Craft Project

I continued working on some hand-made railroad cross bucks this week. I had previously cut and painted them, and this week I sketched the lettering on them. Just a quick update this week ~

Lettering outlines on boxcar wood

RR Crossing

This week I did some full-scale railroad work. A few months ago, I acquired a damaged railroad crossing sign that had been struck and abandoned. I gladly adopted it, and have given it a new home in our backyard. Much of the post was split apart from the impact, so I had to shorten it considerably, but with a deep hole and plenty of concrete, this sign should remain here for a long time! On the opposite side of the shed is the train whistle sign I installed last year.

In model train news, I haven't made substantial progress due to a very busy week at work, but I did test the CSS Interurbans in reverse, and they ran around Track 3 about 50 times without any issues. This is great news, and I can now proceed to modify the front truck so that the cowcatcher won't "catch" the third rail at junction spots.

I also performed more troubleshooting on the NP 0-6-0, but there is no progress to report yet. I did some shuffling of boxes in the train room as well, but that wasn't interesting enough to warrant a picture. So, enjoy views of our increasingly railroad-themed shed below, and until next time, keep those rails shiny!

The new railroad crossing sign in place

This whistle sign, found in Canada was placed here last summer

Grinders, Catchers, Wires and Tethers

This week I spotted the LORAM rail grinding train in the Billings yard for a maintenance stop. This was the first time I could see the entire unit in one view, and it appears to be an 11-car set. This is train puts on an impressive display when running – a set of cars equipped with grinders smooth the rails, assisted by lubricants stored in the tank cars, and spotters on the caboose extinguish brush fires resulting from the grinding with large water cannons, all without requiring the train to stop. It generates a lot of noise and dust!

Also this week I ran a few of the trains that we brought back from IL in July. I opened up the Chicago South Shore powered interurban to check the sound system and reaffix some loose passengers. The unit runs well and has good sound, but the front cowcatcher contacts that track at a few points, so I’ll do some troubleshooting to help it run more smoothly.

I replaced the battery on the Chicago Burlington & Quincy powered E8, and had the AA set pull the Bozeman Zephyr around Track 4. While replacing the battery, I think I inadvertently moved an internal wire, which is now rubbing against one of the flywheel motors. So, I’ll need to open that one up again and re-set that wire.

I also ran the Northern Pacific 0-6-0 switcher with a set of box cars. The engine was troublesome. At first it would not cycle out of neutral; this was resolved by re-sitting the tether between the engine and tender. After running properly for a while, the sounds stopped altogether, and then it got stuck in neutral again.

Meanwhile, the postwar Union Pacific FAs and postwar freight cars running around Track 1 ran flawlessly the entire week. Not a problem whatsoever!

I’ll let you know how the troubleshooting turns out next week – til then, keep your rails shiny!

The 11-car LORAM rail grinding train

Passengers and conductor inside the CSS interurban

Interurbans on Track 3

A new battery allows you to hear sounds from the locomotive when track power is off

UP, NP, CSS, and CB&Q

Train lineup with lights off

First Spike: The Sasaparilla, Cedar Sap and Pacific Railroad

Hello, we made it to September ~

In late August, we did a bit of ferroequinological archaeology along the former Northern Pacific's Park Line, which ran from Livingston, MT to Gardiner, MT. Specifically, we explored the Point of Rocks area, which is now a boat launch site along the Yellowstone River. The Park Line roadbed was carved into the rocks along the River, and there we acquired a specimen (a rock) from the carved area. The NP ran passenger service over this line from 1883 to 1948.

In other news, I set up a publicity photo shoot to celebrate the beginning of the Sasaparilla, Cedar Sap and Pacific Garden Railroad in our backyard. In the photos below you'll see the entirety of the garden-scale railroad's current assets, along with railroad model Amber.

