Front End Friday

@Genemed posted:

Same here Bob, lot’s of fun. Are you going to add people? After seeing here and reading the article in the latest magazine issue, I’d like to, especially darken the walls a bit. I enjoy the Legacy locomotives but there’s something about the LC+2.0 that’s appealing and simply enjoyable.

Gene

I'm all in. Not only will I be adding people to the Doodlebug, I bought an old K-line interior and I'm going to upgrade the Madison coach too. I'm ditching the white plastic window shell and replacing it with K-line window films and upgrading to  LED's and a board to control the lighting. Yea- call me crazy......

Happy Front end Friday!  Here is an R12 on the elevated line -

@RSJB18 posted:

I'm all in. Not only will I be adding people to the Doodlebug, I bought an old K-line interior and I'm going to upgrade the Madison coach too. I'm ditching the white plastic window shell and replacing it with K-line window films and upgrading to  LED's and a board to control the lighting. Yea- call me crazy......

Not at all, I like your plan, all good.

Gene

Happy FEF.

The new Lionel Santa Fe “Blue Bonnet” F3’s. Is it heresy to say I think I like this version a bit more than the classic warbonnet???

NEW YORK CENTRAL USRA Light Mikado and J1e Hudson pose for today’s FEF. Both are by MTH. Both featured in today’s Weekend Photo Fun.

Happy FeF and to a long enjoyable weekend, guys!

The J1E NYC pulls in as "Miss Daisy" and her driver wait for hubby to disembark from his business trio in the big city...

Happy Front End Friday!!! Southern Pacific “Mallee” on our layout.

Amtrak passenger train on THE SOUTH FORK RAILROAD.

Here’s a front-end video of Amtrak P42 Genesis locomotive #64, an MTH Premier model (20-2189-1), pulling two commuter cars of the Connecticut Department of Transportation – Noah Webster and Fairfield County.

The locomotive was delivered in 1998 with PS1 at MSRP $329.95. I’ve been running it for 25 years with a BCR instead of a battery. The passenger car models are Atlas O commuter coaches produced in 2008 at MSRP $109.85.

MELGAR

@WP posted:

Happy Front End Friday!!! Southern Pacific “Mallee” on our layout.

I've got one of these in PS1, waiting for years for an ERR upgrade and some weathering. Seems other projects have been getting in the way. Maybe your photo will get me started.

@Apples55 posted:

Ron;

I see you are also a member of the PRR Historical Society… if you have received a copy of the Spring 2024 Keystone, there is an article on the former Wilkes-Barre branch. On pgs. 22 - 23 there are two pics of a Brill car which is very close to your 3rd Rail version. I found it fascinating that they were know to haul milk cars!!!

@Apples55 Paul,

I do have that issue and that is a great article on branch line operations.  I've seen photos of these PRR Brills with two trailers before, but never three.  Must be a flat area.  That photo of one pulling a P70, B60, and R50 is great.  When I first bought my model, I looked up the real thing and milk runs on those branch lines was common.  Here are more front ends of mine with some trailers.

Also, that photo of the E6 pulling just a B60 and a P70 is another great branch line shot.

@Apples55 posted:

The new Lionel Santa Fe “Blue Bonnet” F3’s. Is it heresy to say I think I like this version a bit more than the classic warbonnet???

I hear you, Paul...there's something really appealing (at least to me, anyway) about the blue and yellow Santa Fe paint scheme.  Although that could have something to do with blue being my favorite color!

Well here are some front ends for you...Just like the "Road Runner"...beep, beep, beep !!

Best wishes, hope you have a great weekend

Don

Here's my ends of the front kind for this fine Friday!  Many angles of the front of a SW9.

It’s still Friday, right? Happy FEF everyone!  This week’s front end is that of a MTH Premier D&H GP38-2 detailed and weathered by me…

@D500 posted:

I've got one of these in PS1, waiting for years for an ERR upgrade and some weathering. Seems other projects have been getting in the way. Maybe your photo will get me started.

That sounds like a good plan. Keep us posted!

@trumptrain posted:

Here's my ends of the front kind for this fine Friday!  Many angles of the front of a SW9.

Patrick, great piles of junk, scrap metal and gates in disrepair along side the track in these photos! Must be the seedy side of the tracks. Oh yeah, very nice switcher too!

@Apples55 posted:

The new Lionel Santa Fe “Blue Bonnet” F3’s. Is it heresy to say I think I like this version a bit more than the classic warbonnet???

A couple of days late for FEF. But was just going through the latest entries today.

@Apples55: Yes, it IS heresy.    Nevertheless, this is an excellent shot of your new Santa Fe Bluebonnet. Is it an F3, or an F7?

