GEC's Layout Progress

[Green_Elite_Cab]

I don't have too much in the way of layout progress, but in this case, that may be a good thing. I've just finished my first month of my new job. It has been a little tough adjusting, but I think things are going well. I'm doing very interesting cancer research and I look forward to going in everyday, which I think might be a first, so I really can't ask for more than that!

On top of enjoying the job, I now have funds for projects again, which was the real drag about being unemployed.

I do have some new things to share-

LOTS of Silverliner IVs

I recently received an older order of two Silverliner 4 Married pairs. These are RTR cars, and they came with a 3D print "display" pantograph that I will need to replace with some other brand of Faively pantographs. As it turns out though, I had two more Silveriner IV married pair body shell, one I knew about and one I had forgotten, and so I am trying to get the rest of the parts necessary to finish these. I have about 5 Silverliner IV single cars, and now with 4 Silverliner IV pairs, that brings my grand total up to a respectable 13 cars. I will definitely do one pair as a PC/Conrail pair, and another as a Reading Company pair. Not sure on what the others will be.

On the models, I did make some modifications since the cars came with identical frames "single car". The prototypes had "shared" appliances, such as the battery box, which was only carried by one car and not the other. On these models I deleted the parts where appropriate. I may need to find a suitable air-compressor because the models seem to have come without one.

The prototype went into service with SEPTA in 1974, and show no signs of being retired anytime soon. By comparison, the Arrow IIs, which were built alongside them, have been long gone (except for some used on SEPTA's wire trains), and the Arrow IIIs have already been majorly rebuilt twice, and are on their last legs, despite being a few years younger.

Here are the new RTR cars. I had somewhere a picture of all my finished and semi-complete Silverliner IVs, but i need to upload it.



here is a pair of my older Single Silverliner IVs, in both flavors



A bad cell phone picture of one of my Silverliner IVs on the BCMRC





All the other Philadelphia MU cars

As it turns out, the only car I don't have is one of the new Silverliner Vs. I even have a one-of-a-kind Pioneer III/Silveriner I car that absolutely no one else owns.

So far, my roster looks like this-

MP54s- 4
Reading Green Cars- 6
Blueliners (in progress)- 5
Pioneer III/Silverliner I- 1
Silverliner II- 7
Silverliner III- 5
Silverliner IV- 13

I've got an awful lot of these things for someone who is trying to model New Jersey! I should have atleast 3 more Arrow III married pairs coming down the line, so i might be able to bring that roster up.

MP54



Reading Green Car



Pioneer III/Silverliner I



Silverliner II



Silverliner III



Silverliner IV Single



Silverliner IV Married Pair




New Atlas ALP44

Unfortunately, the new Atlas AEM-7s and ALP44s came out right as i got my new job, and so I wasn't able to really pick up any before they all disappeared. I did however preorder one ALP44, #4409. This one saw service on the ACES trains, so I figured it was a good unit to pick up. I can definitely appreciate having sound in these units! They are so compact, I didn't think they could do it. I'm glad that I have something sound equipped that is appropriate for my Comet II and Comet III commuter cars. Unfortunately, while the pantograph looks more prototypically accurate, it is NOT stabilized and I'm not sure it will work well under wire. Still looks good though. The paint is slightly different from the original run, which is probably just accounting for an update in their appearance, since the original models came out almost 20 years ago. The prototype has since been retired except for a single ALP44 on SEPTA. All the NJ Transit units are in storage.

I actually do have a 4 additional Comet III cars, for a grand total of 8, and so I have a nice unique train to go with this engine. The Comet IIIs were the first "Comet/Horizon" style car with a center door. More on those later!