+- (https://bigbluetrains.com)
+-- Forum: Mainline (https://bigbluetrains.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=17)
+--- Forum: HO Modeling (https://bigbluetrains.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=21)
+--- Thread: GEC's Layout Progress (/showthread.php?tid=108)
Re: GEC's Layout Progress - Lester Perry - 12-14-2013
Hey, Hey there. Don't be so hard on him. He has some PRR power on there and they did run for profit, for a while.
Re: GEC's Layout Progress - Green_Elite_Cab - 12-14-2013
Tyson Rayles Wrote:Now you can finally start turning a profit instead of just hauling around all those free loading people!
Tell me about it! Your statement is true in its own way, since these freight cars and related projects can be measured in the time span of hours, and tend to be way cheaper than the passenger projects I'm working on.
If profit = satisfaction, then to heck with those HO commuters!
To be honest though I find freight modeling a little more intimidating. Its not as well documented as passenger trains. I'm not super picky about the specific railroads on the cars, but if a train typically hauled autoparts or chemicals, I would like to know that information. The "flow" of traffic from 1979 is probably lost to time.
Lester Perry Wrote:Hey, Hey there. Don't be so hard on him. He has some PRR power on there and they did run for profit, for a while.
Well to be fair, by this date (1979) Conrail had already dramatically cut losses, and after pruning the system and passing some legislation (including one to make those free loading people the state's problem), became VERY profitable.
That is one of my favorite parts of modeling Conrail. I haven't been good about weathering my equipment, but I hope to capture that "struggle" the railroad was going through at the time. There is a little bit of corporate and political drama that can be subtly incorporated.
As far as Amtrak and profit goes..... No comment
Re: GEC's Layout Progress - Green_Elite_Cab - 12-17-2013
Well, those free-loading commuters have at least 2 more cars to hang out in. Arrow II set 554-555 is out of the paint shop, and just waiting for some properly sized NJ DOT decals. I still need to figure out how I'm going to power and light these things, but for now they'll look good parked some place.
I'm hoping to get at least one of my New Arrow Is painted up and ready for display. I plan to pick cars 507, 510, and 517 as my first picks. Hopefully if my mold comes out well, I can make a few clones and add to that train, as well as model some of the "100" series.
Apart from some details, I also completed the paint jobs on several other commuter cars. These include an Arrow III Single, an Arrow III Married Pair, and a Silverliner IV single. The Silverliner IV can probably be finished up in a short amount of time, though I still need the proper decals for my NJ DOT models. I'm currently trying to get custom decals printed for those cars.
I also finished off a few more freight car kits (i'm trying to build everything I have sitting in boxes!). Some of these kits have been sitting for a few years now taking up shelf space. I'll probably discuss them more when I post some photos.
Right now the only painful kit has been an Intermountain Railway 4550 Cubic ft. Cylindrical hopper, painted for Pillsbury. That car is a nightmare kit, loaded with delicate parts! I am happy i was able to assemble it without messing it up too badly! All it needs is some wheels (i know i have them some place!) and couplers.
After this, I have a crap ton of old MDC "TankTrain" Quakerstate cars to complete, and a few Athearn reefers and walthers Airslide kits. One that might take a while is a Conrail Jordan Spreader, but even that model might get rolling again soon.
Again it feels nice to build a kit and actually have something I can run! As much as I like building the passenger trains, they are starting to become difficult to complete.
Re: GEC's Layout Progress - jwb - 12-18-2013
Well, how about some photos of freight on the 4 x 8?
Re: GEC's Layout Progress - Green_Elite_Cab - 12-19-2013
jwb Wrote:Well, how about some photos of freight on the 4 x 8?
Most of my operating freight car fleet as at the club in my train. That said, rather than dissappoint, I pulled out some of my "stored" modern equipment, most of it matching 90s era Conrail.
Who knows what happens to trains that sit on the shelf for too long, but I couldn't get them all to run reliably, otherwise I would maybe put together another short video. In fact, many of these don't even have a decoder in them!
