Weekend Photo Fun 10-28-22-???

Roanoke Valley Model Railroad Clubs On30 Layout:

Our Tinplate layout:

Scott Smith

Starting out with my "York Loot".......

I always pick up copies pf this issue of CTT (and the corresponding OGR) when I see them, because of the IC Controls ad.....

Have a great and safe weekend, folks!

Peter

Since it is Halloween weekend, I posted pictures from our Kids Club Halloween layout.  Video is also on my YouTube channel.

My final set of York pics, starting with a picture of me and a high school buddy from the Bronx who experienced his 1st York as a Guest and and really loved the Blue and Silver Halls (I think he'll join TCA)......followed by the traditional York Friday night group dinner......

The Kids Club layout in the Orange Hall

Then some final pics of the NCT display......

Have a great and safe weekend, everyone!

Peter

Peter "the model" in that ad seems to be having a blast running trains on your layout.

Two New York Central Railroad locomotive models with “lightning stripe” liveries were running on my 12’-by-8’ model railroad this week.

New York Central Railroad P-2b box cab electric motor #223 (MTH Premier 20-5507-1 with PS1) was shown in the 1999 Volume 3 catalog at an MSRP of $599.95 and delivered in December 1999, so I’ve been running it for almost 23 years. Although I’ve owned it for a long time, I still think it’s an exceptional model and wouldn’t part with it. It’s a heavy die-cast model on which I replaced the battery with a BCR long ago. In the videos, NYC #223 is pulling three heavyweight “lightning stripe” passenger cars by MTH, including observation car Seneca Valley.

New York Central Railroad EMD GP9 #6001 (MTH Premier 20-20549-1 with PS3) was listed in the 2015 Volume 2 catalog at an MSRP of $479.95. Aside from being well detailed and correctly assembled, it runs very smoothly, has excellent speed control, and is rated by MTH for minimum O-31 curves. In the videos, NYC #6001 is trailed by Pacemaker Caboose #23037 by MTH, which is not a prototypical model.

The 22 P-1a electric motors began service in 1929 and pulled passenger trains through downtown Cleveland under catenary on the 3000-volt DC Cleveland Union Terminal electrification between Collinwood and Linndale, Ohio for 20 years. In 1951, the New York Central converted a P-1a in its Harmon Shops to operate on 660-volt DC third rail and tested it for possible use in its New York electrified zone. In 1955, 20 units were converted to P-2b to haul passenger trains between Grand Central Terminal and Croton-Harmon in New York, where they remained in service until being scrapped in 1972. They weighed 388,000 pounds, developed about 3,000 horsepower with a tractive effort of 40,800 pounds at 39 miles-per-hour and 28,800 pounds at 55.5 miles-per-hour. Their maximum speed was 70 miles-per-hour and #223 was the first locomotive converted – in February 1955. The P-1 and P-2 classes had a 2-C+C-2 wheel arrangement that was adopted later for the New Haven EP-3 and Pennsylvania GG1 electric motors.

EMD built 3,626 GP9s at LaGrange, Illinois between 1954 through 1959. 646 GP9s were built in Canada where production ended in 1963. GP9s had a 16-cylinder 567C turbocharged diesel engine with 1,750 horsepower. Locomotive weight was 259,500 pounds and tractive effort was 64,750 pounds with a maximum speed of 65 miles-per hour.

The New York Central Railroad rostered 176 GP9 locomotives – class DRS-9. They were built between 1954 and 1957 and ran with long-hood forward.

MELGAR

My York report:

Here is my post York post. Didn't figure I'd buy much up there, but lo and behold, what should I find in the blue hall, but a special run Lionel Conrail SD-45 powered and Super Bass set made for Brady's Trains of Greensburg, PA. This was near the top of my list of items I wanted to see made, so I jumped on these babies and whipped out the credit card! Great looking units, and the Conrail blue is dead on...just like I remember from years ago. So here are some shots of them hauling a empty coal drag west towards Altoona and Pittsburgh...

First, here they are passing under the signal bridge at MP 150.3 east of Port Royal:

Next, the pair is rolling over the curved stone arch bridge spanning Tuscarora Creek:

Then, looking to the right, you can see them about to pass under the PA Route 75 bridge at Port Royal:

Now, here they are popping out from the other side of the Route 75 bridge, which BTW, is still standing today:

Finally, one more shot of them passing over the recently completed skewed stone arch bridge over the Juniata River about a mile west of Spruce Creek:

Yes, these units really are winners and a great fit on the layout. And for those of you unfamiliar with the Middle Division, these locales are all real and this is what they really look like. Hope you enjoyed!

                                                   New deliveries...

3RSed Legacy Y6b layout color test:

A 2021 Christmas Layout memory

I hate when I have to follow norm!!!!!

