Speaking of Passenger Service

[nkp_174]

Cleveland Union Terminal was interesting primarily because of its unusual arrangement of swapping out steam for electric purely for the terminal. As an NKP enthusiast, it was ground zero for my favorite locomotives: the 170s.

Otherwise, Cleveland Union Terminal isn't too impressive in terms of variety of equipment. Basically just B&O, NYC, and NKP diesels along with the electrics. The PRR didn't use the terminal, and the Erie did only briefly.

I've long been curious as to where else you could match the interesting mix of marquee power here at Cincinnati Union Terminal. There were very, very few terminals which had both PRR and NYC as tenants. It was also the western terminal for the C&O and N&W's flagship trains...and hence the only place you could see their premier passenger power side by side, outside of Virginia. It was the only station in the country which brought N&W J's into contact with NYC 4-6-4s, Southern PS4s met NYC hudsons, and PRR T-1s shared roundhouse stalls with C&O F-19 4-6-2s. It was an important enough city to warrant premier trains and power, but not important enough to warrant multiple stations such as Chicago.

Edit: Anytime multiple railroads share a station, it is interesting. My statement regarding Cleveland Union Terminals' variety should be regarded as a relative statement, not an absolute...because of course electrics and diesels from 3 roads is going to be interesting!

[Collinthecreeper]

If you were willing to go to two stations, Louisville, Ky, would be your place. The B&O, PRR, NYC, IC, CIL, L&N, SOU, and C&O all had Louisville as a stop. The B&O, NYC, IC, and C&O all used the central station along the Ohio River, while the rest used the union terminal. You lose the n&w's colorful display of power, but you gain the Illinois Central, and The Chicago Indianapolis and Louisville.

[BR60103]

For a long time, it was possible to see F40PHs of 3 different railroads in Toronto -- VIA, GO and Amtrack. Unfortunately, the Amtrack loco was always at the far end from the sun. Ontario Northland was there as well, but with other locos.

[jwb]

Here's a Walthers Horizon car that I recently pulled out to bring up to consistent standards with the others I have. As shown here, it's pretty much stock except for a coat of grimy black and a little weathering on the underframe. It even still has the horn-hook couplers that Walthers stopped including in the 1990s sometime, if not earlier.
   
Horizons get a lot of use on Midwest services, and there are also some remaining in California on Surfliner and San Joaquin trains. I'll show what I'm doing to Walthers Horizons to bring them up to a better standard, inspired by the late Frank Cicero's articles in RMC. A shame we lost the guy, nobody's doing anything like that any more.

[Green_Elite_Cab]

I'll show what I'm doing to Walthers Horizons to bring them up to a better standard, inspired by the late Frank Cicero's articles in RMC. A shame we lost the guy, nobody's doing anything like that any more.

I just picked up the last "pair" of the Comet IIIs IHP was getting rid of (they are no longer doing resin kits). Apparently, the "masters" for these cars were made by Frank Cicero.

He was the only guy publishing NJ Transit articles for a long time. Matt Snell had some a while ago, but he seems to stick to more the modern Conrail freight stuff and such. I have his Comet IV, ALP44, and ALP46 articles. I think he made a few more that I might have, but I don't remember off the top of my head.

It look like he electrified too, but I can never seem to find much on his layout.

[jwb]

The March 2013 RMC has the most complete update I've seen on Matt Snell's layout, with a track plan. I had an e-mail exchange with Frank Cicero, who told me he had a pretty simple duckunder oval layout, which from photos looked like it had Marklin catenary. He also had two posing boards that he used for article photography; most of his photos were from those. All very, very well done. I have an IHP F10 body that I'm torn between doing for MBTA and MNCR, so of course haven't done either. The master was almost certainly Frank's.

I'm hoping pretty soon to be able to put together an Amtrak post-Broadway Pittsburgh train.

[Green_Elite_Cab]

The March 2013 RMC has the most complete update I've seen on Matt Snell's layout, with a track plan. I had an e-mail exchange with Frank Cicero, who told me he had a pretty simple duckunder oval layout, which from photos looked like it had Marklin catenary. He also had two posing boards that he used for article photography; most of his photos were from those. All very, very well done. I have an IHP F10 body that I'm torn between doing for MBTA and MNCR, so of course haven't done either. The master was almost certainly Frank's.

I'm hoping pretty soon to be able to put together an Amtrak post-Broadway Pittsburgh train.

I thought from one article, it looked like there was some bit of Pennsy style catenary. I remember there was an NJ transit E60 in the back, I was always curious about that one.

I'm not that far from my Amtrak Broadway limited, I'm hoping now that I have some time, that I can get around to actually painting and building the few undec cars I have.

