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For some reason the New Haven never really caught my fancy until the last 6 months or so. I saw a number of NH rolling stock that really looked nice. The cars that I saw that got my attention were all weathered NH and they just looked great and made me a fan. So my wish list has been updated putting some New Haven in the top spot.
Thanks,
Ed
I have been a NH fan as far back as i can remember. I grew up just outside the small yard in Putnam back in the waning days of the NH . my grandfather and my next door neighbor worked on the track crew in the steam era. A favorite passtime was walking along the tracks with them,listening to the stories they would tell about the good ole days when just about everything came by train and every little village had its own station.
Major New Haven fan here. I have 4 NH trains right now on the layout headed by Lionel RS-11, Atlas RS-1 and RS-3. And the Merchants Limited headed by a 3rd rail FL-9..I live about 2 miles from the NH main in Harrison/Mamaroneck and about 1 mile from the White Plains sta of the Harlem line.
I have a New Haven H16 and RS11 from Lionel.
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Lionel RS-11
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Brian,
This is a great subject. Thanks for starting it.
As a resident of Connecticut for 37 years, the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad has become a subject of considerable study, great interest, and the focus of my O-gauge model railroading. My under-construction 10-by-5 layout is just an oval but represents a New England branch line and operates almost exclusively with New Haven power and rolling stock. I believe that I have purchased every scale-sized O-gauge New Haven locomotive and piece of rolling stock that has been produced during the past twenty years. Photos of a few below.
MELGAR
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Funny. I am not a "New Haven fan", or a diesel guy, or one who likes bright colors usually, but I think that the NH had the most attractive and elegant and strange diesel and electric paint schemes of any RR. I live nowhere near that part of the US, have never been to New England (to Manhattan a couple of times - the closest to it), but whoever was in charge of that for the NH must have had a lot of masking tape and a lot of paint in inventory.
The "strange" scheme would have to be the McGinnis, of course - but I like it anyway.
I have one of MTH's big streamlined EP-3 (or EP-4; I forget the number) units in the dark-ish green with the almost 19th Century-looking striping in Dulux gold.
The locos with the thin horizontal pin stripe scheme are my favorites, especially the DL-109's.
Even the NH switchers were entertaining to see.
When I got in to O-gauge, a NH EP-5 was at the top of my must have list.
MELGAR posted:Brian,
This is a great subject. Thanks for starting it.
As a resident of Connecticut for 37 years, the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad has become a subject of considerable study, great interest, and the focus of my O-gauge model railroading. My under-construction 10-by-5 layout is just an oval but represents a New England branch line and operates almost exclusively with New Haven power and rolling stock. I believe that I have purchased every scale-sized O-gauge New Haven locomotive and piece of rolling stock that has been produced during the past twenty years. Photos of a few below.
MELGAR
Love the layout and the NH pics!
Peter
Putnam Div -
Yeah - that orange/black/striped DL-109.
Anyone have a list of the New Haven locos and rolling stock made during the last 20-60 years? O gauge three rail of course!
One of my videos:
Peter
Here are another two:
All these videos were taken on the River City 3 Railers Modular Layout. Enjoy!
Peter
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The NYNH&H RR is one of the four railroads that make up my Not-So-Great Eastern RR. The attached photos are of my "Merchants Ltd." which is pulled by a single RK Alco PA. It's only a short 6 car train. In my "to do" drawer i hope to build an EP3 on a Kline GG1 chassis - time will tell. Meanwhile i should probably sell the RK dummy PA.
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I reckon I'm a periodic New Haven fan. I'll have New Haven weeks on my layout every couple of months and will also pull out a New Haven video and several NH books to kind of add to the mood.
Growing up in PA I had minimal exposure to the New Haven. My only memories of the railroad are all associated with trips to my aunt and uncle's house in Buzzards Bay, MA.
Curt
My NH freight ...
