Front End Friday

End of the front kind for this fine Friday!

@Trainwreck nate posted:

I give you the “love boat”

Sarge, maybe I missed something, why do you call this GP38 the “Love Boat”? Maybe because it’s old and loves the shop? LoL

Good afternoon, FEFers.

Probably the most famous streamlined K4 was #3768, "The Torpedo", clad in a shroud in 1936 designed by Raymond Loewy. The shroud, like most streamlining on engines of the time, made maintenance of the drive wheels difficult so the covers over the wheels were soon removed.  These covers were put back on a few times for publicity photos.  My Torpedo represents the late 40s so the covers are removed.

This is a Weaver brass model.

@WesternPacific2217 posted:

Sarge, maybe I missed something, why do you call this GP38 the “Love Boat”? Maybe because it’s old and loves the shop? LoL

Nope, well for starters it’s a Ex Southern unit. You can still see the lettering under the paint. Way before I was working here it was the 3869. So with that and the walk in bathroom, and some old stories…

Happy FEF from the New Haven!!!

Wow great pictures everyone, its fun to look at on a drab and miserable cold, windy, and wet  Friday in central Texas, although UKE KAT we don't get 4" of snow all winter much less overnight so I won't complain too much !!  3rail, I have to comment that not only is that Rio Grande passenger train beautiful but the station it is sitting in front of is also really incredible!!. Lee ... a "tail end" full of gas seems a harbinger of bad things ! Ralph M and Sitka really neat diesel engines, Sitka that shark nose doesn't have much clearance to get by that fellows garden.   Scott, the SP engines are really neat.  I have the Lionel GS-4 Daylight but I have never had a radii big enough to run it - so it has sat in its box for many years. Nate- cool picture but you have peaked my curiosity why do they call that engine the "love boat"?

  OK enough talk, what am I contributing today.  Well this guy was top of the 0-27 line with Lionel in 1952-54, the #2032 Erie Alco AA.  It had all the good stuff:  Magnetraction, horn,coil operated couplers, lights in both units, and excellent traction.  As a kid who lived near Erie territory, this was a "must have" for me. 

Here is the F.E.F view showing the classic Alco front end.  For 70 years old this shows a lot less wear and tear than I do at 77 so I guess I took better care of her than I did of myself ( which seems perfectly reasonable).

Front quarter view, the black / yellow scheme always seemed to be outstanding to me and really set off the lines of the loco.

Here is the double A pulling a freight on my layout.

Well Happy Friday everyone, hope you enjoy the rest of the weekend.  UKE KAT be careful shoveling that snow!

Best wishes

Don

Happy FEF.

Don McErlean, you are exactly right, this photo gallery of Front End Fridays is a ray of sunshine on these wintry dreary days. That’s a beautiful set of Black Erie diesels, one of my favorite paint schemes. It’s cold snd snowy here in middle Tennessee to. Johan, your pictures are great to, it’s good to see your active on the forum again. Apples 55, Paul, wow that’s a beautiful #3507 steamer, Happy Railroading Everyone

@Don McErlean posted:

Wow great pictures everyone, its fun to look at on a drab and miserable cold, windy, and wet  Friday in central Texas, although UKE KAT we don't get 4" of snow all winter much less overnight so I won't complain too much !!  3rail, I have to comment that not only is that Rio Grande passenger train beautiful but the station it is sitting in front of is also really incredible!!. Lee ... a "tail end" full of gas seems a harbinger of bad things ! Ralph M and Sitka really neat diesel engines, Sitka that shark nose doesn't have much clearance to get by that fellows garden.   Scott, the SP engines are really neat.  I have the Lionel GS-4 Daylight but I have never had a radii big enough to run it - so it has sat in its box for many years. Nate- cool picture but you have peaked my curiosity why do they call that engine the "love boat"?

  OK enough talk, what am I contributing today.  Well this guy was top of the 0-27 line with Lionel in 1952-54, the #2032 Erie Alco AA.  It had all the good stuff:  Magnetraction, horn,coil operated couplers, lights in both units, and excellent traction.  As a kid who lived near Erie territory, this was a "must have" for me.

Here is the F.E.F view showing the classic Alco front end.  For 70 years old this shows a lot less wear and tear than I do at 77 so I guess I took better care of her than I did of myself ( which seems perfectly reasonable).

Front quarter view, the black / yellow scheme always seemed to be outstanding to me and really set off the lines of the loco.

