Celebrating Scale the art of MAGAZINE Trains 1:48 modeling O u Jan/Feb 2010 Issue #48

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Phone # Our prototypical T-shaped rail easily connects to other Scale[s] Modeled O HO N includes all track, switches, brands of “O” scale track! electrical components needed To fi nd an Atlas dealer, go to http://locator.atlasrr.com Get a copy of the latest Atlas Catalog at your LHS or visit www.atlaso.com Atlas O, LLC • 378 Florence Avenue • Hillside, NJ 07205 • www.atlaso.com Celebrating the art of 1:48 modeling Issue #48 Scale Jan/Feb 2010 Vol. 9 - No. 1 Editor-in-Chief/Publisher Joe Giannovario Trains MAGAZINE [email protected] O Art Director Features Jaini Giannovario [email protected] 4 Building A Center Cab Diesel, Part 1 — Capt. Tom Mix, USMC, Ret. Follow along with Capt. Mix as he scratchbuilds an interesting Managing Editor CB&Q early diesel locomotive. This is going to take a while! Mike Cougill [email protected] 12 Starting Over, Part 1 — Joe Giannovario The old OST layout is gone and a new one takes its place. Joe will detail the design and development process. Advertising Manager Jeb Kriigel 17 The Engine House At Gorre — Jim Gore [email protected] Yes, John Allen’s Gorre! Jim gives us insights and details on building this well-known structure out of cardstock. Customer Service 27 NMRA 75th Anniversary — Ken Jaglinsky Spike Beagle Complaints

L’il Bear 29 Flag Pole Uncoupling Tool — Ted Horvath Ted’s designed a clever and simple way to hide the uncoupling tool.

Contributors 34 A Humpback Bridge — Ray Grosser Ted Byrne Gene Clements Inspired by a painting, Ray added this unique feature to his layout. Carey Hinch Martin Brechbiel 38 Newark & Marion Freight House — Harold Russell A small freight house for any layout drawn by Harold. Subscription Rates: 6 issues US - Periodical Class Delivery uS$35 US - First Class Delivery (1 year only) uS$45 43 Bashing A U30C Into A BQ23-7 — Ed Reutling Canada/Mexico US$55 He’s at it again. Ed shows how he did this unique conversion. It’s not as Overseas US$80 difficult as you might think. Visa, MC, AMEX & Discover accepted. Call 610-363-7117 during Eastern time business hours. Dealers contact Kalmbach Publishing, 800-558-1544 ext 818 or email [email protected] 52 2010 O Scale National Convention Advertisers call for info. If you go to the 2010 Convention check out Jerry Guth’s SP layout. www.oscalemag.com • ©2010 All Rights Reserved Printed in the U.S.A. O Scale Trains Magazine, ISSN 1536-9528, USPS 24457, is published bi-monthly in January, March, May, July, Septem- ber and November by OST Magazine, PO Box 289, Exton PA 19341-0289. Subscription rates: US Periodical Mail, Departments $35 per year, US First Class Mail, $45 per year; Canada or Mexico, $55 per year; Overseas, $80 per year. Postage paid at West Chester, Pa., and additional mailing offices. POST- MASTER send address changes to O Scale Trains Magazine, 7 The Art of Prototype Modeling — Mike Cougill PO Box 289, Exton PA 19341-0289. 9 Neville’s Workshop — Contributors: O Scale Trains welcomes your feature articles, photos, and drawings. Such material should be sent to the above 11 The Modern Image — Gene Clements address for possible publication. If we accept, you will be notified immediately. For more information concerning article preparation 15 Reader Feedback guidelines, please send an SASE to the above address and request our “Guide For Authors” or visit our website at: www. 23 Traction Action — Martin Brechbiel oscalemag.com. Cover: Yes, that is a copy of John Allen’s famous engine house 46 Product News & Reviews at Gorre on his Gorre & Daphetid RR (pronounced gory and defeated). The model is made of cardstock. The engine house 49 Modelers’ Showcase resides on Jim Gore’s On30 Jemez & Rio Grande RR. Jim describes how he built the model starting on page 4. 56 Buy-Sell-Trade Ads

Centerspread: A painting by Larry Fisher inspired this scene on 56 Events Listing Ray Grosser’s O Scale railroad. Ray scratchbuilt the bridge even to the extent of cutting his own scale lumber. Ray’s article starts 57 Advertiser Index on page 34. 58 Observations — Joe Giannovario

Jan/Feb ’10 - O Scale Trains • 3 Building a Center Cab Diesel - Part One Capt. Tom Mix, USMC Ret.

