Updated Oct. 2, 2024 - Also check out tabs below. New Shay, S-2 Switcher entry on "More of Larry's Trains" Photos

More of Larry's Trains More Real Trains Andy's Trains Vintage Photos Movies

Larry Ganders at Centennial Station, Aug. 17,2022 Welcome To Folks Interested
In Northwest O-Gauge Model Railroading

This is a great hobby and I like to share some of the fun with you.
My name is Larry Ganders
 and I live in Olympia, Washington, USA.

 Email me by clicking here:
 
Larry Ganders E-mail  






Coast Starlight, Jan. 6, 2024; Olympia, WA



Poppy at Centennial Station

Loowit, August 2024 Skye in August 2024 Granddaughter Harper, July 2022
Above, granddaughters Loowit in August 2024, Skye in July, 2024 and Harper in July 2022


Anthony, March 2020 White Fish 2019  Grandson Hunter, July 2022
Anthony with a classic ZW transformer, bearing resemblance to the White Fish, Montana, station sculpture.
Right, Granddaughters Poppy and Skye with the IPad train controller; and grandson Hunter with Union Pacific "Beep."






Larry is a hobbyist Enjoying Northwest

Roadnames in O-Gauge Three-Rail

Larry's First Train, Lionel Santa Fe switcher
Larry's first model engine was a Lionel Santa Fe NW2 switcherr made by Lionel in 1962. This was the General Mills-owned era of Lionel Trains. While a low-end switcher, it is relatively rare and sought by collectors.
Larry specializes in Northwest road names such as Great Northern, SP&S, Northern Pacific, Milwaukee Road, Union Pacific, Southern Pacific, Burlington Northern, Burlington Northern Santa Fe, and so forth. He models for the steam-to-diesel conversion years, about 1955 to 1965.

Fred Hecker

 He has modeled in O-Gauge since a youngster, tutored and inspired by the Spokane Valley Hometown Hardware Owner Fred Hecker, with a store on East Sprague Avenue. Fred had a basement Lionel steam layout in his home near Comstock Park - across from Larry's home

The Northern Pacific Northwest routes are at the beginning of the Ganders Family History in the United States. Larry's great grandfather, JJ Ganders, came to Washington Territory in 1884 from Switzerland on a Northern Pacific (Oregon Railway & Navigation Co.) train at what is now Arlington, Oregon (now the Union Pacific track). He took a crude ferry across the rushing Columbia River to the Washington side (east of Wishram) and backpacked to the trading post at Bickleton. That Columbia Gorge route with a train ferry at Kalama was a NP predecessor to the North Coast Limited route through Stampede Pass that began construction, also in 1884, with a route north of Bickleton from Seattle through what is now Mabton that served Yakima, Pasco, and Spokane before continuing on to Chicago.

Mabton & The Yakima Valley

Larry, who was born in Yakima, spent his very early life around some of the great Northwest rail lines. He watched the Northern Pacific steamers with bells ringing, switching at Mabton in the Yakima Valley.

 Wishram & The Columbia Gorge

He saw and rode the SP&S 4-6-6-4 Challenger #910 at Wishram and watched trains lumbering through the Columbia Gorge on both Oregon and Washington sides of the river.  A favorite camping spot is Maryhill State Park with views of the main BNSF line on one side of the river and the Union Pacific on the south bank. A 1923 Great Northern Baldwin P-2 Mountain passenger train steam engine (GN# 2507) is displayed at nearby Wishram due to the efforts of Klickitat County. Larry remembers when the 4-8-2 Baldwin P-2, repainted to SP&S (Spokane, Portland, and Seattle) markings, was displayed during the 1960s at Maryhill State Park. The "Mountain" engine was purchased from GN as a gift to the county from SP&S. It was removed from the park for unsuccessful restoration efforts in Pasco before BNSF brought it back to the county for display at Wishram. Wishram is a current daily scheduled Klickitat County stop for the Amtrak Empire Builder Trains 27 and 28 between Chicago and Portland, Ore. The Empire Builder was among passenger trains pulled by GN 2507.

