Train Day 2019 Success

Thank you to all who supported us by attending the 2019 Train Day festivities at the Billings Depot! After about 50 combined hours of set up, we had 8 operational loops for our guests!

Here is a overhead plan of the layout:

The set up and operation crew consisted of my folks and my uncle, who traveled from Chicago, IL for the event. During the event, we were all dressed as the crew of the Northern Pacific’s Vista Dome North Coast Limited passenger train, circa mid-1950’s. We had a conductor, brakeman, stewardess, and engineer (me). The gents all kept time with antique railroad-era pocket watches.

We also developed a free EBook, available here: https://payhip.com/b/kiXu, and a new website: https://www.modelrrfun.com/ prior to the event. We orchestrated a giveaway contest, where winners would receive either a Thomas the Tank Engine DVD, or one of two O-scale delivery trucks. A few hundred people attended our layout presentation. It was a lot of hard work, and stressful at times, but overall very rewarding to share the fun of model railroading with the community!

A friend loaned us a few boxes of Lionel Fastrack, which proved very helpful on the layout surface we had available. We ended up with 3 Fastrack loops, 3 tubular O27 loops, a Gargraves O54 loop, and a tubular O-style O42 loop. We were provided with 14 identical plastic tables as the foundation for the layout. We arranged them into a 5x3 grid, with an opening in the middle for the control station. This resulted in a 24’x12.5’ surface. We covered each table with a disposable green tablecloth, and ran track power lines between the table edges. There was very little wire visible on the table top, but LOTS of it under the tables, which we managed with cable ties. Once we had the track loops powered and tested, we added buildings, structures, and a bit of scenery to the layout.

Track 1 used O36 Fastrack and proved to be pretty reliable. It was actually used to display a trainset we were selling for a friend (one of the attendees actually purchased it later.) It ran a Postwar Lionel #1467W freight set, consisting of black Erie Alco locomotives (from 1952-3) and O27 freight cars (Lionel Lines stock car, Leigh Valley hopper car, Sunoco tank car, and Lionel Lines SP-style caboose.) Our backup motive power was the yellow Union Pacific Alco locomotives from the same set in earlier years. The Erie locomotives ran well for several hours, and then we gave them a break and pulled in the UP locos for the remainder of the event. Track 1 was powered by a Lionel RW transformer via a single lock-on. The only issues we had with the loop was the Fastrack versus the unevenness of the plastic table tops (as was an issue with every loop for the most part.) The tables were “high” on the edges, and went down half an inch or more into the “bowl” of the middle part of the table top. This was enough of a height difference to cause trouble at the track joints. We occasionally had to tighten the Fastrack connections, and eventually moved the loop slightly so that it only covered two tables instead of three. In the middle of this loop was our farm structures, along with a laptop that looped a video of my previous layout back in Illinois, along with footage of the real North Coast Limited passenger trains.

Track 2 also used O36 Fastrack, and was the most reliable, and maintenance-free-est loop on the layout. It was a Postwar Lionel passenger train, consisting of three Lionel Lines silver passenger cars (Elizabeth, Clifton, and Summit). It started the day being pulled by my father’s silver Union Pacific Alcos, and at midday we changed motive power to my son’s #2046 Lionel Lines hudson steam locomotive. The loop was powered by a Lionel LW transformer, which was fun to use (the whistle button worked great with the hudson’s whistle!) This loop just had one power connection, which was plenty. In the middle of this loop were several neighborhood-ish buildings: houses and a fast food restaurant.

Track 3 was a roughly 8’x3’ O27 layout, that encircled the control station at the very center of the layout. It hosted rapid transit trains (a Bowser streetcar in the morning and an MTH single CTA L car in the afternoon.) This loop was powered by one of the dual-track MRC O27 transformers, and had two lock-ons. This track was prone to separate in various places throughout the day, but was very easy to maintain since I was standing inside the loop all day. One of the 10” straight sections was so dirty that I had to spend some time cleaning it with an Emory cloth, which proved successful. I had intended to run a 4-car L train in the afternoon, but the cars had trouble navigating the O27 curves when coupled together, so I just ran the powered unit. It was still fun, since it provides a fun whistle and station announcement sounds.

