If Time and Money Was No Object . . .


max diyer

max diyer

Well-Known Member
If time and money was no object - what would you do that's related to MRRing or Proto RRing?
OK - this is kind of far fetched, but I have thought about it.

Personally, I would have a rebuilt proto GE 45-tonner, a few flats and about a mile of track with a
couple of sidings. A drive thru locomotive shop, that had a layout room with a 20' by 40' HO.
(maybe a proto SD40-2 ;):cool:) It would be cool giving rides to kids and RR enthusiasts :)
If you're gonna dream - might as well dream big ;)

If you had the opportunity . . . what would you do?
 
max diyer said:
If time and money was no object - what would you do that's related to MRRing or Proto RRing?
Click to expand...
1. Finish my photography work for my "then and now" book on the N&W railway.
2. Photograph and document the bridges on the Rock Island main from Colorado Springs to Bellevue Kansas.
3. Hunt up a few real rail cars and rework them to PV. The Northern Pacific car 310, I let this one slip through my fingers in 1989. The Ocean View (I missed getting it at an Amtrak auction in St. Louis). And the Susie Marie Pullman Standard heavyweight - saw it in the Milwaukee station in 1984 and fell in love with it. Its been for sale a few times since then, but each time the price has gone up staying just out of my range.
4. Find a site and start my own model railroad museum along the lines of the Greeley Museum. I envision 5 "halls". First hall is a time line where the visitor would enter with models of the 1830s. Each town on the layout progresses through time as the trains get more modern. Second hall is the hall of railroads. Each town on the pike is laid out and sceniced as the "ubiquitous" type town and station for a particular railroad. Typical Santa Fe, typical Union Pacific, typical Pennsy, etc. Third hall is railroad famous places the layout would stich together all the most famous railroad places in the USA. The hanging bridge of the Arkansas, the three deep bridge in Richmond Virginia, Keddie wye, Horseshoe curve, triple diamond in Winfield Kansas, etc. The hall of passenger trains. Models some great passenger stations like St. Louis and track to let the trains stretch out and be seen. And finally the hall of fantasy. Trains of fruit crate labeled reefers, all the commemorative trains, equipment painted in what if schemes, etc. Out side of course would be a 15" ride on train.
5. Get my miniature speaker enclosure designs drawn up and start printing them on 3D printers.
6. Start upgrading all my DC locos sitting in storage to whatever command system is the predominant one of the day and get some run time on them.
7. Finish memorizing all the railroad history books collecting dust in my library.
8. etc.
 
I would build a large campus co-located with a scenic railroad that would house a massive layout project and some railroadiana. It would be open to the public.

It would also house a staffed, railroad-related library for historical research purposes.

I'd consider buying some of the scale model product lines that are for sale (Dr. Bens' comes to mind) and combine them with my Conowingo Models to create a large manufacturer.

There would, of course, be a world-class hobby shop.

I'd also have some meeting space to host train shows, clinics and conventions.
 
I would start over in Sn3 and build the Rio Grande Southern from Ridgeway Colorado, with all the branches, bridges and stops, including Ouray all the way to Durango Colorado and have all the details exactly right. Sounds insurmountable, however the RGS was only 162.6 miles long! At almost 70 years, I likely no longer have the time and have never had the money!
 
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I would buy all the rights to the old Bowser HO scale steam engines and redesign the manufacturing process. 3D masters that can be scaled up to O and G scale. Corrected tenders. Corrected boilers with separate cabs. Can motors, NWSL gearboxes. New engines: N&W M class and 3 kinds of tenders. Tenders for the UP Challenger and Bigboy. USRA 2-8-8-2 and USRA 2-6-6-2 locos and updates for N&W from Y2 through Y6b and Z class variants.
 
Hmmmm,
  1. New house
  2. Well thought out train/family room
  3. Out source bench (furniture quality), track and electrical work.
  4. Furnish room for comfortable entertaining and relaxing
  5. Be able to concentrate on running trains and building structures. This would include a large city skyline.
  6. Have fun!
 
Money no object?

Well then... I'd buy up the Northeast end of both CSX and Norfolk Southern, split 'em off and re-create Conrail all over again! (the railroad that I hired out on in 1979...)
 
OK ... Back in another Century during the time I was second pilot for an oil company's Lockheed Lodestar when I wasn't fueling, handling baggage, making sure the bar was stocked with liquor, sandwiches, chips, and ice ... I used to daydream of owning a C-46 with sleeping quarters and space to load my own personal auto traveling all around the Country visiting all of the railroad sites, rides, and museums. Well Iife derailed me and I wasn't as smart as I thought I was! My rocket sort of fizzled somewhat on the launchpad.
I'm a little disappointed, but very thankful for a life filled with lots of adventure. My layout plans included like a 40 x 80 warehouse away from the main house.
 
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