For now, here are some somewhat staged shots-
One thing I miss most about changing my time period from the more recent times to the 70s is these big solid consists of tank cars. I find them very fascinating, and there is a lot of this sort of traffic in north Jersey and in Delaware, where there are quite a few chemical plants and petroleum refineries
![[Image: PC180067.jpg]](http://s543.photobucket.com/user/CAB_IV/media/Model%20Trains%202013/PC180067.jpg.html)
SW1500 moving cars around.
![[Image: PC180073.jpg]](http://s543.photobucket.com/user/CAB_IV/media/Model%20Trains%202013/PC180073.jpg.html)
The local freight. Conrail hazardous car rules suggest that the tank cars be 6 cars back from the locomotive, which puts the first of 8 of my oil tankers beyond the curve.
![[Image: PC180085.jpg]](http://s543.photobucket.com/user/CAB_IV/media/Model%20Trains%202013/PC180085.jpg.html)
The "Philadephia Divison" GP38. This was one of my earliest detail and weathering attempts. I haven't really been doing as much of that lately.
![[Image: PC180086.jpg]](http://s543.photobucket.com/user/CAB_IV/media/Model%20Trains%202013/PC180086.jpg.html)
An NJ Transit commuter train pushes past. This is the locomotive with the bad wheels from my other thread.
GP40-2 #3401 was one of the last such locomotives ordered by Conrail. It occupies the numbers that would have been the Ex-Reading Company GP39-2s. Those locomotives ended up on the Delaware and Hudson in 1976, supposedly to help the D&H be more competitive with Conrail. The Ex Lehigh Valley C420s also went to the D&H.
![[Image: PC180064.jpg]](http://s543.photobucket.com/user/CAB_IV/media/Model%20Trains%202013/PC180064.jpg.html)
Even NJ Transit has some freight units. This GP40-2 was originally purchased by the Penn Central as GP40 3189. NJ transit acquired the unit from Conrail in 1995 and had it rebuilt into a GP40-2, though it retained the GP40 carbody. The differences are fairly subtle. That said, this unit does need a detail makeover, as these units have a lot NJ Transit added stuff not present on the model.
![[Image: df004f64-f05d-4c9b-aa5a-2308dc7679a5.jpg]](http://s543.photobucket.com/user/CAB_IV/media/Model%20Trains%202013/df004f64-f05d-4c9b-aa5a-2308dc7679a5.jpg.html)
Gotta love the CNJ logo left on this work gondola-
![[Image: PC180038.jpg]](http://s543.photobucket.com/user/CAB_IV/media/Model%20Trains%202013/PC180038.jpg.html)
An SD60I trails a C32-8 in the Ballast Express scheme. These C32-8s did occasionally see service in regular freight trains. This paint scheme was fairly brief, existing for about a year before the Conrail split. My model is not quite finished, though I have all the parts I need. It got shelved when i switched eras, but considering the amount of work I put into super detailing it, I think I better finish it. I went out of my way to add every detail I can find, and even correct flaws in the Rail Power Products shell. I even milled down the frame so that the body shell could fit on it at a prototypical height.
![[Image: PC180034.jpg]](http://s543.photobucket.com/user/CAB_IV/media/Model%20Trains%202013/PC180034.jpg.html)
I went all out with etched metal grills and steps, Smokey Valley brass handrail sets, special flush window glazing kits, brand new truck sideframes (the original sideframes were for U-boats, not DASH-8s), bent my own grab irons and scratch-built a ladder on the rear of the locomotive from brass pieces. I also cut a notch into the nose for the rachet brakes, which was present on all C32-8s but left out of the model (This is likely due to Railpower using the manufacturing drawings instead of the prototype, assuming that there would be buyers for these units other than Conrail).
Right now, I just need to replace some damaged truck details, and finish detailing the frame. In particular, the air tanks are missing from between the trucks and fuel tank, as are other frame mounted details. At the time, i was not as confident with a dremel tool as I am now, and with the help of my Dremel drill press, I should be able to cut all the mounting holes for the details I have. I hope to add full lighting and sound at some point.
The model uses Kadee Type 30 couplers, as these allow clearance between the trucks and the back of the pilots. These won't be installed until the model is finished.
