There was some nice activity in the train room this week!
I started by reattaching a brake wheel on the new MTH Great
Northern caboose. I think it separated during shipping, and some super glue
fixed it right up. Over the weekend, I took down the F-unit roster and set up
the new semi-scale roster. In the process, I inventoried 36 items. It's the
first time running in Montana for most of these semi-scale cars. By
"semi-scale", I mean that the engines/rolling stock are smaller than
O-scale. Semi-scale cars are typically shortened models designed to decrease
cost and allow them to run on smaller radius track (O-27). I began modeling
with all O-27 equipment, so this was a fun nostalgic experiment, getting to
play with these smaller cars again.
Now, just because a model train car is short does not mean
that it isn't O-scale. O-scale, by my definition, simply means that the model
is really really close to 1:48 proportions (1 inch on the model equals 48
inches on the real-life prototype). So, there are a lot of O-27 train cars and
engines that fit my definition of O-scale. Good examples from my collection
include GP7 and F3 diesels and 0-6-0 and 0-8-0 steam switchers. Also, all of my
ore cars are O-scale, but by their nature are rather short. Semi-scale equipment
is not O-scale, but they are a lot of
fun to operate. I typically would not intermix semi-scale pieces with their
larger O-scale counterparts, because in my opinion it would look silly.
However, I see many real-life examples of long and short freight cars next to
each other on the same train.
I have sold off the majority of my "modern"
(meaning "not Post-War") O-27 rolling stock. I have kept a number of
engines and passenger cars though, and continue to collect Post-War pieces,
which are typically semi-scale. Most of these pieces are part of the current
roster. On Track 1, I'm running a short Post-War freight, headed by K-Line
C&NW S2 diesel #2320. This diesel has dual motors, and is a mighty little
brick. It has always been very reliable. That is, until now. I attached it to 4
short Post-War cars, and quickly noticed that it was consistently derailing on
two sections of curved track. I deduced that there was a weight issue. The
Post-War cars, short as they are, are almost entirely made of metal, and thus much
heavier than the plastic cars this engine usually pulls. Furthermore, I had
included the #3472 operating milk car in the bunch, which has a lot of
machinery inside it, making it almost as heavy as the locomotive. I removed the
milk car from the train, effectively reducing the draw bar strain, and this
resolved the derailing problems. The weight of the heavy cars was pulling down
on the rear powered truck of the S2, and the unfettered front powered truck had
enough oomph to push the flanged wheels off the track. This probably wouldn't
be a problem on larger-radius track, but Track 1 is all O-31, and it is almost
entirely curves.
Track 2 is hosting IC Pacific #2099, 5 ore cars, and an
unmarked Post-War work caboose. The IC steamer is another really reliable
locomotive. It has no bells or whistles, except for the fake bell and whistle,
and the real air whistle. It runs very smoothly, and has no problem pulling the
relatively light train. In reality, loaded ore cars are among the heaviest cars
on a train. This ore train has the added drama of an AEC car loaded with
radioactive materials, which has been placed as far away from the engineer as
possible! The unmarked caboose is a Lionel #6120. This variation has a hole in
the roof for a smoke stack.
On Track 3 we have the IC City of New Orleans passenger train. I remember when my father
bought this set in the early 90's and we displayed it on the floor of the
family room as soon as we got home from the Wheaton, IL train show. Originally
a 6-car set, Lionel released a dining car and a full vista dome car a few years
later. The two Alco FA engines were manufactured by K-Line, as an alternative
to the matching Lionel 2-6-2 steam locomotive. Like the K-Line S2 diesel, the
lead FA unit has dual motors. The second FA unit was fitted with trucks that
were power-ready, so a few years later we purchased a motor, gears, and an
E-unit in order to energize the dummy. So, the set now has 3 motors instead of
2. Since this was a DIY project, and the second engine typically runs in
reverse, it makes syncing the E-units a bit of a challenge. Thankfully, the
lead FA unit can be locked into forward, so it just takes a few tries to get
both engines running in the same direction. A quirk is that sometimes the
former dummy unit switches into neutral randomly as it travels along Track 3,
so the operator (me) has to pay pretty close attention to the movement and
sounds of this train. The passenger cars are all fully lit and perform with
excellence - it's really a sharp-looking train.