SP&S Challenger 910 MTH O-Gauge Great Northern 4-8-2 Baldwin P-2 Mountain
Empire Builder, Wishram, June 11, 2022 Wishram, June 11, 2022

 

Rosalia Viaduct, Hangman Valley & Spokane

Great Northern Depot, Spokane

Great Northern Signage from Hillyard
He heard the haunting horns of the great Burlington Northern, Union Pacific, and Milwaukee Road diesels running along the cliffs of the Hangman Valley to Latah Junction near Spokane.

As an elementary school student in Spokane, he rode the orange Great Northern Empire Builder cars pulled by an F3, his favorite consist.
Rosalia Milwaukee Road Bridge, May 2024 Concrete Milwaukee Arch Trestle, Rosalia

Top: Milwaukee Road Viaduct Trestle, Rosalia, May 2024.

Top Left: Great Northern Station, Spokane
(Also used by SP&S)
Havermale Island, Circa 1971
Sketch by Dr. Wes Moline, Courtesy Bill Moline, Spokane

 Below left, Great Northern Signage from Hillyard, WA in Larry's Train Room.
Courtesy Don Lewis

 


Amtrak Empire Builder, Spokane 2022

Pasco & the Columbia Basin

 

As a local newspaper reporter, he wrote and photographed the last of the hobos at the Pasco, Wash. hump yards in a feature article for the Tri-City Herald. (April 23, 1979) 

Olympia & South Puget Sound
He now is a volunteer at Centennial Station, southeast of Olympia Wash., and south of Lacey along the Yelm Highway. This is where the Amtrak Cascades (EMD F59 locomotive)Talgo train between Portland or Eugene, Ore. and Seattle or Vancouver, B.C. stops multiple times every day.  Currently, the Cascades pulls Amtrak Horizon cars. It is the only station that serves the state capital and was the first  Amtrak station in the United States staffed completely by volunteers. It is now the fourth busiest station in Washington state. The horn of the the Coast Starlight can easily be heard from his home as it also makes a twice-daily Olympia stop on its passenger route between Seattle and Los Angeles. The main track also carries freight trains under both Union Pacific and Burlington Northern flags. It is the same track that carries the rumbling Genesis engines and other trains by Safeco Field during a Seattle Mariners game.

Amtrak NW Colors
Larry's model of Amtrak Cascades 469 with an EMD F59 in Northwest colors. Right, a similar engine 467 prototype with Cascades Talgo cars taken at Centennial Station (Courtesy Audrey Skaugseth, Olympia)

MTH, Lionel, and QSIndustries

Larry's operating layout utilizes features of the Mike's Train House (MTH) Digital Command System (DCS).  He has QSI 3000 and Lionel conventional locomotives as well.

 Olympia-Lacey Centennial Station

Larry Ganders and Dave Norton, Sept. 14, 2022

Larry and Dave Norton working at Washington's all-volunteer Olympia-Lacey "Centennial" Station, September, 2022



J. Craig Thorpe Painting, Amtrak 1993 Calendar Engine 251 CAB Unit, 2020

Left, original poster commemorating the opening of Centennial Station in 1993 by J. Craig Thorpe, a Renton artist who began painting railroad scenes professionally for Amtrak after completing the art commissioned by Bob Bregent of Olympia. This painting was featured on the 1993 Amtrak national calendar.  This digital reproduction was made in August, 2024. The station depicted was built with community grants and donations. Right, Amtrak engine 251 depicted in the poster (A representation of the then-Amtrak Pioneer train between Seattle and Ogden, Utah) is photographed 31 years later as a Control and Baggage Car (CAB) leading a Cascades Horizon train at the same Centennial Station.  The Amtrak CAB unit renumbered 90251 is still running on the Cascades route today. Note in the upper right portion of the poster is Mount Rainier, which is visible from Yelm Highway at the station driveway (though not exactly as pictured.)