![[Image: 888ed296-ee80-4dc6-9fe2-6fadf02f8ed8.jpg]](http://s543.photobucket.com/user/CAB_IV/media/Model%20Trains%202013/888ed296-ee80-4dc6-9fe2-6fadf02f8ed8.jpg.html)
A 44 ton switcher spots some corn syrup and "liquid sugar" tankers for unloading.
![[Image: PC180074.jpg]](http://s543.photobucket.com/user/CAB_IV/media/Model%20Trains%202013/PC180074.jpg.html)
![[Image: PC180083.jpg]](http://s543.photobucket.com/user/CAB_IV/media/Model%20Trains%202013/PC180083.jpg.html)
The lettering on this Intermountain tanker is intense. I can actually zoom in much closer with my camera, and everything is clearly legible.
![[Image: PC180075.jpg]](http://s543.photobucket.com/user/CAB_IV/media/Model%20Trains%202013/PC180075.jpg.html)
Re: GEC's Layout Progress - jwb - 12-19-2013
While I realize there are differences, it seems to me that late-70s-to-early-90s is a consistent enough period that I almost wouldn't call having different emphases within that period "switching eras", in the sense that a 2-8-2 on a freight is definitely a different era from a GP38-2 set on a freight. Is anyone going to complain seriously about the tank cars you'd run for late 70s vs the ones you'd run for mid 90s? And yeah, DeWitt Geeps or CF7s were present late 70s and gone by mid 90s. but nobody who isn't a jerk is going to call you on that! I'd say pull the stuff you have out, install DCC, and have at it!
EDIT: On the other hand, in light of the season, it's worth keeping in mind the know-it-all kid in Polar Express, who most certainly would point out that the post-1980 COTS stencils on certain freight cars would be utterly incorrect on any layout pretending to be late 1970s! So beware of following such a path, Chris!
Re: GEC's Layout Progress - sailormatlac - 12-19-2013
jwb Wrote:Is anyone going to complain seriously about the tank cars you'd run for late 70s vs the ones you'd run for mid 90s? And yeah, DeWitt Geeps or CF7s were present late 70s and gone by mid 90s. but nobody who isn't a jerk is going to call you on that! I'd say pull the stuff you have out, install DCC, and have at it!
I think that's different to every modellers. Assuming every guy and girl out there is identical, thus similar, would be making a huge mistake. I'm seeing a lot of that recently, many people commenting about what's wrong and right. Some don't bother at discrepancies, others who try do depict a specific time will and I think GEC is trying to do some historically-sound modelling. We are all driven by specific goals and interests. It would be too much easy to say "do whatever you please". It's much a matter of saying "do what you wanna do". If you want prototypical stuff, do it prototypical. If you like your Dash 9 passing a 2-8-2, go for it. Personnaly, I like when things have a certain level of chronological correctness. It brings me a lot of satisfaction, and of course, a lot of learning opportunities. It makes you know better many aspect of the hobby you love. And I'm totally aware that for many people it is tiresome, useless and not important: good enough. And nothing wrong's with that because they find their satisfaction somewhere else, where others aren't looking, prooving the hobby is multifaceted, which is encouraging. We like the same object, but don't have the same way to get satisfaction out of it. Two tennis players won't necessary make the best tennis pair on the court. It would be like comparing an Olympic runner with some guy running in a field just for fun. If the Olympic runner's crushed by the burden of his choice I pity the fool!
Keep it fun! Choosing an era is making soul-tearing choices, but making choice is always a good way to discern what is important. When I see GEC dedication to his NEC corridor, I'm pretty sure the guy's enjoying as hell is choices even if it means some sacrifices! Cheers! JWB, I understand perfectly what you try to convey. It makes sense. But at some point, being nice for the sake of it doesn't help anybody. If I was doing everything "people" visiting the layout says, it would be a pile of rubbish in no time.
That said, GEC, those are nice looking freight trains!
