GEC's Layout Progress

[Green_Elite_Cab]

As good as its gonna get! GP40P Paint troubles

One tricky unexpected problem I had lately is color matching the blue used on late CNJ units. It was painted as whatever the C&O and/or B&O was using in 1968, which wasn't precisely clear (reportedly, B&O controlled the CNJ, but the C&O financed these GP40Ps). True-Color paint offered a C&O/B&O Blue paint (this is the EXACT title on the jar), but that was clearly wrong! After test spraying B&O royal Blue, and C&O Enchantment blue, C&O seemed closest.

What do you think? a CNJ/NJ DOT commuter coach by Rapido is parked behind it. I tested some gloss-coat on the underframe out of sight. This deepens the blue to be even closer to the Rapido car, but it might not be necessary.




For reference, this is the engine in the True-Color paint.




New Locomotives

I have a pair of new locomotives, cheaply acquired! Both are relatively interesting in their own way.

Conrail C30-7 #6600- This one was an easy choice at a small local train show. The C30-7 was Conrail's first new Six Axle freight power. First acquired in 1977, they were first "tested" against SD40-2s to see how they would work. The prototype applied a "White Star" to the cab sides to denote a test unit. These engines roamed the early Conrail system while the railroad evaluated them. It wouldn't be unreasonable to see one wander onto the NEC at some point. While I'm fairly certain Conrail ended up purchasing far more SD40-2s, Conrail DID go back for more GE units, in the form of the C30-7A and C36-7.

Here it is new out of the box! I will have to modify the paint a little bit, as well as the marker lights. Still, the unit doesn't look to bad, and after some weathering, should look great. If the drive is comparable to my other Atlas U-boats, it should be fine. I have of course already applied the appropriate white star, but I don't have an updated photo.



Amtrak E60CP #955-

This model is interesting for a few reasons. For the most part, American GK manufactured E60s numbered and configured as "HEP" E60CHs. Apparently however, they must have made a model painted as an E60CP very briefly. It only needs a few modifications to pass as a "steam heated" E60CP.

the other way in that this model is interesting, is that the prototype #955 would eventually become E60MA #610, and the last locomotive to pull the "Broadway Limited". Coincidentally, I have a model of #610 that I built almost ten years ago. It seems I have an E60 for each era!

Having an American GK E60CP is ideal. The bachmann E60CP models had the right details, but they are not anywhere near powerful enough to pull a heavy consist of Walthers Budd and Pullman cars. They also are physically smaller than the American GK models. It appears that Bachmann might be closer to the prototype in some regards, the American GK in others. The bottom line though is that though prototypical accuracy issues are minor, the performance ones are not.

I look forward to super-powering this locomotive.

Trailvan update

I managed to snag a few extra 40' containers, including A-line 40' Ribbed containers, and an OOCL 40' smooth side by walthers. Now I just need a few 40' container chassis!

I'm fairly pleased with how quickly I am expanding my intermodal fleet, and with how cheaply I've been able to do it. I'm used to shelling out mega-bucks for commuter cars and passenger cars, and by comparison these things don't cost me more than a few dollars. The flat cars can get expensive, but I can afford to pick up one or two in a month if one is available to me. I see no reason why I couldn't have a respectably large train by next year's open house.

I can see now why some people prefer freight modeling over passenger modelling. It adds up! especially considering the kind of railroading I am trying to replicate!

A few pictures-

Here is another new flatcar, as well as some trailers I was able to pick up for a few bucks. The UPS trailer might not be painted quite right (might need some red borders), but the prototype definitely road the rails. The flatcar is an Athearn Genesis F89F. Hopefully, another run of these will be out by September/October, and help me fill out my train. At this point, I have more trailers than I do flatcars!



Tropicana Cars- I'm hoping to get a respectable unit train of these cars at some point. Currently, only 6 road numbers our out of each type that is applicable to my modeling era. Another set of 6 each for a total of 24 cars should fill me out with an 18' train. Far shorter than the prototype, but appropriate for the club layout!



Not yet pictured in this thread, are a few of the new Walthers Amfleets. I will need to pick up a fleet of these as well. I have SEVERAL E60CHs, and these are the cars they were built to haul. At the time I model, Amfleets had flooded the Northeast Corridor, and only the LONGEST distance trains still used "Heritage" cars. Generally speaking, if a train began and ended its run on the NEC, it was equipped with Amfleet cars.

One of my new Amcoaches-



#968 with an Amcafe. When these E60s get dress up with detail parts, they look fantastic. For now though, it will have to be a little barren.



Some End-detail