The Carolina Sandhills Lines in HO Scale

[davefoxx]

It worked on the first try!  I installed five 0402 LEDs in F7A No. 405 this evening.  Two for the twin beam headlight in the lower fixture, and two in the Gyra Light fixture above.  The Gyra Light “bulbs” do not light at the same time.  For now, the red LED is lit when the train is stopped (I’ll go over the prototype rules for the emergency light at another time), and it extinguishes and the white Gyra Light turns on when moving forward.  A neat effect is that you can tell the headlight has twin beams and the Gyra Light is one beam.  Even when extinguished you can see the red “lens” in the upper fixture.  The fifth LED is the rear light for hostling.



It’s not perfect, because I’m getting a little bleed through from the red emergency light to the Gyra Light in the same fixture, but I’d have to completely tear this thing apart to try to improve that.  There’s a boatload of wires in there now, so nope.  That was a challenge getting the shell on without snagging or pinching wires.  Since the Gyra Light is not bleeding into the emergency light (and that’s what is usually lit most of the time), I’m calling this a success.  F7A is in service and can lead consists now.

DFF

[eja]

Wow !

Beautiful work.

[davefoxx]

Wow !

Beautiful work.

Thank you!

DFF

[davefoxx]

I’m really enjoying the fruits of my labor to get these F7s up and running.  They received LokSound decoders, Scale Sound Systems speakers and enclosures, and custom LED lights.  I even have the hostler’s lights on the rear working.



DFF

[davefoxx]

Cab Unit Thursday!



DFF

[davefoxx]

Train No. 261, the Florida Perishable, is northbound on the Seaboard Coast Line, en route to Apex, N.C., where it will continue on Durham & Southern rails to reach the Durham Subdivision of the V&O in Martinsville, Va.  The train will continue over the V&O to reach its final destination on the Allegheny Midland.  The pooled V&O/SCL motors will stay on the train over the SCL, D&S, V&O, and AM.



In case you’re wondering, this SCL/D&S/V&O/AM routing is straight from the book, The V&O Story.  See pages 59 and 103.  Train No. 261 was a train modeled on the original V&O layout during ops sessions.  It would enter the layout at Clintwood, Va., coming off the V&O Durham Subdivision, and exit to AM rails at Jimtown, Va.

DFF

[Iain]

Train No. 261, the Florida Perishable, is northbound on the Seaboard Coast Line, en route to Apex, N.C., where it will continue on Durham & Southern rails to reach the Durham Subdivision of the V&O in Martinsville, Va.  The train will continue over the V&O to reach its final destination on the Allegheny Midland.  The pooled V&O/SCL motors will stay on the train over the SCL, D&S, V&O, and AM.



In case you’re wondering, this SCL/D&S/V&O/AM routing is straight from the book, The V&O Story.  See pages 59 and 103.  Train No. 261 was a train modeled on the original V&O layout during ops sessions.  It would enter the layout at Clintwood, Va., coming off the V&O Durham Subdivision, and exit to AM rails at Jimtown, Va.

DFF

sweet jesus that's hot

[Carolina Northern]

Absolutely beautiful, Dave. I think that's the first time I've seen that V&O FA on your layout.

Don

[davefoxx]

Absolutely beautiful, Dave. I think that's the first time I've seen that V&O FA on your layout.

Don

Hi, Don!

It’s a new purchase from Home Shops, LLC through Rapido.  I just randomly came across a YouTube video a couple of weeks ago by Rapido announcing its availability.  I couldn’t resist, especially after finding that Allen McClelland’s operating plan on the original V&O made it plausible on my layout now that I’m running in 1970-71.  A bonus is that Rapido numbered the FA-1 according to the renumbering plan on the V&O when Allen moved the layout’s era to post-1968 for the joint Appalachian Lines marketing scheme used by the AM, VM, and the V&O.

Thanks,
DFF

[davefoxx]

Moving on to the next candidate for relettering and renumbering into my early 1970s era.  This is Seaboard Air Line (SAL) SDP35 No. 1114.



I hemmed and hawed at updating the lettering, because I put a lot of work into this SDP to add DCC, sound, and LED lights, including an independently operating Gyralight and a red emergency light over the cab.  Also, the prototype locomotive has been restored as SAL No. 1114 and is on display in Hamlet, N.C.  I even reprogrammed this model to add that Hancock whistle.  It prototypically sounds like a steam whistle.  🤣. So, I really didn’t want to screw this up.

But, in SAL lettering, it cannot be run after 1967, because the newly-formed Seaboard Coast Line (SCL) has every locomotive relettered for the SCL before 1967 was out.  In most cases, this only involved relettering the locomotives, because the SCL adopted the Atlantic Coast Line’s black and yellow scheme and former SAL green and yellow locomotives were using just relettered into what became known as the split image scheme.  These locomotives would be repainted into the black and yellow scheme within several years.  I also do not model anything in the 21st century, so preserving this model to represent as the locomotive currently exists doesn’t make sense, unless I want a permanent shelf queen.  Not really.

So, here we go!  Using the paper towel scrap soaked in MicroSol, I removed all of the lettering and numbers last night.



SAL No. 1114 will become SCL No. 615, just like the prototype.

DFF

[davefoxx]

Done.  This went remarkably well, considering my usual ham-fisted efforts.  I didn’t drop anything or permanently mar the finish.



DFF

[davefoxx]

You’re looking at the next two motors to be relettered/renumbered from SAL to SCL.  These GP40s were known as Jolly Green Giants, because the Seaboard changed the body color on its new locomotives about a year or so before the merger from Pullman Green to this lighter green.

Like the prototype, SAL GP40 No. 619 will become SCL No. 1534, and SAL No. 625 will become No. 1540.  I got lucky, because I already have SCL No. 1539 in the fleet.  That was close!



DFF

[davefoxx]

In the meantime, I discovered while I was researching the SDP35 last week that the SCL nose herald on the Split Image scheme (former green SAL units) was yellow lettering on a green background, not the standard SCL black lettering on yellow background.  Part of the reason I tackled the SDP35 was because the Microscale decal sheet includes yellow-on-green heralds.  Well, realizing that I screwed up the GP35 that I relettered a few months ago, this afternoon I stripped off the black-on-yellow herald and replaced it.

BEFORE:



AFTER:



This does raise a problem for the GP40s that I’m about to start.  That green background on that herald matches the Pullman Green body color, and the Microscale decal sheet does not include heralds to match the light green body color.  So, I have to decide which herald to use on the GP40s.  My gut reaction is to still use the yellow on green, because that yellow lettering is correct.  It’s just that the background will be too dark.  But, that might be less noticeable than the yellow herald, which is completely wrong.

DFF

[davefoxx]

Was up early this morning applying MicroSol to paper towels scraps, and one of the GP40s is denuded of lettering.



DFF

[davefoxx]

The new decals are still soaking in MicroSol here, but the numberboards’ white background/black gasket and the yellow-on-green nose herald are in place.  I don’t know why the SCL installed the nose herald so low (it’s well disguised by the raised walkway and pilot handrails), which helps hide the error in color.  That said, the Pullman Green background of the herald isn’t as bad as I feared.  Maybe it helps to be colorblind.  Life will go on.



DFF