Front End Friday

@Mark V. Spadaro posted:

Railking Conrail

A late entry, but it did arrive yesterday.  I finally found the final Weaver GG1 I was missing from my collection, Conrail 4800.  Granted it is not accurate in that it is not "Old Rivets", but Weaver did the GG1 in eight paint schemes and this is the hardest one to find as they only made 52 in 3-rail and I have no idea how many were done in 2-rail, but certainly much less.  It's a nice feeling to "complete" a part of my collection.

It is interesting to note that Weaver did not do the nose correctly.  It should say "CONRAIL" like Mark's Railking GG1 above.  I've noted a few other graphic errors, such as the fuel oil and water labels shouldn't be on here as 4800 didn't have a steam generator since 1960 and it is missing the label "1934-1976" that lived on from the Bicentennial scheme once 4800 got repainted into Conrail "dress blue".  Lionel, are you paying attention?

@c.sam posted:

Ron,  what's the wheel configuration on your I1?   Looks like a 2-10-0, - old eyes here!

Handsome beast. Am not familiar with that locomotive...

Sam that is correct !

Finally acquired a Dreyfuss Hudson earlier this week and she's a beauty.  Premiere PS3 from 2014.  Had not seen one of these prior as most MTH out there are the older PS2 releases with 5v system. From 2002 maybe?  Many of them have the upgraded boards and are fine performers.  THis one has blackened side rods and the cab drop down plate.  Hope to run her this next week on Tuesday on Bob's large layout. Stay tuned for photos then!

Little late to the party (today is Saturday) and the front end is not O Gauge (its 1:1 proto) but that's all I have right now for my entry ticket .

Brightline Siemens Charger SCB-40 #111 arriving northbound to Boca Raton on my trip to Orlando this past Tuesday morning.

@WP posted:

Our 11 year old grandson just had his 11th birthday last Sunday. He received a new MTH GP-30 BN locomotive (QSI) from his parents. His transformer for his layout where he lives did not have enough power for his needs, but he and his brother and parents were coming to visit us on his birthday. So we bought him a completely refurbished Lionel KW transformer (the MTH Z-1000 and the lionel 80 did not operate his engine). He is very happy with the transformer and was running his BN engine on my small 027 4’ x 4’ layout in our front room.
Happy Front End Friday!!

Very nice John glad he got to run his new Engine the GP30 is one of my favorites of the Geeps.

@Amfleet25124 posted:

Little late to the party (today is Saturday) and the front end is not O Gauge (its 1:1 proto) but that's all I have right now for my entry ticket .

Brightline Siemens Charger SCB-40 #111 arriving northbound to Boca Raton this past Tuesday morning.

A front end is a front end regardless of scale.  Interesting look.  Thanks for posting

---

@c.sam posted:

Ron,  what's the wheel configuration on your I1?   Looks like a 2-10-0, - old eyes here!

Handsome beast. Am not familiar with that locomotive...

This is MTH's scale PRR Decapod (2-10-0).  I confused things by calling it an I1 since I don't think MTH every called it an I1 in their literature, just Decapod (maybe I1 in a catalog).  They produced several runs of it with both short and long tenders.  I1 was Pennsy's nomenclature for it.  This one is 20-3253-1.

Here is a better side shot of the engine.

@lee drennen posted:

Very nice John glad he got to run his new Engine the GP30 is one of my favorites of the Geeps.

Thank you. Our grandson loves them too!

@pennsyfan posted:

That’s great John! Good to hear that the whole family is involved.

Thank you Bob!

Happy Front End Friday everyone! This week on the layout, I've been working on the "lower deck"-- a small O42 tinplate themed layout that's underneath my main table. Fittingly, I've been running models from my Marx collection.

As soon as I made repairs to the track, I started by running this little 0-4-0 Canadian Pacific locomotive.

Here's that CP set running on the lower deck.

I'm also running this late period (one-direction-motor, plastic wheeled cars) M10005 set.

And here's the M10005 running on the layout also.

My front-end views for Friday, August 2, 2024 show Boston & Maine Class B-15 2-6-0 “Mogul” #1455 (Lionel Trains 6-38019) on my 10’-by-5’ layout. The model was listed in the 2005 Volume 1 catalog at an MSRP of $599.99 with TMCC and a Pittman motor.

MELGAR

Here's 3 units on the front of a long train consist of gondolas. There is another train of all auto loaders going the opposite direction on the other track.

Happy Front End Friday.

A front end of the 1:8 scale variety, a couple photos of the front end of the Union Pacific GP60 locomotive that I was driving at my TARR train club a couple of  weeks back when we provide rides to the public.   It was a scorcher out there and I lost track of how many gallons of water that I drank that weekend.

In the station photo, the group of passengers from the previous ride had just disembarked and now we were heading into the station for the next group.

Happy FEF!

LIRR SW-8 (MTH PS-2 5v)

Bob

Wow, Friday already? Happy FeF! Here are a few front end shots of an R12 on the 7 line crossing over Roosevelt Avenue -

One of my 3 steamers

- walt

SD90 and DD35 make their appearance on the RR today in time for this photo op:

@Amfleet25124 posted:

Happy Front End Friday.

