Weekend Photo Fun 6-10-22-??

A 2021 Christmas Layout memory

Last week I showed the middle section of the 14' wide layout:

Here's a closeup of the MTH Steelers' train depot:

It's special to me for several reasons (I'm from PGH and a Steelers' fan) but MOSTLY because it was a thank you gift from my nephew for hosting 24 years of what we dubbed the TRAIN PARTY at my house.

It goes along nicely with another thank you gift that he gave to me the previous year:

- walt

Happy Weekend.

Our Thomas event returned to our Railway museum. Thomas pulled a long string of coaches, and had to strain a bit more to pull that Orange engine at the other end of the train so the crew could sit in the cab and have a horn and bell to sound at the crossings. Thousands came out to enjoy the 2 weekends. I had my O gauge set up with Thomas trains and LionChief controllers mounted on the fence for kids to run the trains, push sound buttons, animation with Cranky, Flying Harold, ice cream, popcorn etc. Lots of fun all ran well for the event. I fixed up the pink and blue Unicorn train with newer Lionel Wheel and motor set up so it was able to run non stop for 9 hours each day. The 4 LionChief engines that the kids were controlling I wired the engines to a Menards flat car following with the extra 2 trucks picking up power so the trains never stalled out when stopped if the track was dirty at all. Also wired a LED light bulb to each flat so you could see if it was picking up power, making for a very reliable set up.

And some videos. The Minions and other cartoon characters mounted in the gondolas were popular with the kids. The Lionel Gateman I modified with a Tortoise Switch machine installed to make the movements and switch the lights on the signals with LED bulbs in a Plasticville Signal bridge. This way the figures move more slowly and quiet. The real Royal Hudson steam engine was just on the other side of the layout, the Toy train popular with the kids. Toby's train was just the right length so it did not hit at the crossing.

Looking forward to everyone's photos each week, great to see all the projects and trains running on some excellent layouts.

On tour

These just showed up a few days ago...Lionel PRR SD-45's. A perfect fit for my Middle Division layout. As is often the case with Lionel engines, the color is not quite right (green is too bright...compare to their gorgeous SW8/9 switcher from a few years ago...see the first photo and click on it to enlarge it) and the font on the cab number is too small and not bold enough. But oh well, they are still pretty nice, and will fit right in hauling my PRR H43 "yellow ball" hoppers. Enjoy this photos of the trio taken at a few random places on my layout...

Neal,

The units look very nice on the layout. Do they come with kinematic pilots? I didn't realize Lionel offered 3 different numbers.

Dave

Scott, Joshua really has the railroad crossing horn blast down pat.

Neal it seems like the manufacturers have problems with the DGLE color quite often.

@luvindemtrains posted:

Neal,

The units look very nice on the layout. Do they come with kinematic pilots? I didn't realize Lionel offered 3 different numbers.

Dave

Dave,

Thanks for your comments. Yes, they did three numbers, though the middle unit is a non-powered "Super Bass" unit. And they do have the Kinematic pilots.

Last weekend, my wife and I traveled to New York via Amtrak to visit our daughter who lives on the upper West Side of Manhattan and use our tickets to the Music Man which we had since before the Pandemic.....

During the day on Friday, my wife and I decided to travel to the northeast Bronx so we could walk around the old neighborhood, Pelham Bay. We took the number 6 train from Grand Central, north.

Coming out of the Whitlock Avenue EL station and looking north, I looked to see the old New Haven line into the HellGate Bridge, now used by freights into the south Bronx and Amtrak as part of the northeast corridor. I was greeted by a great view of the old Westchester Avenue Station that was jointly used by the New Haven and the New York, Westchester & Boston. The New Haven ended passenger service on this line in the early 30s, while the NYW&B continued until about 1938, when it closed forever due to its poor financial shape.

MetroNorth is supposed to resume passenger service on this line from Coop City into into PennStation and will revive some Bronx stations including this one.

The orientation is due south in the last two pics.....

For further reading of the NY,W&B:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...r_and_Boston_Railway

Have a great and safe weekend, folks!

Peter

A few new shots around the layout:

Thanks Scott for getting us started!   Here are fun photos for this fine weekend!  Have a wonderful weekend everyone!!

The caboose tracks both in day and at night.

The Golden State is running late, but the E6AA is running strong.

The engines are Lionel, and the cars are K-Line's 18" set.  The E6s have the correct cab numbers for the ones that actually pulled the Golden State.

