GEC's Layout Progress

[Green_Elite_Cab]

I've hardly posted in some time! In fact, I've not been as active as i used to be, but still, I have finished some projects recently. Forgive the terrible backdrop!

I finally modeled Conrail 3660, a GP35 i picked not only because it was a neat patch job, but was the only GP35 on my Amtrak New York Division dispatcher sheet. It was apparently heading west right before midnight on a Jersey City-Conway freight, sandwhiched between B23-7 1946 and U25B 2605. That latter U25B frustrates me since it should have been a no-brainer...



The Bowser U25B as it was didn't match the ex- Erie Lackawanna unit it was numbered as. I ended up finding a former New York Central U25B, Conrail 2507 that was a closer match after some modifications. These included changing the nose, cab and horn, as well as adding a hood mounted bell. In hindsight though, I should have modeled 2605, an ex PRR unit. Upon closer inspection, 2605 is actually fairly conistent with the model as I built it, with the only exception being that the PRR units had a frame mounted bell and a larger Cab Signal box.



I've also finished patching up Conrail 6288, an ex-CNJ Exx B&O SD40.



I also had planned to do a PC black patch of an RS11, but it turns out none of the black ones lasted very long. Atlas already made an RTR model of this, but I used the undecorated model to correct some of the issues with the atlas details that were inconsistent with the prototype. This involved removing a door on the short hood and moving the grab irons to the other side in its place. there was protruding base for a cab mounted horn that I shaved off and filled in. There are a few other things that need to be done, but its looking good so far. As it turns out, the incorrect horn on the U25B above was just right for this engine.



I finally got around to painting and decaling NJ DOT GP7 #5681, though I still need a few more decals before I can seal it all in. The true color blue is particularly glossy, so this one will need a dull-coating.

[Tyson Rayles]

Good to see your still at it, the loco's are looking good!

[Charlie B]

Good to see you post again. How are the spiders Chris?
Charlie

[Green_Elite_Cab]

Good to see you post again. How are the spiders Chris?
Charlie

They are mostly satisfied, though the other day I did frighten my Goliath. His fangs are almost and inch long and he is easily the size of a dinner plate, so I try not to male him nervous.



Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

[Charlie B]

Good to see you post again. How are the spiders Chris?
Charlie

They are mostly satisfied, though the other day I did frighten my Goliath. His fangs are almost and inch long and he is easily the size of a dinner plate, so I try not to male him nervous.

I can easily see why you would want him to remain C A L M
Charlie

[bdw9535]

Chris,

Nice to see you posting again, admire the research you do on your modeling. Don't know if you need them but Scale Trains is coming out with the Conrail C39-8's in several road numbers. Need a manufacturer to do the Conrail SW1001's.

Bruce

[Green_Elite_Cab]

Chris,

Nice to see you posting again, admire the research you do on your modeling. Don't know if you need them but Scale Trains is coming out with the Conrail C39-8's in several road numbers. Need a manufacturer to do the Conrail SW1000's.

Bruce

Oh I was very hyped to hear about the C39-8. It's on my list.

There is currently a SW1001 shell on shapeways that is meant to be placed on a p2k sw1200. You can get a "solid" shell, or one with cut outs for a photo etched detail set that looks really cool since it has all the fans and grills and steps modeled.

Thinking about doing a patch job of an ex reading 9408, but part of me wonders if an RTR SW1001 is far in the future?

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

[Green_Elite_Cab]

So, today is the first time in a LONG time that anything has run on my layout in my basement. If I had to guess, its been at least 5 years, but likely MUCH longer. I cleared everything off, vacuumed the layout down, scrubbed the track, and put it all back. I ran my GP15-1 around the different tracks to make sure it all worked. Apart from some loose wiring, the layout seems to be just as functional as the last time I used it.



I was quick to populate the layout with cars and really try it out. I ran whole "operating" session, which ran almost without issue (certain atlas tank cars were trouble, but I think that was the car's fault). My layout had been down so long, that for many of the models in the photos, it was literally their first time running on these rails even though I've had them for years.



A pair of Reading RDC-1s roll by with red markers lit. Unfortunately, I will probably not reinstall the catenary poles here. I'm going to try and transplant them elsewhere.



GP10 7566 works in the yard.



GP35 3660 sits on a yard track. The photo doesn't do it justice, I did add some light weathering befitting of a patched engine.



I also tried running a truncated Jersey Builder. Having this GP40P makes it a little easier to "let go" of electric operation on this layout for the time being. It still fits my modeled area and era. In any case, I have modules for the electric stuff!



Believe me though, I am still all in on modeling the electrified lines.

I took this quick picture of my roster. The diesels appear to outnumber my electrics now, but thats only been a recent development, and in any case, not all of my Arrows, Silverliners, and Reading MU cars are present.



Speaking of electrics, I'm not sure I've ever shared this S-motor I acquired. I'm probably going to repaint and rebuild it as PC/CR unit. These were the oldest locomotives on Conrail's Roster, but I believe they kept their Penn Central lettering. They were used mostly for switching on Metro North.



