Mark's MT Railroads: May 2017

A merry welcome to May ~

In the past month, I've put away the Through-lines roster and set up the CNW roster. I also partially resolved an issue with locomotive sound problems on Track 4. A minor brake wheel repair was also performed on the CNW piggyback flatcar.

So, here's the new CNW roster!

On Track 1, we see the reliable CNW 0-8-0 switcher pulling a couple ATSF cars. The orders were to transport a boxcar full of dynamite to the Midnight Gold Mine at Juniper Peak. However, the engineer didn't want to make the trip with just his tender between him and a few tons of explosives, so he got permission to cut in the hopper car as a spacer! The locomotive was made by MTH and the rolling stock are K-Line productions. Occasionally, the tender coupler was opening when entering the 45 degree crossover track from the northeast, which sometimes resulted in a crash and derailment. This issue has been temporarily resolved with some electrical tape to keep the coupler closed, and no damage has been reported.

On Track 2, the CNW Doodlebugs are making another appearance. For the next month or so, the 'bugs will be running folks and supplies between Red Stone and Juniper Peak. The little unit train runs very smoothly, and I think the directional lighting is nifty.

On Track 3, the mighty and massive CNW Fairbanks Morse Train Master locomotive is hauling a mostly-coal train. Coal prices are up, and so is production at the Peacock Coal Mine deep in the Roosevelt Mountains. They needed a strong motive unit to pull this load through the foothills and into Silver Falls for distribution. From a prototypical viewpoint, the Train Master is the most powerful single-unit diesel locomotive in the current fleet, being slightly stronger than a single E8 unit. (As of this entry, I believe the prototypically strongest locomotive I have is the GG1.) With two motors, the actual model is pretty powerful too. Built in 1980 by Lionel, this loco has a nice growling sound when running, making a sound system unnecessary! This locomotive does have one prototypical flaw, in that the real CNW never operated a Train Master, but the paint scheme is sharp and it’s a fun loco to operate! Behind the engine are three hoppers filled with coal: an MTH GN, and MTH CNW, and a K-Line NP. After that is a Williams CNW covered hopper and another MTH CNW hopper, both empty for this trip. Then there's the 4-truck Yule Marble Co #6 flatcar, carrying a big chunk of marble to be used in a monument in Silver Falls. And, the train is completed by an MTH CNW woodside caboose. This might be the first time the caboose is being run separately from its original freight set. It's been slightly troublesome, in that its coupler kept opening on the northeast corner of the loop, but some electrical tape fixed that right up. No damage reported.

On Track 4, the Minneapolis and Black Hills Express (M&BHX) is being pulled by the CNW class E-4 Hudson. The M&BHX has been led by various locomotives in the past, but this is its first pairing with #4008. There are many happy vacationers on board, heading from the Twin Cities to visit Mount Rushmore, Custer, and the surrounding attractions. The steam engine was made by MTH and the 5 passenger cars (REA baggage, "Chicago" coach, "Minneapolis" coach, "Milwaukee" coach, and "Kansas City" observation) were made by Frank's Roundhouse.

As with the PRR GG1 in the Through-lines roster, the Hudson had sound system issues when running on Track 4. After more troubleshooting, I figured out that the problem was with the wired remote control assigned to the track coming from the MRC transformer. I swapped the remote with the Track 2 remote, and the sound issues went away. The Doodlebugs on Track 2 are not experiencing any sound issues, but their sound system is much less complicated compared to the Hudson.

Now on to the pics and video! Keep those rails shiny ~