Bob's Railroad American Flyer

[@rangercv4263]

Bob, you built a fantastic layout. You have given me some great ideas to build into my layout. Thanks for sharing and I love that you are running trains that your parents gave you as a kid. It’s a beautiful thing.

[@mranalogman3525]

Super! You've got a lot going on in a relatively short space. Very well done! Would love to see this in HD!

[@leverettrailfan5414]

I really love this wonderful setup. Just watching everything come alive warms my heart so much. I'm going yo have to set up my trains today..

[@onecoolhippy1]

Thanks for the nice reply, Bob

[@leverettrailfan5414]

You're very welcome! In fact, watching this inspired me to go fix my 307 Atlantic, and I put online some videos of me making a temporary replacement part for until I can get the real deal cheaply enough. The glue is setting overnight, and I should be running it tomorrow afternoon.

[@onecoolhippy1]

Sorry I am so late to comment. Thanks for the nice reply. Makes feel good Bob

[@leverettrailfan5414]

Oh that's alright. The 307 is now out of service again, I have various things to take care of. I managed to get one of my favorite flyer engines, the 343, although it cost me $75 which is a lot of money for me to spend on one locomotive, in that scale. I also managed to get a huge amount of old track that needs to be cleaned. I forget the exact numbers, but I more than doubled the amount of track I own. If I can score a bit more, then I think I will be willing to make a layout out of some of it. I have a fair quantity, and I think my first order of business is to see what I can do about getting as much of my current projects don e as I can, to make room for whatever loot I might find at the Amherst Ry. Society show, though you never really know.

[@onecoolhippy1]

Your layout looks great that you are working on. It will take sometime for you to get it set up. I don,t know how you sent a picture but send another when you get more done. Take care Bob

[@mikejohn1202]

Thanks for sharing, nice sense of color.

[@Papermakermusic]

Very very nice

[@bethebben8541]

I went to Bob's memorial service this afternoon. His love of trains was mentioned several times. I hope all you train lovers out there run yours around the track in his honor today.

[@weedeater6946]

Outstanding Bob, thank you for sharing your talents, looks great.

[@michaelgmoore5708]

You know how to take photos and run interesting trains that Gilbert would be proud of. That yellow caboose did not sell with a light in it. Did you use a 930 chassis? There was a yellow caboose with that rare 930 chassis that screws on installed into it. was illuminated of course. Sold on ebay for $170 or something like that. Your track looks good the way you put it together. Looks like real thing. Are those diesels Lionel or Gilbert? Did you put the lights in ? Great stuff!

[@onecoolhippy1]

Thank you for the nice comments. I wish I could answer your questions but Bob has passed away. I do know that the trains were Lionel. All his trains and accessories were left to his grandson, who is only 6 yrs old. They are being stored until he is old enough to appreciate them and build his own layout.

[@michaelgmoore5708]

@@onecoolhippy1 gotta keep those silly video games away from the kids. Building model railroads take skill and American Flyer is great fun too. Super layout!

[@jimsutter149]

Nothing like good old American Flyer Trains by Gilbert. Very nice traditional Flyer layout. Over the years, ever wonder how many American Flyer Talking Stations were made.

[@cinegoog43]

Great layout Bob. Wish I still had my old trains. Just starting over again with Lionel this time. Expensive but fun.

[@trashtrainpunk1542]

This is , what a Toy Train should be. Ideal combination of material and landscape-working . All this in Your Living-room. This is dedication to your hobby...keep being a guy, you wanna drink a beer with.

[@onecoolhippy1]

Thanks for the nice reply. You really made me feel good about my trains, I am a 73 year old kid still having fun. Thanks Markus BOb

[@mypugsdad5366]

very nice yours is what 'toy" trains are about. I am a Lionel guy but love your layout.

[@elleryparsons5766]

When you get into a certain gauge or a slew of trains Forget it your Hooked For Life and proud of it.

[@billknoop8185]

70 years old I still have my American Flyers.

[@jimbrent8151]

How sweet it is ... (The Honeymooners - Ralph Cramden reference) Thank you for sharing.

[@dougagee9608]

Love American Flyers . and Lionel. I been playing with my brother Trains since 1955 . HE 10 YEARS OLDER THAN ME .I'M JUST A BABY .. HE gave me all of his trains and Move to NC . 5 YEARS AGO . AND sad for him . I'm happy to have it .But The other part It sad for me .that he move. Iong story. But We love all trains .train is trains . AND YOU GOT A NICE LAYOUT AND NICE ENGINE & CARS . GOD BLESS YOU & YOUR TRUE AMERICAN FLYERS . LOVE THE SOUND OF IT STEAM LOCOMOTIVE .WITH RED LIGHT & SMOKE . ENJOY THANK YOU. I TELL MY BROTHER TO LOOK AT YOUR LAYOUT . .

[@jimbrent8151]

@@dougagee9608 God speed and guard you on your way (and your trains).