@PRRMiddleDivision posted:

These just showed up a few days ago...Lionel PRR SD-45's. A perfect fit for my Middle Division layout. As is often the case with Lionel engines, the color is not quite right (green is too bright...compare to their gorgeous SW8/9 switcher from a few years ago...see the first photo and click on it to enlarge it) and the font on the cab number is too small and not bold enough. But oh well, they are still pretty nice, and will fit right in hauling my PRR H43 "yellow ball" hoppers. Enjoy this photos of the trio taken at a few random places on my layout...

Neal, have you noticed any shaking in any of your powered units. My gilford unit just arrived today. Only shakes in forward, long hood for gilford. Just wonder if it’s that common.

@Trainwreck nate posted:

Neal, have you noticed any shaking in any of your powered units. My gilford unit just arrived today. Only shakes in forward, long hood for gilford. Just wonder if it’s that common.

Nate,

Mine are running fine, but have had that issue on occasion with other units. May be a bad traction tire (too thick or to wide to fit properly in the recess in the wheel).

Roll by inspection!

Seaboard RS-3

In order to shoot the images I posted above of my new Lionel PRR SD-45's, I had to switch them with a pair of Penn Central SD-45's that Lionel released a few years ago, as well as an older PC U33C. They were just sitting on the track, and as I often do, I grabbed a shot with my cell phone camera. Here is the trio about to  drop the westbound signal at MP 150.3:

After years of searching and waiting I finally got my hands on a N&W Jawn Henry by 3rd Rail.  

Scott Smith

@DaveSlie posted:

After years of searching and waiting I finally got my hands on a N&W Jawn Henry by 3rd Rail.  

Dave is that one of "Brother Loves" Dynamometer cars?  It looks different than mine.

Ron

GS-4 #4449 was pulling a SP heavy weight passenger train on the G&O today.  NH Joe

The GS-4 is a Williams brass model that has been converted to TMCC using Electric Railroad electronics.  The cars are from Golden Gate.

At Lizard Peak.

At Norris Falls.

On tour again...

@PRRronbh posted:

Dave is that one of "Brother Loves" Dynamometer cars?  It looks different than mine.

Ron

My dynamometer car was a scratch built one done by the gentleman I bought the Jawn Henry from.  Tell me where the one you have came from...I'm interested in more info on it.

@CAPPilot, thanks for those photos; that's a very striking train.

Does the diesel paint scheme have a name?  Every time I see it I'm reminded of a dear friend who used to paint that stunning livery, and many others, on PW Lionel F-3's for his mid-west customers back in Chicago in the '80's and early '90's, Richard Sherry--RIP Richard.

It has been a very dreary weekend here in NJ, nothing but overcast and rain. Downtown the BR&W is having their railfest with working steam engines(not locomotives) as well as a host of other things. Sort of didn't know that until late and had other plans so missed out.

In other news, New York Central news that is, I got lucky on a discount from Trainz with this MTH New York Central Niagara #6025. I don't have DCS just Legacy so this like mostly everything else will be going in for an upgrade at some point in time. It was listed with having "pitting" on the pilot, which the last picture shows. Curious.

@Pingman posted:

Does the diesel paint scheme have a name?  Every time I see it I'm reminded of a dear friend who used to paint that stunning livery, and many others, on PW Lionel F-3's for his mid-west customers back in Chicago in the '80's and early '90's, Richard Sherry--RIP Richard.

I am not a Rock Island expert, so maybe someone who is can give you a better answer.  This is one of my few non-PRR trains and I have it on my layout because it ran in the late 40s and shared cars with the PRR in Chicago.

The paint scheme I think was only on Rock Island's Rockets.  The engines originally had the silver stripes on the early cabs like the E3 and E6, but was more white on later diesels starting with the E7.

I really like the K-Line set except the Golden State never had dome cars.  I have duplicates of the non-dome cars to make the train longer, someday I'll change the names on the duplicates.

@DaveSlie posted:

My dynamometer car was a scratch built one done by the gentleman I bought the Jawn Henry from.  Tell me where the one you have came from...I'm interested in more info on it.

Dave, forum member Brother_Love (member since 2009) has been making hand crafted cabooses for a while and a few years back made 6 or 8 N&W Dynamometer cars for us 3rd N&W TE-1 owners.

These are the cabs he has made for me.

Another view of the dynamometer car.

Ron