I also just got 4 of the 8 Arrow II kits from IHP. To much stuff piling in! I hope I can get some of it done this summer.

I also plan to shoot an Email to Laser Horizons about some of their car sides. They make some of the ex-Army Ambulance cars turned baggage dorms, as well as some NJ DOT coaches.

[jwb]

Here's a Horizon with the improvements I've made to date:
   
These include underframe/trucks weathered and painted, long shank Kadees, the battery box painted platinum mist, 3-stripe continued onto corner post with Micro Scale decals, diaphragms (IHP used to make cast metal versions, but Train Station Products makes the same thing in plastic), and markers on ends colored with metallic red enamel. The cars in Phase III stripes had step covers that were in place when the doors were closed, which haven't been added here yet. I have some on order. Phase IV paint scheme, however, involved Amtrak installing new doors with smaller windows and doing away with the step covers. I'm not sure if Walthers ever did these cars in Phase IV paint, but you'd have to change the doors to make them correct.

Here's an equivalent Walthers Amfleet with similar changes:
   
Underframe painted and weathered, wheels painted rail brown or dark gray, 3-stripes continued onto corner posts, diaphrams, HEP cable covers on ends painted white and blue, markers touched up with metallic red enamel. I don't know if the new version Amfleets are going to be so much of an improvement that I'll get any; I still have some old, old Soho brass Amfleets that could quite possibly do just as well. But in 1996 I was traveling and found a hobby shop that was selling a huge stash of Walthers 1980s Amfleets at a very good price, so I have what is almost certainly a lifetime supply of these.

[jwb]

A Walthers Horizon with Train Station Products step well covers added:
   
And a new Kato F40 factory-equipped with DCC and sound:
   
I have many, many photos of F40s over the 20-plus year span of their lives. The ones with ditch lights are very, very late, and I'm not sure if all of them got ditch lights -- I have shots from 1995 without, but here's one from 1997:
   
I really like the sound on this one. Real F40s are loud, since the engine is always in run 8 for the HEP. This one's loud, too, but it also has the random compressor noise, air bleed, and so forth, so that even stopped, it's always doing something. Alive, like the real thing! Some guys like sound. I've been getting my feet wet very slowly, but I'm definitely deciding I like it. Haven't run the thing full volume for my wife yet, though.

[Green_Elite_Cab]

Here is some "outdoor" shots of my passenger equipment on my catenary demonstrator. a few months ago, I transplanted the catenary off my layout onto this "mini-module" so I could show some good HO catenary and attract members to our modular group.

This Great Northern car is actually prototypical for NJ DOT operations. I probably just need to paint a patch over the Great Northern lettering.



This GG1 is also new, but I plan to renumber it to #4883, and probably remove the CR patches (to be fair the unit DID keep its CR patches for a while). I luckily found some Champs "EH-253" decal sets for single stripe GG1s. As it turns out, the Microscale set only does 4811, but the Champs set has all the other numbers I'd need.

#4844 was very "photogenic", but it did not last long on conrail. It was retired early in 1979, and was probably dead long before that. Charlie has a photo on here elsewhere of 4844 heading to the scrapper. Since I already have another striped unit, 4840, which survived to the end of Conrail's GG1 fleet, it make sense to make this an NJ DOT unit.




Right now, I'm holding out for the Walthers Metroliners. I'm really excited about them and I can't wait! They'll probably get delayed ANOTHER 6 months, but whatever. gives me more time to save up so I can maybe pick up a few extras.

I'm gonna try and get my Arrow projects back under way. because the Arrow IIs have the same bodies as the Arrow IIIs, I'm going to try to do all the "same" work on those as well. I might actually try and complete my Arrow IIs before the Arrow IIIs, but we'll see.

Also, in a week or so, my Allumilite High Strength 2 and 3 should arrive, and I can finally clone JWB's Arrow and send it home! I've been keeping it safe my in my desk drawer, and I just checked it, still as it was. It has taken me way to long to get that project going!

Its all pretty exciting, since I'm pretty sure I can just about realistically model some corridor action with my roster!

[Green_Elite_Cab]

Some prototype photos of the above-

Surviving ex Great Northern 44 seat AC&F coach. This one did spend time as a "jersey builder" in the 70s



#4883 is a given as far as GG1s go. It was one of two NJ DOT assigned GG1s with a yellow stripe. The other, 4880, would have been a little tricky to do since it has those "side steps" recessed into the sides. Rather than try to carve a die-cast shell, 4883 offers an excellent alternative.

Not only is it most like the BLI model, but it also had a PRR keystone remaining on its "F" end.

Here it is at South Amboy in 1981. It will be the last "striped" GG1, and will linger on after retirement in a deadline until 1986, and will be one of the last GG1s scrapped.



