Brian Austin

How about waiting for more facts? All I find is this one video and maybe a thread or two discussing it.

I posted a similar video in the spring but it's slightly different. The artisan speaks (with subtitles) about his craft. The one posted above is longer, and you get to see the equalizing links in action. Pretty neat.

Part One is a lovely walk-through of the layout, though I figured you guys would like to see the trains run instead of the guys talking for almost an hour. ? If you have a rainy weekend, I'd recommend poking around the YouTube channel the video is from. HO Scale, O Scale, various eras. Lots of neat buildings as well. Admittedly I've only skimmed the surface myself. Lots of talent for sure.

You can find plenty of random rolling stock used. For 1:25 scale, you don't need premium products. I think in the size range we're talking about models are reasonably priced compared to, say, 1:20 scale 3ft gauge stuff which is indeed pricey. You'd need to re-detail the rolling stock and make your own trucks. Track gauge for the historic GENERAL was 5 ft, so G Gauge track would be out. You might want to use O Scale rail. Some time after the war the track was re-gauged to Standard.

Brass model production moved to Korea, which I don't believe has a model railroad hobby market of its own.

For those wondering what to do with your AMT 1:25 scale GENERAL loco kit, here's what trains typically looked like in the Civil War days. Note the loco in the thumbnail below. GENERAL looked very similar before being rebuilt after the war. The lovely brass model locos are hard to come by today.

Their video channel https://www.youtube.com/@britainsbiggestmodelrailwa1428/vid

This huge model railway is centered around coal train operations. Lots and lots of coal cars. I love the "pacing" action of this video, as the scenery blurs by.

Banthrico's near-1:25 scale diecast banks offered some four-door sedans, but mostly '40s-'50s models.

There always has been push/pull between modelers wanting sedans for light commercial and municipal cars and kit manufacturers tending to lean toward the flashier hardtops coupes and convertibles. Relatedly, many US export models were only available as four-door sedans (or four-door hardtops) so replicating these in scale can be a challenge converting a two-door hardtop or coupe. Unless there was some kind of tie-in to NASCAR or drag racing or a TV show license, I don't see many newly tooled four door sedan kits in the future. TWO-door sedans, maybe.

Note the recess in the back panel, and the stepwells. (Images found online).

People were smart then, just as they are smart today. The tools just change. ? How crowded are the stops along the Big Boy route?

I think it's interesting the 1:1 van changed roof stampings so often in the first place.

Back in the '80s or maybe '90s I saw a Dodge custom van kit at a job lots store (Building #19 here in MA) but I didn't get it. I think it was from a fire sale lot, as I think it was still damp.

Found at a hot rod show taking place at a fair grounds. I don't know if it's an exhibit, or just part of the fairground equipment. ? (Bolton Fairground, Lancaster, MA).

I'll be the odd one out and suggest a release as a curbside would be fine. ?

Small rear window. (Images from a sales listing).

On my way to a car show, I passed two Model A's at the side of the road. One appeared broken down. Later I passed a convoy of Model A's off in a parking lot apparently getting ready to hit the road. Later still I saw another A passing through an intersection, going a different direction. I hoped the A's were headed to the car show, but I never saw them again.

People also forget how poor the roads were in the US at the time as well.

I think they make repro tires these days. Also, back in the early days of motoring, tire blowouts were common.

Didn't the roof stamping change from time to time as well?

The picture from the discussion I found. It's actually fairly close to the A.I. one in composition. I do wonder why the original image got swapped out.

I thought collectors preferred shortbeds as being "sporty".

Doesn't look like any American car I've ever seen. I can't make any sense of it. Fun story though. I couldn't leave well enough alone and poked around. Oddly enough the linked thread has a different picture with the same story. Definitely a '39 Chevy in this case. Other posts on FB use the same A.I.-appearing image seen above. https://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/showthread.php?p=9328942

https://www.bssauction.com/auction-lot/matchbox-slot-car-racer_31741E2A88 http://www.matchbox-powertrack.co.uk/ Some of the cars. Note the MB cars might actually be 6 volt.: https://www.matchbox-powertrack.co.uk/cars/speedtrack/