11-07-2014, 02:07 PM
Ugh, I finally get a job where I can afford some nice trains, and now I have no time!
In fact, I don't even know where to update this thread.
I guess I'll start with the longer running projects-
Jersey Arrow I
I was able to find a 4th car for $20! This is a good catch since these things are long out of production (at least a decade), and they started at $109 when they were new.
The story is a good one, since I found it at the Model Trolley & Transit Modeler's Convention a month ago. I had just come back to my Electrified modular display after not really finding some of the major things I was looking for, and decided I probably wasn't going to find anything else. I was just about to settle down on my Reading Company module when I looked up and saw a silver car sitting with some models for sale, that hadn't been there before.
Sure enough, it was a Jersey Arrow! I asked the guy selling it, he wanted $20! That was a quick sell! What is really interesting, was that it was already finished, and i'm 99% sure this was one of the display models that IHP usually brought to shows like this one. When he discontinued his resin line, he sold off a lot of this stuff. You would think most of it would dissapper into unamed collections, but I managed to find it!
As for my other 3 Arrow I kits- The paint on the ends didn't go on well for some cars, so i'm debating whether or not I should try to repaint them. Unfortunately, there are no more warm days, and it might be difficult to get a dust free finish over the winter, so these might have to wait, which is a shame since they are easy to assemble and I could have them running as soon as I get power trucks for them.
Staten Island Rapid Transit R44 "subway" cars-
Another nice find at the Mass Transit modeler's convention was a set of the R44 subway car shells. These are what is currently in use on the Staten Island Rapid Transit (I also have a resin model of the original "ME-1" subway cars from the SIRT). These run in "A-B-B-A" sets of 4 cars, and I managed to snag 4 A cars and 2 B cars. If I can find another pair of B cars, i'll be set for two trains!
I'm not really looking to break into Subway modeling, but these cars are special in that some of my earliest memories of trains are of these cars, since much of my family lives on Staten Island.
On the other hand, the SIRT would make a great rapid transit layout, since almost all of it runs above ground, and its essentially just a double track mainline. They also use B&O style position lights which is interesting. For many years (until fairly recently), they used Alco S type switchers for work trains and had a fleet of cabooses. The only real problem modeling the SIRT is a lack of models and decals (the R44 Shells are out there, but they never made frames for them).
R44 Prototype info-
As subway cars go, these have a slightly more interesting history than some. These were the last rail cars ever built by the St. Louis Car Company. When the last car was delivered, they shut down operations in early 1973.
The R44s also held the world speed record for a Subway Car, reaching 87 MPH before their test track on the Long Island Railroad ran out. In service however, the cars were limited to 55 MPH. They originally were in service on the Staten Island Rapid Transit (SIRT) and the "B" Division of the New York City Subway, however these cars reportedly did not do well in the New York City Subway. As a result, most from the B division were scrapped and a few went on to join the remaining R44s on the SIRT.
These cars bumped many of the oldest "green" 1930s era NYC subway cars such as the R1s and R4s from service
Ex CNJ GP40P Project
I've lucked out here, I was able to find an older brass model by OMI and pick it up. These GP40Ps were a major part of the NEC operations where I model, and so I'm glad to finally have one.
This doesn't mean I won't still try and finish my kitbashed one, but it is nice to have a "reference' model. It appears to be a 1989 "NJ Transit" version. I notice not all the details are as correct as they are on the later 2004 run of these diesels, but these discrepancies are so minor that I'm not that concerned. The model appeared to have some repair marks and minor damage (broken solder joints), but thats fine with me, since I'll be repainting, and possibly detailing this thing anyway. I bought it to operate!
My big concern will be painting it. The paint job on these is pretty simple, some C&O (Maybe B&O) blue, and a yellow side sill, with yellow chevrons on the ends. Conrail road numbers and NJ DOT logos are on hand.
