Front End Friday

Wow, I’m late, it’s probably Saturday morning somewhere and early evening somewhere else, but Happy Front End Friday everyone….

Wow…late, but still Friday where I am…Hope everyone had a great FEF! 🚂😉

@leapinlarry posted:

Wow, I’m late, it’s probably Saturday morning somewhere and early evening somewhere else, but Happy Front End Friday everyone….

It’s never too late for FEF Larry!!! Always enjoy your layout and equipment!

Marx Penn Central E7

American Flyer Bell Ringer

@Dallas Joseph posted:

Great looking photos Gene.

Good looking photo of the locomotive too.

Thanks Dallas, the diesel station and sand tower(built by Alan Graziano) is a great addition to the layout, especially with the lights on.  

Gene

@Dave Ripp. @Steve Tyler

Herzog Railroad Services Inc.

It's a materials handling train for MOW service.

Dave- I think that train was on the last Virtual Railfan grab bag going through Ft. Madison Iowa.

Starts at 13:10

Bob

@RSJB18 posted:

@Dave Ripp. @Steve Tyler

Herzog Railroad Services Inc.

It's a materials handling train for MOW service.

Dave- I think that train was on the last Virtual Railfan grab bag going through Ft. Madison Iowa.

Starts at 13:10

Bob

Really enjoyed the video, Bob. Lots of neat trains for sure.

Nice find Bob.

Andy

        LIRR

I think this the nicest front end of any LC+ locomotive ever made. It's the Erie Camelback LC+, with Legacy detail at LC+ prices (approx. half the cost of a Legacy). It never leaves the layout, always either running on a mainline or parked on a siding:

@SIRT posted:

        LIRR

Great scene ! Sure wish you'd go to Kadees.

Ron H

@SIRT posted:

        LIRR

Nice!!!

@Ron H posted:

Great scene ! Sure wish you'd go to Kadees.

Ron H

Kadee’s, not for me. More to it than people know. I have a dozen reasons.

1. They are not practical or cost effective in 3r O because there are too many variations in cars and engines. It would cost me well over a grand to convert everything.
2. I see hacked up cars on a regular basis, something I don’t want to deal with or do to my stuff. It all works well as is. No one studies couplers on a passing train as it goes by.
3. Rollers removed, and lights are no longer.
4. Wheels/ flanges are still incorrect plus you still have skinny axles.
5. Too many size bolsters and height modification, spacers, screws, etc.
6. Some cars require removing 2r couplers and boxes in order to take apart to weather the car, not good.
7. Limited 2r roads, dealers and stock. Can’t fine an abundance of items anywhere.
8. Higher cost.
9. Still have that middle rail , so what's the point?
10. I would loose the DCS uncoupling function via remote on all my engines.
11. Still have the Fixed P. issue on the trucks.
12. Some converted cars to 2r wont navigate 036 and 042 curves as the wheels hit the chassis parts.
    What ever you like is OK with me. When MTH Premier, Weaver and Lionel all provided us True O SCALE cars & engines, it should have been in 2  rail only, never 3r. Atlas 2r set the bar, all should have followed including making tracks, switches and buildings as well. Should follow a standard like H.O. MFG's caused this mess we are forever stuck with for economic reasons.

@SIRT posted:

Kadee’s, not for me. More to it than people know.

1. They are not practical or cost effective in 3r O because there are too many variations in cars and engines. It would cost me well over a grand to convert everything.
2. I see hacked up cars on a regular basis, something I don’t want to deal with or do to my stuff. It all works well as is. No one studies couplers on a passing train as it goes by.
3. Rollers removed, and lights are no longer.
4. Wheels/ flanges are still incorrect plus you still have skinny axles.
5. Too many size bolsters and height modification, spacers, screws, etc.
6. Some cars require removing 2r couplers and boxes in order to take apart to weather the car, not good.
7. Limited 2r roads, dealers and stock. Can’t fine an abundance of items anywhere.
8. Higher cost.
9. Still have that middle rail , so what's the point?
   
   

The point for me anyway. I love your weathering !

!

@SIRT posted:

        LIRR

Holy cow .   This photo really had me sure I was looking at REAL . 

I guess from the earlier comments about the couplers it should have been obvious to me that this wasn't real............but I think I was so overwhelmed with the overall look of the artistry in your work that the coupler size was insignificant.

Great job sir.

Steve, I love the weathering on this:

just enough to make it look well used but still cared for.

Larry was worried about being late for FEF but here I am posting on Monday.  Talk about being late.  I picked up this Thread this morning with Rob Leese's Texas Zephyr which were followed by more Frisco beauties.  Here are my Frisco engines, from Lionel on the opposite end of the beauty spectrum.

