The Roundhouse-The Place For Steam and Transition Eras to Talk

[Anonymous]

I have been a fan of steam since I saw my first steam train and even years before then. Though I have since given up my Broadways for Lionels, I still like to talk to those that are still in the hobby.

[TomDiehl]

I'm assuming you're asking for us to relate some memories.

Back when I was young, in the PM (pre-mall) days, my family would go shopping on Friday nights in Pottstown, PA. There was a municipal parking lot on Hanover Street, right where it crossed the Reading Railroad. This is where we parked almost every week. I am old enough to remember a large steam engine pulling a string of empty hoppers westbound (from Philly to Reading area). Unfortunately I'm not old enough to remember what type it was, but probably a T-1.

They would blow for the crossing, and the manual gates were lowered by a man that came out of the little shack and did it with a hand crank mechanism. The ground shook as that monster rolled by.

[Anonymous]

I remeber my ride behind the 3985 a few years ago!!! Wow, that was some fun!

[wjstix]

"The Roundhouse"?? Don't we have to call this "The Athearn" now?? [%-)][swg]

[pcarrell]

Steam & diesel are still in transition in my backyard. The Indiana Transportation Museum runs on the tracks through my backyard all the time.. Here's some of their equipment (visit my website for a larger image, the link is at the bottom);









And NKP No.587 (a Mikado)



It's an awesome sight to see one of these go roaring through your backyard! [:D][:D][:D]

[Anonymous]

I bet it is!!! Very nice photos, by the way!

[Anonymous]

I want to build a new transition era garden railroad.

[pcarrell]

So is this like the Coffee Shop for the prototype forum?

If so, that would be cool. A place to share pics of real loco's and cars, and swap a few railfanning stories too.

Have you guy's ever seen a fireless streamlined 0-4-0 porter? Seems like a complete contradiction of terms, but here it is;



How about that bad boy. I showed it the other day in the ugliest loco contest and I think it took honors!

[bikerraypa]

QUOTE: Originally posted by pcarrell

Have you guy's ever seen a fireless streamlined 0-4-0 porter? Seems like a complete contradiction of terms, but here it is

Fireless steamers are REALLY neat. Weren't they just basically a tank that was "topped off" from a stationary source? I've never seen one in person, but I'd love to tear one apart to see how it worked [:D]

As far as transition era, I model it, but I wasn't around to see it (born during the dark Penn Central years). I did, however, see some relics of it. When I was a kid, the Bessemer & Lake Erie still used F7's on the coal drags here, which went through my backyard. Around here, the transition era lasted until 1992!



Ray

[Anonymous]

Those B&LE F units are awesome! I love F units that survive into "modern times" I know there was an ore railroad, similar to the DMIR that had F units into the 90s, but on their last run, fell off of a bridge, and were wrecked! [:O] Anyone else know what I am talking about.???

I love trains and railroading, and I think this would be a great coffe shop for teh prototype forum!!!

later...I will be back!!!

[pcarrell]

QUOTE: Fireless steamers are REALLY neat. Weren't they just basically a tank that was "topped off" from a stationary source? I've never seen one in person, but I'd love to tear one apart to see how it worked [:D]

This one is kind of falling apart, but your right, it is cool.

Yeah, they were topped off from a stationary boiler. Thats why they could never wander far from the scorce. They were used in areas where you wouldn't want the smoke and sparks from a regular loco, like inside a factory or a mine.

The thing thatgets me is, never mind that this one is a switcher, throw in the fireless thing and I can't for the life of me figure out why on earth someone would streamline it.

BTW, F units do rock! Those are some beautiful ones for sure. Gotta love an A-B-A set!

[jecorbett]

I am a transition era freelance modeler. I model a period that would be in the last days of steam but my fictional line is a struggling carrier that lacks the resources to complete the transition to diesel. It is a takeover target for the NYC which is already owns a stake in it.

I grew up in the 1950s but have only a few vague memories of steam locomotives in action other than excursion runs in the last few decades. My most vivid memory from my early days were of steel blue MoPac F units running along the line through Omaha near my house. I can remember seeing as many as 6 units on the lead of some trains at the grade crossing on California Street along Saddle Creek Road. In my mind, F units were THE diesel locomotive and I am going to have a large fleet of them on my layout.

[pcarrell]

QUOTE: Originally posted by PennFan

I want to build a new transition era garden railroad.

I've never built one oof those, but I think they're cool. A lot of upkeep, but cool. How much room to you have to work with? Got any ideas for features like towns, rivers, waterfalls, etc.?