Track 4 was an O36 Fastrack dog-boned-shaped track on the north side of the layout. It was powered by Lionel diesel locomotives, and pulled a variety of modernly-produced freight rolling stock. This track did not have ANY problems whatsoever – we just developed some locomotive issues. The rolling stock on this line shifted throughout the day, based on which locomotive was pulling the train. It hosted a die-cast K-line Northern Pacific hopper, a K-line wood-sided IGA reefer, a Lionel Great Northern wood-sided box car, a Lionel Dairy Men’s League reefer, an MTH Northern Pacific steel reefer, a Lionel Copper Range ore car, a K-Line Texaco tank car, a Lionel Montana Rail Link double-door box car, and for cabeese, either a Lionel Montana Rail Link extended vision or a K-Line Chicago Burlington and Quincy offset cupola. We started the day with a Lionel Montana Rail Link SD9 and finished with a Lionel Postwar Celebration Series Chicago Burlington and Quincy GP7. The line was powered by one of the MRC O27 transformers, through a single lock-on. This was probably part of the problem. I had another lock-on prepped, but ran out of time to actually run the power line and connect it to the transformer. The effect was that after the train ran through the loop a dozen times or so, it would become sluggish at certain points, even though the power supply remained at a consistent level. On the other hand, I’ve observed this behavior with trains powered by the MRC O27’s, even when there are MANY lock-ons on a line. The main takeaway from the event was a problem with the MRL SD9. When I picked it up to trade it with the CBQ GP7, I discovered that the front powered truck was no longer attached to the frame! Over time the mounting screw had come undone. What was remarkable was that the locomotive continued running as expected, even though it was literally “sitting” on the truck! Track 4 encircled the “yard” which is where all the backup motive power and rolling stock was stored for easy access. There were also several yard structures nearby.

Ah, Track 5, my bane for much of the day… So, Track 5 and Track 6 (also a problem child) used O27 track, and were mirrors of each other: one on the north side and the other on the south side of the layout. Overall, they were horseshoe-shaped, and met each other at a few spots along the center line of the layout. On paper, this provided a neat effect, and a lot of track for the train to enjoy. The combination of O27 track, the non-flat surface of the table tops, and two S-curves resulted in troublesome operation. Track 5 was the logging train. I set aside my two MTH steam switcher locomotives, a Northern Pacific 0-6-0 and a Chicago Northwestern 0-8-0, with matching cabeese, to pull seven log cars. The cars were all Lionel-produced, with four hauling a set of three stacked-logs each, and the other three hauling one “chunk” of a gigantic tree each. These last three cars were very short overall, only 9” long each. Through many trials, we found that the four “traditional” log cars, at 11.5” each, were too long to handle the track situations mentioned above. Also, after about a dozen derailments, we took the Lionel Northern Pacific caboose out of the roster and placed the MTH Chicago Northwestern caboose there instead. The CNW steamer was unable to handle the O27 S curves at all, as it’s 4 drivers ended up being to long to traverse the S curve properly. So, the NP 0-6-0 got to run all day. It had dozens of derailments in that time, including a spectacular wreak that sent it off the track onto its side. At one point the tender was smoking due to electrical issues. Just a bad day overall for the #1163! In the afternoon, we added some cork padding underneath the curves on the west side of this loop, which appeared to fix the majority of issues. This train, with the final roster being the NP 0-6-0, the three skeleton log cars, and the CNW caboose, ran without any problems for the last 2 hours of the event. It just took a while to figure out the right formula. The line was powered by a Lionel Z transformer via 3 lock-ons. Inside of Track 5 was Track 4, several yard structures on the west side, and a forest and logging buildings on the east side. We created the forest with two pieces of Styrofoam, covered with disposable table cloth, and then poked trees through the cloth into the Styrofoam. The end result was very good!

And onto Track 6, the southern twin of Track 5. This loop started with moderate goals but we had to chip away at them throughout the day. This line was supposed to feature some of the larger Postwar Lionel freight cars, and be pulled by either the (modern) Lionel Chicago Northwestern 4-6-2 pacific steamer, or the Postwar Lionel #2037 2-6-4 adriatic steamer. The rolling stock would have consisted of four 6464-series box cars, a gondola, a flat car carrying trucks, a searchlight car, and a bay window caboose. After much consternation, the roster for the event ended up being the CNW loco, two Great Northern 6464 box cars, and the Lionel Lines bay window caboose. The S curves, track separations, and frequent derailments proved very annoying. At point, a derailment and electrical short went unnoticed for an unknown period of time, resulting in a section of track becoming ALMOST white-hot. The line was powered by a Lionel ZW transformer. Here’s the main problem I have with Postwar transformers, in this situation: if an electrical short occurs, these transformers just keep sending power to feed it. Yes, that is the nature of things, but the MRC O27 transformers actually stop sending power when an electrical problem occurs, saving equipment and preventing several dangers. This happened frequently prior to and during the event. Locomotive 2037 did not perform well, even after lubricating it, so the CNW pacific had to run the line for all 6 hours of the event. We added cork padding to this loop as well, but it was not as effective as the cork on track 5. By the end of the day, I wasn’t dealing with the curves any more – I just manually ran the train backwards and forwards along the 16-foot straight section near the front of our display. Inside of the Track 6 loop was Track 1 and Track 2, along with the “downtown” section of the layout, which included the large MTH station as the focal point.

