Getting Ready to Run...

My spare time today - and for the next couple of days - will be devoted to Right-of-Way and track maintenance.  Today, I worked on the west leg of the Northview Wye.  I replaced the rail on the inside of the curve in an effort to smooth out some kinks that have developed over the years.  There is a lot of mowing and trimming needed, as the woods out here currently resemble a rain forest.  The reason for all the work?  Monday will be spent running #205, enjoying come coal smoke and riding trains.  It looks like nice weather, so it should be a good day to enjoy the big steamer.

In other news... sometimes old toy trains look... you know... old.  While many collectors search out pristine examples of vintage toy trains, I tend to appreciate some of the well-worn clockwork trains that I find.  I've had this Marx locomotive for some time, and have been searching for a comparable tender.  Now, red Marx tenders aren't what I would call rare, but they are uncommon and tend to command better prices than the typical black versions.  However, I was fortunate to find this poor, rusty tender for a cheap price recently... the damaged lithography compliments the scratched paint on the locomotive nicely; it looks like the two items have spent their entire lives together: