Lone Star Revisited

Quite some time ago I wrote about my small collection of Lone Star Locos, which were the first toy trains that I had, at about the age of two or three.  At the time I last wrote I couldn't find everything I had, but with the Trainbarn now usable (though not finished) I've had a chance to sort out a lot of boxes and now my Lone Star collection is all together.

 Just to recap, Lone Star Locos were made by a British company- DCMT- in the late 50's/early 60's and are push-along in 000 gauge.  Think a much smaller BRIO made of die-cast zinc and very detailed.  000 gauge subsequently became the very popular N gauge.

I've probably made a big mistake, but I decided to set up a bit of a display in the entry area of the 'barn, even though there's still a lot of work to do, as the Lone Star trains were where my hobby started, and now I've progressed from a 2' by 3' plywood board to my fantastic, spacious Trainbarn!

I quickly discovered that I need two of everything- one for display (preferably with box) and one to put on the layout.  It was also quickly obvious which of the models I don't have, or which are too playworn to display.  I have already addressed the missing model situation!  I can vividly remember being captivated by the display of Lone Star in Tim the Toyman's shop in Melbourne's Chadstone shopping centre, which was near where I grew up.  In those days you only received a gift for birthdays and Christmas, if you were lucky, never getting something for no reason on a routine shopping trip.  My childhood collection therefore was quite small, and so I find it absolutely incredible that sixty something years later one can still buy these things easily in mint-boxed condition, and now I virtually have them all!

It was absolutely super fun getting everything out of storage and creating this small display, something I expect to repeat many times over with my various other collections.  Was it worth the sixty year wait?  Something to think about...........

I also had great fun installing an old hutch that had belonged to my parents, and starting to fill it up with other bits of my collection.  Not everything that I've got will be able to be on display at the same time, but it is extremely satisfying getting things out of their storage boxes at long last and getting lots of enjoyment from them.

If you are reading this and you remember having Lone Star Locos as a child I'd be very pleased to hear from you.  Feel free to write a 'comment'.

Maps

I really enjoy looking at maps.  Although I admit there are times that I wish I had a GPS, or that I've appreciated having a GPS, I'm definitely a map person.  I can happily look at a map for long periods of time imagining what it would be like to drive along that road, or ride that railway line, or what that town might be like to visit.

My son-in-law grew up in a small town in Missouri, USA, and when he and my daughter where visiting there recently, and mentioning various town-names, I thought to myself that I need to get a detailed map so that I can see where they are.  Coincidentally one of my favorite railroads in the US is the Missouri Pacific Railroad, headquartered in St Louis, Missouri.  So, after a short search on ebay I found this really cool map of the Missouri Pacific's network, dated 1927, which filled the bill perfectly.

When it arrived I found that it was printed on extremely thin paper, though was in excellent condition, which made me wonder how it had survived so well.  Anyway, rather than frame it as it was I chose to have it scanned and printed by our local, very capable print-shop.  They did a fantastic job.   Then it was off to the framers, half a world away, who also did a really excellent job.  

Many of Missouri Pacific's top passenger trains back in the day were called such-and-such Eagle.  They carried a really striking livery of blue and silver, with silver wings across the front of the locomotives, usually EMD E or F units, or Alco PAs.  For me, they were some of the most attractive diesel locomotive liveries of all time, and so in choosing a mount and frame for the map I went the blue and silver route.  I couldn't be more happy with the result!

I'll be back home again in a few day's time and will look forward to finding a special place in the 'barn to hang this superb map.  As always I'm impatient to do it, but maps remind me that it's not about the destination, it's the journey getting there that is the most important.  Getting there can be good though, too.

More time required

It seems that no matter how much time I have at home doing things, I always need another month!  I suppose it's better that way than to be bored.  Anyway, I've certainly achieved my objectives for the month, and am very happy indeed with the progress.

Here's a picture of the Trainbarn exterior, though the only difference is that now we have a chimney!

While there is definitely more to do in the entry area, I am really happy with how it looks now!  I've even put a couple of items up on the walls, perhaps a bit prematurely, but that's something I really like to do!

Long-term readers of this blog may recall that I wrote a post quite some time ago entitled 'The First Piece', regarding the mill-work given to me by our builders, left over from another job.  Well here it is, fully installed and painted, and I think it is a really significant feature of the interior!  I'm not sure that I would've thought of doing this if I'd had to buy the mill-work, but I think it looks stunning!!