Track 7 carried the heavyweight passenger steam train on O54 Gargraves track. Everything mentioned thus far was “inside” of the Track 7 loop. Morning power was supplied by a Lionel Frisco 2-8-2 mikado, and afternoon power was supplied by an MTH Chicago Northwestern 4-6-4 covered Hudson. This train, with its large steam locomotives, and its overall 60’ track-length, proved to be a crowd favorite. After various troubleshooting efforts, to ensure that this train wouldn’t impact the train on Track 8, it pulled all six of my Lionel 19” heavyweight Pullman cars and a K-Line Santa Fe heavyweight car at the end. Initially there was a Weaver Railway Express Agency headend car behind the locomotive, but it developed some coupler problems later in the day. All-in-all it was an impressive looking train with either locomotive. It was powered by one of the O27 MRC transformers, through five lock-ons. This track provided the biggest mystery of the day. During the testing phase, the locomotive would lose power within a length of track section, very close to a lock-on. We worked on it for a long time to ascertain what was going on. We replaced the offending piece of track with several smaller pieces, and that resolved the issue. The mystery continues: how do you lose power in the middle of a 3-foot piece of track, with wooden ties, and a lock-on on the adjoining track to the west and a couple tracks to the east? Despite our track alignment efforts, this train did bump into the VDNCL on Track 8 along the eastern side of the layout, so I began running them separately from each other.

Track 8 featured our flagship passenger train: the 11-car Northern Pacific Vista Dome North Coast Limited. The cars were produced by MTH, and were pulled in the morning by a Lionel Northern Pacific F3 ABA set, and in the afternoon by a K-Line Chicago Burlington and Quincy E8 AA set. With just a couple inches difference in the two motive power sets, the train was nearly 21 feet long. And due to the size of Track 8, the entire train could be on straight sections without any curves along the northern and southern edges of the layout. That alone was fantastic! I’ve run this train on my home layout on Track 4, and it chases its tail and is nearly all curves. It was so neat to see this train really stretch out! The track used brand-new O-gauge track from Menards with O42 curves (which is the minimum allowed radius for this set.) The track was prone to disconnecting at a few spots, so we wired them together. Track 8 encompassed Track 7, and thus the entire layout was ringed by Track 8. This train was admired by all our guests. An impressive feat discovered during testing: I ran the entire train with a single lock-on connected to a MRC O27 transformer! I added several more after the initial test, but wow that Lionel F3 has power! As mentioned earlier, this train did bump into the heavyweight train at a few spots, so I had to either make sure they only passed on straight sections, or alternated between the two trains. After attempting to drive 8 trains simultaneously for many hours, I found that alternating Track 7 and 8 was easier and much less stressful. Especially while continuing to deal with the antics of Track 5 and 6.

The train crew greeted visitors and encouraged them to sign up for our giveaway contest. They answered questions and explained the train layout and the real trains that the layout represented. The crew also had to help with any layout problems, as I couldn’t physically reach most issues without shutting the layout down, crawling under the table and addressing them myself. We opened a window, which allowed those outside to see the layout as well, and provided some refreshing spring air to the room.

It was a great event, and I believe it was a success. This was most likely the largest temporary O-gauge layout constructed in this state this century. The engineer would like to thank the following people for making this display and presentation possible:

Bill Monteleone, our Conductor

Merrill Poynter, our Brakeman

Joyce Poynter, our Stewardess

Julie Poynter, our Right-Of-Way Liaison

Charlie Pratt, provider of historic artifacts

Gary Aasheim, provider of track

Toni Calton, provider of historic artifacts

The Billings Depot staff: Marci, Caleb, Michelle and company

My beautiful bride and kids for helping me and putting up with me all the time, even more so this past week!

