Yesterday when I went to Pensacola, I saw something I'd thought I'd never see. An actual Burlington Northern caboose, albiet tagged and vandalized a bunch. When I first spotted it from one of the ends, it looked to be only dirty, but the side view revealed the whole thing (kind of like that statue in "behind enemy lines"). I only got 2 pictures, both from at least 75 feet away, would have gotten closer (maybe even on it) it if wasn't on private property. I still had to walk 100 feet through an overgrown litter-infested lot, but I had to get closer to get any decent shots. Next time I'll think about wearing boots and pants, as opposed to flip-flops and shorts. Mabye next time I go over there, I'll ask the people at the buisness that it was parked at if it's okay to get closer to it (or even on it).
I also bought 2 60' tank cars, a decoder for my SD24, and 1 89' TOFC/COFC flat. Now I need to get some more kadees, metal wheels for the tank cars (the p2ks and branchlines I have are too long), and 2 40' containers or trailers.
Pics of all of that stuff later.
Vincent
Wants: 1. high-quality, sound equipped, SD40-2s, C636s, C30-7s, and F-units in BN. As for ones that don't cost an arm and a leg, that's out of the question....
2. An end to the limited-production and other crap that makes models harder to get and more expensive.
It's been pretty quiet considering that we've only gone one page in a week. Hmm...
I've been so busy with lax, that the longest I touched my layout was for 5 minutes (it was the first time in two weeks!). My new F40 came the beginning of the week, so I threw it on the track and ran it for five minutes. It is so quiet, and it makes me realize just how old my old one really is. There's another one on eBay from the same seller for $4.25, so I may have to grab it, so I'll have 2 (3 if you count the retired parts one.)
Not exactly modeling, but there are now only 7 Comet Is left on NJT! Last week, the 5123 was retired, and the two four car sets were combined into one 7 car set (the only operating Cab is 5114). Now their days are really numbered. :*(
My Model Railroad: Tri State RailMy Photos on Flickr: FlickrMy Videos on Youtube: YoutubeMy Photos on RRPA: RR Picture Archives
Well, I've figured out the track I need to buy, as well as the two structures I need. And I'll still ahve plenty of money elft to build up my freight car fleet or for wiring, if i can't find any wire etc. around my house.
Sawyer Berry
Clemson University c/o 2018
Building a protolanced industrial park layout
I've been fairly busy today.
My UP and BN SD24s both came it, so I got around to swapping parts around so the sound was under the BN unit. The front lights were more of a challenge than I thought they would be, since they used a different wiring plug between the DCC/sound and DC versions circuit board. For some strange reason, the foward LED on the UP (now non-sound) doesn't want to come on all the way. Guess I could try to get the front light setup for the low-nose units from Atlas.
After working on the SD24s, I went to work on one of my U33Cs.I had touched up the by painting the window seals, window edges, and exhaust stack to prototype. I put a TCS A1X into it, and got some strange stuff. If I try to put the unit in reverse, it shorts out. If I try to put it in foward, it runs away. Guess the decoder is going back to TCS, thankfully it doesn't cost anything to get a replacement.
I'm off to P-cola tommorow, hopefully I can find a decoder for my non-sound BN SD24 (need something with a really short harness. I'll bring the unit in so hopefully that'll help (for my other U33C, I'm taking the decoder out of my U30C when my sound-equipped [UP, yet again] U30C gets here). Maybe while I'm at it, I'll find some 89' intermodal flats and tank cars that fit my era. I only have 50' flats and 40' tank cars. Not very many of them around in the mid-70s (I changed my era to 1975-1985; I can have some patched units, but not a lot)
For my remaining U33C, I'll have to mix up a thing of Bondo. The squadron putty crumbles when I try to shape it to re-build the grills, and I think bondo should be able to be shaped into grilles.
I've been really busy recently, but I did find some time to work on tracklaying on Odgen Siding. I've got the (incredibly steep) transition to Kimball Recycling Scrap spur down and tested, and I'm close to connecting track 2 to Dooley. Then I'll have to lay out New Poland, and the layout will finally be reconnected! I should have some more time later today, so I'll try to get photos tonight of whatever I get done.
Jamie, nice power supply.
Well, I haven't touched my layout for a while. I'm hoping to go to a trians how up in columbia May 2nd and get soem stuff for my next layout.
Nice Jamie.
I wish my parents had credit cards, I'd use Ebay all the time, but then again, it's not worth it right now with the exchange and shipping.
Alex
Well,
Not sure how to start this one. I just wanted to share pictures of the new power supply for the Cape Vincent Southern layout. You got to love eBay, this transformer cost $100 with the shipping. It's more than this layout needs (the previous owner used it to power multiple G scale locomotives at the same time) but I'd rather have more than not enough, and the walk-around throttle is great. This is the 85VA version with the cooling fan. I'm working on mounting a phone jack in the facia on the layout to keep the cord out of the way (It'll get there eventually...).
This is a close up.
I placed it on the layout where the MRC 6200 used to be, next to the switchboard.
This is the coolest part, I can go to the other end of the layout or even operate trains from my bed without having to scramble back to the control panel (even though it's not that far).