Here is the double A pulling a freight on my layout.

Well Happy Friday everyone, hope you enjoy the rest of the weekend.  UKE KAT be careful shoveling that snow!

Best wishes

Don

Don cold and snowy here too in the Ozark Foothills in Missouri there’s a big soft spot in my heart for these Lionel FAs I almost bought a shell just like yours one time at a Hobby Shop in St. Louis. thanks for sharing

@leapinlarry posted:

Don McErlean, you are exactly right, this photo gallery of Front End Fridays is a ray of sunshine on these wintry dreary days. That’s a beautiful set of Black Erie diesels, one of my favorite paint schemes. It’s cold snd snowy here in middle Tennessee to. Johan, your pictures are great to, it’s good to see your active on the forum again. Apples 55, Paul, wow that’s a beautiful #3507 steamer, Happy Railroading Everyone

Beautiful pics Larry

@Apples55 posted:

Happy FEF from the New Haven!!!

Nice sharp pic Paul I have to agree with Larry very nice steamer.

@trumpettrain posted:

End of the front kind for this fine Friday!

Patrick is that RS a MoPac I can’t recall seeing that one rolling through Patsburg.

@lee drennen posted:

Patrick is that RS a MoPac I can’t recall seeing that one rolling through Patsburg.

Lee - that's a RS1 in Washington Terminal Co. livery.   WTC number 46.  It's a MTH Proto 3.0  I preordered it from Just Train DE and received it last spring.    I also have an Atlas O WTC ALCO RS1 number 63 with TMCC.  I actually prefer the sound of the Atlas O over the MTH ... but hey that's just me.  The MTH sound is still pretty darn good IMHO.  

I used to see both number 46 & 63 frequently at the Ivy City Engine Terminal & working the coach yard on my many trips in and out of DC over the years.   I love the RS1 !  The cab roof overhang gives the locomotive a distinct character.

The WTC rostered 25 ALCO RS1 locomotives.  WTC's parent companies were the both the B&O and Pennsylvania RR, the roads that built and owned Union Station originally.  WTC  did all the switching/ making up/breaking down passenger trains for the seven railroads that terminated at Union Station prior to AMTRAK.  After AMTRAK became a thing in 1971 WTC still did the switching AMTRAK for several years until AMTRAK took over all those duties.    

@trumpettrain posted:

Lee - that's a RS1 in Washington Terminal Co. livery.   WTC number 46.  It's a MTH Proto 3.0  I preordered it from Just Train DE and received it last spring.    I also have an Atlas O WTC ALCO RS1 number 63 with TMCC.  I actually prefer the sound of the Atlas O over the MTH ... but hey that's just me.  The MTH sound is still pretty darn good IMHO.  

I used to see both number 46 & 63 frequently at the Ivy City Engine Terminal & working the coach yard on my many trips in and out of DC over the years.   I love the RS1 !  The cab roof overhang gives the locomotive a distinct character.

The WTC rostered 25 ALCO RS1 locomotives.  WTC's parent companies were the both the B&O and Pennsylvania RR, the roads that built and owned Union Station originally.  WTC  did all the switching/ making up/breaking down passenger trains for the seven railroads that terminated at Union Station prior to AMTRAK.  After AMTRAK became a thing in 1971 WTC still did the switching AMTRAK for several years until AMTRAK took over all those duties.    

Patrick thanks for the info I never knew that sounds very interesting how they broke up the trains like that I’m glad I asked about it and thanks for sharing.

@Don McErlean posted:

  OK enough talk, what am I contributing today.  Well this guy was top of the 0-27 line with Lionel in 1952-54, the #2032 Erie Alco AA.  It had all the good stuff:  Magnetraction, horn,coil operated couplers, lights in both units, and excellent traction.  As a kid who lived near Erie territory, this was a "must have" for me.

Here is the F.E.F view showing the classic Alco front end.  For 70 years old this shows a lot less wear and tear than I do at 77 so I guess I took better care of her than I did of myself ( which seems perfectly reasonable).

Well Happy Friday everyone, hope you enjoy the rest of the weekend.  UKE KAT be careful shoveling that snow!

Best wishes

Don

Hi Don…those 1952 Erie Alco’s were my first step up from the first train I received for Christmas in 1949…which was a Lionel 1115 Scout set.

