any New Haven fans ....

I repainted a Legacy S-2 into the half-ballon paint scheme over the winter. The half-baloon scheme was applied to engines from about 1950 - 1953, and refers to the quarter circle of green where the bottom hood stripe meets the cab - the full-ballon paint scheme that succeded this has a full half circle between the top and bottom hood stripes. 0610 continued in this paint scheme until the Penn Central merger.

I also added a whistle, as can be seen on the engineers side of the engine by the cab overhang. All New Haven Alco S-1's and S-2's had steam locomotive whistles instead of horns. Since I took these photos I have also added the cab signaling box on the engineers side walkway.

Prototype photo of 0610 working the South Bronx at the below link:

https://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=389668

~C.Vigs

Good work C.Vigs.

You should be proud

Yes, Melgar.  There are!  Can't begin to match those pics by CTR.  Talk about fantastic looking trains.

Forgive the poor AM pics, but, I also love those NH cars.

Jerry

How about some old PostWar.....

The uncommon 1962 set:

My 1958 original set:

....you can also see my MTH New Haven streamline passenger cars and my MTH DL 109-110...

There were 3 PostWar EP-5 sets.....here is my favorite, which is from 1956:

Then, some LTI NH 6464 car remakes:

Peter

Yep! Still here Mel.

Got a few pieces. Searching for more.

I just got this box car from Menards. Nice to see they are making some cars with some of the classic fallen flags.

Jerry,

How about a picture of that USS Missouri model?

Peter,

Nice collection and display.

MELGAR

Sure, Melgar.   I always like your posts. 

I made this when I was 28.  I'm 65 now.  Sorry to disappoint, but, the model is pretty much a mess.  When newly built, you can see how beautiful and BIG the Missouri was.  My young son couldn't resist playing with it.  He broke off most of the 5 inch guns and radars for the gun directors.  It had 20 bofors 40mm guns, which are mostly destroyed.  The Revell wood model didn't include any 20 mm guns.  All balsa wood sheets, sticks, and planks, it took several months to build.  When we moved, 30 years ago, I simply mounted the shelf and left it there.   At least the lines of the ship and main battery's still show up well.

If I ever get done building layouts and playing with trains, maybe I'll try fixing it...Thanks for asking.

Jerry

Jerry, you need to get that Missouri battle ship off the shelf and onto the layout to protect all those gorgeous New Haven trains. Arnold

This may be the best photograph I have ever taken:

Don't know why, but there is something about the beauty of the EP5 in McGuiness livery, the scenery and structures, the colors, the lighting, the crystal clarity and maybe something else I cannot articulate, that makes me love it. Arnold 

PS: I just noticed there is one thing wrong with it: the crossing gates are not down.

https://youtu.be/WHE-I12neD4

Does anyone know what the sounds are like on the new Lionel Legacy New Haven Mountain locomotive? 

Arnold D. Cribari posted:

This may be the best photograph I have ever taken:

Don't know why, but there is something about the beauty of the EP5 in McGuiness livery, the scenery and structures, the colors, the lighting, the crystal clarity and maybe something else I cannot articulate, that makes me love it. Arnold 

PS: I just noticed there is one thing wrong with it: the crossing gates are not down.

Arnold,

It is an excellent photo. Good composition and subject, good lighting, good focus, good color.

As you know, I have an MTH EP-5 that is the favorite locomotive on my layout. However, I would venture to say that all of us, certainly including myself, have an error in every photo of our O gauge EP-5s that usually goes unremarked... Pantographs down and no catenary wire... I wonder if there is "any New Haven fan" who can provide a correct version. I cannot. Here is my EP-5 - pans down, no wire... And that's how I run it. It's only a model train.

MELGAR

McGinnis Beep.

Mountain sounds.

Thanks for posting the sounds video!

Greetings Melgar and Arnold, Leroof here. Somewhere on my dismantled PC I have several photos of my postwar NH EP-5 in action on my former live homemade catenary. I did find this one in my I -Pad.

does this qualify?

Holy smokes! What a video BISCUITAGP7!!!!

awesome sounds and locos.

thanks.

From my You Tube channel: Rutlandmilk

Peter

Putnam Division posted:

From my You Tube channel: Rutlandmilk

 

 

Nice scene! Peter, do you happen to have any O31 or O32 curves? I'm wondering if those Atlas Trainman coaches can handle anything smaller than O36.

Thanks,

Alan P

Leroof posted:

Greetings Melgar and Arnold, Leroof here. Somewhere on my dismantled PC I have several photos of my postwar NH EP-5 in action on my former live homemade catenary. I did find this one in my I -Pad.

does this qualify?

IMO, Leroof, it certainly does. Glad to see you're back on the Forum. Arnold

I promised myself that I wouldn’t buy any more 21” passenger cars - I have a set of Lionel PRR and Atlas NH which I really like, but they really are just to long for my layout. That being said, I found this set of NOS cars at Grzyboski’s (actually, really old stock - 20-80003c issued in 2002) which are only 19”, so I’m good   And if that logic fails, I can always fall back on “MELGAR and all the rest of you NH fans made me do it”  

Unfortunately, I don’t have time to roust out some NH power, so the fine folks at the NYC were kind enough to lend a Niagara for temporary duty on a crack NH passenger train (have to find an appropriate name).