Here’s an overview of the locomotive Tom will be describing in coming issues. Tom’s model was built to P48 standards but it is easily adapted to O standard. Ever since I got into building railroad models I have always This series will be of how I built this engine but I’m sure concentrated on steam engines and freight cars from the that there are builders out there who may have ideas that are 1920s and ‘30s. I never considered having a diesel on my easier and simpler than my methods. For those following this steam road. Diesels are ugly; they sound wrong, and have series, especially first time builders, I want to talk about work- no visible moving parts. Even with today’s sound decoders ing with brass based on my experiences of soldering, milling, that can bring a model engine to life, a diesel is still a rather turning, filing, and yes, occasional swearing, while learning boring, moving steel box that rumbles along with an occa- about this wonderful material. Moreover, who knows, you sional air horn blat. But a steam engine has the fascinating too may become afflicted with that common sickness among movement of side rods and crossheads and that wonderful scratchbuilders. sound of a steam whistle along with the chuffing and assorted Understanding Brass sounds of air pumps, generator whine; the sound of the fire- The main understanding of brass is its hardness. There are man’s shovel on a steel deck, clank of the water hatch and several degrees of hardness from easy machining to a softness much more. However, I am afflicted with that common sick- that is easy to form. ness among scratchbuilders, that of seeing a drawing of an C360, Free Machining Brass, is the one that you will use engine, either steam or diesel, and studying it with a “How the most because of its easy workability. It comes in many would I build that?” frame of mind. sizes of flat bars, rectangular, square, and rods. It works very I follow the CB&Q railroad and have been a member of well for drilling, especially when drilling and tapping small the Burlington Route Historical Society for many years. I holes such as down to 0.037” or a #63 bit for 00-90 screws. have a good collection of books, photos and drawings of that C360 is easily machined in a lathe or mill and has no prob- road’s equipment. I have seen photos of a Burlington center lems with soldering. cab diesel and then I ran across an excellent drawing and C260, Cartridge Brass, is softer, usually comes in sheets, article in the July 1984 Railroad Model Craftsman. The draw- and is easy forming. You can also get this in stamped flat bars ing was by Marty Feldner and F. Hol Wagner, Jr. wrote the rather than extruded flat bars like C360. C260 is also used in article. That drawing, in O Scale by the way, really perked tubing both rounds, square or rectangular. One trick in using the question of “How would I build that?” There are no com- C260 sheets when you will be bending for a locomotive boil- mercial trucks (that I know of) for engines like this and with er, or in the case of this diesel, the cab and hoods, is to hold those narrow hoods, would there be a motor small enough the sheet and flex it. You will note that it will bend more eas- to fit and still be powerful enough to pull our heavy O Scale ily in one direction than the other. Then you will know which cars? More studying and research found that there are suit- way to bend or roll. C260 does not mill very well as some- able motors, and the trucks would have to be scratchbuilt, but times the mill leaves a ragged cut. Drilling and tapping small gearboxes are available and wheelsets are out there for both holes in soft brass, like C260 will almost guarantee to break O Gauge and Proto 48. either the bit or tap even while using a fluid. These small bits