Traingineers Begin the Great Thaw of February 2021!

Whoa! What a Valentine’s Week we had here in the great Lone Star State of Texas. Certainly did not have the entire week blocked off the calendar to be cuddled up at home with loved ones starring in our own Hallmark Movie but boy howdy… Traingineers have not been back inside 0ur Dallas McGowan Street Studio since February 12th, 2021.

First and foremost – we are all ok! So very appreciative of all our Traintastic Friends for reaching out to us, checking in to see how we’re faring and sharing wonderful encouragement – thank you! Our fearless leader and Chief Traingineer, Roger, pulled double duty often staying at the studio in our small “apartment” to ensure heaters in the studio were on in order to prevent water pipes from freezing as well as assuring all the paint did not freeze in the frigid temperatures!

Status from the aftermath of Texas 2021 Snowpocalypse for TW TrainWorx:

  • No broken pipes!
  • No frozen paint!
  • No rolling blackouts!
  • No loss of water!
  • Two broken heaters!
  • Layouts in process all protected and anxiously awaiting the return of our talented Traingineers!

Speaking of our Talented Traingineers, I am happy to say, they also came through the Snowpocalypse although some are now dealing with broken pipes and starting the repair process. There is going to be an abundance of work for plumbers, electricians… tradesmen for quite some time going forward. But forward we WILL GO and continue to service our Traintastic Family creating amazing train layouts, kits, and buildings!

I will say the highlight of this past week has come from; emails, texts, and phone calls from past and current customers that are so thankful to have made the investment in their own custom TW TrainWorx Layout. They all share just how their love of trains has provided extreme mental and emotional well being across the board but especially during these times of isolation we all find ourselves in! Such a blessing to get that kind of feedback and how encouraging it is to see Grandfathers/Dads, in a position to provide and share the great entertainment, history, and good ole fashion family memory making moments all while running trains!!

Speaking of running trains, let’s go down memory lane to a winter scene the Traingineers created and installed for the 2019 Holiday Season in Charlotte, NC with absolutely NO threats of freezing water pipes from the “icy scenes” 🙂

Enjoy the wintery scenes from this custom commercial layout we did for Rogers and Gala that was displayed for public viewing in a downtown Charlotte skyscraper’s lobby:

Just added a TrainDame *Steal-of-A-Deal through the end of the month, February 28, 2021: Save $200 at checkout using Code: THAW200 on ANY of our Classic Landmark Series Online Products! Here is the link for YOU: Classic Landmark Series

Happy Tracks!

TrainDame aka Dorcie Farkash
TW TrainWorx
Dallas, TX | Concord, NC
(214) 634-2965
http://www.twtrainworxstore.com

It’s Dismantle Day!

In the post before you saw this layout with trains running and final touches being applied. Take a look now in the middle of “Dismantle Day” 🙂

Here are some “Fun Facts” about this layout:

Happy Tracks!

TrainDame aka Dorcie
TW TrainWorx
Dallas, TX | Concord, NC
(214) 634-2965
http://www.trainworxlayouts.com
http://www.twtrainworxstore.com

It’s about to be crated… COME SEE!

Join me in taking a look at this TW TrainWorx Custom O Gauge Commercial Layout that is getting the final finishing touches applied before it’s dismantle time and shipped to Charlotte, NC next week!

Here are some fun facts…

  • The layout covers an area 24′ x 13′
  • Will be set up in the center of the Lobby area of the Barings Building, located in Uptown Charlotte, 300 South Tryon
  • Eight loops of track
  • Ten tunnels
  • 5 unique bridges
  • 40+ Custom made buildings
  • Custom Train Station
  • 200+ figures

Enjoy behind the scenes footage with TRAINS RUNNING!

Happy Tracks!

TrainDame aka Dorcie
TW TrainWorx
Dallas, TX | Concord, NC
(214) 634-2965
Est. 1982

Shop till you drop: http://www.twtrainworxstore.com

 

It’s… Traingineers MOST Wonderful Time of YEAR!