Well see you next time...
Jamie
Cape Vincent Southern Railroad
HO scale Horseshoe Curve in 5’x10’
My YouTube
Busy busy! It's almost the end of term for me.
I've been doing the annual "car inspections" on my rolling stock, including the new stuff I bought. Everything will now have Kadee's and metal wheels. The stuff that didn't have Kadee's and metal wheels hardly hit the road because of their unreliability, so now that they've all been weighted and so on, I hope I will be running them more often.
This lead me to add about 2 dozen other things on my MRR "to do" list, since I was reminded of all these past projects that I never started or finished, like adding the grab irons on all my Walthers RTR cars...
For the price, you'd think that they'd be painted and installed already! Makes me annoyed, because I have to go and buy a $5 bottle of paint, just to paint some grab irons. I'll probably never find a use for that paint again!
Page 4? Where you guys at?
I got that sound equipped UP U30C, for a whooping 75 bucks!! So that's close to 400 bucks on new engines in a month. I probably should have spent that money to get my car painted. Candy apple red turns a dull pinkish after awhile, and pink on any car (especially my mustang) ain't cool.
If the rain lets up in a few, I'll take the sills of my U33Cs outside and get the walkways painted right, and get the exhaust stack with some silver.
My U33Cs came in the other day. I haven't gotten any pictures yet because of work and studying. I knew they would be a little bit of a project when I bought them, but for 70 bucs for 2 despite the fact they both need handrails.
One engine is in good shape, just some paint, grabs, and weathering and it'll be good. The second one is kind of rough, since it's rear raditor grills have a nasty gash. I'm going to fix that by carefully re-constructing the grills with Squadron putty. There's enough left of them that it'lll be a matter of putting the putty on it and getting the putty out of the grooves. I would have worked on them today, but I had to work from 6 am to 7 pm.... I'm beat...
I'm still waiting on my other BN SD24, my UP SD24, and hopefully a UP U30C (ends in an hour). Both the UP engines are sound-equipped, and my BN U30C and SD24s don't have sound.
I hate when you’re sick for three days, and then go back to lax practice. And find out that it’s RED FLAG DAY (yes, that’s a bad thing!). First, we cleaned all the garbage and leaves off the field. THEN, we ran for FOUR HOURS!!! Worst day of my life.
Alex: Thanks for the pix. From what I’ve found (and seen on the real ones), all of them have the same arrangement, except for the 4113 (the arrangement of the steps is switched [this unit is also the one with the larger fuel tank]). I’m not sure exactly which unit I’m going to model because I believe that the model comes with the large fuel tank (like the 4113), but with the exception of the door, the rear is the same on the model and all of the other locos (of course, the hood will need to be lengthened). I’m pretty sure that I’m going to do the 4128 because the steps would be the same so I would just need to lengthen the body, get rid of the door on the back, and shorten the fuel tank (assuming that the large one is installed).
I think that I won’t need styrene any more because I can use the stuff from the first shell. I would chop up the grilles and a few sections of the body and it should work. I’m just waiting for the new loco to come and until I can find time (good luck with that).
Yes, I know that I still owe pictures of the stuff that I did, but I haven’t had time (to charge the camera OR to take the pictures themselves).
So THAT's what they look like on the rear! I could imagine what they looked like, but I've never seen any. Thanks for the kind words Alex.
Ty, Jordan, those are great panorama shots! I really like the quarry shot with all the hills.
Joe, I was looking for photos of NJ Transit and MTA stuff, particularly the stuff on lease to Montreal, and I found this by accident while surfing. Hopefully it will help your little project:
http://www.jefflubchanskycpa.com/NJT4192REAR-OI-FEB8-00DIGI14.jpg
http://www.jefflubchanskycpa.com/NJT4115-OI-JUNE8-98SLIDE21.jpg
http://www.jefflubchanskycpa.com/njt4122rear-oi-11-27-97.jpg
So you have the rebuilt behind, and the regular for comparison.
Hope it helps!
Those panoramas are slick, Jordan! I've done quite a few, but buildings are always a little tricky! Do you use Adobe Photoshop, or another program?
That's two of my friend Tyler! If you look closely you can see my reflection in the window.
Well, wouldn't it ruin your day if you saw an exact copy of your self?!
Edit, and on the note of panoramas, here are a few I've taken that I like.
Duluth/Superior. (Because this one is so large I will post a link)
http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z129/JR7582/Panoramas/Duluth.jpg
Winona Minnesota.
Last, this one is a local quarry I live by.
My Youtube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/JR7582 My Flickr Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/wcfan/
Joe: Yup, I've seen the CIs before on that train. This time I'll bring a tripod!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymdMMUNZnlY
Alex: Yes, you do! I do it quite a bit for my photography class, mostly creating photo panoramas (stitching anywhere from 2 to 19, my record, together to create one seamless image.) I'm only done one train related one so far though...
http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1517463
TrainManTy Joe: Hopefully the M&E will use one of those on the Easter Bunny Express, which I will be filming this year... They have in past years as a trailing unit (one year they used Maine Eastern F40PH) so hopefully I'll get lucky. I've seen one unit there, but none running... But in any case I'll see some of those great red Alcos...