- walt

Neal, I have never appreciated Conrail until I saw your "new" SD45s.

@PRRMiddleDivision posted:

Here is my post York post. Didn't figure I'd buy much up there, but lo and behold, what should I find in the blue hall, but a special run Lionel Conrail SD-45 powered and Super Bass set made for Brady's Trains of Greensburg, PA. This was near the top of my list of items I wanted to see made, so I jumped on these babies and whipped out the credit card! Great looking units, and the Conrail blue is dead on...just like I remember from years ago. So here are some shots of them hauling a empty coal drag west towards Altoona and Pittsburgh...

First, here they are passing under the signal bridge at MP 150.3 east of Port Royal:

Yes, these units really are winners and a great fit on the layout. And for those of you unfamiliar with the Middle Division, these locales are all real and this is what they really look like. Hope you enjoyed!

Neal- those SD45s are Gorgeous!!! (as is your layout, of course )

Norm, perfect amount of weathering on the Y6B, I think it looks just right. Are you done?

Joe

Neal, thanks for posting and yes I did enjoy.

Steve the pups are spot on.  Never went to Two Guys but the logo is familiar.  EJ Korvette's was a bit of a ride so it was a family trip on a Saturday afternoon along with a stop at S. Klein.

Norm that makes my Y6B look freshly shopped.  Nice job.

Thanks Joe, not sure yet. I may play around with the streaking a bit more to tone it down some. Might reprint the Kadee adapter to close up that little gap too.

Norm, you’re the master and you’ll know when it’s right. My Y6B reference photos, mostly all B&W, show fairly heavy weathering. Seeing how it looks on the layout is the only way to know. My workshop lighting is actually brighter than the layout & tends to blow out the weathering effects a bit. I’ve had a couple of oops, too much moment’s, when taken to the layout. Never so much though, that I was unhappy.

Here’s one of my Y6B’s, I’m still studying mine & haven’t touched the running gear yet.

Folks,

I recently received the new Lionel Amtrak Genesis loco with one of the Anniversary liveries. This is the Midnight Blue #100 and is a Lion Chief Plus 2.0 offering.

A total Amtrak newb and this is my first ever Amtrak loco of any type.

Looks and runs great. A few pics and a short video for this weekend's photos.

@Norm Charbonneau posted:

3RSed Legacy Y6b layout color test:

If that's a test, then you passed, Norm!

That looks great, perfect for all the period photos/films I've seen of large N&W steam in service. As usual, you nailed the landing on this one.

Please post video of this in action, I'd love to see it rolling!

Thanks Scott for getting us started for this fine weekend!  Here are a few shots from around the Free State Junction Railway.  Have a wonderful weekend everyone and happy Halloween!!

A special excursion train carrying members of the Patsburg Area Model Railroad Society departs the team track.  

Activity is plentiful down at the team tracks.

Brakeman Roscoe Tucker, on the ground,  and conductor Skeeter Krebbs, on the caboose deck, wait for the switch engine to push them to the rear of their train.

Happy Halloween.   this year my wife did her own Halloween Layout.  

https://youtu.be/wTVbYN_yF0k

It’s scary on my railroad during Halloween season.   Tks to Mr Muffin for the spooky trains!

When will I ever learn

At York I bought some scenery items and picked up some shelves  (thanks Don), but I only bought one car.  It was an MTH 40' steel boxcar marked for PRR's Merchandise Service.   It was a last minute purchase that I went back to get before leaving.  Well, after a couple of posts saying how good I am at checking the cars to make sure they are correct, I obviously did not look at this one.  This was an early attempt by MTH.

Not only is the "Merchandise Service" wrong for the 40' car, it is also marked as a 50' X-41b not the 40' X-29b.  This is what it should look like.

Oh well, I will add it to the trains that I use at shows.

@Glenn Fresch posted:

Happy Halloween.   this year my wife did her own Halloween Layout.  

https://youtu.be/wTVbYN_yF0k

Really like the way she incorporated the hot slag car!

Ron

This is the end result of one of those epic journeys I sometimes get into that rival the Pyramids for completion time...   The quest was simple enough. I wanted a Central Railroad of New Jersey commuter train to run under wires alongside my Pennsy passenger and freights.   This was quite protototypical. Look at the cover and the December page of the 2022 Pennsylvania Railroad Calendar.

My only choices for the FM were from Car and Locomotive Shop, or MTH.  Since I was not up for spending the equivalent for a good used car, I went for the MTH.   Which, is, in fact is a very nice model.  The problem was MTH never made their CNJ FM available in 2 rail.

But I did find a Wabash 2 rail unit.  After eight months of looking, I could not find a three rail CNJ unit I could swap shells with.  So I decided to give the Wabash to a painter, as I thought the stripes would be a major challenge for me.  The first painter did a rather miserable job:  Wrong color, stripes crooked, edges very fuzzy, poorly masked, and paint the texture of 320 grit sandpaper.  In the midst of all this, PDT announced they were offering a PS3 CNJ FM.  No matter, I was in too deep now.

