Weekend Photo Fun 5-22-20-??

geez, i was never first before.  i feel honored in a way

a 2019 Christmas Layout Memory 

Remember: scenery was planned for visiting kids.  A 'nature park'/zoo seemed good to use.  Closeups coming

- walt

                            have a great Memorial Day weekend everyone !!

This week, I'm back to a rural scene. Here a class J Texas type pounds the rails near Mifflin as it heads east towards Enola. The tree is a SuperTree from Scenic Express and is the only time I ever spent an entire day making ONE tree! I painted the backdrop quite a few years ago, and long before I completed the three dimensional scenery. The line poles help to give it that Pennsy flavor.

I do have the Odyssey version of this engine from years ago, but this is the new Legacy release from the last  year.  It's a beautiful engine, and a great smoker (not evident in these photos) but I have noticed it rocks or perhaps I should say bounces a bit as it rolls down the tracks. While I should probably pose this question on the regular forum, I'll ask since I'm here if anyone has an idea what the issue may be. I suspect the traction tires are out of round or maybe there is a metal seam in the groove where the tire fits into the wheel, but I can't see anything wrong when I look at it. Any ideas?

Wonderful photos guys!!  Here are mine for this fine weekend!   Have a fun and safe weekend everyone! 

N&W J whizzes past the tower. 

Action at the team track.

Busy-ness as usual at the freight terminal.

A forklift and gon framed with power.

The produce terminal.

                                       Structures first, track plan last....

SD-70's meeting on the main lines of the S&Y RR

Thank you for faithfully starting us off every weekend, Scott.  Excellent photographs everyone.  It has been a while since I posted, so I will remedy that issue.  I appologize for the lighting.  That is something I plan on remedying before putting any scenery in.

Nothing finer than New York Central big steam!

Have a safe and great Memorial Day weekend, folks!

Peter

@SIRT posted:

 

                                       Structures first, track plan last....

Excellent!! 

I have been finishing off this part of the layout.  I wanted to capture the New Jersey-esqu sight of high speed electrics streaking above the backs of buildings in small townships.  My inspiration is New Brunswick and Elizabeth, but my modeling is faithful to neither.  The buildings are commericially available structures that have been kitbashed to various extents.  The trees are mostly scenic express super trees.  Yes, they take awhile, but since I can't paint anything that approximates a believeable background, and I am equally inept at matching photo backdrops to the foreground, these are my only choice.  There is a 12-18" gap between the tree line and the painted sky, and a 6" is gap between the back of the buildings and the treeline.  All to create the illusion of distance. 

All these buildings are lit, but I have few bright spots that need to be tuned out. I also need to straighten that cat pole.  Stay tuned to next week's version for the night time shot

John, whatever you did, it surely works

This week the photographer caught a Pennsy FP20 pulling a passenger train made up of a PB70 and several P70s.  It was unusual to see a single A-unit as the Pennsy normally ran these as AB or ABA consists.  In less than a year all FP20s will be re-geared for freight and reclassified as FF20.

The F (FM) P (passenger) 20 (2,000hp) Erie-Built is Atlas and the cars are GGD.

Just finished upgrading my MTH SD40-2 with fixed pilot.  I posted more details here

I haven’t run any AMTRAK trains on my 10’-by-5’ layout recently because just three passenger cars occupy a lot of the track. And AMTRAK AEM7s run under catenary (which I don’t have) and usually pull 8-car trains. Nonetheless, I think these are impressive locomotives and passenger cars. This MTH Premier model with PS-1 and a BCR is from the first production and has been running for almost twenty years. Hadn’t been run in about two years. Started up and ran immediately – as shown on video.

MELGAR

Edit: After posting I noticed a broken grab rail at front of locomotive near windshield (first photo). Please be assured that this defect has since been repaired...

G&O Before Photos:  On Tuesday I was at the G&O for the first time since the SLHRS shut down the club on March 16.  I took the before photos posted below.  I spent this morning (Friday) at the G&O with two others wearing masks and social distancing pulling weeds.  I didn't take any photos this morning.   Tomorrow morning I will be joining two other crew members (both women) to trim the trees.  I will post the after photos later this weekend.  NH Joe

The Premier O scale C&O Chessie System exterior-braced 50' box cars arrived. 

Andrew

Falcon Service

@PRRMiddleDivision posted:

 

This week, I'm back to a rural scene. Here a class J Texas type pounds the rails near Mifflin as it heads east towards Enola. The tree is a SuperTree from Scenic Express and is the only time I ever spent an entire day making ONE tree! I painted the backdrop quite a few years ago, and long before I completed the three dimensional scenery. The line poles help to give it that Pennsy flavor.

