# Especially for Vic Smith.....full size NG around a house!



## Gary Armitstead (Jan 2, 2008)

This post is for all of us dreaming when we win the Lottery!

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/train-174345-thagard-run.html

The home is located in Orange County, CA. George Thagard collects and restores old cars. But his real passion is trains. #4 is a sister engine to Ward Kimball's "Chloe". The 1967 Plymouth switcher used to be owned by my late Dad's business partner AND my live steam co-engineer (We run the "little", 7 1/2" gauge, ride-on stuff at Los Angeles Live Steamers).

Here's Google Earth shot of the place.


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

OMG They actually BUILT the dang thing! 

Well this is a small world, believe it or not, I actually WORKED on that house when I worked at an architectural firm in OC many years ago, I helped build some architectural models of it for the city approval process. IIRC the owners said the locomotives were going to be diesel or gas powered, as the city and some of neighbors at the time were wigging out about a full size live steam locomotive and worried about noise and smoke in such an exclusive neighborhood. Obviously (as is usually the case) once its actually built, they forget its even there.

I also remember the architects having a hard time of it getting the grading around the house to work, its on a hillside, and getting the track the client wanted and getting it to work, and all the retailing walls and slopes right and getting the house they wanted onto the lot was a challenge. But assuming it was finally built with the same firm I was at, this was 20 years ago ;-) , they got all the bugs worked out.

I never got to see the loco or the house finished, I was in college at the time. The daily commute between Cerritos, Fashion Island, and Pomona (home, work,school) was just too grueling. 

Thanks for sharing that, I always wondered what happened to that project.


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## Gary Armitstead (Jan 2, 2008)

Wow Vic, what a small world indeed! That's cool.

My steaming partner at LALS (and my Dad's business partner) bought that NG Plymouth diesel about 25+ years ago. I was working for him at that time as a die sinker. One morning, a low-boy trailer pulls into the parking lot with this Plymouth and they unload in the lot. It stayed there a few years and then my buddy sold it to Bill Norred who had a 15" gauge Hudson (sister engine to Seymour Johnson's Hudson in Montecito, CA) and wanted to set these two locomotives on a 3 foot and 15" gauge layout on his property in Encino. After Bill passed away, the family sold it to George Thagard to run on the property you worked on.

Fast forward to this past Monday. I get a phone call from Dan O'Brien (my steamin' bud) and he tells me the history of the diesel and Thagard putting the steam engine and diesel around his house. Since these photos were taken for the newspaper article, George and his wife have added a 7 1/2" gauge track down the center of the 3 footer mainline! George and his wife purchased a Fairmont Speeder and riding cars for their grand children from Dan (He also owns Rail Rider Supply. http://www.railridersupply.com/). While I was on the phone with Dan, Mrs. Thagard pulled up to Dan's shop with the speeder to have some carbuerator work done.

Dan and I are going down to the house to ride the diesel and the steam engine in a few weeks. I'll be sure to post some photos of the visit here on MLS.


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## redbeard (Jan 2, 2008)

*awesome!*

Pictures!

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/train-174345-thagard-run.html?pic=1

Who knew?
Thanks for posting!
Larry


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## tmejia (Jan 2, 2008)

_"Dan and I are going down to the house to ride the diesel and the steam engine in a few weeks."_

LUCKY 

Tommy
Rio Gracie


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## K27_463 (Jan 2, 2008)

Yes, George is an interesting fellow. He got an Accucraft live Steam Mason Bogie from me a while back. I knew a few facts, but never knew about the old car thing. 
Jonathan/www.rctrains.com


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## Gary Armitstead (Jan 2, 2008)

K27_463 said:


> Yes, George is an interesting fellow. He got an Accucraft live Steam Mason Bogie from me a while back. I knew a few facts, but never knew about the old car thing.
> Jonathan/www.rctrains.com


Jonathan,

Maybe he is out of the car thing now. I remember this from about 15-20 years ago. Sounds like his interests are wide spread over many hobbies!


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

tmejia said:


> _"Dan and I are going down to the house to ride the diesel and the steam engine in a few weeks."_
> 
> LUCKY
> 
> ...


Yeah....what he said


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## Garratt (Sep 15, 2012)

Where does he store the trains?
Maybe a secret storage bunker inside the tunnel...

Andrew


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## Gary Armitstead (Jan 2, 2008)

Andrew,

Look at my Google Earth capture. See the light tan roof in the upper right hand corner of the home? The engines are stored under that patio area. See picture #4 in the article. You can just make out the turntable and tracks leading into the shop. Roll-up glass doors. Photo #10 shows the turntable and engine house lead track.


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## Garratt (Sep 15, 2012)

Gary, I could see the spur track but the turntable was not so obvious. Also I didn't realize the photo in the link was a slide show. Thanks, They are too big to hide easily.

Andrew


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## Ray Dunakin (Jan 6, 2008)

Oh wow, that is too cool!! What a beautiful little loco. I like that tiny Plymouth, too.


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