Etched material is available for the deck and there are and taps are cleverly designed to break right at the surface commercial brass shapes of all kinds. My growing interest in making it impossible to remove. Usually the part cannot be building this particular center cab cascaded into setting aside saved so a lot of work up to that point is lost. my current steam projects and concentrating on the construc- C770, Nickel Silver, comes in thin sheets up to a thickness tion of one of those boring steel boxes with the wrong sound of ¼” and possibly thicker. I lived in Denmark for many years and no visible moving parts. See, I told you there really is a and found that in Europe nickel silver is popular and used sickness with scratchbuilders! more often than brass by modelers. I learned to use this mate- 4 • O Scale Trains - Jan/Feb ’10 rial while living there and like it very much. It solders more easily than brass, is easier to form, and holds paint better than brass. Rivets show very well such as in tender sides. It can be a bit tough to machine but I use a lot of it especially when constructing components that will represent steel in a model such as steam engine crosshead guides. I used it on the trucks as wear points for vertical movement of the axle journals. After painting, the wear of that movement will make it appear that the journals are moving against “steel” rather than brass. If you are building this engine, you might consider using nickel silver for the cab and hoods. Sources OnLineMetals.com: This company takes small orders, is prompt and their prices are reasonable. Their site also gives information on materials, their structure and composition and how it is used. They sell many materials: aluminum, steel, brass, nickel silver, plastics and shapes like pipes, rods, tubes, bars. This close-up view of the side shows the fuel tank detail. SmallParts.com: They carry much of the same for materi- als, but they also carry fascinating things like gears, univer- sals, fasteners of all kinds, sealers, bearings, pulleys and belts. The list goes on. If you click on their site, you will be there for an hour or so checking out what they have. Specialshapes.com: This company has many brass shapes such as channels, H shapes, angles, flat bars, sheets, rods, etc. They also carry brass screws and washers in 00-90, 0-80, 1-72, 2-56, at a much more reasonable price than what you see in the small packets at hobby shops. Be careful of their larger flat bars such as 3/32 and 1/8” thick sizes, as they most likely will be stamped and soft. Not good for drilling and machining. Motor Man [www.micro-loco-motion.com]: I have been experimenting with precision and coreless motors for power rather than the common brush and magnet motors we have used for years. These small motors are quite powerful and what is nice is that often they use less than 1 amp under load which means one decoder having both sound and power can be used rather than two decoders for the same purpose. Motor Man has many sizes of coreless motors and many are This view of one hood shows Tom’s attention to the tiniest details. gear head motors. Goldmine-elec.com: Truly is a gold mine for electronics. For the motor that I used, check this site. When you open, on the left is a column, click on motors, then DC motors, scroll down to Item # G16026 (if in stock). This is a German Faulha- ber. It is used, but to me they look brand new. Cost is $7.95. I bought mine while on sale for $4.95. Note there is a plastic shroud covering the motor that has to come off. You will invent some new swear words getting that shroud removed. I found the easiest way was to make several saw cuts through the plastic at the gear end and carefully pry with a small screwdriver. This motor is powerful for its size