And here's the fully-installed pot-belly, and the entrance to my office/ workshop.  The beam supporting the ceiling will be clad with timber panelling too, and then used to display my collection of US railroad porcelain signs.

It's the most beautiful weather here at the moment and the grass is growing quickly, so some time spent on the John Deere is now required!  It's been a fantastic month though!!  Just too short.........

Pot Belly

After a break away from home to continue the supply of food and pay the bills, I'm back with a vengeance!  My hope for this month is to pretty much finish the entry area to the Trainbarn.  In the last week I have started lining the walls, painting the ceiling, and most obviously, installed the pot-belly stove in it's corner.  I'm really happy with how it's going, and how it looks.  The plumbers are coming later in the week to install the chimney, which should be straightforward.  I'll have to give it a ceremonial 'first fire', although daytime temperatures are in the high twenties, so added heat is completely redundant!

I have chosen to install some of the woodgrain vinyl 'tiles' under the hearth to avoid having to butt them up to the edge.  They went down really easily and I'm looking forward to doing the rest at a later date.

I have also made the choice to install plywood on the bottom part of the wall to provide an even surface on which to mount the tongue and groove tassie oak wall panelling.

Ok, I better get back into it!!

Spot the difference

Another month is drawing to a close and it has been a very successful one!  The wallboard is now finished in the main area of the Trainbarn, so that 'just' leaves the painting and installation of the skirting and chair-rail.  I trialled the colours that I had chosen on the now-finished wall and immediately realised that the dark colour that I had chosen for the wallboard was way too bold and, well, dark.  Good to discover that now!  So I'm going to try a colour which will be very similar to what the wallboards are painted now.

Also the ceiling of the entry area is finished, though awaiting painting.

Another shot of the now-completed main area.

So, all in all great progress! It is so exciting to see it all 'coming together'!  Not too long now before I can start 'playing trains'!!

Trains 'n Trams

I celebrated a significant birthday on the weekend and was very pleased indeed to receive a superb Darstaed O gauge Engine Shed as a gift.  These are based on the pre-war Hornby sheds, but with some improvements.  They are also modular, so that they can be extended length-wise, as long as you need.

This shed will eventually go on my British O gauge layout in the Trainbarn.  This layout will primarily be using recently produced 'coarse' scale equipment produced by companies such as Darstaed, ACE London, WJVintage and ETS.  Just possibly if all this fantastic gear was around a few years ago I might have been tempted to stick with British trains, forgoing some of the US trains, but it wasn't.

This layout, like all my layouts, will be heaps of fun to build!

Also on the weekend, as part of the celebrations, we visited the Brisbane Tramway Museum, and had a really nice picnic in the very well maintained grounds.  And of course some tram rides, on their short track.  Lots of fun!

Plastered

The progress of the last few days has more than made up for the quiet time last month.  Our builders have been installing all the plasterboard in the main display area of the Trainbarn, and as expected it has made a huge difference!  I took some snapshots, though the lighting is difficult.  Anyway, they serve as a great record of the progress.

The main area looking towards the far end.

Looking the other way, towards the entryway.

Looking towards the front wall.  The large Standard Gauge layout table will be in this area.

I really like the angled 'portal-frame' ceiling, it makes the whole area seem more spacious than a flat ceiling would have.  It was no harder to do, just different trusses.  You can see that I still need to do quite a lot of the wallboard below the plaster!  Next week the plasterer will come to start the massive job of filling and smoothing off all the joins.  Not a job that I particularly envy!!  Ok, then I'm left with the equally massive job of painting!!

Not long now before trains can become the focus, rather than building.

First of August

It's been a while since the last post, as I've been away with work.  Little or no progress at the 'barn, although all the plasterboard and insulation have been delivered ready to finish-off the main area.  Over to the builders now!  

What is significant about today- the first day of August- is that it was 25 years ago on this day that we 'settled' on the purchase of this piece of land!  The story about how we came to buy this block is a long and rather amazing one, too long to re-tell here.  Suffice to say we are still absolutely thrilled that we can be the custodians of this block for a period of time.

We actually came up for a weekend prior to settlement, as at the time we were just about to head off as a family on a big adventure.  We needed somewhere to store a few of the 'treasures' that I had accumulated over the years and so we obtained permission from the (absent) owners to visit and drop off some things a couple of weeks before taking ownership.

Here are some photos from an old 'sticky' album of that visit, the very first time.  I brought a little mower and mowed a small patch by the front dam, and we set up our old tent for the girls to play and rest in.

