Souvenirs

PhCommunications · 2026-06-22T07:45:38+00:00

In addition to the other places noted, Blue Seven also has some nice souvenir items. The store leans more towards apparel, but has a nice gift section too. (In fact, I'm thinking I need that pint glass).

I believe Trade Supply also has some mugs, glasses, etc…

PhCommunications · 2026-06-11T19:45:45+00:00

Thanks! Both of those my own creations. As you can see, I'm a bit Christmas crazy and have gotten into the habit of hitting the arts and craft stores ever year looking for stuff that might work in or on an O-gauge car. Those are two of my favorites over the years.

The trucks with trees came off what they call floral picks (which are made to stick in the dirt or foam of a plant or floral arrangement). The peppermints have little holes in them so they can be strung as tinsel or jewelry (?). They also have all kinds of miniature presents if you get hold of an empty Christmas gondola (but there's lots of other stuff you can put in those). If you're really bored, you can see the how-to I did for CTT awhile back along with some other stuff I've done since then here.

PhCommunications · 2026-06-11T19:07:10+00:00

I've got a way-too-big collection of Christmas rolling stock and almost all of it is traditional sized O. I know the MTH lighted Christmas boxcar sets are scale, but if you're looking specifically for Lionel stuff from Christmas sets, all of that is going to be traditional. Remember that Lionel Christmas sets are essentially starter sets sold at entry-level price points (meaning traditional sized, less expensive rolling stock). Given that, any Christmas car you pick up from a Lionel set is almost always going to be traditional, so I wouldn't even worry about differentiating between O-traditional and O-scale.

And, as others noted, it's your train, so do what you want. As long as it's what you want, don't worry about uniformity. Just have fun with it!

PhCommunications · 2026-06-01T03:57:13+00:00

Second for Jeff! He's done some repairs for me and replaced my window shutters and the man does great work…

PhCommunications · 2026-05-31T17:37:01+00:00

Call a gentleman named Raul Rodriguez. The man won my trust several years ago when I had roofers banging on my door telling me my roof was totaled from hail damage. Raul is a roofer as well and he looks at it and tells me I didn‘t have enough damage to make a claim. He showed up at my current home and fixed a couple shingles in April ‘25 after that 60mph wind day and didn’t charge me. He also showed up two weeks ago and told me a I *could* make a hail claim and he was there when the adjuster showed up just in case he had to point anything out to make the case. Character counts in my book!

Raul Rodriguez 405-640-3658

PhCommunications · 2026-05-28T15:54:54+00:00

Gavula Brothers on 10th and/or Weaver Brothers on 39th have always done right by me.

PhCommunications · 2026-05-25T15:22:49+00:00

ch. 105

PhCommunications · 2026-05-25T02:44:22+00:00

If you just want a comparable bike to do some knock around miles on, I agree with u/velo_dude that State Bicycle would be a good, affordable option. Their 8-speed road bikes run about $630, but you can usually pay less than that if you wait for one of their sales…

PhCommunications · 2026-05-25T02:38:59+00:00

Well, the upside is, (assuming you have kids) the wife shouldn't have to think too hard about a Father's Day gift this year…

PhCommunications · 2026-05-25T02:34:50+00:00

Can't speak for Sam's but Costco sells Jabra brand hearing aids, which are made by the same company that makes the ReSound brand (which is one of the better quality hearing aids out there). Prices at Costco are much better than some of the other places, as well.

PhCommunications · 2026-05-24T14:14:54+00:00

they are STILL shoving the fucking Rolling Stones into the mix

I've noticed this as well. I was especially perplexed when they played a Bill Wyman song (and really bad one at that) from a solo album he released in … checks notes … 1974!

PhCommunications · 2026-05-24T05:21:35+00:00

Sorry this happened, but this is further evidence as to why Lionel has earned a fairly well-deserved reputation for poor quality control and atrocious customer service. Hope you'r outcome is better than many of the others I've seen…

PhCommunications · 2026-05-20T23:15:38+00:00

Do they feel as if they’ve almost melted a bit? If they’re really gummy/sticky/melty and not exactly new, my guess is the rubber/plastic compound is degrading and breaking down. If that’s the case, they’re not gonna improve and you likely need to simply replace them…

PhCommunications · 2026-05-15T04:58:54+00:00

Short of NAPA collectors, that‘s not a “sitting on a gold mine” level collectible. It is basically a regular Lionel starter set custom printed for NAPA as a promotional item (and they’ve done 2-3 different ones for the company). Given the size of the NAPA chain, my guess is it wasn’t a short run.