and best of all it will fit in the narrow hood. I bought three of these motors and on the one in the diesel, I ground off that gear. If you want sound in your model, check the speakers also sold in the “Gold Mine.” I bought a flat speaker, not quite 1½” dia., 8 ohm, for a package of two for a $1.00. P&D Hobby Shop [www.pdhobbyshop.com] sells gear- boxes for the trucks. You can buy these with the 36” wheels (O gauge) and tower as a complete set. I bought the gearbox- es and transmission shafts with worm gears and the plastic universals. However, the geared axles with 36” P48 wheels Even the cab has additional details. Jan/Feb ’10 - O Scale Trains • 5 came from Protocraft. These are a drop-in for the P&D gear- 9122 and 9123, were 65 tons. All of these in Bulletin #6 have boxes. I made my own tower of brass with Delrin chain and drawings and photos so you can build another model rather chain gears from Grandt Line that I had on hand. This chain than the 65-ton Midwest that I built. and gears are identical to the ones sold by P&D. This diesel can be either O Gauge or Proto 48. I build The Irish Tracklayer [www.irishtracklayer.com] has a good in P48 which means this will scale out using the prototype variety of brass parts for diesels and steam. The hood’s door drawings for all measurements. However, O standard gauge hinges and latches and the etched brass numbers came from (1.25”) will require compensating for the extra width in the this site. trucks and wheels. Right here you should note that when Precision Scale Co. [httt://psc1.virtualfocus.com/] has an I discuss the measurements in building this engine I will enormous amount of brass castings for whatever you might use a material’s thickness such as 0.012” sheet or 1/8” x want to build. A few of the parts on this model came from 2” bar stock. But, when it comes to that material being cut PSC. or shaped into a component on the engine, I will use the Protocraft: If you are considering moving to Proto 48 prototype measurements. It will be four feet, not one inch. check the Protocraft catalog. Not only do they carry P48 I never understood when reading construction articles, why wheelsets, both geared and plain of several sizes, but they the author used a regular rule for the measurements of a win- also have castings for trucks, track, and the tools for working dow or loco cab instead of a scale measurement. It is easier in P48. Their e-mail is [[email protected]]. to visualize the prototype when laying out a part when you Now, with all of this out of the way let’s talk about this measure 10 feet rather than 2 ½ inches. An O Scale rule is so Burlington diesel. In addition to the drawings, information much easier to use than converting all those measurements. and photos in the RMC issue, The Burlington Route Histori- To build a model such as this diesel you will need a lathe cal Society sells a CD with four of their back issue Burlington and a mill with the mill also used as a drill press. You will Bulletins. Cost is $25, and includes shipping. One of these have to solder both thick and thin brass. William Kendall Bulletins, #6, deals with all the center cabs used by that road. wrote an excellent article in OST #40, An Introduction to They were from Mack Trucks, Porter, Whitcomb, Midwest, Soldering. I use a resistance-soldering unit that I have had for Cummins and GE. making for six models total. The 1928 more than 30 years and I couldn’t build without it. For heavy Mack was a 30 ton (and quite ugly). The 1930 Porter was a components, I also use a torch like the one in William’s arti- 45 ton, the single 1931 Whitcomb, #9120, was a 60 tonner, cle. In the next issue, Part Two of this series covers building and the three 1933 and ‘34 Midwest locos, numbers 9121, the Commonwealth trucks. u