[pcarrell]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jecorbett

I am a transition era freelance modeler. I model a period that would be in the last days of steam but my fictional line is a struggling carrier that lacks the resources to complete the transition to diesel. It is a takeover target for the NYC which is already owns a stake in it.

I grew up in the 1950s but have only a few vague memories of steam locomotives in action other than excursion runs in the last few decades. My most vivid memory from my early days were of steel blue MoPac F units running along the line through Omaha near my house. I can remember seeing as many as 6 units on the lead of some trains at the grade crossing on California Street along Saddle Creek Road. In my mind, F units were THE diesel locomotive and I am going to have a large fleet of them on my layout.

I too freelance, but I am based on a prototype. My prototype is the Belfast & Moosehead Lake RR in Maine. My time period is just before WW2, so 1939-1940ish. It keeps me firmly in the steam era. I am moving in a while so I'm going to have to start over and I'm thinking about moving to the 1950's. I could keep all my rolling stock and just weather it a little more, except for the oldest prototypes which would end up being parked on a forgotten siding.

[wjstix]

Chris - you might be thinking of Erie Mining Co. railroad which became LTV Steel. They used F-9's in NE Minnesota up until very recently - in fact, they had to get one F-9 back from the Lake Superior Transportation Museum after they donated it, to help haul some taconite in 2004 !! But this was just a clean up action, their last big year for hauling tac pellets was 2002 I believe. I was on a 'farewell' fan trip on the line in fall 2002, kinda neat going on an ore dock!!

http://duluthsuperior.railfan.net/erie_mining.htm
However I don't know about the F's being wrecked, I think they did have a derailment a few years back but not that big a deal.

[pcarrell]

Afternoon all,

I swung by the local train yard and got some pics that I thought you guy's might like.


This trolly is awaiting a restoration.


This was sitting just a few feet away.


This F unit was sandwiched between two B's all awaiting their turn in the shop.


The newest addition to the yard.


The latest finished restoration.

I'm sorry if I'm killing you guy's on dial-up. I didn't mean to. There's more on the railimages site in my signature.

Oh well, I'm outta here......

[bikerraypa]

QUOTE: Originally posted by pcarrell



This F unit was sandwiched between two B's all awaiting their turn in the shop.

Hey, did you steal that B unit out of the consist in my picture!?!?! [:D]



[;)]

[pcarrell]

QUOTE: Originally posted by bikerraypa

QUOTE: Originally posted by pcarrell



This F unit was sandwiched between two B's all awaiting their turn in the shop.

Hey, did you steal that B unit out of the consist in my picture!?!?! [:D]



[;)]

I don't think so. Here it is;



If it's your's, I'll bring it right back![;)]

[joseph2]

I read that when the temperature went below 32 degrees the tractive force of a steam loco would drop off.I have an old Erie TT that shows under the coldest conditions a loco would only haul about 60% of what it could do above freezing.Also at the bottom of a hill the train had to wait 20 minutes for the brakeshoes to cool and for the crew to release the retainers.Sometimes I take this into account on my model railroad.Ialso live in Indiana and enjoy the Indiana Transportation Museum.

[pcarrell]

QUOTE: Originally posted by joseph2

I read that when the temperature went below 32 degrees the tractive force of a steam loco would drop off.I have an old Erie TT that shows under the coldest conditions a loco would only haul about 60% of what it could do above freezing.Also at the bottom of a hill the train had to wait 20 minutes for the brakeshoes to cool and for the crew to release the retainers.Sometimes I take this into account on my model railroad.Ialso live in Indiana and enjoy the Indiana Transportation Museum.

I suppose it would make sense that the traction would be affected. I'd never thought of that. Those figures are pretty dramatic.

[tomikawaTT]

If anyone wants to see that 'stream-styled' fireless cooker, it was at the Georgia Railroad Museum a couple of years ago. The photo makes it look bigger than it is in person.

[Anonymous]

Any body here model or own transition era equipment?

[pcarrell]

QUOTE: Originally posted by tomikawaTT

If anyone wants to see that 'stream-styled' fireless cooker, it was at the Georgia Railroad Museum a couple of years ago. The photo makes it look bigger than it is in person.

I think you're talking about a different loco. This one has been sitting in the same spot since at least the late 80's. Heck, it's probably rusted to the point that it won't even roll any more. The frightening thing is,.....now there might be two of them.

This one is pretty good size. It's just a shade smaller then a fired switcher. It does have some pretty small wheels so it loses some height there.

[Anonymous]

There seems to be about 5 phases of transition in the USA.

