Like most serious model railroaders, I’ve been fascinated with trains since getting
my first Lionel set in the mid 1950’s.
My father did without many of his favorite things for a full year so he could by me a
Santa Fe freight set for Christmas. I didn’t have a clue to my new found fortune, but I
knew everything else I’d be unwrapping as it was hard to hide anything in a 3
bedroom row house. I thought it was going to be a very lean Christmas with nothing
but sorely needed clothing and no toys.
Dad built the 4 by 8 layout in my uncle’s garage down the block and obviously put a
lot of time into it. I had wondered why it took so long for him to help my uncle fix up
his basement and every time I went to my uncle’s house, he guarded his
windowless garage like it was Fort Knox.
The two of them carried the board up the block when I finally fell asleep on
Christmas Eve and added all the trimmings to the layout. After I opened my socks,
underwear, and new pants for school with disappointment written all over my face,
my father asked me to run down to the basement and get him an empty box for all
the ripped wrappings.
I turned on the light and walked down the steps and was speechless. In front of me
was a miniature train world complete with mountains, a trestle that went through
them, a Plasticville town, and the Santa Fe freight set.
I can’t remember ever being any happier in my childhood. I had been hounding my
father for well over a year to get that set and now it was mine.
Over the next 3 years, the trains were set up in early November and came down in
mid January. The layout swelled to 12 by 8 feet and took over our entire basement.
If my mother could have divorced my father on the grounds of too many trains, I’m
sure she would have.
Three more sets were added along with many switches or turnouts to accommodate
the new freight yard in the center. We added the operating milk car and cattle car
and a host of other goodies. My favorite of the three new sets was the Santa Fe
passenger set that we kept in the mountains.
Life simply couldn’t get any better!
As I grew older I began to understand that the rapid train build up and board
expansion was not solely for yours truly. Seems my father played with the trains as
much as I did and we spent many an hour running the railroad together every year
until I graduated college and had to move for a job.
Fast forwarding to a few years ago, my wife inherited 2 sets of N gauge with passing
of her father. We decided to set up a small oval around the Christmas tree for our
cats to chase. Seems that I did all the chasing.
Once I had the oval in place, I hooked up the transformer. It took me forever to get a
steam locomotive and 5 freight cars on the tiny track. Once all was in place, I turned
on the transformer and gave it some juice. As the set inched forward, that old
Christmas rush wasted no time finding me. That “train drug” had control of me once
again!
I went out and bought a 4 by 8 board, moved it to my home office, and went hog wild
over the next year spending every free minute building my new world.
But something was seriously wrong with my structures, all of which were made of
plastic. While “Plasticville” was fine for a 9 year old who didn’t know any better, it
just wouldn’t do for a graying young man in his late 50’s.
The plastic buildings were “too perfect” and totally unreal looking. No amount of
“weathering” seemed to help. Plastic is plastic is plastic-------period!
Being skilled as a young man building rubber band airplanes out of balsa wood and
banana paper that I actually got to fly, I decided to create my own structures out of
wood and use absolutely no plastic of any kind----not even for my “loads”. While
plastic people, cars, and trucks are used in my dioramas, it is only because building
people and vehicles out of wood is a near impossibility.
The video on the homepage gives you a good look at the end result and my world in
the Southwestern United States.
After turning my other business over to my partner a year ago and having little to do
all day except play with my trains, I decided to go into business again and offer my
buildings and loads to other N-Scalers.
If you’re looking for plastic, you’re positively at the wrong website.
If you’re looking for hand made non-laser cut wood structures and “loads” that say
“I’m real”, page thru the website. Most buildings, structures, and loads are available
in different colors to match your scenery demands.
Have a good one,
Joe Takach
my first Lionel set in the mid 1950’s.
My father did without many of his favorite things for a full year so he could by me a
Santa Fe freight set for Christmas. I didn’t have a clue to my new found fortune, but I
knew everything else I’d be unwrapping as it was hard to hide anything in a 3
bedroom row house. I thought it was going to be a very lean Christmas with nothing
but sorely needed clothing and no toys.
Dad built the 4 by 8 layout in my uncle’s garage down the block and obviously put a
lot of time into it. I had wondered why it took so long for him to help my uncle fix up
his basement and every time I went to my uncle’s house, he guarded his
windowless garage like it was Fort Knox.
The two of them carried the board up the block when I finally fell asleep on
Christmas Eve and added all the trimmings to the layout. After I opened my socks,
underwear, and new pants for school with disappointment written all over my face,
my father asked me to run down to the basement and get him an empty box for all
the ripped wrappings.
I turned on the light and walked down the steps and was speechless. In front of me
was a miniature train world complete with mountains, a trestle that went through
them, a Plasticville town, and the Santa Fe freight set.
I can’t remember ever being any happier in my childhood. I had been hounding my
father for well over a year to get that set and now it was mine.
Over the next 3 years, the trains were set up in early November and came down in
mid January. The layout swelled to 12 by 8 feet and took over our entire basement.
If my mother could have divorced my father on the grounds of too many trains, I’m
sure she would have.
Three more sets were added along with many switches or turnouts to accommodate
the new freight yard in the center. We added the operating milk car and cattle car
and a host of other goodies. My favorite of the three new sets was the Santa Fe
passenger set that we kept in the mountains.
Life simply couldn’t get any better!
As I grew older I began to understand that the rapid train build up and board
expansion was not solely for yours truly. Seems my father played with the trains as
much as I did and we spent many an hour running the railroad together every year
until I graduated college and had to move for a job.
Fast forwarding to a few years ago, my wife inherited 2 sets of N gauge with passing
of her father. We decided to set up a small oval around the Christmas tree for our
cats to chase. Seems that I did all the chasing.
Once I had the oval in place, I hooked up the transformer. It took me forever to get a
steam locomotive and 5 freight cars on the tiny track. Once all was in place, I turned
on the transformer and gave it some juice. As the set inched forward, that old
Christmas rush wasted no time finding me. That “train drug” had control of me once
again!
I went out and bought a 4 by 8 board, moved it to my home office, and went hog wild
over the next year spending every free minute building my new world.
But something was seriously wrong with my structures, all of which were made of
plastic. While “Plasticville” was fine for a 9 year old who didn’t know any better, it
just wouldn’t do for a graying young man in his late 50’s.
The plastic buildings were “too perfect” and totally unreal looking. No amount of
“weathering” seemed to help. Plastic is plastic is plastic-------period!
Being skilled as a young man building rubber band airplanes out of balsa wood and
banana paper that I actually got to fly, I decided to create my own structures out of
wood and use absolutely no plastic of any kind----not even for my “loads”. While
plastic people, cars, and trucks are used in my dioramas, it is only because building
people and vehicles out of wood is a near impossibility.
The video on the homepage gives you a good look at the end result and my world in
the Southwestern United States.
After turning my other business over to my partner a year ago and having little to do
all day except play with my trains, I decided to go into business again and offer my
buildings and loads to other N-Scalers.
If you’re looking for plastic, you’re positively at the wrong website.
If you’re looking for hand made non-laser cut wood structures and “loads” that say
“I’m real”, page thru the website. Most buildings, structures, and loads are available
in different colors to match your scenery demands.
Have a good one,
Joe Takach
Know More About Us
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