To give an idea of size, the first phase of the Trainbarn will be about 45' X 60' (14m X 18.6m), and the second planned phase will be to double this size.
From the carpark shown in the last post you'll enter the building via a wooden verandah. The entry area will have the feeling of an American Train Depot, or in Oz we would call it a station ticket office. There'll be a ticket counter, train arrival/departures board on the wall and a pot belly stove in the corner. From here you'll enter the area containing all the train displays and layouts.
The overall idea is that as you move through the museum you'll start with the very early American trains, progressing through the various distinct eras, and you'll leave after seeing the Postwar era, up until 1969, or thereabouts. Of course Toy Trains didn't suddenly cease to exist in 1969, far from it, but that's the limit of what I want to try and display in this building.
Some collectors are happy to display different eras and different manufacturers together on the one layout, and that's fine, but I like to keep them seperate so that the evolution of toy trains and the different approaches taken by different manufacturers can be clearly seen.
The first layout that will catch your attention will be displaying various toy trains that would have been available in the U.S. up until the early 1920's. The centrepiece will be a replica of Lionel's very first train, the no. 200 Wood Gondola, running on track of 2 7/8" gauge. These were not actually made as trains, they were intended as store displays, but everyone wanted to buy the 'train', not what was being displayed in them! Very few were made, and perhaps only a dozen still exist, hence the need to run a replica! (Superbly made by MTH Trains. Equally nice replicas are also available from JLM Trains.)
On this layout, which will be 10' X 15' (3 X 4.5m) and covered with green indoor/ outdoor carpet beloved by toy train enthusiasts, will also be loops of 0 and Standard gauge track, displaying the earliest trains and trolleys made by Lionel around WWI. What is Standard Gauge, you might ask? In 1906 Lionel introduced a brand new size and style of Toy Train to replace the 2 7/8" gauge ones. The track gauge was 2 1/8"(from inside railhead to inside railhead), which didn't match anything presently being made by anyone else. They were so proud of these trains they called them, rather grandiously, the "Standard of the World", and it is this name that they came to be known by. Ives, American Flyer and others eventually used 2 1/8" gauge also, but chose to call their trains Wide Gauge.
This layout was inspired by the American layout of a famous collector in California, the late Ward Kimball, and was featured in Classic Toy Trains magazine in October 1990.
Another 'popular' size of trains in this era was 2 inch gauge, made by companies like Carlisle and Finch, Voltamp and Knapp. The style of track was similar to the Lionel 2 7/8" track, but a slightly narrower gauge. I'd love to have a loop of this track also and some trains to run on it, but they're not easy to find these days, of course! The trains that will be displayed on this layout will depend very much on my collecting fortunes! Although I have a very good idea of what I'd like, they are certainly not easy to find.
Adjacent to this layout will be a large display in the style of an old shop window, showing a timeline type of display of American Toy Trains from the earliest days, up until the start of WW2, after which the style of toy trains changed considerably.
The next layout that you'll see is a large Lionel Standard Gauge setup, 24' X 16', showing trains from what is called the Classic era of Standard gauge. These trains are brightly coloured, with lots of brass, and very loud in operation. Bells ring and lights flash, creating a spectacle that kids of all ages enjoy! These trains are just so much fun! Here is an example of what I'd like to achieve, built by a collector in the U.S.
You can see more about this collector's layouts at The Great Train Room
There will also be a small 0 gauge layout here, 10' X 10' (3m X 3m) which already exists, but is currently stored elsewhere. Eventually it will display Prewar era 0 gauge trains by Lionel, but prior to building the extension to the Trainbarn I am going to use it to show some of the trains built by Lionel after WW2. These were different in character, with much greater use of plastics, and were extremely popular in the U.S.
Well, that's just a brief overview of what I hope to achieve! There will be a lot more to see as well, and it will be constantly evolving. See you there one day!
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