Steam or Diesel Locomotives?
- Thread starter kgstakes
- Start date
Bruette
Well-Known Member
You will find a lot of great photos in Willie's layout thread. If you haven't seen it already it's well worth your time.Oh my gosh Willie, just LOVE that old tin-sided, dilapidated shed/barn in your first red warbonnet picture! That's gotta' be contest quality!!!
Finally, Santafewillies layout thread
Good Day All. After years of prodding from many members, including Bob the Admin, I am starting a layout thread. I have been documenting parts of the layout in the Coffee Shop over the years, but I am aware that not all forum members visit over there. Some of my work has been on display in...
modelrailroadforums.com
Now back to the regularly scheduled program.
kgstakes
Active Member
Wasn’t made in the 60’s I bought new from caboose hobbies in the early 90’s.
That’s when caboose was on 500 Broadway in Denver. That place seen me allot through my teens and into my twenty’s. Knew the owners quite well and bought my first sound system from them after saving forever it seemed like and every time I would go in there the owner would run an engine that had sound in it and I would just smile from ear to ear.
I told him I’m going to own that PFM sound system some day. He told me if I really wanted one (complete system) make payments and he’ll keep one back for me.
So I put a down payment on it and said just keep one back for me and he said he would and when I had the money just come in and he’ll go through everything with me and if I paid cash for the balance, he’d give me a big discount.
I did and it was. Great people miss that place. Tried buying some stuff from the present owners and didn’t have a good out come. I still think caboose is a great store to buy from. It got me started back in the early days and I’m still in the hobby so they must of done something right.
Oh and when I was 19-20 years old I had a $500 limit credit card. Only for gas and course hobby stuff, but I went to caboose hobbies (500 S broadway). And tried to buy some stuff and my credit card was bad, told the cashier to try again, she did, it failed. I asked if I could right a check cashier said yes do you have two forms of ID? Told her yes my license and this card. She said that wouldn’t work.
Now a line is starting and just then the boss came in (the one that sold me the PFM system and asked what the problem was? Cashier told him what was going on and I asked him if I could write a check, he said yes and the cashier started to say something and he turned back and said his check is good it’s ok.
lol she didn’t know what to think then when the boss said this kid’s check is good. Boy I know I puffed up a little just to see him say that and her reaction.
I’ll never for that moment and I’ll never forget the great service I’ve had over the years there.
trailrider
Well-Known Member
Sadly, when Caboose moved from Broadway to Lakewood, Colorado, the pandemic plus lack of variety of inventory sealed their fate! Other than a place out in Aurora (East side) which handles other hobby stuff, the only place in Metro-Denver is up on West 55th, just east of Wadsworth. They are specific to model railroad stuff, but their selection isn't nearly what the old Caboose was. :-(
kgstakes
Active Member
That’s too bad caboose was known all over for good quality stuff and great service. That place was in business since 1950s (I believe). They use to be in a very small crowded store and you literally had to ask someone what you were looking for. Some how they always knew exactly where it was. Then they moved to the building on Broadway and expanded I believe three times in that location.
Loved going there just to see what new diorama they had set up and always on the one side they had a layout there for years.
Fond memories of that place growing up and as a young adult.
Loved going there just to see what new diorama they had set up and always on the one side they had a layout there for years.
Fond memories of that place growing up and as a young adult.
Iron Horseman
Well-Known Member
Definitely an Oriental Limited Powerhouse then.
Which one did you end up with? Through the years I have accumulated three. The MiniSound II was my first in 1982. And later two of the full Sound System IIs. Have trouble with the cassette drives. I keep meaning to create a CD or digital replacement for them, but ends up being project number 5342 on my to do list. The sad part was that they were incompatible with the command control system (CTC-16) of the day.
Was that the owner? Can't think of his name. Dwain? One time I went in and had two $200 gift certificates, a $20 gift certificates, and and two $10. I purchased a bunch of stuff and driving home I got to thinking something was wrong. I thought it should have cost me more? ! ? ? Sure enough I totaled it up at home and there was a $180 discrepancy. I scratched my head for a while and then figured it out. The gift certificates had the $10 on top, and then the $200s, with the $20 last. So the cashier (which was the owners grandson) had just seen the 2 on the last one and counted it as $200 also.
I called the store and talked to the clerk who wanted me to drive all the way back down and fix it right then. Nope, that's not going to happen. I asked for a supervisor and explained one of their registers was going to ring out $180 short. That person didn't understand so finally I asked for the manager and got the owner instead. I explained the problem again and he asked, "how would you like me to send you the money?". NO, NO, NO, I owe YOU. He couldn't believe that a customer would call back when there was an error in their favor. Got that taken care of, but a few months later I was walking around the store with a STEAM locomotive (got to stay on topic) in my cart. He saw me and said, hey I want to give you a discount on that. He did, and I think I came out $$$ ahead in the whole thing.
kgstakes
Active Member
Dewain sounds right. He was the shorter of the two that owned it back in the 80s & 90s. Great guy fair upstanding businessman.
I bought the PFM sound system ll. Large control panel, three cassette deck case, reverb, and two kits for two locomotives. My dad’s brass steam locomotive still has that sound system in it (I have the loco now).
Yeah when I changed to dcc I donated my PFM system to the club in town. Later I went to the club and seen the box up on a shelf. Don’t think anybody wanted to mess with it.
I love it, especially the way you could do the whistle. You could vary it just like the real thing and then put some reverb in it but would it echo!! Great times.
Guess we’re way off topic but it’s fun to reminisce.
I bought the PFM sound system ll. Large control panel, three cassette deck case, reverb, and two kits for two locomotives. My dad’s brass steam locomotive still has that sound system in it (I have the loco now).
Yeah when I changed to dcc I donated my PFM system to the club in town. Later I went to the club and seen the box up on a shelf. Don’t think anybody wanted to mess with it.
I love it, especially the way you could do the whistle. You could vary it just like the real thing and then put some reverb in it but would it echo!! Great times.
Guess we’re way off topic but it’s fun to reminisce.
AemJaYstrains
Active Member
iam a big fan of the Big Boy, i have one in Z,N,H0 and 0 scale. soon also in 1 scale.
but my layout iam building in H0 scale is all diesel. my N scale layout is all electric because its located in switzerland.
but my layout iam building in H0 scale is all diesel. my N scale layout is all electric because its located in switzerland.
kgstakes
Active Member
Big boy I like them too. I rode behind 844 and believe it or not it was 8444 when the Rocky Mountain railroad club took the train from Denver to Sterling and back. This was back in the 80s.
I like the challenger too but haven’t had the funds to purchase any of the above locomotives. I thought about getting them in N scale (I model in HO). And just display them in a display case.
Iron Horseman
Well-Known Member
I didn't realize there was any place to turn the locomotive in Sterling! I usually just chased the Cheyenne Frontier Days trains. Being an employee I could catch the deadhead moves the day before and the day after, but then they got smart and started turning those into pay excursions also. My current boss has access to the executive fleet but so far he has been unwilling to do so.
And then of course the state fair run in 2007.
Mighty expensive display case things. Have you considered the Monogram model?
RhB Michael
RhB Lokführer
'LECTRIC!
KriegslokBR52
Well-Known Member
kgstakes
Active Member
No but you never know I might change to N scale and run all of them. Big boy, challenger, northern 844. To me that would be cool just to have even a three track shelf around my modeling shop area and just run those….. complete with excursion cars. Just to watch, all have sound!!!
Now that would raise an eye brow on the Mrs. And a few other things too!!!
