The Carolina Sandhills Lines in HO Scale

[davefoxx]

As noted on the prior page, I sold off a chunk of my fleet to clean house and better organize my collection.  The cash was much needed and allowed me to make some upgrades and additions without cash out of my pocket.  For those curious, I’ll begin a log to document the fleet, including any future plans (e.g., locomotives on preorder or out-of-production units that I may still be in the hunt for).  Today, we’re focusing on the railroads that own the original Norfolk Southern Ry. (NS) branch into Aberdeen, N.C. in the different eras that I run on the layout.

The earliest era that I run on my layout is 1967, which hits just before the Seaboard Air Line (SAL) and Atlantic Coast Line (ACL) merger into the Seaboard Coast Line (SCL).  At that time, the NS still owned this line.  I just found this old NS Atlas GP38 and upgraded it with a LokSound V5.0 decoder and LEDs.  It’s properly in the late NS gray scheme.  Not as attractive as the NS’s prior red scheme, but this gray paint job is more appropriate for the late 1960s and early 1970s.  I sold off my red NS Baldwin AS-416 when I found this Geep.  The caboose is NS No. 369, which is a foobie.  I can run this locomotive and caboose combo up to 1974, which means it’s also relevant in 1972, another era I run to model early SCL and Amtrak, but that’s a story for another post.



In 1974, the Southern Ry. merged the NS (sidenote: they owned the name and were able to reuse it when the Southern and the Norfolk and Western merged in 1982), and, for the remainder of the 1970s and into the early 1980s, I run this Southern GP38-2 and bay window caboose.  I’ve owned this Geep for years and gutted its electronics to add a LokSound V4.0 decoder and LEDs lights.  This locomotive is a favorite of mine.  It would have been fantastic if this Geep was a former NS unit, because the Southern did add high noses to the old NS GP38s after the merger.  But, I didn’t get that lucky, and I’m not about to deface the excellent paint scheme with a renumbering attempt.  No. 5025 sounds great, but, as I’m upgrading the fleet to LokSound V5.0, to get some features that the older decoders don’t have, this unit will need to go into the shop one day.  The caboose is a new purchase from Tangent.  I’d been using an Athearn foobie for years to stand in for a Southern bay window caboose.  As soon as I saw the release from Tangent, and coincidentally had some cash from the sale of locomotives, I snagged one.  Upon receipt, the Athearn caboose was immediately decommissioned.



In 1986, the Aberdeen, Carolina & Western purchased the line from the dying and/or defunct Aberdeen & Briar Patch, who owned the line since the Southern sold it a few years earlier.  First, the elephant in the room. The Rapido GP38 pictured below is an anachronism for any of the eras on my layout that would include the ACWR, e.g., Seaboard System years of 1983-86 or CSXT around 1990-92.  But, this model is so nice that we’re going to ignore that and operate this Geep without hesitation, unless and until something more appropriate comes along.  The former C&O GP9 is very close to a real GP9 that was on the ACWR’s fleet in the road’s infancy.  I have decals to renumber this Geep (the prototype ACWR owned No. 6185) but don’t be surprised if I never get around to it.  I did add the patch, though, to show the ACWR ownership.  The caboose is ACWR No. 369, which is a foob.  However, for fun, if you look close at the faded lettering, you’ll see this is supposed to be the same caboose as NS No. 369 pictured above, as if it somehow fell into the ACWR’s hands a decade or so later.  Two locomotives that were recently sold as part of the fleet reorganization were an ACWR GP16 and an ACWR GP40-2(W), because both were anachronisms.



DFF

[davefoxx]

Today, let’s discuss passenger service in the spring of 1972, which is becoming a favorite era of mine.  First, modeling 1972 allows me to run the Seaboard Coast Line (pre-Family Lines scheme), the original Norfolk Southern, and the Aberdeen & Rockfish on the layout.  By this time, Amtrak had taken over, and, here’s the fun part; it was the rainbow era.  Below are what I presently own that are (almost) appropriate for 1972.

First up is this Seaboard Coast Line 10-6 sleeper decorated as the “Miami,” which did go to Amtrak, eventually becoming AMTK No. 2701.  I lettered and named this car years ago, so I got lucky here.  But, I still have the decals, so I could have relettered it, if it had been necessary.  Actually, looking at my big book of Amtrak and the decal sheet, all of the names on the Walthers decal sheet are cars that went to Amtrak.



Last night, I pulled out this Penn Central 10-6 sleeper, replaced the couplers, and applied the decals.  I was limited to the Walthers decal sheet, and, unfortunately, none of the cars included on that decal sheet (mostly from the “Rapids” class) made it to Amtrak.  I’m disappointed but am willing to overlook this problem.  Sadly, I can’t plausibly use any of the Pennsy cars that I have on even an early Amtrak train, e.g., Catalpa Falls and a B60b.  So, I chose “Octoraro Rapids” (No. 4350), since I grew up not far from the Octoraro Creek in Cecil County, Maryland; I had friends in high school that lived in the neighborhood, “Octoraro Lakes,” on that creek; and, of course, the PRR’s Octoraro Branch ran near here.  There’s also a nice broadside picture of the Octoraro Rapids on the Passenger Car Index website, so I was able to get the lettering correct.