Olympia-Lacey Centennial Station

Olympia-Lacey Centennial Amtrak Station was designed in the 1990s by an Olympia architect, Harold Dalke, to capture the feel of an early 20th Century train station. To a model railroader like myself, the 1993 building's classic lines are similar to the plastic model stations we use. Some of mine on a carpet train at home are pictured below. The Olympia Depot, now 30 years old, and pictured above features 180-year-old cypress corbels, vaulted interior ceilings, stained glass, light fixtures scaled from Grand Central Station, a classic platform clock, and so forth. The station is operated completely by volunteers who meet every train and serve 50,000-60,000 Olympia-Tumwater-Lacey area passengers every year. Most materials and labor for the building construction, including Dalke's work, were donated.


BNSF and Rainier Rail Routes
Map shows the Olympia Lacey Centennial Station's location to the BNSF Seattle Sub relative to the old Milwaukee Road track (Now Rainier Rail) between Tacoma and Centralia, seven miles south.

Amtrak Cascades at Olympia-Lacey; March 2020   Long-distance Siemens Charger leading Amtrak Coast Starlight Train 11
Olympia-Lacey Centennial Station serving Amtrak Cascades (left) and the Coast Starlight (right)
with colleague Barbara Howard (center, station volunteer since 1999.)

Old Lacey Train Station
Rebuilt Old Lacey Station, Northern Pacific Train bound for Tacoma, 1912

Replica of 1891 Northern Pacific Station in Lacey, WA built recently by the city.  Right, an E-3 4-6-0 Baldwin ten-wheeler pulling into original Lacey Station in 1912. Courtesy of St. Martin's University Abbey Archives.


Roy
Roy Water Tower; Sept. 20,2024

Refurbished Northern Pacific water tower at Roy, WA in Pierce County.  Rails below are original from the "Prairie Line" between Tacoma and Tenino.  Rails are marked Lackawana Steel, Buffalo N.Y., circa 1902.



Categories of Larry's Collection




Amtrak and Sounder
Modern Passenger Service
MTH P42 Genesis

Sounder 904, F59PHI

Single-level passenger cars

Amtrak Genesis
GE P42
Wave Scheme

Amtrak 469
F59PHI Diesel
Northwest Colors

Sounder
F59PHI

Amtrak
Superliner Cars

Amtrak
Single-Level Cars


The Burlington Northern Family
 NP, BN, BNSF, ATSF

BNSF SD 40-2 2081 BNSF Based at Boeing, Everett, Washington BN General Electric Dash 8

BN Santa Fe
SD-40-2

BNSF
GP 38-2
Boeing, Everett

Burlington Northern
GE Dash 8




Burlington Northern Lumber Car BNSF Box Car Burlington Northern Box Car Burlington Northern Cylindrical Hopper Car by Atlas Santa Fe Switcher
Burlington Northern
Lumber Car

Burlington Northern
Santa Fe Boxcar

Burlington Northern
Boxcar
BN 6-Bay
Cylindrical Hopper
Santa Fe
NW2 EMD Switcher


Western Fruit Express Burlington Northern Tagged Boxcar BN Atlas Caboose

Burlington Northern Western Fruit Express

Burlington Northern Tagged Boxcar

Burlington Northern
Caboose




Northern Pacific
BN Family Member


NP FT Diesel EMD F3 Passenger Diesel NP 080 Steamer
Northern Pacific
FT Freight Diesel