Have a great Labor Day, and keep those rails shiny ~

Here I am "standing in the gap" of the Point of Rocks along the Yellowstone River, where the NP tracks used to be

Here's the railroad rock we acquired to add to our landscaping projects

Railroad model Amber and the SCS&P

Colorado & Southern reefer car, track (provided by Uncle Bill), and water tower planter (provided by my folks)

In the Engine House

Over the past few weeks I've been repairing two units: the Lionel Postwar Southern F3 #2356 A, and the 3rd Rail Electroliner. I've also snapped a few photos of real trains.

I tested the 2356 after returning with it from Illinois. It successfully traversed the outer loop of the layout, but after a few minutes I noticed smoke coming out of the front of the engine. (Modern diesel models frequently have a smoking unit installed, but you won't find this feature in a circa-1955 locomotive!) I removed the shell and started troubleshooting. This engine has dual motors. The front motor showed signs of major stress - the carbon brushes had become slightly deformed, and there was a lot of carbon debris within the motor housing. I cleaned the interior of the motor and re-affixed everything. When testing, I found that the rear motor armature wasn't rotating. So, my theory is that the front motor had been working extra hard to make up for the frozen-up rear motor, which resulted in the brush damage. Now I'm working on restoring the rear motor. I can get the armature to spin erratically, so my first step will be to thoroughly clean the entire motor. I will use the steps provided by Just Trains at http://www.justtrains.com/Service/maint-3.asp.

Now over to the Electroliner. Since I bought it over a decade ago, operating this critter has always been problematic. It is among the best-looking models in my fleet, and is the only brass O-scale item I own. The internal systems, however, are marginal at best, and because of its construction, it is the most delicate set I have. It is terribly easy to unintentionally bump something and cause a slew of problems. So, regardless of past issues with the 'Liner, here is what I'm currently dealing with. I had the motors repaired by Roy at www.royztrains.com in Michigan. I restored TMCC (Train Master Command Control) functionality by re-soldering a wire in one of the compartments. And, I partially repaired a damaged truck. The remaining issues are that the motors do not always run in-sync (one is going backwards while the other is trying to go forwards), the powered wheels do not have enough traction to properly propel the train, the sound system sounds distorted, and all of the internal windows have detached. I've asked for Roy's advice on the motor issues.

On our return trip from Illinois, we stopped in Hayward, MN. While my bride was shopping at a quilt store, I hung around the tracks of this little town, hoping for a train to come through. No such luck, but I got some classic small-town railroad photos. In Wall, SD, I saw a Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern train come through to drop off some MOW cars. The RCPE is just over 1 year old and connects Rapid City with Tracy, MN. Their colors are orange, black, and yellow, and they run several former DM&E locos that have not yet been repainted.

My folks visited Billings in August, and they snapped a photo of me with NP switcher #1031 at the Yellowstone County Museum in front of the Billings airport.

Til next time, keep your rails shiny ~

Front motor on the 2356 showing carbon brush damage and debris

Rear motor on 2356 after initial cleaning

Repaired red wire connection on the Electroliner

Repairing the Electroliner truck

Electrified Electroliner!

Identification sign and mile marker at Hayward, MN

PCRE train at Wall, SD

Logo of the new railroad

Me and the local Billings switcher

Catch Up

Howdy - this post will give some brief details about my railroading exploits over the past year, when this blog was on hiatus. And of course, there are spiffy pics at the bottom!

July 2014
-Took some photos of individual trains while changing out the roster.
-Trains on track included the CNW Doodlebugs, Lionel Lines Columbia-class 2-4-2 Postwar steamer "trying" to pull the Rock Island Denver Rocket, Rock Island Northern 4-8-4 with a reefer freight, and Illinois Central GP9 with a caboose train.
-Repair work on the CNS&M Electroliner. One motor was failing to run, putting a lot of pressure on the second motor. I deemed that either the motor was bad, or that I did not have the tools/skills to repair. I send the Electroliner to Illinois to await repair in Michigan.
-On a hot day I photographed track repair equipment at work near the Billings Depot.
-I won my first game of Ticket to Ride.
-Set up the new roster: Track 1 - CBQ GP7 and small freight, Track 2 - CNW F7 and freight, Track 3 - Trackside Construction set headed by MP-15, Track 4 - Frisco Mikado 2-8-2 and freight