Matt
Re: GEC's Layout Progress - Green_Elite_Cab - 12-20-2013
jwb Wrote:While I realize there are differences, it seems to me that late-70s-to-early-90s is a consistent enough period that I almost wouldn't call having different emphases within that period "switching eras", in the sense that a 2-8-2 on a freight is definitely a different era from a GP38-2 set on a freight. Is anyone going to complain seriously about the tank cars you'd run for late 70s vs the ones you'd run for mid 90s? And yeah, DeWitt Geeps or CF7s were present late 70s and gone by mid 90s. but nobody who isn't a jerk is going to call you on that! I'd say pull the stuff you have out, install DCC, and have at it!
EDIT: On the other hand, in light of the season, it's worth keeping in mind the know-it-all kid in Polar Express, who most certainly would point out that the post-1980 COTS stencils on certain freight cars would be utterly incorrect on any layout pretending to be late 1970s! So beware of following such a path, Chris!
Matt pretty much hit most of the points dead on. I really couldn't say it better!
I agree with you to an extent. If modeling the 1990s, 1970s cars are 100% legitimate. I've seen several Southern Railway cars, some in paint i KNOW is old (actually, saw one of these today!), I've seen Penn Central hoppers and steel coil cars nearly intact, Reading Company Gondolas, Maine Central Boxcars, and many others that I'm sure have been gone for a while. The literal fine print on the car sides can slide just a tad, they aren't super obvious.
However, I don't think you could use 1990s equipment in a 1970s environment. There would be to many inconsistencies that i suspect would detract somewhat from the layout overall.
Don't worry, I haven't developed Mandark's voice just yet! Its not that i believe model train layouts have to be perfect representations of a specific time and place (I don't, they can be whatever they want to be, like Northlandz). For me, its more about the challenge, and digging up the obscure history of some of these more mundane but forgotten things.
Re: GEC's Layout Progress - Green_Elite_Cab - 12-20-2013
Getting things back on track, I did get some new freight cars that came up. I have a pair of Eel River Models "Beer" boxcars, one ATSF, the other Burlington Northern. These are 62' boxcars built specifically to haul wine and alcohol from western producers to distributors. These are a little difficult to come by, but they were a couple bucks, less trucks. They aren't completely assembled either, but they have all the other parts.
I had to pick these up, since I see them almost every day over on the Hainesport Industrial Railroad, and on the Conrail Shared Assets trains to it. In fact, the distributor those cars go to, Gallo Wine, is literally small enough to be practical for a layout, which is really interesting. Talking about 4x8 layouts, the Hainesport Industrial RR would be fantastic as a small layout.
In any event, it is also convenient, that as in the above discussion, many of these boxcars are still rolling around in their predecessor paint. Until fairly recently, it wouldn't be unusual to see a Burlington Northern "beer car", and I have photos of both ATSF and BN cars in Hainesport prior to the formation of the HIRR. Lately, most of the beer cars are now in BNSF paint.
![[Image: PC200090.jpg]](http://s543.photobucket.com/user/CAB_IV/media/Model%20Trains%202013/PC200090.jpg.html)
The red ATSF cars are examples of this class. there is a green BN car in the consist, but of a different variety. This is 2005, but the models were "BLT 3-75", so as JWB had point out, you can get away with it just a little bit!
![[Image: 100-0047_IMG.jpg]](http://s543.photobucket.com/user/CAB_IV/media/100-0047_IMG.jpg.html)
![[Image: 100-0056_IMG.jpg]](http://s543.photobucket.com/user/CAB_IV/media/100-0056_IMG.jpg.html)
![[Image: 100-0062_IMG.jpg]](http://s543.photobucket.com/user/CAB_IV/media/100-0062_IMG.jpg.html)
A few years later, a similar group. Again, the BN car is of another class, but the ATSF one is the same as model. I might be able to make the BN car better match this prototype, if I play with it. In the last photo, you can see the brakeman on the back of the ATSF car.
![[Image: IMG_0585.jpg]](http://s543.photobucket.com/user/CAB_IV/media/Real%20Trains/Trains%20around%20Hainesport/IMG_0585.jpg.html)
![[Image: IMG_0597.jpg]](http://s543.photobucket.com/user/CAB_IV/media/Real%20Trains/Trains%20around%20Hainesport/IMG_0597.jpg.html)
![[Image: IMG_0598.jpg]](http://s543.photobucket.com/user/CAB_IV/media/Real%20Trains/Trains%20around%20Hainesport/IMG_0598.jpg.html)
Here are some other cars I finished lately. The only one not pictured is the pillsbury hopper of doom. That thing i can tell is going to be a headache, a shame after all the time i took to put it together! its a tough kit...