NP F-3 Passenger
Diesel

NP O-8-0
Switcher



NP Ice Car NP Vista Dome Car  NP Searchlight Car
Northern Pacific
Ice Car

NP
Dome Car

NP
Searchlight Car






Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway
BN Family Member

Challenger Z-8

SP&S No. 868

SP&S Caboose

SP&S Brown Boxcar

SP&S Green Box Car

Spokane, Portland and Seattle Oil Burner
4-6-6-4 Z-8 Challenger

SP&S #868
Alco FA-2

SP&S
Extended Vision
Caboose

SP&S
Boxcar

SP&S
Boxcar


SP&S GP-9

SP&S MTH Airplane Car, MTH 30-76528

SP&S 150 General Motors GP-9 Electro-Motive Diesel

SP&S Airplane Flat Car by MTH




Great Northern
BN Family Member

>
GN 412A, EMD FT Diesel

Great Northern 080, MTH Proto 2

GN 2-8-8-2 R2 "Chesepeake" Steam Engine

Alco S2 Switcher, Great Northern No. 7

GN EMD SD 45 Hustle Muscle

GN 412A
Western Star
EMD FT

Great Northern
0-8-0
(Tacoma Switcher)

Great Northern R-2
2-8-8-2 Articulated
Mallet (Chesapeake)
Great Northern
Alco S2 Switcher
No. 7
Great Northern
EMD SD45 Hustle Muscle



GN GP-20, Blue Scheme GN E-8 Long No. 525 Blue Sky Paint Scheme on SW1500 Switcher Lionel Great Northern F3

Great Northern Blue Scheme
EMD GP-20

Great Northern
E-8 Long
# 525

GN SW1500
Blue Sky Switcher

Great Northern
Alco RS-3
Switcher

Great Northern
F3

Great Northern Crane Tender Car GN 1725 GN Mikado 3205, Alco

Great Northern
Crane Tender
 Car

Great Northern
American
Crane Car

Great Northern
4-6-4
Hudson  Engine

GN Alco Mikado
#3205
Great Northern
Cow/Calf Switcher


Great Northern Rail Diesel Car GN Trailer Carrier GN Rotary Plow GN Jordan Snow Plow GN Rocky Box Car

Great Northern
Rail Diesel
Car (Doodlebug)

Great Northern
Trailer Carrier
Rail Car

Great Northern
Rotary
Snow Plow

Great Northern
Jordan
Snow Plow

Great Northern
Rocky Goat
Box Car


GN Tank Car GN Side Window Caboose Blue Sky Scheme of Great Northern Caboose GN Sky Blue Tanker, Circa 1967

Great Northern
Tank
Car

Great Northern
Caboose

Great Northern
Blue Sky Caboose

Great Northern
Blue Sky Tanker



Milwaukee Road
The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific

Milwaukee Road Bipolar GE/Alco E2 #E-1

Milwaukee Road
GE/Alco Bipolar Electric E2




Milwaukee E-8, MTH

UBoat

Hiawatha 4-6-4 Alco F-7 Milwaukee Road Maintenance Truck

Milwaukee Road
E-8 Diesel

Milwaukee Road
U33C GE

Milwaukee Road 4-6-4
F7 Hiawatha Hudson

Milwaukee Road
Maintenance Truck Car


Turkey Car (QSI System)

CoilCar

Milwaukee Road Skytop Lounge

Milwaukee Road Bay Window Caboose

Milwaukee Road
Turkey Carrier

Milwaukee Road
Coil Car

Milwaukee Road
Skytop Lounge

Milwaukee Road
Caboose


Milwaukee Road Box Car, Menard's 2018

Milwaukee Road Gondola

Milwaukee Road
Box car, Menards
Milwaukee Road
Gondola car w/Tacoma Heidelberg



Southern Pacific
GS4 Daylight 4447 SP Observation Car

Southern Pacific
GS4 #4447
Daylight

Southern Pacific
Obervation
Car





Northwest Logging

Weyerhaeuser Shay

Weyerhaeuser
American
Shay

Northwest
Logging
Car




The Union Pacific Collection

UP Doodlebug

M1000 "Tin Worm" UP

UP FEF Northern 826

City of LA, E-8

UP EMD SD-90

 UP
"Doodlebug"

