Question for CHicago & Alton/GM&O experts....

[Anonymous]

Did the C&A's USRA Lite Mikados survive beyond the GM&O merger into the late 1940's? Same with the Mobile & Ohio's USRA 0-6-0's, would they be seen into the late '40s also?

Thanks,
Christopher

[orsonroy]

Not really. The GM&O was the first class one railroad to completely dieselize, in 1949. There were a FEW of the Alton's USRA lights hanging around the old Alton shop complex in Bloomington between 1947-1949 (the merger was 1947), but they really weren't used in mainline service. They used up their flue time in short hop interchange runs around the Bloomington area, and did some helper work. The scraplines were filled with old Alton steam as fast as they could get new diesels delivered. I think the M&O 0-6-0s were gone before the merger, but you'll have to ask an expert on that road for confirmation (being a Bloomington modeler, I've concentrated on the Alton more than the GM&N/M&O)

Modeling the Alton USRA mikes is really easy. The engines were completely stock, and really didn't have any real modifications done to them during their lifetimes. The tenders were usually stock USRA meduims, with a few mods. Some had curved coal bunker extentions, most had doghouses, most had ladders down each side of the tenders (for the doghouse crew to exit), and some had safety cages by the doghouses. Champ still has Alton roadname decal sets available. I've modified two of the Athearn light mikes to represent an Alton engine (with doghouse, ladders and cage), and one repainted to GM&O (no doghouse; about 1/2 of the Alton mikes were repainted to GM&O lettering, retaining the Alton numbers)

Let me know if you need photos, Chris. I've got a pretty large collection of Alton steam Jpegs and prints!

[Anonymous]

Ray,

Yeah, pics would be nice, good news to hear that the USRA lites were pretty much stock! (I'm going to have to scrape about every pipe and hose of of the boiler of my CB&Q Heavy Mike, then replace everything from the check valves to the side railing...)

I model 1945-50, that would give me 2 years before the GM&O merger, but being that I live by an ex-GM&O line (now KCS), I may model the all-diesel GM&O, then just try to get as realistic steam for the Q as I can find.

As you can probably guess I'm thinking about replacing the Rock Island with the GM&O for a secondary line to model, I really can't keep any interesting in co-modeling the Rock, but the GM&O being an old hometown road is a different matter... My only trouble now is finding a location where both the Q and GM&O served, with the CB&Q having at least one Zephyr in town...

BTW Ray, just curious as to when you mailed the "freebie box", I am getting very close to having a layout set up whre I can actually run a train!

Thanks,
Christopher

[orsonroy]

Actually, I haven't mailed the box yet...things got a bit hectic throughout July. I'm heading to Ohio to Trainfestival at the end of the week; I'll hopefully have it packed up pand headed to the mailbox by Thursday!

As for towns that both the Q and Alton/GM&O served, there are loads of them, mostly SW and NE of Peoria. Joliet and Chicago leap to mind...! I'll have to check maps and get back to ya.

Modeling 1948-1949 as a target would work well. You'll be able to have shiny new F-3's for both the Q and Go-Mo (P1K engines, VERY nice, and affordable!), as well as what's left of Alton steam.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by orsonroy

Actually, I haven't mailed the box yet...things got a bit hectic throughout July. I'm heading to Ohio to Trainfestival at the end of the week; I'll hopefully have it packed up pand headed to the mailbox by Thursday!

As for towns that both the Q and Alton/GM&O served, there are loads of them, mostly SW and NE of Peoria. Joliet and Chicago leap to mind...! I'll have to check maps and get back to ya.

Modeling 1948-1949 as a target would work well. You'll be able to have shiny new F-3's for both the Q and Go-Mo (P1K engines, VERY nice, and affordable!), as well as what's left of Alton steam.

Ray, I already have a set of Genesis F-3s in Q paint, partly why I chose 1945-1950 with September 1948 being the exact period is that I almost won't have to weather my F's at all! [:D] All I plan to do is put a few paint chips in the pilot and dust up the roof a bit.

Also, I'm thinking about modeling the Q with the GM&O having trackage rights, with the layout loosely based on the Q's St. Louis-Burlington line, even though the GM&O never had trackage rights on this line, the C&A did, and using a little "modeler's license", I could say that the GM&O acquired and modified the old C&A trackage rights so the GM&O had rights from St. Louis to Burlington, where the GM&O could connect with the Rock Island, giving it a good route to get southbound traffic from the Twin Cities onto GM&O rails. That sounds reasonable enough to me, at least and it's believeable, don't you think?

Also now like you, Ray I am a fan of USRA steam, I might e-mail BLI seeing if they could get GM&O, Wabash, and Rock Island road numbers on a future run of lite 2-8-2's![;)][:D][:p]

[Anonymous]

How big is your layout?

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by dougal

How big is your layout?

It's not built yet, but I'm thinking 7 x 4 1/2 with a removeable extension taking it to 8 x 4 1/2. Benchwork should be started, maybe even done by the end of August, I'll try to post pics, or at least keep you guys updated.[:D]