Sushi Train - other real world uses for model trains?


L

LoudMusic

Member
I just went to lunch at a sushi place that used a G scale train to deliver the sushi plates. SP GP-9 with 40' flats if you're interested.

And I found this video on YouTube of an even larger scale 3 truck Shay performing the same duties.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gF53oQKLAAM

So other than raw fish and rice delivery, have any of you seen model trains used for real world services - even if mildly inefficient?
 
You can add burger delivery to the list. There's a place near me called Two-Toots where they bring the food in baskets on a O scale train.

I've also seen model trains used in Rube Goldberg machines before, which are the machines you sometimes see on TV where they use a lot of complex interactions to perform a simple task. :)
 
That sort of goes one up on Walthers Dinner Belle train.

A McDonalds near here had a G scale F unit with a small boxcar consist running around the walls on a clear plexiglass roadbed near the ceiling. Didn't deliver anything except vertigo after a few minutes of watching it.
 
"Food Delivery" trains isn't anything new. Back in the late 1970's, early 1980's, Niemann-Marcus the Big Dallas luxury dept store, offered a silver plated 2 or 3 truck PFM shay, with several flat cars, and enough track to make a small circle or oval for the dining table.
It carried just condiments, salt, pepper, sugar, etc, but from what I understand, they sold more than they were anticipating to sell during that Christmas. They had to back order some. IIRC, the track was code 100 NS, mounted on a wooden roadbed. I can't remember exactly what the wood was, Mahogany?, Walnut? but even the roadbed was highly polished and finished. The set sold for several thousand bucks each.
 
LoudMusic said:
The least I would consider to be "several thousand bucks" would be $3,000. According to this site http://www.westegg.com/inflation/ $3,000 in 1978 monies would be $10,414.92 in 2012 monies. That's a lot of monies!
Click to expand...

Yeah, but it is Niemann-Marcus. The truly decadent dept store for those with more money than sense. IIRC one Christmas they offered an exotic sports car.

They always do (did?) offer something that is extremely decadent every Christmas. It is designed to catch the eye of their very wealthy patrons.
Not anybody I've come into contact with or know.
 
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