![[Image: PC160024.jpg]](http://s543.photobucket.com/user/CAB_IV/media/Model%20Trains%202013/PC160024.jpg.html)
![[Image: PC160023.jpg]](http://s543.photobucket.com/user/CAB_IV/media/Model%20Trains%202013/PC160023.jpg.html)
![[Image: PC160022.jpg]](http://s543.photobucket.com/user/CAB_IV/media/Model%20Trains%202013/PC160022.jpg.html)
In the passenger department, my Silverliner IV train is almost ready. The one dummy just needs its steps installed. Two of them need pantographs, but I have some to spare. In the background, you can see my new Arrow I kits, I'm getting ready to paint them. The first one out will be #517.
Also the inside track catenary is damaged. I might replace the wire span entirely, not because its broken, but with better materials. In the meantime, i'll probably buff the rust off the steel wire, and re-solder it.
![[Image: PC180045.jpg]](http://s543.photobucket.com/user/CAB_IV/media/Model%20Trains%202013/PC180045.jpg.html)
![[Image: PC180047.jpg]](http://s543.photobucket.com/user/CAB_IV/media/Model%20Trains%202013/PC180047.jpg.html)
Also my first set of Arrow IIs are also almost ready. The main problem has been lighting. The nature of the kits would make it difficult to assemble the model full and then install the lights later, so I have a bunch of these GE cars (Silverliner IV, Arrow II, III) parked around without steps.
The Arrow IIs were all run in married pairs, with cars sharing different appliances between each other, such as pantographs, batteries, MG sets, and compressors. Since they didn't have as much equipment, and only featured a cab on one end. The trade off was if one car went down, it would take both out of service.
![[Image: 73c4f979-e998-4098-a2b0-10966f4e3a48.jpg]](http://s543.photobucket.com/user/CAB_IV/media/Model%20Trains%202013/73c4f979-e998-4098-a2b0-10966f4e3a48.jpg.html)
B-car #555
![[Image: PC160026.jpg]](http://s543.photobucket.com/user/CAB_IV/media/Model%20Trains%202013/PC160026.jpg.html)
A-car #554
![[Image: PC160027.jpg]](http://s543.photobucket.com/user/CAB_IV/media/Model%20Trains%202013/PC160027.jpg.html)
Re: GEC's Layout Progress - jwb - 12-20-2013
By 2013, I see very few ex ATSF cars in red with the big logo -- there are some left with small ATSF lettering. These days, there's more variation in the cars that come out of Modesto. A lot of cars lettered for GERS short lines are in this traffic lately:
BNSF runs a regular Modesto-Barstow manifest that hauls mostly wine cars. The cars above were in Modesto, so they're almost certainly carrying Gallo wine.
The big dividing line for era, it seems to me, is extravagant graffiti, which really got going in the late 1990s (not a whole lot of graffiti on Conrail-era freight cars in DVDs) and conspicuity stripes, post 2005. As you say, there's a lot of fudge between the late 1970s and mid 1990s otherwise.
Re: GEC's Layout Progress - Green_Elite_Cab - 12-20-2013
jwb Wrote:By 2013, I see very few ex ATSF cars in red with the big logo -- there are some left with small ATSF lettering. These days, there's more variation in the cars that come out of Modesto. A lot of cars lettered for GERS short lines are in this traffic lately:
BNSF runs a regular Modesto-Barstow manifest that hauls mostly wine cars. The cars above were in Modesto, so they're almost certainly carrying Gallo wine.
The big dividing line for era, it seems to me, is extravagant graffiti, which really got going in the late 1990s (not a whole lot of graffiti on Conrail-era freight cars in DVDs) and conspicuity stripes, post 2005. As you say, there's a lot of fudge between the late 1970s and mid 1990s otherwise.
