Sixteen inch gauge. The following pictures were taken when Bob spent a Saturday morning, several years ago, entertaining me for my 55th birthday.
Bob got into playing with trains by accident. He was at a dinner in 1993 and the guy sitting next to him offered him the entire train, tracks, buildings, etc., from Los Angeles' Griffith Park train ride for $10,000.
He bought it.
He thought he had only bought the train—but it eventually took 20 flatbed 18 wheelers to carry everything, including water tower, control tower, about a mile-and-a-half of track and two really dilapidated trains, to his newly purchased estate site. Good thing he owns a major trucking company.
He spent the next ten years restoring the train.
Restored original Station Sign from Griffith Park
This is an example of the condition
of the equipment and buildings when Bob bought them.
The restored Griffith Park Train with the Round House in the background.
That's Mrs. Swordmaker getting ready to board the train.
Then he bought more. And more.
He sold one of his antique cars to build his round house (which is round in name only)... for about $3 million.
The trains run around about a three-and-a-half mile layout on his 88 acre estate. He has spent about $80 million on the as yet incomplete mansion and grounds.
The Estate's Guest Houses... and my palm.
When I was last there, he was working on restoring a scale steam engine.
He has a full time staff working on his trains. Must be nice to be able to afford it.