The road is in the background.  Our youngest daughter, seen here on the rug, is of course now 25!

The two older girls sitting on the dam wall.  On the trailer is a 2 foot gauge Cane Inspectors 'car', which I regret to report remains unrestored.

For comparison, here are a couple of more recent photos of this front area.

There is still a lot of work to do on this front area before it's a fitting entry to the Trainbarn.  Getting there though!  The area at the back/top of the property where we now live was utterly inaccessible at this early stage.  It was only quite a while later that we ventured into 'the bush' and discovered the beautiful ridge where our cottage now stands.

The 'Title Deeds' for land now are boring computer printouts, but we were fortunate when we bought this block that a reasonably old 'proper' title was bestowed on us at settlement.  It only dates from 1941, so an earlier one must have existed, perhaps prior to the block being divided up from something much bigger.  We subsequently bought the block next door as well, when it came up for sale.

This now hangs proudly in my office, hence the window reflection. 

This property- 'The Land' as it used to be known, has been and is a fantastic blessing to us as a family.  For me it is absolutely a dream come true, as I had always wanted to do this sort of thing since I was a child.  Now I'm a bigger child, playing with bigger toys!!  Long may it continue!

Main display area

Lots of great progress lately!  The workshop/office area of the Trainbarn is now almost completely finished, with half of my home-made shelves ready to use.  This has allowed me to get most of my trains etc out of storage and sort them out.  It's been like Christmas!  A few things yet that I haven't 'found', though they must be somewhere.

Today was a significant day as I have started work on the completion of the huge main display area.  Some bracing ply needed to be put up, which is now done, but much more excitingly the first four sheets of the V-joint wallboard is now up!

 The ceremonial 'First Sheet'!!

I've calculated that I'll need fifty-five 1200mm sheets, but it was really exciting to get the first one up!!  It's probably not necessary but I've chosen to paint the bottom edge with undercoat to better resist any moisture problems in the future.  These are internal walls, but they do recommend painting the backs of the boards for the external walls, which I'll do when I come to that.  I'm very happy with how well they went up, it's not going to be too big a job.  Famous last words.

With the top edge height of the wallboard established we can go ahead soon with the plasterboard on the remainder of the walls and ceiling.  Now that will be really exciting!

A visit

There was a small old car/machinery swapmeet near us yesterday, the first of hopefully many to come.  After that I had a visit from a good friend in his 1951 Citroën Light 15 Traction Avant, inspecting the progress on my Trainbarn.  I really enjoy visitors, for me that's what all the hard work is about. It certainly is my hope that once the 'barn is more 'finished' that groups of people, such as old car clubs, will enjoy visiting it while they're in the area.  The roads and general scenery around our area are absolutely perfect for old cars to amble around on, perhaps visiting one or more of our excellent wineries along the way.

No trains set-up or running yet, of course, but some good progress in my new workshop/office, with the new shelves becoming ever more full.

It's been great moving stuff out of storage and making it usable again after quite a few years.  Finding a few things I'd forgotten about and generally enjoying some sense of order again!  Still lots more to go, as always, but great progress.

There's also a new little kitchenette for making smoko!

I couldn't resist a small display in one of the top shelves, some 1: 18 scale Citroëns.

A start has been made on the big storage shelves along the back wall, and these will come together quickly, hopefully finished by the end of the week.  It's certainly great to have the time to get all this done!

 

Much progress

It's been quite a while since the last update, but things have been anything but idle, with some really good progress on our Trainbarn.  With the completion of all the wiring we're now able to start sheeting the walls, and the first area completed is the workshop/ storage area at the end of the 'barn.  A tradesman plasterer did all the plasterwork, but I've done pretty much everything else, which has taken up an awful lot of time!  Really great to see it completed though!

Today the carpet went down, and I'm really happy with it!  I had a sample of a carpet that I really liked, but of course it was no longer available.  I made the choice of this carpet from a very small sample, but I'm very pleased with it and I'll use the same carpet in the main display area.

I still need to install the architrave around the windows.  Our local builder's supplies doesn't stock Tassie Oak, so I'm waiting until the end of the week to buy it down in Brisbane.  The long bare wall opposite the windows will be mostly large shelves to hold the various trains and accessories not currently on display in the main area.  It's going to be really exciting sorting everything out!  For many years I've been buying trains here and there and storing them away relatively safely, but in no particular order.  It will be amazing finally getting everything sorted out so that I can see what I've got and what I haven't!

