Tiger-Tracks

Tiger-Tracks. (Photo by BobbaLew.)

The other day (Sunday, December 11, 2011) yrs trly attended the Tiger-Tracks model-train show at Rochester Institute of Technology.
I attended with Gary Colvin (“COAL-vin”), like me a retired bus-driver from Regional Transit Service (RTS) in Rochester, NY.
We attended this same show last year. I’m not much into model railroading, but Gary is.
This was the third time for me, second for him.
The first time I attended with Art Dana (“DAY-nuh”), since deceased, also a retired bus-driver from RTS.
Art was very much into model railroading and convinced me to go.
Art had Parkinson’s Disease, so I took him.
The show seemed slightly less extensive than last year, and a little less crowded.
It’s held in Gordon Field House, a sports facility at Rochester Institute of Technology, and is mainly vendors.
Although quite a few model-railroad layouts are put up, plus displays from live-steam groups and outdoor model-railroad facilities.
“Live-steam” is just that, small model steam-locomotives that burn fuel to generate steam to operate the model.

Photo by BobbaLew.

HO model of the greatest railroad locomotive ever.

Photo by BobbaLew.

This thing is doin’ at least 90.

Photo by BobbaLew.

STAND BACK!

Photo by Tom Hughes. (Tom Hughes is my nephew, also a railfan like me.)

Restored GG1 at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania.

You can walk out with model-train equipment — and bargaining triumphs.
Last year I walked out with an HO model of a GG1 (pictured; “Jee-Jee-ONE,” I only say that because Dana was mispronouncing it “Jee-Jee-Eye”), to me the greatest railroad locomotive ever.
This year it was Gary. He walked out with a plastic Revell® N-gauge roundhouse kit, and a model tower of some sort.
28 buckaroos for the roundhouse kit, after much fevered dickering.
The GG1 sits on a bureau in our living-room with a model of a TWA Lockheed Constellation, to me the prettiest airplane of all time.
I was lucky enough to witness GG1s in actual service, and every time I did they were doing 90 mph or more.
With computerization, model-railroad operation can be much more realistic.
The power-supply (the track) is fully energized, and decoders in each locomotive partake of what’s needed when, often by radio control.
Even then it ain’t real railroading, where train-length might be over 100 cars.
I saw one train pulling about 25 cars. That’s way better than only five cars (my past). —And models capable of 250 scale mph, which could stop from that speed in 100 scale feet.
Do that, and you toss everyone on the floor!
As we finally left, we passed a display of various model-railroad track gauges compared.
They were straight-track sections of equal length.
First was G-gauge, a gigantic 1.772 inches between rails.
Next to that was O-gauge, Lionel three-rail track, 1.25 inches between the outside rails, made of stamped tinplate.
Next was S-gauge, also tinplate, American Flyer’s gauge, 0.833 inches between the rails, but only two-rail.
I lusted after American Flyer as a child, since two-rail was more realistic, but I had Lionel (three-rail).
Next was HO-gauge, “half-O,” 0.64961 inches between the rails. HO was much more realistic, although wheel-flanges and the track itself aren’t.
Next was N-gauge, only 0.354 inches between the rails. N-gauge is smallish, but can fit much more layout in a confined space.
Next was Z-gauge, tinier still, at only 0.256 inches between the rails. In Z-gauge the locomotives might only be an inch-and-a-half long, and less than a half-inch high.
The boxcars might be slightly more than an inch long.
There’s an even smaller gauge, TT (“table-top”), but that wasn’t displayed.
Someone was explaining all the model-railroad gauges.
“The gauge I prefer,” I said; “is four-feet eight & 1/2 inches,” which is standard railroad gauge.
I was looked at askance.
“The real thing,” I added, to explain.
“Oh yeah,” the guy said. “One-to-one.”

• For 16&1/2 years (1977-1993) I drove transit bus for Regional Transit Service (“Transit”), a public employer, the transit-bus operator in Rochester and its environs. Gary started about a year after me. My stroke October 26, 1993 ended that. I retired on medical-disability. Gary worked at Transit almost 30 years.
• Standard railroad gauge, in real life, is four-feet eight & 1/2 inches.