Colorado Central Porter-Bell

Back when I was working on my Christmas list, I visited the Leadville Shops website to put some of their kits on it.  Once more, I drooled over Bill Meredith’s Colorado Central Porter-Bell kit.  I love the prototype, one of the most common NG locomotives of the 1870s.  But further, Bill designed it a an etched Nickel Silver kit...the same type of kit which is state of the art for the popular British model railway locomotive kit market.  I had wanted to look into Nickel Silver etchings for my Oahu Railway locomotives, so acquiring and building one of his kits can provide me with valuable experience towards building OR&L’s heavy 0-6-0s and 4-6-0s.

Ribbets

From the Cyclopedia of Locomotive Engineering

For sizing the rivets on models.

And dimensions from the Locomotive Cyclopedia of 1922

First boxcar side casting

O scale Cooke Domes Finally Available!

I test printed these nearly a year and a half ago...for various reasons, they were delayed.  But now they are ready:

Domes, O-scale, 48" boiler version (Cooke 2-8-0)

Domes, O-scale, 50" boiler version (South Park Mogul)

Finally!!!

Karlgarin O-scale rail

My rail arrived today.  I ordered a sampling of their code 82, 100, and 125 rail.  Unlike micro engineering rail, it has a proper O-scale AREA/AAR profile.  It is also of a higher nickel content alloy, which gives it a superior color and should give it superior properties for soldering.

Jerry Kitts posted about this on the On3 discussion group last spring or so.  I don't know him, but I have noticed that he knows what he is talking about...so I looked into it.

The hassle in ordering was great, but Jerry assured me via email that it was worth it.  Yes, Jerry absolutely knows what he is talking about...this rail is awesome!!! It is completely worth the effort and I will never again buy micro engineering rail when I can get karlgarin rail!

It looks far more like steel than the Micro Engineering rail...an important consideration for modeling steel rail.  It also has a much more prototypical look for a normal model railroad viewing perspective.

The left is ME C100, the right is Karlgarin C100

 Not the greatest photo, but you can see the difference in cross section somewhat and the color.
On the left is ME C100, the right is Karlgarin C100

This time it is ME C83 vs. Karlgarin C82.  The slightly smaller rail looks bigger because of the scale profile (wider).

There  is another source for actual O-scale rail, Right O Way, but he does not offer Nickel Silver in all of the rail sizes that I need...and I don't want to use actual steel rail.


Here is where you get this wonderful product:
http://www.karlgarin.com/whatsnew.htm

I ordered 1 pack of the Code 125, 2 packs of the Code 82, and 3 packs of the Code 100.  All three are correct for the Oahu Railway, so I'd like to use all three on my model railroad.  Obviously, I need to order many more packs of this wonderful rail.  I will combine it with Proto:87 store oversized spikes and a mix of 7' and SG ties to accurately represent the Oahu Railway's track.   With the effort I'm going to in getting the rolling stock correct, it would be a shame to not model the track with the same fidelity to prototype.

Updates in waycar running gear

Spurred by a recent discussion on the HOn3 discussion group, I have finished and uploaded the HOn3 version of the waycar running gear to Shapeways.  Similarly, I have also rescaled it to S scale for an Sn3 version which is also available.

HO
http://www.shapeways.com/model/3021072/dsp-waycar-running-gear-mk1-ho-hon3.html?li=search-results-5&materialId=61

S
http://www.shapeways.com/model/3048591/dsp-p-waycar-running-gear-sn3.html?li=shop-results&materialId=61

Of course, since they don't include the full frame, they could be used for both standard and narrow gauge (HO, HOn3, HOn30 or S, Sn42, Sn3, or Sn2).

Christmas creep

Scratchbuilt model trains are best started well before Christmas.  I don't quite have all of the framing ready to assemble, but it is coming along.  It is fun and I hope my kids enjoy it!