The only thing I have remaining from the Erie set…is the cattle car and caboose. Believe me when I say…I truly tested that MagnaTraction to its limits! 🤪🙀

And no…not much snow shoveling for me these days…live in a great condominium neighborhood and snow removal is handled by a maintenance crew. The photo below does show a late snow event that we had on April 15th a couple of years ago…hoping we don’t experience that again this year…but hey, it’s Michigan, so you never know?!?! 🚂 😉😺

Who would complain about snow? Here's some Noch "snow" on my Marklin HO layout.

Front end Friday after dark version. Williams gg-1 and the pennsy congressional Williams passenger set. Southern Crescent Limited with a freight load. Dark, but New York Central Bantam with Madison’s lit in the background.

@leapinlarry posted:

Don McErlean, you are exactly right, this photo gallery of Front End Fridays is a ray of sunshine on these wintry dreary days. That’s a beautiful set of Black Erie diesels, one of my favorite paint schemes. It’s cold snd snowy here in middle Tennessee to. Johan, your pictures are great to, it’s good to see your active on the forum again. Apples 55, Paul, wow that’s a beautiful #3507 steamer, Happy Railroading Everyone

Larry,

Thank you. It’s always nice to watch your diverse equipment on your layout.

Johan

Wow what great photos folks, I am a little late catching up its Saturday morning now and low and behold the sun is out...scheduled to be over 60 today as compared with 23 last night!!  That's Texas weather for you.  Larry , Lee, Bar GP7 thank you for your comments and additions.  Larry, I must say that the 2025 and 5343 steamers you pictured are really beautiful and detailed but I will admit to a "gap" in my steam engine knowledge.  What is the purpose of that apparatus on the sides of the stack on the 2025 .  My mechanical knowledge would say that it appears to be able to extend the stack by sliding an outer shell upwards, but to what end?  Anyway, beautiful engines.

UKE KAT thanks for your comments as well...we are close to "Lionel contemporaries" , I got my first set in 1947 just after I turned 3 (although I have always had some suspicions that Dad and Grandad liked it as well).  They built a train table in the sun room of our house which had the tree in front of it.  Grandad (who lived downstairs with Grandma) was determined that the train would "go up a hill" and made a wooden ramp for the tracks.  Family stories in later years led to a lot of laughs about how the angle of the slope (remember this was before magnetraction) had to be found by experiment with lots of stalled locomotives going up or lots of flying ones on the downward leg when the transformer was forgotten to be reduced.  My set, as best I can tell, was the 1947 #2127WS with the 671 steam turbine, operating ore car, 2460 12 wheel black crane and work caboose with a searchlight. Like you my set of Erie Alcos followed some year's later as the layout expanded.

By the way, here is my Lionel Scout 1110 just like the one in your first set.  She still works and can easily pull a train around my very flat layout.  You may be interested, I found the engine easily enough but finding the tender with "Lionel Scout" on the sides took forever!!

Well best wishes all.

Don

Hi guys, all I can say is what amazing photos! There are a lot of beauties that are being shown! I know I am a day late, but I wanted to share this with you guys. It's a Lionel 682 Pennsylvania 6-8-6 built in 1954 that I just got as a gift from a friend and just got it running! The tender still needs some work, I will try and get a video of it so maybe someone can tell me how to fix it.  When I blow the whistle, it makes a bad sound! LOL

@UKE KAT posted:

FEF…Have a great day !!! We had another 4” of snow overnight…ugh…🚂🤨🙀

And Bob thought it was time to put the snowplows away.

@mike g. posted:

Hi guys, all I can say is what amazing photos! There are a lot of beauties that are being shown! I know I am a day late, but I wanted to share this with you guys. It's a Lionel 682 Pennsylvania 6-8-6 built in 1954 that I just got as a gift from a friend and just got it running! The tender still needs some work, I will try and get a video of it so maybe someone can tell me how to fix it.  When I blow the whistle, it makes a bad sound! LOL

Looks pretty nice Mike

Sounds like your friend is a keeper.

Pennsy strips.  Cold, cold Sunday 3/13/2022.  Brrrrrr !!!!  Diesel fuel would not do well today. 

Have a good Friday all, here is a Pennsy K4 taking a U36Bravo to Altoona Maintenance Facility for repair and painting.

Happy FEF! This Conrail train headed up by an SD45 and a C30-7.

Happy FEF!

A couple of LIRR RS units at the ready.

Happy FEF.