Paul, Great looking cars and same for the model railroad. Would like to see more.

MELGAR

The New Haven Railroad – A Fond Look Back

A week or two ago, my day began, as it often does, by driving a few miles to Bridgeport, Connecticut and boarding a Metro-North Railroad commuter train for the seventeen-mile ride to New Haven Union Station, whereupon I bought breakfast and walked a mile or so to the New Haven Green, at the center of town. But, on this day, rather than circling around the Green and returning to the station, I stopped at the New Haven Free Public Library, where I found the local history room open. Upon entering, I asked the librarian to direct me to the section on the New Haven Railroad, where I thumbed through several books that have been a part of my personal collection for many years. Then, I came across one which I had seen for sale at train shows but had never purchased or read.

The book to which I refer is “The New Haven Railroad – A Fond Look Back,” by Andrew J. Pavlucik, published in 1978 and reissued in that city in 1987 by Pershing Press. I sat down, began to read and quickly became engrossed in the book. It presents a perspective on the New Haven Railroad unlike any other that I have read. It was immediately apparent that the author is not only a gifted writer, but is intimately familiar with the people, operations and history of the New Haven Railroad. The book is replete with photographs that I had not seen before, but its most unique and interesting parts are the many first-person narratives by New Haven personnel relating their experiences and what it actually was like to be a railroader on the New Haven. As the author says, this book is about the Railroad of the railroaders, not the bankers, that “exists now only in dreams and in certain haunted places.” I personally have spent quite a few years searching out those places throughout Southern New England.

I now have a personal copy of this book, which I consider to be the most enlightening and enjoyable that I have read on the subject of the New Haven Railroad. I highly recommend it to “Any New Haven Fans.”

MELGAR

A New Haven Railroad logo near New Haven Union Station photographed by MELGAR on October 28, 2019.

MELGAR

MELGAR posted:

A New Haven Railroad logo near New Haven Union Station photographed by MELGAR on October 28, 2019.

MELGAR

Hey, wait just a minute!  I know where that is.  Those tiles are in the Ladies Room at Union Station!

Wait. 

What's that?

How do I know this?

I, um, er, ah, my daughter told me....

Just kidding of course.  Nice photo.  Is it within the station or in one of the buildings (parking or maintenance) outside?

Steven J. Serenska

Serenska posted:

MELGAR posted:

A New Haven Railroad logo near New Haven Union Station photographed by MELGAR on October 28, 2019.

MELGAR

Nice photo.  Is it within the station or in one of the buildings (parking or maintenance) outside?

Steven J. Serenska

Photo of a wall on Union Avenue about a block from New Haven station.

The station itself, built by the NYNH&HRR in 1920, is also worthy of a photograph.

Both photos by:

MELGAR

The New Haven tracks in the Bronx over Eastchester Rd. The New Haven ran passenger service into Penn Station on this line until about 1933.

I have a vague memory of passenger platforms and blocked steps, but they no longer exit.

The New York Westchester and Boston, was the New Haven's competitor for commuter traffic that ran side by side with the New Haven in lower Westchester County (especially where I-95 runs today). It stopped operations around 1938 and it's remains exist as the Dyre Avenue branch of the New York City Subway system. This is an exhibit in the Galleria Shopping Center in White Plains (the mall is where the NYW&B stopped  and never reached its dream of going further). 

The NYW&B suffered from poor vision. It terminated in the South Bronx and shared many passengers stations with the New Haven line. However, by terminating in the South Bronx, it forced the commuters to change trains to get into Manhattan. People have speculated that if it had continued over the Harlem River and hooked into the line going into Grand Central Terminal, it might (and this is a huge speculation) have survived.

Peter

Very interesting exhibit. Thanks for the pictures. It's hard to believe that a railroad used to run to where the Westchester Mall now stands. The remains of the NYW&B in Westchester are still visible today to riders on Metro-North. 

MELGAR

MELGAR posted:

Very interesting exhibit. Thanks for the pictures. It's hard to believe that a railroad used to run to where the Westchester Mall now stands. The remains of the NYW&B in Westchester are still visible today to riders on Metro-North. 

MELGAR

Mel.......the site of the station was where B Altman's used to be. That building is now gone and the Galleria occupies the land. 

There are a lot of interesting books on the subject and I'll put some suggestions up.

Many of the old stations on the line to White Plains became private homes or businesses. Some morphed into strip malls. The Westchester Avenue station in the South Bronx (shared with the NH) still stands but is in horrible shape.man 

My interest in this railroad goes back to 1967 when I was a freshman at Cardinal Spellman High School. After getting off the 12A bus at Williamsbridge Rd and walking to the Esplanade, I descended into the Dyre Avenue Subway station, a station unlike any other IRT station I had previously been in (my line is the 6, Pelham Bay).  All the stations along the line were like it: ornate and out of pace with what I had been used to......only years later (late 80s) did I discover that they were remnants of the defunct NYW&B.

If fact, my dad (who would be 95 later this year if he was still with us) told me about the NYW&B. He would pick it up in Larchmont and take it to the south Bronx and then  change to the #4 for the ride to Yankee Stadium. He got his Yankee tickets from Lou Gehrig and Ed Barrow.... he used to deliver groceries to them.