I have looked forward to having a wonderful space like this for many years!  With the huge amount of thought and work that is going into the building, I keep having to remind myself that my hobby is collecting and running toy trains, not building mammoth buildings!


 

Time

Another month is drawing to a close, but what a month it's been!  The weather has been fantastic here all month, though we could have used a little more rain.  With it being dry the grass isn't growing, so that's given me lots more time to spend working on the Trainbarn!

Coming into the month I was a bit stressed about all the small jobs that needed to be done in the 'barn, most of them involving me!  But being able to spend enjoyable time on the various projects, I'm amazed at what has been achieved.  

All the cables for the electrics have been run and the locations for all lighting and power have been prepared, which is a real milestone!

Not a good photo, but a big achievement!  Eventually I plan to install a toilet here, but needed to frame up the 'room' now, in preparation for the plasterboard.  It worked out great!  So the 'workshop annex' is completely ready for the wall lining (gyprock) which unfortunately couldn't be done this month, but will happen early April.  Then it's painting, architrave, carpeting and more electrics and voila, it'll be ready to use!!

Several years ago I was given some millwork for a double door opening, which I wrote about in this blog entitled 'the first piece', which it literally was.  I've had time now to modify the framing and fit the door jam for the entryway from the reception area into the main display area, and have also (temporarily) fitted the millwork.  It looks fantastic!  I'm not sure that I would've thought of fitting something like this here if I hadn't been given it, but I'm so glad I did!

I've had the time to do lots of other small jobs too, and have enjoyed the process as much as the result.  There's still a lot to do, but it is very much 'getting there'!   
 
 

Please be seated

There's quite a lot happening with the Trainbarn this month, after a bit of a slow start to the year. All the electrical cabling is currently being installed, which in turn will allow the lining to be started.  Now that's exciting!

I have installed a couple of enamel signs that I've had for years near the front doors, which was really fun and looks good.  But the really big news is that on the weekend we collected the Platform Seat that I had ordered from Southcoast Nameboards a while back.  It is absolutely sensational and I can totally recommend these, or any of their other products.

These seats are absolutely authentic, with the cast ends made from the original moulds that were used to make all the QR seats, the only difference is that these are cast aluminium now whereas the originals were cast iron.

It looks fantastic on the verandah of the Trainbarn and will, of course, be very useful!

A very interesting surprise was the opportunity to see the recently completed house of the owner of Southcoast Nameboards.  It is a magnificent and totally authentic re-creation of the long-gone Southport (Qld) railway station, which was one of the more elaborate timber station buildings built by QR.  I was really blown away, it was absolutely fantastic, but regrettably I didn't take any photos!  An old postcard view of the original will have to surfice, but the front of the station (and house) is probably the most attractive aspect.  Well done Chris and family!

 We also had a very enjoyable drive out to get the seat.  There's nothing we love more than getting out on the backroads of this beaut country!

So, things are going very well indeed this month, probably the next post will be about the start of the plasterboard lining, which as I've already said will be a really exciting step!

Zzzzzz

Even though my primary interest is collecting 'toy' trains, and building Plywood Central style layouts for them to run on, having grown-up in Victoria during the 50s and 60s I certainly have a soft spot for the trains of the former Victorian Railways of that era.  Nowadays there are several manufacturers of HO scale models of many of the locos and rolling stock of that prototype and I have on the odd occasion been tempted to add them to my collection.  I have several iconic locomotives- T and B class diesels and the L class electric, quite a few wagons, some superb coaches, but until now something has been 'missing'.

Yes, it's the humble and ubiquitous 'Z' Guards Van!  There have been kits available for years, but I'm no good at kits, and a brass model way beyond my budget, but now Austrains have introduced these superb Vans in various versions.  They come in a two-pack and happily a pack containing a ZP and a ZL is winding it's way to the Trainbarn!

Whether I eventually build a layout for all these great VR items to operate on, or whether they simply end up displayed in a cabinet I'm not sure, but seeing them sure brings back many great memories of watching them at the rear of trains when I was growing up.

Many of them ended up as sheds after being disposed of by VR, spread all over Victoria.  Many have no doubt rotted beyond usefulness by now, but occasionally photos of intact vans still turn up.  As someone who really enjoys carpentry, and restoration in general, I think it would be great fun to get one of these old vans and fully restore it.  Certainly a big job, and I doubt if I'll ever have the time, but it would be great fun!  HO models will have to suffice in the interim.

