Weekend Update 12/22/24

[up1950s]

https://www.colebrookdalerailroad.com/

https://www.businessinsider.com/beautiful-train-ride-every-state-us-2018-10#california-amtraks-zephyr-5

https://www.businessinsider.com/beautiful-train-ride-every-state-us-2018-10#wyoming-union-pacific-50

https://arielaonthego.com/the-pepper-train/

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=FvoYPhH85yM

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[bbussey]

Finished the remainder of the motive power latch-up for the 32-car RBB&B circus consist.

[rickb773]

Last week we showed the prep leading up to the Christmas Trees and Trains Wonderland festival in Turnersville NJ.

@EL3632 captured 16 minutes of trains running on NJ Southern's N-Trak and T-Trak layouts and the Atlantic County 4H clubs HO modular layout:

This will be a growing annual event.
Being the first year, we worked our way through some issues and still managed to entertain over 1,000 folks during the weekend.

Merry Christmas!

[nkalanaga]

No pictures, as I don't feel like digging out my camera (no cellphone), but this doesn't really need pictures.

I have two Kato N SDP40Fs, which don't seem to get much mention here.  Nice locos, and I've wanted a pair since I first saw them in 1973.

My only complaint about them was the coupling distance.  The rear platforms on the prototypes almost touched when coupled.  Today I finally got around to fixing the problem.  Not difficult, or expensive, in fact I did it in minutes, for free, thanks to a previous project.

Kato used their long-shank couplers on these.  I had a bunch of short-shank left over from body-mounting couplers on Kato 2-bay cement hoppers, so finally decided to see if they would work.  Pull the clips out, remove the long couplers, and the sheet-metal spring falls out.  Put the new coupler (and the spring) in, put the clip back in the loco, done.  The hardest part is keeping the spring in long enough to put everything back together.

They now couple nice and close, and will still negotiate 11 inch radius curves and #4 turnouts.

Kato has the short-shank couplers available, if anyone else is interested.

[BCR 570]

A little more progress on my turnout projects; last week I formed the point rails and wing rails, and this week I started installing them:






Also some more progress on my two BCR cabooses.  I got the flat weights glued to the underframes (which helped to straighten them out) and installed most of the brake equipment underneath.  I could not figure out how to install the kit-supplied triple valves so have ordered some replacements from Precision Scale Co.; they will go in as son as they arrive:






Tim

[altohorn25]

I've been working on some head end equipment for the recently released post 1955 Kato Olympian Hiawath in the yellow and grey paint job.

First up is the RPO.  This is a 3D printed shell I purchased off Ebay.  Model Flex paint, Gold Medal Models detail parts, and Circus City Decals.  The hook is a plastic part out of the original Kato 6 car smoothside passenger set.

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Second is the Baggage/Express car.  This is a cast shell that I got a long time ago from Bill Denton.  This car is a little unique in that it has the conductor's window on one side of the car (near the end of the car).  Same treatment as the RPO (Model Flex paint, Gold Medal Models details, and Circus City Decals.

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A shot of both cars; I'm quite pleased with the results.

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[jjb62556]

As always Nate they look great! I don't know how you pop these cars out as fast as you do...

[np1969]

I finally got back to working on my sort-of Missoula-based N scale layout. Today I got the Tortoise to my Auburn staging yard connected to the pushbutton and LEDs on a control panel. It's all connected to a BD4/DS64. Next I have to connect track power and work on the occupancy LEDs, as well as frog power from the Tortoise.

[Scottl]

More running trains this week as I build out my 3D printing 'lab' and replace more trees on the layout with home brew versions.

Caught the Edmonton-Prince George lumber empties at Park Gate:

[np1969]

I have two Kato N SDP40Fs, which don't seem to get much mention here.  Nice locos, and I've wanted a pair since I first saw them in 1973.
...
Kato has the short-shank couplers available, if anyone else is interested.

I bought a pair of the first Kato SDP40F Amtrak locos. My only complaint is they were the pointy-nose version that I never saw going through Missoula in 1975. I sure wish they had the flattened point. Other than that they are great running locos. I'll have to keep in mind using the short-shank couplers.

[nkalanaga]

Interesting note about the noses, that I'd never thought about.  The Empire Builder got locos from the first group, with the pointed noses, so that's what I'm familiar with.  The NCH got the next batch, with flat noses.

By 1976 they'd mixed up the assignments, and both kinds could be seen in Pasco, according to photos.

[nkalanaga]

NP1969:  I've found several pictures of the pointy-nose SDP40Fs, 531-540, in the North Coast Hiawatha in 1974 and 75, often as a single unit with one or two older B-units.  Here's one, in Billings, December 1974.  Click on the picture for the full page:


And this one, from April 11, 1974, in Livingston:

[kiwi_al]

You want the later ones delivered to Amtrak before Santa Fe got hold of them!

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=635199

[peteski]

I bought a pair of the first Kato SDP40F Amtrak locos. My only complaint is they were the pointy-nose version that I never saw going through Missoula in 1975. I sure wish they had the flattened point. Other than that they are great running locos. I'll have to keep in mind using the short-shank couplers.

Didn't Kato produce both versions?  Or  did they just have the ones with or without the front porch?

[bnsfdash8]

I've been busy getting familiar with my Saturn 4 Ultra and it's been a good experience so far. I still need to do some exposure tests to fine tune things, but I ran the AC44C6M to see how things fit. It needs some tweaks but I'm happy so far. I used Siraya Tech's Build using their Chitubox profile: 50um layers at 2.65 seconds.





A little Ford Bronco just cause