A close up of the nose in june 1979. This is PERFECT, since this is the time I model, and it means I don't have to obscure the keystone with any kind of weathering!

[Green_Elite_Cab]

Here is a good reprensentative of my NJ DOT commuter fleet.

From the left, one of my new Arrow II MUs in progress on Track 4, GG1 #4883 on Track 3, on track 2 Ex-Great Northern Coach on the Jersey Builder (need to finish that GP40P), and finally on track 1, an Arrow III single unit.



I'm really excited about my Jersey Arrows. I not only recently received 2 of the 4 pairs of Arrow IIs, but I also got one of the last Arrow III models being sold by IHP, which was formerly their display model for shows. Its in good shape, and just needs trucks and a pantograph.

My newest Arrow III is in the foreground, ahead of one of my other "single" type Arrow III MUs. My Arrow II pair is parked nearby for comparison. These Arrows share very similar body construction, but could be distinguished by their differing intake "blister" styles (a single medium blister on the Arrow II, as opposed to two small blisters on the Arrow III) and air scoops, amongst more minor details. Arrow IIs also used the "faively" single arm pantographs as opposed to the Stemman double arm type used on the Arrow I and III.

The Arrow IIs only came as Married pairs however, unlike the Arrow IIIs which were produced in both single and married pair configurations.









My new Arrow III, sitting on trucks borrowed from one of my Silverliner IIIs. I'll probably end up using these for my Arrows (technically, half the trucks used on my other Silverliner IIIs I borrowed from my unbuilt Arrow III married pairs, but i'll probably be taking them back soon).




Another neat project will by "NJ DOT 4437", ex New York Central 37, a "Tavern lounge" built by Budd in 1947. in the past month, I have been onboard three of these by chance. #37 is at the Cape May Seashore Lines, 38 was visiting national train day at 30th Street, Philadelphia, and 43 was at the Grand Central Centennial in New York City.

These cars continued service as tavern lounges on commuter trains to Bayhead, NJ over the New York and Long Branch to the Jersey Shore. They were also used occasionally on some clocker trains. These were usually hauled behind a GG1 and exchanged for E8s at South Amboy, where the wire ended, though after Conrail they also showed up in "Jersey Builder" trains.



I also have a Penn Central ex L&N coach car side on the way, as well as a few ex-army Amtrak pub and baggage dorm cars, which will be fun. I'll save the Amtrak stuff for an other post.

[AntonioFP45]

Hi guys,

Good to see some familiar names here and it's always a pleasure seeing passenger rail related threads. Below is the car that appeared in the September MRH online issue. It's an old-run Walthers Pullman Standard coach that I stripped and metalized with Alclad2 and lettered for the Seaboard Coast Line. I hope to have enough cars finished soon to make a "decent" representation of "The Champion" during the late 1960s.

[iis612]

Another interesting terminal for joint operations was Detroit Union Station. It played host to Pere Marquette, C&O, NYC, B&O, PRR, IC, GTW, NKP and a few others. I wish I could quote chapter and verse all of the operations that took place there. I do know that DUS had motive power with it's own reporting marks (even though it was jointly owned by C&O, B&O, NYC and PRR). For a while the head end power was taken off and a hostler ran them down to Rougemere yard for servicing. DUS power took the head end cars a few miles north for for mail and REA servicing.

I have a few friends that have made their entire layout solely based on the DUS. I will see if I can find the pics that I have and share them here.

Matt

Edit: It should be noted that Rougemere yard was nearly 15 miles west of DUS

[Green_Elite_Cab]

My Arrow IIIs in action. I'm looking forward to getting the rest of my MU cars running. one day, I hope to have all my cars powered individually, though for now they seem to be able to haul a few "trailers" that are unpowered.

I recently acquired a few extra Silverliner IVs as well, including one with Reading Style cow catchers (though already painted in the 1980s SEPTA "Block" logo). I'm hoping that in the future, some of the New Haven Division M2s Cosmopolitans will become available (the only maker has discontinued them), as well as maybe more Silverliner Is and IIs.

Powering these things is going to be a pain, especially since the purpose-built drives for these GE cars (Arrow II, Arrow III, and Silverliner IV) are no longer available. I'm hoping NWSL will be able to make a drive that can handle my needs soon.





My Arrow IIs have been painted. Unfortunately, the Alclad paint is difficult to work with. No matter how clean I keep my models, I always seem to get this weird "whitish" color, which seems to be some small layer of gunk in the flutes of the Arrow. They aren't obvious here, but they show up at certain angles in the light. VERY frustrating.

They aren't pictured, but I have a Married pair of Arrow IIIs completed as well. The only shame is that the one powered Arrow III single is not strong enough to haul 3 cars behind it, though it might be able to do the two car married pair.