Peter

NEW HAVEN ALCO DL-109s basking in their glory!

I love them all; my favorite is the McGinnis,

This is a second Larchmont Station, called Larchmont Gardens for the NYW&B. They shared the main Larchmont Station with the New Haven and shared the Mamaroneck, Harrison and Port Chester stations with the NH. It has survived as a Girl Scout office. The NH 4 track main line is right behind it.

Peter

ctr posted:

NEW HAVEN ALCO DL-109s basking in their glory!

I love them all; my favorite is the McGinnis,

How I wished the new MTH offering was in Hunter Green!

However, I do love them all!

Peter

Peter, have you considered incorporating features of the New York, Westchester & Boston on your own layout?

I'm starting to do that with the Putnam  Division of the NY Central (the Put) and my layout. Arnold

Putnam Division posted:

This is a second Larchmont Station, called Larchmont Gardens for the NYW&B. They shared the main Larchmont Station with the New Haven and shared the Mamaroneck, Harrison and Port Chester stations with the NH. It has survived as a Girl Scout office. The NH 4 track main line is right behind it.

Peter

Peter,

Thanks for posting. I intend to take Metro-North down to Larchmont and have a look at this station. Fascinated by the NYW&B and history of Westchester County.

MELGAR

ctr posted:

NEW HAVEN ALCO DL-109s basking in their glory!

I love them all; my favorite is the McGinnis,

Cool stuff and great locomotives!  Living in New Hampshire USA now all my non train friends see NH New Haven and think it’s New Hampshire. I gave up trying to explain.

MELGAR posted:

Putnam Division posted:

This is a second Larchmont Station, called Larchmont Gardens for the NYW&B. They shared the main Larchmont Station with the New Haven and shared the Mamaroneck, Harrison and Port Chester stations with the NH. It has survived as a Girl Scout office. The NH 4 track main line is right behind it.

Peter

Peter,

Thanks for posting. I intend to take Metro-North down to Larchmont and have a look at this station. Fascinated by the NYW&B and history of Westchester County.

MELGAR

Mel........it’s probably about a mile to a mile and a half away from the main Larchmont Station........it’s off of Weaver St, to the north, on Harmon Drive and between I-95 and the New Haven/Metro North tracks.......and just a few blocks from Walter’s Hot Dog stand on Palmer Avenue.

Peter

Putnam Division posted:

MELGAR posted:

Putnam Division posted:

This is a second Larchmont Station, called Larchmont Gardens for the NYW&B. They shared the main Larchmont Station with the New Haven and shared the Mamaroneck, Harrison and Port Chester stations with the NH. It has survived as a Girl Scout office. The NH 4 track main line is right behind it.

Peter

Peter,

Thanks for posting. I intend to take Metro-North down to Larchmont and have a look at this station. Fascinated by the NYW&B and history of Westchester County.

MELGAR

Mel........it’s probably about a mile to a mile and a half away from the main Larchmont Station........it’s off of Weaver St, to the north, on Harmon Drive and between I-95 and the New Haven/Metro North tracks.......and just a few blocks from Walter’s Hot Dog stand on Palmer Avenue.

Peter

Thanks for the directions.

MELGAR

Here are 4 books that tell the story of the NYW&B, including its relationship with the New Haven.....some great pictures and great railroad history.

Number 1 is an excellent book.

Number 2 is an excellent book.

Book number 3 is just fabulous. Not only does it talk about the NYW&B, but has chapters on the Putnam Division of the New York Central, the Getty Square branch of the Putnam Division, the New Haven's electrification project,  and a chapter on proposals for RRs that got into the planning stage or early construction phase, but never went further.....

Book number 4 is my least favorite....more about finances and politics.....I could have done without it.......or better, seen a one paragraph summary.....

Peter

Guys,

The New Haven has been one of my favorite road and I may have posted on this thread before, but it's been quite a while.  But being in S gauge limits the offerings available in RTR.  Yeah, there's EP-5s, RS3s and 11's, U-boats, Geep 9's, Alco PA's and FA's, even TrainMasters.  Also available is freight and passenger rolling stock, but sometimes you want something out of the ordinary.  I've always liked the Osgood.Bradley cars, and AC Gilbert made them, but were shortened.  So after picking a few shells at York a few years ago, I started "stretching" them to full length.  Here's one of the six I've been working on:

The white line is a piece of styrene inserted to take the place of the saw kerf.  Here's how the primered cars compare with a stock Gilbert car:

Research told me that the floors were a black and blue square tile arrangement.  So a bit if computer fiddling and printing gave me the floors.  The bulkheads are inserts in the shell, and seats are available (which will be painted a dark blue).  The lower car is the "smoking" car with a different seat arrangement.  The frames are made of sheet styrene using trucks from American Models:

The shells are painted Tru-Color Pullman Green with black roofs.  Dry transfer lettering will be applied when the paint cures, then overcoated with a flat finish:

Motive power?   A couple of years ago a friend gave me an AA set of DL-109 shells from American HiRail (now defunct) to paint.   Being ALco units, power trucks are available as well as frames from American Models, so here's what they look like now:

They'll eventually be painted in the "as delivered" Pullman Green/Dulux Gold" scheme.  I have decals, but they're quite different as to application, and I'm wary of using them.  I may do the shells in paint rather than use the decals.  Not sure yet.