Personally, I’ve never; been to the North Pole, visited Santa’s Workshop, petted any of Santa’s Reindeer, ridden over rooftops in Santa’s Sleigh, been elbow to elbow with all the elves BUT I bet it’s pretty darn close to what I get to experience up close and personal – right here this time of year, inside the McGowan Street Studio! With all the Holiday Activity going on for the TW TrainWorx Traingineers it’s truly crazy to see SO much Terrifically Traintastic layouts being; wired up, touched up, started up, finished up, designed, and/or installed all over this great country of ours… Makes this TrainDame’s head spin 🙂

Our Traingineer-ette, Judy just created a list of TW TrainWorx Holiday Train Display’s that YOU… yes YOU, can see and experience throughout the Holiday Season. Proud to present Six of our commercial custom layouts that YOU must be sure to add to YOUR Holiday Event Plans:

Ho Ho Ho and Merry Christmas ya’ll – from deep in the heart of Texas 🙂

Happy Tracks,

TrainDame aka Dorcie
TW TrainWorx
(214) 634-2965
http://www.trainworxlayouts.com
http://www.twtrainworxstore.com
http://www.twtrainworx.com

P.S. Also, if you’d like a print out of the list above, please feel free to download this PDF: TW TrainWorx Holiday Train Displays

 

 

Introducing… Talking Trains with TrainDame, Ep. 1

Cheers Trainiac Friends!

Are we having some FUN NOW!!! I’m diving in and all on board to present to YOU the Very First… Talking Trains with TrainDame recording titled: “Reagan – Wiring Nightmare”.

Last week, TW TrainWorx East Coast Director, Mike Reagan aka Reagan flew to Houston from NC to perform some “switch repair work” for one of our Traintastic Customers who unfortunately had his layout done by a “hobbyist”
(not knocking hobbyist, just stating a fact) and switches were not working.

First thing Monday morning Reagan sent us these pictures showing underneath table work environment:

 

 

And that is my lead in to the First Ever Episode of Talking Trains with TrainDame and YOU can listen in to my conversation with Reagan, NOW by clicking on this link: Worst Nightmare 

Happy Tracks!

TrainDame aka Dorcie
TW TrainWorx
(214) 634-2965
Dallas, TX | Concord, NC
www.blog.traindame.com
www.layoutassessment.com

P.S. Don’t forget…

P.P.S Listen to Talking Trains with TrainDame: Episode 1

 

Forty Years… 1979 – 2019

That’s right Trainiac Friends, August 30th, 2019 marked four decades that TrainDame and Chief Traingineer, Roger Farkash, have been married!!

Wowzers right? What do you do to celebrate such a momentous occasion?? Easy Peezy, decide to go off the radar for a long weekend! First off, we headed back to the Loretto Chapel in Santa Fe, New Mexico where we were blessed to say our wedding vows, then headed on up to the High Timber Family Ranch just South East of Chama, NM with our ENTIRE family and top off the weekend with a ride on the Cumbres/Toltec Steam Train!! Such an amazing time we had and we especially cherished being able to share the adventure with our four grandchildren; Deacon age five (almost), Ford age four, Wade age three, and Lilly age two. We all had too much CRAZY fun I tell ya!!! Ha… and don’t you know, there was a TRAIN SHOW in Santa Fe to boot and we ran into one of our Traintastic customers – Henry Day!! 

If you’d told me some forty years ago that Roger would start a company in 1982 (same year our son was born) the very next year give birth to our daughter, two years later I would go to work with Roger, then in 2008 we’d create a new division of TW Design… TW TrainWorx – same year create an alter persona TrainDame, have commercial Train Layouts in; Dallas, Houston, New York City, Pittsburgh, and coming soon to Charlotte and Kansas City PLUS residential Train Layouts spread coast to coast throughout the USA and CANADA – well I would’ve told you, “WHAT, ARE YOU CRAZY – NO WAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!”Well, WAY 🙂 

Sharing the photo fun of our 40th Wedding Anniversary Adventure… All A Board!

Happy Tracks!