Christmas prep

Christmas will be here in three months. That means that it's time for me to get busy working on my kids' Christmas gift! Last year, I waited too long to get serious about their Colorado central 23 foot flat car.  Accordingly, I did not get the trucks 3-D printed until New Year's.  So with a more ambitious car planned for this year, I decided that I better get started earlier.  This time it is not a Colorado central or south park car, but if you look at the running gear, you might be able to figure out what it will be.  1:20.3 scale again.

Ultrasonic cleaning

I made the plunge and ordered an ultrasonic cleaner.  Yes, you can clean 3d printed parts without it, but I want to reduce the effort.  I also do not plan on using bedtime...there's a fair bit of confusion that the wax makes the parts translucent and that when they are clean, they are I opaque white.  As an engineer, I am completely comfortable stating that this is only half true...the opaque finish is from the bestine attacking the acrylic...the opaque white is akin to putting a million tiny scratches into acrylic sheet...no thank you.

The ultrasonic cleaner should arrive a couple days before my first sets of or&l freight car hardware arrives from Shapeways.

So what is missing?

I believe there are a few pieces of lettering left to apply...going for early 30s style...

Why the 1116?  Because my daughter and I road in the 1116 on the Georgetown Loop!  Today, she's named "Gray's Peak".

The Blogger iPhone app is great...it's eliminated my least favorite blogging task...the hassling with photos...If only I could find out how to rotate the photo...

Paint shop

Here's my slightly modified San Juan boxcar...tweaked to resemble the 4xxx series.  I haven't bothered with all of the lettering correct, as it will be mostly illegible once the car is lettered up for Navy Yard Pearl Harbor.  This may be the only D&RGW car I ever build.

I'm also working on the c&s reefer.  It's Polly scale armour yellow...with peeling paint.  I had an air brush problem which led to an unusually heavy coat by my standards.  I've given it some peeling paint treatment, but no weathering as of yet.

Oct. 2013 was quite a while ago.  I have been modeling, mostly for 3d printing...but some traditional work as well.   After Christmas, I created 1:20.3 scale Colorado Central trucks,1872 D&RG trucks, and D&RG bobber running gear (a la caboose 49 at CRRM).   I printed two sets of each truck and one of the running gear for my kids...they received a 23' CCRR flatcar as a Christmas gift.  

Most recently, I've been working on wrapping up long delayed projects...the C&S reefer is midway through the painting process...the Carter trucks are finally up on Shapeways for sale, the HO version of the way car rg was finished up during the long drive to Coloado three weeks ago...but needs uploaded now.

Currently, I'm thinking about...and working on test prints of freight car hardware and locomotive parts.

Domes, HOn3, and the Hickory Creek behind 765

First, the South Park Cooke domes...3D printed in O scale:
 
Note that the ball on top of the sand dome is missing. I failed to survive a 7' fall onto a hard surface. Second, the HOn3 items:
 
Carter Bros Truck. It has clearance issues with the large HOn3 flanges. I also need to revise the width in between the journal boxes as it was too tight.
 
Litchfield, DSP&P "Type A" trucks with frame extensions/truck mounted brake beams. Again, I need to increase the clearance in between the journals for the axles. I'll have to print another pair so that I can mount them under a BTS HOn3 boxcar I have.
 
The gorgeous Waycar running gear...I guess I need to build a car to go with these now...

The above are HOn3 version of items I've successfully printed in On3.  The On3 version of the waycar running gear is available through Shapeways:
https://www.shapeways.com/shops/oahurailway
The rest will follow in time...hopefully soon...

************************************************
765 pulled her first Wabash Cannonball in more than 20 years yesterday. The train consisted of the 765, an auxiliary tender, the tool car, 5 Norfolk Southern coaches, 6 Mid-America Car leasing cars, two superdomes, a NYC lounge, and the Hickory Creek. 17 cars total and NO diesels. The route was the Wabash main from New Haven, IN (Ft. Wayne) to Lafyette, IN. It was 120 miles each way.  Norfolk Southern is simply a fantastic company.  Every NS employee I had the privilege of speaking with was in good spirits.  They've been working hard to create an excellent work culture and the fruits of this are clear.  This sort of thing could not happen without such a wonderful host railroad.
 
