Jimmy Pattison's Falcon 900B put up for sale . . .

[bizjets101]

I see Jimmy's Falcon 900B was just listed for sale, hopefully it's being replaced??
Anyone know what he may have on order???

Does he still own Frank Sinatra's house in Rancho Mirage?? Bought it with all Franks model trains!!
Nothing like a hard week at the office in Vancouver - then head to Palm Springs for the weekend
to play with the trains - living large

http://franksinatraimpersonator.wordpre ... collector/


Flickr/Drewski2112 photo

[The Old Fogducker]

Well, if Pattison bought Frank Sinatra's model train collection, so much the better.

Sinatra had a real love for model railroads, and owned some fabulous locomotives which were state of the art for their day. Most of his stuff was "O" Scale, and a whack of Lionel equipment.

http://franksinatraimpersonator.wordpre ... collector/

Here's a partial list of other personalities with the same interest. ... oh, and the last issue of Model Railroader magazine had a big feature on his latest modifications to his home layout.


What has Johnny Cash, Winston Churchill, Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, Roger Daltrey, Joe DiMaggio, Rick Green, Gene Hackman, Tom Hanks, David Hasselhoff, Elton John, Michael Jordan, Frank Sinatra, Bruce Springsteen, Rod Stewart, Neil Young and Gary Coleman in common?

All these celebrities love watching miniature trains running around miniature mountains, rivers and towns.

In short, they are all train model addicts.

Johnny Cash, the American singer and songwriter, made TV commercials and endorsements for Lionel Trains in the 1970s.

Neil Young is part owner of Lionel trains.

Rod Stewart, in between getting into blondes and who know what else, spent considerable time and money on building train models. In fact, Rod's impressive replica of New York's Grand Central Station, complete with 100ft of tract, buildings and figures in 1940s period dress, graced the cover of Model Railroader in October 2007. An honor Rod claims to mean more than 'being on the cover of Rolling Stones."

Imagine.

The late Gary Coleman is another aficionado of train models. In an online interview with ABC News, he said, "Currently I'm doing Lionel trains. I'm doing them as prototypically as possible, even though they are toy trains. I still like to do it as realistically as possible."

Gary Coleman also allegedly left his complete train collection to Allied Model Trains, The Original Whistle Stop and The Train Shack in L.A. So if you are a train modeller, you know you are in great company. You can even get Frank Sinatra's train layouts on DVD.

So what is the appeal of these toy trains?

First of all, they are not toys. Enthusiasts will tell you they are works of art. They are scaled down versions of the real thing. They operate like the real one. There is a sheer number of skills you need to master a working layout. You are a jack of all trades: a semi-competent carpenter, electrician, metalworker, painter, sculptor and designer all rolled into one.
There is also the joy of escapism. You can forget the business of living for hours on end while you pore over the plan for a perfect world, all of your own making.

And it's never complete. You just keep scouring for more things to add to your model to make it perfect. Adding a mountain here, a pond there, more tracks. The list is endless. It can take you years. Then, of course, there's the ultimate thrill of seeing your trains going round the track.

No wonder so many celebrities are hooked on model trains!

[Liftdump]

Falcoln 900EX-EASY from Mexico

[cdnpilot77]

Maybe he is selling to pay for this?

Some bait from taxpayers will help lure tens of thousands of fish — and millions of visitors — to the aquarium planned for the base of the CN Tower, the Star has learned.

Approvals and design work for a long-sought aquarium have gone swimmingly since details were announced a year ago, say Ripley’s Entertainment, the City of Toronto and the federal Crown corporation that controls the three-acre parcel of land just south of the tower.

Contracts could be signed as early as this summer, triggering construction to get the 150,000-square-foot watery attraction —Toronto’s first big new tourist magnet since the Hockey Hall of Fame almost 20 years ago — ready for July 2015, when visitors will stream into Pan Am Games events at the neighbouring Rogers Centre.

“I’m optimistic” there won’t be any snags, said Jim Pattison Jr., president of Orlando-based Ripley’s, a division of his billionaire father’s Vancouver-based The Jim Pattison Group.