6 • O Scale Trains - Jan/Feb ’10 The Art of Prototype Modeling Michael Cougill

The Curve seeing an SW7 and two or three 52’6” gondola cars squeal- I’ll get to the new name shortly. Right now I want to talk ing their way around it at a snail’s pace and just clearing the about “The Curve.” I’ve referred to the one curve on the lay- adjoining structures. If the prototype can do it why can’t I? out several times in different articles and columns. As you’re So, “The Curve” will remain as is for now. It’s used as an all nauseatingly aware by now, it is a 36” radius curve going industrial lead, not as a through track, therefore slow orders to the staging cassette on one end of the layout. I usually pho- and equipment restrictions are the rule of the day, until the tograph this stellar piece of railroad engineering in a way that Head of Maintenance gets bored and has to come up with minimizes just how sharp and kinked it actually is. Well, time something for us to do. to come clean and show the beast for what it is. The new column name Photo 1, taken from the end of the layout, illustrates the I decided it was time to shake things up a bit with the lovely kink near the end of “The Curve” as it enters the stag- column, so now it’s the Art of Prototype Modeling. The term ing cassette. The excuses (reasons) of how this sorry state “finescale” is a bit imprecise as it could also refer to simply of affairs came to be are many, but mostly come down to modeling to more refined standards in traditional NMRA plain laziness on my part. When I laid it out, I grabbed the gauge. The column’s emphasis is still on P48, but with a tight- wrong template. I made up two of them to test how wide a er focus on prototype modeling, since that’s really what the radius I could use in this space, one 36” and the other 48”. “P” in P48 stands for. Now that the layout is essentially done, Guess which one I grabbed? I didn’t realize the mistake until I’ve been doing a lot more freight car modeling and discov- track work was well underway, and given that I had already ered the joys of prototype research. So that’s where I’ll be spiked each and every tie, I didn’t want to do it over. As if that headed from now on. However, it won’t be freight cars only. weren’t enough of a sin, I also got the alignment and flow of Prototype modeling embraces structures and yes, I’m going the curve off when I individually hand laid all those wonder- to say it, scenery too. This aspect of the hobby has opened fully spiked ties to begin with. The track started to drift quite up new areas of enjoyment and the learning curve has been close to the wall and I just laid the ties in whatever radius was a smooth, constant radius so far, unlike certain other curves required to avoid going outside. Oh yes, rest easy folks, your previously mentioned. editor is on top of things. Best regards, So what’s a guy to do? I’ve thought of yanking it all out Mike u and doing it properly several times, but all that lovely scenery and rock-hard ballast just seem to banish all thoughts of that kind. Furthermore, “The Curve” as I’ve taken to calling it now, is a great way to test new rolling stock. If a car can negotiate this fine example of trackwork, then every- where else on the railroad is a cakewalk. It also reminds me of a similar industrial spur that the Pennsy had in Richmond. It came off of the west- bound freight main and snaked its way between two build- ings to reach a scrap yard some distance away. I remember Jan/Feb ’10 - O Scale Trains • 7 SPECIAL EDITION SERIES SUPER DETAILING-THE LIKES YOU HAVE NEVER SEEN FROM SUNSET CHALLENGER - SE UP - D&RGW - CLINCHFIELD THE SPECIAL EDITION CHALLENGERS: 2 Rail Models - Special Super Detailing Available with DCC / SOUND / PUFFING SMOKE ($200 more) or DC. Less than 30 of Each Available to Reserve. Very limited quantities. Reserve Price under $2000 ERIE S-3 / S-4 Berks Made in post-war modernized. Two versions of the Erie Berks. We are detailing this to the hilt, but it will be made to run as well. Look for these Berks in late 2010. Offered with DCC/Sound and Smoke $200, or DC. Reserve Price Under $1500 GREAT NORTHERN 0-8 Great Northern Fans Rejoice: Sunset is mak- ing the famous O-8 Mikados with opened or closed cab. We are super detailing these, so that you can proudly display and run your O-8 anywhere. Built by our premier Korean builder. Offered with DCC/Sound and Smoke $200 or DC. Reserve Price Under $1500 NP W-3 / W-5 MIKE The W class mikados were the Northern Pacific's heaviest 2-8-2's and were originally assigned to the Yellowstone Division, where the ruling grade is about 1 per cent in both directions, until the big Z5 articulateds replaced them. DCC/Sound and Smoke $200. Reserve Price Under $1500

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SUNSET MODELS INC. 22 Beta Court · San Ramon, CA 94583 · 925-820-7701 · fax to 925-820-7709 · www.3rdrail.com Jan/Feb ’10 - O Scale Trains • 9 M T. A L B E R T S C A L E M O D E L S P R E S E N T S When does my subscription expire?