I've actually seen NOKL boxcars just like that, but at Roosevelt Paper, just up the road from the above photos in Hainesport. They usually carrying big rolls of paper. I'm betting these wine cars in your photos are some of the same ones here.
Re: GEC's Layout Progress - Green_Elite_Cab - 12-30-2013
Christmas as brought me quite a few model trains, which have definitely pressed my GG1 freight at the club to unquestionably the "longest train". It is parked on the longest available staging track, and it is nearly full. Of all the cars on the train, I've had to remove only one permanently, since it seems unable to stick to the track.
While my pair of BLI GG1s can still handle it, you can hear them struggle up the 4% grade on the layout. I need to speed match my MTH GG1 (which is slightly faster) but I have not gotten around to doing that. I might set up a double track loop of EZ track with a BLI GG1 running alongside the MTH one while I do this. I'm pretty sure the MTH GG1s need to be programmed on the main anyway, so this should be fine.
In the meantime, here is a few photos of new stuff and old stuff.
Once I replaced the Intermountain trucks with a modified pair of Athearn trucks, this Pillsbury hopper really ran quite well. I had to bump it out of service because the coupler pockets popped out in a hard stop (caused by a short elsewhere on the club layout), but I glued them in, and now it holds just fine. Given the time and frustration it took to get this thing together, I'm glad it runs so reliably!
![[Image: PC230114.jpg]](http://s543.photobucket.com/user/CAB_IV/media/Model%20Trains%202013/PC230114.jpg.html)
Ironically, those 62' Beer boxcars were a little more problematic. Building the kit took some time as well (though not as much as the Pillsbury hopper). They even provided wire to do all the brake rigging and other under-car details (which are visible from the side when the car travels on the upper levels of the club layout).
The biggest problem was that they sat to high, no matter what. Even more frustratingly, the coupler gauges at the club must be off just a little, since they were showing an almost even coupler height, when in fact they didn't seem to match at all.
I ended up having to shave down the bolsters, shave off the tops of the trucks at the bolster, and then use Overset-shank couplers. Now the one ATSF car hangs a little low on one end, and will need a shim to counter my aggressive hacking of its bolster. However, its not very noticeable, and the couplers are now in vertical alignment.
![[Image: PC280126.jpg]](http://s543.photobucket.com/user/CAB_IV/media/Model%20Trains%202013/PC280126.jpg.html)
I purchased this ATSF reefer at our club's flee market for $4. It was intact, weighed down, and had kadee couplers. All it needed were metal wheelsets (also for sale at our club), and it was ready to go. Really, a no brainer!
![[Image: PC280127.jpg]](http://s543.photobucket.com/user/CAB_IV/media/Model%20Trains%202013/PC280127.jpg.html)
This is one of the boxcars I got for Christmas. Technically, this would become a Conrail X73 class boxcar (the same as the yellow Conrail car you see in my other photos). However, many of these Ex EL boxcars stayed in blue in the early years, though I'm not sure how many were returned to the Fruit Growers Express in EL Blue. It was ready to go with metal couplers and wheels right out of the box, and so I was able to add it to my train without trouble.
![[Image: PC280129.jpg]](http://s543.photobucket.com/user/CAB_IV/media/Model%20Trains%202013/PC280129.jpg.html)
![[Image: PC280128.jpg]](http://s543.photobucket.com/user/CAB_IV/media/Model%20Trains%202013/PC280128.jpg.html)
In the meantime, I've been trying to get my Arrow III to run more reliably. Apparently, the only major issue was that the pilots were hanging low. This would cause the car wheels to lift off the rails and stall the train. As it turns out, the pilot was mounted to the coupler box, and the coupler box on the lead car (with the NJ DOT logos) was too thick. By removing the "cover" of the box, and using the pilot casting to hold the coupler in, I was able to raise pilots to a proper height. The couplers seem well supported, so I'm thinking this train is a go. I gave it three laps around the mainline, which it was able to do. The only tracks it can't handle are the club's "Reading" line, which really needs to be rebuilt.