So I stripped the shell and found another painter.  Carroll Avenue Shops. He normally deals in HO, but was adventuresome enough to give O a try;

He did a great job

Along the way I changed the number boards, reconfigured the horns, changed the sunshades, moved the truck sideframes inward, and made a few other CNJ-appropriate mods.  The MTH front end step configuration is not correct, but its good enough for me.   I have two passenger cars and one combine that I will add. They are brass Precision Scale NYC cars, with the proper non-paired window spacing, clerestory roofs, and door configuration.  I already have the wide spaced CNJ Decals.  My goal is to get the train done before I flip the calendar to December.

@PRRMiddleDivision posted:

Here is my post York post. Didn't figure I'd buy much up there, but lo and behold, what should I find in the blue hall, but a special run Lionel Conrail SD-45 powered and Super Bass set made for Brady's Trains of Greensburg, PA. This was near the top of my list of items I wanted to see made, so I jumped on these babies and whipped out the credit card! Great looking units, and the Conrail blue is dead on...just like I remember from years ago. So here are some shots of them hauling a empty coal drag west towards Altoona and Pittsburgh...

First, here they are passing under the signal bridge at MP 150.3 east of Port Royal:

Neal,

Great shots! I wanted to congratulate you for being chosen for July in the 2023 NMRA calendar. This looks to be almost the same view as in the calendar only with GP35 units.

Dave

Here’s my GG1 gliding past the playground today:

Canadian National INSPECTION box car at the end of an intermodal shipping container in well car freight headed West on the Grand Trunk Western railroad tracks as the sun set over Michigan on Friday.

Andrew

Falcon Service

@luvindemtrains posted:

Neal,

Great shots! I wanted to congratulate you for being chosen for July in the 2023 NMRA calendar. This looks to be almost the same view as in the calendar only with GP35 units.

Dave

I was just screwing around with my camera and came across this photo I took a few days ago of the model I built of the rock slide fence along US Route 22 in Jacks Narrows and decided to compare to a prototype photo I took a few years ago...

@PRRMiddleDivision posted:

I was just screwing around with my camera and came across this photo I took a few days ago of the model I built of the rock slide fence along US Route 22 in Jacks Narrows and decided to compare to a prototype photo I took a few years ago...

Amazing!

Peter

@p51 posted:

If that's a test, then you passed, Norm!

That looks great, perfect for all the period photos/films I've seen of large N&W steam in service. As usual, you nailed the landing on this one.

Please post video of this in action, I'd love to see it rolling!

Thanks - I hope to finish the video soon!

It's Autumn 2022 and UTACOLZONA R.R. is back to work.
(I got the yard, yard art, and garden all cleaned up for the long cold months so now it's time to get back out west to UTACOLZONA.)

Here are some close-up shots of many pictures I took to see what I need to do for the finishing touches.

Thanks for looking.
Dennis.

Utacolzona Railroad in On30 (built 2020 - 2022) Last Update 10/29/22

One down, two to go. This is a K-Line aluminum coach originally letter for Empire State Express.  Old letterboards were removed and replaced with styrene.  Shiny aluminum finish was overcoated with a matte silver paint. Better diaphragms were installed. Old lighting removed and replaced with non-flickering led strips.  As explained in a previous post, this car should be lettered BURLINGTON, as the only equipment lettered TEXAS ZEPHYR was the 1936 Denver Zephyr semi-articulated trainset which refurb’ed the TZ in 1957.  

@Rob Leese posted:

One down, two to go. This is a K-Line aluminum coach originally letter for Empire State Express.  Old letterboards were removed and replaced with styrene.  Shiny aluminum finish was overcoated with a matte silver paint. Better diaphragms were installed. Old lighting removed and replaced with non-flickering led strips.  As explained in a previous post, this car should be lettered BURLINGTON, as the only equipment lettered TEXAS ZEPHYR was the 1936 Denver Zephyr semi-articulated trainset which refurb’ed the TZ in 1957.  

Brilliant job!  My first impression was that the photo was of an Atlas O CZ car, relabeled.

HAPPY HOLLOWEEN

Silver Tray only lacks a tailsign which I will have to print myself.  Some of the changes which made this former Empire State Express car more like a Zephyr car are as follows:  blanking out several windows to create a galley area…applying the proper roof vents above the galley…changing the window gasket color from black to white…and changing all lettering.  The real Silver Tray had a single and less lengthy antenna near the exact center of the roof.
This car was eventually sold to Chihuahua al Pacifico and ran on their Vista Train between Chihuahua and Los Mochis. I ate a rather tough steak in this car in 1974.