The 19-2405 again

Hi all, it has been quite a while since my last post here,so I hope you're all doing well! 

Been doing lots of things, except that which I love the most, which is all things miniature and old, zero-gauge toy trains!

But here I am, finally, sharing a pic from my extensive collection, depicting a very worn out example of my many vintage toy trains.

And isn't she gorgeous?! Even with her missing parts and rusty metal body -or maybe because of it-  she has character, undeniable charisma, and mystery to her!

She has featured here before, the old 19-2405, but I think she deserves a new guest appearance, so here she is! See you next time!

 

© 2024  José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

A corner of the Rust & Steel Train Maintenance facilities.

Hi all, I hope you're doing well!

This pic shows a corner of the Rust & Steel Train Maintenance facilities. 

Here, old, disused toy trains arrive for inspection, before going into storage or display. Many will star in fotoshoots that will show their intrinsic beauty to full effect. 

Note that one of the train tracks has three rails instead of two. That's because it's meant for trains that run on electricity

Some are in very poor condition: rusty, bended, mangled, and unable to move due to being rusted up, or missing vital parts like wheels, or having broken engines.

But, despite their derelict state, they're welcome at the facilities. In fact, they are selected because of it! Because I believe in the beauty of imperfection, and the charm of the touch of Time.

Thanks for visiting, and see you next time!

© José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

A Very Special Train Track.

Last week I paid a visit to my friend Mitchell, a fellow toy train enthusiast. He recently moved to a new house, and laid out an electrical O Gauge train track which he was very eager to show to me. He also had some items for me which I needed to pick up, so I jumped into my Einser and drove to his new home.

 

I must admit that I wasn't prepared for what I saw: a big, fully functional electric track full of vintage toy trains and wagons, coaches, signs, buildings, figurines, etc, etc. In other words, a very special train track indeed!

 

I spent a few hours taking in everything I saw. The guy has done such an amazing job, and he's not even finished yet (or, as he said: a good train track is never finished!). It is truly magical to see these old trains (some are close to 100 years old) running over the tracks with their head lights on. The sounds, the smell, the sparks, the charisma they have is simply indescribable!

It was a joy to listen to him talk about these old trains, because his knowledge is truly vast, and his enthusiasm contagious. It does help that he spends time working on real steam engines (in fact he's a locomotive fireman, often to be found at the helm of these powerful metal monsters), because he knows everything about train tracks and track changes, traffic signs, etc, which helps in adding more realism to his own track.

At a certain point I asked him if I could take a few pics, which I did, and later on decided to dedicate this blog to him and his track. The pics were taken very quickly, so it wasn't like a photo shoot or anything, but I still managed to get a few 'presentable' one's, which after some working on them I'm sharing with you here.

This image and below: the engines have working head lights, which light up the track in the dark. A very special thing to watch!

Mitchell and I share one thing in common: we love vintage toy trains that really show their age. We love the rust, the dents, and the scratches that time has left on them. These give them character, a 'personality' that makes them truly unique. When we buy these items, we leave them as they are, and wouldn't in our right mind dare to even think of 'restoring' them (for example by re-painting them) because we know that it would kill the magic and charisma that they possess. That evening I felt like a child again. Thank you, Mitchell, for allowing me a front seat view of your incredible train track!

This image: Mitchell's oldest coach, dating back to the early 20th century, hence more than 100 years old.

* * *

Thanks for visiting, and see you next time!

© José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

The beauty of decay.

I've always been fascinated by decay. Even as a child, I was drawn to crumbling structures, dilapidated buildings and rusty objects. Not to mention old cemeteries and relics of the past, like ancient monuments, gardens, and even the forgotten, disused railway tracks that were to be found in some parts of the city where I was born.

I believe that there is beauty in decay; there is art to it, and there is a certain emotional charge to it too, perhaps not for everyone to see, yet it's definitely there. I feel truly blessed to be able to appreciate this beauty that gives 'character' to inanimate objects, like in this case, my vintage toy trains.

