Southern RR Fans- PHOTOS

These TCA exclusive made in the USA Southern Railway boxcars were available at York.

Neal Jeter

An old Southern combine passenger car, that I came across in East Laurinburg, NC. March 2004

Latest modification (I should be building track instead).  Weaver 2-8-0 with relatively minor cosmetic mods.  While you need a picture to model any Southern steam engine as no two were alike, I could't find a picture of 811 (Weaver factory paint) so I went by majority rules.  While the most famous and prettiest had praising bells, most had platform bells, made a brass platform and moved the bell. Replaced the winged Pyle National headlight with a straight side Sunbeam and replaced the insectoid antenna markers with jeweled Pyle National's.  Some red widows and white running boards and driver tires.    VIOLA, a whole new look.

Previous post, something happened to the pictures.

See previous for descriptions to changes to the Weaver 2-8-0.

Looks great (also the caboose behind it)!

That's a Brother Love caboose,  and yes they are gorgeous. 

One of my Grandfather’s shovels.

He worked on a bridge gang.

jpc posted:

One of my Grandfather’s shovels.

He worked on a bridge gang.

Isn't that a coal shovel?  Was he a fireman at some point?

Cool shovel!

Don

Don,

You are correct.

After my Grandmother died we moved to his home. I was six. His tool shed had a number of heavy duty items from his days working for the Southern.

Over the years things were lost or given away. There were several different shovels and this was what I came away with.

As an aside, I mentioned he worked on a bridge crew and as far as I know he did not work with the engines. His home was a farm house, and soon after we moved in I went exploring in the upstairs back bedroom.

There was a nearly full case of dynamite in the corner. That next Saturday my father and several other men took it to the dump and blew it up. They let me watch from a distance. Great!

I guess that is how he cleared trees, etc.  back when my Grandfather was working.

True story.

Recent release from Lionel 1927500 Southern Railway StationSounds diner.  It has sounds for the Carolina Special.

3rd Rail Southern Railway E7.

I rode on Southern Crescent just before Amtrak took over .

DG posted:

To the Southern fans and experts: Didn't Southern run their hood diesels long hood forward?

The engines I posted pictures of are SD35 and GP35. The short nose was labeled as the front with a small “F” on the frame. Southern generally did run the short nose forward because that was how the engineer stand was setup for the engineer to be on the right side of the engine when the short nose was going forward. Most Southern SD40’s and SD45’s were setup to run long nose forward and the small “F” was on the frame at the long end. I think all of the GP50 were setup to run long nose forward also. You could also look at the engine to see which end the bell is on, because it was on the end that was considered to be the front.

Here is what I know about diesel set-up:

Short hood forward - GP7/GP9, GP18, GP30, GP35, SD9, SD24, SD35, 

Long hood forward - GP38, GP38AC, GP38-2, GP39X, GP40X, GP50, SD40, SD40-2, SD-45, 

I agree with Larry's analysis. While Southern was overwhelmingly EMD based, they did own some GE units. Looking at all of the pictures in a book "Diesels of the Southern Railway" by Paul K. Withers,  all of the GE units (U23B, B23-7, B30-7, B36-7, U33C) appear to be setup to run long nose forward. However, there were only 162 total GE units and all were delivered between 1970 and 1981.

DG posted:

I agree with Larry's analysis. While Southern was overwhelmingly EMD based, they did own some GE units. Looking at all of the pictures in a book "Diesels of the Southern Railway" by Paul K. Withers,  all of the GE units (U23B, B23-7, B30-7, B36-7, U33C) appear to be setup to run long nose forward. However, there were only 162 total GE units and all were delivered between 1970 and 1981.

That is the book I used to determine the operating front of the EMDs. FM units were also short hood forward, while ALCO RS units all appear to be long hood forward. 

For our Lionel 027 friends..

GP9 number 6248 is a custom painted Lionel GP9 dummy, caboose X491 is also a custom painted Lionel caboose, the other two are Lionel released items.

DG posted:

For our Lionel 027 friends..

GP9 number 6248 is a custom painted Lionel GP9 dummy, caboose X491 is also a custom painted Lionel caboose, the other two are Lionel released items.

 

Very nice!! Who did the custom painting??

A local friend who passed away about 2 years ago painted the engine and caboose for me around 1995 or 1996. He was also a Southern Railway fan.

MTH GP9 engines

Lionel 2020 p. 54 has Southern E8 AA 6901/6914 in green and white with roof air tanks.

DaveJfr0 posted:

RidgeRunner posted:

Lionel 2020 p. 54 has Southern E8 AA 6901/6914 in green and white with roof air tanks. 

I know its a catalogue picture, but the southern font looks wrong.  With the color they have chosen for the lettering and the handrails, this is modeling the very last era of Southern E8, where they mostly ran in groups of 3 or 4. Surprised they're not offering the ability to own more.

I can't remember exactly when they changed the colors, maybe 1975. I'll be interested to see the roof piping when they're made.  The fuel tanks and skirting will be wrong on both 3rd rail's and lionel's models, lol. https://photovault.com/385089

For those keeping track, 3rd Rail's were the as-painted green crescent scheme that began in 1972.  I plan on backdating mine to black tuxedo at some point.

Oh and they're doing the black tuxedo trainmaster's on the next page.  Hopefully they doesn't deter MTH from doing theirs in black tuxedo. I rather have MTH's.

