C&SFRR
New Member
Hello from a new member in Oklahoma. I built and operated a mythical HO Scale layout, called the "Chigger & Santa
Fe Railroad", back in the 90s. I was watching the real-life ATSF abandonment of trackage in southwestern Oklahoma
during the time, so the setting for the layout was of the 1980s & 1990s time period. It was a hodge-podge of
benchwork that had 300 feet of track with a 100-foot long mainline through a couple of the walls in our home (yes,
my wife let me do that). The 725 pieces of rolling stock on the roster included GPs and older locos, 40’ & 50’
cars, and the layout was modeled after rural small (dying) towns in agricultural country. I collected much more RS
than would fit on the layout at one time, and even got off into collecting N Scale items and Marx O Scale. It was
a very fun hobby for me and the family for 10 years.
We thought that we had sold the house in 2000, but then had to take it back. The layout is gone (removed by the
potential new owner), but I still have a ton of rolling stock and parts still in storage that I need to either use
or find a new home for them. The benchwork had flaws in it that needed to be rebuilt anyway, so the new owners
probably did me a favor. I boxed up all of my removable stuff back in 2000, and haven’t gotten back into model
railroading. I sold a few pieces on that auction site a few years ago, but still have a bunch. I did buy back my
old benchwork at an auction in 2007 (I was there buying sewing machines), and was able to salvage a few track
switches and controls before I took it to the landfill myself.
Although we’re back in the same house, I have now gotten into two new hobbies; motorcycles and sewing machines.
The “train room” is now a small motorcycle shop, and the rest of the house is full of sewing machines. I joined up
to see what’s been going on in model railroading since I left the hobby, and to see if I can find new homes for my
collection.
CD in Oklahoma
Fe Railroad", back in the 90s. I was watching the real-life ATSF abandonment of trackage in southwestern Oklahoma
during the time, so the setting for the layout was of the 1980s & 1990s time period. It was a hodge-podge of
benchwork that had 300 feet of track with a 100-foot long mainline through a couple of the walls in our home (yes,
my wife let me do that). The 725 pieces of rolling stock on the roster included GPs and older locos, 40’ & 50’
cars, and the layout was modeled after rural small (dying) towns in agricultural country. I collected much more RS
than would fit on the layout at one time, and even got off into collecting N Scale items and Marx O Scale. It was
a very fun hobby for me and the family for 10 years.
We thought that we had sold the house in 2000, but then had to take it back. The layout is gone (removed by the
potential new owner), but I still have a ton of rolling stock and parts still in storage that I need to either use
or find a new home for them. The benchwork had flaws in it that needed to be rebuilt anyway, so the new owners
probably did me a favor. I boxed up all of my removable stuff back in 2000, and haven’t gotten back into model
railroading. I sold a few pieces on that auction site a few years ago, but still have a bunch. I did buy back my
old benchwork at an auction in 2007 (I was there buying sewing machines), and was able to salvage a few track
switches and controls before I took it to the landfill myself.
Although we’re back in the same house, I have now gotten into two new hobbies; motorcycles and sewing machines.
The “train room” is now a small motorcycle shop, and the rest of the house is full of sewing machines. I joined up
to see what’s been going on in model railroading since I left the hobby, and to see if I can find new homes for my
collection.
CD in Oklahoma
