Picking On The Little Guys

[RI541]

Hi Guys,

I got my deck bridge painted but I'm not sure that I like it,Ive still got ot weather it.
The part I'm unsure of is the control hut on the side of the deck.I made it out of a RS1 cab that I cut the center from and it looks drawfed by the bridge.

The hut is 6'X4'X7'6"tall and the bridge deck is 92' long with hand rails at 2'6" at the top.It sounds good on paper but the finished product likes funny.I havent seen too many of these.Maybe if I put a parimid in the center it might take the focus point off the hut I have seen a smaller hut in Walpole NH that was about 5'X5' but the deck aint very long.Just long enough to put the RS1 on.

I cant cut my deck down because of my E8's,Icant make the hut bigger,So I think I'm going to have to live with it for now and hope nobody looks to close.

On a better note I got a black model a Ford with the RI herald on the side off Ebay.Nobody put a bid on it so I did.The auction didn't end for another 18 hours but I got up this morning and there was a letter saying I got the bid,Do they often end early if they get a bid they like?

I'll give the ten locos on the layout a thought I've got too many favorites.but heres a start:

SW9 (2) for yard work

BL2 for short trains on short runs

GP18 for short trains on medium runs

GP 18 for medium trains on short runs

RS3 or a E8 for passenger service leaning more towards the RS3

For long trains I'm not sure about I could use my E8/E7/E8 lash up since I dont have any other doubles for locos except the GP18's and that might look small.I could use the Gp35's with the slug unit between them that wouldnt look bad.

I'll have to give this some more thought.

Shane

 

[IMRL393]

Sounds like a good start to your plan, Shane!

The Marre (1930-1980) book shows a R&B RS-3 in commuter service in 1959. For heaver passenger service, the amount of motive power used depended on the number of cars.

My "Remember the Rock" books shows a short QC Rocket pulled by only one E8. A longer Corn Belt Rocket is being pulled by a pair of E8s in one photo, and by E7A & 7B units in another (there are five cars in the latter consist: Mail storage, RPO, coach, parlor-lounge, and dining). Another five car consist has two E8s, and a nine car CB Rocket is using three E7s. A Plainsman has an E8 and an E7B, and Marre shows several photos of an E8 and an E7 together. So mixing your E units is perfect ROCK style!

I am trying to visualize your construction project - any way to give us a photo ??? Sounds interesting!

Congratulations on the Ford A. Did they have the "buy it now" feature on that bid ? Maybe that's what happened.


- George

 

[RI541]

Hi Guys,

I've got a disposable camera out in the truck I use for trains,I dont know how much film I got left but if I have time tomrrow I'll snap a few pics and get them developed.I have my other camera that has pictures from the Deerfeild Mass yard.Igot some good pics of two RI cars,one blue and the other white with CNW reporting marks which would be a great model since its heavily weathered. I couldn't get to close to the blue so I might have to blow them up,do the cut and crop thing on this box of wires.

I've got one E8 stripped down and ready to paint,probrobly do that after I'm finished here,I'm thinking about painting my two con-cor B-units as well, I could probrobly repower one of them with out too much diffaculties, I also found a GP35 in my junk box I could make into a dummy unit then I'd have three GP35's and a slug in the lash-up.With two powered and wieghted right I should have plenty of draw bar pull.

On the Model A it didnt say buy it now It just wasnt getting any bids.
i dont know what happened but I'm sure not complaining

Well off to the spray Box

Shane

 

[rockislandmike]

For your photos, I recommend having them thrown onto CD by the developer. Pretty inexpensive, and they're already digitized, and look AMAZING (as opposed to sometimes when they go through the scanner). Just my two cents.

 

[rockislandmike]

Well, I did it. Just faxed in the order for the pair of Athearn GP38-2's, one powered, one dummy (as well as a Shinohara double-x-over). The company I deal with is gonna have to order it from their US distributor, so it may be a while before it gets here, but maybe by then I'll have the first mainline track laid too. Although judging by today, I won't even be starting construction on the benchwork for some time - it's snowing like madddddddd.

 

[rockislandmike]

I also did a batch of weathering on the wknd, including one of my ROCK locomotives that was too bright a blue, and a ROCK caboose repaint (was a Pennsy). I didn't really base the caboose on any prototype, so just painted it blue with black lettering. Looked kind of pathetic at first, but after I weathered it, not too bad. I'll post pics later tonite hopefully.

 

[RI541]

Hi,
I painted my E8 and desided to paint my B-units as well I kinda like the yellow,Had to run into town and get some red stripes,ended up getting pinstripping for rc cars but should work ok.

I think I will have my pics put on disks then I wont have a bunch of pictures cluddering up the work bench,I can always print out the picture for referance.Its going to be a couple days before I can get the pics done.

Shane

 

[rockislandmike]

As promised, came home and took a quick photo of the newly weathered ROCK #4425, my U36B.

 

[RI541]

Mike,

Beautiful weathering job,The first thing that came to mind was my GP35's that I had painted in the blue.

The only problem is the blue wont fit into my layout era which is pre-1970.

I got the gray done on the E8 and B-units so the painting is done except for what ever touch up I have.I've been taking pics as I go.Hopefully have pics of the turntable developed tomrrow but I have a busy day ahead of me and the same for Wensday.

Another thing is money, being layed off puts the clamp on the ole wallet real quick.Trains not being the high priority now.But I've got years worth of stuff collected that will keep me busy.and I've got plenty in the workshop that needs tending to.