“There will be tens of thousands of different (marine) animals, and some features that will be unique to Toronto,” Pattison added, including a moving walkway taking visitors through “the largest underwater tunnel in North America,” with fish, possibly including sharks, all around them.

Councillor Adam Vaughan, who believes the aquarium will enhance John St. redevelopment, said he was told there will also be a room with tanks of live jellyfish, special lighting and mirrors to create a “psychedelic visual experience.”

But taxpayers will swallow some of the costs.

A source with knowledge of the plans said various levels of government are expected to contribute about $10 million each to the project, with Ripley’s investing $110 million — a figure Pattison would not confirm.

Mike Williams, the city’s manager of economic development, confirmed the aquarium is approved for an incentive program that lets commercial and industrial corporations forgo a percentage of property taxes for 10 years.

How much that saves Ripley’s won’t be known until the value of the developed property is set, he said, but $10 million “could be in the ballpark.”

“This is a fabulous project” that will draw tourists from near and far, as well as school groups and other Toronto visitors, and keep them in the area spending money longer, he said.

While declining to confirm or deny that the Ontario government is investing in the aquarium, Mukunthan Paramalingham, a spokesman for Tourism Minister Michael Chan, said in an email: “The arrival of an aquarium of this calibre will bring in millions of visitors, fill our hotels, and create jobs.

“It will provide great educational opportunities for visitors of all ages while ensuring that everyone gets a chance to see that Ontario is a great place to live, visit and invest.”

While the source said Ottawa is expected to also contribute $10 million, a vice-president of Canada Lands Co., the federal agency in negotiations to lease the land to Ripley’s, said he knew of no such contribution.

Gordon McIvor said, though, that Ottawa will spend money on landscaping, signs and other features to dramatically improve the John St., Front St. and Bremner Blvd. entrances to the tower/aquarium site.

“This is an extraordinarily important project for keeping Toronto vibrant” and will give a boost to the tower’s visitors — almost 2 million annually — and help draw conferences to the neighbouring, federally owned Metro Toronto Convention Centre, he said.

Vaughan said Mayor Rob Ford’s office has been supportive of the project that was started under Ford’s predecessor, David Miller.

“The mayor’s office wanted to insist the aquarium have parking, but Ripley’s said it chose the site because of the (pedestrian and transit) options, and parking made the project not financially viable. The requirement was waived.”

http://www.thestar.com/news/article/932 ... re-massive

[The Old Fogducker]

Wow .... I'd travel to the dreaded Toronto to see that aquarium.

The last really great one was in Tampa and saw the Florida Aquarium two years ago. Admission was $22 which almost stopped me cold at the door after driving a long way to go to it. Sure glad I did fork over the bucks though, it was worth every single penny times twenty.

Something like this would be a good attraction.

Now, how long will it be until we get the first sniffs of the builders expecting the taxpayers to fund the project?

The Old (budding aquaculturist) Fogducker

[cdnpilot77]

Its already there, $10mil from each level of government.

[bizjets101]

Toronto Star details of the new aquarium.

[bizjets101]

Guessing this may be his new Falcon 900EX Easy. Hmmm, if I had $4 Billion Dollars
I think I'd be buying a brand new Falcon 7X or at least a 900LX???

[bizjets101]

In regards to Sinatra's trains - when the house was sold, Nancy Sinatra (daughter) wanted to donate the trains to the Smithsonian Museum - apparently his Lionel train set has everything from gold engines - to a prized possession - an engine given too Sinatra by the Vatican.

The house itself was bought by Pattison as an investment, it's used for meetings, and bungalows and the main house are available for rent for up to $2600 a night. Pattison has another property in Palm Springs he resides at while in town. (Lives in North Vancouver).

Nancy Sinatra said in the offer to buy the home, Pattison offered an extra $200,000 for the model train collection - which Nancy's step-mom accepted.

http://virtualglobetrotting.com/map/fra ... ?service=1