M-10000 "Tin Worm"
Electro-Motive Diesel

UP Alco 826
FEF Northern

UP EMD A-B-A
E-3 Passenger
City of Los Angeles

UP
EMD SD-90


UP Caboose

UP Beep

Union Pacific Searchlight Rail Car

UP Passenger Dome Car

UP Extended Vision
Caboose 9706

UP
"BEEP"

UP
"Searchlight Car"

UP Passenger
Dome Car

Obervation Car


UP NW2 Switcher with Proto 2

UP SW-9 Switch Engine With Proto 1

UP Box Car

UP Cattle Car

UP Gondola with Tacoma Heidelberg load

UP NW-2
EMD Switcher
Cab 1085

UP SW-9 EMD
Switcher
Cab 1834

UP
Box Car

UP Cattle
Car
QSI Sound

UP Gondola
Car with
barrels





Old Lionel Trains


Lionel 2046, originally owned by Karl Boehmke

Lionel 2026 Prairie

NYC F3 by Lionel

Lionel 224E

2657 Lionel Tinplate Caboose

 Lionel Lines 2046 4-6-4 Hudson Steamer
Made in 1950

Lionel 2026
Prairie Steamer
Circa 1949

New York Central F-3 Early Lionel AA Diesel
Made 1949-54

Lionel Lines 224E
2-6-2 Steamer
Made in USA 1938-1940

Lionel Tinplate
2657 Caboose
1938-4

Lionel Cattle Loader and Car

Lionel Cattle Car, Pre-World War II

Automated Milk Car by Lionel

Sunoco Tank Car No. 6465 by Lionel

3652 Car

Lionel Cattle
Car and Loader
1949-1955

Lionel Cattle
Car
1935-1940

Lionel Milk
Automated Car No. 3472
1950

Lionel Sunoco
Tank Car No. 6465
1948-49

Lionel Barrel
Dump Gondola 3652
1938-1940


Lionel Icing Station

ZW Transformer

Lionel
Icing Station

ZW Transformer
275 Watts 1950-66





Specialty Cars

Pacific Fruit Car  Hand Car Armour Hog Car W/QSI Chevron Tank Car Bobber Caboose Car

Pacific
Fruit Express
UP and SP

Hand
Car

Armour
Hog
Car

Chevron Tank
Car

Bobber
Great Northern
Caboose



Menard's WWII Nose Art Tribute Suburban Propane Car Hooker Chemicals, Tacoma Atlas O 8,000-gallon Olympia Beer Tank Car Rainier Beer Box car, Lionel

Menard's
World War II Army Air
B-17 Nose Art Tribute

Suburban
Propane Car

Hooker
Chemicals
Tacoma

Olympia Beer
Tank Car

Rainier Beer
Box Car


Olympia Beer Box Car Schlitz Beer Box Car Washington State Grain Car Vintage replica of Swiss Cardinal Beer Car Heidelberg Refrigerator Car, MTH 20-7829

Olympia Beer
Reefer Car

Schlitz Beer
Box Car

Washington State
Grain Hopper

Switzerland:
Cardinal Beer Car
MTH Trains

Old Heidelberg
Refrigerator Car
MTH Trains


Bellingham Bay Beer 36' Reefer, Atlas Trains

Bellingham Bay Brewery (3-B)
Refrigerator Car




Die Cast Autos
Divco Milk Delivery Truck, Cir 1960 1960 Volkswagen Pickup 1960 Karmann Ghia Convertable 1947 Chevy Panel Truck for a Seattle Model Train Store
"Divco" Delivery Truck
Detroit Industrial Vehicles Company
Circa 1960
1960 Volkswagen Pickup
With Fold-Down Sideboards
1960 Karmann Ghia
Convertable
1947 Chevy Panel Van
French's Lionel Train House
Seattle, Washington

 Texaco Van, Menards
Texaco 1948 Panel Van
Menard's
Christmas 2023




Carpet Training



 The Coast Starlight
General Electric Genesis P42 Diesel

This is this Genesis P42 engine the locomotive often on The Coast Starlight and The Empire Builder. It is made by Mike's Train House and equipped with the Proto 3 system.

