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

Through-lines coming Through

Here's an update from the train room for March 2017. I'm very happy to report that my son, now 3 months old, really enjoys model trains. When he's upset, I run the trains for him, and he calms down every time. The combination of the train's motion and sounds have a lulling affect, and he's even fallen asleep a couple of times as the trains circle about in front of him.

Since my last post, I celebrated another birthday, and my parents and my parents-in-law all gifted me some nice railroad-related items. I received two nice posters of steam locomotive paintings, for the Northern Pacific and Great Northern railroads. I was also given several model railroad scenery supplies, including a bag of real coal. I also received an authentic chain for my railroad pocket watch. And, my wife gave me an evening with just the two of us, which meant a lot more to me than a thousand trains. Thank you to everybody for your generosity!

I've been running NP 0-6-0 for my son (well, for me too) and haven't had any problems until recently. I warmed it up one day, and there were no audible sounds from the speaker. This is the same issue I encountered last year, and took it to Caboose Hobbies in Denver to have it repaired. I've contacted The Caboose (new owner and location) to see if they have detailed records of what was specifically repaired last year, in hopes that I can duplicate it.

Over the past week, with help from my father and son, the train layout roster has been changed. We also performed a bit of inventory on the previous and new roster items. As of now, there are 97 items remaining to inventory. The theme of the roster is "through-lines", meaning that these trains are not run by local/regional railroads - they are "passing through". The locomotives in use are the only ones in the collection from their respective railroads. So, here's the new March-April 2017 roster for your review and entertainment:

On Track 1, the Blue Train makes its first-ever run this month. With the majority of its members hailing from the mostly-blue livery of Montana Rail Link, I developed this train simply because my bride likes the color. With last year's acquisition of the Union 76 tank car, this mixed freight now includes three scale-and-time-displaced cars with a locomotive and caboose. As more primarily-blue rolling stock is collected, they will be added to this special freight. This version of the Blue Train consists of the MRL SD9 (Lionel), a Needham Packing reefer (MTH), a Union 76 oil tank (K-Line), an MRL double-door boxcar (Lionel) and an MRL extended vision caboose (Lionel).

Track 2 hosts an all-dairy-related train. The Dairy Express is led by the MPC-era MKT NW2 (Lionel), a GN stock car (Petersen) a Borden milk tank car (Lionel), a Carnation reefer (K-Line), a Dairy Men reefer (Lionel) and an MKT extended vision caboose (Lionel). The NW2 is a single-motor unit and runs very well - it growls like a Postwar locomotive and was the first diesel model I had as a youngster.

On Track 3, reliable and mighty Mikado #4100 pulls mixed freight #408. A variety of goods and materials are in tow behind the Frisco 2-8-2 steam locomotive, built by Lionel in 1993. First, a CP log car (Lionel), followed by two recently acquired Lionel tankers with Philadelphia Quartz and Army liveries, a Midnight-Chief-inspired boxcar (#97191, K-Line), a Peacock reefer (K-Line), an Old Dutch reefer (K-Line), a GN hopper laden with coal (MTH), a CNW flatcar with semi trailer (called a "piggyback") (MTH), a late-80's MRR tank car (Lionel), an IC hopper (Williams) and a Frisco wood-sided caboose.

The ATSF boxcar has a brake-side coupler issue. It's opening at certain spots on the loop, but I haven't determined the cause yet. I thought the magnet was activating, but I've proved that isn't the issue. It only opens when it is coupled to another car, so weight and force, combined with certain sections of track are somehow causing it to malfunction. I'll keep troubleshooting, but for now I've placed the boxcar at the end of the train to prevent uncoupling problems.

Also, as I learned while holding my son, one should not shift the Frisco Mikado into forward from neutral at 25% power. I had gotten used to running the NP Switcher, which has a very gentle shift and can run smoothly at low speeds, but the 2-8-2 experienced extreme acceleration. The log car uncoupled from the tank car and both derailed. Of course, this happened at the inaccessible corner of the layout, so it took some ingenuity, while holding a baby, to pull the cars closer and re-rail them. No harm done, and everything is running again, but it was a small adventure to fix it.

And on Track 4, I've assembled the longest-yet version of the Northern Range heavyweight coach train. This time, its being pulled over Pennsylvania Railroad ROW, so the train is called the "Philly Phoenix" and is pulled by a big GG1 electric locomotive (Williams). The real-life prototype for this locomotive is nicknamed "Blackjack", and can be viewed at the Pennsylvania Railroad Museum. Behind my O-scale version of Blackjack is a troop car converted into an REA head-end car (Weaver), the Van Twiller combine (Lionel, first time on rails ever), the Willow River coach (Lionel), the Willow Valley coach (Lionel), the Willow Range coach (Lionel), the second Willow River coach (Lionel), the Highland Falls sleeper (Lionel), and the Granite Canyon coach (K-Line) takes up the rear.

The GG1 horn sputters frequently while pulling the Philly Phoenix. This can be prevented by holding down the Bell button on the controller. I think this is just a symptom of something fishy going on electronically with Track 4, as I’ve had problems with Whistle/Horn-Bell functionality in the past.

With my son around, the trains are all getting a lot more run time, which means more fun for everybody!

Have a blessed day, and keep those rails shiny!

Bday steam locomotive artwork

The Blue Train

Dairy Express

Frisco 2-8-2

"Chicaqo" piggyback

Santa Fe Blackbonnet paint scheme

Mike and Blackjack

Part of the Philly Phoenix

Banana cheese logs

Happy November ~

Please enjoy some views and video of the all-electric roster below. Visitors since the last blog posting included my uncle and aunt from the Chicago-area. Also, some new rolling stock just came in: a K-Line reefer full of bananas, a MTH reefer carrying Phenix cheese, and three heavy-duty log cars carrying some massive sections of tree trunks. The banana car really has bananas inside. The cheese car is a scale version of a 36' reefer, and thus it is shorter than the other reefers in the fleet, but is still prototypical. The log cars are referred to as "skeleton cars" since they are "bare-bones" only - just a rolling platform for transporting big logs.

