Passenger locomotives

[Steamtrains]

WoW...What a collection of passenger "iron"....

I don't believe I've ever seen that doodlebug before...It's a great piece..!! Let's see so' more of it...

[doctorwayne]

Thanks Gus. I thought that I had posted photos of the "Bee" elsewhere, but perhaps not. Here's a few views:



She's a surprisingly good puller, and can easily handle 8 or 9 freight cars or several coaches, much more than most real doodlebugs:


Here's a close-up view of the front end. Detail parts include a pilot from a Bachmann Santa Fe Northern, headlight and bracket and marker lights from Cal-Scale, auxilliary number boards and bell from Details West, and carbody vents, dual upper headlight, air horns, roof-mounted air tanks and exhaust stacks by Detail Associates. The RPO windows are from an Athearn coach, and the engine air intake is from an Athearn geep, while the partial fairing behind it is from New England Rail Services. The roof-top radiator is an MDC part, and the roof-top walkways are leftovers from a Tichy coaling tower. Steps under the doors are built-up from brass strip stock, and all lenses are by MV Products:


The front truck, front frame, and fuel tank are from an Athearn F7. I replaced the Blomberg sideframes with ones from Detail Associates, meant for a Fairbanks-Morse C-Liner:


The rear truck is the stock Rivarossi truck, but with wheelsets from an Athearn passenger car. I added crude axle wipers to provide more pick-up points for current to the motor:


The car has a partial interior, but the spartan washrooms seem to have had a negative effect on ridership:


Here are a couple of "before paint" shots:


The car was sectioned into three parts, with the centre section turned front-to-back in order to place the baggage door farther back. New baggage doors, along with ones for the RPO and control cab were fabricated from styrene. The three existing passenger compartment window had transoms added, and two additional windows were added to each side.




Finally, an aerial view (courtesy of Secord Air Services):



Wayne

[faraway]

I love it! The prototype's and the model's front section are unmatched by any modern vehicle.

[Steamtrains]

That's such a "cute" critter, I might just have to get me one....

Thanks for posting....

[modelsof1900]

Doc Wayne, very fine model with a real scarcity value! Congratulation for this fine job !!!

Gus, you are not alone with this request!

[Green_Elite_Cab]

Very nice!

Gotta love those old Athearn wheels though, the Wheels on the bottoms of my E60s have that same sort of build up within one lap of the layout, not matter how much you clean both the wheels and the tracks! At the very least, the grip the rails better than anything.

[jwb]

Doctor Wayne and Mr Nutbar, you've gotta stop posting photos, because I keep coming up with more questions. Doctor Wayne, in the last photo, the overhead one, how did you do the water with the current?

[Green_Elite_Cab]

Well, I forgot this one, but then again, I do not know when I'll get back to it- an AEM7-AC. These are rebuilt units with all new guts and a modified roof, compared to the original AEM7s from the early 1980s.

So far, I've fabricated the roof air filter boxes, though I still need to make the resistor grids spread across the roof. I plan to use styrene to make the "frames", a casting of the original AEM7 resistor grid box to get some of the "details", plastic screws to represent the grids themselves, and brass mesh to "wrap" over it all to make it see through. I've done something similar with my ALP44 roof, though I plan to try and make this look even better.



prototype photo



Here is one half of the ALP44 Resistor grids. the prototype resembles a pair of these put together. This give the best view of the "see-thru" nature of the grids. Air is meant to flow over the resistor grids to dissipate heat in dynamic braking. Stock Atlas AEM7 resistor grids are solid, so while they look OK, they don't quite give the actual feel of the grids. Besides, in the case of the AEM7-AC and ALP44, the stock resistor grids no longer apply, so I might as well make them right!






Throwing in a few more Electric Multiple Units, some of my Metroliner MUs. I have two 4 car trainsets, and whenever I get the time and decals, I'm going to repaint most of them into "Penn Central" paint, and make two of them into a diner/lounge car of some kind. Until the early to mid 80s, only some Metroliner MUs were fully owned by Amtrak. Most were owned by some other corporation, but leased to Penn Central (and then Amtrak). For this reason, only a handful of Metroliners actually ever got the paint job seen on the Bachmann models.

