (one of the few times the online pics were worse than the actual product). But I've picked up a few of Anton's short cars and we're running those for now.
> 
> Out of curiosity, what do you use as a search parameter on ebay to find these small cars?


These are my favorites... 

*Roundhouse*: They made lots of cars in the 30 footer range. Even though they're all discontinued now, there's still plenty of them up for sale.

*Old Time*, or *Old Timer*: Older era cars tend to be much shorter than newer era cars.

*Log*, or *Logging*: Tends to have specialty cars which are short.

*Mine*, or *Mining*: All sorts of little cars carry ore.

Sometimes simply entering foot numbers like: *30', 22', 20', 18', 15', 10' *will turn up shories.

Happy Hunting... 

Greg


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## cabledawg

^^^^Thanks!


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## novice

That collection is so cool - I've not seen anything like them, and really enjoy the unique things you come up with.

The kinda have me imagining a surreal layout - Ogres, and dragons and things - very cool stuff.


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## tooter

I'm planning a very unusual layout that's going to look a lot like this... 










...with *lots* of caves for dragons to lie in wait for the train to come by. 

Greg


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## novice

That is going to look so cool -can't wait to see it. I was doing something like that, but alas the layout has "morphed"


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## tooter

You can always adapt a small section at a time back to more of your liking. Remember, we're all the "train gods" of our own layouts.

Greg


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## novice

If you're interested, I have a few presents for your "dragon" layout


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## trollolol

choo choo said:


> Since there's still no layout yet, I've been collecting trains. This is everything so far...
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> 4 steamers, 5 diesels, 1 eloc, 2 trolleys, and 10 cabooses, 9 log cars, 3 log buggy pairs, 7 passenger cars, 8 flats, 2 gondolas, 5 hoppers, 2 cranes, 1 tank, 2 boxcars, and an assortment of very small logging, mining, and smelting rolling stock.


Thats a sweet collection


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## x_doug_x

I really like those log cars.


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## tooter

They're just about the most realistic cars I have. Those six are all 50+ year old Model Engineering Works log buggies. Even the logs are the ones that originally came with them. I can't wait to be running them through a mountainous logging layout... 










Greg


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## iLikeCheese

What is the purpose of those red cars? They look neat


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## tooter

Hi cheese, 

They were made from 50+ year old all diecast metal twin truck logging caboose kits... 










I left the cupola off of one to use it as a logging work crew car.

Greg


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## iLikeCheese

Stubby cars look cooler than the normal long ones, just a preference.


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## tooter

My preference too. 

This is a little train made up from all the cars I cut into shortys... 





 
Greg


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## tankist

wife loved your videos


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## tjcruiser

Watch it, Anton ...

Your wife is starting to drool over another man's goods!


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## tooter

Don't worry, Anton... 

...there's absolutely *nothing* about me that's droolworthy.


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## tankist

ha, for a second you guys you thought she is into trains at all. lol. well, she isn't. 

with that i must say i'm in love with your BR 98.3 , choo. remind me, is your roco or trix? if the opportunity arises i will definitively get one for myself. so yeah, if you some say happen to invite me watch closely at that one , lol.

Hey tank, 

What's a BR 98.3? Sounds like a radio station.

Greg


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## tjcruiser

There's that Abbot and Costello "Who's On First?" routine, again. I'm so confused!?!?!



TJ


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## tankist

BR 98 is a locomotive family. 98.3 is this one: http://www.roco.com/products/Roco/63230.aspx


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## tooter

Ok.  thanks for the explanation, tank.
I never know the technical names because to me it's just a cute little engine. 

One of those just sold last week in an ebay auction for $100 which was a pretty decent deal. It was all black with a red undercarriage and wheels. They show up every once in a while. I got an all green one for $165 new from Eurolokshop.com because I liked the color better, but now it seems they discontinued that model because it doesn't show up any more. I think it's because the black and red ones were more popular and sold more. European modela are slightly different. Their green ones have a red undercarriage.

Found a guy who put actually lights and sound in one...





 
Hey tank, if you're still looking, try German ebay. It has 85 glaskastens up for sale. Roco's, Trix's, and Marklins. 

Greg


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## Artieiii

BR 98.3 sounds like a low grade fever HaHa.
-Art


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