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Related: Culture Forums, Support Forumsmodel trains part 2. i didnt realize that there was a part 2 for this , ohm myyyy.
steam model railroading in the basement.
part one https://www.democraticunderground.com/10181677461
part 2
these are some hefty model trains .

multigraincracker
(35,600 posts)Hard core hobby people.
Hiawatha Pete
(2,024 posts)Marthe48
(20,595 posts)set up a Lionel train set in one room of our basement. At one end of the basement were 5 4 x 8 plywood boards laid flat and painted with fields, roads, and other maplike images. The train tracks were laid on the boards and there was a console with 3 sets of controls built in. Along the sides of the basement were 12" boards, both of which inclined to the far end of the basement where another 5 ieces of plywood were laid on a tall frame, and again painted with maplike features. The trains would circle around the large areas, and go up and down the inclines to the taller layout. There was a tunnel on either one of the side boards, or set toward the back on the taller layout. Close to the front of the layout was a fenced barnyard with about 6 or 8 cows, and an incline that ended by the traintrack. You could park a traincar that opened on the side, and then activate the cattle to move up the ramp into the car. The only unsatisfying thing about this was as soon as the cows got to the end of the incline and into the car, they fell over. lol
The whole setup probably only ran a few times before it developed problems. Pretty sure that it didn't help when we younger kids tugged on the levers on the console, or manually loaded cows into the cattle cars. My dad and brothers were so skilled with wood, mechanics and electronics. I wish I had been older when the set was in working order. What a treat.
AllaN01Bear
(25,033 posts)Marthe48
(20,595 posts)My dad and brothers built the platforms, the console and wired the controls to run the trains. Dad also built 3 workbenches, one for each of my brothers around the steps that came down to the basement, one on each side of the steps and one at the back. I loved that room, even if if was for the boys.