Shane

PS I've got another for the top ten list:

RSD15 for my maitinance of way, I just put the decals on my crane#95020 now all I need to do is finish the boom car and the mow car (like the one Mike saw on Ebay).

Do you guys use rapido or kadees couplers? All the new stuff I have, has Micro-Trains couplers and I've converted most of my others over but I still have a lot of rapido style couplers on my oldest stuff so I have an "interchange" car that has one of each so I can still run it.

 

[RI541]

Hey Guys,

Well I put the pinstripes on on the units today.

I just got done Painting the grills along the sides,that has been the most tedeous job so far.The decals wont be too hard just 3 hearlds on the E8, 2 on the B-units plus the numbers.Definatly have pics by the end of the week.

Shane

 

[IMRL393]

Wow!

You guys are getting a lot done!
And well done, I see by the photos.

I've been too busy at work to do anything with MRRs.
BUT, I get a break next week!

My RI GP38-2 got here yesterday !!!

Looks and runs nice out of the box, but being Athearn, "some assembly is required." Now I know what I'm doing on my break!

Shane, to answer your question, I try to use Kadee couplers, unless it's a weird setup like the IHC cars - there I've gone with McHenry. I do NOT recommend the IHC passenger cars - very poor workmanship compared with the Walthers! But if you want PS instead of Budd, that's what you're (I'm) stuck with.



I currently have one PS passenger, one PS observation, one Budd passenger, one Budd diner, and a Budd baggage with my E8A for a "Quad City Rocket" consist.

Have a good day!

- George

 

[rockislandmike]

Couplers: I have both right now. Every new item I purchase gets Kadees before I consider it "fully assembled and ready for the track". However, I've also acquired a lot of older units, railcars and locomotives, and so far they have all retained their hornhooks. At some point I want to start converting them all, but to date that hasn't happened yet.

 

[RI541]

Hi,

Well last night I was able to put together some couplers I had gotten the last time I was in vermont.I also put the couplers on my SW9 and have the others ready for my other SW9.

I seem to have a whole lot of time to do nothing,Now I'm going to have a lot more time on my hands.Ive been going to the doctors because of my legs and back,I got an MRI yesterday and today my doctor told me I was disabled because of hernyated disks in my back and could not return to work if they called me in.Could be 6 to 8 weeks.

My wife told me that I was an Ebay junkie

I've got one auction ending in a few minutes hopefully I will get this loco, Its a H15-44 Fairbanks-Morse road switcher which would realy look good in RI colors since they only had two of them the 401 assigned to suburban commuter.

Have a good day

Shane

PS I just put the hearlds on the E8 and B-units,did this while waiting for the auction to end.But lost the bid in the last minute,which is probrobly a good thing. since I'll see somthing that I need worse.

 

[IMRL393]

Shane -

Sorry to hear about your back and bid.

Hope you are feeling better soon, and win just what you need next time on e-Bay!

I didn't know ANYONE made a H15-44. One would look fantastic in ROCK Red and Black! I assume you have seen the photo on Jeff's web site - awesome shot! Do you remember who made the model???

My wife also thinks I'm addicted - but I know when to shop ..er..STOP! Honest !!! Just because I have another bid in on that U33B ......

Thanks again for the information you sent ... hope you can get "back" to work soon - so you can make more bids on e-Bay!


- George

 

[RI541]

George,

Its kinda good that I got laid off.My back muscles have relaxed and thats how come the the disk was able to swell up and pinch my scietic nerve to my leg.They've been herniated for quite some time so Im glad I found out in the winter and not in the summer.It just feels like my right leg is asleep more a nuisence than pain,unless I walk real far.

Going on to better things I made a mistake again the loco on Ebay was an Atlas H24-66 not much differance than the H15-44 in looks.There is one more on auction ending today which I might have to bid high on.The guy who won ended up winning about six of the same loco with different road names,Might be a dealer so if he wants this last one he's gonna have to pay for it.My BL2 isnt ending for awhile but I'll get that to I hope.I like the looks of the BL2.

I just got a conformation letter that they received my payment on the BL2 yesterday so I'm hoping to have it by the beginning of next week.

I might finish the E8 and B-units today but I have to work on the honey do list first, but that wont take long.

Shane

 

[rockislandmike]

Yes yes, just checked out the BL2 auction, they do look very kewl. I think I've got plenty of locos once the Athearn pair gets here. So now I'm trying to restrain myself so I can afford lumber and trackage. Oh, and I've got some minimum bids in on some stock cars, as I have a stockyard to include on my layout, but only one working stock car. Unfortunately, finding ROCK stock cars is not very easy, so I'll probably have to make do with a potpourri of those.

 

[rockislandmike]

Yeh, okay, couldn't resist. Pretty good price, and decent shipping charges (since we're in the same country), so I picked up this little devil tonite on eBay. However, I'm not sure of the prototype - figured you guys would have a much better chance of knowing than me.

 

[RI541]

Mike,
Did they give any discription with this?

Shane

 

[RI541]

Mike,

With the squared nose it looks like an FA but with the amount of windows in the cab its hard to tell.I'd say it was an FA.I've got an older Tyco F unit (HO) with the rounder nose,and its not long enough to be an E8/9(no center door) So it has to be an FA.

I would say that it must be a rare Tyco,Ive never seen one before in Rock Island I'll do some more looking.

Maybe George might have a better idea about it.

Shane

 

[roryglasgow]

Maybe it's another "imaginary" locomotive, like that Silver Streak loco that Tyco made...

-Rory, who doesn't model RI, but wanted to get in on the conversation, anyway!