Thread: My 1930s Farm Shop (2)

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I actually remembered the song on the record.. does that mean I'm old?

That's really cool you guys were able to get it working again! It sounds really good for it's age.

That great that you guys got it going and it sound pretty good. It seems like if something is broke, someone somewhere will know how to fix it.

Cool beans, Mike; and I certainly remember that song.

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Some one besides you is really lucky to have all the family things. Most of that gets tossed as the older folks pass. I for one am happy for you at 73 I still have and use some of my grandfathers tools. As long as you have there things they live in your memory.

It’s getting close to that time of year again, and I’ve had a little project I’ve been trying to get done the last couple of years. Looks like I made it in time for Christmas this year.

When we cleared out mom’s house after she went into the nursing home we came across a box with 3 old train sets in it. I let my brother and sister have first choice and I ended up with what was left.


20180304_073732 by M Patterson, on Flickr


lt1 by M Patterson, on Flickr


When I was telling mom about who was getting what, her eyes lit up when I told her about the old Mickey Mouse circus train. She told me that it had been a Christmas present from her Dad and Granddad when she was 10 (1936). After her Dad and Granddad got thru “showing” her how it worked …..which according to mom took most of Christmas day….it was well loved and played with over the years by mom and her 3 younger sisters.


I spent the last 2 years trying to find a windup motor that would fit under the engine and looking for a tender to complete the set. I finally found both over the summer and finished it up couple of weeks ago.

The motor isn’t really the correct one for the engine but it is the right size to fit and look correct and I got it in without having to modify the engine body. The tender has just the right amount of wear that it looks like it belongs with the rest of the set.


DT1 by M Patterson, on Flickr


My wife and I bought a toy Christmas Train our first Christmas together and have been putting it out every year. This year we’ll start putting out 2 trains.


DT2 by M Patterson, on Flickr




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(Double post during time when site didn't want to post)
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That is so awesome Mike! I'm guessing it wasn't easy to find the tender? My Dad's dad had one really similar to yours. I still remember how as a kid I found it strange that mickey mouse looked so odd compared to what we saw in that time. Probably because the train was 40yrs old or so back then. That's very nice you were able to learn the history of the train which makes it even more special to you and the family down the road.

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Actually Ryan if it wasn’t for the story it would have been kept in the box as it was when I got it. The box probably wouldn’t have been looked at again until after I'm gone and the comments would have been “ why in the heck did Grandpa keep this? ”


I like the idea of being able to tell Moms’ grandkids and great grandkids that that was one of Moms’ Christmas presents in 1936. I suspect because of the story it will be around a couple more generations now. That was really the driving force behind me getting it in shape to display.


I was in for sticker shock when I started looking for parts for it. It turns out that it is a pretty popular collectable. It was popular enough that in the late 80s early 90s Pride Lines reproduced the set (with an electric motor instead of the wind up one). The Pride Lines Mickey Mouse Circus Train sets go pretty high (in my mind) and the originals like this are usually higher than that. I got a pretty good deal on the tender, but I still don’t want to admit how much I paid for it


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I agree with Ryan, that is so special and wonderful that you could get it into "running" shape.

I don't remember seeing one like that before either. I do still have the train set from my childhood, made by Marx. I haven't set it up in decades. Maybe you've changed that? LOL.. 8-)

As a child I had a Hornby O gauge clockwork train set. Nothing fancy, but it was well looked after. Just after WWII any toys were hard to find; so what you had you had to look after because you weren't going to get another.
It was kept for thirty years in an old butter-box that had been made into an ottoman, (I tell ya: my parents were broke!) and was stored in my workshop. Unfortunately I had to allow staff to access my workshop.
Months after one particular staff member left I noticed the butter-box was gone too. I was bloody upset and annoyed; but there was nothing I could do about it.
I too would have liked to have been able to pass that on down through the family.
You're very fortunate to have been given that opportunity and privilege.
Good one. I'm pleased for you.

This is where I'm at if not out in the shop. Some of the trains were my grandfathers. I have no cheap hobbies.

WOW! That is great.

I'll admit, I occasionally pull up some of the model Rail Roads on You tube.....It's really neat when they put a camera inside the train.

I've also been following the 4014 Big Boy restoration now and them.


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Dang, that is amazing Mr. Fischer!

Such a neat setup. I don't think I'd ever shut them off. 8-)

Charlie, that is very nice! When we were kids my dad got into H scale trains. We had an old ping pong table that was covered and made into a city. The room the trains were in was an old coal room. At one point in time dad had the trains going on the ledge of the walls and then up to the ceiling. We had mountain tunnels and a lot of cool stuff. Sadly it all got destroyed when one of my mom's brothers brought a girl friend with him. She ended up staying at our house for a few weeks. She went off on a bi-polar rant and trashed the basement one day. Dad put her ass on a bus back to Florida that afternoon.

Dad still has a lot of cars and engines and track that survived the womanado. He said I could have it all to do the same with my kids. It's on my to do list.

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