TrainDame aka Dorcie Farkash
TW TrainWorx
(214) 634-2965
http://www.twtrainworx.com
http://www.twtrainworxstore.com
http://www.trainworxlayouts.com

 

 

What???? Haven’t posted since March???

Cheers Trainiac Friends!

Boy oh boy, wouldn’t have believed it had I not seen it myself…and all I can say is that our Magnificent Month of March rolled right into an Amazing April…. Meteoric May… and now almost halfway through a Jamming, Jiving, Jumping June!!! What a spectacular year we are experiencing in 2019!

Ok, let me bring you up to speed on what the TW TrainWorx Traingineers have been up to the last couple of months :).

Well, to start off – we are completely BOOKED for 2019 Layout Design/Fabrication/Installation and NOW booking for first quarter 2020!!! Folks, that is a FIRST for TW TrainWorx…Absolutely Extraordinary!

We are working at full capacity in both our Dallas – McGowan Street Studio and Concord, NC Studio with both commercial and residential layouts.

East Coast Director, Mike Reagan, lead designer, on an over 400 sq. ft. O Gauge custom residential layout installing in Rhode Island end of August is currently UNDER CONSTRUCTION – – – >  Let’s let some pictures do the talking:

Turning my focus back to our Dallas, McGowan Street Studio, Traingineers (since March) have completed Design/Fabrication on: 3 – O Gauge residential layouts, 1 Standard Gauge residential layout, 1 Combo O Gauge/Standard Gauge Residential Layout, 1 Commercial Wooden RR layout, Denver Union Station Model, Custom Scranton Electric Building Model, Radio City Music Hall Model, One Time Square Model and traveled to Omaha for the annual Berkshire Hathaway Shareholder’s Meeting, where we set up the Corporate BNSF Layout! Check it out…

Two Traintastically exciting NEW commercial layouts we’re working on now, YOU will be able to see up close and personal IF you are in Charlotte, NC this Holiday Season and/or come first quarter 2020 at the new Train Themed Children’s Museum opening in Kansas City Union Station’s – Science City!!! The centerpiece of this children’s museum layout is going to be our O Scale model of the existing, Kansas City Union Station. Let me share some in process photos with you of both of these custom commercial layouts:

Oh… and another layout for a brand new customer that we started this week for his commercial real estate office lobby during the holidays! We’ve designed the table that will include his Christmas tree – right smack dab in the middle of it!

Ok… I better get this posted before it turns into October!!!! Yee Haw – having some fun now 🙂

Happy Tracks!

TrainDame aka Dorcie Farkash
TW TrainWorx
(214) 634-2965
dorcie@traindame.com
Dallas, TX | Concord, NC USA

http://www.trainworxlayouts.com
http://www.twtrainworxstore.com
http://www.twtrainworx.com

P.S. Just posted TW TrainWorx Office Rule #2 🙂 🙂

 

Happy New Year – 2019

Day 1 in the New Year and this TrainDame is looking at what promises to be a very adventurous year ahead! So much to be grateful for!!! First and foremost; all of our Traintastic Customers, Trainiac Friends, and all the Traingineers that pour their talents into each of the amazing residential and commercial TW TrainWorx Custom Train Layouts produced in 2018!

2018 was a monumental record breaker for us; we designed/fabricated/installed over twenty two custom layouts from Santa Fe, New Mexico to Windsor, Canada and I’ve got some exciting news to share. TW TrainWorx was awarded two Commercial Layout contracts – those being: The Kansas City Union Station Museum is creating a trained themed children’s museum in their existing, Science City – Science Center and both Roger Farkash and Mike Reagan completed the site survey last month. Next up is going to be a custom Holiday layout for the lobby of a skyscraper in Charlotte, NC that we must thank our dear friends at Lionel for recommending us to the firm; Roger’s and Gala whom we’ll be working closely with to produce this train layout.

The first quarter 2019 design calendar for Chief Traingineer, Roger Farkash is… FULL and the second quarter has only TWO spots left as we had the most ever sign-offs for new design/fabrication in December that was indeed a wonderful gift to close out our 2018 year.

