Thanks for watching, Jack. Glad you liked it.

Thanks Steve. That loco is a 263E with 2263W Vanderbilt tender. Tuned-up it was able to pull 13 hoppers and caboose with only minor wheel slip at start up. I keep all the wheels cleaned and axles oiled to make long trains possible. I have a "project" 263E that I was going to finish and add a front coupler, but 1 loco did the job, the double-head was not necessary. Thanks for watching. UPS should be visiting you soon.

Thanks for watching. Can't have enough dogs!

Thanks for watching. The whole Rabbit family was out in full-force a few months ago. All have gone back into the rabbit-hole except these 2.

Thanks for watching. The AF wooden-series bridges are very dramatic and seem to "Bridge" the gap between toy and scale (no pun intended). They make for great video and photo opportunities. I read somewhere that Lionel covered the spectrum of color in the 1920's and 30's because it was thought the Mom of the family did the toy selecting and buying for Junior in those days. Their advertising, however, seemed to promote a Father-Son relationship, at least when it was time to build a layout.

Thanks for watching

Thanks for watching and for noticing that I am always looking for new camera angles to keep it interesting.

Thanks for watching.

Thanks for watching. This one took a little longer to get across the finish line.

Thanks for watching, T-rail is a labor of love.

@@JFLionelT-RailOperator it's a labor of love on your wallet...tried but found it financially ridiculous

Thanks for watching. Sometimes added music is not necessary, but I should have done something the screen the very noisy E-unit in the 262E with the gray/red passenger cars.

@@JFLionelT-RailOperator Oh I don't know, personally I find the E-unit buzz part of the attraction of old Lionels, even though some are louder than others.

@@wayneantoniazzi2706 This 262E had a particularly loud / high-pitched buzz. Maybe because it is one of the first years of production. Normally E units do not bother me.

@@JFLionelT-RailOperator Ok, that's understandable. I guess an easy solution would be to lock the E-unit in "forward only" to mitigate the buzz. Actually I've done that on a 259e I've got, not that I'm annoyed with the buzz but just to save wear on the unit. I hardly ever back my trains up anyway.

@@wayneantoniazzi2706 I have locked-out the E unit in some videos to eliminate the buzz in some videos. With 4 trains running in this one, I wanted the ability to reverse on my shortest main line. I spend too much time trying to que-up the trains to where I want them to start and the ability to reverse some of them helps.

Thanks for watching.

Thanks for watching. I have subscribed to you and watched several videos.

Thanks, glad you liked it.

@@JFLionelT-RailOperator I have a question that relates to this hobby. What do you think a steam era version of Amtrak would look like? What sort of paint schemes and icons do you think they would likely put on their steam engines and what sort of steam locomotives do you think they would likely prefer?

@@lucasquintanilla1673 That's a tuff question. Amtrack has silver/red/blue graphics, so locos with sideboards or some degree of streamlining would best reflect their graphics. Your last question is even more difficult, as steam locos are far from efficient, especially in the diesel-electric era. If there was a government mandate that banned diesels in favor of steam (not out of the question lately) I suppose a steam-turbine type would be the most efficient.