The kids were more excited about the Purdue "train" than the 765 during the layover. This was probably because they've seen 765 many times, but never seen the Purdue "train". The Hickory Creek was the highlight. Her and her sister, Sandy Creek, were the feature tail cars on the 1948 20th Century Limited...the most prestigious car on any train in America. They held this post until the demise of the train in 1967. Afterwards, they went to the Barnum & Bailey Ringling Bros Circus trains. Sandy Creek went on to the American Orient Express and is now in private ownership. Hickory Creek has been fully restored and is available for both charters and for special accommodation on its original route behind Amtrak trains. On October 26, 2013, this 65 year old car with more than 7,000,000 miles, made its first trip behind a steam locomotive.
 
The wife and kids were also on the train

They enjoyed exploring prior to boarding the passengers (they boarded with me). My daughter took her afternoon nap in Bedroom A.
 
We failed to get photos of me with the car except prior to boarding the passengers (I was busy for much of the trip). This is me with the kids on the red couch at the back of the car...the best seat in the best streamlined passenger car in the entire country or world.

3D printing parts

I really love researching and creating accurate details, but fabricating trucks from scratch is slow work. Especially when I add all of the little bolts, washers, nuts, etc. Similarly, I don't really enjoy using my lathe all that much, so I've sought out a solution. Over a year ago, I began learning Autodesk 123D with the intention of helping the Hawaiian Railway Society document the remains of their termite infested Oahu Railway coach. Alas, my aging computer just doesn't have enough umph. I finally gave up on the software at Thanksgiving (granted, we'd done the whole sell home, buy home, move thing...so it wasn't continuous time). I decided to revisit Google (now Trimble) Sketchup which I first tried a few years ago...before I saw the potential of 3D printing. While I had fun trying to build a South Park boxcar at that time, I decided that 1:48th scale was more my thing. Revisiting it, I'm must say that V-scale is more fun since 3D printing models has become viable. After a month of honing my skills, I started my first object to print: a 30-ton Oahu Railway truck. As I type this, I have two pairs of trucks on order with Shapeways.com. I plan on trying out a few of their materials to find the optimum choice for On3 trucks. Here's what the two major components look like: I've also been working on domes for Oahu Railway engines in On3 and 1:20.3 domes/details for my kids' D&RG Montezuma. If the process works well enough, I'll potentially have the pleasure of having a few of my favorite trucks printed: Barney & Smith ng passenger trucks (DSP&P #3-5), Pullman's 6'wb ng trucks (sleepers), and those gorgeous 4'wb Billmeyer and Smalls/J&S passenger trucks used on the early M&SV, EBT, and D&RG passenger cars. Many components are transferable from one model to another, such as brake beams & shoes, journal boxes, springs, etc. I made a point to save each component of the OR&L trucks as a separate file so that I can reuse them. Similarly, with the ALCO sand domes used on a few different OR&L locomotives, I'll cut out the bottom to fit the boilers of each locomotive design.

My first kit is in production and available. A 23' Colorado Central flat/coal car kit in resin. On3 (or On30). $30 each plus $5 shipping per order. Less trucks, couplers, decals, brake wheels, and trussrods. Payments via check (with wait for it to clear) or via paypal. In the past 6 months since my last post, I've sold my house...bought a nicer one...and moved...not much time for modeling or blogging.

Handlaying vs. Prefrab

As my birthday and Christmas approached, I decided to place a few items on my list for the hoped for layout construction next summer (should our home finally sell). I decided to do some cost calculations to compare my options.

