Passenger locomotives

[Green_Elite_Cab]

Very cool steamers! One of these days, I'm going to have to pick up a Bowser PRR E6 Atlantic type, and do the Lindbergh engine #460. As the story goes, after Charles Lindbergh made it back to the US, the news media were racing each other to publish the photos first. One company took the Airplane to New York, the other took the train. While the plane DID beat the train to New York, the photos were already being developed on the train, and so upon the arrival of the train, the photos were already ready for print, while the airplane photos were still being developed.

Unfortunately, I haven't come upon any of those kits at a time convenient to me.

I think I have one more Passenger locomotive I left out, though i figure this one is on the edge- one of Conrail's Office Car Special E8s. It started off as a Pennsy unit, before being handed off from Penn Central to Amtrak in 1971. #4020 (as well as sister #4021) are Unusual in that Conrail bought them from Amtrak in the early 80s, since all other E8s on Conrail's roster were retired by that time (except for Former Erie unit #4022).

The P2K model isn't perfect, but I got it for a good price.

[jwb]

GEC, on another thread, you were speculating about whether your layout has evolved as far as it can go. It seems to me that you're getting a good deal of use out of it as it is. But why not try some other simple upgrades like adding ballast to the track? Inexpensive, fairly quick, good practice for future layouts.. I get the impression that layout has a good way further to go.

[Green_Elite_Cab]

GEC, on another thread, you were speculating about whether your layout has evolved as far as it can go. It seems to me that you're getting a good deal of use out of it as it is. But why not try some other simple upgrades like adding ballast to the track? Inexpensive, fairly quick, good practice for future layouts.. I get the impression that layout has a good way further to go.

Well, in the case of ballast, I had started with my industrial park and the old yard, but my mainlines were never really quite reliable enough for me, so I never followed through with ballasting. Now that I'm almost done relaying every inch of track (just have the last two outside curves and feeder wires to solder), I'll probably go ahead and do that. I've had the bottles of Woodland Scenics Ballast for YEARS!

Before i started replacing everything with Nickel Silver flex track, it was a mix of Steel, Brass and some Nickel Silver sectional tracks. I originally laid the track when I was 14, over 7 years ago, so you can imagine alot of it hadn't aged well!

Getting back to the point though, actually running trains on my layout hasn't been fun for a long time. getting the interchange to function rationally has been difficult, and my industrial lead is very short, requiring something small like a Trackmobile, or 44 tonner to operate. my SW1200 can Barely squeeze in with more than one car on the lead. Even though maximum train length is 5-6 cars, it is still difficult to switch them all out in a rational manner.

Current operating scheme involves using the 44 tonner to "prepare" the outgoing cars on the industrial lead (except for hopper traffic at the silos). Inbound Conrail locals have to pull out the prepared cars, then pull out the hoppers, then switch onto the lead and hopper tracks all the inbound cars. What was a 5 car train turns into something that is 10+ cars and spans the half the inner oval in an attempt to shuffle them all around. Tight curves and 50' cars start getting iffy on those inner 20" mainlines.

The only answer seems to be to just switch fewer cars, but then I start to wonder why Conrail would be running such a short train. On the other hand, given the close proximity to the yard, i guess it makes sense for yard power to make a short hop over. Still, i feel like i'm making excuses for inadequacies in the layout.

I haven't even mentioned the glorious passenger loop! then again, I guess you can't really run passenger trains on a 4x8 either. The layout is great for pictures, but it just gives headaches when i want to relax and run trains.

Just to stay on topic, U34CH. Trains Magazine's Locomotive Issue called it a "Working Class Hero". The big U-boats definitely look out of place on passenger trains.

all old photos







Six Axle Commuter trains? Only NJ Transit.

[jwb]

Why not post some photos of that problematic operation on another thread? I'd be interested to see it.

[cn nutbar]

Hello again---here's another shot of E-10-A Mogul 91 on a mixed train on Doctor Wayne's EG&E

[Green_Elite_Cab]

Nice shot!

Why not post some photos of that problematic operation on another thread? I'd be interested to see it.

Working on a video of it right now, though it looks like I might be crazy. I accuse the laws of universal reverse psychology and Murphy's law- If it can go wrong it will, but it will go right if you want to show it will go wrong. At least I had one fairly good operating session!

[Steamtrains]

Working on a video of it right now, though it looks like I might be crazy. I accuse the laws of universal reverse psychology and Murphy's law- If it can go wrong it will, but it will go right if you want to show it will go wrong. At least I had one fairly good operating session!

That's one of the little known corollaries to M's law....Guaranteed to work every time....

[jwb]

It's your layout and your decisions, but I'm happy in some ways to hear that you wanted to show something not working, and instead it worked! The impression I have just from seeing the photos and your descriptions is that the layout has some good time left in it. Any layout has frustrations and limitations -- I wish I could run all my freight cars at the same time, and I wonder why the UP would run only 15 cars behind a Turbine!

[Green_Elite_Cab]

Link to the separate video thread-

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I should do a passenger train video, since thats the other "part" of my layout, even though it may not be that exciting.

Not quite locomotives, but certainly self propelled, Silverliner III Electric Multiple Units.

[jwb]

Here is an Atlas GP7 in the Cotton Belt's version of the SP Daylight scheme:
   
It was the SP system's only GP7 and the only geep painted in the Daylight scheme. It was used on a connecting passenger train to Shreveport, LA. It didn't keep this paint for very long and was repainted into a version of the black widow scheme.

[jwb]

The Euro Rails iteration of the Atlas FP7:
   
I made a few tweaks, but this is 30-plus year old tooling, and not a whole lot can be done with it. The worst feature is that the body is silver, when it should be some sort of white or light gray, like the 635 here:
   

[toptrain]

Power on the Lehigh valley, Black Diamond Express, for awile was done by Cameback pacific type locomotives. Mantua made a model of a LV 4-6-2c. Mine is number 2004.
frank

   

[Steamtrains]

Frank...That's a fine looking engine not often seen...

What was the logic behind that configuration..?? How was coal fed to the firebox..??

[Green_Elite_Cab]

Frank...That's a fine looking engine not often seen...

What was the logic behind that configuration..?? How was coal fed to the firebox..??

I've wondered this myself. I'm guessing that a crew member must have hung out in the back (there appears to be a small sheltered area on the back of the engine before the tender), and the engineer stayed up front. I wonder if the camel-back was designed that way to increase visibility?

[MasonJar]

Frank...That's a fine looking engine not often seen...

What was the logic behind that configuration..?? How was coal fed to the firebox..??

I've wondered this myself. I'm guessing that a crew member must have hung out in the back (there appears to be a small sheltered area on the back of the engine before the tender), and the engineer stayed up front. I wonder if the camel-back was designed that way to increase visibility?

That is in fact the case. The camelbacks had a large/wide firebox that would have severely restricted visibility from a standard type cab. So the engineer rode up front, and the fireman stayed on the deck by the tender. Personally, I am not sure this was an improvement, because the engineer still could not see to the left side of the loco...


Andrew