From the distant future, we wait for the invention of the Star Trek Replicator.  Today we have affordable 3-D printers.  But in 1894, there was the Automatic Sculpturing Machine, the great granddaddy of part duplicators.  

Although rotary car dumpers seems like a fairly modern invention, the idea of turning a hopper or gon over to dump the goodies out is really pretty old.  

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Eighty-one years ago this month, the first issue of Model Railroader was published.  Model Railroad Craftsman, less than a year old, was known simply as the Model Craftsman.  The Model Craftsman covered railroad topics as well as sailing and flying models. 

About a decade ago, Broadway Limited came out with the NYC Hudson.  LED lighting and sound - that could run in both DC and DCC modes.  It was really something new and different when it first came out.  I had to get one.  The Hudson was followed by the big N&W A - I had to get one. Then came the super stylish PRR T1 and the brutishly hansome PRR J1.  I happily paid the premium for these models and was as happy as can be with these purchases and my collection of "noisy" engines.

The 1957 Lionel Girls Train set was a interesting experiment.  While not commercially successful it is prized by collectors.  I would submit that its commercial failure was that the pink steam locomotive did not have any context.

Today, October 1st, we will see a parade of pink baseball bats, pink sneakers and pink towel in all the professional sports arenas.  Pink trimmed race cars circle the race tracks of the US in October.  In this spirit of support, we now have a context for a pink steam locomotive and the foundation for Project 80085.

The DCC Re-Animator

The Re-Animator is a campy old school horror movie series.  The DCC Re-Animator is my attempt to bring old-school operating accessories back to relevance by installing DCC and other simple upgrades.  I am hoping that this series will inspire all of us push the boundaries of DCC.  The premise is simple – take an old school “Operating” or “Action” car or accessory and make it work with DCC.  The first edition looks at the Bachmann Action Caboose.