I had a nice uncle in NYC I visited from time to time. I took the PRR clocker up to Penn station, while getting off one day I noticed the GG1 that was pulling the train I was on uncoupled from the train and took off....hhmmmm.. I asked one of the RR guys why was the engine taken off and he said, we change motors with the NH. I said when will the other engine come for the train which he replied any minute.
After a few minutes I was rewarded to see a New Haven EP-5 Jet back up and couple to the train. wow how great is this. yet another reason to go see my uncle and catch a ball game.
I grew up in Maine, but my grandparents were in CT where my Dad grew up. I'd like the New Haven even if orange wasn't my favorite color.
Just added some U-boats to the fleet recently. What I really want are FAs with the correct McGinnis color scheme.
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I enjoy the New Haven. I'd like to track down a K-Line EP5 someday, but for now this is my only New Haven Motive power. I have a powered and a dummy set as they did test on portions of the NY&LB. I wish I could have afforded the Weaver Osgood-Bradley coaches prior to Atlas bumping the price when they got the tooling.
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I have asked the guys from Lionel about doing a legacy EP-5. I has never been done in legacy. And with Lionel now producing the Hancock air whistle, it could be done right. K-Line made them with TMCC about 10 years ago. The could even do the Penn Central black with they were made into freight motors..I can't be the only one who wants a Jet in legacy!!
I would like to see the Pullman Bradley (aka American Flyer) cars made in 60 foot cars. Atlas is making the old Weaver 85 footers and hopefully will do a shorter version.
How about real New Haven steam, like engine #3016 used in the movie It Happened to Jane (1959) renumbered as old #97!!
As you may have noticed, i made my own.
I am a fan of the New Haven, but not exclusively. There are way too many New Haven trains in the McGinis paint scheme. My preference is for pre-McGinis livery. On my wish list of locomotives are an EP1, EP2 or EP3 Electric and an I-5 Hudson, but they must be Rail King with PS2 or PS3. I guess I am in for a long long wait for MTH to offer these locomotives.
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I LOVE my New Haven Alco S-S from MTH
here it is doing some switching duties on the NLOE Club Layout.
Bobby Ogage, I totally agree about the pre-Mcginis paint schemes. I think it will be a long long wait before we see any Rail King locos on our wish lists. It's why i built my own Pullman Bradley coaches and a cafe car, and ma giving thought to building and EP3 on a GG1 chassis.
My grandparents lived in Fairfield, CT. I was fortunate to spend many summers with them. They took me to ball games, plays, etc., to New York on the New Haven trains. The NH became my favorite railroad although I live in CA. Here are a few photos of a NH pumpkin express on the G&O taken during the club's halloween show. The NH colors are perfect for halloween trains. NH Joe
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I grew up in New Jersey and livery from the PRR and CNJ literally ran across the back yards of the houses across the street from ours (along New York and Long Branch RR trackage). I didn't visit New England until I went to college there.
Even when I was a kid, however, the sight of a Lionel EP-5 in New Haven colors, and the 6464 NH cars would get my juices flowing every time -- and they still do. Either of the postwar blue and yellow Virginians have the same effect.
Now that I have moved to New England, I research the history of the NH line and collect photos, just as if I had grown up here.
When my layout is finished, I'll treat myself to a NH EP-5, a few choice cars for the consist, and I'll be in heaven. Photos to come...
Steven J. Serenska
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Putnam Division posted:Love the layout and the NH pics!Peter
Peter,
Thanks for your appreciation of the layout. Small as it is, it has been my avocation since retiring three years ago. Now about 80% complete.
Below is a picture of my MTH Premier New Haven ALCO DL-109 #0722, "The Cranberry," which ran on Cape Cod during the early 1950s. During the steam-to-diesel transition years, New Haven prefixed their diesel locomotive numbers with "zero," which signified that the locomotive was "other than steam."
MELGAR
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I attended the 2009 NMRA convention in Hartford, CT and took a NH station tour. This is the restored New Haven Station as it looked in 2009.