I'm not a fast worker on train things since I have a 1920's house, two grandkids, a hot rod in the garage, a part time job and TONS of yard work.  Plus we're thinking of moving within a year.  So progress in incremental, if at all.   The cars will probably be done before the locomotives, and I'll post a photo when that happens.

Will this be a "contest quality" model?  No.  But it will present itself well on any layout.  I just don't have that kind of time to spend any more.   Sometimes you just have to say that close enough is good enough, right?

Great thread, and some great info and ideas, but I'm NOT changing to O gauge....

Jerry Poniatowski                                                                                                                    Wayne, Michigan

As a PS to my previous post, here's a set on my layout that I ginned up from a new Lionel Flyer EP-5 and repainted junker passenger cars with a head end boxcar.  It represents a set that Gilbert made in the 50's that I couldn't afford then, and still can't.     So I made my own...

Outstanding work Jerry! The Osgood Bradley cars are superb.

PAUL ROMANO posted:

Outstanding work Jerry! The Osgood Bradley cars are superb.

Thanks, Paul.  I'll post photos of the finished cars if and when they're done....

A fellow S gauger and master model railroader published a great how-to on making these cars a few years ago.  A fun project, but tedious.  I estimate at least 10 hours in each car when finished. 

Jerry -- really nice work.  I hadn't realized how much the Gilbert S-gauge cars had been shortened.  I think my very first AF train was two of these coaches, the companion baggage car and a Pennsy K-5 pacific (nevermind mixing the railroads...).  Turns out there is an even longer prototype version (with 11 of the double windows instead of the ten you are doing).  You no doubt have seen the pictures from here:  http://www.railwayclassics.com/amflyer.htm

The other interesting thing about these cars is that they were referred to as "American Flyer" coaches, referencing Gilbert's models.  Given that the prototypes were first built ca 1937, the "American Flyer" name must have referred to the 3/16 scale, O-gauge versions of these cars (done in sheet metal) that Gilbert made pre-war (ca 1940).

- Rich

Video shows New Haven Railroad ALCO S2 #0617 pulling a freight train across one of the truss bridges on the O-36 inner loop of my 12’-by-8’ layout. The engine is an MTH Premier model with PS3 and the view is from the rear of the layout.

MELGAR

A well done layout MELGAR. Does the layout extended across the room from the other side of the truss bridges ? I noticed some trains in the video opposite the bridges.

Seacoast posted:

A well done layout MELGAR. Does the layout extended across the room from the other side of the truss bridges ? I noticed some trains in the video opposite the bridges.

Thank you. Very observant. I built a completely separate 10'-by-5' layout on the other side of the room. There is no connection between the two layouts. The other layout is modular and was specifically designed to be moved if necessary. You can see a video and photos of the other layout at the link below.

MELGAR

https://ogrforum.ogaugerr.com/...e-caboose-by-atlas-o

Melgar.......both layouts are beautiful. You have a great eye for scenery details.....

Peter

Putnam Division posted:

Melgar.......both layouts are beautiful. You have a great eye for scenery details.....

Peter

Peter,

Thank you. You are welcome to visit when you're in Connecticut.

MELGAR

MELGAR posted:

Seacoast posted:

A well done layout MELGAR. Does the layout extended across the room from the other side of the truss bridges ? I noticed some trains in the video opposite the bridges.

Thank you. Very observant. I built a completely separate 10'-by-5' layout on the other side of the room. There is no connection between the two layouts. The other layout is modular and was specifically designed to be moved if necessary. You can see a video and photos of the other layout at the link below.

MELGAR

https://ogrforum.ogaugerr.com/...e-caboose-by-atlas-o

A reminder, Mel's excellent craftsmanship and his 10X5 layout was featured in OGR Run 304.

Ron

Well, three weeks later, I finally found time to letter my Osgood/Bradley cars using pressure sensitive lettering from Clover House in S scale.  I told you guys I work s-l-o-w-l-y due to many other things happening this time of year.  Anyway, here's what they look like after a four hour lettering session:

The bottom three (of six) are the "stretched" Gilbert cars and the top one is a Gilbert offering that is very close to the B60B cars that New Haven had.  The roof isn't quite right, but it's a fast project and "close enough" car for me (cheap too since I got the body shell for $5).  I'd like to spray the flat finish on all seven cars this week, but we're hosting a lot of family for Thanksgiving.   When they're back on wheels, I'll post another photo or two.  Then, it's on to the interior details and lighting!  Even if I don't get the DL-109s done, my EP-5 can take up the front end.  And McGinnis rules!  I'd do my DL-109s in McGinnis, but NH only had one in that livery.

And, Rich, thanks for the link to the Railway Classic site.  I've used their photos for a lot of other projects. 

This is a great thread, and I'm having a fun time perusing everyone's NH trains!  At times, I'm glad I'm not in O or HO since I'd go broke buying all that appeals to me!  Not that S is all that bereft of items, though. 

Hope all out there will have a safe and meaningful holiday!

