09-19-2010, 09:35 PM
Greetings Matt!
I plan to build some Proto:48 for the display cars...Nickel Plate caboose 141...with two copies going to the gentlemen to restored the actual car.
Had fun up on the Cuyahoga Valley. The Saturday trip was ok. It left the yards 1.5hrs late or so, but got to see the Vicoso 0-4-0t run through...followed by the very full Bicycle train which caused our delay. I didn't hear one complaint from the passengers. The CVS had some excellent BBQ for us. The photo runbys were after dark. Boy, the inspection pit in the CVS shops is impressive...ramp access and open on the side (as if the track were on a trestle in the pit).
Today's trip was smooth. We left the yards on time, I'd say around 10am. Picked up the passengers around 10:30ish. At various points in the trip, I road every piece of equipment other than the FL9 on the rear end. The trip was 45 miles each way, 30mph railroad. We started around 10 miles south of Cleveland and stopped a mile or two south of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton. The CVS had some good BBQ for us in Canton. We met their regular train going to and fro. The return meeting was slick...a rolling meet. 765 could easily handle twice the 9 car train (the diesel on the other end would probably need help to pull the train back, either 765 pushing or a second diesel).
On Saturday, I met the rest of my party (including an 84 year old retired Nickel Plate Engineer/Fireman...he started on the road in 1947...when the road power was 100% steam...he ran the berkshires in regular service) at the Age of Steam Roundhouse. I can't think of it as anything other than the 8th Wonder of the World. My last trip by it 9-10 months ago...when 763 was the only steam locomotive on site. I hope you make it up to Cadillac. There'll be some stuff next year, but no guarantees on anything being in Ohio/MI/IN.
I like picking a period more than a particular day. I regard 1946-1948 to be the pinnacle of the NKP: 1946 is when the hudsons got their elephant ears and the berks had their flying number boards. 1948 is when the PAs arrived and, for a brief few months, the R Class 4-6-0s were still around. Sure, there were only two lightweight cars on the roster, but there were no Mars lights and plenty of 2-8-0s. 1884-1885 for the South Park is similar. The conversion from Eames to WABCo brakes occurred during the Winter '83-84, and the Cooke moguls and Penninsular freight cars arrived early in 1884. In mid '85, the UP reunumbered the roster and all of the ornate builders' paint jobs were replaced with plain black.
The South Park is renowned for its beautiful scenery and equipment...certainly in the top tier with the best world wide. But it isn't great for operations...especially when those O-gauge guys come to play! I don't know that they know how to use tweezers
I'm sure that plenty of HO guys would attempt the old "pick the car up while rubbing the paint and smashing the details in order to uncouple it" trick and then start shaking it trying to uncouple the L&Ps. Then, there is whole issue with the relatively light traffic on the South Park over Alpine Pass. The Oahu Railway would have 160 trains entering and leaving the Iwilei yard limit every day. Its arid, island scenery contrasts so nicely with Colorado. And the knuckle couplers are sufficiently familiar for the crews.
I love On3. I'm glad that On30 exists for parts, but its RTR advantages don't really help for a devoted prototype modeler such as myself. I plan to build my 2-8-0s and two of the 0-6-0s out of the B-man 2-8-0 mechanism (5-10min to regauge...far longer to do everything else). One of the IF 4-4-0 mechanisms will become OR&L #15. The 2-8-2s and 3-truck shays will have to be K-28 and WSL shay conversions. The 4-6-0s will have to be scratch. The little 0-6-0s might be able to start from the OF forney drivers...
I really love the increase in 1930s and 1900s modeling. Such neat and often overlooked eras. Colorful boiler jackets were not abnormal and the greater variety of branchline power.
Michael
I plan to build some Proto:48 for the display cars...Nickel Plate caboose 141...with two copies going to the gentlemen to restored the actual car.
Had fun up on the Cuyahoga Valley. The Saturday trip was ok. It left the yards 1.5hrs late or so, but got to see the Vicoso 0-4-0t run through...followed by the very full Bicycle train which caused our delay. I didn't hear one complaint from the passengers. The CVS had some excellent BBQ for us. The photo runbys were after dark. Boy, the inspection pit in the CVS shops is impressive...ramp access and open on the side (as if the track were on a trestle in the pit).
Today's trip was smooth. We left the yards on time, I'd say around 10am. Picked up the passengers around 10:30ish. At various points in the trip, I road every piece of equipment other than the FL9 on the rear end. The trip was 45 miles each way, 30mph railroad. We started around 10 miles south of Cleveland and stopped a mile or two south of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton. The CVS had some good BBQ for us in Canton. We met their regular train going to and fro. The return meeting was slick...a rolling meet. 765 could easily handle twice the 9 car train (the diesel on the other end would probably need help to pull the train back, either 765 pushing or a second diesel).
On Saturday, I met the rest of my party (including an 84 year old retired Nickel Plate Engineer/Fireman...he started on the road in 1947...when the road power was 100% steam...he ran the berkshires in regular service) at the Age of Steam Roundhouse. I can't think of it as anything other than the 8th Wonder of the World. My last trip by it 9-10 months ago...when 763 was the only steam locomotive on site. I hope you make it up to Cadillac. There'll be some stuff next year, but no guarantees on anything being in Ohio/MI/IN.
I like picking a period more than a particular day. I regard 1946-1948 to be the pinnacle of the NKP: 1946 is when the hudsons got their elephant ears and the berks had their flying number boards. 1948 is when the PAs arrived and, for a brief few months, the R Class 4-6-0s were still around. Sure, there were only two lightweight cars on the roster, but there were no Mars lights and plenty of 2-8-0s. 1884-1885 for the South Park is similar. The conversion from Eames to WABCo brakes occurred during the Winter '83-84, and the Cooke moguls and Penninsular freight cars arrived early in 1884. In mid '85, the UP reunumbered the roster and all of the ornate builders' paint jobs were replaced with plain black.
The South Park is renowned for its beautiful scenery and equipment...certainly in the top tier with the best world wide. But it isn't great for operations...especially when those O-gauge guys come to play! I don't know that they know how to use tweezers
I'm sure that plenty of HO guys would attempt the old "pick the car up while rubbing the paint and smashing the details in order to uncouple it" trick and then start shaking it trying to uncouple the L&Ps. Then, there is whole issue with the relatively light traffic on the South Park over Alpine Pass. The Oahu Railway would have 160 trains entering and leaving the Iwilei yard limit every day. Its arid, island scenery contrasts so nicely with Colorado. And the knuckle couplers are sufficiently familiar for the crews.I love On3. I'm glad that On30 exists for parts, but its RTR advantages don't really help for a devoted prototype modeler such as myself. I plan to build my 2-8-0s and two of the 0-6-0s out of the B-man 2-8-0 mechanism (5-10min to regauge...far longer to do everything else). One of the IF 4-4-0 mechanisms will become OR&L #15. The 2-8-2s and 3-truck shays will have to be K-28 and WSL shay conversions. The 4-6-0s will have to be scratch. The little 0-6-0s might be able to start from the OF forney drivers...
I really love the increase in 1930s and 1900s modeling. Such neat and often overlooked eras. Colorful boiler jackets were not abnormal and the greater variety of branchline power.
Michael
Michael
My primary goal is a large Oahu Railway layout in On3
My secondary interests are modeling the Denver, South Park, & Pacific in On3 and NKP in HO
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My primary goal is a large Oahu Railway layout in On3
My secondary interests are modeling the Denver, South Park, & Pacific in On3 and NKP in HO
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://thesouthparkline.blogspot.com/">http://thesouthparkline.blogspot.com/</a><!-- m -->