A front end of the 1:8 scale variety, a couple photos of the front end of the Union Pacific GP60 locomotive that I was driving at my TARR train club a couple of  weeks back when we provide rides to the public.   It was a scorcher out there and I lost track of how many gallons of water that I drank that weekend.

In the station photo, the group of passengers from the previous ride had just disembarked and now we were heading into the station for the next group.

Very cool Kevin.  Looks like you are having a great time!!!

The C-Liner does a slow roll by Bob's General Store and Sunset Farm...

FEF Southern Style

Happy FEF, I just unpacked this AF set that was delivered today.
American Flyer Pre-War O Gauge Burlington Zephyr streamliner passenger set no. 9900 including; 9910 power car, 9911 REA baggage, and 9912.

It appears that I have some lamps to replace. I’m bummed out that one of the exhaust stacks is broken. There were 4 in the picture. I have to check the packaging. Maybe I can find the diecast piece from a parts dealer. I unpacked it in the tinplate room because I assumed that there would be sliders; I was surprised to see rollers. I may just have to give it a run on the Hirail layout.

Bob, great pics of the layout and the BN Zephyr...I saw the real version at the Museum of Science in Chicago a few years ago...impressive innovation for the day and age...

Thanks Paul, I think that’s when I became attracted to it; when I saw it at the Museum of Science in Chicago many moons ago,  while on a business trip.

A G5 is leading a short commuter train for the morning run.  Johnny, the fireman for this run, asks Joseph the engineer why he brought a pillow with him.  "Obviously, this is your first time on a 'boneshaker'," Joseph replies.  "By time we finish this run your butt is going to be very sore."

MTH G5 and GGD cars.  Freight cars in picture are various Atlas, Willaims, and MTH.

Well for F.E.F. this week I have my brand new, Menards, PRR F-3 .  She is my first loco with remote control and has horn, bell, and voice sounds.  She really works well and can maintain scale like speeds without any throttle input.  She was just delivered on Wed so I am still getting used to all this new technology. 

Best Wishes , Don

@Don McErlean posted:

Well for F.E.F. this week I have my brand new, Menards, PRR F-3 .  She is my first loco with remote control and has horn, bell, and voice sounds.  She really works well and can maintain scale like speeds without any throttle input.  She was just delivered on Wed so I am still getting used to all this new technology. 

@Don McErlean - WHAT??????????  NEW stuff.  YOU????

Oh my, what next

- walt

*

@walt rapp -   I know Walt, but I just couldn't help it.  The idea of being able to walk around my layout and observe the train, blow the horn, and ring the bell whenever I wanted was just too much temptation.  I promise I will try to do better!

Don

@pennsyfan posted:

Happy FEF, I just unpacked this AF set that was delivered today.
American Flyer Pre-War O Gauge Burlington Zephyr streamliner passenger set no. 9900 including; 9910 power car, 9911 REA baggage, and 9912.

It appears that I have some lamps to replace. I’m bummed out that one of the exhaust stacks is broken. There were 4 in the picture. I have to check the packaging. Maybe I can find the diecast piece from a parts dealer. I unpacked it in the tinplate room because I assumed that there would be sliders; I was surprised to see rollers. I may just have to give it a run on the Hirail layout.

@Don McErlean

Don would you happen to have a AF catalog that shows the 9900 AF prewar Zephyr engine? I am trying to find a picture of the marker lights and also the lights on the obs. I don’t know if it’s a piece of celluloid or a bullet type lens.
Thanks, Bob

@pennsyfan-- Bob, I do not have an "official" catalog for the year in question.  However I am enclosing all the pictures I have from my Flyer pre-war O gague reference.  All the pictures, no matter if a drawing or a photo, show the loco marker lights as "holes" with a cast rim.  Hence I suspect that these are just colored celluloid mounted inside. Nothing hints at a bullet shape forward.  Note this illustration is actually from "Playthings" magazine in 1934.

Actual photo , again the forward loco marker lights just appear as circular holes with a cast raised rim.    I expect that the headlight is illuminated the same way as the side lights with the light of a single bulb supplying illumination for both the head light (no color) and for the side marker lights which achieve color through using colored celluloid inside.

Here is a color photo of the entire 3 unit (3 cars + loco car) train.  Again, no lights appear to have bullet lenses.

Here is a close up of the observation.  It would appear she has 2 lights on each side and a rear "tail light".  None of them appear to have "bullet" lenses so I would expect that the rear , as in the front, the illumination or light is supplied by a single bulb or illumination source and the lights are "colored via celluloid inserts of the proper color. In this picture, to me who is no expert for certain, I can understand the left and right side markers with their aerodynamic fairings, but what the circular opening just above them represents I simply do not know.  With these odd circular openings in the roof labeled as lights, there would be 5 total "lights" in the observation, including the taillight.  All the lights in my view are just openings cast into the basic body with either fairings or raised rims.  There does not seem to be any evidence of any "bullet" lenses.