Photos and videos show my Sunset/3^rd Rail New Haven Budd Rail Diesel Cars #21 and #121 running on my 12’-by-8’ layout. Very finely detailed, well made and smooth-running models.

Photos and videos by:

MELGAR

MELGAR posted:

Photos and videos show my Sunset/3^rd Rail New Haven Budd Rail Diesel Cars #21 and #121 running on my 12’-by-8’ layout. Very finely detailed, well made and smooth-running models.

Photos and videos by:

MELGAR

Gorgeous.

Arnold

Very nice Melgar!

I was fortunate to visit Mel's layout. Detailing is amazing on this beautiful layout. 

I found time to do more on my Osgood Bradley cars.  Most of you know that they were referred to as "American Flyer" cars due Gilbert making S models of them, even though the Gilbert cars were shortened.  Anyway, I over coated them with Tamaya flat.  I painted 237 seats for the six cars with a custom paint I had left over from a previous project. 

Each seat needs to be mounted on a .125" square piece of styrene to make it the correct height.  It takes TIME!  I was only able to do one car with all the Holiday things going on, but here's one car's floor with seats:

One of the six cars I've ginned up is a "smoking" car with a slightly different seating arrangement.  Photos when I get to it.

Jerry -- your inside and outside job on the American Flyer NH coaches is really super - you have a great eye and apparently a very steady hand...  I'm always in awe of folks that can do lettering with press-on letters/digits one at a time and keep the spacing even, the line straight and every thing 'square'!  When I try to do things like this myself, its funny how your eye always finds your mistake(s), even though you know that everyone else won't see it...

My Gilbert versions of these cars (in fair condition given their age -- like their owner ) are the first on my list of passenger cars to install LED lighting when I get the time.  My plan is to simply run the LED strip along the floor and keep the paper diffuser inside the windows.  Are you planning to light your cars with all the interior details?  Presumably that means running something along the top of the shell?

richs09 posted:

Jerry -- your inside and outside job on the American Flyer NH coaches is really super - you have a great eye and apparently a very steady hand...  I'm always in awe of folks that can do lettering with press-on letters/digits one at a time and keep the spacing even, the line straight and every thing 'square'!  When I try to do things like this myself, its funny how your eye always finds your mistake(s), even though you know that everyone else won't see it...

My Gilbert versions of these cars (in fair condition given their age -- like their owner ) are the first on my list of passenger cars to install LED lighting when I get the time.  My plan is to simply run the LED strip along the floor and keep the paper diffuser inside the windows.  Are you planning to light your cars with all the interior details?  Presumably that means running something along the top of the shell?

Rich,

Thanks for the kind words.  The lettering was a fun part, and getting it right is indeed taxing on the patience.   But don't look TOO closely, or you'll find mistakes on mine too. 

I have a number of these Gilbert cars too and my 7 year old grandson loves the 8 car Red New Haven Train, as he calls it.  But for some crazy reason, I wanted some cars  that were closer to scale length.  The very early ones were made of an acetyl plastic which warps over time.   Later ones were a styrene plastic which is much more stable.  Those are the ones I "butchered".  But since the shells were junk box purchases at York a year ago for less than $5 per car, my conscience is clear. 

I left the large blob of plastic on the inside of the roofs from the injection process alone but flattened them out so I can screw a circuit board with LEDs on the inside of the roof.  The wires will run through the washrooms so as not to be seen through the windows.  Those windows will be frosted as on the prototype cars for privacy.   There will be a 2 conductor mini connector between the shell and frame to allow removal of the shell if necessary.  I just need a good constant voltage circuit for the 4 or 5 LEDs I plan on using.  If anybody out there has a suggestion for one, or knows of a ready made board, please let me know. 

Did I plan on making a perfect "scale" set of cars?  Not really since it involves more work than I want to do.  They're not contest quality cars, but more of a "what if Gilbert were still in business today" cars (hint, hint Lionel).  They can even negotiate classic Flyer switches without hitting the lever mechanism.

I've rambled on long enough, so enjoy the Holidays guys!  Keep up the posts!

 Jerry - again, your work is really well done.  I'm curious about how you cut the shells - obviously the cuts need to be square and with minimal ragged edge.  I also see in your earlier post to this thread that you've added a thin piece of styrene to made sure all of the spaces between the windows are uniform.  What glue did you use?  Are the chassis done the same way -- cutting the original Gilbert chassis?

In terms of lighting, as I suspect you know, there are a number of posts about circuits and wiring up LED strips.  One of the more recent is here, which is a reference to GRJ's constant current circuit.  I think his original design was based on working with constant 18VAC track voltage, like you'd use for command/control -- instead of variable AC power like you'd get out of a Gilbert transformer (which is what I use).  I don't know what you use for track power.  If you look at the attached Word file in the link you'll see a suggestion of using 5 VDC LED strips instead of the "normal" 12 VDC, that way the circuit will start to regulate about where the Gilbert transformers cut in voltage-wise.  The circuit board is quite small and I think with some adept building, you might be able to make it thin enough to fit inside one of your end vestibules (since I haven't done that, you can take this suggestion with a grain of salt)...

richs09 posted:

 Jerry - again, your work is really well done.  I'm curious about how you cut the shells - obviously the cuts need to be square and with minimal ragged edge.  I also see in your earlier post to this thread that you've added a thin piece of styrene to made sure all of the spaces between the windows are uniform.  What glue did you use?  Are the chassis done the same way -- cutting the original Gilbert chassis?

