I just wanted to say hello as I'm new here. I found this forum and thought it would be nice to join. I've been working on a 12' x 16' layout for the past year. I needed a winter hobby after I finished college and moved to my own house so I brought all the Lionel and MTH trains I had as a kid from my parents house and decided to build a layout. I haven't bought any new locomotives or freight/passenger cars yet as I've concentrated my purchases on buildings, accessories, and scenery. The layout has two loops, an outer passenger loop with O72 curves and an inner freight loop with O54 curves. The time frame and location is early to mid 1950s in the southern midwest to southwest. I run Santa Fe and Southern Pacific locomotives.

If you are wondering what my summer hobby is, well it's cars . Actually I have a 1988 Ford Thunderbird with a 5.0 GT40 V8 that I drag race/take to car shows. I put it away for the winter as I live in Chicago so I decided to build a layout to keep me busy durring the cold months.

Here are some pictures of my layout. They aren't the best but I'm hoping to get my better camera and take some more pictures this weekend.

Louis,

Welcome to the wacky world of the OGR forum. You will find lots of help, lots of varying opinions, lots of ideas, lots of bickering.....but also lots of trains.

Thanks for posting photo's of you nice layout. WELCOME ABOARD.

Tex

Here are some pics of my summer hobby 1988 Ford Thunderbird with a 5.0 GT40 V8.

Hey Louis;
Welcome to the world's largest on-line insane asylum. You will have a lot of fun here. By all means, post more pictures. If you've been lurking about, then you know about the weekend photo fun. We'll be looking forward to seeing more of your photos there, too.
BTW, since I'm a little older than you, I'm a little partial to that 1957 T-Bird you're parked next to in the first photo. But your chariot is still pretty.

Hi Louis
welcome to the forum
keep the photos coming

Actually it's a 1960 T-Bird vert parked next to me . I'm in the local T-bird club and we usually have at least one of every generation T-bird at our shows over the summer.

I'm hoping by Friday I can get some better pictures so I can post in weekend photo fun

Louis, welcome to this demented, but most interested group!

and

"a little older" ?
time is relative to age I guess, right Chuck?

Welcome to the forum!

quote:

Originally posted by TrainPop:
Hey Louis;
Welcome to the world's largest on-line insane asylum.

Hey, I resemble that remark!

Just kidding. A big hearty welcome to Louis!!!

Welcome to the Forum Louis! Nice layout - keep the pics coming!

--Greg

Welcome aboard! Nice pix... looks like you are well on your way to a finished layout (well, as finish as any layout gets, in any case).

Andy

Welcome to the Forum, you have a nice layout coming along there. Take a few minutes to check out the Scenery Forum also. A lot of good ideas and work gets pictured over there.

Welcome to the forum.
Nice Layout and nice T-bird. the 5.0 or 302" in old langauge is great engine.

Welcome to the Forum.

quote:

Originally posted by George's 5 & 10:
Welcome to the Forum.

Welcome aboard!

Your layout has certainly progressed, considering it's only a year old,
and you have a summer hobby! I've been thinking about my layout for
a year now, and not one piece of track has been put down permanently
yet.

Keep us posted with the progress.

Lee

welcome, quick question why is the blue car stop in the middle of the intersection,is it broken down ? just a little humor, nice job from the live free or die cold state

Welcome to the forum.
Scott Smith

Welcome to the forum and nice T-bird; especially under the hood. My toy is a '93 LX 5.0 hatch.

Welcome, fellow Illinois O gauger! I really like your layout and was wondering if you could post a diagram of it sometime.

Welcome!
Nice job on the layout. I love how you blended the Atlas O ice house with the Lionel icing station!

Welcome.Very nice layout with lots of operating accessories.
Brad

Great layout and great car. I like someone who keeps their engine compartment clean! Welcome aboard. This is the best collection of the nicest people going. If you need any help as far as O gauge trains go this is the place!

quote:

Originally posted by PRRfan:
Welcome to the forum and nice T-bird; especially under the hood. My toy is a '93 LX 5.0 hatch.

I like the 87-93 5.0 Mustangs in addition to the 83-88 T-birds and Cougars. Long live the 5.0

quote:

Originally posted by MikeAA9ZY:
Welcome, fellow Illinois O gauger! I really like your layout and was wondering if you could post a diagram of it sometime.

I'd have to make one. I don't own any track planning software so I just built the tables and played with the track till I got a configuration I liked.