They'll need work to look perfect, but they aren't that bad considering their age. A fresh coat of paint and some super detailing will do them well.

[doctorwayne]

Doctor Wayne, in the last photo, the overhead one, how did you do the water with the current?

Here's the same river before the "flood":


The "water" is made in the same manner as all water scenes on my layout, and is comprised of a thin layer (about 1/8") of Durabond-90 patching plaster applied over a plywood riverbed. I mix the Durabond to a fairly thick consistency, then spread it onto the plywood using a drywall knife. (I first dampen the plywood with a spray of wet water - this prevents the wood from absorbing too much water out of the Durabond.) When the plaster is reasonably level, I use either a damp sponge or a drywall knife to "tease-up" the ripples - the sponge yields smaller ripples than the knife. If you mix the plaster too soupy, you'll have to wait almost until it begins to set (in 90 minutes for this variety) in order to have the ripples remain raised. If it sets and you're unhappy with the appearance, use a scraper to immediately remove it all - once it fully hardens, you're stuck with it.
I usually let it cure fully (a day or two), then use flat interior latex house paint, applied with a 2" brush, to colour it. The brown is also used for the basic dirt colour on the rest of the layout, and the grey/green is used on background trees, so there's no jarring colour change. Whatever colours you choose, darker ones generally suggest deeper water and light colours shallow water. If you apply both colours wet, they can be blended somewhat where they meet.
After the paint is dry to the touch, I use a 1/2" brush to highlight the rough water with PollyScale Reefer White, then allow all paint to dry for at least a couple of days.
The final step is to brush on three coats of water-based high gloss urethane, following the instructions on the can concerning the amount of time between coats. This is important, as waiting too long between coats will require sanding - it's difficult enough to sand water , but sanding rough water is impossible.

The urethane finish provides a tough, scratch-resistant surface that doesn't yellow, and the Durabond waves and ripples are very resistant to breakage, even when a camera is place directly atop them.

Wayne

[cn nutbar]

Doc---even after all the years that I've know you,I never cease to be amazed at your creative skills.Here's another "water scene",this time showing CNR Northern 6167 crossing the Maitland River bridge.

[cn nutbar]

Hello Everyone---K-5-A Hudson #5702 is spotted at the coaling tower in Leetown.There were only 5 of these speedsters on the roster

[cn nutbar]

Hello again---despite her plain and utilitarian looks compared to Doctor Wayne's Erie Northshore Bee,Canandian National Budd RDC #D200 proved to be very capable in commuter service between Leetown and Lowbanks

[cn nutbar]

Hello Everyone---if you're interested in watching passenger trains in Leetown,early mornings at the James St. station is the place to be.First out is the Port Maitland "Granny" which has a daily 7AM departure.Today,E-10-A Mogul #91 leads a short consist comprising of a couple of express reefers and a combine car.



Shortly afterwards,EG&E Warrior class Northern #506 rolls into the station with the Midnight Flyer.This train has a number of sleeping cars in her consist picked up from the Grand Trunk Western RR in Sarnia.After dropping off passengers and exchanging some express items,she will continue her trip towards Port Maitland

[cn nutbar]

Hello Everyone---the Port Maitland Granny returns to Leetown around 5pm daily.Most likely the express reefer is filled with Lake Erie perch.

[cn nutbar]

Hello Everyone---CNR K-3-B Pacific #5588 is seen leaving Elfrida on Doctor Wayne's EG&E.This locomotive is ideally suited for the daily trip from Leetown to Port Maitland which involves numerous stops at branchline stations along the way to pick up reefers laden with fruit from the local farms destined for the canning industries in Dunnville.Later in the day,she will make her way back to Leetown with a mixed train which includes express refrigerator cars filled with fish from Lake Erie.