WHAT TRAINS DID YOU RUN TODAY?

Ran a PW Lionel 1666 2-6-2 from 47 another pw that I bought some time ago that needed a home and some repairs. The joy of this great Hobby! Support your Troops!

EP-3 #11 pulling a 1952 Milwaukee Hiawatha

Ran a newly acquired KMT Bexel Alco.  Removed the pickups from the front truck and wired the motor to a 9 volt battery.  Took off like a rocket.  I'll be wiring in a DPDT center off switch so the locomotive is usable.  I've got the cars for the Bexel set.

Stopped at an antique store off of I-94 in Wisconsin.  Walked around and saw very few trains but saw the Alco at the last booth I looked at.  Don't have a picture yet.

I've gotten pictures of the Bexel Alco and train (less the boxcar).

@cbq9911a posted:

I've gotten pictures of the Bexel Alco and train (less the boxcar).

Not seeing photos here. Could you repost? I like Kusan/KMT/RMT products. I've got four BEEPs:

I run 'em all the time. Here's the Pennsy hauling my new "bargain" B&LE ore car consist at night:

Probably not "prototypical" for PRR crew to be hauling B&LE ore, but B&LE had interconnects with PRR at Wallace Jct. near Girard and at Shenango Yard in Greenville, so I made the "leap."

@Bill Swatos posted:

Not seeing photos here. Could you repost? I like Kusan/KMT/RMT products. I've got four BEEPs:

I run 'em all the time. Here's the Pennsy hauling my new "bargain" B&LE ore car consist at night:

Probably not "prototypical" for PRR crew to be hauling B&LE ore, but B&LE had interconnects with PRR at Wallace Jct. near Girard and at Shenango Yard in Greenville, so I made the "leap."

Nice shot Bill wtg

Lionel Pre-war scale 8976 Pennsy B6 switcher circa 1939 hauling all scale die cast freight consist other than the Pennsylvania box car on the Shenandoah Short line.  The freight cars are from Lionel circa 1990- 91.  The B6 Switcher is sporting post war couplers.

As a youngster during the 1950s, I had an ABA set of Lionel Santa Fe F3 diesels that I ran on my 4’-by-8’ plywood central layout. After returning to the O gauge hobby in 1997, I wanted to have something “Santa Fe,” so I purchased a new AA set of E8 diesel locomotives – Santa Fe road-numbers 4 and 5 - by Weaver Quality Craft Models. These engines have been kept in my son’s upstairs bedroom and had not been run until today, when I cleaned and ran them on my 12’-by-8’ layout.

The models were made by Samhongsa in South Korea with two Pittman motors in each unit. They are very heavy. The box says they are “weighted for pulling power” but there are no sounds and the horn and bell are inoperative. Each unit has a two-position reverse lockout switch, so getting them to run as an AA pair required some experimentation. Although I have other Santa Fe steam and diesel locomotive models, these are the first ones to run on either of my railroads. Photos and a video follow.

MELGAR

Mel, those are beautiful Santa Fe E8 models.  I’m glad to see you are getting some of your engines off the shelf and running them!

I am very fortunate to still own my 1950s Lionel 2343 Santa Fe F3 diesel ABA set.

John

John,

Your Santa Fe 2343 set is very nice. I wish I still had my original, but I do have a modern MTH version. I'm curious as to how much current is drawn by your Santa Fe ABA and the passenger cars. The two E8 diesels were using about 3.5 amps on my layout. I rarely see that much current on my layouts. The modern O gauge engines seem to draw less than 1 amp.

MELGAR

MELGAR, the Santa Fe ABA and seven MTH Railking passenger cars draw 5.5 amps per the meter on my ZW-L transformer!  The ABA alone draws 3 amps.  I don’t have any engines that draw as little as 1amp, most are 2 to 4, depending on the train pulled.

My postwar trains run really well with the ZW-L.  When I ran the Santa Fe F3 with my old ZW, both engine and transformer got almost hot to the touch.  Now the F3 gets just slightly warm and the ZW-L is “as cool as a cucumber”.

John

Yesterday I ran a Lionel 1939 pre-war 8976 B6 switcher with a mechanical bell pulling a partial consist of four die cast freight cars.  Today I’m running a Lionel Trains Inc. circa 1989 early railsounds B6 scale switcher with a full consist of six die cast Lionel freight cars from 1990-91.  The railsounds bell sounds just a tad more robust than the 1939 mechanical bell.😜😜😜😜😜😜😜 Both switchers pulled the die cast cars without a problem.😃

@Steam Crazy posted:

MELGAR, the Santa Fe ABA and seven MTH Railking passenger cars draw 5.5 amps per the meter on my ZW-L transformer!  The ABA alone draws 3 amps.  I don’t have any engines that draw as little as 1amp, most are 2 to 4, depending on the train pulled.

