I live in Kokomo, IN and there are loads of abandon right aways for Interurbans and sometimes when they redo an old city street, then find more street trackage burried deep under all the layers of asphalt. I always wanted one of the E. Suydam Interurbans but either I would just find Pacific Electric ones when I had the funds. But finaly one of the more generic model 1907 62' Niles powered coaches turned up on feebay. She runs nearly silent, even with the original open frame motor. I do plan to put a NWSL can motor and flywheel in her eventually. She is a later run import as most Suydams have brass wheels, mine has nickle silver ones on both trucks. Mike the Aspie
Silly NT's, I have Asperger's Syndrome
My Dad was a traction modeller. Had a super small layout, which featured a couple of passenger cars similar to the one in your photo, a Suydam box cab and assorted trailers and freight cars. He hand built super-tight switches and strung wire but somehow never got much further than a loop and a couple of switches before life distracted him. Living in Philadelphia, we had the P&W (now Septa high speed) and the various light rail lines. All fun to ride and watch, but I like watching and riding the Reading and Penn Central a little more.
From the photos of your layout, a conversion to traction would really use the space well. Good luck!
Watch this!
The problem with my current layout is there is no wood under the scenery to mount poles to for the wire. Its just 2 inches of pink foam(other than where the river is). Only wood is the frame and 4 1/2 cross members to support the foam. I could stick poles in the foam and "fake" the wire but doubt it would take the tension on the wire to run the pole on it. But I might try it just to see what happens. Mike the Aspie
I'm more of a mainline electrification fan, but I like trolleys just fine. My old club layout had a trolley line with working overhead wire that ran the length of the room (50') with a loop at each end. It was always a kick to show it off and tell people it really did work off the catenary.
Our new layout has a smaller trolley line planned, but progress has been slow. We've been doing too much mainline building to really dig into the trolley. Most of the track has been laid including one loop and some mainline, but the other loop and the catenary are still to be installed.
I really like traction, as the first rail service to come to smaller communities was traction.
I live just a couple of blocks from this:
https://www.easttroyrr.org/
In their museum, which is the power station, back then, and now, they have a traction layout, I think it's "S" scale, that runs on overhead power, just like the real thing.
Mike.
My You Tube
EMD Mike ... Thanks for starting an interesting thread. ... I like your brass model.
I beame interested in traction growing up near Chicago where I road some streetcars as well as the CTA "El" and subways. I rode on the three interurban lines that served Chicago (North Shore, CA&E and South Shore) .
I have often thought of having a traction layout, but never did. My current layout has streecars operating in the city to connect downtown with Union Station. I would like to install the overhead trolly wire, but keep busy with other projects on the layout.
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
Traction can be a lot of fun, especially in O scale. It has the same things going for it that narrow gauge does: tight curves, interesting scenery opportunities, and a chance to dive into scratchbuilding.
Another option is hi-rail subway. MTH has done quite a few subway and El (or L) cars, and Island Modelworks makes resin shells to fit MTH chassis for even more. A bonus to most subway and elevated lines in regards to three-rail is that it's almost prototypical, if you can overlook the placement of the third rail.
Eric
I have seen several beautiful traction layouts at Trainfest over the years. One might as well be an advertisement for Clever Models when you take a close look at the buildings. (and I mean a close look)
The amount of detail and action that can be fit in a small space is stunning. They are from an era long past, since even a Model T could crush their market opportunity, so you need to study some to know the details. The ones displayed had. It is a tempting world to dive into.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1Vo5ILH0ds
The resurrection of streetcars roaming the streets in a number of US cities will eventually rekindle the interest in traction modeling - hopefully. Traction modeling sure is an alernative for the space starved modeler, as with modern articulated cars you can negiotiate insanely tight curves and still be prototypical! Unfoirtunately, no manufacturer has yet picked up the idea, so there is a shortage of RTR cars. In Europe, traction modeling is a little more wide spread, with a number of manufacturers from The Netherlands, Belgium and Germany offering a great variety of different types, some of which could easily be adapted to resemble the equipment you find in San Diego or Portland, OR.
I can see MR doing a traction project layout one fine day - hint, hint!
I love traction, and I also love narrow gauge.
.
Both fall into the same catagory of things I would like to model, but I never will.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
I grew up in the Philadelphia area, so we had surface trolleys, subway trolleys, elevateds, subways, interurban, trackless trolleys, plus three different heavy rail commuter lines and Amtrak. I commuted to college on commuter trains and interurban (the P&W, alias "Pig and Whistle").
there was a fellow that built 1" scale elevated cars, he had a two car set and about 20 ft of elevated railroad made of aluminum shapes we would bring to shows. I got to operate on a couple O scale trolley layouts and they are way cool. They actually begin to sound (and smell) like the real thing.
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
SeeYou190I love traction, and I also love narrow gauge.
You need to model the East Broad Top, when they resurrected the narrow guage line a trolly museum came in and used the right of way, so it has narrow guage steam and standard gauge trolleys. If you want to really mix things up you could add some "Philadelphia guage" track for ex-Philadelphia trolleys, then you would have narrow, standard and broad guage (Philadelphia guage is 6" wider than standard so they couldn't run regular freight cars on the trolley lines.)
