With little interest in this year's Super Bowl, we ran trains instead:



Here the Limited, headed by the Lionel 1688 Torpedo, runs south through the 305 bridge toward the city and Pennsylvania Station.

A new-to-me Lionel 41 gas-turbine switcher runs past the 126 station at Lionelville:



A good friend sent me this as he downsized his collection. I'm not huge into postwar Lionel, but this is a piece I've been interested in for many years. It comes with the standard three-position e-unit, but no headlight/interior light. Looks like there's room to add one, however.

I've been test-running a couple of Lionel 1664E steamers as I begin preparing to refurb the gunmetal version I acquired a few months back. The motor in that one will require a complete rebuild, a project that's pretty intensive, so I'm thinking I'll take a shortcut and just swap out a motor from one of the black versions I have. Then I can rebuild the motor when I get around to it.

I pulled this one down off the shelf and gave it a few laps around the outer loop of the layout. It probably hasn't been run in six or seven years, so it took a few minutes to get it back to good running order. It's in pretty nice shape and now runs well once again, so I'm not going to use the motor from this one:



Of course, anytime you get something out on the pike that hasn't been run for awhile, the railfans show up. This is becoming a bigger problem than it used to be. Up at Heat-Pump Pass, it's not unusual to see as many as a half-dozen, all standing along the right-of-way. These two are standing in the property just along the table edge. If the railroad police show up, they can just jump over the side. We gotta get this under control, lol.

LMS #2270, heading a local, waits for orders before proceeding south from the tower below bridge #305:



This Hornby type 101 clockwork 0-4-0 is a bit of a mystery to me; it looks like it might be a prewar version that's been re-wheeled with a set of postwar black-spoked wheels and connecting rods (but that's all conjecture as I have no decent reference for Hornby trains). Most of the versions this locomotive I've seen include a steam-chest and drive-rods. Not sure exactly what it is; perhaps a combination of a number of variations. Still, it looks good and runs well. I've always liked the dark red scheme of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway.

One from the archives (and posted here elsewhere), another of Lionel's prewar Streamliners, the 1689E:



Caught in the morning sun, this refurbished example of Lionel's O-27 Commodore Vanderbilt heads a passenger train tearing south toward the 305 bridge.

Marklin express headed by 0-4-0 #890 moves north on the outer loop:



Nice little set from my friend Ray Ellen of Vienna Station.

Here's my grandfather's American Flyer "Suburban" transition set, containing elements from both 1926 and 1927, along with an 1108 baggage added just for fun:



Currently a poor runner, it will get another pass across the workbench shortly.

Made an ordnance depot tank car out of an old MPC example...now the Lionel 41 has something to drag around on the layout:



I might make a boxcar if I can find a donor in appropriately rough shape...

NYC no. 999 (Marx) gets some run time:



The old girl hasn't seen power for close to a decade, but a little clock oil and a shot of electronics cleaner and she's off. These Marx locos never cease to amaze me for their simplicity and their durability, especially given their price-point in the world of toy trains.

American Flyer Motor #3015 made its service debut this week:



It took some minor damage in shipping which we've managed to repair. Made for one year only, 1927, it runs very well given its 97 year age.