Oddity Central

Oddity Central

World’s Most Amazing Home Railroad System Can Be Yours for Only $3.5 Million

Posted: 03 Feb 2014 03:00 AM PST

The suburb of Sherwood, just outside of Portland, Oregon, is home to one of the most spectacular properties in the world. Not only does it have all the regular stuff – a 5,000 Square Feet house, professional landscaping, a garden, a barn and a shop – it also has a fabulous world-class personal railway system with real steam-engine trains.

So if you lived at 18055 SW Seiffert Road, you'd be able to go on train rides every single day. You don't need a ticket, you don't have to deal with crowds and the best part – you can never miss a train! All that costs a measly $3.5 million.

Todd Miller, the owner of 18055, spent a large part of his life building the trains and tracks that spread across the 20-acre property. Miller has built handmade steam locomotives, 11,000ft of track, a 30ft railroad trestle and a 400ft-long tunnel. "My passion for railroads started when I was about five years old," he says. "I got an American Flyer train set for Christmas and it kind of got out of hand from there."

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You Think Tractors Can’t Dance? Check Out Tractor Square Dancing

Posted: 03 Feb 2014 02:00 AM PST

It's strange, but true – tractor square dancing is a real thing. It involves daisy chains and do-si-dos too.  But instead of people dancing on their feet, four seated couples maneuver vintage tractors to complete the moves.

Laurie Mason-Schmidt, the caller for Farmall Promenade (the most popular tractor square dancing group), said: "We are all from Nemaha, Iowa. We have real jobs, believe it or not." Since it isn't an organized sport, there are no real statistics available on how many other such groups exist. Most people only come together to perform at one-time events.

The origins of tractor square dancing can be traced back to the fifties. An ad campaign in 1953 by tractor manufacturer International Harvester is believed to have started it all. The ad aimed to show off the fast hitching abilities of their Farmall Super-C tractor. It came with the latest technology (back then) that allowed farmers to switch implements as easily as changing dance partners.

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The Old Eat-Bananas-through-Pantyhose Challenge Is Making a Comeback

Posted: 03 Feb 2014 01:00 AM PST

I don't know what the real challenge is – people eating bananas through pantyhose, or having to watch them do it. The disgusting trend is back and the internet is flooded with videos of men and women shoving bananas into their pantyhose covered mouths.

'The banana challenge', according to BuzzFeed, has been around for about five years. Videos of people taking part in the challenge have always been there to watch, but nobody really paid them much attention before. We're not sure why, but these old videos are going viral now.

I tried watching a few and honestly, it gives me a sinking feeling that there is no hope for humanity. There's more banana going out than in, thanks to the pantyhose barrier. I suppose the fabric acts as some kind of mesh to strain the fruit through. But it obviously doesn't do a very good job of letting the bananas in, which is the whole point, I suppose.

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