A while back I invested in some model Hogwarts Express trains. The O gauge Lionel trains are Lionel's first foray into any Euro locomotive, and they're actually very nice if you don't let the kids handle the locomotive - the stanchions holding the handrails on are ridiculously fragile. The "G Gauge" ones are battery-powered toys, but fun to run. I haven't bought the "Ready to Play" version because it only runs on the chintzy 2" track that nobody makes but Lionel. Yes, they did that on purpose to keep people from mixing their battery-powered trains with EZ-Tek or New Bright or whatever. (Actually that's the same reason Lionel invented "O gauge" in the first place - to keep people who invested in Lionel trains from buying trains from anyone else. Gotta love 'em.)
At any rate, I always liked the Great Western Railways Hall class locomotives that were adapted for the Harry Potter movies. So when we went to Universal Studios parks in Orlando, I took copious notes and lots of photos. Then I published an article about the real Hall class locomotives that were being used in the movies and the parks.
Here's the link to that article:
https://halloweentrains.com/primer/hogw ... xpress.htmI also experimented with running the battery-powered toy version on my outdoor railroad. It looked surprisingly nice, especially with the extra cars I picked up for it.
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I'm now planning to run it on my railroad when we have our Christmas-themed open railroad Nov. 16, 2019.
To help it look "at home" I'm trashbashing three old plastic Fisher Price Castles.
Here's what they look like primed.
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More as progress happens.