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Robert Rayford (Robert R): AIDS in St. Louis in the 1960s

Dave Farquhar St. Louis November 8, 2016January 18, 20221960s, Canada, journalism, lionel, New York, New York City, Paris, turkey

The sad story of Robert Rayford (aka Robert R), the first documented case of HIV/AIDS in the United States, shows that if timing had been a little bit different, the AIDS epidemic could have happened a decade earlier than it did, and its epicenter could have been St. Louis instead of New York. His story raises some uncomfortable questions. How did HIV end up in St. Louis, of all places? And why did it stay local to St. Louis rather than becoming an epidemic?

His story made me uncomfortable, and sometimes that’s how I know it’s time to dig in a bit more.

Dave Farquhar

David Farquhar is a computer security professional, entrepreneur, and author. He started his career as a part-time computer technician in 1994, worked his way up to system administrator by 1997, and has specialized in vulnerability management since 2013. He invests in real estate on the side and his hobbies include O gauge trains, baseball cards, and retro computers and video games. A University of Missouri graduate, he holds CISSP and Security+ certifications. He lives in St. Louis with his family.

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Department 56 vs Lemax

Dave Farquhar Model Building November 2, 2016November 4, 2018american flyer, christmas, Civil War, estate sales, holiday village, home improvement, Lemax, lionel, o scale, postwar lionel, s scale

Department 56 vs Lemax is a battle between the two biggest names in holiday villages. There are a lot of similarities between the two brands, but the differences may matter to you. Here’s what you need to know if you’re considering one or the other.

Dave Farquhar

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What scale are Matchbox cars?

Dave Farquhar Model Building October 10, 2016October 29, 20181:64 scale, 1950s, american flyer, Cobblestone Corners, Dollar Tree, HO, ho scale, Hot Wheels, Lemax, lionel, matchbox, old school, s scale

What scale are Matchbox cars, you ask? Unfortunately it varies a bit. Nominally they’re around 1:64 scale. But scale isn’t Matchbox’s objective. Fitting in the package is. That means the size of Matchbox cars is between 2.5 and 3 inches, depending on what looks right for the prototype model. So it can take some homework to figure out the actual scale of any given model.

Dave Farquhar

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How to sell Lionel trains

Dave Farquhar Toy trains September 13, 2016April 22, 20171950s, american flyer, HO, ho scale, lionel, lionel train, marx, o gauge, o27, old trains, OO, receipt, Standard Gauge, TCA, video game

Since I’ve covered other makes of trains, someone asked me how to sell Lionel trains. So I thought I would give similar advice on selling Lionel trains. Lionel is an iconic, legendary part of Americana, so there will always be some market for its products.

That said, don’t expect to get rich selling off your Lionel trains. But if you keep your expectations realistic, you’ll find an eager buyer, or ideally, at least two interested buyers so you’ll realize a good price at auction.

Dave Farquhar

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Should I switch to Fastrack?

Dave Farquhar Toy trains July 20, 2016October 22, 20221940s, 1950s, american flyer, christmas, lionel, marx, o27, tubular track

A common question is whether to switch from traditional Lionel tubular track to Fastrack, or from traditional American Flyer track to the new S-gauge Fastrack.

If you make the switch, I stand to possibly make a couple of bucks from affiliate links. But my integrity is worth more than a couple of bucks, so let’s talk this through.

Dave Farquhar

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Marx couplers explained

Dave Farquhar Toy trains June 29, 2016November 26, 2018american flyer, Joy Line, lionel, marx

Marx made five different type of couplers between 1934 and 1974. If you’ve never seen Marx couplers explained before, here’s a primer on how to identify them and use them together. And I even have a few repair tips if you need them.

Dave Farquhar

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Types of Lionel knuckle couplers

Dave Farquhar Toy trains June 23, 2016March 10, 20221950s, 1960s, 1980s, lionel, Lionel Scout, marx, old trains, postwar lionel, sakai

There have been three major types of Lionel knuckle couplers produced since resuming train production in 1946. Lionel knew it would have to make a splash when it brought its trains back after the end of the War, and the knuckle coupler was one of the keys.

Two of these coupler types are compatible with one another, but one has a gotcha.

Dave Farquhar

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When Lionel bulbs burn out too fast

Dave Farquhar Toy trains June 10, 2016June 4, 2016american flyer, ba9s, hardware store, KW, lionel, marx

A frequent question I see is why the Lionel bulbs in any given accessory burn out quickly. I can sum up both the problem and the solution in a single word: voltage.

When you have too much voltage, bulbs burn out quickly–sometimes in minutes. When you have too little voltage, the bulbs will last decades.

Dave Farquhar

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Cleaning Lionel wheels quickly and easily

Dave Farquhar Toy trains June 9, 2016April 7, 2022Cleaning Lionel, HO, ho scale, lionel

If you have a Lionel locomotive with dirty wheels, cleaning them can be a challenge. Here are some tips for making the job of cleaning Lionel wheels easier.

Dave Farquhar

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Cost comparison of Realtrax vs Fastrack

Dave Farquhar Toy trains May 27, 2016November 25, 2018lionel, Lionel Fastrack, MTH, o gauge

Someone asked me recently for a cost comparison of MTH Realtrax vs. Lionel Fastrack. Both are similar O gauge track systems with plastic roadbed. MTH’s system has been on the market a few years longer, but Lionel’s is more popular, in spite of being more expensive.

Let’s figure out just how much more expensive it is.

Dave Farquhar

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