With the South Park, this was never an option. Precision Scale's flex track, if it is obtainable, is expensive. The only question for me was whether to use the aesthetically pleasing Code 70 rail or the more durable Code 83. I've read enough/heard enough frustration from other modelers about Code 70 in On3 (and Code 55 in HOn3) to be cautious about them. Regardless, I had no plans to run the heavy Rio Grande 2-8-2s which seemed to be the primary destroyers of small rail.

But, the Oahu Railway had very heavy rail. With 80-90lb rail, Code 100 is actually a little on the light side! I'll definitely use this on the double track main and probably beyond. I'll use Code 83 and maybe some Code 70 for the yards, docks, and sidings.

So, what is the best choice, San Juan Car Co's flex track or hand laying? By my calculations, SJCC track is $1.83 per foot while my preferred method of handlaying is $3.60-$3.80. Ouch. But, the Oahu Railway used 7' and longer ties...while the SJCC track has only 6' ties. Additionally, it has tie plates and only spikes on every third tie (if I'm reading their descriptions correctly). Therefore, in order to make an apples-to-apples comparison, I need to reduce the cost of spikes on my handlaying...and while that dropped the cost to around $2.50 per foot, it still wasn't too competitive with SJCC flex track when I consider the amount of track I intend to lay. But the clincher is that the 6' ties are shorter than anything that was used on the Oahu Railway. For the empire of my dreams, it will make a difference greater than $1000, but the hit will be spread out over more than a decade and I don't want to lower the prototypical accuracy of my track to purchase one or two additional brass locomotives.

My solution is to use Micro Engineering Code 100 rail on 7' Mt. Albert ties with either ME or Proto:87 oversize spikes for the mainline. I'll use SJCC flex track for staging and helixes(my top track plan has two). My secondary lines will use smaller rail both for appearance and cost. In some places, I'll substitute SG ties as the OR&L used them. I won't lay Code 70 on any sidings that will be likely to be visited by the 2-8-2s (sisters to the K-28s) or, someday, the big shays (sisters to WSL #8 & #9). Someday, I'll have at least a DSP&P diorama with Code 70 rail.

Previously, I loved the look of ME Micro spikes, but I didn't like their blunt ends. I'd rather pay 50% more and get the pointed end spikes from the Proto:87 store. I'll probably use the longer variety every few ties and fill in the short ones on every tie in between.

For detailing, I'll use Grandt Line fishplates with notches in the tops of the rail every 33' or 39' scale. I'm currently in the process of figuring out the rail length from photos. Logic says that they shouldn't be more than 29' or 33' (the OR&L's flatcars were 30' and 34').

For projects, I'm again working on the Montezuma in 1:20.3 scale for my son. With weight added, she run's like a champ and now has both a spiffy diamond stack and a sharp cab. I also re-wired an old, battery powered 1988 Bachmann Big Hauler for track power and we picked up a G scale "Percy & Troublesome Trucks" trainset for Christmas this year.

I hope to resume working on my OR&L #36 bash after Christmas as well as decal artwork for my passenger cars. After #36 is in service, I'll either build #35 or an 0-6-0...#9 or #12. Artwork for locomotive decals will be next on my list as well.

Why John Allen didn't have kids

I've always loved, as have so many other model railroaders, the work of John Allen. But, I can now understand why so few modelers can even dream of such a masterpiece as his layout...because most have kids!

In the past week, Liam has outgrown his crib and received a big boy bed. He celebrated by using a chair as a ladder to unlock the door to our loft and get out a number of my locomotives (4 On3 plus some HO) twice last week...I've removed the door knob. He then learned to make his way to the basement and find the cabinet with most of my HO stuff...of course he found my favorite brass NKP Hudson! This evening, he found the place I hide my On3 models...and damaged my scratch built waycar. Do I need to mention that he also ripped the circuit board out of his OO scale Thomas the Tank Engine? I spend quite a bit of time rewiring it today. At least Madeline is limited to only going after what is left within 2 feet of the floor...