The main issue is that my airbrush has been acting up (its not putting down a smooth coat). Also an issue, is that I have to paint some "patches" on the sides were the CNJ letters would be. I actually have a set of CNJ GP40P decals, but these are very rare and I'm not sure I want to use them on this model where they will be "patched over".
In the end though, this is one of my major "Must Haves", up there with my E44s and my Arrows. I can now say I have a representative roster of locomotives and MU cars for the NEC during the time that I model. Since these locomotives almost exclusively hauled the "Jersey Builder" trains (arguably, the most brightly colored NJ commuter train ever), they won't go unnoticed!
A few more electrics
With a little extra room in my budget, I managed to snatch an Alco Models New York Central T3A boxcab, as well as a PRR B1 switcher boxcab electric.
The T3 has been a problem in terms of powering it. Its spring belts are not good transmission devices! However, I've been trying to adapt a sprocket and chain for the drive instead. The only problem so far has been that the drive shafts are too small for the sprockets (I must have misread something!), so i'm trying to use styrene tube to make sprocket's hole smaller. Then i can drill out the styrene as necessary to press the sprockets onto the shafts. If this works, I should be able to at least keep the wheels turning (I might need to shift the weight and other adjustments to keep the traction up).
The model is beautifully painted, so I hope it does not become a "shelf queen".
On the other hand, my Alco PRR B1 switcher runs surprisingly well and quietly (older brass models, particularly Alco Models, have a bad reputation for being poor, loud runners). I plan to paint this one up as either 4751 (the last operating B1), or 4756 (the last surviving B1, at RR Museum of PA).
Neither of these survived into Conrail, the B1 being retired around 1974, and the T-motor being transferred to Amtrak by Conrail on April 1, 1976, who as far as I know, never used it. However, both were used as coach yard switchers at Sunnyside Yard in New York in the end, and the T-motors were the workhorses of the NYC electric fleet, until the P-motors moved in many years later.
GG1 shuffling
I recently picked up two Additional GG1s, a Broadway Limited and an MTH. The former was an Amtrak model identical to one I owned. I renumbered and repatched it for Conrail as #4867. The MTH GG1 I got at a ridiculously low price, but it appears to be 100% intact and functional, even for an MTH. It is painted in the Bloody Nose Scheme like that in my Avatar photo, #924. 924 will need some High air intakes, and there may be complications repainting the model if I choose to remove the cast on metal intakes, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.
My first MTH GG1, a conrail unit, I had originally numbered as 4867, but I could not get it to play nice with the BLI GG1s (different speeds). I renumbered the old 4867 to 4872, one of the NJ DOT commuter GG1s. This works out nicely since this gives me two NJ DOT GG1s, the other being 4883. Since these engines don't have to run in multiple to pull commuter trains, it eliminates any speed matching complications.
Reading MU care Update
I did some work on my EPa type "green car" Reading Company MUs to make them somewhat presentable for the New Jersey Layout Design & Operations SIG meet. unfortunately, they did not do well in transit to the show, despite careful packing. Still, once I make some windows for the other cars and make some final decisions about decaling these cars, I should have a nice fleet of 6 such MU cars soon. These will make a great, unique addition to my roster. Since I live so close to Philadelphia, many of the older crowd recognizes these cars and I enjoy the stories they bring up at meets.
Ex-LV Conrail #7499
I started painting this model using the "Tru-Color" paints now replacing Polly Scale. While not as red as I'd like it to be, this paint color is close enough to the later "bright" Cornell red used by the LV on these diesels. The only problem is that this paint does not do well being brushed on, which means I may have to figure something out as far as the details go, if any of the also need to be red. I also misplaces some of the Handrails, but I'm sure I'll find them soon.
A proper horn casting also still eludes me. I can also see that the stock sunshades are pretty awful, so I think i'll have to fill in the big holes in the cab roof instead.
I'm not sure I'll get this engine done this year, but now that the first coat of paint is on, its going to be that much closer to completion.
In fact, I don't even know where to update this thread.