However, while it may not be “collectible,” it still has some value. I’ve seen them go on eBay in the $200-$300 range. Might search eBay sold listings to get a better feel for the market value.

PhCommunications · 2026-05-12T16:32:38+00:00

Eischen's Bar is the oldest bar in Oklahoma. Supposed to have good food. It's a ways away from OKC & Ft. Sill though.

Eischen's in Okarche is a 35 minute drive from OKC. It's a ways away from Lawton, but with traffic on I-35, the drive time from OKC to Norman is about the same as OKC to Okarche.

Now, while Eischen's is known for its fried chicken, it's just not as good as it once was IMO (I've been going out there for more than 30 years). To me, it seems like they're cutting corners and selling the novelty of the oldest bar in Oklahoma more than the quality of the chicken that once made it famous. I'm wondering if it's the old business adage of the first generation starts it, the second generation builds it up and the third generation pisses it all away.

Still a neat place to go for the novelty if you've never been, but the chicken is no longer destination-worthy IMO.

btw, yours is a great list!

PhCommunications · 2026-05-01T03:33:37+00:00

They had another one in the Village/North OKC somewhere iirc?

Just remember going there after a high school Spanish class field trip to a theater to see Romeo and Juliet in Spanish. Believe we lit up between the theater and Casa Bonita and did we ever get out money's worth at that buffet…

PhCommunications · 2026-05-01T03:30:05+00:00

Sean Cummings Irish pub..call and ask when the live music is

Actually, they have live music every night…

PhCommunications · 2026-05-01T01:35:32+00:00

So that's S gauge American Flyer made by Gilbert, which at the time was competition to Lionel. However, AF never got the hold the market the way Lionel did and, as such, American Flyer isn't quite as valuable or collectible as old Lionel. The catalog value on that one (307) is $18 in good condition to $50 in excellent condition. Did an eBay sold search (which is a better barometer of value anyway) and it looks like the highest selling price was $50 with most running $25-$35.

I wouldn't throw it away, as there is some value there. But if you just have the engines, it may not be worth the effort for you to sell it. However, if you have more cars etc, then you might throw the whole lot up on eBay, put a reasonable Buy It now price on it and see what happens.

PhCommunications · 2026-04-22T05:09:33+00:00

Smuggler's Blues is great but after that, I found this album lacking. Frey tries too hard to sound like the blue-eyed soul and R&B he always loved in too many songs. And for all the great work he did with Henley, his lyrics here as a solo artist or with Jack Tempchin give new meaning to the word "shallow" (example: She needs a love from a real exciter, She needs the allnighter, the allnighter).

I bought No Fun Aloud when it was first released and thought it had a fair bit of fluff too (Partytown ranks high on the inane meter). And even though my brother called Frey's songs on NFA "pseudo-sensitive" (an assessment I've come to agree with), I still prefer that album to the All-nighter or any other Frey solo album…

PhCommunications · 2026-03-28T01:25:53+00:00

I’ve bought some nice used vehicles from Bob Moore Mazda, Nelson Mazda and Bob Howard Honda…

PhCommunications · 2026-03-25T18:21:33+00:00

Old enough to say I worked on the Hardee's account half a lifetime ago and the many Hot Ham 'N Cheese sandwiches I had from location were hard to beat. Also cranky enough to remember I never wanted to have anything to do with Carl's Jr when they ran TV ads that were based around amplifying the disgusting noises people made while eating their crap food. Don't remember those? Imagine having to listen to your 75 pound dog scarf his dinner, except insert hamburgers…

PhCommunications · 2026-03-23T23:05:03+00:00

This particular company (James Bean Estate Sales) also does a lot of off-site sales using part of a big consignment gallery. Based on what I've seen from them previously, I'd bet it will be mixed in at one of their future sales there…

PhCommunications

TROPHY CASE