This weekend, Saturday, January 5th – TW TrainWorx will be attending the TCA Houston Show that opens at 8:30 am – one day only – here is more information for you: Lone Star Division Meet We’d love to see you and make some Traintastic Memories 🙂

Thanks for stopping by and please feel free to shop till you drop at our online store: http://www.twtrainworxstore.com.

Wishing everyone a Traintastically Blessed, Healthy, Happy NEW YEAR!!

Happy Tracks!

TrainDame aka Dorcie Farkash
TW TrainWorx
Dallas, TX | Concord, NC | USA
(214) 634-2965
http://www.trainworxlayouts.com
http://www.twtrainworx.com
dorcie@traindame.com

 

The most wonderful time of the year!

Roger and I are truly blessed to celebrate T W Design/TrainWorx 36th Corporate Anniversary this past Saturday, December 1st – what a way to start off the month aka…. the most wonderful time of the year 🙂

2018 has been extraordinary for TW TrainWorx, collaborating with some of the most amazing folks… our Totally Terrific Traintastic Customers! One of my all time favorite things is hearing from customers and how their experience with TW TrainWorx and the Traingineers has wonderfully impacted their lives… that’s what it’s all about and the mission set out, some 36 years ago by our founder, and kid at heart, Roger Farkash.

This past Monday, a local CBS Affiliate aired the below interview with Roger about his creative contribution to the Trains at NorthPark Event that the TW TrainWorx Traingineers have been involved with since 2010.

Enjoy!

In 2016 Roger designed a 1300 plus square foot display for the Houston Museum of Natural Science… TRAINS OVER TEXAS and they shared some recent publicity about the success that display is also receiving. Here is the link to read the article: Trains Over Texas and below is a FACEBOOK LIVE Video with Glen Rosenbaum giving an up close and personal grand tour! Heads up… this was a LIVE Video and unfortunately the last minute or so there is no sound but still a wonderful treat to see!

Happy Tracks!

TrainDame aka Dorcie Farkash
TW TrainWorx
(214) 634-2965
Dallas, TX | Concord, NC | USA

http://www.thetrainsatnorthpark.com

http://www.trainworxlayouts.com
http://www.twtrainworxstore.com

Trains, Aircraft Carrier… and a SUBMARINE??

The TW TrainWorx Traingineers are having a Traintastic time on one of our six custom layouts currently “Under Construction” in our Dallas, TX –  McGowan Street Studio!

Chief Traingineer, Roger Farkash, has really pulled out all the wheel stops on this design 🙂 This custom residential layout will be installed in the Hill Country of Texas for a couple that had some Traintastic “Wants” as well as requirements for their 285 square foot custom layout. Sometimes I never know exactly what Roger’s creative mind is going to “come up with” as was the case when Monday I saw an odd looking shape being formed and asked…what’s this? Roger replied, it’s going to be an AIRCRAFT CARRIER! Really… do you know how HUMONGOUS those are??

Fun story, Roger went online in search of a GI Joe Aircraft Carrier to find it is indeed out there, but the ones that are; in the box, mint condition, never been opened, blah/blah/blah cost a mere…. (wait for it)

$15,000.00 B notes (as Reagan would say). So, that being out of the question, Roger thought to himself…”surely I can find pieces of the carrier and in particular the bow and then add on to make a mock up that will dock nicely in the San Diego area of the layout! And he was off to the races! Check it out:

So on the other end of this layout is another harbor with a GI Joe modified Submarine!

**Traingineer Ellis (another Mike) in the picture above is about to wrap the submarine in plastic and put it back on the layout so Roger can then Sculpty-Mold some waves… of course!

Traintastic fun continues 🙂

Happy Tracks!

TrainDame aka Dorcie Farkash
TW TrainWorx
Dallas, TX | Concord, NC USA
(214) 634-2965

http://www.trainworxlayouts.com
http://www.twtrainworxstore.com
http://www.twtrainworx.com