I guess I'll start with the longer running projects-
Jersey Arrow I
I was able to find a 4th car for $20! This is a good catch since these things are long out of production (at least a decade), and they started at $109 when they were new.
The story is a good one, since I found it at the Model Trolley & Transit Modeler's Convention a month ago. I had just come back to my Electrified modular display after not really finding some of the major things I was looking for, and decided I probably wasn't going to find anything else. I was just about to settle down on my Reading Company module when I looked up and saw a silver car sitting with some models for sale, that hadn't been there before.
Sure enough, it was a Jersey Arrow! I asked the guy selling it, he wanted $20! That was a quick sell! What is really interesting, was that it was already finished, and i'm 99% sure this was one of the display models that IHP usually brought to shows like this one. When he discontinued his resin line, he sold off a lot of this stuff. You would think most of it would dissapper into unamed collections, but I managed to find it!
As for my other 3 Arrow I kits- The paint on the ends didn't go on well for some cars, so i'm debating whether or not I should try to repaint them. Unfortunately, there are no more warm days, and it might be difficult to get a dust free finish over the winter, so these might have to wait, which is a shame since they are easy to assemble and I could have them running as soon as I get power trucks for them.
Staten Island Rapid Transit R44 "subway" cars-
Another nice find at the Mass Transit modeler's convention was a set of the R44 subway car shells. These are what is currently in use on the Staten Island Rapid Transit (I also have a resin model of the original "ME-1" subway cars from the SIRT). These run in "A-B-B-A" sets of 4 cars, and I managed to snag 4 A cars and 2 B cars. If I can find another pair of B cars, i'll be set for two trains!
I'm not really looking to break into Subway modeling, but these cars are special in that some of my earliest memories of trains are of these cars, since much of my family lives on Staten Island.
On the other hand, the SIRT would make a great rapid transit layout, since almost all of it runs above ground, and its essentially just a double track mainline. They also use B&O style position lights which is interesting. For many years (until fairly recently), they used Alco S type switchers for work trains and had a fleet of cabooses. The only real problem modeling the SIRT is a lack of models and decals (the R44 Shells are out there, but they never made frames for them).
R44 Prototype info-
As subway cars go, these have a slightly more interesting history than some. These were the last rail cars ever built by the St. Louis Car Company. When the last car was delivered, they shut down operations in early 1973.
The R44s also held the world speed record for a Subway Car, reaching 87 MPH before their test track on the Long Island Railroad ran out. In service however, the cars were limited to 55 MPH. They originally were in service on the Staten Island Rapid Transit (SIRT) and the "B" Division of the New York City Subway, however these cars reportedly did not do well in the New York City Subway. As a result, most from the B division were scrapped and a few went on to join the remaining R44s on the SIRT.
These cars bumped many of the oldest "green" 1930s era NYC subway cars such as the R1s and R4s from service
Ex CNJ GP40P Project
I've lucked out here, I was able to find an older brass model by OMI and pick it up. These GP40Ps were a major part of the NEC operations where I model, and so I'm glad to finally have one.
This doesn't mean I won't still try and finish my kitbashed one, but it is nice to have a "reference' model. It appears to be a 1989 "NJ Transit" version. I notice not all the details are as correct as they are on the later 2004 run of these diesels, but these discrepancies are so minor that I'm not that concerned. The model appeared to have some repair marks and minor damage (broken solder joints), but thats fine with me, since I'll be repainting, and possibly detailing this thing anyway. I bought it to operate!
My big concern will be painting it. The paint job on these is pretty simple, some C&O (Maybe B&O) blue, and a yellow side sill, with yellow chevrons on the ends. Conrail road numbers and NJ DOT logos are on hand.
The main issue is that my airbrush has been acting up (its not putting down a smooth coat). Also an issue, is that I have to paint some "patches" on the sides were the CNJ letters would be. I actually have a set of CNJ GP40P decals, but these are very rare and I'm not sure I want to use them on this model where they will be "patched over".