Photo or painting(?) of the original station that is on display:
Exterior:
Interior:
Ceiling
Close up of lights:
Train board:
Some trains:
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No love for the EF-4?
Watch the K-Line EP. It has fake 3rd rail shoes on the trucks. Could rub on O22 switch machines.
Love for the Lionel postwar #209 New Haven Alcos.......
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New Haven steam engines - MELGAR.
Weaver Brass New Haven ALCO I4 Pacific #1389.
Weaver Brass New Haven Baldwin I5 #1403.
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Wow, what a great stable of motive power on what looks like an impressive pike.Wow.
Tom,
Thanks. Glad you like the locomotives and the layout.
MELGAR
My uncle was an engineer for New Haven. One visit he took me to work and let me go in the cab of an NH EP-5. I was about 10. Almost peed my pants. Will never forget that day. Of course my layout has NH engines on it. Lionel 209 and 2350's
No railroad in America had the mystique or romance of the Shore Line in its heyday.
Tom McGriel posted:No railroad in America had the mystique or romance of the Shore Line in its heyday.
Tom,
I couldn't agree more.
The New Haven served New York, the nation's biggest city and business capital - and Boston, one of the country's oldest cities. Passenger service on the shore line was unmatched and frequent, even compared to New York to Washington, DC. There were many famous named trains: The Merchants Limited; The Yankee Clipper; The Federal; The Gilt Edge; The Knickerbocker; The Owl; The Bay State; The Bostonian; The Forty-Second Street; The Hell Gate Express; The Murray Hill; The New Yorker; The Shoreliner; and many others. The New Haven pioneered long distance electrified operation between New York City and Stamford in 1907 and extended it to New Haven in 1914. And, there were extensive commuter operations in the New York City and Boston areas. It was a small railroad but an important one. Riding Metro-North today, one still sees much that was built by the New Haven
MELGAR
Melgar, And don't forget the heavy freight out of Cedar Hill to Maybrook with the L class 2-10-2s. A fascinating system overall. I'm just sorry I was born to late to see an I-5 at speed. It must have been a thrill. Cheers, Tom
MELGAR posted:Tom McGriel posted:No railroad in America had the mystique or romance of the Shore Line in its heyday.
Riding Metro-North today, one still sees much that was built by the New Haven
MELGAR
The last 7 years I was working, I regularly took the Metro-North Harlem line from Goldens Bridge into Manhattan and loved it when I saw or rode behind one of these. Interestingly enough, the one Metro-North line this engine didn't run on was the New Haven line since that needed pantograph power. MNR also did up a few older diesels in the McGinnis livery.
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MELGAR posted:The New Haven pioneered long distance electrified operation between New York City and Stamford in 1907 and extended it to New Haven in 1914. And, there were extensive commuter operations in the New York City and Boston areas. It was a small railroad but an important one. Riding Metro-North today, one still sees much that was built by the New Haven
MELGAR
MELGAR:
Not to put too fine a point on this, but not only can you still see much that was built by the New Haven, you can still see what was actually built by the New Haven.
My lady friend who is very good about indulging my foaming-at-the-mouth-bordering-on-Aspbergers fanaticism for trains, was interested to join my pastime of identifying the original 1907 stanchions that support the catenary between Stamford and NYC and contrasting them to those that have been replaced. I'd say anecdotally that 33% of the originals remain ... 110 years later. We do this every time we take the train down to NYC for business or pleasure.
One of life's simple pleasures to sit on the water side of the first NYC-bound train of the morning train and watch the sun rise up over the water between Westerly, Rhode Island and Stonington, Mystic, and Niantic Connecticut.
Steven J. Serenska
Serenska posted:MELGAR posted:The New Haven pioneered long distance electrified operation between New York City and Stamford in 1907 and extended it to New Haven in 1914. And, there were extensive commuter operations in the New York City and Boston areas. It was a small railroad but an important one. Riding Metro-North today, one still sees much that was built by the New Haven
MELGAR
MELGAR:
Not to put too fine a point on this, but not only can you still see much that was built by the New Haven, you can still see what was actually built by the New Haven.