My postwar trains run really well with the ZW-L.  When I ran the Santa Fe F3 with my old ZW, both engine and transformer got almost hot to the touch.  Now the F3 gets just slightly warm and the ZW-L is “as cool as a cucumber”.

John

I have to concur with Melgar, my MTH engines typically draw less than 1 amp. An older K-Line ABA TMCC set draws around 3 but each has dual motors. My big bug is the 5 passenger car sets draw more than the engines do. I will slowly convert them to LED to reduce amp draw on the transformer and my power bill.

I had a chance to set up the newest NYC Southwestern Limited passenger train.  I still need to paint over 500 Preiser 65602 Unpainted Seated People to put in the cars. The two baggage cars have had floors painted a wood-grain and Woodland Scenics Freight and Crates added.

I also moved the interior floors 1/4 inch in two pullman, Imperial Jewel and Imperial Empire, so the wall edges do not show through the windows.

You will see these cars again when they are finished. Until then, I am having some fun on the "Valley of Bridges" layout.

Sincerely, Johm Rowlen

I moved the C&O H7 #1578 to the other main line and put eight Atlas O diecast twin hoppers and sixteen 70-ton Open Hoppers behind it with a MTH C&O Bobber Caboose to complete the coal train.  I am taking some time to have fun as I prepare for major improvements on the "Valley of Bridges" layout.

Sincerely, John Rowlen

I hooked up a few cars today. 52 to be exact.

Last week Magma #1 took a load of ore cars to the smelter in Globe, this week it is delivering box cars full of supplies for the mines in the area.

The entire consist is custom runs from Weaver for the TTOM in Tucson, Arizona.

It's 1955 at the Sedgewick Avenue Station along The Put.

Behold, a NY Central RS3 hauling scrap metal, granite and coal passes the Polo Grounds:

Thanks to Johnny Podres, Jackie Robinson and their Hall of Fame teammates on the Brooklyn Dodgers, this time Willie Mays and the NY Giants will need to Wait Till Next Year.

LOL, Arnold

Well, they waited and the Bums left town for LA. My Brooklyn Dodgers shirt was a piece of history. But I still pull for the Dodgers today.

New York became San Francisco and the rivalry traded coasts.

@Arnold D. Cribari posted:

It's 1955 at the Sedgewick Avenue Station along The Put.

Behold, a NY Central RS3 hauling scrap metal, granite and coal passes the Polo Grounds:

Thanks to Johnny Podres, Jackie Robinson and their Hall of Fame teammates on the Brooklyn Dodgers, this time Willie Mays and the NY Giants will need to Wait Till Next Year.

LOL, Arnold

Nice, Arnold. The first ballgames I went to were some early Met games played at the Polo Grounds. Wish I knew then what I know now about trains running through the neighborhood (although we did take a loooooong subway ride from Brooklyn to the park)!!!

I added one more passenger train to the mainline to follow the NYC Southwestern Limited and chase it. Or is it being chased?

The C&O E8 is pulling the first Lionel 21" passenger car set I detailed with Preiser 65602 Unpainted Seated People that I painted.

The baggage areas have painted wood-grained floors and Woodland Scenics Bicycle Buddies, Depot Workers, Baggage Handlers, Freight and Crates inside. There is something to see when you open the doors.

Not buying any new trains. Just running what I have to keep them in good shape.

Sincerely, John Rowlen

Thanks to MELGAR's post on this past weekend's Weekend Photo Fun thread, I ran this brand new MTH Premier Proto 3 Santa Fe F7 today as it headed up a 17 car freight train and later a short passenger train.   As I had been thinking about buying a warbonnet Santa Fe F unit, over the last many months, it was MELGAR's post that brought me to the edge and allowed me to pull the trigger.  While at a train shop yesterday, the owner offered me such great deal that I could not refuse it.  Thank you MELGAR!!!

Just got done converting my Hattons A3 (Flying Scotsman) and got a video of it running on three rails.

Very short freight on the Utacolzona R.R.

Utacolzona Railroad in On30 (built 2020 - 2022) Last Update 2/18/23

@Trainmaster04 posted:

Just got done converting my Hattons A3 (Flying Scotsman) and got a video of it running on three rails.

That's a very cute locomotive, would love to see it run at a prototypically slow speed if that's possible.

@Arnold D. Cribari posted:

That's a very cute locomotive, would love to see it run at a prototypically slow speed if that's possible.

Sure thing! I’ll get the DC controller back out tomorrow and make a video for ya. She’s not the biggest 4-6-2 in existence but she sure can move!