Here’s where I really go off the rails for an Amtrak train in 1972.  I don’t presently own any motive power that’s plausible, so this Amtrak E8 is a stand-in.  What’s wrong with it?  First, it’s in Phase II paint- heck, by 1972, Amtrak barely had locomotives painted in Phase I paint.  Some weren’t even renumbered yet.  Remember, Amtrak was barely one year old.  Second, this E8 has HEP installed, and those passenger cars above are steam-heated.  I have a Rapido Seaboard Coast Line E8 on pre-order, but it’ll likely be the end of 2025 before I see that arrive.  I have photographic evidence of unpatched SCL E units in Amtrak service in 1972, so this SCL model would be correct.  But, the Phase I Amtrak paint would identify it as an Amtrak train, considering the variety of road names that would be on the passenger cars that it’s pulling.  So, I might cancel the SCL E8 order and purchase an Amtrak E8 in Phase I paint that I can buy on sale now.  I’m really on the fence on this one.



DFF

[davefoxx]

All right, so I made the call and purchased the Amtrak E8 in the Phase I paint.  My pusher was very cool about cancelling the SCL E8 preorder and another preorder for two ACL F-units that I no longer want.  Plus, the Amtrak E8 was on clearance for at least $30 cheaper than the SCL E unit, not counting the mystery of what the Seaboard unit will actually cost when it arrives, due to the tariffs.  So, while this means cash out of pocket today, the net effect is that I just saved hundreds of dollars this morning.  Phew.  That feels good.

The Amtrak E8 in the Phase II paint pictured in the post above will go back to the future when the Phase I E-unit arrives and placed on the point of my Amtrak train when I run my 1976 era (during which I can run things like early Amtoobs, and the NS branch is then owned by the Southern Ry.).  As an aside, I already have a Rapido F40PH in Phase III paint with Amfleet II cars for my Seaboard System and early CSX years.

The fleet is shaping up nicely, and it really helped to clean house by selling off a large portion of my fleet.  The current tally is 23 locomotives sold, and I have two or three more that I’m considering letting go.

DFF

[davefoxx]

Since I was in decal mode today, I began backdating my Seaboard Coast Line SD45s.  I had once patched them for the Seaboard System merger (see Photo 1), because it made these units unique.  But, it also prevented me from running them in the SCL years.  As this 1972 era is really growing on me, this was becoming more problemsome for me.

I stripped the “SBD” patch off with the ol’ Micro Sol and tissue trick and applied the yellow “Pulling For You!” slogan, which hides most of any evidence of the prior patch job (see Photo 2).

Photo 1:



Photo 2:



Now, I’ll be able to run these SD45s in any of my eras from the 1970s through mid-1980s, because, even post-merger, the SBD did not repaint or patch all of the fleet immediately. Well, I will when I finish the second SD45. 

DFF

[davefoxx]

And one last post for this afternoon while those decals set up.  This is also what 1972 gets you- how about that beautiful run-through RF&P GP35 in the proper paint scheme and lettering!



DFF

[Point353]

Here's some Amtrak power passing through NC in 1973:

[davefoxx]

Noice!  Coincidentally, that’s one of the E8s to be manufactured by Rapido.



DFF

[davefoxx]

Amtrak E8 No. 291 in Phase I paint arrived yesterday.  Along with it came a Union Pacific Club-Lounge car.  I’ve added Sergent couplers to each, but I still need to add the decals to number the UP car.  I’ve settled on UP No. 6202, which did go to Amtrak, eventually becoming AMTK No. 3370 and receiving the blunt arrow Phase I scheme.  It would remain on the roster until July of 1981.

The Amtrak rainbow era train is slowly growing:



To get this train running reliably, I had to do a little filing on the trucks and skirt of the UP car, because the brake gear was snagging the skirt.  @Philip H, one of those diamond needle files from your uncle’s collection was perfect for this job.  Thanks again!

DFF

[davefoxx]

I had an idea occur to me this evening, so I’m documenting it here for future reference.  After running the Amtrak train this afternoon, I tied it down on my folding staging yard shelf that represents Hamlet Yard to run a freight train.  However, any time I spot a passenger train here, I lose the runaround track that’s useful for Seaboard trains operating into Hamlet, because the passenger train fouls the crossover on the shelf (just visible at the bottom of the photo below).

Tonight, it occurred to me that if I shift the staging yard shelf about 1-1/8” to one side, I could fit three tracks on the shelf without having to rebuild it.  I could just pull up the two tracks and cork roadbed and re-lay three tracks.  Man, I’m lazy. 