Also new from Christmas, a Staten Island Rapid Transit S2. I was a tad disappointed to find out that this S2 was not the same S2 running on the SIRT until a few years ago. Apparently, it was retired and scrapped in the late 1970s, and replaced with one from the US Army Aberdeen proving grounds, and former LIRR units. Still, its a cool unit to have!



Thats it for now, hopefully more pictures will be posted soon.

[doctorwayne]

Nice to see you enjoying your layout again, Chris.

Wayne

[Charlie B]

Hi Chris,
Good to see a new post from you. How are the spiders?
Nice looking roster, and the layout looks good .
Charlie

[Green_Elite_Cab]

Hi Chris,
Good to see a new post from you. How are the spiders?
Nice looking roster, and the layout looks good .
Charlie

The spiders aren't doing too bad, though one of them, my first successful tarantula, passed away. He attempted something called a "post ultimate molt", or shedding his skin past maturity. Usually, a mature male tarantula kicks the bucket of old age before he can attempt such a thing, but only less than maybe 10% pull it off, and usually with deformity. This is because his male specific features do not slide out of the old skin easily.

Here he is about 2 years ago, just after his last molt. Most don't as long as mine did past that point.



I didn't go without for too long, and I picked up a juvenile Green Bottle Blue tarantula for my birthday. They are very colorful, if a tad skittish. When this one gets a little older, the head (which is pinkish-tan) will become an iridescent green. The legs are blue and the rear is orange, so its a very striking creature. It also liked to put webbing everywhere, which most of my other tarantulas don't usually do.



Here is an adult as an example:

[Charlie B]

Chris, those spiders fascinate me. When I was running the railroad we had quit a variety of spiders and after supper I would sit on the back porch of the locomotive shed and watch one spider that had a web. It was very quick to immobilize any insect that hit the web, and it amazed me how fast the food was wrapped and placed in storage.
Charlie

[Green_Elite_Cab]

I've gotten a few projects done in the last few months.

NJ DOT ex-CNJ #112

This was the only former ACF 44 seat coach to get the BN Green and white treatment. There were many others in this scheme but they were of different car classes, which are not readily available. These cars were rebuilt by NJ DOT to increase their capacity to 108! These cars have been all over. They started as UP cars, then on to Great Northern, Burlington Northern, CNJ, NJ Transit, and currently it is preserved as the URHS "Jersey Central" coach.

I figured it would be nice to break up the monotony of the big sky blue on my Jersey Builder train! I just need to find what i did with the number decals.



NJ DOT ex PC #2167

About the same time I made progress on this former Louisville & Nashville coach, ex #3206. These were unusual in that ACF rarely made fluted side cars. NJ DOT bought them for Penn Central and increased the seats from 60 to 106 seats. I still need to extend and paint the roof since these laser horizons sides are a tad long. I am also working on approximating the underbody properly. These would be at home behind GG1s and E8s on clocker and New York & Long Branch trains.





Conrail GP10 #7566

I got this engine fore my birthday, and its been a lot of fun so far. Its not quite perfect for a Conrail GP10 (minor detail differences), and the headlight is strangely controlled by the #3 function button. Still, it gets the looks "close enough" and I have a picture of it under wire in New jersey, so it works. #7566 started life as a New York Central GP9, first # 5911, then 7311, which it kept through Penn Central until it was rebuilt by Paducah.

The GP10 is kinda symbolic of Conrail as a whole at that time, taking something worn down and making it new and better, even if you had to cut out a chunk to do it! I just wish I had the sound option in this unit, but thats an upgrade for another day!



Reading RDC-1s

I've got a small fleet of the new Rapido RDC-1 cars, and I'm planning to get the Reading RDC-2 #9165, as well as an undecorated RDC-3 to make Reading 9166. These were snack bar coaches, and would complete my Reading Company Crusader and Wall Street trains. They didn't run on the NEC for a very long stretch, (only a few miles into Newark and then staged in Harrison yard), but they are a neat train and they fit some of my Reading Company Modules as well.

Unlike my MU commuter trains, I only need 5-6 cars to do both prototypes, so its not nearly as painful to have a few of these fancy ones! I love the lights, sounds and interiors. Rapido is making some pretty epic models.





Some More Random pictures

[Green_Elite_Cab]

Chris, those spiders fascinate me. When I was running the railroad we had quit a variety of spiders and after supper I would sit on the back porch of the locomotive shed and watch one spider that had a web. It was very quick to immobilize any insect that hit the web, and it amazed me how fast the food was wrapped and placed in storage.
Charlie

They are interesting! My Goliath is like that. Pretty much as soon as it detects anything, it bursts out at high speed to pounce. The funny thing is that, its almost like T-rex from Jurassic park. As long as the prey doesn't move, the spider looses track of it. I've not only seen the spider walk away after "loosing" the prey, but I've watched it step on it, and not even notice! As soon as it moves though, BAM, the spider is right back looking for it.

The same thing goes with my Pink Toe. It a tiny little arboreal thing, but if you blink you'll miss it. I've been meaning to set my camera to 240 FPS when I feed it. It will literally teleport out of its hidden corner, snatch a cricket and teleport back. Its nuts! Fortunately, they are docile and "friendly" (if you can call it that) to humans. Otherwise I'd be nervous about having it around.

[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!