Hope this helps.  If I can be of any further help, let me know.

Don

@Don McErlean posted:

@pennsyfan-- Bob, I do not have an "official" catalog for the year in question.  However I am enclosing all the pictures I have from my Flyer pre-war O gague reference.  All the pictures, no matter if a drawing or a photo, show the loco marker lights as "holes" with a cast rim.  Hence I suspect that these are just colored celluloid mounted inside. Nothing hints at a bullet shape forward.  Note this illustration is actually from "Playthings" magazine in 1934.

Actual photo , again the forward loco marker lights just appear as circular holes with a cast raised rim.    I expect that the headlight is illuminated the same way as the side lights with the light of a single bulb supplying illumination for both the head light (no color) and for the side marker lights which achieve color through using colored celluloid inside.

Here is a color photo of the entire 3 unit (3 cars + loco car) train.  Again, no lights appear to have bullet lenses.

Here is a close up of the observation.  It would appear she has 2 lights on each side and a rear "tail light".  None of them appear to have "bullet" lenses so I would expect that the rear , as in the front, the illumination or light is supplied by a single bulb or illumination source and the lights are "colored via celluloid inserts of the proper color. In this picture, to me who is no expert for certain, I can understand the left and right side markers with their aerodynamic fairings, but what the circular opening just above them represents I simply do not know.  With these odd circular openings in the roof labeled as lights, there would be 5 total "lights" in the observation, including the taillight.  All the lights in my view are just openings cast into the basic body with either fairings or raised rims.  There does not seem to be any evidence of any "bullet" lenses.

Hope this helps.  If I can be of any further help, let me know.

Don

Don,

Thanks for your in depth reply. I bit the bullet and took apart a few things. The front of the engine has a plate with a bulb attached that makes an enclosure to keep the light between the head light and the markers. Yes it’s a celluloid strip, green in front red in the obs. I switched some bulbs around and lighted the obs. Your picture of the two engines answered my question about the head light; even though what I said earlier, I wasn’t sure if there would be another bulb or just a lens. My engine is the top one. Train Tender has a reproduction exhaust stack. Looking for bulbs and  lettering. Thanks again for your help!

@pennsyfan posted:

Happy FEF, I just unpacked this AF set that was delivered today.
American Flyer Pre-War O Gauge Burlington Zephyr streamliner passenger set no. 9900 including; 9910 power car, 9911 REA baggage, and 9912.

Nice find Bob. Looks like it's in good shape too.

Bob

@RSJB18 posted:

Nice find Bob. Looks like it's in good shape too.

Bob

Thanks, Bob it was almost perfect in the pictures. When I unpacked it one of the exhaust flutes was laying under the engine.
Train Tender has a repro part. 😢. The seller offered to take it back. I’ve wanted one for awhile. I’m keeping it.

@pennsyfan posted:

Thanks, Bob it was almost perfect in the pictures. When I unpacked it one of the exhaust flutes was laying under the engine.
Train Tender has a repro part. 😢. The seller offered to take it back. I’ve wanted one for awhile. I’m keeping it.

A co-worker was getting rid of his old O gauge set a few years ago and asked if I'd want it. Nothing fancy- an early 60's scout starter set. And he said "Oh and I have my father's old trains too"......

I'll let the pictures do the talking

I need to find space to set up the 072 loops...The motor has been re-wired and the cars cleaned and serviced.

Bob

@RSJB18 posted:

A co-worker was getting rid of his old O gauge set a few years ago and asked if I'd want it. Nothing fancy- an early 60's scout starter set. And he said "Oh and I have my father's old trains too"......

I'll let the pictures do the talking

I need to find space to set up the 072 loops...The motor has been re-wired and the cars cleaned and serviced.

Bob

Score!!!

Great score Bob, it is so funny, when it looks like your plate is getting clean and its almost time to just sit back and run trains! Something very special drops in your lap! I hope your having fun and everything works out great for you!

@RSJB18

Bob it looks like those pick-ups did their duty and deserve retirement.

@mike g.- I've had the set for a few years and did the restoration work after I got it.

@coach joe- I thought about swapping out the shoes but they've made it this far.......I don't plan on running the set for any length of time.

Bob

@RSJB18 - Bob the aluminum painted UP M10,000 was available from 1934-1936.  IAW the extensive Greenberg reference for 1929-1936 yours would be from 1934  as the word gauge on the tag between the pick ups is spelled incorrectly.  Apparently in 1934 it was inadvertently spelled "GUAGE" (as yours is) but corrected from 1935 on. With one 753 coach and one 754 observation it was catalogued as Outfit 751 E and the loco was marked 752 E on the side. The original price was $19.95 (about $400 in today's money).   In 1934 there was NO whistle option however in 1935 Outfit 751W was offered with a whistle.   It is rated as quite rare, with a rarity ranking of 6 out of 8 where 8 is something that may exist as only 1 piece, so it is very rare.  Great collectable for certain.

Don