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I'll say this for guy toys -- they're both varied and mighty photogenic! This occasion was a recent model railroad swap meet. (For those from parts East or other countries,
swap meet is western for flea market.)
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One of two elaborate layouts at the meet. The booths featured all kinds of goodies for a good old boy's own layout...
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...track...
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...rolling stock...
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...cool antiques, including my favorite of all railroad cars, the observation car. (Just parenthetically, I believe that American politics started its downward spiral when presidential candidates gave up the old fashioned coast-to-coast whistle-stop campaigning from the platform of an observation car.)
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This was the only model of European-style passenger cars that I saw.
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Of course, plenty of staging for the complete railroad complex. My favorite was the ready-mix plant (below.)
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Even a tunnel assortment. I was struck by the number of women manning booths at the show. More than one was, I suspect, the widow of a modeler, selling off the collection.
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Items for the railroad buff, including comprehensive timetables. The guide at the left, for 1969, was priced, I believe, at $1000. Maybe $100, but that isn't what my picture shows. That's a lot of nostalgia in my books, but then a friend's father, like very many hobbyists, had an entire room dedicated to his layout!
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In closing -- couldn't resist the Ts. The railroad theme makes for excellent shirts, I'd say.
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FYI Links: The swap meet was sponsored by the Central Arizona Model RR Club; there are pictures of several local layouts here. Over 800 links to railroad related web sites can be found at trainweb. And, consulting The Google, I located a layout for the Santa Fe Prescott & Arizona RR. It includes models of Prescott and two other towns.
5 comments:
A good thing that I wasn't there, being a wannabe RR modeler, I probabably would have picked up a suitcase full of goodies
Well, it may be for the boys, but I've always been intrigued by all that cunning miniature stuff, and I do love trains... There are also are some larger versions you can set up to run about the garden.
Dear bro -- As I recall, you did have a Lionel set when you were a kid, but I'm sure it was minimal...
Brain -- one of the better known garden layouts is here in Prescott. I would have given the URL except that I couldn't get TrainWeb to behave (it fought with my Firefox browser.) Here it is: Prescott garden layout.
Ahh yes, Flea Market. :-)
Great photo opp!!!
Why don't I ever think to go to some of the "Shows" {like Woodworking and Firearms and etc.?} in our Civic Center and take pics???? Because I'm dull, that's why. -grin-
Mari-Nanci
SnS -- I love all those events! They add a lot of flavor to a town.
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