[@Tool-Meister]

Great layout Bob. What type of track are you using? Thanks, Steve, AF operator since Christmas 1954

[@onecoolhippy1]

Hi Steve Sorry not t answerer sooner. I never looked at reply's. I didn't know you could answer to watchers. I am using the standard S gauge track American Flyer. My parents bought my Royal Blue when I was 7 and the Santa Fe Stream Liner when was about 12 or 13. I lost most of all the trains I had collected over the years through a divorce leaving them to my 5 and 9 year old boys back in the mid 70s. My sons got into drugs later in life and sold most of them. Fortunate I got what was left and have rebuilding them the past 5 years or so. Was lucky they didn't sell the ones I mentioned plus some other items. I am now 70 having a good time being a kid at heart. I see you are a long time A F train engineer too. Take care and thanks for the reply. BOB

[@JeffHendrie]

+bob hipskind If I may ask, what year approximately is the Santa Fe, I just got that same loco, A and B units this week, as my first American Flyer S-Gauge set. I don't have the passenger cars for it yet, only the A and B units. So far I do have some generic American Flyer Pullmans that say "AMERICAN FLYER LINES" on the sides that I let the engine pull. The horn on the B unit no longer works, and I'm going to try and get that working again. The train didn't run when I bought it, but with some "TLC" (oil and contact cleaner), and 2 and a half hours of working on it, fiddling with re-soldering wires and such, It runs like new. I saw the loco in the used section of my local hobby store about two or three years ago, and it had been there that long, so I finally bought it. It's all the fun of O-27, with closer to the size of HO. The nice shiny chrome/silver on the Santa Fe A and B has faded to more of a dull greyish-silver. Maybe someday I can get it cleaned up a bit. I'm glad you got most of your trains back, if not all. I have my dad's old O-27 Pennsylvania "Scout" locomotive, and wouldn't dare sell it for anything, even though it needs some slowly becoming more extensive repairs as it ages. My dad's father bought it for my dad and his brothers back in I think 1956 or 1963, (at any rate, late 50's early 60's), and my uncle found it in his attic in Texas when I was in Kindergarten, and that became my first model/toy electric train.

[@bobross3080]

Very nice layout. You were one lucky little boy, loi.

[@Dubailand1555]

Great job Bob, thank you for sharing..

[@onecoolhippy1]

Thanks for the nice comments. The boards are 7 x 8 Bob

[@ldever3]

If you got rid of that table, you could double your layout.

[@jockellis]

But then he would have to pay for wife's divorce lawyer. Got my 290 New Haven pacific from 1951 - among others - but after running the equivalent distance from New Haven to Atlanta, it's wheels are about worn out. Great layout!

[@punkrockpub]

Very nice Bob!!!!

[@onecoolhippy1]

Sorry not to reply sooner, I didn't know you could reply to comments. Thanks for the comment and reply BOB

[@elleryparsons5766]

When it comes to Model Rail roading you'll never stop why? Simple it won't let you.

[@balto5080]

Very nice Bob, i have only owned O scale Ho and N Scale trains in my life, im wanting to start S Scale now this year but i know little about it, i know Lionel owns AF now but is it still easy to get american flyer trains and track ?

[@michaelgmoore5708]

Lionel and Every major city has an American Flyer Club some place. Train shows every year also have every make of model trains also.

[@bobbubba731]

Very, very nice old-school layout, Bob. I'm just starting on one of my own. Mine with be 4'6" × 10', but I'd be really curious to know the dimensions of yours.

[@onecoolhippy1]

Hi Bubba, Thanks for the nice reply. My measurement's are 8 X 7 feet. The reason for the one at 7 feet as you see it is in my front room. My wife said it was taking up to much room so I cut off a foot to please her. Have fun Bob

[@bobbubba731]

Thanks very much, Bob (talk about a twofer: another Bob who's into Flyer). Actually, it's a three-fer. What immediately caught my attention was when I saw that your layout is in your front room, and that's where mine will be, although mine will be long and narrow, so 10' × 4½'. I'm in a condo and don't have that much room, and although I'd like to go to 5', the extra 6" just isn't there to do it and not have people knocking into the bench work all the time. I'm thinking about using Flyer repro rubber road bed. Regards, Bob

[@onecoolhippy1]

Hi Bob, I had to talk my wife into letting me put my trains in the front room seeing that I didn't have room in my other rooms or garage. I made changes as I was building it took pictures too. I will give you my e-mail address so you can contact me and show me how you are doing with your layout if you like. It is [e-mail] Bob

[@bobbubba731]

Hey, Bob, I finally got my bench work order in. I messed with the proposed layout and got it slimmed down to 4'3" so it fits the room better. I went with Mianne bench work, and am really looking forward to receiving it. I'll keep you posted.

[@105C09]

Tasteful layout!

[@onecoolhippy1]

Thanks for your nice comments Had lots of fun building it. Bob

[@onecoolhippy1]

Thanks William for your nice comment. It was fun building it. Sorry on the late comment, bob

[@robertgift]

Wonderful! Love your oil derrick and smoking engine. Can you make the mee-mool light lamps *(o)T(o)* flash alternately? O-gauge signal bridge?

[@gacj2010]

This is so great ...so many trains ... so much activity //how big is the board?

[@fairportrails107]

NICE IM NEW TO FLYER :)

[@ryans413]

The detail looks great what size is it ia it HO or S. But its alittle small bxut looks like it took awhyll to build

[@michaelgmoore5708]

A real all American Flyer layout! The only way for me. Did you add those port hole lights in the MP ABA units ? Or did Lionel actually do that? I have the NYC set with the B unit and all 3 of the extra passenger cars. Lionel is doing great things for us AF people so I write them wanting more traditional trains. The big engines are fabulous but some of that scale stuff they made I can do without and I let them know it! That Cresent Limited passenger set with the green and silver Pacific and 4 green, white heavyweight passenger cars is beautiful I have never seen one on the net or anywhere. Maybe Lionel never made it. Again your layout is just my style.

[@bradhamrick1267]

Amc Flyer

[@maxb9167]

AMAZING LAYOUT!!!!!!!!!

[@thecurtray]

I was wondering what it is like having parents