I've got the stock car conversion ready for the paint shop, along with my father's SUF stockcar which I've finished (brake rigging excluded). I made a point to vary the hardware a little bit on each car to represent the variations which existed in the C&S fleet (for example, the fancier as-built style middle corner braces on one of the cars).


Additionally, my C&S caboose is ready for its paint, my SUF stockcar is ready for touch-ups after some repairs/modifications, and my first scratchbuilt boxcar has received her new undercoats of weathering paint.

Trainfestival 2011 - Rock Island

Trainfestival 2011 was an enjoyable experience. The 765 was there, the two Chinese built QJ 2-10-2s, Viscose #6, the Grambling family's TWO tank engines, the magnificent Leviathan, the 1936 Nebraska Zephyr, and a variety of diesels (including a pre-war E-5 on the Zephyr).

For our drive up, we stopped briefly at the NKP 2-8-2 in Bloomington, IL.

She's essentially a USRA copy built by Lima in the 1920s. Ray B. has built some gorgeous models of these engines in HO.

We attempted to catch 765 on the return leg of her day long excursion, but she was moving at track speed for much of it and we didn't catch here until she pulled into Moline alongside us as we sat at a stop light!

The way it worked out (having my toddler along but not my wife), I didn't get many good photos...this is the closest thing to a side view of the Leviathan:

Leviathan did make at least one fine demonstration run...1000'+

There were 2 hour and day long excursions

The steam engines took turns pulling the 2 hour trips, with an Iowa Interstate RR GP on the rear end. This one had an Iowa Interstate 2-10-2.


It backed up to the Rock Island yard in Rock Island, IL and then ran across the bridge to the Rock Island, past the arsenal, and then across the 1890s bridge into Davenport. The passenger cars for this were from the Iowa Interstate RR and Mid America Car Leasing...heavy enough for a nice show on the 1% grade.


The older of the two QJs...1985! The younger one is from 1986! While the design is older than the 765 (a Russian version of an American design, iirc), you can tell that it is newer in the details. Additionally, the engineer sits on the wrong side and the controls are a little different. Neat engines.

In addition to the trains, there was a river boat for cruises on the Mississippi.

That's the Burlington's bridge closing after our boat for the 2:30 crew change.

Among the most intriguing "toys" at the festival were these 100-107 year old amusement park locomotives, Cagneys.

They've been restored and Wasatch is offering new ones.


The actual trains were located in a Burlington yard. The festival portion was at a beautiful city park next door.

There were a few nice diesels as well (it is rare for me to refer to a diesel as "nice")

This beautiful SW-7 wore different slogans on each of her sides...gorgeous...and was used for some real switching on one of the mornings.


The C&NW F-unit couldn't compete with her fellow Illinois Railway Museum sisters for cosmetic appeal.


I particularly enjoyed the contrast of the Burlington E-5 parked alongside the modern 4400 HP BNSF diesel (thank you BNSF for helping make this happen and for providing a display diesel!). The technology gap between the Leviathan and the NKP Berks is about the same as the gap between these diesels.

On the ride home, we stopped in Galesburg for the Burlington 4-6-4.

I remember seeing that engine from an Amtrak train when I was 5 years old...on my way to Como, Breckenridge, and Alpine Tunnel.

As much as I love steam...the class of the show was the 1936 Nebraska Zephyr

Not the 1940ish diesel, but the passenger cars!


What an unusual vestibule!


And the unique ceiling in the car...sort of the opposite of a clerestory!


The kitchen, which was being used to prepare diner for the night, was still authentic with charcoal stoves and a working ice box! The resemblance to the galley of the 1939 Pullman/NYC 6 BR-Buffet-Lounge car my father used to own was uncanny (but this was about 3x the size); surprisingly, the Zephyr wasn't anywhere near as ornate).


One of my co-workers made rode the Zephyr on its all-day excursion and still managed to pull off the 7+ hour drive home last night. I'd like to get up to IRM to ride it as well.


What a neat train!