Until next time, keep your rails shiny ~

Trolley, L Train, Interurbans and Electroliner

South Shore and North Shore

3rd rail and overhead electrics

Loops of electric trains

The banana car has lots of accessories

New rolling stock

Three new log cars

New cheese reefer

Banana car with bananas inside

Bananas, cheese and logs

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!

Electroburgers on the menu!

This week marks the triumphant return of the Electroliner to active service. I bought the Electroliner new in the early 2000's. It is the only brass model I own, manufactured by 3rd Rail/Sunset Models. It is a beautiful scale model, but from day one it has had problems. While troubleshooting these problems, I quickly learned that I don't want to invest in any other brass models in the future. They are very finicky.

Earlier this year, I had the motors serviced in Michigan. This week I performed the final major work, which involved swapping two motor lead wires in the head unit (#802). The photos below show the 'Liner laid out on a foam "workbench", with wires attached to the roller pickups and wheels. It kind of looked like it was connected to life support, or was possibly part of an experiment being performed by Dr Frankenstein. Regardless, this allowed me to power up the train while it was laying on its side, and confirmed without a doubt that the front and rear motors were turning in the opposite directions. I also saw that the rubber tires on the front wheels had degraded to the point that pieces of them were whipping around. I removed the offending pieces of rubber. Later this year I'll apply some Bullfrog Snot to these wheels to provide more traction. Anyway, I opened the shell on the lead unit and unplugged the wires that lead to the motor. I cut the two wires and swapped their placement on the motor connector. I reconnected everything and powered up the Electroliner again, and all the wheels were running in sync. I can't prove it, but I think this was a problem from the factory, as the 'Liner had never run smoothly on the layout in Illinois. The two motors working against each other caused the rubber tires to fall apart, and eventually resulted in one of the motors being damaged (repaired earlier this year).

I placed the Electroliner on Track 4 and tried it out. I found that it has some trouble with electrical flow on the west side of the layout at slower speeds. But when I opened up the throttle, it zips around the whole loop flawlessly. The sounds and horn features work too. There is still some work to do: the aforementioned traction tire repair, the interior lights are out on the rear unit, and most of the interior window frames need to be reattached. But, I've placed the train back on the active roster, since it is performing very well on the track. I've now run the Electroliner more in Montana then I had in Illinois, and am very pleased with its performance. It has a GREAT "clickity-clack" sound which is quite realistic. I know this because I've had the pleasure of riding on the original #801-802 Electroliner at the Illinois Railway Museum. They are currently restoring it again, so we'll all have the chance to ride it again in the coming years. I won the race though: my Electroliner got fixed before theirs!

Also this week another historic Lionel Postwar 6464 car was added to the roster. The red Minneapolis & Saint Louis 6464-525 boxcar is from the original 1957-1958 production run. So far I've collected 5 of the 29 original 6464-series boxcars, and it's been fun so far!

I've updated some of my model railroad spreadsheets to reflect current train prices, and improved the layout on a tab containing Postwar Lionel information. I also purchased some more rolling stock, which will be detailed in next week's blog post.

Keep those rails shiny ~

Electroliner on the operating table

Electroliner rounds the SE curve of Track 4

6464-525, nearly 60 years old

Building the Great Northern empire

This year, I'm focusing on purchasing Great Northern rolling stock. On the train layout of the future, GN will be the 3rd-most represented railroad (after C&NW and NP). At the beginning of 2016, my GN roster consisted of a Mikado steam locomotive, a reefer car, a hopper car, and an express mail car. Since then, I've acquired two Postwar Lionel 6464 boxcars, a Lionel boxcar, a Weaver boxcar, and coming next week, a Weaver stockcar and MTH caboose. I've also had some repair work done on the Mikado steamer. So far, my plans to beef up the Great Northern stock has been working!

Ultimate plans for the GN will include another boxcar, a pair of flatcars, two ore cars, two more reefers, another stock car and another caboose. Additionally, (and further down the line) I'll be adding an F3 or FT diesel-powered streamlined passenger set, a Geep diesel, and a small yard steamer. Photos of the new GN equipment will be here next week. Keep those rails shiny!

Four F-Units

This week I finished inventorying the new roster. Here are the trains that are now set to run:

Track 1 – C&NW F7 AA and short freight

Track 2 - SR F3 AB and long freight

Track 3 - CP F3 AA and the Northern Range

Track 4 - NP F3 ABA and 5-car Vista Dome North Coast Limited

Notes:

-The Lionel Northern Range (actually Commodore Vanderbilt) heavyweight cars are made for O-54 track, but Track 3 is only O-42. This train needs to run slowly, and will bump passenger cars on Track 4, so I run it independently.

-First all-F-unit-powered roster.

-SR Postwar #2356 is performing well after making repairs last week.

-First time running for K-Line ATSF “Midnight Chief” boxcar 97199, Lionel GN boxcar 24872, and Weaver GN boxcar 2512.

-First time running (on this train set) for Weaver CNS&M boxcar 500814

-NP #2390A seems to need a new battery, as the sounds are acting strangely.

The all-F-unit lineup

Williams C&NW F7 and a short freight

60-year old SR F3 pulls a scale boxcar freight

Brand new boxcars on Track 2

North Shore boxcar and a brand new GN boxcar

CP locos pull a 4-car Northern Range

Lionel NP engines pull a 5-car MTH NP passenger set