My lady friend who is very good about indulging my foaming-at-the-mouth-bordering-on-Aspbergers fanaticism for trains, was interested to join my pastime of identifying the original 1907 stanchions that support the catenary between Stamford and NYC and contrasting them to those that have been replaced. I'd say anecdotally that 33% of the originals remain ... 110 years later. We do this every time we take the train down to NYC for business or pleasure.One of life's simple pleasures to sit on the water side of the first NYC-bound train of the morning train and watch the sun rise up over the water between Westerly, Rhode Island and Stonington, Mystic, and Niantic Connecticut.
Steven J. Serenska
Steven,
On the Metro-North New Haven Division, one can still see original New Haven "signal stations" (control towers), station buildings, catenary towers. stone abutments and railroad bridges. Large movable bridges cross the Connecticut River (at Old Saybrook, built 1907), the Housatonic River (at Stratford), the Pequonnock River (at Bridgeport), the Saugatuck River (at Westport), the Norwalk River (at Norwalk), and the Mianus River (at Cos Cob), to name just a few of the larger ones - and there are many smaller ones.
And, the shoreline route through the entire state of Connecticut (from Stonington to Greenwich) is very scenic.
MELGAR
New Haven SS71 - Devon Junction.
Waterbury, CT Station.
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Here are some more photos taken at the 2009 NMRA convention in Hartford, CT during layout tours.
One fellow had what amounted to a NH museum in his basement. I believe that he worked for the NH and rescued much of his collection from the trash.
This is NH dinning car china and silverware. I believe that the table and seat are also from the NH.
The 379 front and headlight are from an EP-5. The Merchants Limited sign is the actual sign used on the train.
The is the actual Westport interlocking.
I also visited the Stamford Model Railroad Club. This is one of the oldest O gauge 2-rail club's in the country. It is located in the basement of a church in downtown Stamford. (I have forgotten the church's name.) I highly recommend that all NH fans visit this club if possible.
Here is a freight passing through Stamford.
The layout was controlled from a central panel in 2009. It was built long before DCC. It is probably still straight DC with block control.
This is the main town. I believe it was called Van Ness.
A GG-1 powered train arrives at Stamford.
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AWESOME !!!!
Although I am more of a Pennsylvania and NYC fan, I do like some of the colorful McGinnis scheme.
From the PW era...
The 2350 and 6464-425 I inherited from my Aunt (they allegedly belonged to my cousin!!!). The 6468-25 was my brother's - he is the Gomez Addams of the family, so I took it for safekeeping.
From the modern era...
a Lionel C-420 (6-28507):
a Lionel Alco PA A-A Set (6-14596):
and finally, one of my few MTH pieces, a Metro North Genesis:
While I was going through my Aunt's trains, most still in their boxes from the 50's, I saw this on a few of the boxes... didn't have to worry about shipping schedules in those days
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Great pictures..
Its about all I collect now.. not as much high end as the pictures and most of its in boxes now. But the BPT stands for Bridgeport. When I was a kid my dad would bring me to softball games at "Went" field, four or five nights a week, next to elevated wall when they ran a lot of freight through the area.I would count cars...
I wish I could find a good digital picture of the Old BPT station.
bptbill
Apples55 posted:Although I am more of a Pennsylvania and NYC fan, I do like some of the colorful McGinnis scheme.
From the PW era...
The 2350 and 6464-425 I inherited from my Aunt (they allegedly belonged to my cousin!!!). The 6468-25 was my brother's - he is the Gomez Addams of the family, so I took it for safekeeping.
From the modern era...
a Lionel C-420 (6-28507):
a Lionel Alco PA A-A Set (6-14596):
and finally, one of my few MTH pieces, a Metro North Genesis:
While I was going through my Aunt's trains, most still in their boxes from the 50's, I saw this on a few of the boxes... didn't have to worry about shipping schedules in those days
Great collection of New Haven equipment!
