Front End Friday

@Dallas Joseph posted:

Nice Vern.

I always thought that these SFs were a little bit hokey, I suppose since they have shown up everywhere in ads and photos and layout videos for toy trains for far too many times for as long as I can remember ................but ..........too beautiful to finally pass up..........I caved for MTH Premier ps3 Plated ABA F7s.         Thanks for sharing yours

Thank you, Joseph. Yes, Lionel’s Santa Fe Fs have been around for decades. But when the scale versions began to appear in the mid-2000s, I started to take notice.

I’ve never been an MTH guy and realize that the shiny plating on the lower car body sides that the MTH ones had and the Lionel ones didn’t have was a big deal to rivet counters.

But on the other hand, I never cared for MTH’s “concentric circle” portal windows on the sides. To me, Lionel’s portals look more prototypical. All a matter of preference, I guess. 😉

Almost looks like a water color painting. I found this on my phone from April 0f last year. It looks like I took it in the dark with a light rain,

Have a Great FEF all! Support your Troops!

God Bless America!

Happy FEF!

A post war classic....

Front End Friday…NKP 765 @ the Lasalle Station in 2018…🚂😎😺

Happy FEF all.

OMI ATSF C40-8W #800, (Proto48)

As a kid (1970s) a term that seemed to be relatively new and big in real railroading was "run through service".  Growing up in Detroit I had access to pretty significant operational hubs of Penn Central, Chesapeak & Ohio and Norfolk and Western.  On weekends it was really cool to see diesels from far away roads in one of the three engine terminals.   Most common was UP or Western Maryland in N&W Oakwood Yard or Missouri Pacific in Penn Central Livernois Yard right before Conrail.  From pictures of others, it seems PC ended up with a lot of different off road diesels over it's run.

I have picked two MP non-powered units as sort of an homage to this, both MTH premier a U30C and this SD40-2.  Would love it if anyone wants to share more about Run Through Service (the advent, other interesting trivia) or other off road diesels in Detroit or anywhere.  Thanks, Good FeF,  Jim

Ends of the front kind for this fine Friday!  

An OGR photographer snaps photos of these engineers and their engines.  Question:  Who the heck took this photo of the photographer taking a photo?  Hmmmm .... ?

BL2 coming around the bend.

@Dave Ripp. posted:

Almost looks like a water color painting.

This photo  definitely looks like it needs to be posted in the " Imagineering in O Gauge Photography " section Dave.         Very nice photo.

Wow, @UKE KAT, Paul, that’s a picture of the  Beautiful 765, it’s just a super neat Steamer, @jgtrh62 that’s a beautiful Sante Fe diesel, wow, @@RSJB18 Bob, that’s a cool Sante Fe scene, neat hummer?, @@Sitka, Yes, support the troops, neat scenery. I’m sure we’ll see or Texan, @Don McErlean  soon, so here’s my Texas Special SD70 just fixed up for road duty by The Roundhouse, Louisville, Kentucky…. Beautiful pictures everyone. Happy Railroading Everyone

Happy FEF. Bangor & Aroostook GP7 #63.

Well thanks for the introduction Larry and that is one beautiful Texas special SD 70. UKE KAT that is a beautiful picture of 765, like many others she is a favorite of mine.  When my 2 sons were small and we lived in Ohio, we rode (twice) behind 765 as part of the "Chessie Steam Specials" they ran out of Cincinnati, must have been late 70's or early 80's.

Today I have a new acquisition, one that I have searched for a long time.  Its hard to say "rare" with Marx but his FM metal diesels can be "scarce".  This is the #54 Kansas City Southern (KCS) FM unit only made between 1956-1960.  She is no where near scale but she runs great and like many Marx items the lithography is super!

Here is the F.E.F. view.  This is an electric #54 (Marx made clockwork ones as well) and she has a working headlight and 2 position reverse.

Here is a little larger view of her, showing the litho treatment on the sides.

Well great pictures everyone, thanks for posting.  Have a wonderful Mother's Day Weekend...Best wishes

Don

Celebrating Front End Friday with my latest 3D printed creation, a New Haven HH600 that I built from a scruffy old MPC diesel chassis!

It's just got the stock manual reverse and Pullmor motor right now-- haven't installed LED lights or TMCC boards yet-- but I've tuned up the motor and it runs pretty smooth! I'll do a proper write-up on the build once it's all done.

@leapinlarry posted:

Wow, @UKE KAT, Paul, that’s a picture of the  Beautiful 765, it’s just a super neat Steamer, @jgtrh62 that’s a beautiful Sante Fe diesel, wow, @@RSJB18 Bob, that’s a cool Sante Fe scene, neat hummer?, @@Sitka, Yes, support the troops, neat scenery. I’m sure we’ll see or Texan, @Don McErlean  soon, so here’s my Texas Special SD70 just fixed up for road duty by The Roundhouse, Louisville, Kentucky…. Beautiful pictures everyone. Happy Railroading Everyone

Yes it is Larry. It's a Menards lighted truck. Not exactly period correct for my layout but neither is the center rail.

