I myself volunteer with a local railroad museum and enjoy collecting railroad antiques as well as railroad signals (yes real ones) and traffic lights (again, yes real ones lol). Just wondered if there were any other gay guys here with unusual interests such as I have. Would be nice to know any from anywhere. I’m from Alabama myself.
i used to have something that you would have loved, an accurate, truescale model of my town in the 50s, it was a 5ft by 10 ft model, that represented the 5mi x 10mi town and surrounding orange groves that used to have multiple freight railroads through them, it had custom trains that actually existed, along with town landmarks
I like various aspects of railroads. I love vintage passenger cars and trains. I love signals, especially vintage ones. I work on the ones as the museum and have several myself. I collect railroad antiques like locks, dining car silver items, and various other things. My collection is eclectic. And you?
it was unbelievably realistic, it was left to me by the original creator, who was an absolute train nut. he was a very close friend of my grandfather, so when he passed it was left to me. i tried to keep it maintained, and i even refurbished the rail system. sadly, it was sold 4 years ago at my grandfather's estate sale
I wouldn't say I'm into trains and railroads, but trains and railroads (or railways as we call them in the UK) are a big part of my life and earn me a living. I work for a very big rail organisation.
I wish there was more rail in the USA. So much dismantled, we once had among the finest rail systems in the world. Then the obsession with building the Interstate highway, cars cars cars...sprawl sprawl sprawl. Maybe we'll have a resurgence of rail, after the current system crashes and burns.
Hey, I have about 150 HO scale engines and cars. They are all lines from the upper Midwest, current or former. In addition I am an auction sale junkie, old farm related stuff, a real JD tractor, a couple of hit and miss engines. Toy farm toy restoration. Cast iron Erie, Wagner and Griswald frying pans. I think I could pay off my house if I sold all my old junk! Dean
That’s cool. I’ve spent most of my life since high school volunteering with the local railroad museum. I did a lot taking care of passenger cars and working on excursions and what not. Now I still volunteer every Saturday but now I’m the vinyl sign maker, the artifact person, the signal display department, the indoor display helper, the official lightbulb changer and toilet paper installer lol. Well someone has to do it. Lol. J have a 1954 fairmont railroad track speeder/motorcar that I am restoring. It has the original hit and miss engine. It is almost done. Our museum has six miles of track and 12 miles of right of way so I hope to take it there and keep it in a motor car house we are supposed to build in the near future. I collect eclectic things too. I love old signs, I collect traffic signals and have several wired up and working in my back yard. Also have several railroad signals in my backyard wired up and working. I collect a few elevator items and am currently getting ready to mount a lighted floor indicator and a car push button panel on the wall at home. I have a guy making a circuit board to make the lights change like an elevator was actually working. I know.......weird. I just wish I could find a gay friend or two who was like minded to hah our with and have fun working on stuff with and maybe a little guy fun on the side. Unfortunately the ones I meet can’t change a light bulb without help and in general have no desire for old and unusual things.
Yeah we have a lot of train activity here. Finding gay friends who I can relate to and like some of the same things I do is where the problem comes in. Alabama is not the place to be gay. But due to several circumstances I am stuck here. :-(
I restored a 1945 LB 1 1/2 HP McCormick hit and miss last winter. Currently doing my 1937 B John Deere (aka The Money Pit) and the next project will be a 1925 John Deere (Waterloo) 1 1/2 HP hit and miss I found at a sale in pieces. For a long time I thought I was the only not straigt guy around that liked doing this kinda of stuff but that was just a stereotype. We are everywhere, just some not as vocal as others. BTW nice to meet ya, I'm Dean
I'm a signaller. It's my job to set the routes, clear the signals and stop the trains from coming into conflict and grant engineering blockades of the railway section for which I'm responsible. Been doing it for 13 years now. Don't know how rail signalling works in the US, but I assume there are similar principles.