I just remembered, several years ago on the Classic Toy Trains forum there was a poster who'd recieved an O gouge locomotive with a bar sticking out the side, and no pick-ups down the centerline. He had no idea what he had and was asking for advice. He also had the disadvantage of never knowing his grandfather. I told him in my opinion what he had was a "third rail" scale unit, and gave a brief history of the type as I knew it.
Since he was from the New York area I suggested what he had was one of the NYSMRRE locomotives. I also gave him the website and said he should contact them, possibly someone would remember his grandfather.
I never heard more about it, so I don't know what the end of the story is.
Your explanation makes sense.
The New York Society's steam engines had the third rail shoes generally on the forward tender truck, if I remember correctly.
Thanks David! It's always great to hear your first-hand recollections. Is there anywhere you haven't been? Most of us are in awe of your experiences.
Per your questions, the Model Engineers layout is definately two-rail O gauge scale, just when they abandoned the outside third rail power source I don't know, not being a member. They have a website which I've seen but they don't mention when the change-over took place.
Why does Hi-Rail still use center third rail? Being a High-Railer myself I can tell you it's because it's just easier and less expensive that way. High-Rail trains also have wider flanges on the wheels which make them less prone to derailments. O gauge scale trains have prototypically thinner flanges which make them more sensitive to track conditions and more prone to derailments. Plus, since Hi-Railers tend to like the toy train aspect more than the serious scale modeling three rail lets us use any three rail locomotive from the oldest types, and O gauge goes back to 1915, to the current production models. Most three rail clubs don't care what the members show up with, and the guys with the still running pre-war and older trains DO get lots of "Ooooos" and "Ahhhhs" when they turn 'em loose on the layouts!
At one time, I was Pres. of the Elecdtric Railroaders Association and am still a member. The Associationi was started by E. J. Quinby more as an active organization to retain streetcars and interurbans, but was more successful as a photo-news-fantrip-movie-and-slide-show organization. When the building where its first offices was sold, the New York Society of Model Engineers, which then had a basement layout in a 4-something office building in Manhattan, offered to let the ERA share office space. The moving van was brand new (1939) 626-645-series Third Avenue Transit Sysem streetcar provide by Slaughter Huff, the G. M. himself. Possibly it was 629, now at Shore Line (Branford). I was not a member but visited the model railroad many times as a youngster.
After WWII, the Society again had to move, and with it the ERA, to the 2nd floor the D&LW Hoboken Terminal, a room as large as the concourse below. I soon became an active office volunteer at ERA, and thus saw the model railroad many times. Eventually the large room was needed for office space, and the model railroad moved to the present location, with the ERA moving to a Greenwich Stret address in Manhattan, later to an upper floor in Grand Central Terminal.
In both Manhattan and Hoboken, the O-Gauge model railroad used outside third rail for electric power. I assume the change to two-rail and insulated wheels was done with the latest move. Am I correct? Terrific photography.
But why does HiRail use center-third-rail? I thought that was obsolete for scale models, in use only for toy trains not particularly scale. Again, great photograhy.
WOW! Thats is a lot of model trains.
daveklepper Regarding the Bergan County model railroad, don't prototype trains occasonally stop and start? Otherwise, Wow!
Regarding the Bergan County model railroad, don't prototype trains occasonally stop and start? Otherwise, Wow!
I'm glad you enjoyed the video David! Unfortunately I've never been able to make it to a BCMRRC open house, I haven't been in the area when they hold one.
Here's two more you (and everyone else) may enjoy. I'm sure you remember the New York Society of Model Engineers. They're still around, and here's a video of their layout in Carlstadt NJ.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QivPFYmgb1Q
I've never made it to one of their open houses either.
I have been to an open house of the New Jersey High Railers in Paterson NJ. Their layout is so huge it's overwhelming!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiTKM4Ej-ZU
New Jersey has a very vibrant model railroading culture, which makes sense. Everything else is illegal up there!
People like to see trains rushing by (if they like to see trains - not so much at a crossing).
If you go to train shows, you'll find a bigger crowd around the layouts with trains just running than layouts such as "FreeMo," where the participants actually conduct operations.
I like to watch the Deshler cam because you see something besides trains rushing by, as on many other such cams.
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
mudchicken zardoz SD70Dude "FOUR" (all caps) has a very real place on the railroad What type is that locomotive? I've never seen one like it. And the "number" boards are a nice feature. Toy trains, like light rail don't count. Zardoz: Must have led a sheltered life? Five of those, liberally mashed together, and you have a C-boat that you might be a little more familiar with.
zardoz SD70Dude "FOUR" (all caps) has a very real place on the railroad What type is that locomotive? I've never seen one like it. And the "number" boards are a nice feature.
SD70Dude "FOUR" (all caps) has a very real place on the railroad
What type is that locomotive? I've never seen one like it. And the "number" boards are a nice feature.
Toy trains, like light rail don't count.
Zardoz: Must have led a sheltered life? Five of those, liberally mashed together, and you have a C-boat that you might be a little more familiar with.