August 2014
-Saw a wacky-looking ballast recycling machine near the Depot.
-Also at the Depot, a special MRL train pulling a mix of modern and heavyweight passenger cars was parked for a day.
-Repaired Postwar #2034 to working order

September 2014
-My bride gave me a beautiful piece of artwork - a hand painted historic map of the Montana Railroad
-A string of nine BNSF locomotives came through Billings
-My folks were in town and visited the train layout
-While traveling, saw two enormous new MRL EMD SD70ACe locomotives followed by two little SW switcher locomotives in an EB train

October 2014
-Set up a model logging train at work as part of a "north woods" Halloween theme

November 2014
-Set up the new roster: Track 1 - LL 2-4-2 and small freight, Track 2 NP 0-6-0 and logging train, Track 3 - CNW GP7 #1518 and reefer freight, Track 4 - complete Vista Dome North Coast Limited passenger train (chasing its own tail)
-Decided to sell the K-Line Milwaukee Road GP7, as it is not a scale locomotive

December 2014
-Set up Christmas tree on the layout, with train ornaments
-Set up permanent Christmas lights under the layout for storage illumination
-Hosted family on Christmas day in the train room
-Set up CNW 0-8-0 freight around Christmas tree in the library room
-Prepared train tickets for visitors to the train room, and stamped them upon admission

No activity for a few months

April 2015
-Set up the new roster: Track 1 - green Brill trolley, Track 2 - CNW 0-8-0 and ore car train, Track 3 - GN 2-8-2 and mixed freight, Track 4 - CNW F7's and bi-level passenger train with the UP American View.
-Took various photos of the roster

May 2015
-Got to see a Lionel Smithsonian-edition NYC 20th Century Limited set at an auction in Lewistown. Only 500 of these were produced.
-At the auction, bought: ZW transformer, mint BA&P freight tag, numerous railroad paperwork items (majority from 1893), several railroad maps, framed painting of an NYC steam train, a heavy box of railroad spikes, and a large 1961 Burlington wall map of its western US tracks

June 2015
-Set up the new roster: Track 1 - CNW Doodlebugs, Track 2 - IC GP9 and caboose train, Track 3 - RI GP9 and CNW GP7 #1518 with the CNW Minnesota and Black Hills Express heavyweight passenger train, Track 4 - CNW 4-6-2 with a hopper car train
-Put all of the trains away in preparation for the remainder of railroad items to arrive from IL
-At the end of June, we set out for Illinois, and the rest you know! Now we're caught up, and keeping those rails shiny ~

CNW Doodlebugs take a ride on Track 4

A fast reefer freight heads around Track 4, pulled by the RI Northern

Electroliner under repair

Removing old, and installing new ties on MRL tracks by the Depot

First time playing, first time winning - Ticket to Ride

CBQ GP7, CNW F7, Trackside MP15, and Frisco Mikado all pulling freights

Special MRL passenger train at the Depot

Wacky looking ballast machine in Billings

Postwar 2034 undergoing repairs

Example of O27 vs O steam locomotives in action

Hand painted map of the Montana Railroad

9 locos at once

2 big locos and 2 small ones

Halloween at work

NP 0-6-0 pulls a log train

The Vista Dome North Coast Limited chases its own tail, while the 2034 zips around Track 1

Christmas time in the Train Room

Under-table illumination

Special Christmas tickets for the Train Room

My nephew enjoys the CNW 0-8-0 circling a Christmas tree

A trolley, the CNW 0-8-0, the GN 2-8-2, and the CNW F7's are all featured in Spring 2015

The switcher and the road engine at night

The illuminated 21" CNW Bilevels

The trolley takes a night trip

Busy day on the layout

A steel caboose follows the ore train

One of 500 Lionel Smithsonian NYC 20th Century Limited sets

Hat is a wee bit small for me

CNW Pacific #2903 pulls a long row of hopper cars

RI and CNW geeps team up to pull a heavyweight passenger train

Doodlebugs and cabeese