Skip to main content

My entry for Western Roads Wednesday is a little late!

I had a little surprise while I was setting up for the video, it's in the blooper at the end. This is of course a fantasy train as Union Pacific had acquired Western pacific at least a decade before the EMD SD70Ace was introduced.

I had backed up the SD70 train immediately after the rear ender before anything shorted out. That's a remote switch, so the stupid dispatcher was at fault! Doh!

Last edited by WesternPacific2217
@Lou1985 posted:

Nice scene. The FM Erie Built is an Atlas model correct? I've been keeping an eye out for one but they don't come up for sale often.

Yes, Atlas.  I bought powered A and B units and an unpowered A unit back when Atlas first offered them  They have EOB, and are very smooth at all speeds.

Alco-GE RSD4 2103 is Atlas Trainman, and  Alco-GE S2 2337  is Lionel.

Well fans of W.R.W.  what about the Denver and Rio Grande RR?  Here is the Lionel #221 DRG Alco from 1963-64.  Not a premium product from Lionel by far but remember its the 1960's and the company is trying to avoid going under and trying to sell trains at nearly every price point.  In cataloged sets, she led set # 11321 in 1963 and the nearly identical set # 11440 in 1964 both times as a single A unit with an odd assortment of cars with various trucks and couplers but both with tracks and transformer.  Retail price for the set was $16.95 in 1963 and $17.95 in 1964.

Lionel 221 Alco front viewLionel 221 Alco side view

The sets discussed above came with a plain Lionel lines caboose #6167-100 in red.  The more elaborate #9077 DRG caboose below is a personal add on from MPC in 1976-1983 and 1984-1991 uncatalogued (overlaps the emergence of LTI in 1985).

Lionel 221 Alco train from rear

Here is a short video of her pulling her little train.  Really not too bad a performance for something 62 years old although the mechanism consisting of a simple right hand gear train directly from the vertical armature of the motor does not instill confidence. 

Happy Wednesday everyone

Best Wishes

Don

Attachments

Images (3)
  • Lionel 221 Alco front view
  • Lionel 221 Alco side view
  • Lionel 221 Alco train from rear
Videos (1)
Lionel 221 Alco video

Well fans of W.R.W.  what about the Denver and Rio Grande RR?  Here is the Lionel #221 DRG Alco from 1963-64.  Not a premium product from Lionel by far but remember its the 1960's and the company is trying to avoid going under and trying to sell trains at nearly every price point.  In cataloged sets, she led set # 11321 in 1963 and the nearly identical set # 11440 in 1964 both times as a single A unit with an odd assortment of cars with various trucks and couplers but both with tracks and transformer.  Retail price for the set was $16.95 in 1963 and $17.95 in 1964.

Lionel 221 Alco front viewLionel 221 Alco side view

The sets discussed above came with a plain Lionel lines caboose #6167-100 in red.  The more elaborate #9077 DRG caboose below is a personal add on from MPC in 1976-1983 and 1984-1991 uncatalogued (overlaps the emergence of LTI in 1985).

Lionel 221 Alco train from rear

Here is a short video of her pulling her little train.  Really not too bad a performance for something 62 years old although the mechanism consisting of a simple right hand gear train directly from the vertical armature of the motor does not instill confidence. 

Happy Wednesday everyone

Best Wishes

Don

Don love the Rio Grande thanks for sharing

@Krieglok posted:

A couple western roads…

An Atlas Austrian made 40’ boxcar I recently painted and decaled for the KATY, Missouri Kansas and Texas Railroad. I weighted it and added Weaver trucks. Finished it with a light weathering job…

BDE67413-DDD1-4654-AAF5-DD4C81F1BF54631D33C9-D77A-49B1-9A38-A9D34FF01967

And  a Weaver 40’ Boxcar painted by me and decaled for the Texas and Pacific Railroad.