Last night I ran a mixed consist of Lionel operating milk cars and MTH Madison heavyweight NY Central passenger cars with an MTH PS2 NY Central GP7 on the point.

Will make a video of it and post it on this thread later today or this evening. Arnold

@Trainmaster04 posted:

Sure thing! I’ll get the DC controller back out tomorrow and make a video for ya. She’s not the biggest 4-6-2 in existence but she sure can move!

Indeed. The Flying Scotsman set a speed record in the UK of 100 MPH in 1934, so the video just might be prototypical. She's also considered by many railroading aficionados, particularly in Britain, to be the world's most famous locomotive:

https://www.railwaymuseum.org....tory-flying-scotsman

I always thought Jackie Stewart was "the Flying Scotsman"!?

@trumpettrain posted:

Thanks to MELGAR's post on this past weekend's Weekend Photo Fun thread, I ran this brand new MTH Premier Proto 3 Santa Fe F7 today as it headed up a 17 car freight train and later a short passenger train.   As I had been thinking about buying a warbonnet Santa Fe F unit, over the last many months, it was MELGAR's post that brought me to the edge and allowed me to pull the trigger.  While at a train shop yesterday, the owner offered me such great deal that I could not refuse it.  Thank you MELGAR!!!

Patrick,

Glad you got this nice Santa Fe diesel but, of course, my post was not intended as an inducement for you to spend your hard-earned dollars. However, I have locomotives of some other far-away railroads that I could post - which might result in another rush back to your local train store... How about a Great Northern W-1? But I'm not sure it would run on O-42...

MELGAR

@MELGAR posted:

Patrick,

Glad you got this nice Santa Fe diesel but, of course, my post was not intended as an inducement for you to spend your hard-earned dollars. However, I have locomotives of some other far-away railroads that I could post - which might result in another rush back to your local train store... How about a Great Northern W-1? But I'm not sure it would run on O-42...

MELGAR

Great lookin' engine, Melgar.

As a point of comparison, here is the Lionel "selectively compressed" version, from about 30 years ago. It happily runs on O42 curves.

@Bill Swatos posted:

Indeed. The Flying Scotsman set a speed record in the UK of 100 MPH in 1934, so the video just might be prototypical. She's also considered by many railroading aficionados, particularly in Britain, to be the world's most famous locomotive:

https://www.railwaymuseum.org....tory-flying-scotsman

Agreed. She was also the first locomotive used to set the world record for the fastest nonstop train between London and Edinburgh. She will actually be celebrating her 100th anniversary this Friday as she was built at Doncaster works in February 24, 1923 for the Great Northern Railway. She is currently on tour across the UK for her anniversary.

@Trainmaster04 posted:

Agreed. She was also the first locomotive used to set the world record for the fastest nonstop train between London and Edinburgh. She will actually be celebrating her 100th anniversary this Friday as she was built at Doncaster works in February 24, 1923 for the Great Northern Railway. She is currently on tour across the UK for her anniversary.

Is this the famous locomotive for the train that the British royalty use?

@Arnold D. Cribari posted:

Is this the famous locomotive for the train that the British royalty use?

I do not believe so. The royalty may have used the train but 4472 (Flying Scotsman) was a normal express passenger locomotive named after the same named passenger train. The Flying Scotsman passenger train ran between London and Edinburgh along the East cost. The train was in direct competition with the LMS, who used a western route, with their name train called the Royal Scott. Travelers can still travel along the same route as the Flying Scotsman when traveling between London and Edinburgh.

The SD45 was the first to run today on a clean track. With it having a 054 minimum radius I thought maybe it would run on the mid loop which is a compound 048. Because of the restricted kinematic pilot it can only run by itself. Now I can see why some have disliked this type of pilot. It might allow for better realism but its function has some restriction. Any future purchase of larger locomotives will definitely be without it.

Gene

@Arnold D. Cribari Here is that video for you.

@Trainmaster04 posted:

@Arnold D. Cribari Here is that video for you.

Great at any speed!

Here's a late PW Lionel Lines crew hauling some advertising and precious cargo for Coke and Ford Motor Co.:

A closer look at that cargo:

Thanks to @mike.caruso for the inspiration

@Trainmaster04 posted:

@Arnold D. Cribari Here is that video for you.

Gorgeous locomotive.

As an admirer of The Put, I love the look of the train in the video below showing a train consist of Lionel operating milk cars and MTH Madison heavy weight  NY Central passenger cars, with an MTH PS2 NY Central GP-7 on the point:

I believe the GP-7 did not run, but the RS-3 diesel did run, on The Put, but I say that's close enough in my little world. Arnold