😂😂😂😂

Thanks

@RSJB18 Bob, those lighted vehicles are so neat and I’m glad you responded, your layout is so cool, @Don McErlean, that’s a beautiful KCS FM diesel, that logo is so colorful as is mist of your Marx tinplate trains, Wow, Happy Railroading Everyone

Happy FEF guys,

#2403 heading out of the yard to pick up some freight.

Andy

Lionel Western Maryland F3s & CSX SD70 B&O Heritage engines outside NYC Grand Central Terminal(GCT) & Met Life Building beside Acela inbound on Hellgate Bridge and a second Acela departing GCT on The South Fork Railroad.

Cso 3901 and NECR 2151 in for a long PTC install.

This one was going to fast to get a good picture. Lisle about 5 minutes ago.

Here's quick video of a power move.  Sorry about the shakey camera action in the beginning. Photgrapher  Barnabus Gibbons sat down by the tracks for close to 5 hours waiting for something to come along.  During that time o'l Barnabus drank a little too much hooch.  Her

Patrick, slugs or calves?

@coach joe posted:

Patrick, slugs or calves?

Calves.

@Dave Ripp. posted:

This one was going to fast to get a good picture. Lisle about 5 minutes ago.

Nice shot, Dave! This loco looks like it could very well be former power for Amtrak California's Surfliners, as shown in the photo below, taken about 4 years ago. The photo below it, is what's powering the Surfliners now, Siemens Chargers.

Well it looks like I get to start off this morning...I thought you might like to see one of Lionel's (MPC) first efforts to renew the steam locomotive, the 2-4-2 Columbia.  From 1970-76 in those very early years that managed to save the brand, MPC offered a large array of Columbia types in many forms.  It remained a stalwart in Lionel's offerings throughout the early years, and in fact when Lionel introduced the "electronic sound of steam" in 1971 it was a Columbia that was the first recipient.

Today's engine, the MPC # 8303 Lionel Jersey Central Columbia illustrates the extent to which Lionel used this basic engine.  This engine in two tone blue from 1973 was included in the "Blue Streak" catalogued freight set.  Later the engine was made in black for both catalogued and uncataloged sets, single sale, and for special sets for Sears - all  using the same basic shell but with a variety of Jersey Central tenders.  It was offered with smoke, headlight, 2 position reversing, and sound of steam in one engine then with none of these features in another...all with the same boiler shell.  Well here is one of the more elaborate versions.

This is the Lionel (MPC) #8303 Jersey Central Columbia from the # 1385 "Blue Streak" freight set of 1973-74.  It has a headlight, smoke, reverse, and electronic sound of steam.  

Here is the F.E.F. view - she never had "jewels" in the marker lights an odd omission but likely to meet a particular price point.

Here is a bit longer view showing boiler casting detail and the SOS tender

The full side view showing the 2 tone blue treatment

Finally a departing view, I couldn't resist showing the handsome 2 tone tender with gold lettering.

Well I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.  Best wishes.

Don

Happy FEF!

Since I finally figured out the markers on my F3 upgrade. It's appropriate to share them here.

I keep forgetting that I have this K-Line Shay in the living room.  Never use the room, so it just sits there and collects dust.  I am going to put it on the layout this weekend and run it for the first time in, maybe, 25 years.

Have a good FEF, Some of my steam and diesel,

Ends of the front kind for his fine Friday!

Pre-trip check at the Charles Street Yard"...

"

Happy FEF.

@Sitka posted:

Have a good FEF, Some of my steam and diesel,

Sitka, impressive collection of locomotives, and they all look to be in beautiful condition, too!

@trumpettrain posted:

Ends of the front kind for his fine Friday!

Beautiful collection of locomotives in the yard, and an impressive junk pile, too. Great shot Patrick!

FeF for all the Hosers, Eh.

The two photos below were taken during an Open House, at our Club, "The Lionel Club of Southeastern (Racine) Wisconsin", Saturday, September 11, 2021, in recognition of the 20th Anniversary of that day in 2001, September 11th.

Here's an MPC era front end...

C-420 #212 heading out to collect some empties.

Andy

@@Don McErlean, thanks for starting off the Front End Friday thread and with such a beautifully decorated steamer, the MPC era kept Lionel’s name in the game and your locomotive looks nice. @RSJB18 Bob, I love the blue and yellow Sante Fe F units and yours looks fine, the lights look good, Cat Whiskers, there’s a lot of really neat pictures today on this thread. Friday the 13th? Wow…. Happy Railroading Everyone

Larry...is that beautiful maroon and gold locomotive a "Trainmaster"?  Beautiful - what is the RR with that great livery?

Thanks for your comment on my "Blue Streak" engine.

Best Wishes

Don

Don - I believe Larry's Trainmaster is in the Fairbanks-Morse "Demonstrator" paint scheme - very beautiful indeed!

And speaking of Trainmasters, here's a Post War Trainmaster at work on my layout.