Well..."Top o'the Mornin" to you all on this fine Friday, a day after St. Patrick's day.  Today, I decided to post something that for some reason has not made it to the forum over the last 2+ years (my posting history).  It is the Lionel #210 offered with this number one year only, 1958.  The #210 headed up one Lionel cataloged set #1599 and two uncatalogued sets, #48T300 for Montgomery Wards and #9656 for Sears both in 1958.  (Collectors be warned, Sears used the #9656 at least 4 times in the postwar period, each time referencing a different set).  Now just to make things more complex, Lionel also produced a  Texas Special Alco #211 (note 211 not 210) which was offered from 1962-1966 and which had no real difference in appearance from the #210 except the number but did evolve several new motor / power unit details over its reign - like going from a 3 position to a 2 position reversing unit.  The #211 which is far more common than the 210 and was used substantially in promotional sets...some 40 different ones between 1962-1966 (" Authoritative Guide to Lionel's Promotional Outfits 1960-1969" by John W. Schmid)

OK enough of the Lionel history / background.  Here are some pictures:

The F.E.F. view...note the #210 despite being rather plain at the front with no marker lights, did have a headlight, 3 position reverse, and Magnetraction.

A little more of the A unit showing the dominant white stripe logo on the side.

The #210 "The Texas Special" Alco AA units.  Note that the name of the loco, different from normal signage convention has the word "The" in the official name.  Trivia I know but such things interest geeks like me...

A short video showing my #210 with a short freight on my layout.

)

On one of our last family vacations, before the kids went off to college, we took a trip to see the baseball museum in Cooperstown, NY.  Of course, the trip took a slight detour when I spotted this beauty sitting on a side track just out of town -

Good FEF Everyone, Don McErlean, that’s a nice Texas Special set and a great video, Sitka, I like your Chessie and green steamer, nice, Strap Hanger, that’s a cool picture of the real thing, great photography, Bar GP7 #63, that’s a beautiful scene with the Maine Central diesel in the background, great scenery, RSJB18 Bob, beautiful Long Island diesels on two levels, neat pictures. Ralph M, those are gorgeous Conrail diesels, very nice and you have a great layout to, Mike CT, Wow, beautiful Pennsylvania diesels, awesome setting. Mike G., that’s a great buy you made recently and this 682 turbine looks right at home on your nice layout, PostWar steamers run forever. Have a great weekend fellows and Happy Railroading Everyone.

Good afternoon FEF folks.  Running late.  Finally took some better photos (images?) of my MTH PRR M1b.

Need to fix that headlight.

Larry - thanks for the kind words.  I really like that Chicago Beltway switcher, I don't think you posted that before and the B&O F-3's are really beautiful and are on my hunting list!  Cappilot - the detail on the front of that MTH PRR M1b is amazing.  Every hose and electrical connector is shown its really neat that the detail gets down to that level.  Beautiful engine. Strap Hanger - Cooperstown:  the MLB museum AND a train!  Wow a "twofer".

Best wishes everyone - have a great weekend

Don

Good evening FeFer's, here's some UP SD70Ace with some afternoon sun.

Still Friday on the West Coast.

Well, it’s ½ hour late for Front End Friday, but it is still Friday night. Here’s a 1956 Lionel 520 on our little 4’ x 4’ layout made in the style of layouts in 1956.

I'm way late for FEF .

Sorry... but yesterday we went for another fish dinner at Force Pa.      Went up the hill to Weedville again and Charlie ran this on his test track.......and well......

MTH  RK  Allegheny

(  seems like fish dinners are affected by inflation too )

@Dallas Joseph posted:

I'm way late for FEF .

Sorry... but yesterday we went for another fish dinner at Force Pa.      Went up the hill to Weedville again and Charlie ran this on his test track.......and well......

MTH  RK  Allegheny

(  seems like fish dinners are affected by inflation too )

Another beauty Dallas. I think I need to tell the bride that we need to eat more fish.......for health reasons of course........

Bob

PS- Sounds like Charlie is getting tipped off by the restaurant when you are in town????

@RSJB18 posted:

Another beauty Dallas. I think I need to tell the bride that we need to eat more fish.......for health reasons of course........

Bob

PS- Sounds like Charlie is getting tipped off by the restaurant when you are in town????

...ah......Charlie goes to the St. Joseph FFFs too.

( Judy says it seems like the cost of the Lenten fish dinners has gone up...........I tried to tell her that theTRANSPORTATION costs have gone up because of the increase in OIL prices )

( tell the bride !??  .................hey , good luck Bob )

Happy Front End Friday!

Happy FEF!