# I am tweetsie12fan a newbie from NC



## tweetsie12fan (May 10, 2012)

as my E name suggests I am a huge fan of narrow gauge and the old ET&WNC railroad I have just ine g scale set but want to expand and also I am 14


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## Steve Stockham (Jan 2, 2008)

Welcome to MLS! Have you had a chance to ride behind the ET&WNC #12? It's always great when you can model the engine that you have actually ridden behind! You'll find there are a bunch of really great guys here and as one of our number likes to quote: There are _ no_ dumb questions!


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## docwatsonva (Jan 2, 2008)

Welcome to MLS. There are a few of us who live in NC. What town do you hail from?

Doc


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## Daniel Peck (Mar 31, 2009)

I am in the Salisbury Area.... were you located at?


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## tweetsie12fan (May 10, 2012)

Newland NC


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## catherine yronwode (Oct 9, 2013)

Hello, tweetsie12fam! 

I too am a fan of the ET&WNC, a newbie to garden trains, and a newbie to this forum. I hope to do something a little different and fun with my Tweetsie project, involving music as well as trains. I am 66 years old and live in Northern California. I am joining the Redwood Empire Garden Railway Society and will begin actual layout planning next week. Here's the location, next to my full-scale barn and crossing guard:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVssvesCyGI

I am considering a station set like the one featuring Jimmie Rodgers singing "Waiting For a Train," seen here: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIlURYJI-xs

On that old film clip, he sings, "All around the water tank..." so i will have a replica of the ET&WNC water tank as well. 

There will be a SECOND station layout, and this one will honour Jesse Fuller, a mentor and inspiration to me in my youth. He was a railroad worker, musician, and inventor. There is a famous photo of him down at a train depot, and you can see it here, and listen to one of his many songs about trains, "Leaving Memphis, Frisco Bound": 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12h82gJgtrM

I am going to be here on this forum often, asking for help, i am sure!


Glad to meet another Tweetsie fan!


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## Scottychaos (Jan 2, 2008)

You Tweetsie fans probably already know this, but perhaps not everyone does, so I thought this thread would be a good place to mention it.. 
One of the most popular Large Scale locomotives, the Bachmann "Big Hauler" 4-6-0, is a model of Tweetsie #12! 



















The Big Hauler has of course been painted up in many different paint schemes over the years, 
and it has two "style" variants: 
1. The "modern" version, based on Tweetsie details..steel cab, coal tender, straight stack, smooth domes, etc. 
2. and a "back-dated" variant, with a wood cab, wood coal load, fluted domes, and wood-burner stack, 
to represent more of an 1870's narrow gauge look.. 

but the Big Hauler loco itself is clearly based on Tweetsie #12. 
Also, the Big Hauler has had many "generations" over the years, the current "10th Anniversary" model being the latest and greatest.. 

Scot


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## catherine yronwode (Oct 9, 2013)

Scottychaos, you got that right -- it is he existence of Bachmann's ET&WNC -- the locomotives you pictured above, as opposed to Bachmann's "Tweestsie" logo loco and rolling stock -- that is making my project affordable. I will not spend a lot of time customizing trains, but can proceed directly to garden layout and track. In fact, losing that bright silver boiler and stack ("when in doubt, black it out") will be my major change to the way it comes from the manufacturer.


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

Gee, Scot. That first pic makes it look just like a model! What a Bachmann shade of green . . 
And welcome, Tweetsie fans. [I model the EBT but I understand ET&WNC is just as much fun.]


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## Randy Stone (Jan 2, 2008)

Welcome to MLS Tweetsie and thanks to Scot for the pics and info.


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

Hi Catherine, 
Welcome. 
I concur re; the 'other' site, I only lurk there. This one is home. 
Regarding the 'silver boiler' That part of the structure is the smoke box. The water filled part is behind. Usually the 'silver' was Graphite paint which could handle higher temps and disipated the heat better. As the name implies exhaust smoke and gasses collected there. Exhaust steam from the cylinders was also brought in underneath and using a nozzle was aimed up the stack, creating draft and a hotter fire. 
Personally I might tone the shininess down with a gray wash, but it is your train and the Number 1 rule here is; It's your train and you should make it the way you want it. 
Welcome again, 
John


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## catherine yronwode (Oct 9, 2013)

Hi, Totalwrecker, 

Thank you for correcting my poor understanding of train technology and terminology. Smoke box it is! 

I am a GARDEN train enthusiast, with all the train-ignorance that this term may imply. However, i am not easily embarrassed by being shown where i am wrong and i do love to learn.

Back to the locomotive itself: My comment about "when in doubt, black it out" was deliberate overstatement, and is actually a well known snarky comment from the comic book industry, where i was employed for a quarter-century. However, the smoke box is too shiny as it comes stock from Bachmann, for my tastes, at least. I am using as reference the prototype ET&WNC footage on youtube, and it is dark grey on those. 

So .. what brand/shade of grey paint would be right? How do i dilute it to make a "grey wash"? Looking for opinions, here.


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## tweetsie12fan (May 10, 2012)

*The bachmann tweetsie is what got me into g scale.
*


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## tweetsie12fan (May 10, 2012)

Posted By Steve Stockham on 10 May 2012 08:13 PM 
Welcome to MLS! Have you had a chance to ride behind the ET&WNC #12? It's always great when you can model the engine that you have actually ridden behind! You'll find there are a bunch of really great guys here and as one of our number likes to quote: There are _ no_ dumb questions! 

Ive ridden behind tweetsie and In the cab of tweetsie


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## catherine yronwode (Oct 9, 2013)

I just received my first Bachmann ET&WNC locomotive and tender! Wow! I await rolling stock. Track design is scheduled to begin at the end of this month. 

Meanwhile, my plans for the layout have progressed and i am now going to incorporate a (fictitious) junction between the ET&WNC Tweetsie and the old steam and interurban trolley lines that ran through my area of Northern California, such as the Petaluma and Santa Rosa Railroad, the Northwestern Pacific Railroad, the Southern Pacific freight line, the Kelley Road, and a variety of other short lines. This will make the presence of 1:1 scale redwood trees in the garden more understandable. 

The name of the line has officially been chosen: The East Tennessee and West Northern California Railroad (ET&WNC).


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## Homo Habilis (Jul 29, 2011)

Catherine:


Slight derail, but if you are interested in a "local" item your might consider this clock from CafePress. I'm in St. Helena and needed a clock for the train room and found this. I thought something quasi-local would be nice to have. At 16 bucks the price was right and it even keeps relatively accurate time!


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## CliffyJ (Apr 29, 2009)

Posted By tweetsie12fan on 14 Oct 2013 11:18 AM 
*The bachmann tweetsie is what got me into g scale.
*



Tweetsie, it was a Bachmann "annie" (V&T lettering) that got me in as well! I'll bet a lot of us here can say the same.

Feel free to start threads on various topics as questions and ideas arise, and as you see fit. And feel free to start them under the different forum sections, which are each "overseen" by a... brain fart, forgot what the term is... monitor? No... Anyway, someone who cares about that subject, and who promises to answer anything posted in that section. 

Welcome aboard!! 

===>Cliffy


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