TA7-Trip16-2008

TOY TRAIN BARN - SEASON 7

June 24, 2008

Today we stayed in state and visited the Toy Train Barn and the Argyle & Eastern Railroad, which is located just outside of Argyle, WI, on Highway 81. The owners, Buck & Jan Guthrie, grew up in the area and had an interest in toy trains. Buck's family owned the farm, which was later sold. He became a locomotive engineer, and one day was passing by the old farmstead and found it on the market, The rest, they say, is history. The farm was repurchased, and in the barn where he used to milk cows, he set up multiple train displays in every

gauge but HO. Buck has a talent for repurposing things, so he and a friend have adapted various cast off items in the display. Examples include the use of microwave timers to set up the train power, an cast off printer carriage for an operating elevator, and a record player turntable to provide animation to a street. scene. There is a nice assortment of American Flyer trains, which are near and dear to my heart, and plenty of operating trains in all

gauges. One really neat little item is a handmade coffee table containing a Z gauge layout. Built by a railroad signalman some years back, it is automated, and is really electronically (and mechanically) very advanced for its

age. Additionally, there is the Argyle & Eastern 12" gauge line outdoors. Buck acquired the stainless steel cars from the Green Bay National Railroad Museum, and set about building a locomotive. Because they were stainless, he wanted a build a Zephyr, so has fabricated a nose unit, and installed a former VW Rabbit engine as the power. The line runs over several trestles, and climbs some steep grades outside the barn itself. It was an enjoyable day. If you are in the SW Wisconsin area, stop in and have a look. The displays will bring back many memories, and you'll have a nice ride on a one of a kind 12" gauge railroad.