The Depot did another great job for their second annual Train Day event. The Rimrock modelers had wonderful HO and N scale layouts, in addition to a slew of railroad artifacts and railroad footage playing in their section. We had our O gauge layout and a section of Northern Pacific artifacts and information. The Depot hosted two different gift shops and several activities for kids - a miniature train ride, giant coloring pages, a carnival game, face painting, food, and the return of the "Race the Train" exhibit. It was a beautiful day, and we were so happy to welcome so many folks to the event!

While I was out... and Cody too!

Hello again. The summer flew by, as always. So here’s a summary posting of the ferroequinological goodness I’ve been up to these past three months…

In June, we traveled to Illinois to visit family and trains. We visited the Illinois Railway Museum during their celebration of the Railroad Post Office (RPO). My son Wesley got to experience a real, running steam locomotive for the first time, as we were happy to see that SLSF decapod #1630 was operational that day. We also got to visit the J Neils Lumber Company shay #5 in steam shop, which was “close” to running as a refit continued (the shay should be fully operational for the 2019 season). Plus, we got to see dozens of other locomotives, rolling stock, and “railroad accessories” at the country’s largest train museum! Wesley also got his first ride on a streetcar (CTA “Red Rocket” #3142), and we got to enjoy the day with my Uncle Bill (another long-time ferroequinologist). When I was young, I was blessed to be able to go to IRM frequently, but it’s a bit harder when one lives 1200 miles away…

Speaking of Uncle Bill, we were able to stay with him and Aunt Dee in the Chicago area. And Wesley got the opportunity to see his great O Gauge layout. While visiting my wife’s relatives north of Chicago, we took a trip to the Chicago Botanical Gardens and viewed their substantial outdoor G Scale layout. I had never been there before and was delighted by the dozen trains they were running simultaneously through a landscape of American landmarks. We all had a great time experiencing the mesh of gardening and model railroading!

Back home, and after cleaning up the “wreck of the wreckers”, I switched the layout to an all-Lionel-Post-War-steam roster. The planned roster never actually ran, but here it is anyway:

Track 1: #2034 2-4-2 steam with LL searchlight, NYC gondola, LV hopper and a LL SP-style caboose

Track 2: #2037 2-6-4 steam with 6 6464-series boxcars and a LL bay window caboose

Track 3: #2035 2-6-4 steam with a set of silver O27 streamlined passenger cars

Track 4 #671 6-8-6 steam with remaining O27 Post-War freight cars and a work caboose

Right off the bat, there were a few setbacks. #2037, while a reliable runner, doesn’t have the strength to pull itself and 7 freight cars. Also, #2035 wouldn’t advance more than a couple wheel revolutions. It would reverse for a few inches, but after a bit of cleaning and troubleshooting I couldn’t get it running, so I took it out of service. Then, some tests of the turbine (#671) proved that it was in a rather cantankerous mood. First, the whistle mechanism got stuck in the “on” position. Then, it started giving me intermittent electrical problems, causing trains on other tracks to malfunction, due to their connection through the transformer. And finally, the thing looks and sounds like a fireworks display when operating, with its thunderous grinding sounds and constant under-chassis sparking. So 671 was put out of service too.

The eventual roster that actually went into service, keeping to the “spirit” of all-steam Post-War running, was:

Track 1: #2034 2-4-2 steam with LL searchlight, NYC gondola, LV hopper and a LL SP-style caboose

Track 2: #2037 2-6-4 steam with 3 6464-series boxcars and a LL bay window caboose

Track 3: modern Lionel Illinois Central 2-6-4 steam with a variety of O27 Post-War rolling stock and a work caboose

Track 4 Union Pacific #2023 FA diesel and the other 3 6464-series boxcars and a LL SP-style caboose

This roster ran well for a few months, and then I encountered more steam trouble. Both #2034 and the IC steamer went offline. Diesel 2023 moved to Track 1 and the MTH NP 0-6-0 steamer took over Track 4 (note that the NP still does not output any sounds).

Back in the real world, I got a picture of a freight train at sunset in Big Timber, MT, with the Crazy Mountains in the background.

