METRO wrote:Hey to all of you who model everything from heavy-rail, light-rail, streetcar, interurban, subway and elevated! Drop in and say hi! I figured we could use a thread of our own. So, if you would, tell us a bit about your line, and what got you started modeling commuter lines? Thanks! ~Urban
From the far, far reaches of the wild, wild west I am: rtpoteet
M636C wrote:Dave,I would think that variety would be an advantage in a model, so Metrolink would be boring, if easy to model.
Wrong there -
Certain Metrolink trains run leased Altamont Commuter Express and Sounder passenger cars, and occasionally mix them in the consists. Plus, there was a time when Metrolink ran borrowed Go Transit cars from Canada for emergency service after the 1994 earthquake.
Also in addition to the F59PHI in the loco fleet, there are also standard F59PHs as well as a couple F40PHs acquired from Amtrak.
I model a fictional commuter rail service molded around the practices of the MBTA and the B&M. The service is based out of Springfield, MA and runs north along the Connecticut River Division of the B&M. At Northampton, MA, the service enters my modeled pike. Here, solid trains of RDC's from Springfield will be broken down to ply the branches operated by my fictional pike, travelling further north on the Connecticut River to Greenfield, on the Mountain Main to Charlemont, and on the branches to Turners Falls and Amherst.
As this operation is still in the planning stages, things are likely to change. It may be redesigned as two services, 1 solid commuter set running to Greenfield, and another RDC set to split at Northampton and serve the branches.
For the moment, I just make RDC runs between Northampton station and Turners Falls station, dreaming of what is to come.
I also model GO transit........Minus the Canada. My "layout" is currently set in Eastern Massachusetts, so I got a set of 3 HO bombardier double deckers with ambition of painting a "what if?" MBTA scheme..........But with my lack of painting skill I was too scared, so I just left them in green and white. Then I bought a matching GP40, and now I have a short commuter train...
Dave
Jay
C-415 Build: https://imageshack.com/a/tShC/1
Other builds: https://imageshack.com/my/albums
I'd hate to say it, but my layout is currently in the planning stages....I could take a picture of the train, but it will be on unitrack on the floor in my living room......
modelmaker51 wrote:Doesn't anyone have any pictures to show of their model commuter lines?
This is an early picture of the Saint Anne Street station, the first of three underground stops I've built. It's early in construction, before I put a lid on the station and put track and scenery above it. It's an advantage of subway modelling that I actually have a two-level layout, but the levels are only 3 inches apart!
This is the Penny Lane station. (My wife is Penny, my daughter is Anne, by the way.) Rocky here leans against a support on the middle platform.
Here, I've built a trolley stop at Bridge Street. It's a surface line, with a bit of street-running track. The trolley is a Bowser PCC car. In the background, seniors Rosa Krantz (Lt. Col., USMC, Ret.) and her Danish boy-toy, Gil den Stern, enjoy the shade behind the statue in the park.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
It's okay.......I actually like the paint scheme better than silver and purple Hopefully a few more cars will show up on ebay....I want to make a full GO consist.....including the gutted f unit.
Now, this train has got a third car.
Wolfgang
Pueblo & Salt Lake RR
Come to us http://www.westportterminal.de my videos my blog
GO uses 6 and 8 car trains on the Bradford line since many of the platforms (Maple, King City and Newmarket) are too small to fit 10 cars. When a 10 car train is used only the last 5 cars (the ones furthest from the parking lot) have thier doors open. Some people don't understand the conductors message and often have to try to scramble back 3-4 cars to get out before thier whisked away to the next station, which is a pain since the service is unidirectional (4 times per day to Toronto in the morning and back at night).
If you are modelling N, last time I was there Credit Valley in Mississauga had many GO coaches. PWRS has the GP40M-2s as well.
I model the CNJ side of NJT during the late 1970s. I have a "Jersey Builder" set of ex GN/BN coaches. I have a start of one of the sets of CNJ Push/Pulls using the 1930s cars. And to pull them I have some CNJ GP7s, a CNJ RS3 and a NJT GG1. I also have a set of Reading RDCs for the Crusader and Wall Street Trains that ran on the NJT tracks.
