Miniature Locomotives
It's Melissa's birthday! As I write this, many months before you are reading it, Melissa has been absent for a while, and we all miss her. I hope that by September of 2025, she will be back with us. In the meantime, Sue B. provided some vintage scans for the occasion. A young girl is having a birthday party at what appears to be a Ferrell's, or something Ferrell's-adjacent, anyway. Straw boaters! Red flocked wallpaper! Leg garters! Etcetera. The birthday girl seems to be very happy to be the center of attention.
I'm guess she is around seven years old, and let's face it, that's right in the sweet spot of maximum birthday fun. The girl is enjoying a Coke, and the sugar and caffeine are kicking in big time. It's like she's touched an electric socket.
It looks like there's a snare drum behind her, just the thing to bang on when the employees wanted to make a scene. Such as when a customer ordered (or consumed?) one of their bigger offerings. I seem to remember one at Farrell's called something like "The Trough", and you would get a certificate verifying that "I made a pig of myself at Ferrell's".
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Little Locomotives! Tiny Trains! Walt Disney liked them, therefore you should too. I have three undated (1970s? 1960s?) slides from an unnamed location, but there are at least some clues to point us in the right direction.
First up is this swell steam loco, the Peshastin Great Western, carrying the brave engineer and three unashamed adult men. And why should they be ashamed, I ask?? No reason at all! I'm sure the aroma of coal exhaust was like Hai Karate to those guys. Peshastin is a small unincorporated community in central Washington, about 80 miles (as the crow flies) east of Seattle.
Next, an even smaller locomotive, belonging to the Spokane Falls Lumber Co. It is hauling logs from grand old trees that were at least 20 feet tall! Spokane? Hey, that's in Washington too.
And finally, another tiny locomotive, it appears to be of the same scale as the previous one, though it sports and old-fashioned diamond stack. It bears the name "Elk River Lumber Company". Well, there are a number of Elk Rivers around the nation, but there is one in Washington State, near the west coast. So I'm assuming that these live steam enthusiasts were located somewhere in the 42nd State of the Union. Beyond that, I have no idea. Perhaps one of you can narrow it down. Follow these exciting clues: houses. A hill. Dirt. Trees. Those should help!
5 comments:
Melissa - Happy Birthday... we miss you so much-!
Major-
Although it is possible this is not a Farrell's, it seems highly unlikely. [Although the positions of the man and woman in the framed picture on the wall in the 2nd image are reversed], that image IS part of their famous logo. And yes, I too "made a pig of myself at Farrell's" and received the infamous blue ribbon to gather dust 'among my souvenirs'; although I'll be damned if I know where it is now.
Now aren't those 'tiny locomotives' just darling-! Perfect for my backyard.
Thanks Sue and The Major.
By golly, it IS Farrell's. I'm now looking more-closely at the pictures and I see "Farrell's" on a couple of the party hats. In the first pic, see the top left hat. In the second pic, see the hat on the right--on the table (to the birthday girl's left).
When I last spoke with Melissa on the phone, she was still having vision problems, but was/is hopeful for the future. If we don't get a comment from her today, on this post, I will call her tonight and share everyone's birthday wishes to her.
Thanks, Major.
Silly me, I forgot the most important part of my comment that I meant to type here....HAPPY BIRTHDAY MELISSA! I hope you're celebrating like the little girl in the birthday pictures today -- with lots of smiles and happiness -- with good friends and lots of ice cream!
A truly happy birthday to you, Melissa. I hope your eye problems continue to improve and that you'll be here with us on GDB again soon!
Yep. It's a Farrell's! (As Sue noted, it says so on the pointy hat in the first pic.) Looks like B-Girl received a strawberry sundae for her special day. Strange how she looks like she's from the 1940s, while the ladies behind her look like they're from the '70s, even with their early 1900s costumes. (The psychedelic hats also say "1970s")
In the second pic, we can see a bouquet(s) of those huge, spiral, all-day-suckers in the background.
Nice, and appropriate pictures, Sue. Thanks!
Tiny Trains #1) What is that red and white thing that Blue-Shirt Guy is holding close to him? It looks like a fire extinguisher... sort of. And what does that switch (sticking out from the track) do? It appears to be some kind of toggle: "Wheels stay on"... "Wheels fall off". Oh wait, I can see the other track now. So it's a track switcher. There's something big and white in the background... with wheels... and a "Big W". A Winnebago?
Tiny Trains #2) Wow, this one is REAL tiny! Doesn't seem like it would support the weight of an adult. It also looks like it could topple over any second! The 'logs' look like they came from the Presto tree, and are available at most grocery stores.
Tiny Trains #3) Evidently, it's required that all miniature train enthusiasts wear one of those 'engineer' hats. Sorry, but to me it looks kind of comical to see an adult precariously sitting atop one of these super-small trains. The larger train in the first pic is OK, but these last two are just too danged small! The train itself looks great though! Major, even with the plethora of clues that you provided, I still can't tell where, in Washington, these were taken. Perhaps that fencing can give us another clue?... Or the grass.
Thank you, Sue and Major.
I DEFINITELY KNOW where that last tiny locomotive is located.....
....the same town that the second tiny locomotive is in!
[JB, I'm really surprised you didn't state this fact, before I did.] :oP
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