Planes, trains and carrousels all part of Buffalo trip

Welcome back to Porky's Hobby Corner. It took three flights, but I shuffled off to a place called Buffalo, New York. The best time to go is in July, as there is very little chance of 30 plus inches of snow at that time of the year. I made time while attending the Lionel Operating Train Society's annual convention to make an excursion to the Niagara Falls. While most Americans were preparing for their Fourth of July picnic I was about 17,000 feet over all of it. Fortunately, I was able to see some fireworks to complete my holiday once I arrived in Buffalo that afternoon. My first stop was a visit to the Buffalo Transportation Pierce-Arrow Museum. What a great place for antiques of all kinds The museum displayed mostly antiques cars of the era, but exhibits also spotlighted bicycles, movie props, bird cages and some Lionel trains, of course. The museum offers loads of transportation history so visit their website for even more information. Of course, my visit to the Falls provided one of the highlights of the trip. I had never been there before so I was looking forward to this visit. It's no wonder that Niagara Falls is considered one of the seven natural wonders of the world. It wasn't out of my way to also visit the New York Power Authority, or NYPA. Founded in 1931, the visit to NYPA showed how the flow of water is captured to produce electricity. It is the largest state public power organization in the nation. I do believe some gentleman back in the day by the name of Nikola Tesla had something to do with it... My midweek adventure was a ride on New York's only remaining steam train excursion. This involved a scenic ride through Western New York's countryside while enjoying popcorn and a beverage. My thanks to the staff at the Arcade & Attica Railroad for this nice experience. I made my next stop at the Herschell Carrousel Factory & Museum. I have to be honest; I had never heard of this place. If you've ever ridden a merry-go-round, it was likely built, assembled and shipped from this factory. Some handmade examples were on display, as well as original music organs with some original sheet roll music. I found it unbelievable to see this old-fashioned way of carving by hand the various animals from wood, which was how it was done long before fiberglass molds appeared. After taking some time for a carrousel ride and some ice cream, I had to move on to the next stage of my trip. As a member of the Lionel Operating Train Society, I enjoyed visiting many home layouts. Some very nice fellow LOTS members opened their basements for us to enjoy the years of building an O Scale layout in their basements and appreciate their building efforts. I experienced a whirlwind trip, packed with many things to see, but it was soon time to head home to Tennessee. Returning rom Buffalo, I carried many memories and a great many photographs. I also made new friends and caught up with some old ones. It was nice to mark the Buffalo visit off my bucket list, and it was nice to also see the Blue Ridge Mountains welcoming me home. For more information, visit the following websites: www.pierce-arrow.comwww.niagarafallsusa.comwww.aarailroad.comwww.carrouselmuseum.orgwww.lots-trains.org ••• Unicoi resident Dan Toporek is a hobbyist and a retired auto technician. To ask a question or share information, please email porkyshobbycorner@gmail.com.