Its a shame that Lionel isn't yet offering the option here of the black tuxedo version with the roof tanks.  It would be a first in O-gauge I think.  Plus its hard to screw up black and white with gold dulux trim.  

Agree with having MTH's Trainmaster in black tuxedo.  It would be nice if Mike added the roof tanks to his Southern E8s as well in tuxedo!

Just received my Weaver Southern 662 that I purchased a few weeks ago.  Can't wait to run it.

Grew up watching Southern SD24 engines running on C.N.O.&T.P. tracks thru Lexington KY. Not sure if I actually ever saw this particular road number but saw many like it.

RidgeRunner posted:

Lionel 2020 p. 54 has Southern E8 AA 6901/6914 in green and white with roof air tanks.

#6901 prototype at Southeastern Railway Museum, Duluth (Atlanta suburb) GA:

Member Jerry brought his Premiere ABA and a TON of passenger cars last week to run at the layout. The Dummy A gave him some tracking problems but she ran great as an AB.

c.sam posted:

Member Jerry brought his Premiere ABA and a TON of passenger cars last week to run at the layout. The Dummy A gave him some tracking problems but she ran great as an AB.

Problem is Sam, Southern never had green and white streamline passenger cars.  It was a MTH fantasy.

But they did look good!

Ron

C. Sam, that’s a great video, very beautiful paint scheme and a truly nice layout. Thanks for  posting. Where is your club layout, or museum layout? Happy Railroading 

This postcard from the 1940s makes the roofs of the cars look white. Williams also produced a white roofed Tennessean passenger set.  Historical or not, I love this paint scheme!

I had Christine Braden custom paint a heavyweight sleeper in the shadow line scheme to run with my Tennessean consist.

Neal Jeter

I got this picture of an early intermodal Southern trailer off of the flat car!  It is just like the Lionel TOFC !!

3rd Rail has apparently cancelled the Southern green GP-7 but still offers the Southern black GP-9. Checked today on their website on the GP-7/9 list, and saw they also cancelled the ACL version. Not sure what else has been cancelled, but Clinchfield is still shown.

Lionlman posted:

I had Christine Braden custom paint a heavyweight sleeper in the shadow line scheme to run with my Tennessean consist.

Neal Jeter

Neal, would love to see more photos of this car--it's unique in my experience.

My contribution is this Clark A. Benson "Custom Services" 21" O scale coach using LIONEL extrusion and car ends, with a nameplate I had made 30 or so years ago by a fellow in NJ.  The nameplate is one of 10 that have been in my parts box all that time and I simply placed it on this car to see if I'd like it.  What do you think?

Haven't posted anything lately, but that doesn't mean I haven't been at the workbench (instead of the layout).

The 70 ton GE is a repainted Williams upgraded with ERR command and sound (albeit from a way too large diesel), Electrocouplers, and single LED lights.  Note this is an early version and the grill had to be blanked over and the headlights changed.  The 701 was one of two that Southern inherited from the old Norfolk Southern and they had larger headlights than the normal.

The 0-6-0 is a heavily modified MTH USRA Railking engine (Lot's of Dremel wheels broken or turned into dust).  The Southern 0-6-0's were relatively small and old so a Railking was the starting point due to it's size.  The cylinders and crossheads were changed to slide valves and single support (whatever you call a non Laird style) from a Lionel 0-6-0T, the main rod from the 0-6-0T was shortened and all hardware changed to drive the center driver vs the rear.  All domes changed, running board ladders added, visor added to headlight, new numberboard, rods blackened with Neolube and a Lionel tender.  The command system was changed to an ERR system with sound as the MTH system would not come close to fitting in this much smaller tender.  Yes the prototype photo belongs to me, was given to me in a larger collection by the former owner.

The 2-8-2 is K&T 12, while not Southern most all (at least the east coasters) know it was and is now again SR 4501.  Based on pictures from David P. Morgans book 4501, the handrails were changed to the (ugly) western region Huntington IN, shop style, bell and markers changed, pilot toolbox added, and a much smaller tender like the original instead of the current ex Central of Georgia tender.  Most difficult part was making the Dooley smoke bonnet.  It will move as well if you want to.

Excellent work, NHVRYGRAY!  I especially like the 0-6-0.  Now you've got me thinking...

leapinlarry posted:

C. Sam, that’s a great video, very beautiful paint scheme and a truly nice layout. Thanks for  posting. Where is your club layout, or museum layout? Happy Railroading 

Thanks Larry. The club layout is just north of I-40 about 25 miles west of Asheville NC. Located at Buffalo Creek Vacations in Clyde above their 'station' with several cabooses outside and a herd of American Bison. You can come sleep in a real caboose and run your trains! It's a great set-up.

My 1380 was stretching her legs the other night. Sure wish I could find a 20" flat end observation car to go with my Tennessean.

Lionel shipped the scale auto racks recently.

Neal Jeter

Well guy's I've been off the radar for a while but I'm back with a few more horses to add to the stable. I've always wanted a set of Lionel Southern F3's from the MPC era only because I fell in love with them the 1st time I saw them. While many in the hobby may frown on MPC stuff it's what my mom and dad got me with my 1st Lionel set in 1976 with the Amtrak Lake Shore Limited with the Alco b unit and all the extra passenger cars. The Atlas O Southern F3 is used but new to me and will pair well with my fleet of other southern motive power.