Trinkle Trains 5 Bay Ortner Cars - CSDU

The Ortner 5-bay is a great choice!  I painted a set in the yellow Union Electric/UCEX scheme for my Mopac N-scale layout as they were commonly seen delivering to St. Louis-area power plants.  These were later relettered into KMCX (Kerr-McGee) like the red one in the photo I took.  I believe the MP also ran joint D&RGW unit train with DEGX 5-bay hoppers out of Pueblo, according to an MP book I have.  For now I only have a small O layout that runs around my office walls, but if I ever dive into O these Ortners would certainly be on my list.

Wow rick that is just fantastic!

They look good. Nice job.

Tim,

  I know that SDEX bought another power plant's orange cars and integrated a portion into their regular train consists... just what energy company the orange SDEX cars were originally lettered for has not been successfully researched to conclusion here.  I have attached a photo for reference.  SDEX had some times none... and some times @5% of the train in orange based on era.  I am only familiar with them since the 1989 timeframe when I started on the Joint Line and began modeling and rail fanning things Joint Line to include filming the CSDU and SDEX trains...sometimes with Cabooses! 

Perhaps some of the UCEX fleet got repainted SDEX and was bought and re-lettered (2 versions) by SDEX.

A few other trains had this orange scheme as well...worth investigating.

Thanks for the UCEX information Tim!

Stay in touch, I appreciate your modern O Scale perspective.

Email me offline if you like - Thanks! : )

Rick Trinkle

 

Thank you Matt...I've loved reading your posts over the years and feel

great that you like em!

Rick

 

Thank you Erik!  You personally know just how much I value running long modern trains to demonstrate the strength of O Scale!  You know how much the trains of the Joint Line and the fidelity to the trains that run on it mean to me!  We've said for years that the only thing that beats a big long train is a bigger longer one! 

Rick  

 

Rick,

 

Well done!

 

ChipR 

Thank you Chip!

Hope all is well with you and yours.

Glad to hear from you!

All my best to you for the coming year!

Rick

Rick when will have a sample finished for us to see?

It'll be March for finished cars.

Long poles in the tent are the ends and the finish.

 

 

1st LRIP - Low Rate of Initial Production of CSDU Cars through undercarriage assembly and checkout.  On to interior steel plating, A and B end rapid prototyping and production, and final form, fit, and finish.  Will keep you up to date!  So nice to have ownership of the production run and delivery schedule.  If they're early/on time/late getting to me... I know why and its my fault!  Too cool. 

Oh WOW Rick! Just incredibly wow man!

If I were into modern railroading I would be knocking on your door! I'll take 50!

Rick these cars are just incredible!! Totally great job on the design and production!! Can't wait to see the production models. I'm interested in seeing these cars for sure. 

Phenomenal work Rick! 

Thanks Jeff!  I've followed many a project you've done here on OGR and it has provided me hours of enjoyable modeling through your efforts...you've got mad skills as they say! I appreciate the nod.

Thank you very much Howard!...work, yes...phenomenal, well... I like the prototype so I'm trying hard to build them right and with quality in mind!   I'll keep you guys in the loop on development!

Wow! They look great. 

Please Rick keep us informed of your progress. I think once we see a sample painted and lettered rolling you will not be able to build enough to keep up with the demand.

Go Trinkle Trains!

Fantastic, I wish you the best on your Ortner 5 Bay Coal Hopper Project! I'm ready to see what the Union Pacific hoppers will look like!

 

Cheers,

Frank

 

 

 

Good idea Frank!

Please attach one of your famous paint graphics of the UP hoppers you have in mind if you like...

I'd like to see some of those...Mineral Brown or Black?

Thanks,

Rick

: )

Guys,

Then here's an update on progress....