And, since it’s been so long since the last update, I’ve changed the roster a second time! The current roster, through the end of October 2018, is “Passenger trains”:

Track 1: Trolley

Track 2: CSS Interurbans

Track 3: RI E7A and partial Rocky Mountain Rocket

Track 4 CBQ E8AA and the Bozeman Zephyr

This setup is far less problematic than the previous one. The major issue is that running 18” cars (and really long locomotives) on Track 3 is always a poor idea, as they end up bumping into trains on both Track 2 and Track 4. So, the short Rocky Mountain Rocket only got to run when Track 2 and Track 4 trains were parked in safe places.

Oh yes, we had another baby too. He decided to come a little early. At home. With just my wife and I in attendance. So guess who got to deliver Cody? The ferroequinologist, that’s who. Everybody is healthy and the 4 of us are adjusting to each other, and Cody enjoys watching the trains run J Special addition!

We've kept our tradition of giving our boys middle names that are also steam locomotive classes. Wesley Hudson, and now Cody Selkirk. Selkirk is a Canadian 2-10-4. Why Canadian? Well, my bride and I were married in Canada, and Cody happened to arrive on our anniversary! Plus, "Cody" means "helper", and thus his name can be translated "helper locomotive".

Take care and keep those rails shiny til next time!

Wesley and the 1630

Happy day at IRM

Wesley and Uncle Bill detrain the Red Rocket

Two Hudsons: CBQ 3007 and Wesley

Wesley and Shay #5, both asleep

Wesley and I marvel at Uncle Bill's train layout

At the botanical gardens, a Santa Fe loco meanders between Old Faithful and Old Faithful Inn

The botanical garden layout is impressive; I could easily spend a few hours there!

Back in MT, we have the Post-War consists

Big Timber sunset on Sept 7th, 2018

Night time passenger trains

Myself and my boy, Cody Selkirk

Wesley, Cody and I watching trains downstairs

Cody and his boxcar

So blessed to have these two unique cars in my collection

Maintenance of May

After over a year I was able, a little at a time, to switch out the roster, with my 17mo toddler's help/"help". He is still enamored with all things trains.

Here are some notes on the Maintenance of Way (MOW) roster: This is the first time I've put together a MOW theme.

The Postwar MOW train on Track 1 is extremely reliable, except for occasional derailment of the last two cars at the 45-degree crossover. I haven't recognized anything specific that needs to change to prevent this situation. The UP locomotive continues to be one of the best runners in the fleet, at 68 years young. The searchlight car, with repairs made previously, functions correctly and dramatically (especially in the dark). The locomotive and cars were all manufactured by Lionel in the 1940’s – 1950’s. Union Pacific FA A unit #2023, Lionel Lines searchlight car #3620, New York Central gondola #6462, Leigh Valley hopper #6456, and Southern Pacific caboose #6357.

The SFTA MOW train, which had to be moved from Track 3 to Track 2 to accommodate the scale CNW crane's boom length (see below), is right at home on this O-31 track. Being an entry-level K-Line set, the NW2 locomotive has a couple challenges - 1) While scale in proportions, it's decks are oversized and will impact trains on Track 3 while traversing curves, and 2) it doesn't have a "slow" speed - it goes from still to fast with nothing in between, and it will go even faster still. I can work with this, but it does mean I shouldn't run trains on Track 3 while this one is running on Track 2, and I shouldn't run it if I'm trying to calm myself or anybody down! “SFTA” is an abbreviation for Silver Falls Transit Authority, which in this case is leasing equipment from the Trackside Construction Company. NW2 #104, unnumbered rail transport car, unnumbered I-beam transport car, gondola carrying railroad ties #5630, and unnumbered crane car/caboose.

The CNW MOW train looks very sharp, and is truly O scale in proportions. However, this means that the crane boom, which extends 7.5 inches beyond the car's deck, sticks out quite a ways on corners. With the large hooks and equipment that hang from the boom, this would cause considerable damage to any trains operating on the next track. Originally, this train was scheduled to run on Track 2, but it would have obliterated the SFTA train which was planned to run on Track 3, so I swapped the two trains. My choice of equipment for Track 4 also made this an easy decision. Anyway, the CNW train runs at a slower pace, and I've turned the locomotive around to run backwards, which is prototypical. The cab (and thus, the engineer) is closer to the crane operation, and that provides better line-of-sight to maintenance work. I've observed various MRL work trains operating in a similar fashion, with REAL GP7s and GP9s, albeit with trimmed front hoods :) Lionel CNW GP7 #1518, MTH CNW crane #6359, and matching MTH crane tender #X250948.

And the trusty handcar makes its long way around Track 4. This handcar was built by Industrial Rail and is unnumbered.

