Weekend Photo Fun 3-1-24-??

Scott Smith

Photos show Metro-North BL20GHM #111 at Stratford, Connecticut as it heads for Bridgeport, CT with train 1957 at 11:38 AM on February 21, 2024. At the head end is Comet II Cab Car #6215 “The Birmingham” trailed by #6177 “Shad Run” and car #614X. The train originated at Waterbury, CT and travelled 27 miles down the Waterbury branch to the Metro-North main line at Devon Junction. Metro-North #111 is a Brookville BL20GHM locomotive powered by a Cummins diesel engine.

MELGAR

Inspired by Melgars photo, but at a different scale. I wrote an article on how I built the catenary for my layout.  These are two outakes that did not end up in the final draft.

Thanks Scott for getting us started for this fine weekend!  Here are my photos of the fun kind for this fine weekend!  

Traffic cones have the road blocked.  Traffic takes a detour down Church Street.

Weather is good and the Good Humor truck has been sighted by kids who flock to get ice cream.

NYC Pacemaker service.

The passenger station is all abuzz.

A couple of old pics from my late mountain RR. The Hellgate bridge was center of a 13' viaduct built by a Forum member from hard foam board. It was beautiful. Wish I could remember his name as he passed away shortly after our layout was published on the cover of CTT in Oct 2013. Young fella too...

This week, I was visiting Disney. My eldest daughter ran the Disney Princess Half Marathon.

While we were in Florida, we planned to visit my sister and her husband in Ft Lauderdale. My wife suggested, “rather than fly from Orlando to Ft Lauderdale, why don’t we try the Brightline?”

Isn’t she amazing?!

The Brightline is Florida’s private, high speed railroad between Orlando and Miami, with intermediate stops in West Paim Beach, Boca Ration and Ft Lauderdale. The Brightline station in Orlando is placated T the airport.

Here we go!

We had 1st class tickets which let us into the 1st class lounge.

Then, about 15 minutes before departure, we were called to board.

Plenty of cargo space for luggage and carry-one’s.

My wife said that I looked like a kid in a candy store….

Spacious seats, a good lunch and lots of outlets for electronics…..and, strong Wi-Fi signal…..

Part of the trip is along the Florida Tpke (70 mph speed limit) and, we just flew by the cars, easily going over 100.

We got off in Ft Lauderdale in another new station.

One short video….

Have a great week, folks!

Peter

A local headed by a H10s is ready to leave the yard sometime in late 1949.  The H8/9/10 type were mainline steamers when they first appeared in 1907-1913, but ended their days pulling locals or doing yard duty.  They obviously were good engines as all versions of the type lasted to the end of Pennsy steam, 1956.  The type had many tenders, this one has a Lines West 80F81a slopeside.

The cabin's paint scheme is unique (at least for 1949).  While black roofs have been around a while (actually tar to stop leaks), the cupolas were painted the same color as the car body.   This one must have had an overzealous roofer at its last shopping.

All Pennsy's cupolas were eventually painted black, but not until 1955.  At that time they also got the Shadow Keystone.  The yellow cupolas for pool service did not come around until 1961.

The H10 is Weaver, most cars are Atlas with one or two each from Lionel, Weaver, and MTH.

@Putnam Division,

Peter,

That trip looks like it was so much more relaxing and enjoyable than driving or flying.

MELGAR

@MELGAR posted:

@Putnam Division,

Peter,

That trip looks like it was so much more relaxing and enjoyable than driving or flying.

MELGAR

Absolutely!

Peter

A 2023 Christmas Layout memory

Last week I showed the lake on the plateau and observed that I seem to use it too often.  But I like it because it goes well with other things around it.

This week is a perfect example of that.  Here's the lake and next to it is a picnic area.

An overall look

Lionel Pennsy 0-8-0 working the rails

Lots of stuff going on this week -

Worked some more on the coal mine area -

I was able to find a small building to use on that new extension. I decided to go with a lumber yard.  With the assistance of my helper pigeon Marshmallow, I planted the first seeds of that scene this week -

Picked up a boxed example of the 1972 version of the Allegheny set.  This is one of those sets that just says 1970's Lionel to me.

And of course, ran some trains!!  Had a lot of MPC running this week - 1977 B&O RDC service station set w/ the add on cars, 1977 Cross Country Express with the GM&O GP20, and of course the 1972 Allegheny set

Williams 2023 reissues w/ some period appropriate rolling stock

A small 027 Erie Hudson on the point of a coal train, passing the mine.

I'm on here rather late today, but I'm just about finished up with the area above Spruce Creek, and wanted to post a few photos of the (almost) finished scene.

First, I finally completed my split entry house (flower bed was the last thing to go in):

Now, if you stood in the driveway and turned around and looked across PA Route 45, you would see Espy Grain and Beef supply. Here are photos of that model as well as the prototype. Grain bins are modified Ertl models and if you look closely you will see a blue Harvestore silo as on the prototype. The red building is also a kitbashed S cale Ertl model made into O scale by placing it on a concrete foundation, and replacing the doors with scratch built O scale sized ones.:

All that remains to be done is to install the utility poles (almost finished) and to put the fascia on this part of the layout. then it is on to the last scene on the layout...the town of Mapleton!