I do have the Odyssey version of this engine from years ago, but this is the new Legacy release from the last  year.  It's a beautiful engine, and a great smoker (not evident in these photos) but I have noticed it rocks or perhaps I should say bounces a bit as it rolls down the tracks. While I should probably pose this question on the regular forum, I'll ask since I'm here if anyone has an idea what the issue may be. I suspect the traction tires are out of round or maybe there is a metal seam in the groove where the tire fits into the wheel, but I can't see anything wrong when I look at it. Any ideas?

Neal,  

You might try running the engine upside down in a cradle to see if there is any binding in the drive rods or in the drive train.  One of the rods could be slightly bent or there could be some dirt in the drive rods.  If all else fails, disconnect the motor to see if the driver train turns freely.   The worse case would be for a driver being out of quarter.  That would have to be fixed by Lionel.    

Make sure that all the wheels are clean including the traction tires.  I once had an engine bounce because it didn't have clean wheels even though they looked clean.  I clean my engine wheels including those with traction tires with 91% isopropyl alcohol without problems.

You have a great looking engine.   

Good luck.  NH Joe

Long time no post, but here's what I've been working on - 

Wow!  The new layout looks great Chris. Thanks for posting your progress.

@Jerry Williams posted:

Wow!  The new layout looks great Chris. Thanks for posting your progress.

Thanks!  it's good to have some trains running!

 

@Christopher2035 posted:

 

 

Oh my. I'm such a sucker for the looks of Lionel PW Berk! To me the PW Berk is absolutely one of the best looking traditional-sized steam engines ever!

Andre

@laming posted:

Oh my. I'm such a sucker for the looks of Lionel PW Berk! To me the PW Berk is absolutely one of the best looking traditional-sized steam engines ever!

Andre

She 's a classic!  

Great stuff, everyone.......looks like a great weekend of pics!

Peter

                           Ya think MTH will ever offer EL GP-35's? Thanks Lionel!

@John Sethian posted:

 

  

Certainly can pass for either New Brunswick or Elizabeth . Very nice!

@Christopher2035 posted:

Long time no post, but here's what I've been working on - 

 

 

 

You're layout looks great, the post war trains look great in a realistic setting.

                        Nice un-cluttered conventional layout! Better than most I’ve seen. 

@New Haven Joe posted:

Neal,  

You might try running the engine upside down in a cradle to see if there is any binding in the drive rods or in the drive train.  One of the rods could be slightly bent or there could be some dirt in the drive rods.  If all else fails, disconnect the motor to see if the driver train turns freely.   The worse case would be for a driver being out of quarter.  That would have to be fixed by Lionel.    

Make sure that all the wheels are clean including the traction tires.  I once had an engine bounce because it didn't have clean wheels even though they looked clean.  I clean my engine wheels including those with traction tires with 91% isopropyl alcohol without problems.

You have a great looking engine.   

Good luck.  NH Joe

Joe,

Thanks for your excellent suggestions. I will try them out and see what I can find.

@charles mcdaniel posted:

You're layout looks great, the post war trains look great in a realistic setting.

Thanks!   That was my plan - using the early postwar Lionel catalogs as inspiration. I think postwar, especially early postwar can look very nice if placed in a realistic setting

"I think postwar, especially early postwar can look very nice if placed in a realistic setting..."

Well stated Christopher, and it looks like your kids agree! Great layout!

Great layouts! I love those stone bridges and rock walls.

The neighborhood around Penn Station was involved in some urban renewal this week.

These two RK 5 story buildings were razed to make wake way for the York Royale.

The one building was removed and sold off rather quickly. The second one found a new home on the lower level.

It was amazing how the builder did a hot slide to move the Palace theater over.

More construction has started on the Ameritown Hotel on the West side of the station.

Fast running Nickel Plate eastbound PB-2, with a consist mostly of meat-laden reefers, overtakes mixed freight on 1.7% grade east of Mid-Grade on CONUS Lines.

Working on a modern interpretation of a post-war classic...

@DaveP posted:

Working on a modern interpretation of a post-war classic...

Hi Dave.  I also have this earth mover and the road scrapper intending for flat car loads.  But have been looking for suitable flats.  So the question is what manufacturer is this flat?

Ron

Welcome back Christopher.  The farm looks great!

Pennsyfan, I see some candidates for Tall Buildings Tuesday on your layout.

Ron - 

That's a Lionel scale PS-4 flat. I got it some years ago - I don't recall if it was a single-sale unit or from a set break-up.

@DaveP posted:

Ron - 

That's a Lionel scale PS-4 flat. I got it some years ago - I don't recall if it was a single-sale unit or from a set break-up.

Thanks Dave.  Will have to check with my local and semi-local toy train shops when they reopen.  These are especially nice since they are NYC System P&LE's.  My hometown was the Terminus Point for "The Little Giant."

Ron

Ron - 

This is the item number: P&LE PS-4 Flatcar w/Stakes #1154  SKU 6-27511. It's from 2006. It was a separate sale item. 

                  Morrison's Doors...