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'.
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.