(1) In the late 40's abd early 50's when Diesels were being put into use along
with steam locomotives.
(2) The late 50's, when steam was removed from mainlines, and replace by
diesels on the big roads.
(3) The 60's where short lines and private RRs still used steam with diesels
but were phasing out the steamers.
(4) The 70's where steam was just about finished everywhere except for the
tourist RRs.
(5) 70s to today where Steam is only used for tourist and show runs.

[pcarrell]

QUOTE: Originally posted by JohnLat

There seems to be about 5 phases of transition in the USA.

(1) In the late 40's abd early 50's when Diesels were being put into use along
with steam locomotives.
(2) The late 50's, when steam was removed from mainlines, and replace by
diesels on the big roads.
(3) The 60's where short lines and private RRs still used steam with diesels
but were phasing out the steamers.
(4) The 70's where steam was just about finished everywhere except for the
tourist RRs.
(5) 70s to today where Steam is only used for tourist and show runs.

What about all the old time stuff?

[West Coast S]

Hello all, I model a SP branch line cira 1926, in S scale!! Firemaps, company records and field trips to the now abandoned line were used in the planning for a future layout to ensure correctness in every aspect possible.
Suffice to say most of S scalers envy those of you in the more popular scales for the amount of RTR available, but we also have a pioneer spirit, hacking and reguaging Bachman On30 Moguls to create SP moguls is all part of the fun!! Even creating castings from scratch for several unique to SP details is enjoyable!! I have no need for passenger engines, however I aquired several RTR Pacifics that will be great for kitbashing projects down the road, gotta take your S scale RTR wherever you can, whatever it be..

Dave

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by pcarrell

QUOTE: Originally posted by JohnLat

There seems to be about 5 phases of transition in the USA.

(1) In the late 40's abd early 50's when Diesels were being put into use along
with steam locomotives.
(2) The late 50's, when steam was removed from mainlines, and replace by
diesels on the big roads.
(3) The 60's where short lines and private RRs still used steam with diesels
but were phasing out the steamers.
(4) The 70's where steam was just about finished everywhere except for the
tourist RRs.
(5) 70s to today where Steam is only used for tourist and show runs.

What about all the old time stuff?

"The Steam to Diesel Transition Era" as the person who started this topic stated,
was when Steam was being phased out and Diesel was replacing Steam.
Diesel began in the 40's so I don't know what "Old Time Stuff" you are talking about.

[wjstix]

That five-step timeline is good...if you subtract about 10 years off each part!! [:D]

Diesels first appeared as "oil electrics" c. 1910 on the Dan Patch Electric line in Minnesota, but the real transition to diesels started in the 30's with the introduction of diesel passenger engines, switchers, and by 1940-41 with freight engines (FT) and road switchers (RS-1). WW2 delayed purchasing new diesels, or steam would have disappeared much sooner, but sales boomed after the war. By 1953 no US RR was buying or building new steam (only a handful bought any new steam after WW2), and most were retiring steam as soon as possible. (In fact by 1953 several railroads were already all diesel.)

By 1960 mainline steam had ended, with the DM&IR, CB&Q (C&S), and N&W being the last (and CN in Canada). A very few shortlines continued using steam until 1964-65 but after that steam was very very rare - D&RGW narrowguage used steam into the late sixties, a logging RR in British Columbia used steam until about 1973.

In the seventies, a tiny railroad called the Crab Orchard and Egyptian was formed that was all steam (two engines) and hauled freight, and a steel co. near Chicago used some 0-8-0's until about 1981, and a few times UP 8444 pulled freight cars while going to / from a passenger run.

So for all practical purposes US steam ended about 1960. After that steam was basically restricted to tourist / fantrip service.

[pcarrell]

QUOTE: Originally posted by JohnLat

QUOTE: Originally posted by pcarrell

QUOTE: Originally posted by JohnLat

There seems to be about 5 phases of transition in the USA.

(1) In the late 40's abd early 50's when Diesels were being put into use along
with steam locomotives.
(2) The late 50's, when steam was removed from mainlines, and replace by
diesels on the big roads.
(3) The 60's where short lines and private RRs still used steam with diesels
but were phasing out the steamers.
(4) The 70's where steam was just about finished everywhere except for the
tourist RRs.
(5) 70s to today where Steam is only used for tourist and show runs.

What about all the old time stuff?

"The Steam to Diesel Transition Era" as the person who started this topic stated,
was when Steam was being phased out and Diesel was replacing Steam.
Diesel began in the 40's so I don't know what "Old Time Stuff" you are talking about.

Oh, I see where you're coming from. I thought you were giving a kind of a full timeline since you went all the way into the modern age and that is not normally concidered part of the "classic" definition of the transition era.

But I digress........[:D]