I used to watch the parade of NJT trains on the old CNJ when I lived in Bound Brook. Sometimes on the weekend I would go to South Amboy and watch the E8s and GG1s swap out on the Long Branch Trains.
Hi
Just found this thread, I wish to model a US commuter operaton, having Just returned to the UK after a month's holiday state side, I managed to sample, NY Subway, Tampa Trolleys, MERTA, MARC, VRE, DC Subway, PATH, MetroNorth, NTJ, LIRR and Amtrak. I came back with several Idea's for layouts, all comuter operatons and all small and portable, for taking to exhibitions.
Idea 1, Tampa Bay from The car barn, and through Ybor City
Idea 2 Chicago Metra Olgieve Loco stabling Point. the idea is your stood one of the longer platforms, looking at the loco's moving on and off the stabling point, the layout would be from the EL line to the Station canpoy, 3 road stabling point lots of track to shuffle loco's back and fore, the station would only be big enough to hide the loco.
Idea 3 MARC Frederickburg Branch, Including the Station by the canal, the small depot which hold the 3 commuter trains and some spare cars, and a couple of industral tracks along the way
Idea 4 MARC Camden Yards Station looking as if you were standing on the Tram tracks
Idea 5 VRE Broad Run station and Yard
Steve
hello,
we have a section in our layout, we model the nj transit Gladstone Branch. It is nearly exactly the trackplan as in reality, but we havnt`t built the yard ahead.
There we have model the right catenary poles. As we run a Erie Lackawana NJ dot Atlas U34CH with a 4 coach push/pull consist, alle the material is modified. At the moment i try to re-built an Atlas Alp 44 (at the model there are some mistakes...). A BLI GG1 is waiting for re-numbering in a NJT Engine, and a U34CH in disco stripe is also waiting (all lights, cab-interiour, sound etc...)
As coronation i want to re-paint a american GK E60 in early and late paint schema, but here i a no real good solution to re-power an built up the kit. (i have high requirement such as cab-interiour, all lightings around, panthos etc... for this loco).
For our NE corridor section we have modified walthers amfleet. I haven`t found a real good metroliner (i own 2 pairs of GEM brass with poor running conditions, i own bachmann round motor and the old 4 axle drive ones), so i have to wait for the IHP anounced ones. For the MP 54 i have old (unbuilt) walthers kits, a friend of mine has a built up and paintet (unpowered) Funaro kit, but best are a railworks model ( i own one pair-brand new) with perfect running conditions. The Alco brass models have a bad motor/gear consist.
I have also some new Marc and Septa AEM7/ALP44, but without any coaches.
So you see-we have much options to run communter trains, all fitted in time and area
kind regards
Amtrak X995
Walthers still offers the Horizon Amtrack coaches but they're also available so you can pretty much model convincingly the NJ Transit, West of Hudson Metro North, The waterbury branch of Metro North (from what I ahve see an F10 and two-three coaches), some METRA and VRE, the MBTA, and Shoreline East. For the MBTA, running out of North Station.... GP40MC typically 5 cars, F40PH usually 6 cars. I take a train out of North Station every morning to get to work.
FYI, another pike sized passenger train would be the Downeaster that also operates out of North Station to Portland Maine. Consist usually is a cabagge, amfleet food service, 3 amfleet cars, P42DC. Maybe you'd like to add it in for some variety.
lLiving in the Boston area and working within eyesight of a MBTA (T) commuter rail line,
I model the (T) commuter rail trains in HO. Walthers Horizon Line cars were the inspiration
to go out and do a lot of photographing and measuring in order to correct some deficiencies and better detail the cars. We also used Imperial Model Productions aftermarket trucks which look a lot more realistic than what came with the cars. However, these trucks came with friction problems of their own and needed some work in order for an F40 to pull a 6 car train. We had previously reworked a Like Like F40 shell and used a proto Power West chassis. With the advent of DCC, we installed a Wangrow 7 function decoder to control the 13 bulbs on the engine, including step lights. We love running it and since it is something "local", visitors can better relate to it, more so that a BNSF freight train! The Railroad Depot (Boston) is planning to release a model of the (T) Bi-level cars and we look forward to integrating some of them with the Horizon single deck cars in a train as the (T) now operates.