And the C&NW Pacific-powered Rockfordian is running on Track 4. This was the first full train
set I purchased myself in the mid 90's. It's a pleasure to run this train in my
own house for the first time. The steamer is noisy and has only moderate
pulling power, but the feel of its metal and the smell of its running motor and
drivers produces a feeling of magic that can't be beat. This was the first
steam locomotive model I purchased, and I still remember getting it in the
second hall of the Wheaton train show (now called the "Great Midwest Train
Show"). I had to pay for it and the passenger cars over two separate
visits. On the subject of the passenger cars, these are sometimes called
"baby madison cars" due to their small size. I call them
"semi-scale heavyweight cars", and they've had an interesting history
in my employ. Originally, our layout in Illinois had about a 6" rise, so
the train had to go up and down all the time. The locomotive's Magne-traction
feature helped a lot, but the cars required some modifications to run smoothly.
I think I added some weights to keep them from wobbling or derailing as the
track elevation changed. After a while, I abandoned the graduated inclines and
changed the configuration of the train layout, and then this train had an easier
time running on flat surfaces. The cars run well on Track 4; they just need
some electrical work to get the lights to remain on consistently. I recall
issues with bulbs and pickup wires that will need to be revisited. These cars
have a funky way of sliding off the shell by depressing some hidden tabs. I
believe there's a video online that shows the process to help take most of pain
out of the endeavor. The Rockfordian name
is a moniker of my own design; there never was a real passenger train called this.
All in all, setting up and running these trains is a delightful trip down memory lane, and I
plan to keep all of these semi-scale goodies on the active-service list!
Last night I unpacked some new stock. This should be the
last new stuff for a while, which is fine - I'll have plenty of things to keep
me busy soon! Anyway, this shipment involved the completion of the Northern
Range heavyweight set. Last month I ran a 4-car abbreviated version of this
train, and I recently found some good deals on the final components of this
train. Up to now, the Northern Range consisted
of 6 scale heavyweight cars, 5 of which are Pullman coaches or sleepers, and 1
is a similarly-painted Santa Fe coach (Granite Canyon). I also added a head-end
REA car to complete the look and carry some baggage. However, one REA car isn't
enough to contain all of the baggage for 6 car-worths of passengers, so this
week I added the Pullman Van Twiller combine, to provide more luggage space and
some more seating. That brings the heavyweight count up to 7, which is where
I'd like it to stay. So, naturally I purchased another heavyweight car - the Santa Fe
Cafe Observation. Why? Well, the Granite Canyon had a lot of problems with
trucks and electronics (see a previous blog post or two). I found the Cafe
Observation for just $11 and decided it was worth it for the parts. Last night,
I proceeded with the macabre task of swapping the chassis of the Granite Canyon
for the chassis of the Cafe Observation. There were a few complications, but
the operation was a success, and the Frankencoach Granite Canyon is... alive...
Alive... ALIVE! I did take the time to reassemble the Cafe Observation, because
that's just the kind of microferroequinologist that I am. It's still a
striking-looking scale observation car, and might look great as somebody's
decoration. I'll bring it with me to the NMRA show in Missoula next month and
see if I can find a new home for it. Northern Range now consists of up to three
head-end cars (two are waiting for new 3-rail trucks from Atlas), Pullman
combine Van Twiller, Santa Fe coach Granite Canyon, Pullman coaches Willow
Range, Willow Valley, and two Willow Rivers, and sleeper Highland Falls. That
equates to a real-life train that's over 700 feet long. It will look exquisite
on the train layout of the future!
The other item I received was a vehicle. It's an intricately
detailed M35 Army cargo truck manufactured by Corgi, and it appears brand-new.
It will show up in the town of Red Stone, the settlement closest to the
military base, picking up some shipments at the freight depot. Until then, it
will be stored safely in its box.
I'm expecting some train room visitors in the next week, so
I'll provide a report next Thursday! Keep your rails shiny ~
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The semi-scale roster
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The IC-powered ore train
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The Rockfordian
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Van Twiller combine
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Granite Canyon fully powered
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And, my bride got to ride on a short train today!
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