 

Rich,

I"ll try to be brief.  The shells were cut with a Zona type saw using a machinist square as a guide:

The other side was cut the same way using the square to make the cut.  Then a piece of tape to guide the saw on the roof:

The piece of styrene to take the place of the saw width was cemented with MEK.  A thin piece of styrene sheet was also cemented on the inside for added strength.  When assembling the pieces, the car was trued up on a flat piece of glass to make sure it was straight in all directions.  A bit of filing may be necessary to keep it perfectly straight.  Then when dry, the gap and the filler piece was undercut slightly with a triangular jeweler's file and the resulting "gouge" filled with a mixture of styrene dissolved in MEK.  I used scrap pieces of the cars cut into small pieces then put in an airtight bottle with a little MEK.  After a few days, I stirred it with a metal spatula, either adding more plastic or MEK until the paste was the consistency of toothpaste.  It was liberally troweled into the gouge and allowed to dry for a week or more.  It will shrink, but after a week or more, it's completely dry and solid.  It then can be treated like the rest of the car since it was basically "welded" together.  A caution, however.  MEK is highly flammable and dangerous, so I did the mixing, etc. outside in the nice weather.  Lacquer thinner would work too.

As to the frames, since the originals are either sheet metal or die cast, it was easier to make new frames from .060" styrene sheets with styrene channels for the frame rails and bars for the bolsters.  I added wooden blocks to simulate the battery boxes, water tanks and A/C unit.  After all, I was just trying to simulate a "what if", not a contest model.  As I said before, sometimes close enough is good enough:

And thanks for the link to the circuitry.  It will come in handy.  I have dozens of LEDs taken from an on-sale, after Christmas light string.  Hey, I'm cheap!  I usually use a Gilbert transformer and the LEDs are 3V max.

Sorry for being long winded again.  Maybe others can use some of my suggestions.  Isn't this what this forum is about?

richs09 posted:

 

In terms of lighting, as I suspect you know, there are a number of posts about circuits and wiring up LED strips.  One of the more recent is here, which is a reference to GRJ's constant current circuit. f

I tried to find a way to contact you directly, but couldn't find your email.  The circuit described is too large to fit anywhere.  Besides, the vestibules on the cars are open.  Thanks anyway.  I guess I'll simply use a small diode bridge and resistor.

Video shows my New Haven Railroad ALCO RS1 #0668 pulling a short freight train with New Haven NE-6 caboose C-681 on my 10’-by-5’ layout. The locomotive and caboose are Atlas O products.

Photo and video by:

MELGAR

Melgar, 

I like how simple the layout tack plan is, and it’s very highly detailed! Outstanding work!

Seacoast posted:

Melgar,

I like how simple the layout tack plan is, and it’s very highly detailed! Outstanding work!

The track plan had to be just an oval because I wanted a minimum of O-54 curves and the table is five feet (60 inches) wide. With the scenery items that I wanted to include (town, bridges, factories, creek, tunnel/hill) and the ten foot table length, there wasn't even room for a siding.

MELGAR

Melgar will you be expanding or is the layout finished. Again a Well done layout!

Seacoast posted:

Melgar will you be expanding or is the layout finished. Again a Well done layout!

I'm considering a four-foot extension at the town end. The layout is modular, built on two five-foot by five-foot pieces of plywood covered by up to five inches of extruded pink foam. It is designed to be lightweight and transportable. The plywood/scenery can be lifted off the benchwork and the buildings, bridges and even the tunnel/hill can be lifted right off the layout if it has to be moved. The benchwork is modular (by Mianne) and can be disassembled with a screwdriver. The modularity will be maintained if I add the extension.

MELGAR

Below is MTH 20-5601-1, EF4 #310, upgraded to PS3 and a modified Lionel Polar Electric pantograph.  Thanks to Don (@scale.rail) for the pantograph tip, it is a  a top-notch performer with zero defects so far, in endless hours of runtime.  It is currently paired with Atlas O 6679, NE6 #C700 on the staging track. 

Although I live in CA, I became a life long NH fan as a child visiting my grandparents in Fairfield, CT.  They took me to my first baseball game (Brooklyn Dodgers vs. St. Louis (?), first Broadway play, etc., on the NH.  My grandparents were big Dodger fans and hated those Yankees.  They became Mets fans after the Dodgers moved to LA.  For some reason they never liked the Yankees.  

I went to the TCA convention in Warwick, RI a couple of years ago.   I rented a car and drove to Fairfield to see our old family home and visit my grandparent's graves in Bridgeport.   I took these photos of the Fairfield station during that trip.  Much has changed and much is the  same.  Many of my childhood greatest adventures and memories started in the buildings shown below.  NH Joe

The NH railroad (now Metro North) runs east and west along the shore line of Long Island Sound.  This is the station building on the north side of the tracks.  We would take the train from this side to ride a west bound commuter train to New York.  Note the salt box design of the station.  I don't recall seeing any models of these salt box stations buildings although it was a very common design on the NH.   The building is in much better shape now than in my grandparents day.  This parking lot was dirt then.  We had to wade through snow and mud to catch a train during bad weather.

