With no photos to go by, a search of typical Florida scenes pro-
duced photos to use on the end of each of the coaches. I cheated
on the scene in front of the nurse’s office. I used a photo I had of
myself and my wife in a hammock on a beach. I found a nurse fig-
ure to add to the office area to complete the compartment. The
same set of figures also supplied the base figure for the bartender
in the Bamboo Grove.
The remainder of the train
The remaining three coaches, the combine, and the diner sim-
ply require painting. For the coaches and dining car, murals are
required on the end walls. All five of the cars have stock manufac-
turer’s interior kits. Add a sprinkling of figures to round it out and
now you have a complete train from Dec. 18, 1940.
James J Eager spent the last
30+ years working as a program-
mer and database administrator
for several major corporations.
He and his brother each
recieved trainsets which led to
a father and sons’ layout in the
basement, a Model Railroading
Merit Badge, and a long term
interest in model railroading.
In 1997, as part of a Jacksonville model railroad club, one of
his structures was shown in a TV commercial for the Ronald
McDonald House Christmas charity layout at the mall.
James has continued his interest in the Illinois Central, along
with the B&O and ATSF.
See the sidebar on the following pages ...
MRH-Aug 2013