As part of the changing of rosters, I entered or completed inventory records for all participating equipment. At this point, 72% of the fleet has been inventoried. Enjoy National Train Day this Saturday, and keep those rails shiny!

Postwar MOW train

SFTA MOW train

Long CNW crane boom

CNW MOW train

Handcar

Electrified

The autumn winds have blown up a flurry of activity in the train room over the past two weeks.

I started by putting away the semi-scale roster. Based on operation, I did some troubleshooting with the whistle on the NP 0-6-0. I confirmed that, once again, there needs to be other power draws on the track for the sound to work properly. For example, a passenger car with consistent lighting, or a street lamp that is tied to the track power. Modern trains controlled by modern transformers require this.
Next I tested the Electroliner successfully. I opened up the front car to re-affix the internal window frames. In doing so, the new wires I installed last month were disconnected. I used Gorilla Glue to affix two long frames and one short frame, and left them to adhere overnight.

I also tested the CSS Interurban set and confirmed that the cowcatcher on the lead unit contacts the track occasionally when running forward. This results in lots of sparks and sometimes a derailment. So I manually bent the cowcatcher about 1/8" and tested it again. The train now runs properly.
Continuing on the Electroliner, I installed longer lead wires on the front motor connection. I noted that two other wires were disconnected, and through additional testing I came to believe that these had been disconnected for years. I reattached another window frame to the front unit.

Taking a break from repair work, I researched existing and potential "long" locomotives that will run on the future train layout to determine minimum operational track radii. I adjusted the master layout planning diagrams to support a minimum radius track of O-54 (for the Electronliner, shays, hudsons, and northerns). Two locomotives yet to be purchased (the Little Joe and Z-6) have a minimum radius of O-72, so they will be unable to run on some of the loops. The three longest loops will be able to support very large radius track, and I'm experimenting with O-81, O-90, O-99 and O-108 radii to see what will fit into the plan. As of now, the plan is to have two O-54 loops, three O-63 loops, three O-72 loops, and three to-be-determined large-radius loops.

I re-soldered the connections on the Electroliner, but after several attempts found that this was causing a short.

I inventoried several cabeese while pondering the electrical issues on the Electroliner.

I reversed the wires coming from the power pickups on the lead car of the Electroliner. This resolved the electrical shorts, and provided extra power for the train. It appears that both sets of wires in this car were wired backwards from the factory. This car, numbered 802, is the lead unit on the train, and is identical to the trailing car, number 801, in all but two ways: 801 has red marker lights, signifying it is at the rear of the train, and 801 has a male electrical connection to the next car. Car 802 is the only car in the 4-unit train that has a female electrical connection, and it seems this was originally installed backwards, although this is not apparent by looking at the wire colors, which are in line with the appropriate wires in the next car. I reattached additional window frames on 3 cars of the Electroliner after resolving the electrical issues.

I disassembled and lubricated PW Lionel locomotive #2037, which has not run on my layout before. There was a rusty staple stuck in one of the gears under the shell, which I removed. The roller pickups were retracted, so I placed them in active position, and tested the locomotive successfully. It is fully functional - forward-neutral-reverse, whistle, and smoke. 2037's were produced for a number of years throughout the Post-War period. A pink version of this locomotive came with the 1957-1958 Girl's Set, and is quite rare. My engine is unique in that it is missing the decorative bell, but I don't think this makes it more valuable :)

I proceeded to clean up all the tools used for repair work, and set up the new all-electric roster. I opened up the powered CSS Interurban car in order to replace the 9V battery (to provide continuous sound effects), but could not find a battery or battery clip inside. Upon further research, I found that there is no clip for a battery, even though one is mentioned in the instructions. (Oh well.)

Anyway, the roster now consists of:
Track 1 - Trolley
Track 2 - CTA L Cars
Track 3 - CSS Interurbans
Track 4 - Electroliner

Everything runs very smoothly except for the trolley, which has problems running over the 45-degree cross track on Track 1. The Bowser trolleys only have one power pickup, which explains why it has difficulties with cross tracks. To resolve this, I could perform some electrical modifications to the track, but I'm not going to. I'll just have to run the trolley at a consistent 40-scale-mph, which is generally fast enough for it to jump over the dead spot in the cross track without shutting off or cycling into neutral. The layout of the future will have zero cross tracks and only a few switch tracks on main loops, because I just don't want to deal with them. In the meantime, commuters on Track 1 will be quite dizzy, but they'll get to their destinations really fast!

