Granite City in the Rain

Saturday was the annual great train event known as the Granite City Train Show. While it's always fun to go and browse around for bargains, the last few times I have gone it seems that seeing what Ian has cooked up has been the highlight of the day. Yesterday was no different.

Before we get to that, though, a few very poorly lit train photos. These are all of the same train, and none would have been shot but for a few oddities that jumped out at me. Mrs. L4T and I passed this train just after it met a westbound at Darling. It was moving slow and something about the lone auto rack caught my eye, so I pulled off at Little Falls. The first oddity I shot was the head end power, complete with an illuminated headlight on the second unit, facing backwards. That seemed strange.

And then a couple of "loaded" centerbeams. Oddly enough Chris had just pointed out a super sale at MB Klein on these cars, and now I have a different load. Might have to pick a couple up.



And then, the sight that first interested me. Another busted up auto rack. I shot one near Staples last fall and just like I described it that time, looks like a car that fell off the layout.

And then the final oddity of this train. It was rainy and cloudy, but the power was wild for a short manifest. Nice pair of ACe's. Finally got them south of Rice, where the track curves away from the highway.

The train show was packed. Parking was the worst it's been since I started attending. But it was worth it, as Ian and Lorrie were working the layout. He always has some neat idea for a small layout. And the thing is, he builds them. I think he gets more done than most people with a basement full of trains.

Here are a couple of poor shots of the front of the display. I think it's two feet wide, and Ian has figured out a way to actually have operational potential. It's wild. Locomotives are shuffling cars back and forth, and best of all he even figured out a scenario where he needs to use a Railbox car as an idler.

The show was the biggest I have ever seen. If the GCTS is any indication, model railroading is not dying-far from it, it's growing. And why not, it's fun.

I picked up a couple of things, including some 28' UPS trailers, and came home excited about modeling again. Back to the basement!