Re: C&S Brass, Any Scale, Listed on eBay

Posted by Todd A Ferguson on
URL: http://c-sng-discussion-forum.254.s1.nabble.com/C-S-Brass-Any-Scale-Listed-on-eBay-tp12787p16066.html

Jim,

I guess I sort of liked the idea of engines that came ready to go to work, without a lot of work from me.  I did a lot of redetailing, remotoring, new gearbox, adding lighting, and painting of brass from about 1977-1987.  I finally realized that I was losing my hobby and satisfaction with it as the latest model I did went back to its owner. So I stopped doing it, even largely for myself too.  

I had been into both HO N&W and HOn3 in the 1970s.  I was never really happy with HOn3 running and the small size, lack of detailed rolling stock.  Most of my stock was wood and cast metal, pre plastic cars in HOn3.  I saw a PBL K27 in the early 1980s at a local show and was impressed at the detail. But the price was $700 I believe and too expensive for me at the time. And of course it was still a raw brass model.  A year or two later my wife bought me a PFM K27 for less than half the money.  I sold off the HOn3 but really didn’t get back into Sn3 actively until the mid 1990s.  That has been my primary interest along with some HO standard gauge.  Sometime in the early 1990s I remember looking at the On3 C&S 9 but it was over $900 new I believe.  To much for me raising a family.  I also do woodworking and photography as hobbies so money gets divided among them all.

So, here we are in 2020, I’m still living in a home I expected to leave over 10 years ago.  I find myself mostly interested in woodworking projects and photography when my son is drag racing.  I have a lot of Sn3 RGS stuff and a taste of On3 C&S stuff.  Practically, I should build a RGS layout in Sn3.  But I’m not sure I want to build a big layout, nor stuff that it seems every RGS modeler has built.  RGS would be a dozen locomotive, 125 cars deal in my mind.  On3 C&S would be a 4-6 locomotive, 40 car deal.  Probably based on Black Hawk, Forks Creek and maybe some Gilpin Tram.
But I’m not sure I have the drive to do the research to do a 1900-1912ish era C&S.  

Depending on choices I easily have 600 to over 1100 sq feet for a layout.  But sometimes I think a large space is a curse of its own.  We also have the Sipping and Switching Society HO modular group here in the Carolinas.  Last weekend they set up a 140’ x 140’ layout...that is something to see...  I have even thought about a Chalk Creek type layout in F scale.  A couple locomotives and 15 to 20 cars...interesting concept too...

I had a PBL Foreground II system in 1996 and was playing with DCC and sound too at the same time.  The PBL system was good and was definitely Bill’s baby.  DCC sound was not as good, but you could have different locomotives sound unique and separately controlled, definitely some things I loved.  So after a year or so of playing I decided to go DCC.  Being a computer guy I could see that the growth and capabilities of DCC were going to grow rapidly.  I had also talked with Bob Longnecker, who developed the PFM and PBL II system a few times.  He was an old IBMer and I was an IBM employee at the time.  It became clear that without Bob there would be no long term viability to the PBL system too.   Bob was the support system for any issue beyond installing the components in the locomotives.  I ended up selling the PBL system for nearly what I paid for it. I think I sold it in about 2000.  Since then it has been DCC but even that continues to grow and improve still.

I remember talking to Bill about DCC being the future and he hated that idea back then.  He said it was nothing but the old 1960s GE Astrak system.  Not true but how he saw it.  I used to mess with him at conventions sometimes.  When he would be operating the Chama layout and showing off the II capabilities he would sometimes get engaged in a conversation and set the radio throttle down.  I would sneak over and pick it up and and change from steam sound to a diesel.  So his beautiful foreground steamer would be sitting there idling away with diesel sounds.  My fun at his expense I guess.  But he always got back at me when I would suggest a model for production.  He would usually roll his eyes and tell me to go ahead and try it and let him know how it turns out.  I think one of the models I suggested was a full scale Devils Gate bridge in brass for the PBL 25 or 30 anniversary with the production limited to the 25 or 30.  I think it would have sold that many and it would have been well done by PBL.  It got the eye roll and the above statement I recall...

Todd