All in all it's been a great two weeks of progress in the train room, from repairs to roster changes and more! Keep those rails shiny~

Lionel PW NYC 6464-125 boxcar

K-Line Kingan's reefer car

Electroliner window frames

First window frame in place on Electroliner

Cowcatcher repaired on CSS Interurban

2037 prior to repair

MRL locomotives in Laurel, MT

All-electric roster

An Intense Day of Ferroequinology!

Happy First Day Of Autumn to all ~ this past Sunday I crammed a lot of train fun into a few hours. 

I headed out at 5:30AM traveling west. I met with friend and fellow modeler Darren in Butte, MT, and had a great conversation regarding the world of trains. After some breakfast, I headed northwest and viewed a static outdoor railroad equipment display in Deer Lodge, MT. The equipment has been cosmetically restored, and consists of all Milwaukee Road equipment: a bay window caboose, an E-9 diesel locomotive, and a Little Joe electric locomotive. The electrified Milwaukee Road line used to travel through Deer Lodge, beginning further east in Harlowton.  

Leaving Deer Lodge, I continued northwest. I attended a train show in Missoula, MT. I sold the 5 pieces of equipment that I brought, and purchased a Lionel PW 6464-125 NYC boxcar from Jim Caras, and a K-Line K742-8025 Kingan's ham/bacon reefer from Bob Peterson. About 60 tables were set up, 5 of which included O gauge trains. There were lots of kids, HO trains, and railroad artifacts. There were also two or three small, functional layouts. 

After the train show I visited the restored Northern Pacific depot in Missoula and photographed NP 4-6-0 steam locomotive #1356 on static display. Then I viewed the "City of Spokane" passenger train parked in the Missoula MRL yard. The train was made up of 18 or so historic, road-worthy passenger cars from throughout the country, generally traveling from Denver to Spokane. I've seen several of these cars parked in Billings at various times, but it was neat to see them all together. 

On my return trip I photographed the ruins of a Milwaukee Road electrical substation along I-90 east of Missoula. Then I explored the abandoned BNSF tracks in Homestake, MT right along the Continental Divide east of Butte, MT. I found a loose piece of a switch mechanism to add to my railroadania collection. 

All in all a great day of trains and 10 hours of driving in Montana! Keep those rails shiny ~

Deer Lodge MT: Little Joe E70, my Yukon, and E9 36A

Sunlight through the E9's cab

Missoula train show

NP Ten-wheeler 1356 in Missoula

The City of Spokane parked in Missoula

Abandoned Milwaukee Road substation along I-90

Forgotten rails atop the Continental Divide

Unused rails at Homestake at the end of summer

Switch equipment with a loose part

Little trains and the Night of the Rolling Frankencoach

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 ~

The semi-scale roster

The IC-powered ore train

The Rockfordian

Van Twiller combine

Granite Canyon fully powered

And, my bride got to ride on a short train today!

I saw the (PostWar) Light

This week involved some Postwar searchlight car endeavors. Many years ago I received a PW Lionel #3620 Searchlight car, but it was missing the searchlight assembly. I found a reproduction unit at the monthly train show at the DuPage County Fairgrounds in Illinois, and used it for many years. Earlier this year, the reproduction searchlight assembly got damaged (cracked). I recently found an original PW searchlight assembly online and had it shipped to Billings. The #3620 now has all original, functional parts for the first time in decades.

Last month I obtained a #6520 PW Lionel searchlight car at an estate sale. While the car has many good features, it also requires some work. One of the couplers is broken, it is missing the searchlight lens, and the wire running to the bulb is disconnected. This week I was able to replace the lens, and I attempted to re-solder the wire running to the bulb. After several attempts, I found this to not be worth the trouble. Next month I’ll be headed to western MT for a train show, and I’ll see if I can sell/trade the car there.

Also this week I received 5 new pieces of rolling stock. I purchased these scale cars online: K-Line ATSF Dynamite boxcar, K-Line Kraft Cheese reefer, K-Line Union 76 tank car, Lionel US Army tank car, and a Lionel Philadelphia Quartz tank car.

Next week there should be a few more new arrivals, which will be the last new modern stock for a while.

Until then, keep those rails shiny ~

An original searchlight housing (L) and the reproduction housing

Handle with care

For the cheese lovers

Orange and blue oil

Contents are classified

Off to make some sodium silicate!