That's it for this week! Enjoy!

Scott, thanks for cranking out another Weekend Photo Fun for us to enjoy and thanks to all the contributors.

Mel were you travelling on Metro-North or just out rail-fanning?

Peter I don't think you would have gotten a Caprese Salad on an airplane.

Walt, is that a 2013 Christmas Memory or a 2023?

Christopher if you hadn't posted about using pine bark nuggets for rock face no one would ever know by looking at this picture.

It is so cool that you can decorate your train room with your very own artwork.

Neal, you had me do the head snapping double take with this picture.

Then the windows caught my eye.  Some of those vinyl replacement windows I believe.  The frames are always a little thicker than original construction windows.  I never could figure out why.

@coach joe posted:

Peter I don't think you would have gotten a Caprese Salad on an airplane.

Joe…….and, that was just the side salad to the Italian Hoagie………which was great!

Peter

Germany, in EPCOT, World Showcase has a very nice outdoor G gauge display.

Have a great weekend, folks!

Peter

@Putnam Division posted:

Joe…….and, that was just the side salad to the Italian Hoagie………which was great!

Peter

That's some side salad!

"Germany, in EPCOT, World Showcase has a very nice outdoor G gauge display."  And some very good beers.

My favorite tinplate diesels.  AA E7 units from Unique Arts idling and then running light on the Shenandoah Short Line.  These AAs are in superb condition and run extremely well.

@Christopher2035 posted:

Lots of stuff going on this week -

Worked some more on the coal mine area -

And of course, ran some trains!!  Had a lot of MPC running this week - 1977 B&O RDC service station set w/ the add on cars, 1977 Cross Country Express with the GM&O GP20, and of course the 1972 Allegheny set

Nice work and showcase Christopher. Really like the GP20. I know of and have the Cross Country set that features a TP&W GP20 and matching bay window caboose. I didn't know that Lionel made another set of the same name with this GM&O unit.

Dave

Last Sunday running with the Trackers at the TCA WB&A Chapter Annapolis train show…

@luvindemtrains posted:

Nice work and showcase Christopher. Really like the GP20. I know of and have the Cross Country set that features a TP&W GP20 and matching bay window caboose. I didn't know that Lionel made another set of the same name with this GM&O unit.

Dave

Dave,

That's one of my favorite MPC era engines. The color just pops on it.  I guess Lionel ran out of set name ideas lol.  This one dates from 1977

@coach joe posted:

Christopher if you hadn't posted about using pine bark nuggets for rock face no one would ever know by looking at this picture.

The nuggets turned out to be a good deal.  A whole bag cost me around $4.    I think they do a decent job, considering the price

It is so cool that you can decorate your train room with your very own artwork.

Thank you!!.  It's definitely cool to be able to hang them around the train room!

@coach joe posted:

Walt, is that a 2013 Christmas Memory or a 2023?

Thanks @coach joe - yes, 2023.  Thanks to you pointing it out, I corrected it.

walt

Loading up for next weekend......I'll be with  with the Trackers in DC running trains for the retired Veterans at the Armed Forces Retirement Home.

Have a great and safe week, folks!

Peter

@coach joe posted:

Neal, you had me do the head snapping double take with this picture.

Then the windows caught my eye.  Some of those vinyl replacement windows I believe.  The frames are always a little thicker than original construction windows.  I never could figure out why.

Joe,

Glad you like the split entry. I've gotten tons of nice feedback about it. The windows are a bit thick... they were stripped out of an MTH bank that was kitbashed into the rear of the Altoona passenger station. Otherwise, they are a perfect match for the double hung windows so common today.

New York Central J1 Hudson 5343 (K-Line) in action.  Video bombed by Frisco Russian Decapod 1630 (Lionel).

A pair on New York Central scale Hudsons.

5343 is the K-Line scale Hudson from 2003.

5340 is the Lionel 1990 remake of the 700E scale Hudson (and 773, 783,et. al.)

5340 is a modern interpretation of the 1937 scale Hudson.  It has the modern (literally) bells, whistles, and smoke but it's still a 1937 scale model with 1937 design features..

5343 takes advantage of 60 years improvement in tooling design and 10 years improvement in technology.   The two locomotives are different, neither is "better".

@PRRMiddleDivision posted:

The windows are a bit thick... they were stripped out of an MTH bank that was kitbashed into the rear of the Altoona passenger station. Otherwise, they are a perfect match for the double hung windows so common today.

Neal, and others I suppose, it's why on every single house model that I've made for each model I made the frames for the windows.  I use strip styrene matching to the thickness.  That does mean using different dimensional strips for a single window though.

Not only does this allow for me to get sizes right, it also allows for me to correctly include the correct number of pieces for windows with mullions

2 examples:

walt