@@JFLionelT-RailOperator thanks for your input! I have been under the impression that in terms of logos, the original Amtrak pointless arrow logo will probably be appropriate more so than the current one for a steam engine. In terms of what types they would use and other aesthetics, I would think that streamlined locomotives like Norfolk and western J class 611 the southern pacific GS 4 class that 4449 is a part of the New York central Commodore Vanderbilt and Dreyfus Hudsons, and potentially non streamlined locomotives, that would be notable for being incredibly efficient similar to stuff like the New York Central Niagara the union pacific FEF3 class and the Union Pacific challenger. In terms of paint schemes, I think that it would depend upon exactly what locomotive, but I am under the impression that the most likely possibilities would be either something inspired off of the original amtrack paint scheme with the red paint at the front and silver with the rest of the locomotive. The so-called Pepsi can red white and blue stripes down the middle that was popular from the late 1970s until about the turn of the century. Or the current Amtrak, paint scheme of silver and blue. The fourth possibility would be something similar to the paint schemes that have been given to the American freedom train engines of Texas in Pacific 610 Reading 2101 and southern pacific 4449. Likely what I am going to do if I model a steam version of Amtrak is that I would likely utilize some of the Bicentennial themed stuff to make it like a version of Amtrak, where Steam never went away completely. Rather conveniently for my purposes, there is at least a little bit of precedent for 4449 being in a Amtrak like paint scheme. In 1977 after the conclusion of the American freedom, trains tour across the United States, southern pacific 44,49, needed to be returned to the city of Portland, as it had been leased by that city, so that it could be used with the AFT exhibition. As a result, Ross, Rowland, the person who helped to organize the American freedom, train organized with Amtrak an excursion that would take the locomotive back to Portland, Oregon, where it would be returned to its owners. While this happened 4449 was still in its AFT colors, but with one major alteration. On the tender below some of the stars, the word, Amtrak had been put on to the paint scheme in order to signify it’s temporary Amtrak status for the excursion. Ross Roland seem to have a thing about putting modern road names onto the locomotives he used as later when he did excursions for the chessie system Reading 2101 was applied with the Chessie system colors, even though that railroad never had been around during the age of steam and he had planned to do the same with a Series of conrail excursions that were to have been held at the end of the 1970s. Because of this I’m going to assume that an Amtrak version of some of the locomotives I would use would look similar to their American freedom train appearance with the exception that they would likely have the 1970s era Amtrak logos printed onto the steam engines, specifically similar to how there are certain designations and symbols for a certain type of locomotives for identification purposes. In fact, I am definitely going to utilize the Reading T one locomotive models in the chesse system and conrail paint schemes if I could get the chance because I might probably use it for examples of so-called “ super powered steam” that would be present in my idea. I’m assuming that such steam locomotives would be akin to the South African steam locomotive red Devil, and would be directly comparable to modern diesel locomotives in their efficiency, or at least would be fairly close. In fact, I will have that in my idea the American freedom train model of Reading 2101 will be one of these being used for Amtrak. Specifically, I might say that it is more meant for commuter and mid range passenger services in the mid western and north east United States, and that, while its external appearance was inspired by the Redding locomotives internally, it would be quite different. Southern pacific 4449 will likely also be in it’s AFT paint scheme frequently, as I am going to say it was Leased from the southern pacific to Amtrak at the beginning of the 1970s and the reason that it retained its American freedom train paint scheme into its Amtrak service would be that it had been in storage for several years up until the point that it was acquired for the bicentennial sort of similar to how union pacific 3985 was in storage until employees restored it in 1981. After the conclusion of the American freedom train, I’m going to assume that Amtrak, which technically had already owned the locomotive, but had never previously utilized it, put it into express passenger service in the western United States with its AFT paint scheme becoming it’s Amtrak livery with the major difference of the Amtrak name, being put onto the tender Like it was for the 1977 excursion in real life. I might have that occasionally it is put into its old southern pacific paint schemes for special appearances although it’s official paint scheme is now the red, white and blue one. Finally, as what you had said about a ban on diesel locomotives I personally don’t think it would go quite that far although I do see that there is a realistic possibility that diesels might eventually get phased out in favor of hydrogen locomotives in the next few decades, seeing as they are starting to be introduced to railroads. Honestly, I think it will be a long time and I will probably be a middle-aged man by that point, but I do think the day is coming with the age of diesel will come to an end much like the age of steam did half a century ago.

@@lucasquintanilla1673 I can't imagine that we would ever see electric powered locomotives. There is not even enough materials and capacity to produce all the car batteries that are being mandated. And can we rely on China to step-up and keep supplying them? Would the train have to stop every 100 miles and plug-in for a charge for 12 hours. Certainly most areas would not have power grid capacity available to support this. Maybe the greenies would suggest wind power or solar, but highly impractical. A train might be powered by wind if you could give it a push down-hill to get the wind turbines started. Obviously this is a joke. Other than exploring new fuels like hydrogen, the current diesel-electric is the most practical option.

Mabel does get around. She and her best friend Irene both have several sisters in Willowby and downtown, who also get around a lot.

Yes I have AF O and have done videos running it. You can see them on my channel listing. I have done everything from late prewar streamliners to early wind ups.

@@JFLionelT-RailOperator ill have to find them later

The fantasy schemes of vintage trains are likely because they were mostly marketed to kids, back in the day. I have seen somewhere that Lionel thought a large portion of their sales were to Mothers (as gifts for kids) justifying another reason for colorful schemes. This opinion seems to have changed in the late 1930's to early 40's as "scale" color and trim schemes took over Lionel and Am Flyers production. Scale schemes were drab, flat finishes in black, tuscan etc. The drab or scale scheme seems to have carried into the postwar era at least till the mid 1950's. In the mid to late 1950's trains again became more-colorful and fantasy themes such as military / space equipment, operating cars such as the aquarium, cop & hobo etc attempted to prop-up sales, but by the late 1950's it was a lost battle. Today the colors and fantasy themes are to appeal to the "kid" that is still in most of us train collectors.

Thanks for watching.