Here is another view of the north station taken from across the tracks.  Note the high level platforms.  All the platforms were at track level in the NH days.  

Here is another view of the of the north station looking down the tracks toward New York.  Note that the 100 plus year old NH catenary towers are still being used.  The NH triangle wire has been replaced by a modern wire system.  Only one of the four tracks on the mainline has concrete ties.  This route is used daily by Amtrak Acela trains.  I don't know what the speed limit is in this area.  I remember seeing NH expresses roaring through here.  They always seemed to me, as a young boy, to be going faster than a speeding bullet.

Here is a photo of the south station building.  It is brick.  People would catch the train on this side of the tracks to go east to Bridgeport, New Haven and Boston.  The building had a taxi company and a pizza parlor inside when this photo was taken.

Here is another view of the south side station building.  The entrance to the pizza parlor is under the sign on the right.

Here is a track side view of the building as seen from across the tracks.

Here is one of the trains that I saw that day.  It is heading west toward New York.  This is the end of the train.

Here is a view of the tracks looking east toward New Haven and Boston.  Note the pedestrian bridge.  That bridge was a very shaky wooden structure back in the day.  I have crossed it many times.

Here is a view of the tracks looking west toward New York.  Note the large radius curve for high speed running.  It was a thrill to see an EP-5 towing the Merchants Limited racing along these tracks.  

Here are a few photos of the interior of the north side station building.  Back in the day, this interior was smoky and dingy. It has been beautifully restored.  The restoration may be better than it was when new.

New Haven Joe,

   I am not seeing your pictures.

Tom 

Same here.

I now see all the pics, Joe. I love it when the old stations are restored/repurposed. Thanks for sharing.

NEW HAVEN JOE,

Pictures now seen. I take Metro-North trains from the Fairfield and Bridgeport stations several times a week. Very familiar with the scene. Thanks.

MELGAR

With the Holidays here, trains are on the proverbial back burner.  However, I was able to finish up all six cars' seats and am in the process of interior lighting.  LED strips will be on the ceiling, but for now, I wanted to see what it would look like.  So I put the LED strip on the side  to light up the interior.  I'm not sure if I'll apply the LED strip directly to the inside of the roof, or put a wooden strip up first and then affix the LED strip to the wooden one.   Either way, there's not a lot of room for fancy electronics.

A link to this site popped up on my Facebook feed today... it contains a nice photo collection of New Haven steamers “from A to Z”.

https://sites.google.com/site/...p/pages/sitemap/list

Apples55,

Correct. Great pictures of New Haven steam.

MELGAR

Picked up a SW1500 calf. SW1500 engine is now attached and in correct position.

New Alco PA (second run) just arrived from 3rd Rail. Amazing...

Some LionChief New Haven action with Menard's rolling stock.....

Peter

Looks sharp Peter.

New Haven Railroad RS-3 #531 (model by Atlas O) and S-2 #0617 (model by MTH) were built by ALCO. CPA-24-5 #793 (model by MTH) was built by Fairbanks-Morse. Picture and video taken on my 12’-by-8’ layout.

MELGAR

New Haven action on the G&O.   The PA set is a Williams model that has been converted to battery power using the Airwire remote control system.  NH Joe

Both PA sets in the photo below are battery powered.  The NH is Williams and SP is MTH.

Three New Haven Railroad diesels in McGinnis colors. Where are all the New Haven fans?

Picture by:

MELGAR

How about two post war offerings???

646825 was part of my brother’s first train set in the early 60’s which I have now since my brother has no interest in trains...

6464425 was my Aunt’s... er... I mean cousin’s, from the late 50’s. He gave me all “his” trains after his mother passed.

New Haven ALCO RS-3 #531 (model by Atlas O) running on the O-36 inner loop of my 12’-by-8’ layout.

Photo and video by:

MELGAR

First two photos are of a Weaver dual can motored RS-3 I painted about 8 years ago. This scheme (orange hoods, black cab, and no letering aside from the NH emblem and unit numbers) was applied to about half of the New Haven's RS-3 fleet in the early 60's, as they came back from a rebuilding at Alco (plus 2 additional units the New Haven rebuilt in-house).

Next two photos were taken yesterday - in the process of painting a Weaver universal drive RS-3 into the pullman green/orange paint scheme used on the New Haven's first batch of RS-3s (much like Melgar's 531 in the post above). The second batch arrived with the hood tops also painted pullman green. Adding a more detail on this one than I did on 529 - I sanded off the molded-on grab irons and added brass ones on the shell, replaced the molded-in fan grill on the hood top with brass one, and added brass handrails on the frame.  

~C.Vigs

C.VIGS,

Nice work.

MELGAR

Two purchases from The Big E over the weekend... OK, the second one is a bit of a stretch   

Paul,

 Both look good.

Tom

Apples55 posted:

Two purchases from The Big E over the weekend... OK, the second one is a bit of a stretch   

Paul,

I hope you enjoyed the show and think it was worth the trip. I'm not quite sure I understand your reference to "a bit of a stretch" about the milk car. I have seen a picture of a full-scale "New Haven Safe Milk" car on-line although I have no further information. Weaver made a similar model of a 40-foot refrigerated milk car. Mine is shown below.