LensCapOnI have seen several beautiful traction layouts at Trainfest over the years. One might as well be an advertisement for Clever Models when you take a close look at the buildings. (and I mean a close look) The amount of detail and action that can be fit in a small space is stunning. They are from an era long past, since even a Model T could crush their market opportunity, so you need to study some to know the details. The ones displayed had. It is a tempting world to dive into.
I always spend time looking at those. I haven't seen the Gypsy Trolly Line (starts about 14:01 on your video) the last couple of years. It was amazing how narrow the actual layout is, as the backdrop and buildings blend together. And all the buildings are card stock.
Beautiful work.
Would this be a good time to mention the South Shore Line still runs from Chicago to deep in Indiana, has street running, and has Diesel powered freights??
Kato is paving the way, atleast in N scale, with thier Uni tram sets and articulated cars. They just released a USA version of the tram street set. Can we hope that USA style trams are in the future? Bowser is doing some nice stuff in HO scale and sells out pretty fast as well. Mike the Aspie
Two resources for traction modeling are CustomTraxx in California:
http://www.customtraxx.com/
Click on Our Current Catalog to see available products.
And the East Penn Traction Club:
http://www.eastpenn.org/
Between them, you can find out about most anything going on currently in traction modeling.
I wish I had the patience to build the girder rail style street trackage to do an urban scene. Maybe someday. For now I will stick with more rural scenery, which was much more common in Indana up where I live. The car barn's in town still stand here in Kokomo. Both have been in other use for years. Both are still easily spotted as they didnt get added on to or reclad in different exterior finish that hides what they used to be. Been chatting with a couple other traction modelers and we think that we have a plan to put poles and wire up on my exhisting layout, ,despite its lack of a wood sub level to mount the poles to. Mike the Aspie
Tillig of Germany makes the right track for that. Not really cheap (what is these days?), but effective!
Tiilig Street Track
I've got a couple of streetcars, subways and a GG-1. Some day, I'd like the chance to run proper catenary.
I did build some girder rail trackage using the Proto 87 rail. It was challenging, to say the least, but I would like to do some more knowing what I do now.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
I like the Tillag street trackage. Maybe if more modern light rail cars come out, someone else will also offer modern girder style street trackage set ups. The Tillag stuff is definatly not a well known product when it comes to the track. I knew about the Orr track stuff and I do not have the patience to deal with it or the work to lay in the street surface after the track is done. If I can make the poles work on my layout I have now. I will grass up the right of way to make it look a bit less main line and more like a rural interurban line. I have rode the South Shore years ago. Its a shame the North Shore didn't surivive, I bet it would be heavily patronized today with all the nice homes up that way with folks needing to commute into downtown. Mike the Aspie
Mike,
Tillig track is well known in Europe, where model railroading is much wider spread as in the US. Regarding the availability of modern traction equipment, I have my doubts whether a US manufacturer or importer will take up the challenge. This will be most likely the domain of kitchen counter businesses offering 3D printed shells to fit over modified drives.
Regarding a working catenary for trolley pole operation - that´s quite a challenge! You need to have some kind of overhead switch at each turnout, which makes "stringing the wire" an awfully fiddly task!
I've always had an urge to build a traction layout. I love the work of Bob Hegge and other traction modelers of years past.
I just hope the urge never gets too strong!
Mark P.
Website: http://www.thecbandqinwyoming.comVideos: https://www.youtube.com/user/mabrunton
That is why only one of the 2 turnouts on my simple layout will have the wire"frog" so I can reverse down into the car barn. About our only hope for USA modern street cars is probably Kato. With them releasing thier Uni Tram street track starter set in a USA version of street markings. Thier Portram's are not to far off from what we see here in the USA. Its just all in N scale(primary modeling scale in Japan). I have seen some really nice layouts done with their trams. Combined with Kato's Diotown buildings and lighting, a very convincing modern downtown can be modeled.
Narrow gauge (HOn30) and traction. Scratch built electric boxcab on a Kato N scale powered chassis.
New York, Vermont & Northern Rwy. - Route of the Black Diamonds
protolancer(at)kingstonemodelworks(dot)com
I grew up in Brooklyn the closest I was to streetcars was seeing the paved over tracks in the street.One day while taking a Trailways bus up to Maine the bus got off the highway by the Riverside carbarns in Boston.It was loaded with Orange PCC cars.Been hooked ever since
tge
dehusmanYou need to model the East Broad Top, when they resurrected the narrow guage line a trolly museum came in and used the right of way, so it has narrow guage steam and standard gauge trolleys.
What, Me model a prototype railroad... NEVER!
I hired a Giant Orc smash all prototype train cars that show up on my pike!
Got my first 5 Suydam trolley poles today, have them installed on the layout, only one is really loose but I have a plan to deal with that. Wire height over the rail will be right around 2.75 inches once I put the hangers on the pole arm. Gonna need about 20 more of these poles to go all the way around the layout. Wish I was around and modeling traction back when one could just order these new from E. Suydam. Unfortunatly, Alpine Scale Models hasn't seen fit to make more of them since taking over the company. This is an action shot as the car is coming at us going around 30 smph.
Looks nice, Mike - better than the logging theme you had planned for this layout!