From what I understand the red isn't even the right shade but this Fallen Flag set caught my eye in the hobby shop and came home with me.  Years later I came across a second engine and caboose at a train show so now I can run two Frisco trains or double head a freight.

By the way, Larry, early, late, whenever; pictures of that Hudson fresh out of Harmon shops are always welcome.

Wow @Coach Joe, as someone said last week, ones never late, just early for the next week, your Frisco diesels are very nice, its one of my favorite railroads. I’ll join you in getting ready for the first Friday in March. Happy Railroading Everyone

Happy FEF

Two MTH GP35 engines - BN GP35 is a custom run from Berwyn Trains and WP GP35 is a custom run from MrMuffins Trains.

It's FEF at the Cherokee yard roundhouse in Tulsa, OK.

The front end of the last one.

Ron

Front end of a white R12 and a red R33 at the station  this Friday AM -

Happy FEF.

@DG posted:

Happy FEF

Two MTH GP35 engines - BN GP35 is a custom run from Berwyn Trains and WP GP35 is a custom run from MrMuffins Trains.

Realy sharp sir.

I guess this is a classic case of  " Dudley Do Right " 

How do you get these custom runs Dudley ?

@BAR GP7 #63 posted:

Happy FEF.

ON THE FORUM AGAIN .

And then back to REALITY with Johan.     NICE.

@Dallas Joseph - ever so often, I do things RIGHT - in this case, I am very pleased with these engines.

Both Berwyn Trains and McMuffins Trains have websites where they list all of the custom runs they have setup with MTH. You can preorder or buy the item if they already have them in stock from their website. There are several other dealers here on the forum that offer some really nice items, almost too many to mention because I have bought items from many of them and don't want to do WRONG and forget to mention them. On the MTH website, you can use the Product Locator and find all of the custom runs for 2022 and 2023.

Happy FEF!

For anyone who follows SWSat!

We've got the front of the front.....

AND...the back of the front.......

Now I gotta figure out my SWSat post for tomorrow......

so many post.....so little time............ I'm Late! I'm Late!

Bob

Plows are waiting for the call for the upstate NY snowstorm.  Have a good FeF all!

@Dallas Joseph posted:

ON THE FORUM AGAIN .

And then back to REALITY with Johan.     NICE.

Dallas,

Thank you very much.🤝

Johan

Williams Baldwin Sharks, A-B-A.

, , , and for something completely different:

On my immaculate workbench: a disassembled Menards '48 Ford police van, being temporarily powered by a buck converter to display the blown headlight LEDs, the replacements for which are hopefully on a "slow boat" somewhere . . . *sigh*

HAPPY first  FEF for March.

Pair of RKs.      B&P  and  Pennsy

My front-end Friday pictures.

New Haven C liner

Wow, it’s Front End Friday and all I can say is, we had electrical outages, 79 mile an hour winds, trees down, houses hit by trees, rubbish blowing everywhere, street light signals blinking, traffic at a crawl, unbelievable weather… Good news, we are safe. Great pictures everyone. Happy Railroading Everyone

Gee, leapinlarry, after reading the first part of your post, I thought we were about to see "electrical outages, 79 mile an hour winds, trees down, houses hit by trees, rubbish blowing everywhere, street light signals blinking, traffic at a crawl, unbelievable weather… ", all on your layout. I'm glad to see all that weather action had so little impact on your tiny community!

FWIW, all I can offer to counter your weather woes is the beginnings of a thunderstorm:

[BTW, since I shot the video, I have since added voice activation that turns off the main lights and initiates the storm sequence, and reverse the process to shut down the storm and restore the lights.]

Here's my ends of the front kind for this fine Friday!!

Here's a FeF late night submission.

Front end of Lionel Western Pacific EMD F7 #918-D from ground level on my Paradise, CA layout.

Here's a link to a photo of the real thing on the Niles Canyon Railway (ncry.com). I've had the privilege of riding on a train pulled by 918-D on Niles Canyon Railway in all it's orange glory.

https://www.ncry.org/about/col...estern-pacific-918d/

Notice the font size on the real 918-D compared to the Lionel model. From the information I was able to find online the large font Lionel used was from when 918-D pulled the California Zephyr. The font was changed to a smaller font when 918-D was switched to freight duty. I'm sure you can see there other differences for yourself.

I've had the Lionel WP F7 ABA set for about 3 years and just noticed the paragraph in the users guide about the sounds for this model. The Lionel Railsounds were recorded from the real WP 918-D in Niles Canyon. Here's a photo of the Lionel Users guide on page 2 thanking the NCRY, The Pacific Locomotive Association, and Five Chimes Consultants for the recording.

Here's the Lionel model engine and horn sounds.

Happy Friday and a grand weekend to you all.