1161CCB9-A2C3-456B-A326-2E635E3F0117Tom

Tom. Some more great Custom cars of your always a treat to see them you did a great job on them. Thanks for sharing

Well W.R.W. fans here we are on a beautiful (but cold) Wed in central Texas.  I am starting off the posts this week and hoping that a few of you fans will "post in" to make our thread continue.  Well anyway, my contribution this week is REALLY western, in fact to get much farther west in the continental US you would need a boat or a swimsuit.  She is a double door boxcar from the Spokane, Portland & Seattle RR. This Railway was created in 1905 as a joint venture between the Great Northern and the Northern Pacific to provide connections and access to Oregon lumber shipments.  It lasted until 1970 when it was broken up and remnants are still in use today by BNSF and the Portland and Western RR (data from Wikipedia).

Here is a side view showing the full livery of the S.P.&S.  This car is a Lionel (LTI) #19213 from 1989.  It is a reasonably robust car by modern Lionel standards with two operating couplers, metal axles and wheels, a metal floor for support and metal door guides.  

Lionel SP&S side view

Here is the letter end showing the large S.P.&S. livery

Lionel SP&S logo end

Here is the logo end of the livery

Lionel SP&S data end

Here she is on top of the Lionel "window" box in use at that time.

Lionel SP&S with window box

Since I was doing these pictures in the morning at the kitchen table...my assistant (and normal breakfast companion) and VP of freight rolling stock "Max" felt that he had to be involved.

Lionel SP&S box with Max7

Best wishes and Happy HUMP day!

Don

Attachments

Images (5)
  • Lionel SP&S side view
  • Lionel SP&S logo end
  • Lionel SP&S data end
  • Lionel SP&S with window box
  • Lionel SP&S box with Max

Well W.R.W. fans here are a few Union Pacific trains for you on this fine Wednesday.

First the Marx #1998 Union Pacific Alco S-3, made from 1955-1962.

Marx UP Switcher 1

Here she is pulling a short freight along with her Union Pacific caboose

Marx UP Switcher 2

Here is the Marx 3900 Union Pacific caboose from 1974-75 along with two Marx boxcars, the B&M deluxe box from 52-57 and the GN medium box  (no sliding doors) from the same period.

Marx UP Switcher 3

Meanwhile on the adjacent track, the Marx M10005 streamliner prepares to depart with her fast passenger train.

Marx UP M10005 yellow

Well that's it for me today.  Best wishes for a great Wednesday and the rest of the week

Don

Attachments

Images (4)
  • Marx UP Switcher 1
  • Marx UP Switcher 2
  • Marx UP Switcher 3
  • Marx UP M10005 yellow

Well folks, here it is Wednesday and we have not had many folks post today.  So I will try to get us started with a small contribution.  The Northern Pacific RR was certainly a "western road" so today I am showing an early Marx # 1678 gondola for the NP.  This fellow has the early olive bronze body, silver lithographed frame, and short wheelbase.  Her "Joy Line" couplers date her to 1934-35.  The logo reads " Northern Pacific - Yellowstone Park Line"

Marx SWB NP Hopper 1

In the picture below you can see the Joyline couplers, with the large hole instead of a slot.  More conventional tab/slot couplers would come in 1936 along with a longer wheelbase and a black frame.

Marx SWB NP Hopper 2

Well this fellow is approaching 90 years old and he is still capable of running on the layout.  In fact I do that occasionally just for fun and for the noise these tin fellows make .  Best wishes to everyone on this "hump" day!!

Enjoy the week

Don

Attachments

Images (2)
  • Marx SWB NP Hopper 1
  • Marx SWB NP Hopper 2

@Lou1985 :  Lou great video, I love that "lonely whistle" sound that your whistle makes...it is really nostalgic.  My offering today is what I call my Santa Fe train...not that its a model of any specific train, just a normal local freight, moving a lone boxcar from one siding to another.  All the trains are Santa Fe made by Marx from various era...here it is:

The switcher engine here is the Marx # 1998 SF Alco S-3 in black livery offered 1955-1962.  The Marx # 3280 SF boxcar with type G trucks from 1956 and the Marx #4587 SF Work Caboose from 1962.

Marx SF train 2

Here is a closer look at the boxcar and the work caboose.

Marx SF train

Well folks that's it for me on this fine Wednesday...Happy "Hump" day !

Best wishes

Don

Attachments

Images (2)
  • Marx SF train 2
  • Marx SF train

Add Reply

Post
×
×
×
×
Link copied to your clipboard.
×
×