3rd Rail RI Rocket a first look

Love the trains, love the inspector!

Dan Weinhold

Such a beautiful set.  If it weren't for that small detail otherwise known as finances I was ready to ask Scott to ship me one when I was visiting with him last Saturday and seeing one on his test layout.  The opening ventilation hatches are quite a nice feature.

Thanks for the pro pictures as always and enjoy!

Looks great, hope you enjoy it Santiago!

Very nice indeed- beautiful looking set.

Looks marvelous Santiago great job on the project! Excited to get my set. 

GG1 4877 posted:

Such a beautiful set.  If it weren't for that small detail otherwise known as finances I was ready to ask Scott to ship me one when I was visiting with him last Saturday and seeing one on his test layout.  The opening ventilation hatches are quite a nice feature.

Thanks for the pro pictures as always and enjoy!

I bet if the PRR had one, YOU would be all over it like me!

Hmmm Speaking of Special PRR trains HOW about the "Keystone Train"?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/tall_dude/5905892301

The Keystone has been suggested.   

So a Pittsburgh Rocket ..... Hmmmm .....

Beautiful set. Thanks for posting.

That set is simply stunning! Thanks for sharing!

Thanks, guys! 

Erik C Lindgren posted:

Looks marvelous Santiago great job on the project! Excited to get my set. 

 

Thanks, buddy! It was a special project for sure! 

Love the EMD Rock Island paint scheme and  the articulated cars.  I remember as a kid watching the articulated Burlington Nebraska Zephyr charge through my hometown of Hinsdale, IL in the late 1950's and having a vague feeling that that construction looked a bit frail. But seemed to work fine as the articulated set remained in high speed service for about 28 years, and a portion of the train survives in regular service at the Illinois RR Museum today.

SANTIAGOP23 posted:

I received my Rocky Mountain Rocket yesterday.... and I couldn’t be happier with it... a few snaps below....

 

Tyger held a similar post as Superintendent of Motive Power on my system, too:

Plus on his "off" days, he did switch inspection:

P.S.: The Rocket is very nice.

mark s posted:

Love the EMD Rock Island paint scheme and  the articulated cars.  I remember as a kid watching the articulated Burlington Nebraska Zephyr charge through my hometown of Hinsdale, IL in the late 1950's and having a vague feeling that that construction looked a bit frail. But seemed to work fine as the articulated set remained in high speed service for about 20 years, and a portion of the train survives in regular service at the Illinois RR Museum today.

You and me both! 

Very, very nice! I see why you and your cat are happy. Thanks for posting.

Very sharp! It was quite nice looking when Scot Mann brought one to the meeting yesterday....
Peter

Needs incandescent bulbs.... but I’m in love 

That is beautiful!

Santiago:  Thinking about your Rocky Mountain Rocket mingling in Denver Union Station with your Exposition Flyer train pulled into town by either steam (S4a 4-6-4 or O5 4-8-4) or diesel (Burlington E5's) and pulled westbound by your anticipated L105 DRGW 4-6-6-4 (although the Denver portion would probably have been pulled by an M68 4-8-4, but who cares? It's your railroad!). And switched by your CBQ Baldwin VO-1000.

Railroading at it's finest!

We suffer from good taste, Mark! 

This is almost too good for OGR! 

Have no fear Santiago.  Just wait for the Legacy version that rides too high, has a swinging pilot, but has smoke coming out the engineer's cigar and the steam lines between cars, a waving fireman and arrives broken in the box.  It will fit right in.

Dying, Jonathan! 

mark s posted:

Santiago:  Thinking about your Rocky Mountain Rocket mingling in Denver Union Station with your Exposition Flyer train .......

Well, yes, except:

The modeled trainset is the fifth of the six Rocket sets, and was placed in service on a triweekly basis between Kansas City and Denver on 10/18/37;  however, on 2/13/38 it was transferred to KC - Oklahoma City service, later  that year extended to Dallas.  The sixth trainset was also apparently intended for the KC - Denver operation, but instead was first placed in Dallas - Houston service, and was later moved to join the fifth set in KC- Dallas service.  The Colorado-based names on both sets were changed to names more suitable for their Texas routes in 1938-39, and those car names were recycled for the new Chicago - Denver Rocky Mountain Rocket which began in November 1939 with new, non-articulated cars ( and its signature AB6 ), which is why the car names in the photos looked 'right' for the RMR.

I only know the above because when Santiago made his original post referring to the RMR I thought "Whoa, for an RMR that train is too short -- and articulated...." so I looked up the history in Wayner's Car Names......

Hence this set and the Exposition Flyer, let alone E5's, could not coexist -- except on our layouts, that is, which is great.

Best regards,

SZ

Similar to me pairing PRR diesels with CNJ steam on my yet to be if ever realized NY&LB O layout.  Never happened as CNJ steam was mostly gone by 1953 with 10 wheeler 774 surviving in many farewell to steam tours in 1954, while the PRR would't spare a diesel to test on the NY&LB until 1956.  However in my mind they co-exist just fine.

Don’t judge me...

Family portrait 

Would absolutely truly LOVE to have one. If not more than one.

But for 3-rail?  At that price?  Sorry, I'll have to pass.  Too rich for my blood. 

You have some (more) winners, there, Santiago.

Bill Davis is bringing in a special run of  modernized TA's done by Sunset.

John

Other fine renditions of Rocket types by Lionel and MTH.... Wonderful stuff! So much to pick from in O!

Santiago,

Great modeling on your part.  Have you considered modeling the Rock Island Golden State?  Below is a photo of a baggage mail car that someone modeled in HO scale.   That train set has a fantastic paint scheme.

Has anyone brought in the Rock Island Golden State passenger train set in O Scale?

Steve

GG1 4877 posted:

Have no fear Santiago.  Just wait for the Legacy version that rides too high, has a swinging pilot, but has smoke coming out the engineer's cigar and the steam lines between cars, a waving fireman and arrives broken in the box.  It will fit right in.

Oh my, what a shot. The "kool aid" drinkers are gonna be all over you!  

It was actually less of a shot at the manufacturer than one might think.  The JLC GG1 is still the nicest non-brass GG1 I have.  It was more directed to all the negative threads about manufacturer, x, y, or z.  It's just nice to see a real positive thread on here on a fabulous product.  Very refreshing!!

The wonderful people at Rockford O Scalers shared this outstanding  capture of their Peoria set... I hope it’s ok to post it here!

Yeah it’s that good! Or at least it comes close!

GG1 4877 posted:

It was actually less of a shot at the manufacturer than one might think.  The JLC GG1 is still the nicest non-brass GG1 I have.  It was more directed to all the negative threads about manufacturer, x, y, or z.  It's just nice to see a real positive thread on here on a fabulous product.  Very refreshing!!

isn't the JLC Lionel GG1 the one with the zinc rotting trucks that Lionel refuses to repair ? 

K-Line did the Golden State as a part of their Collectors Club probably over 10 years ago.  There were two renditions,one being an A-A E8 pulling 18" passenger cars.  There were at least 8 passenger cars,all named correctly and possibly 10.  The other set had shorter cars.  They were extremely well received at that time.  It remains a very good looking set.

Norm

The Rockford O Scalers are extremely pleased with this set.  It’s fantastic!  We also picked up one of the modernized TA versions offered by Bill Davis to be used in running other Rock Island trains.  What a great time to be in 2 rail O Scale!