I find myself at something of a crossroads. But, before I get to that, something of a history of the Slate Creek Railway in general…
The first Slate Creek was my venture into Large Scale. It all started with a Christmas present from my brother, who knew I liked “big trains” … he bought me a Bachmann 0-4-0 and two LGB side dumper mine cars. From there I started out with an apartment that I had permission to build the railroad through … tunneling from room to room, and a bunch of ideas. I used 2.5 radius curves… figuring that the “large radius” would help kept my grades to under 5%(!) … and I bought a bunch of mingled rolling stock… LGB diesels, a Bachmann Shay or two, Big Hauler cars, Aristo cars … and Aristo Bashed equipment … even a USA Trains loco or two. By the time the railroad came down during the move, I had an eclectic hodgepodge of stuff, and a lot of things I wasn’t going to be using much, if ever again. Some I sold … some is still here… and with it are the new AMS cars, and the upcoming 1:20.3 stuff from Bachmann that should revolutionize things if it all goes as planned. The new railroad has been built with a minimum of 5’ radius curves, #6 switches, and minimal grade … and is built with the 1:20.3 equipment in mind from the Llagas narrow gauge track to the clearances… and the 1:20.3 stuff looks fantastic on it even before the scenery goes up!
But… that brings us to the aforementioned crossroad.
I have a roster of equipment and other supplies that really is suddenly orphaned. Included in that are a bunch of 1:22.5 stuff, including a matched pair of LGB 2050(20550) diesels, eight or ten Bachmann hoppers, an LGB hopper, a string of eight or ten bachmann boxcars, a stock car, a pair of tank cars placarded and labeled for METHYLETHYLBADSTUFF a couple of LGB White Pass cabeese, and some other assorted things … in 1:29, I have a pair of USA Trains diesels that have basically never run, but are painted and decalled (well!) for the G&O / Yadkin Valley which runs here in town. I have a pile of track, including some LGB straight track (quite a bit…) and a circle of Aristo 5.5’ radius track that I used to measure curves on the new railroad … an R1 turnout (or two?) and some R2 LGB curves… enough to make a REALLY BIG loop. I have an MRC6200 power supply, and … well, probably some other stuff too.
The trouble is what to do with it all. Most of it really isn’t compatible with the 1:20.3 stuff, at least for my tastes, with the exception of one caboose that was a gift, some log cars that work in about any size, and a couple of sentimental pieces… and of course that first train from that fateful Christmas 1999!
I’m not really intent on building another layout. I had thought about a portable layout for demos and shows … but then there’s insurance; someone trips on a cord, or sticks their fingers under the wheels, and it’d lose a whole lot more money than it’d make… and if I build outside, it’ll probably be a continuation of what I’ve got inside.
On the other hand… most of the stuff is custom painted, either for the Slate Creek, which, to my knowledge, I’m the only one who has a particular affinity for… or something else that made sense to me. It’s all well done, to be sure… but certainly not what you’d call “collectors” equipment.
So, what to do with it all? Anyone with a particular desire for a “Railroad in a Box” including track, train, and power … kind of the mother of all starter sets … I might be willing to talk about opening a new division of the Slate Creek someplace. (There is a fellow in Wisconsin who already has a branch line running Slate Creek livery on an “Annie” incidentally…) Everything works, but is obviously as-is, and I’ll go into how it is as expertly as I can. The garden is YOUR problem… I’m the kid who killed the cactus in third grade over Christmas break, and still haven’t lived it down. On the other hand … maybe I should do something else with it. Somehow being able to get enough money together to go for the stuff I really WANT on the Slate Creek is a whole lot more attractive than keeping stuff I really have grown out of … but it represents so much work!
I dunno. This is dangerously close to “hawking” in the forums … and I swear I’m not. But, before I post a classified, I thought I’d solict some thinking on this. Please feel free to contact me (off list if the “Railroad in a Box” really appeals to you) with your thoughts … I can’t be the first to pass this way.
Matthew (OV)