Perfection is the enemy of production (Henry Ford)... but...some things are worth it.  All models eventually fail you as they are not the real thing (Trink) ...but...I was not fully happy with the CSDU under carriage.  Not fully proto and items that would function didn't look like they could. (Pic 1). So I found out that in Aug 1981 (an undisclosed magazine) covered the ORTNER 5 Bay hoppers. (Pic 2).   The diagrams and text were good...better than current proto content in today's (undisclosed mag).  This peaked my interest and drove me to the patent files for Mr. ROBERT C. ORTNER's invention - Rapid Discharge Doors. (Pic 3).   So, I'm a sucker for this stuff. So I am now upgrading all 25 CSDU cars for the proper shock dampeners  (position, quality, and orientation) to include a prototype doubling in number - 20 per car!  Additionally, the RDH doors work off of a common activation bar crossing both hopper doors. So activation bars from hinge points to support beams are being installed as well - ( 3 piece design x 6 bars)...all to reflect the actual Ortner design to a level I'm happy with.  Last pic (Pic 4) shows the correct Ortner RDH system modifications happening across 3 cars.  Original incorrect system install on the back car, 20 shock dampener system correctly added in the middle, and a prototype for the activator bar system in the foreground.  Production moves on...

Wishing you all the very Best in Model Railroading!

Vr, Rick Trinkle Trinkle-Trains

Good Day,

 

I'm curious....................Is the Johnstown America AutoFlood II Coal Hopper the same design as the Ortner Five-Bay Hopper?

 

Regards,

Swafford

Wow

Fantastic.........................

 

I'll be anxious to see these in production! The Brown and Green hoppers would be spectacular!

 

On a side note...............What about coal loads?

 

Regards,

Frank

 

Yes. I have to have coal loads for my coal trains.

They will be textured with real Joint Line run Powder River Coal.

But hey...I have to get busy!  : ) 

Rick 

Thanks John!

Yes AT&SF is one of my favorites as well.

I am in the prototyping stage (for best practice) moving toward 2 finished trains of Ortner 5 bays by end of year...both power companies (CSDU, SDEX) and favorite trains of my Colorado Joint Line in the 1980s, 1990s.  Will be transitioning to digital development in Mar of the "A" and "B" ends for the CSDU car.  I have a test car in a "roughed out" mineral brown shot for you, so you know that one is being kicked around there are just too many prototypes to hit them all.  Thank you again, Will keep you posted.

 

Oh.

Yeah, sure.

Sheesh! & You think I did a good job on my scratch build?

Wow. Very, very nice.

It's all in the details.

Rick keep up the great work!

 

Colorado "Springs"....  : )

 

Oh yeah baby!!

Springtactic!

Rick,

 

Your work on these cars is really incredible and look forward to several sets of these cars! 

Thank you again Mike!

On to the next step...Black Diamond panels for a Black Diamond

Coal Hauler!!!

  Whether its Wyoming's Powder River...Colorado's Joint Line...Nebraska's Triple Track...the Soldier Summit of Utah...or Montana's Rail Link...

Western Coal Trains demand the right mix of modern cars to run today's coal movements.  ; )

 

Fitting, refinement and attachment of Main Top Sheet and Parallel Side Sheets going on for all cars this weekend!  There're close to going on to A and B end installs...but that step is currently a very long pole in the tent.  Activator rods are also being installed and are finishing off the undercarriage detail nicely - will provide photos.  As always, will keep you posted on the progress of my Ortner 5 Bay Coal Hoppers.  : ) 

 

Looking just awesome, Rick!! Nice job- keep us posted!!

       
       


I will be taking lots of video at the March venue in Denver 3 weeks from now!

What trucks (whose?) will you be using on these cars? I glanced over the posts and may have missed this?

WOW, I have seen a lot of post on here of project and love them all. But you have taken things to the top of the list with these wonderful 5 bay hoppers. I really hope you will do the BNSF series. Love your work, you have the special gift that a lot of us wish we had! I can't wait to see the finished product.

       
       


I will second that Rick

Thanks guys,

Joe, my truck of choice for my cars will be Atlas O 2 rail.

We will see BNSF emerge as the first of my Aluminum cars on the Autoflood II prototype  some time this year.  I have 2 runs of CSDU and 2 runs of SDEX 5 Bay Ortners to get through before that happens for me.  I want to pay some homage to the 70s, 80s and 90s periods and the trains pulled by such extinct greats as: BN, ATSF, SP, and Rio Grande.  Then into the 90s with aluminum cars!

Thanks again for your fresh eyes on this project guys!

Drawbar actuator linkage shots shown below. ; )

vr,

Rick