I guess y'all are just too nice, or I'm just ornery. At his comments (criticism), I would have handed him the phone number to Walthers, so he could order his own reference guide and the phone number to the nearest lumber store so he could start his own layout.
Marlon
See pictures of the Clinton-Golden Valley RR
T-Z
I appreciate the additional information you provided. I'm not all that well versed in the Santa Fe other than I had a fantastic experience riding the Super Chief just before Amtrak and had a wonderful dinner in the Turquoise Room!
I try to avoid using superlatives when describing an event. Always and never are words that should be chosen carefully. I can come up with lots of plausible reasons for making "special moves" on my layout from wreck detours, movements of deadhead equipment (often, Pullman cars from foreign roads were sent to the Buffalo, NY shops) or even transporting new or rebuilt equipment from the manufacturer (all those Alcos had to get from Schenectady somehow), trade or automobile shows or conventions would frequently require lots of extra passenger car movements.
I've watched hundreds of hours of video and thousands of railroad photos and I'll frequently see something that makes me do a double-take and I want to try to figure out the reason behind the oddity I just saw.
I remember when Trains magazine would run a feature showing railroad oddities, like two boxcars with the exact same number that just happened to show up in a yard somewhere (they even showed a pair with the same railroad's reporting marks and identical number!) that kind of stuff is always fascinating and it gives the modeler just a little leeway to run something a little out of the ordinary on the layout from time-to-time.
Ed
gmpullmanNote, engine 305 Lead, A and B... that looks like three units to me. The experts can sometimes be mistaken.
The experts can sometimes be mistaken.
Now that you point that out, all the #3xx series originally came in three unit sets. The original 300-305 are some of the few units that were never renumbered. They apparentely had something a bit different with their gear ratio. The next set (units 306-335) were regeared to 50:18 when they were renumbered apparently to match the gears of then newer units 336-344.
I just never knew the #300 series were regularly assigned to the combined Super/El Cap. They usually drew assignments like the the Golden Gate, Del Mar, and Chicagoan.
I like researching questions like this, because once an event has been identified I always want to know why. Was this an extra section? Were the normal units in for maintenance? Was it some sort of power test by the mechanical department? Probably never have time to figure it all out.
TracklayerThe four F unit issue was one of the things that he mentioned and said that I was incorrect in running only three.
From the link I mentioned:
#17, Jun. 22, 1952, 637-790Provided by Steve SandiferEngine 305LAB
Note, engine 305 Lead, A and B... that looks like three units to me.
Tracklayer The four F unit issue was one of the things that he mentioned and said that I was incorrect in running only three. The other thing was the amount of cars I was running but as it was said the train was shortened during off season when things were slow. Thanks guys. Tracklayer
The four F unit issue was one of the things that he mentioned and said that I was incorrect in running only three. The other thing was the amount of cars I was running but as it was said the train was shortened during off season when things were slow.
Thanks guys.
Tracklayer
Actually, I saw a pic of the newly re-equipped Super Chief in the early 1950's with a 12 car consist and an ABB lash up of F7's. Might have been in an issue of Classic Trains. Eight cars might be a bit short, but who has room for 12-15 cars? SP's Coast Daylight could load up to 22 cars in high season during the days of steam. Anybody got room for that?
When you get right down to it, I've seen pics of the combined Super Chief/El Capitan with 6 F's and at least 20 cars. Tell your critic to pound sand. Things varied.
Andre
TracklayerI had a friend over the other night while running my Kato eight car A,B,B F-7 version of the S.F. Super Chief and he commented that I was incorrect in the way I was running it. I then explained to this guy that I was running the train in the way it might have appeared in the late 50s and early 60s when ridership had fallen and the railroad had made cut backs to the train. Am I right or wrong in this?...
So if you are choosing a peak season like Thanksgiving from 1959, and using selective compression I would say the number of cars is probably fine. I do have to say I cannot recall seeing any pictures of a Super Chief with less than 4 F units on point.
1967 they switched to the FP45s.
Passenger trains grew or shrank based on ridership needs. I have seen the 20th Century Limited with as few as nine cars and at other times it may run in three or four twelve car sections—sometimes even more.
Holidays, special events, and in 1966 an airline strike could swell ridership to the point of turning away passengers for lack of equipment.
Besides, on our layouts selective compression plays a role in dictating train length. Not too many of us have the luxury of running 120-150 car freights which is an everyday occurrence in the real world.
Look for some photos of the Super Chief and I'm sure you'll find a few with the occasional shorter consist.
Here's one source...
http://www.atsfrr.com/resources/Internet/Consists/17SuperChf.htm
Have fun, Ed
Hello all. I had a friend over the other night while running my Kato eight car A,B,B F-7 version of the S.F. Super Chief and he commented that I was incorrect in the way I was running it. I then explained to this guy that I was running the train in the way it might have appeared in the late 50s and early 60s when ridership had fallen and the railroad had made cut backs to the train. Am I right or wrong in this?...
Thanks in advance for any comments.