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I'm still waiting for a Legacy fairy to deliver an I-5 Hudson.
Sigh!
And a railking imperial too!
Great stuff in this thread from PUTNAM_DIVISION, BPTBILL, JOHNACTON, NEW_HAVEN_JOE, TOM_MCGRIEL, SERENSKA and all the rest. Thanks.
I regularly hang out at the new Bridgeport station which now serves Metro-North Railroad. The classic old station, built by the New Haven Railroad when the tracks were elevated through Bridgeport in 1905, was destroyed in a suspicious fire on March 20, 1979.
Attached are pictures of my two favorite model locomotives - MTH New Haven EP3 #353 and Weaver Brass ALCO I-4 Pacific #1389. If I had to sell my entire model collection, these are the two locomotives that I would keep!
MELGAR
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On an unrelated -- but somehow quite related -- note, a person made a comment on another trains forum that I check in on that if MARC (the Maryland area commuter line) would only extend its reach another 35 miles up to Wilmington, Delaware, it would be possible to ride commuter trains from New London to Washington, DC and beyond.
The trip would be:
- Shoreline East from New London to New Haven
- Metro North from New Haven to Grand Central Terminal, NYC
- Subway from to GCT to Penn Station, NYC
- NJ Transit from Penn Station, NYC to Trenton, NJ
- SEPTA from to Trenton, NJ to Philadelphia, PA
- SEPTA from Philadelphia, PA to Wilmington, DE
- (if they would just build it, ) MARC from Wilmington, DE to all other MARC points, including DC.
I thought it was a fun observation.
Steven J. Serenska
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Dominic, that is the one and only I-5 Hudson. Good comment. Always fun to throw in a bit of humor. This engine was the last run Weaver with all the toys. It had a fan driven smoke unit (single element) that I converted to a dual element unit. The engine has sprung drivers and tender pickups. These were used before for the sound in the tender. I coupled these with the engine rollers and power loss will never happen. This is my only brass engine and the only way I could get an I-5. This was not an easy conversion dealing with the 10 pin connector. I am doing one for Gerry Morlitz as soon as the kits are back in stock.
Want to do my I5 Marty?
Do not have any New Haven but recall pondering them in the mid- 50's Lionel catalogs.
Do have these images from the 2014 Spencer NCTM Streamliners Event of the FL9 #2019.
OH,one of my Oncologist is a Dr. McGinnis. Ironically his grandfather did work for a railroad but not the NH.
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PRRronbh posted:
Love that McGinnis paint scheme. I think of all the great paint schemes throughout railroad history.....this is my favorite.
I model Pennsy but will forever have good memories of the NH. I grew up in very close proximity to the New Havens Worcester branch. This was in the 1950's and grimy FA's were dragging freights up and down that line all about 300 ft. away from my families home. I would run down to watch trackside any time I could without getting in trouble....I was just a child, and had to cross one busy avenue to get to the tracks. In spite of my fathers warning, I was fearless and did so a lot. Great memories.
Bob
Don, the one for Gerry wil be my last.
Marty, You have to use your considerable influence, call in all your chips and lean on Mike Wolf to offer an I-5. Selfishly, I hope it's an RK Imp, primarily due to budgetary restraints on the railroad. Judging from the response to this thread it would sell out faster than the Merchant's Limited highballing down the Shore Line.
flanger posted:I model Pennsy but will forever have good memories of the NH. I grew up in very close proximity to the New Havens Worcester branch. This was in the 1950's and grimy FA's were dragging freights up and down that line all about 300 ft. away from my families home. I would run down to watch trackside any time I could without getting in trouble....I was just a child, and had to cross one busy avenue to get to the tracks. In spite of my fathers warning, I was fearless and did so a lot. Great memories.
Bob
I used to do the same thing, mostly to watch NYC covered wagons headed to the Collinwood yard.