Joe: Hopefully the M&E will use one of those on the Easter Bunny Express, which I will be filming this year... They have in past years as a trailing unit (one year they used Maine Eastern F40PH) so hopefully I'll get lucky. I've seen one unit there, but none running... But in any case I'll see some of those great red Alcos...
Not to put your hopes down, but I somewhat doubt it. They usually just come down here for repairs and such. But I believe the WRM has a couple Comet Is, that may end up on the train. I've passed by the museum many times on Route 10, but I've never actually been there.
And yes, those Alcos are amazing- there's pictures floating around on RRPA of ME 18 and NS 3010 running on H02, the Dover local. There's still no word if ME will be taking over Dover operations...
Atlas used to make ME 18, but it was one of those limited run things that they seem to so (like the AEM-7/ALP-44 run). I would buy it in a heartbeat.
Jordan: I'm confused...
Hmmm...
I need to learn how to stitch photos together...
Jordan: Is that two of you? Sorry, I don't get the story behind it...
Well, they invented shovels for a reason. I don't think it was this, but hey, whatever works......
oh, expect pictures of new stuff within the next few weeks. all I'm gonna say.
Well this always ruins your day. Ruined my friends day!
Vincent: My SDP35 had a migrant short... Just shorting out, not running away. My old (Atlas Commander or something like that) had a problem with creeping locomotives, and that's why I switched to the Zephyr...
PackerJoe, that sucks to get outbid by less than a buck.
I love when things get misexplained and they turn out to be better than I originally thought! Apparently, when my mom told me this, she only knew about one of them. So I ended up winning the second one! I made a huge mistake on the first rebuild (DON'T ASK!!!), so I'll start over with the new one. The old one will become a parts unit. I'll chop up the grilles from the old one because the F40PH-2CAT has an extra set on the lengthened hood. The old one runs fine, so maybe I could find a shell to fit on the frame.
Vincent: Hope that helps. My guess is that you're right about the contact, but maybe check to make sure that the decoder is installed properly (I doubt it).
Tyler: I know that Maine Eastern has recently been sending its FL9s down here to Morristown for a rebuild/overhaul/whatever. Here's a few shots from a few days ago of them on H74 in Phillipsburg. They would have probably have been put on H02 at Washington (NJ) and then brought to the Morristown & Erie shops in Motown. Photos thanks to Rick Glosser. http://rrpicturearchives.net/archivethumbs.aspx?id=41320 (I found this album by accident)
I woke up this morning and felt like I was going to pass out, so I stayed home (but I didn't do anything on the layout). I have a feeling that I'll have to stay home again tomorrow, so maybe I can find something to do.
Joe, that sucks to get outbid by less than a buck.
I took my CB&Q SD24 to the club last night and gave it it's break in run. I runs fine, but has a tendency to lose power alot; even on straight track. Everyone else who had an SD24 never had this problem. I took apart the front truck and found that the area where the axles contact the pick-up strip are dirty and has been painted black. When I get back home, I'll get rid of the paint in that area see if that helps.
It also takes off at full speed on it's own too. I found that one out the hard way when it T-boned a B&M freight (waits for alex to say something, lol). I don't know what's causing that, but I doubt it's the decoder I put in it, since I put in a TCS A4X. Maybe it has something to do with it losing power, since it always happens a little bit after loosing power.
Tyler, I recall you saying you're SDP35 has some sort of bug. Was it stalling out all over the place and running away like my SD24 is? If so, it might be the same problem, since they use the same trucks and other components.
Well, I found a few minutes, so I'll stop in quickly.
Welcome Jaime! Nice layout.
I hate when other people mess things up for me. I found a F40 on eBay for $15, so I placed a bid for 20.09. I asked my mom if I had gotten outbid, and she said that the highest bid was $35, which is too high (there's an add in MR for one for 30 at Trainworld). I just checked- it was only $21- which means I only got outbid by 81 cents. Darnit!
Absolutely no time for anything the last couple days. I was GOING to take the pictures of new stuff the other day, BUT the battery in the camera was dead, and I couldn't find the charger... Soon, I promise. :(
Lax is going well. On thursday, we get out at 1:05, so we're either going to have a double practice, or just one longer one. But I won't be there because I have Confirmation. HAHAHA! We have a scrimmage on Saturday, so chances of going to the train show in Edison are not looking good (still waiting to go for 10 YEARS!!!). :*[
Well, I'll try to be back soon; maybe on the weekend till then.
RailfanS: Looks like a really neat layout! Hope you continue to post photos and updates on it!
Alex: Having whetted my appetite for a spirited debate, I conceed defeat... Wikipedia seems to side with you, mentioning the larger steam generator as the main reason for the extra axle, but then reffering to the 3rd rail equipment in the next sentence. You win...this time...
Its a Lengthened FP9. New Haven didn't need the extra Steam Generator Capacity because its runs were not long enough to justify it, thus they put 3rd rail hardware in its place. Why would one need another axle just to support 3rd rail equipment? EMD designed it as a long distance loco, however New Haven, being the only buyer, had them place 3rd rail hardware in it.