Freelance 2012

[faraway]

Reinhard, Sounds good. Just for the record the "tiger stripe" scheme is the S.P. black with orange stripes like Bob Smaus modeled in his S.P. layout. Santa Fe's was called "zebra" stripe because it was black and silver.

Russ, those zebra stripes and the engine under the stripes are getting a problem to me. It is my intention to model SF in south LA. All those service had it's origin in the 1st street yard and was performed with HH1000.
My current knowledge is:
1. SF owned the HH600 2300-2302 and the HH1000 2310-2321.
2. Atlas has only HH600/660 models. No HH1000 (it is longer than the HH6x0) available
3. Atlas has no HH600 with tiger stripes but engines that could be easy stripped to all black (did so on two engines)
4. I find historic photos of the pre zebra time with a silver stripe at the sill
e.g. http://web.mac.com/ckjordan/The_Patch/Pa...%20res.jpg
5. I find historic photos with a strip of zebra at the sill but not on the hoods (I have a book of the ALCO HH with tons of photos)
e.g. http://web.mac.com/ckjordan/The_Patch/Pa...%20res.jpg
6. Many of my valuable 40' boxcars (Kadee) and automobiles are made 1953-1957

I plan the following concessions:
a. use Atlas HH600 for SF HH1000
b. avoid the complicated zebra at the hoods by using the schemes 4 and 5

That will lead to the following failures
1. The engine is to short (easy to spot at the louvers)
2. Engines will have a scheme not used at about 1955ff as shown by boxcars and automobiles

I think that is an acceptable compromise for a freelance layout to be made of DPM modulares

btw. This http://www.patchrailroad.net/The_Patch/P...pe.html#17 is what impressed me most. We will see if DPM can be helpful...