MELGAR

MELGAR posted:

Apples55 posted:

Two purchases from The Big E over the weekend... OK, the second one is a bit of a stretch   

Paul,

I hope you enjoyed the show and think it was worth the trip. I'm not quite sure I understand your reference to "a bit of a stretch" about the milk car. I have seen a picture of a full-scale "New Haven Safe Milk" car on-line although I have no further information. Weaver made a similar model of a 40-foot refrigerated milk car. Mine is shown below.

MELGAR

Mel;

I really enjoyed the show (posted something on the Amherst thread). Assuming decent weather next year, my knees should be in much stronger shape and I will definitely consider doing a full day. As for the stretch, I didn’t think this was strictly a New Haven Railroad car, rather a car from a New Haven company. But I really like the green in your version!!!

MELGAR posted:

Apples55 posted:

Two purchases from The Big E over the weekend... OK, the second one is a bit of a stretch   

Weaver made a similar model of a 40-foot refrigerated milk car. Mine is shown below.

MELGAR

Apples55 posted:

As for the stretch, I didn’t think this was strictly a New Haven Railroad car, rather a car from a New Haven company.

I think that is correct. On your car, the ownership reporting mark and car number are EDIX 102. On mine they are GICX 300. The "X" indicates that the car was not owned by a railroad.

MELGAR

               My American Flyer New Haven I4  Pacific #293 on a freight train. 

Picked up this Plymouth recently. Made a nice pair with the Menards car.

This model is a bit unique because it's fit with a snow plow.

RSJB18 posted:

Picked up this Plymouth recently. Made a nice pair with the Menards car.

This model is a bit unique because it's fit with a snow plow.

Love that Plymouth, Bob (although I tend to be more of a Subaru guy these days  ). Wish they’d make a command control version!!!

Apples55 posted:

RSJB18 posted:

Picked up this Plymouth recently. Made a nice pair with the Menards car.

This model is a bit unique because it's fit with a snow plow.

Love that Plymouth, Bob (although I tend to be more of a Subaru guy these days  ). Wish they’d make a command control version!!!

Having opened a few of these up I can assure you that there is no room for even an extra resistor. The motor and smoke unit are under the hood and the board is in the cab. A dummy unit behind with a tether would be an option.

I would trade all 6 I have for a 69 Roadrunner however.......

I attended the Hartford, CT 2009 NMRA convention.  One of the fellows on the tour had a lot of New Haven memorabilia.  As best that I can recall, he worked for the NH and rescued many of these items from the dumpster.  NH Joe

This is the Merchants Limited tailgate sign and the front of EP-5 379.  The Merchants Limited was the NH's premier passenger train between New York and Boston.  The owner said that he got the EP-5 front from the scrap pile as best that I can recall.    

This is a closer view of the the Merchants Limited tailgate sign.

This is a table setting of NH china and silverware.  The china pattern is called New Haven, Platinum Blue.  According to one of my books, this pattern was first used starting in the 1940s.  I think that the table is from either a NH dinner or grill car.  

Another view of the place setting.  The corn is fake but it does show the fine style in which it was served on the Merchants, Yankee Clipper and other fine NH trains.  Note the Boston baked bean pot on the right next to the corn. 

I am not sure if the ticket office is from the NH or not but the owner had it with his other NH memorabilia.   Note the standing ash trays.  Nearly everyone smoked back in the day.  

Here is a NH office desk.  Note all the super modern internet equipment and phones for its day.  

This is another item rescued from the scrap heap.  Westport, CT is west of New Haven and Bridgeport.  It is one of the most desirable and wealthiest towns in the nation because it is an easy commute to NY over the old NH four track mainline.  I think that Martha Stewart either lives there or did live there.  (Correct me if I am wrong.) The four track mainline can be clearly seen on the track diagram.  

For those of you have never seen the NH's four track mainline, here are two photos that I took during the 2018 TCA convention in Warwick, RI.  The photos were taken at the Fairfield, CT station.  Fairfield is just east of Westport.

This is looking East towards Bridgeport (the next station) and Boston.  The NH runs East and West along Long Island Sound at this point.  Trains from New York to Boston are eastbound and trains from Boston to New York are westbound.  The Merchants Limited and the other NY great passenger trains used to speed down the center tracks.  The outside tracks were for commuter trains.  

This is the view looking westbound toward New York.  Note that the original NH catenary supports are still serving Amtrak and Metro North.  The overhead wire has been replaced as has most of the track.  This infrastructure was built around 1910 and is still serving people over 100 year later.  The NH was a magnificent railroad.

Apples55 posted:

Two purchases from The Big E over the weekend... OK, the second one is a bit of a stretch   

 

 

Pardon my ignorance,  enjoying the pictures as a New Haven fan, but what is "the Big E" ?

Gary Liebisch posted:

Apples55 posted:

Two purchases from The Big E over the weekend... OK, the second one is a bit of a stretch    

Pardon my ignorance,  enjoying the pictures as a New Haven fan, but what is "the Big E" ?

Gary;

The Big E is another name for the Amherst Train Show in Springfield, Mass.

New Haven from the MTH booth at Amherst last weekend.