Anyhow, if I installed a left hand turnout where the upside-down right hand turnout is laying on the track in the photo below, I could add a third track long enough to stage a three-car passenger train.  This would allow me to get the passenger train out of the way when I’m interested in operating the layout.  And, it would be less handling of the passenger rolling stock, because I would not have to remove it from the layout as much.  Yes, I would have to lose just slightly more than one car of capacity in that stub-ended siding with the two black boxcars, but that’s no problem.  That track is the longest of those three stub-ended sidings, and I rarely fill up the track to the end.  I wouldn’t miss that loss of capacity.



I’ll think this over further, in case there’s a better solution for the third track.  Note that I do NOT want to just extend that stub-ended track with the black boxcars, because those three sidings are the yard in Aberdeen.  They’re supposed to be miles from Hamlet.  Operationally, I like them separate from the tracks on the folding shelf.  Besides, just extending that stub-ended track would not make it easy to stage the passenger train, if I had to move any cars on that track out of the way.  But, I think I can just shoehorn a third track onto the shelf, if I just cut that siding back a wee bit to make room.

DFF

[davefoxx]

I think I’ve come up with a plan that I can live with in the long run, and it won’t affect the three-track Aberdeen Yard.  Instead, I’ll use that right hand turnout that I have (I would have needed a left for the plan discussed in the previous post) and come off the other track to the folding staging yard.

Advantages:
1) This should look a little less congested and, hopefully, allow for the believability (operationally) of Aberdeen Yard and the staging tracks (Hamlet) as being separated by miles.
2) I already have the track and cork roadbed, so this reconstruction project is zero dollars out of pocket.

Disadvantage: I’m going to have to alter that road.  That will be a pain in the butt to cut out the end and seam a new piece of styrene to curve the road away from the tracks.  Repainting it won’t be fun, but I’ve hidden joints in the “asphalt” before.  The question will be whether I make the new piece as repaved (the lazy option of just painting a different color of asphalt), repaint the whole section back to that railroad crossing a few feet away, or try to match the existing pavement and weathering.



As you can see in the photo above, I cut down one of my rolling shelves to fit under the staging yard, which has been disconnected from the layout and is just resting on the shelves.  I also had to trim back some of the framing of the folding staging yard to clear the shelves.  Done.  I now have a good inch or so of clearance underneath the staging yard to allow the shelves to be rolled in and out.  This buys me some floor space in the layout room.

The right hand turnout is approximately where it will be cut in to add the third track.  The shelf is shown in the photo as moved over about 1-1/8” to add the third track.  I’ve already removed all of the wiring from the tracks, and the next step will be to remove the track and cork.  I will move that crossover in the staging yard a little towards the main layout when I re-lay the track to allow two six-axle locomotives to clear and run around the train.  Originally, I made that tail just long enough for two Geeps to runaround.  That will reduce the length of the train that can be runaround, but the crossover will only be moved by less than two inches.

DFF

[davefoxx]

Deconstruction is complete:



DFF

[Dave V]

Reminds me of the original staging yard I had for the Juniata Division (1.0):



Mine was three tracks also. I just never enjoyed the long backup moves required to enter or leave staging. But even the much bigger Enola Yard extension I built was still a stub-ended staging yard. I didn't get to build a run-through staging yard until I built Ridgway in HOn3.

But yeah, three tracks are better than two! Remember the Tony Koester staging rule. The number of tracks you actually need is (2n+1) where n is the number of tracks you think you need... 

[davefoxx]

Haha!  Tony’s right.  I’m going to just install the three tracks for now with the option to enlarge that later.  You can see the width of that rolling set of wire shelves, but I’d have to cut way back into the layout to get longer tracks.  That doesn’t really increase ops much, as I consider it now.  We’ll see what the future brings once I have this back into operation.  I’m not afraid to consider this folding shelf as temporary, which is why I did not want to rebuild it at this point other than re-laying the track.  As for the long back-up moves, that’s why I have a crossover on the folding shelf, allowing runaround moves to minimize that.

DFF

[davefoxx]

Here’s a rough idea of the goal with three tracks.  I’ve got the cork roadbed glued down, but the track is just loosely plopped onto the cork.  Once the glue that’s securing the cork roadbed down sets, I’ll cut the cork flush with the end of the folding yard, so I can begin the process of reattaching the yard to the layout.  Then, I can get the track down and aligned with the existing tracks.



DFF

[Dave V]

Here’s a rough idea of the goal with three tracks.  I’ve got the cork roadbed glued down, but the track is just loosely plopped onto the cork.  Once the glue that’s securing the cork roadbed down sets, I’ll cut the cork flush with the end of the folding yard, so I can begin the process of reattaching the yard to the layout.  Then, I can get the track down and aligned with the existing tracks.



DFF

I don't have much in the way of awareness of the space you're working with, but it looks to me as if you might have the option to do something even wider and potentially scenic it. Who doesn't love a cinder-filled, weedy-a$$ late-70s-era yard? Full of old pallets, trash, and discarded dunnage... Would contrast nicely with the very trim and proper Southern hamlet on the main layout!