The Lionel PostWar New Haven sets......7 O gauge sets from 5 catalogs.
1956, 2 sets
1957, one set
1958, 2 sets
1959, one set
1962, one set
2 HO sets.....1958 and 1959
Peter
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Peter, the bottom consist in the 1956 catalog was my first train set.
Tom, that subject comes up with Mike and myself almost weekly. When he posted it, he stated he did not have enough orders. I stay on him but Mike is a guy that has his mind set. I offered him my Weaver with PS3 to show. I am still pitching as I do not give up that easy. Many of us are still alive that have seen the I-5 run. I will keep doing my best. It should be an easy do as it is a Hudson. A body, wheels, and other I-5 parts should help it along.
Marty
DMASSO posted:Peter, the bottom consist in the 1956 catalog was my first train set.
Don......a great memory for you, I am sure.......my 1st set was the F3 set from 58.
I am fortunate to have acquired the other EP-5 set from 56.
I bought the LCCA remake of the 58 027 Alco passenger set.
I also am fortunate to have acquired this set from 62....
Peter
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If not already mentioned, they're some nice scenes showing New Haven equipment in the Hitchcock movie, "Strangers on A Train".
Realized that I do have a couple of NH box cars. This is an image made earlier this year with intent of posting on for sale forum.
Ending selling some at the NCTM (Spencer Shops) train show. The CR box and tank cars and NYC Early Bird refer now on consignment at local toy train shop.
Decided to keep the rest including the two NH box cars to make up a fallen flag consist. Also have a Weaver NH Black w/Orange door box car, so do have something NH.
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EddieM, I also have that one. I love the fantasy scheme. That was first generation Legacy with modular boards. If you ever have a sound issue, get hold of me.
This is a photo of a "heavyweight", 6-wheel truck NH passenger car outside of Providence, Rhode Island in 1957:
Steven J. Serenska
Putnam Division posted:
Peter:
Thanks for posting these. Does anyone else find it odd that Lionel did not issue an O Gauge NH caboose in the postwar era? I'm going to "need" to get one of the various modern NH cabooses to go with the 2350 that I "need" to purchase...
Steven J. Serenska
Steven,
Here is a picture of a "modern" Atlas O New Haven NE-6 caboose of the type that you will certainly "need" to go with that Lionel 2350 postwar set...
MELGAR
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Thanks Marty, Hopefully, someday he'll see the light. It seems odd that MTH would release other streamliners like the 49er, for instance , and not an I-5.
briansilvermustang posted:
Where is this at?
do not know, just a random picture i ran across.....sorry....
I saw that engine when I worked in Stamford, CT. It is possible that it is used on the Shore Line route.
The tall building in the picture below, at 54 Meadow Street in New Haven, was built in 1946 and served as the general offices of the New Haven Railroad.
MELGAR
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PRRronbh posted:briansilvermustang posted:Where is this at?
This picture was taken in Seymour, Connecticut at the Metro-North station on the single-track Waterbury branch. The train runs between Bridgeport and Waterbury, CT. It is a very picturesque ride along the Housatonic and Naugatuck rivers. The branch was originally built by the Naugatuck Railroad in 1849 and acquired by the New Haven in 1906.
MELGAR
I want an I-5, too.
Scrappy
I like this thread! I am a big NH fan having grown up in Rhode Island. I used to walk across the NH tracks (now P&W) to get to school. That was back in the time when it was okay for kids to do that.
Anyway, here are some pics of me running NH stuff at the SD3R layout. Granted this was 10+ years ago, and I have since converted the Williams NH passenger cars to LEDs.
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Metro-North Railroad has six BL20GH locomotives, some of which are painted in a New Haven Railroad McGinnis era color scheme. This photo shows Metro-North #128 at milepost 27, the north end of the Waterbury branch, 87 miles from Grand Central Terminal. The BL20GH is a 2250 horsepower low-emission locomotive used by Metro-North on the Danbury and Waterbury branches in Connecticut.
MELGAR