Some collectors pay huge sums of money to buy items in pristine condition; items that look as if they came straight out of the factory, even when they were made many decades ago. As much as I love those objects also, to me they do not possess the natural beauty -not to mention the 'mystery'- of a train or wagon that saw heavy use in the hands of a child of a bygone era.

Yesterday I bought a vintage clockwork locomotive made by Hornby in the United Kingdom. She is in rather poor condition, missing some parts, like the front bogey and one of the buffers. Not to mention her wheels.... they will definitely not able to run on metal tracks ever again, even if the clockwork engine would be operational. They would simply disintegrate! But doesn't she look great!? I got so excited that I decided to celebrate the acquisition with this blog, ahead of her arrival. I selected the few pictures from the seller's ad that were 'presentable', and worked on them using photo editing techniques to bring them up to Rust & Steel blog standards as much as possible.

I can't wait for the old locomotive to arrive! She'll be a great addition to my collection, and I'm sure she'll star in many a photo shoot. The camera loves her, that much is clear!

* * *

Thanks for visiting, and see you next time!

© José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

The arrival of 19-1101

Last Friday saw the arrival of another steam loc at the Rust and Steel Train Maintenance Facilities. This time it's an old Märklin R890 clockwork engine and tender built in Germany between 1930-1950, which was offered to me for sale at a very friendly price by my friend Mitchell Bäcker.

The engine is not in running condition, but that's OK, since it's meant for static display. In the background you can see a glimpse of a very old and beautifully rusty Märklin train station that was also offered to me by Mitchell.

Above image: close up of the rear wheels of the tender, clearly showing their age.

Above and below images: a peek inside the locomotive's cab.

Needless to say that I'm thrilled with this new arrival, which got the serial No 19-1101 assigned to it. Thanks, Mitchell, for thinking of me when you come across a gem like this one!

Thanks for visiting and see you next time!

© José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

The Liverpool Rose comes alive

The 'Liverpool Rose' (assigned serial No. RS18-3003) is seen here awaking from her slumber as she's getting ready for a systems check. The old lady is clearly happy with the attention and TLC she's getting from the technicians in the workshop!

A quick inspection showed an engine malfunction because some of its cog-wheels are stuck. There is some movement there, but there is no transmission to the main wheels, hence 'The Rose' cannot run on her own power until the problem is fixed.

The 'Liverpool Rose' was featured in a previous R&S article. Click here to view it

Thanks for visiting, and see you next time!

© José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

The arrival of a French lady

The Rust and Steel Train Maintenance Facilities welcomed two very special arrivals to their 'workshop' within the time frame of just one week: a pair of beautifully streamlined locomotives, belonging to the SNCF (Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Français), or French Railways. The first one to arrive  (shown in the below images) came from an owner in The Netherlands, while the other one, sporting a darker blue livery, made her journey from France.

'Plumes of white vapor escaped from the engine as it shut down. It's always impressive to see such a mighty beast, sitting on the main maintenance hall, still hot from her long voyage, making all kinds of creaking sounds as her metal body cools down,' a worker commented, as he stood next to the loc, looking up at her as if she was a film diva.

The 'Blue Lady' is part of a rapidly growing collection of vintage locomotives, wagons and coaches. New arrivals spend some time at the R&S 'workshop', before moving to temporary storage, where they await a decision on their future. But for now she will simply enjoy a well deserved rest, sitting side by side with her 'twin sister', and other vintage trains.  Sweet dreams, beautiful Blue Lady!

Thanks for visiting, and see you next time!

© José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

New Arrival

Today, the Rust & Steel Train Maintenance Facilities saw the arrival of a quite special visitor: a rare snowplough wagon! 

In the old days, these modified wagons were used in North America to remove snow from the tracks, keeping the lines open in winter. 

These are the first pictures I took of this Hornby Meccano manufactured gem, and, of course more will follow!