Perhaps I will tell an amusing story, well it was amusing to me, anyway.  I used to be a flying instructor in Victoria, in single-engined aircraft, and an important concept to teach an aspiring pilot is to always be prepared to land in a suitable field, or wherever, in the very unlikely event that the engine should fail.  To this end the instructor could at any time close the engine's throttle to simulate an engine failure, and then watch the unfortunate student carry out all the appropriate drills and manouvers as the aircraft glides towards a suitable landing area.  We wouldn't actually land, of course, but would descend low enough so that the student could see whether his efforts would have been successful or not, and of course there are legal minimums to which we may descend.  We flew all over Victoria, often sighting abandoned railway lines and other features of interest, but one time I just happened to see a whole field full of re-located Z Vans, perhaps used as cabins or sheds.  Obviously a closer inspection would be interesting, and there were some good potential paddocks around on which a landing could conceivably be made, so with that I announced to my unsuspecting student that I was simulating an engine failure and he should proceed for a 'forced' landing.  So, field full of Z Vans suitably inspected, and forced-landing practice successfully completed, we once again applied power at a safe height and climbed away to resume the navigation exercise!  I just wish I could remember where it was!  Nowadays of course we have Google Earth, which can be perused at will from the comfort of home, but it's nowhere near as much fun!

 

Royals

Those who know me soon realise that I'm probably the only Aussie with no interest in sport of any kind!  Now that I have an American son-in-law though, perhaps that is about to change.  I am certainly an enthusiast of many things American (not guns) and it was really great spending the Christmas/ New Year holiday period with my daughter and son-in-law and having some great 'chats'.  He is from the Kansas City area and a great fan of the Kansas City Royals major-league baseball team, who just happened to win the Championship last year.  It also just so happens that Lionel were commissioned to produce a commemorative Boxcar of this event, and I am soon to be the very proud owner of one!!

It is interesting to note that this boxcar is one of Lionel's 'Made in America' items, as distinct from most of their range which is made in China.  I will really enjoy running and displaying this boxcar, but as a true 'collector' I am already hunting for more items to go with it!!  There certainly are other baseball-themed boxcars, but one item that I found was a really attractive jigsaw puzzle of the Royal's home stadium, which I will enjoy making (I hope!!) and which eventually I can use as a display backdrop for the boxcar.

I suggested to my son-in-law that a baseball signed by the Royal's most famous player George Brett would be a nice collectable too, but that may be a little harder to find than a jigsaw!  Oh well, one can but try!

I love travel in general, and going to America in particular, so one day I really hope to travel to Kansas and to accompany my daughter and son-in-law to a Royals game there.  Apparently it is not just 'the game', but a whole experience including 'tailgating' (picnicing/barby) prior to the event.  Might even pick up a signed ball, or two!!

A New Year

Well, Christmas has come and gone, and it's a new year since my last blog update.  I had a belated Christmas as I was away with work on the actual day, but had a great family time early this month when I had settled in at home again.  My brother and family presented me with a fantastic new item for the Trainbarn verandah- some Avery Platform Scales, fully restored, complete with lbs weights!

Of course we all had to have a go at weighing ourselves, and it is still remarkably accurate, though there is a calibration adjustment.  One thing none of us ever knew or remembered is 'what is a cwt (hundredweight)'??  As one of the weights was 56 lbs we figured that a cwt must be 112 lbs, which turned out to be correct.  Certainly a magnificent addition to the Trainbarn, and I plan to put a few 'fake' crates and other goods around too.

With the temporary departure of the builders after the completion of the structure of the Trainbarn, I've started cleaning up around the 'site' and couldn't resist this photo opportunity!

The verandah railings will eventually be painted red, with vertical slats, but there are other priorities at the moment.  I've started installing all the light fittings and power-outlet mounts, ready for the 'sparky' to install all the wiring in early March.  What you don't see in this shot are the excellent hardwood steps up onto the verandah.

It's really fun gradually installing items into the Trainbarn which I've been accumulating over the years.  Of course most things have to wait until the lining and painting is finished, but a few items can be at least temporarily placed.  One of my daughters used to work in Nepal and whilst there she bought me a magnificent Open/Closed sign handmade from copper.  I've put this on one of the front doors- Closed at the moment!- and took a photo of this too.  It's a bit hard to see with the reflections on the glass, but an interesting photo none-the-less.

So, no time to be bored around Whistlestop these days, but I am looking forward to some cooler weather as the year progresses!