There was mention of the Proto NYCTA subway train, first in red and then in green. I'm waiting to see a model of the 1964-65 "World's Fair" cars which were light blue and cream and ran from either Times Square or Grand Central out to the Fair site at Flushing Meadows. I hope the double width side windows are not a hindrance to producing this particular version of that subway car. These cars, to me, were the first of a new breed of handsome paint schemes or unpainted metal, a departure from the previous olive drab ho-hum paint jobs.
Frank - Boston
Wow, had no idea. I know this is an old post but still, very informative and relevant. I am a big VRE fan and wish their was more equipment out there. I ended up building my own equipment. Here are a couple of my first attempts.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/62552304@N06/5704259248/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/62552304@N06/5704257926/in/photostream/
NOOOOOOOOO !
Can we please stop resurrecting 4, 5, 6, and 7 year old threads? Start a new one if the topic interests you so much.
Rich
Alton Junction
Chicago's Metra line right here! O scale of course!
Boston's freeway system is insane. It was clearly designed by a person who had spent his childhood crashing toy trains.
-Bill Bryson
Good grief!
What is the problem with an occasional "reboot" of an older thread that may be of interest to some modelers? What infraction, or felony crime has been committed here? I find this thread interesting as likely so do some others. Yet, it seems that some of us are ready to start swinging 2' x 4's at a member that dares bring up an older thread that he finds of value. Live and let live?
Respectfully, is it not much simpler to look over a thread, determine that it's of no interest to you, and move on?
richhotrain NOOOOOOOOO ! Can we please stop resurrecting 4, 5, 6, and 7 year old threads? Start a new one if the topic interests you so much. Rich
"I like my Pullman Standards & Budds in Stainless Steel flavors, thank you!"
AntonioFP45 Good grief! What is the problem with an occasional "reboot" of an older thread that may be of interest to some modelers? What infraction, or felony crime has been committed here? I find this thread interesting as likely so do some others. Yet, it seems that some of us are ready to start swinging 2' x 4's at a member that dares bring up an older thread that he finds of value. Live and let live? Respectfully, is it not much simpler to look over a thread, determine that it's of no interest to you, and move on? richhotrain: NOOOOOOOOO ! Can we please stop resurrecting 4, 5, 6, and 7 year old threads? Start a new one if the topic interests you so much. Rich
richhotrain: NOOOOOOOOO ! Can we please stop resurrecting 4, 5, 6, and 7 year old threads? Start a new one if the topic interests you so much. Rich
LOL
Geez, Antonio, aren't you overreacting just a little? I only said No, please stop reviving 7 year old threads and just start a new one. I hardly think that qualifies as accusing a fellow member of committing a crime or your accusing me of swinging 2' x 4's.
This thread started and died a natural death in 2004, only to be revived in 2006, then again in 2007 and now once again in May 2011. I'm not the first one on the forums to make this request not to revive old threads. And, besides, it's not like this one contains a lot of useful information. It is mostly jibberish.
So, then, why did I read it in the first place? Well, actually I didn't. I saw the title about commuter modelers and that interested me just enough to look and then realized it was a 7 year old thread. But after reading your rant, I went back and read through the entire thread and concluded that I was right in the first place to register my complaint about reviving old threads.
This thread, though, for whatever reason, has real legs. This is not the first "revival." It was started in 2004, resurfaced in 2006 and then again twice (February and May) in 2007. Now, it's back yet again. For me, it's a bit of "living history," as my own post was made when I was just painting my PCC car and doing the platforms for the second subway stations.
Since then, I've added another set of Proto subways (the green ones to complement the silver-roofed Redbirds) and a Bachmann Peter Witt trolley. I've built two more stations, both underground, and added staging to allow more than just loop-running of the trains.
Does Chicago L in O scale count?
CTA Fan