2012 was our first full year of operation. As a latecomer to the large scale train hobby, I had a lot of catching up to do. We started out with just a few Disney freight cars pulled by a LGB Mogul (2018D) or LGB Stainz locomotive with powered tender (2020, 2017D).
On a hot day I loved to watch the Disney freight train chug around the yard while sipping on a REALLY GOOD beer so I thought, why not have a beer train depicting all my favorite microbrews? I learned that there were plenty of German beer cars and those advertising American corporate beers. I did find one reefer for DogFish Head Craft Brewery in Delaware and another one from San Francisco based Anchor Steam. My good friends at Hunter Railway Systems custom painted a boxcar and LGB keg car after beers from Hangar 24 and that was the beginning of the beer train.
Chris Haon in Georgia built me some custom beer reefers from Red Brick Brewing Co. and Sweetwater Brewing Co. both in Atlanta,
I love it whenever Ted visits because he never comes empty handed. His latest creation is to use plexiglass mounts on the Lucite beer tap handles which look really good.
When I was a National Park Ranger in PA I started collecting Olde Frothingslosh beer cans that were available each year around Christmas on a limited release.from Pittsburgh Brewing Co. Then on May 29, 2000 the world was shocked to learn:
Obituary: Marsha Phillips / Beer drinkers' Miss Olde Frothingslosh dies
Each can told a bit of the Miss Olde Frothingslosh story. "She's from a small town outside Pittsburgh," the can declared. "It's considerably smaller since she left." Another can in another color told of her appearance in a parade. "Only one problem ... Miss Frothingslosh's float ... had to detour a few
blocks because of the Seventh Street Bridge weight limit. "But Miss Frothingslosh kept her chins up and waved happily to the surging crowd." - from the post-gazette.com
Stan Cedarleaf made decals and painted some reefers and a boxcar for
Olde Frothinslosh, the "pale stale ale with the foam on the bottom".
Without a doubt, my favorite beer train rolling stock has got to be that lovable Bear Whiz Beer.
If you look closely, on a hot day you will find mamma bear and her cub inside the air conditioned reefer. I love the hot summer temperatures in Southern CA. You can always find ways to cool off.
Of course no freight train would be complete without a caboose. Gary Johnson was kind enough to allow his son, Scott to custom make one for me. These are the only three in existence.
Bear Whiz Beer caboose on the Johnson Valley and Twin Falls RR
Bear Whiz Beer caboose at GrandpaLand
Other bear beer-drinking related train cars include Bear Country Beer and Hamm's Beer.
By far the most creative, unique, one-of-a-kind beer train rolling stock has got to be the beer tap handle flatcar invented by Ted Gird. We started out with two Hangar-24 tap handles and within a year we had over 20 flatcars with more than 37 tap handles, mini-mugs and a Bobble-head of the BrewMaster of Rogue Brewing Co. Ted owns half of them and we ended up with so many beer train cars that it required two storage sheds and three different locomotives to pull them as reefers only, tap handles only and kegs, cans and bottles.
Yes, this car actually operates
on Austria’s Zillertalbahn! You can sit comfortably with friends in the
barrel or get a drink at the small bar in the attached compartment.
Here is an train consist made mostly of beer tankers
.
Refrigerator boxcars more commonly known as "reefers" were used for advertising in the mid 1800's. Nobody really knows how many G gauge beer reefers have been made or limited editions sent to events and dealers as "custom runs" but I have several built by Stan Cedarleaf.
The beer train wouldn't be complete without a few actual bottles, cans or growler. It's fun to fill a high-sided gondola with ice to keep a Crowler (one liter beer can) cold and grab one whenever it chugs by within arms reach (sometimes you need to keep a watch on the train as it nears the neighbors fence).
We have G scale Grandkids and G scale bears. How 'bout some G scale beer drinkers? YES! We have G scale beer drinkers too. Cheers!
Grandpa filled his mug with REALLY GOOD beer!
This guy just took a swig of really bad beer!
Finally, the rest of the steam locomotives include two LGB Moguls (2028D, 21181) , a Bachmann 4-6-0, three LGB Stainz locos with powered tender (2017D, 2015, 2020) a LGB Forney (21252), a USA Trains 0-6-0 Docksider and the LGB 20th Anniversary Mogul set (29182). It comes all packed in a wooden box and can be transported to train shows, LoganLand and the Fullerton Railroad Days event. Ted Gird built a similar wooden box that protects a LGB Mogul (2219S) and a five passenger car consist from the Pennsylvania Railroad.
No comments:
Post a Comment