Toy trains do indeed count! That's what "Take A Train To Work Day" is all about! Refer back to young Mr. Schmidt's original post.
Now have a look at this and tell me cool stuff like this doesn't count!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhD0Qj87Fsg
It's all about spreadin' the joy, man!
But if you want a real train, here's one for you. By the way, the train club in the previous video is located on the second floor of that train station. And the folks you see later in the video indeed "took the train to work," now they're headin' home!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=736LSUaQDc0
Acdtually used the light rail twice Friday.
Dave: I'm glad you corrected the "toy train" remark, whatever was meant by that.
Used my regular bus-train-bus commute this morning and did locate where some taxis congregate at the Damascus Gate station, so my 22 Nov commute should be bus-train-taxi. Will report if this works.
It's not under FTA beczause it is in Israel. There are light rail lines in the USA that are to some degree under FRA Juristiction, because common-carrier freight service, as part of the continent-wide network, shares their tracks, usually on a time-isolation basis.
And a few of the very heaviest freight railroads in North America are not common-carriers, but are single mining-product supply-chain components, some with passesnger service for their owners' employees. Hardly "toys."
But I agree a light-rail line that sees 5000 or less riders each day is probably little more than a toy. But certainly not one that sees 140,000 riders per day and has a monumental engineering masterpiece like our Bridge of Strings.
daveklepper Light rail certainly must count. Our two-car, each car articulated with 12 wheels, Jerusalem light rail trains carry lots more passengers than a single RDC-1 or doodlebug. Typical weekday sees 140,000 riders on our one line. (More are in construction and more in planning.) Outside of New York City and Chicago, there is no single commuter or rapid transit line that equals that in North America. Not even Toronto, which has one that comes close. And it is the only train I can ride on the way to work. So it must count.
Light rail certainly must count. Our two-car, each car articulated with 12 wheels, Jerusalem light rail trains carry lots more passengers than a single RDC-1 or doodlebug. Typical weekday sees 140,000 riders on our one line. (More are in construction and more in planning.) Outside of New York City and Chicago, there is no single commuter or rapid transit line that equals that in North America. Not even Toronto, which has one that comes close.
And it is the only train I can ride on the way to work. So it must count.
SD70DudeThat unit is indeed a GE 44 ton switcher. This particular one was built as Canadian National 4 in 1956. It was sold to Stelco in 1967, and spent most of its post-CN life at their Camrose, AB pipe mill, where that photo was taken.
CSSHEGEWISCH Judging by your location, I wouldn't be surprised if you went through more than a few cylinders of Quik-Start getting it fired up
Judging by your location, I wouldn't be surprised if you went through more than a few cylinders of Quik-Start getting it fired up
It has glow plugs and large circulating block heaters but yes, "fresh air" is needed sometimes.
Greetings from Alberta
-an Articulate Malcontent
mudchickenMust have led a sheltered life?
Judging by your location, I wouldn't be surprised if you went through more than a few cylinders of Quik-Start getting it fired up.
tree68 Good thing it didn't run in Maine - the numberboard would have read "FOWAH..."
Good thing it didn't run in Maine - the numberboard would have read "FOWAH..."
In eastern New Brunswick it would be "FERR" (say it like "fur" but drag out the "r").
Good thing it wasn't in Quebec, I don't think you could fit "QUATRE" onto those boards.
WD-40 would be a better number for that unit, as large amounts have been used all over since we got it.....
That unit is indeed a GE 44 ton switcher. This particular one was built as Canadian National 4 in 1956. It was sold to Stelco in 1967, and spent most of its post-CN life at their Camrose, AB pipe mill, where that photo was taken.
I have no idea when those aftermarket "numberboards" were installed. Here is how it looked originally:
http://www.trainweb.org/oldtimetrains/photos/cnr_diesel/4.jpg
Today it is preserved at the Alberta Railway Museum, where I get to run it on occasion. It has been repainted into its original CN colours and fitted with proper numberboards.
https://www.railpictures.net/photo/617502/
Murphy SidingA GE 44 tonner?
Most likely. GE did build some other models that had essentially the same form factor.
There's a Diesel engine under each hood.
The 44 tonner was designed to get around the requirement that any locomotive 45 tons or over had to have additional crew (ie, a fireman).
Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.
SD70Dude"FOUR" (all caps) has a very real place on the railroad
Being an on-the-road tech all those years I just never could pull off a "Take A Train To Work Day." Too bad, the gang would have gotten a kick out of it.
I compensated by wearing a Lionel wrist watch!
I've been taking a train to and from work for over forty years now. What's the big deal?? Less sarcastically, I do have pictures from railpictures.net and other sources as the wallpaper on my work computer.
zardoz CShaveRR Work?Work? Hey...let's be careful of using four-letter words on the forums. Oops, four is a four-letter word, which is a four-letter word, which is.......
CShaveRR Work?Work?
Work?Work?
Hey...let's be careful of using four-letter words on the forums. Oops, four is a four-letter word, which is a four-letter word, which is.......
"FOUR" (all caps) has a very real place on the railroad:
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