Welcome to the Forum, Louis. Nice to see another Chicago guy on board. Thanks for posting your layout pictures. I really like that A-B-B-A blue Santa Fe F3 diesel set of yours. Reminds me of Willow Springs in the '60's!

Welcome to the forum.
It looks like you have a fun layout with all the operating accessories.

quote:

Originally posted by Louis K:
Actually it's a 1960 T-Bird vert parked next to me . I'm in the local T-bird club and we usually have at least one of every generation T-bird at our shows over the summer.

Really. From the angle of the shot, I couldn't see any back seat and I thought it was the narrow fin '57. Originally, when I first saw the photo, I was thinking '60 because of the windshield but I can't see a back seat in there. That's what threw me off. Thanks for the update.

BTW, what intake is that?

Here's my Fox.

Welcome aboard!

Welcome to the Forum. You may be aware of the train show this Sunday at the Dupage county Fairgrounds in Wheaton, Illinois. Some of us Forum guys are meeting at McDonalds for breakfast at 7:30 AM. You are more than welcome to join us and meet some of the Chicagoland members. The McDonalds is at the corner of Roosevelt Rd. and County Farm Rd. Hope you can make it.

quote:

Originally posted by PRRfan:
BTW, what intake is that?

Here's my Fox.

That's one of my favorite colors on a Fox Mustang. Nice car.

The intake is actually a intake from a 5.0 Ford Explorer. It's the same as a tubular GT40 intake but cast. I cleaned up the casting and gave it 3 coats of Ford blue engine paint to match the engine block and heads.

quote:

Originally posted by Passenger Train Collector:
Welcome to the Forum. You may be aware of the train show this Sunday at the Dupage county Fairgrounds in Wheaton, Illinois. Some of us Forum guys are meeting at McDonalds for breakfast at 7:30 AM. You are more than welcome to join us and meet some of the Chicagoland members. The McDonalds is at the corner of Roosevelt Rd. and County Farm Rd. Hope you can make it.

I know about the show on Sunday. I would be going but I'm going to be out of town this weekend visiting friends.

Welcome to the forum. This is a great group. Some really knowledgeable and helpful people. Thanks for posting your layout pics. It looks like a fun layout.
I too am into 5.0s Here is mine.

quote:

Originally posted by Southern4501:
Welcome to the forum. This is a great group. Some really knowledgeable and helpful people. Thanks for posting your layout pics. It looks like a fun layout.
I too am into 5.0s Here is mine.

Nice Capri

The layout is far from done. It needs a lot of work to even be close to done. Layouts, like project cars, are never done.

Welcome to the forum!
I really like the photo of the Santa Fe F unit in freight color and the f-3 Warbonnet in the background.

Franktrain

Hi Louis, welcome to the forum. It's amazing how many toy train types also love cars. I would probably be into them my self if I had the time and space for a second hobby.

In any case I'm sure you will enjoy your time here and we will be happy for your input.

Hi Louis, welcome to the forum.

Bill

Wow, nice looking Capri, t-tops too!

I always wondered what the Explorer intake looked like. GT40 heads and intake has been on my dream list.

Welcome. You picked a great time of year to join the Forum. With Christmas coming, there will be many great Videos & Pictures Posted. What these Forum members do during the Holiday season with their train layouts is fantastic.

Many thanks,

Billy C

quote:

Originally posted by PRRfan:
Wow, nice looking Capri, t-tops too!

I always wondered what the Explorer intake looked like. GT40 heads and intake has been on my dream list.

They do wake up a 5.0 nicely

quote:

Originally posted by PRRfan:
Wow, nice looking Capri, t-tops too!.

It is a 85 5.0 5spd with T-Tps. Only 1150 were made in that style. I have really enjoyed this capri out of all the 5.0s I have owned. This one turns the most heads. I belong to the online forum Foureyedpride. If you really like the 79-86 stangs, capris, cougars, and t-birds.

quote:

Originally posted by Southern4501:

quote:

Originally posted by PRRfan:
Wow, nice looking Capri, t-tops too!.

It is a 85 5.0 5spd with T-Tps. Only 1150 were made in that style. I have really enjoyed this capri out of all the 5.0s I have owned. This one turns the most heads. I belong to the online forum Foureyedpride. If you really like the 79-86 stangs, capris, cougars, and t-birds.

I'm on foxtbirdcougarforums.com for 80-88 T-birds and Cougars on the fox platform. We get guys from Foureyedpride all the time asking about their T-birds and Cougars on our forum