In the end though, this is one of my major "Must Haves", up there with my E44s and my Arrows. I can now say I have a representative roster of locomotives and MU cars for the NEC during the time that I model. Since these locomotives almost exclusively hauled the "Jersey Builder" trains (arguably, the most brightly colored NJ commuter train ever), they won't go unnoticed!
A few more electrics
With a little extra room in my budget, I managed to snatch an Alco Models New York Central T3A boxcab, as well as a PRR B1 switcher boxcab electric.
The T3 has been a problem in terms of powering it. Its spring belts are not good transmission devices! However, I've been trying to adapt a sprocket and chain for the drive instead. The only problem so far has been that the drive shafts are too small for the sprockets (I must have misread something!), so i'm trying to use styrene tube to make sprocket's hole smaller. Then i can drill out the styrene as necessary to press the sprockets onto the shafts. If this works, I should be able to at least keep the wheels turning (I might need to shift the weight and other adjustments to keep the traction up).
The model is beautifully painted, so I hope it does not become a "shelf queen".
On the other hand, my Alco PRR B1 switcher runs surprisingly well and quietly (older brass models, particularly Alco Models, have a bad reputation for being poor, loud runners). I plan to paint this one up as either 4751 (the last operating B1), or 4756 (the last surviving B1, at RR Museum of PA).
Neither of these survived into Conrail, the B1 being retired around 1974, and the T-motor being transferred to Amtrak by Conrail on April 1, 1976, who as far as I know, never used it. However, both were used as coach yard switchers at Sunnyside Yard in New York in the end, and the T-motors were the workhorses of the NYC electric fleet, until the P-motors moved in many years later.
GG1 shuffling
I recently picked up two Additional GG1s, a Broadway Limited and an MTH. The former was an Amtrak model identical to one I owned. I renumbered and repatched it for Conrail as #4867. The MTH GG1 I got at a ridiculously low price, but it appears to be 100% intact and functional, even for an MTH. It is painted in the Bloody Nose Scheme like that in my Avatar photo, #924. 924 will need some High air intakes, and there may be complications repainting the model if I choose to remove the cast on metal intakes, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.
My first MTH GG1, a conrail unit, I had originally numbered as 4867, but I could not get it to play nice with the BLI GG1s (different speeds). I renumbered the old 4867 to 4872, one of the NJ DOT commuter GG1s. This works out nicely since this gives me two NJ DOT GG1s, the other being 4883. Since these engines don't have to run in multiple to pull commuter trains, it eliminates any speed matching complications.
Reading MU care Update
I did some work on my EPa type "green car" Reading Company MUs to make them somewhat presentable for the New Jersey Layout Design & Operations SIG meet. unfortunately, they did not do well in transit to the show, despite careful packing. Still, once I make some windows for the other cars and make some final decisions about decaling these cars, I should have a nice fleet of 6 such MU cars soon. These will make a great, unique addition to my roster. Since I live so close to Philadelphia, many of the older crowd recognizes these cars and I enjoy the stories they bring up at meets.
Ex-LV Conrail #7499
I started painting this model using the "Tru-Color" paints now replacing Polly Scale. While not as red as I'd like it to be, this paint color is close enough to the later "bright" Cornell red used by the LV on these diesels. The only problem is that this paint does not do well being brushed on, which means I may have to figure something out as far as the details go, if any of the also need to be red. I also misplaces some of the Handrails, but I'm sure I'll find them soon.
A proper horn casting also still eludes me. I can also see that the stock sunshades are pretty awful, so I think i'll have to fill in the big holes in the cab roof instead.
I'm not sure I'll get this engine done this year, but now that the first coat of paint is on, its going to be that much closer to completion.
Modeling New Jersey Under the Wire 1978-1979.
![[Image: logosmall.png]](http://i543.photobucket.com/albums/gg445/CAB_IV/Model%20Trains%202013/logosmall.png)