 


F59PHI
Eastside Trains and Divco Van with Sounder

Sounder Commuter Train
F59PHI Streamlined Electro-Motive Diesel

 My train room carpet loops feature this Sounder commuter train between Lakewood, WA and Seattle, an MTH with PS2 modeled after the streamlined diesel F59PH and matching passenger cars, the prototype trainset built by Bombardier of Canada (now owned in 2020 by Alstrom of France.) Right top photo shows the iPad wireless control for the Proto 2 engine. Bottom photo shows a Divco truck for Eastside Trains, Kirkland, with the Sounder.



 


Easter Sunday, 2011

Bob's New York Central:
Early Lionel F-3 Diesel

 In between permanent layouts, Larry has taken to "carpet training" for the last several years. He is pictured with the late Bob Plotts running a vintage model diesel engine purchased by Bob in the 1950s.  We miss Bob, a huge fan of all types of transportation.

The New York Central F-3 was among the first two types of model diesel engine manufactured by Lionel trains beginning in 1949. It came out shortly after General Motors built the first real 1,500-horsepower F-3 engines between 1945 and 1949. The F-3s were used for both passenger and freight trains. Bob's locomotive is one of the original Lionel 2333-20 models manufactured in both NYC and Santa Fe until 1950.  Bob estimates that he purchased it in 1954 in Spokane, so it is at least a 69-year-old toy train. With a little lubrication and maintenance, it still zooms around the track like it did when Bob was a lad. And the "A" unit still carries a D Battery that makes the horn blow, a horn technology that reportedly gave Lionel fits during development in the 1940s. Lionel must have perfected it, because this model still blows its horn on command today.

Bob also had a Lionel 2026 "Prairie" steamer (2-6-2 Wheel Configuration, circa 1948-49, designed for 027 track) when he was young and kept it the rest of his life. It was displayed in his living room at the time of his death.

(Photo by Roseanne Plotts.)


Bob's Lionel 2333-20, Vintage 1950 Model

Bob Plott's Lionel Prairie Steamer #2026 

Top, The New York Central F-7. owned by Bob Plotts.

Below is the 1948-49 Lionel Prairie Steamerw/smoke (Number 2026) also owned by Bob as photographed by Larry in August 2023.



 Larry and Robin Ganders, Photo Bombed by Pete the Conductor of the Coast Starlight, June 2022 Daylight
Poppy Hudson displays his Polar Express Ticket Ryan and 'Steam Cloud Andy's Train Layout
Upper left, photo bombed by Coast Starlight conductor Pete on the first leg of our Michigan trip, June 2022. Lower left, the Empire Builder, a young granddaughter Poppy on the ZW transformer, a young grandson Hudson with his Polar Express ticket, a very young Ryan Arreola with "Steam Cloud," and Andy Rohrback with his Spokane layout. Upper right is the Daylight with Southern Pacific markings, pulling into Olympia-Lacey Centennial Station.
  LGB Engine, Christmas 2021
Above, my buddy Anthony, grandson Hunter, and our Christmas train. 
Larry With Sounder, July 2021  
Larry with Sounder, Grandsons Hunter and Hudson in Michigan, and the Coast Starlight coming into Olympia.
Skye, Oct. 31, 2021 
Granddaughter Skye

Samples of other model train scales
HO Gauge Rivarossi "Big" Boy
HO Rivarossi Union Pacific Big Boy, Previously owned by Jim Angell. Rivarossi acquired by Hornby.
Lego Siemens Cascades Charger, 2017 My first model of a Lego Amtrak Cascades Siemens Charger.
Amtrak Siemens Charger My N-Scale Long-distance Siements
Charger.









Scale railroading colleague Andrew Rohrback helps Larry carpet train a vintage 224E Lionel steamer. Check out his layout.

Nothing runs like a deere!*




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