dkmc
Diamond
- Joined
- Jan 13, 2002
I've always had an interest in model trains. I got a Lionel train for Christmas when I was 4 back in 1964. The next summer we went to a regional amusement park (Roseland) and that's when I first laid eyes on the parks Miniature Train, and got to ride it. As any "train nut" can attest to, it was love at first sight. That train was built by the Miniature Train Company in Rensselaer IN. They were a faithful scaled down copy of a General Motors F3 Diesel.
A picture of the Roseland Park Train in Canandaguia, NY sometime back in the 1950's?
Fast forward 40? years......
So back in the late '90's I began researching these Miniature Train Company trains again. Historic company information suggests there were 240 built, about 70 survive, and around 50 of the 70 are in operating condition. Any I found for sale were way.....way beyond my ever thinking about owning one, including the basket case abused ones. On one of the forums back in the day, I heard about there being 'some' in Mansfield, PA at a campground. I checked it out, and went there, talked to the owner and rode their train. First time since Roseland about 40 years prior. It was.... very.... cool. And since then I've been to Knobles and rode their magnificent "Pioneer" trains, a collection of steam outline and G16 "Diesel" F3 locomotives as well. Dreams live on, real possibilities fade.
But recently, a train for sale popped up on Marketplace, the usual rough condition, and with a $20k price. Yes, they do sell for those prices even in rough condition. I saw it sit on Marketplace for weeks. Then I inquired about it, and found out it is a remnant of the campground in Mansfield, Pa, owned and recently sold by the son of the deceased former owner. We conversed, and I told him about visiting the camp years ago. As we spoke and reminisced, I could tell he understood my keen interest in these trains and told me I should just come have a look. So I did. He prodded me to 'make an offer' but I said I didn't want to insult him, and declined.
I couldn't stop thinking about it, and finally actually made an offer that was somewhat less than the asking price. I thought I'd get a 'laugh off' and a 'thanks but no thanks' reply. But he came back with a surprising counter offer. Bottom line, we were actually able to meet at a middle ground figure.......
And (I still cannot believe it) but I am now the owner of a Miniature Train Co. train set, engine and 3 cars! Including the rear Observation car.
A lot of work will be required to bring this equipment back into operating condition. But to me, that is half the fun. Some engineering upgrades and improvements along the way will be even more interesting.
The data plate is missing on this train set, and the build number isn't in the placards on the engine nose. No other way to know it's history, other than (luckily) the name on the side still being readable and not painted over or worn off.
In 1999 I sent for an information package on the Miniature Train Company. Included was a list of sales to customers from back in the day. So last night after a hectic day of loading and hauling I sat down and went thru the list. Sure enough, train set 920 was sold to Camp Baumann in November 1957. As silly as it sounds, that was a very cool and even a bit of an emotional moment to actually see it listed in the roster from all those years ago. I was very tired as well......that's my excuse. ha! To me, these trains represent Americana, and that gets me excited when I think about the past.
A picture of the Roseland Park Train in Canandaguia, NY sometime back in the 1950's?
Fast forward 40? years......
So back in the late '90's I began researching these Miniature Train Company trains again. Historic company information suggests there were 240 built, about 70 survive, and around 50 of the 70 are in operating condition. Any I found for sale were way.....way beyond my ever thinking about owning one, including the basket case abused ones. On one of the forums back in the day, I heard about there being 'some' in Mansfield, PA at a campground. I checked it out, and went there, talked to the owner and rode their train. First time since Roseland about 40 years prior. It was.... very.... cool. And since then I've been to Knobles and rode their magnificent "Pioneer" trains, a collection of steam outline and G16 "Diesel" F3 locomotives as well. Dreams live on, real possibilities fade.
But recently, a train for sale popped up on Marketplace, the usual rough condition, and with a $20k price. Yes, they do sell for those prices even in rough condition. I saw it sit on Marketplace for weeks. Then I inquired about it, and found out it is a remnant of the campground in Mansfield, Pa, owned and recently sold by the son of the deceased former owner. We conversed, and I told him about visiting the camp years ago. As we spoke and reminisced, I could tell he understood my keen interest in these trains and told me I should just come have a look. So I did. He prodded me to 'make an offer' but I said I didn't want to insult him, and declined.
I couldn't stop thinking about it, and finally actually made an offer that was somewhat less than the asking price. I thought I'd get a 'laugh off' and a 'thanks but no thanks' reply. But he came back with a surprising counter offer. Bottom line, we were actually able to meet at a middle ground figure.......
And (I still cannot believe it) but I am now the owner of a Miniature Train Co. train set, engine and 3 cars! Including the rear Observation car.
A lot of work will be required to bring this equipment back into operating condition. But to me, that is half the fun. Some engineering upgrades and improvements along the way will be even more interesting.
The data plate is missing on this train set, and the build number isn't in the placards on the engine nose. No other way to know it's history, other than (luckily) the name on the side still being readable and not painted over or worn off.
In 1999 I sent for an information package on the Miniature Train Company. Included was a list of sales to customers from back in the day. So last night after a hectic day of loading and hauling I sat down and went thru the list. Sure enough, train set 920 was sold to Camp Baumann in November 1957. As silly as it sounds, that was a very cool and even a bit of an emotional moment to actually see it listed in the roster from all those years ago. I was very tired as well......that's my excuse. ha! To me, these trains represent Americana, and that gets me excited when I think about the past.
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