![[Image: PC280148.jpg]](http://s543.photobucket.com/user/CAB_IV/media/Model%20Trains%202013/PC280148.jpg.html)
The Reading Ling is seen below. I'm going to try and get the Walthers Stemman Pantographs for these models. The brass one on the RTR Arrow III is too small in reality.
![[Image: PC280161.jpg]](http://s543.photobucket.com/user/CAB_IV/media/Model%20Trains%202013/PC280161.jpg.html)
This was my other big railroad related Christmas Gift, a Pennsylvania Reading Seashore Lines RDC-1, # M-403. My girlfriend bought it for me in secret, and then put it inside of a box for a coffee pot! When I opened it up, i was thinking "what am I going to do with another coffee pot?" She told me to open it and check that it worked, and sure enough, there is an RDC in there!
This one has the new metal finish, and it also had a DCC plug (unlike earlier RDCs), so I popped a decoder out of one of my other engines, and let it run. Its a fantastic model! I'm thinking about "updating" it with some PRSL tiger stripes, but for now, I will enjoy it as it is!
![[Image: PC280144.jpg]](http://s543.photobucket.com/user/CAB_IV/media/Model%20Trains%202013/PC280144.jpg.html)
The day after Chrismas, these arrived in the mail-
An Arrow II number board off an "A" car-
![[Image: PC270120.jpg]](http://s543.photobucket.com/user/CAB_IV/media/Model%20Trains%202013/PC270120.jpg.html)
An E60CH number board!
![[Image: PC270119.jpg]](http://s543.photobucket.com/user/CAB_IV/media/Model%20Trains%202013/PC270119.jpg.html)
Both of these were off NJ Transit equipment, but the "961" is probably the original Amtrak numberboard from the 1970s! Indeed, 961 was ever fully repainted for NJ transit, as here it sits in 1993, awaiting the scrap heap after almost a decade of service on NJ Transit. -
![[Image: pictures%5C18266%5Crrpix08.jpg]](http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/pictures%5C18266%5Crrpix08.jpg)
Re: GEC's Layout Progress - Green_Elite_Cab - 01-28-2014
Here is a photo of one of my latest projects, Conrail 7499, former Lehigh Valley 305. I'm trying to get this GP18 as close to the prototype as reasonable. I can see that there will be some challengers. The main issue is that the fuel tank on the prototype is shorter than the the model's fuel tank, and the motor mounts prevent me from cutting the tank short.
Another challenge is the horn, which appears to be a broken or modified Leslie S3L with only two bells. Apparently, there is a Custom Finishing kit that will work for this.
In any event, I've added a custom finishing roof-top bell, a Details West Air Filter Box, and a winterization hatch borrowed from a PRR GP9 that didn't need it. It was odd that my GP18 didn't come with a winterization hatch itself, but the PRR 7206 never had one installed, and regardless, it popped right off with no damage to the PRR unit's paint.
Another challenge was the forward radiator fan. It did not have the high shroud on it like the dynamic brake fan, but no replacement fan seemed appropriate. I decided to try and shave the shroud down and smooth out the edges, which worked out fine. The way i figured it, I had two shots, and if I messed up one, I'd stick that fan under the winterization hatch.
Currently, I'm debating whether or not to order the Plano Details metal grills for these models.
I also need help mixing the bright red Lehigh Valley paint. Its to bright to be Cornell red, but its not necessarily a bright red either.
The model-
![[Image: P1280501.jpg]](http://s543.photobucket.com/user/CAB_IV/media/P1280501.jpg.html)
The CRHS says this photo was taken July 3, 1979. Its nice to get a prototype photo exactly during the particular month and year I want to model. Once I get it painted, I have all the decals I need to do this scheme-
![[Image: _original]](http://thecrhs.org/image/view/21599/_original)
Re: GEC's Layout Progress - shortliner - 01-29-2014
...and especially for GEC, <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/81545-new-models-at-springfield-big-rr-show/#entry1323732">http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index. ... try1323732</a><!-- m -->
Re: GEC's Layout Progress - Tyson Rayles - 01-29-2014
I don't check in here real often because I'm not all that interested in passenger operations. That said your layout is progressing very nicely and I really should check in more often!