I have to admit that I've never been thrilled with Lionel's Bluebonnets or Yellowbonnets. To me, no Santa Fe livery tops its original red Warbonnets. This is a shot of my older Lionel TMCC F7s. Notice it has the same number as yours, 332.

The red and silver, denoting faster passenger train service than the blue and yellow used for freight service, just seems more exciting to me. But then, that's just my perspective. Your newer Legacy Bluebonnet is still a sharp looking engine,  heresy or not.

@Bill Park posted:

At last years Hudson Fest at the JR Junction Hobby Shop in Syracuse, these were the entrees in the best looking Hudson type locomotive. All were in  New York Central livery excpt my New Haven I-5. Trying to win in your competitors house had to work against the I-5. But in fairness, all the entrants were awesome. It was a lot of fun and I will be attending that event again in Syracuse this year.

Hudson Fest was a lot of fun.  Perhaps we will host Hudson Fest again this year with Mohawk Mayhem.

@Apples55 posted:

The new Lionel Santa Fe “Blue Bonnet” F3’s. Is it heresy to say I think I like this version a bit more than the classic warbonnet???

Maybe it has something to do with your penchant for D&H blue and yellow?

@jgtrh62 posted:

Happy FeF and to a long enjoyable weekend, guys!

Your contributions are always amazing!

Lionel Southern Pacific GS2 circa 1993 with its Southern Pacific Madison car consist awaits boarders at one of its station stops.

@Yellowstone Special posted:

A couple of days late for FEF. But was just going through the latest entries today.

@Apples55: Yes, it IS heresy.    Nevertheless, this is an excellent shot of your new Santa Fe Bluebonnet. Is it an F3, or an F7?

I have to admit that I've never been thrilled with Lionel's Bluebonnets or Yellowbonnets. To me, no Santa Fe livery tops its original red Warbonnets. This is a shot of my older Lionel TMCC F7s. Notice it has the same number as yours, 332.

The red and silver, denoting faster passenger train service than the blue and yellow used for freight service, just seems more exciting to me. But then, that's just my perspective. Your newer Legacy Bluebonnet is still a sharp looking engine,  heresy or not.

Well, Vern, I have been called worse things than a heretic

From what I could find on line, it seems that the Blue Bonnets were repainted passenger units after Santa Fe left passenger service - looks like there were 6 that were repainted, so it is reasonable that you have the classic warbonnet scheme in the same number. Don’t get me wrong, I really like the warbonnet scheme… when I got my first FT job after college, one of the first engines I bought was a PW 2383 AA set from Madison Hardware. Later, I bought a TMCC ABA (different set from yours) and some PA’s.

@coach joe posted:

Maybe it has something to do with your penchant for D&H blue and yellow?

Does seem I’ve got a theme going here

Well Paul, you did good.

@Yellowstone Special posted:

Well Paul, you did good.

Thanks, Vern. I forgot to mention, the Blue Bonnets are listed as F7’s.

Happy Front End Friday everyone! This week on the layout, I'm still running New Haven, this time diesels and electrics. The outer mainline is featuring my DL109 by MTH Premier.

The inner mainline has a MTH Railking steamer, this wonderful and semi-fantastic Pacific in Reading Crusader streamlining, but New Haven livery.

On the conventional loop, I'm running this Providence & Worcester GE 25-tonner "dinky", made by... well, by me in my workshop. (I just finished a post documenting how I built this from a K-Line Plymouth switcher.)

Here's this week's video of action on the layout. Hope everyone has a great Easter holiday this weekend!

Happy FEF Everyone! Thanks for a great beginning Ken.
Here is Ernie The Baggage Handler from Unique Art.

A group of New Haven engines all awaiting running assignments today in the New Haven yard.

walt

Happy FEF!

Some Santa Fe Blue-bonnets.

Happy Good FEF!

Things are hopping on the OH&UP.

Photos/video for this Front-End-Friday, March 29,2024, show my New York Central 2-8-0 Consolidation #960 (Lionel 2231120) heading for the camera on my 12’-by-8’ layout. The Lionel model represents a Southern Pacific prototype (Harriman Consolidation) – not New York Central.

MELGAR

Front end of a Prairie Type 1666 2-6-2 from 1946 pulling some Lehigh Valley coal hoppers, have a nice Easter God Bless America!

Happy Friday everyone enjoy your Easter weekend.

Happy Friday everyone!  Here's a Lionel Legacy Erie GP7 leading a freight over the mountain...

Happy Easter everyone on this Good Friday! Here is the front end of an original issue R12 pulling a mixed consist over the midtown El -