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10 • O Scale Trains - Jan/Feb ’10 Prototype Pre-fabricated Track While this project involves yard tracks, it is no different It makes you wonder if the prototype railroads may have than the mainline being blocked. Time is critical for train taken an application from model railroading and applied the operations and the North end of the yard would have to be process to their track maintenance procedures. I’m referring to closed down to rail traffic to complete the project. Mainline pre-fabricated turnouts and track sections much like the sec- movements would require protection since Track 1 parallels tional, flextrack and ready to install turnouts commonly used the main line. A schedule was made to give the maintenance in the hobby today. Take a look at Photos 1 and 2. crews the maximum time needed for the rebuild that would This turnout was transported to the location after being least affect yard engine as well as mainline operations. built at the factory. Being too long to be transported as a single Starting at 7:00 am, a “Stop Order” was issued to all main- assembly, it was cut into multiple sections and loaded into a line traffic covering the milepost location of the construction. gondola car equipped with a special bracket that allows the Although the mainline was not affected, traffic could only sections to be secured for movement. After being unloaded at proceed on the verbal authority of the foreman in charge of the site where it will be installed, the sections are pot welded the project. Cranes on either side removed the old track and back together to form a complete turnout. turnout as the rails were cut. Afterwards, the old ballast was You will also notice a section of pre-fabricated track which removed and the roadbed prepared for the new track and was built onsite. While not shown in the photographs, a main- ballast. Once the new track sections were installed and every- tenance flatcar loaded with 39 foot long track panel sections thing tied back together, the ballast cars were unloaded over and some ballast cars were stored on a yard track and will be the repaired sections so the ballast tampers and regulators moved to the site once the rebuild project begins. could go to work bringing the new track up to grade and into This project takes place at the north end of the yard ladder alignment. The final touches were to dress up the area, remove at Amory, Mississippi. Its purpose is to correct an engineering all debris and install the new hand throw on the turnout. problem. Originally designed and built sometime around the The project was winding down at 5:00 pm when we came turn of the 20th Century, the yard tracks have seen numerous through on a loaded coal train. (Sorry I didn’t have the chance modifications and repairs. The No. 10 turnouts that are in to take any photographs.) As far as I know, this project cor- place are now substandard due to increased car lengths and rected the derailment problem. weights. Number 2 track was the first track off the north ladder John Armstrong covered the “S” Curve scenario in his book and created an “S” curve that was acceptable for cars up to 50 Track Planning for Realistic Operation in Section 5 Operating feet long, but not for the cars in use today. Numerous derail- Reliability through Standards. Derived from prototypical engi- ments have occurred at this location and a “Terminal Order” neering data, John covers the “S” curve and locations where it was issued, restricting speeds to 5 MPH under the control and can be found lurking on even the best planned layouts. visual observation of a crew member. Just as on the prototype, if we make the transition from an An upgrade to modern engineering standards was neces- earlier era’s equipment to the longer cars of today, we may sary to correct this problem. The plan consisted of removing also find that we now have a problem “S” curve that will not the turnout from the lead and replacing it with straight sec- handle the longer cars. The solution may be a re-design of the tions of panel track on the north ladder lead. The new turnout, effected track area. I would recommend that all railroad mod- a number 16, would be cut in just south of the turnout for elers have a copy of Track Planning for Realistic Operation in the North lead on track one. The Number 2 track would then their libraries. Not only is it a valuable tool, but it will also be shortened and tied into the new turnout, creating a much explain why prototype scenarios are built the way they are. greater radius that meets the requirements of modern locomo- Keep ‘em on the rails until the next time. u tives and freight cars due to their coupler systems. 1 2

Jan/Feb ’10 - O Scale Trains • 11 peninsula that then wraps around the walls. Mr. Schwanda’s room Starting Over: Pt 1 was 12’ by 30’ so he had length where I had width but I felt sure this was the place to start. Using Mr. Schwanda’s plan as a tem- OST Builds A New layout plate I flipped it over to fit my room, shortened it by 8 feet and expanded the width by 2 feet. Compare this new design (Figure It’s been a bit over 5 years since I started building the Coal 1) with the old design (Figure 2). Creek Railway and it was just not working for us. I’d made several You can see that the new design provides much easier access design choices which I now regard as mistakes. for track laying, scenery and maintenance. • I built the layout too high (54”) for short people like Jaini and me. The height made it very difficult and uncomfortable to work Figure 1. Benchwork arrangement for the new layout on the layout. • I built tracks too close to the wall which made it nearly impossible to scenic. • I designed the layout without a firm idea of what the scenery would look like or where structures would be placed. As a result it sort of “just growed” and looked it. • There was too much mainline track crammed into too little space and too little track in the yard. • I built the benchwork too deep to reach across without hav- ing to stand on a step stool or step ladder. With all of these flaws in mind I began to design a new layout from the ground up and I am going to share that process with you over the next year. It will entail more than just designing a new layout as I will describe some of the research I’ve done and how I found sources of information. I started the process with a list of “Givens & Druthers” as rec- Figure 2. Old layout benchwork ommended by John Armstrong. First the Givens: 1. The new layout will be based on a real prototype, the Abingdon Branch of the N&W. I will model from Bristol, VA to White Top, VA. 2. The minimum radius will be 44”. This will work just fine for small steam and the Geeps. 3. No track will be closer to the walls than 6” from the center- line. This will help make sure there is room for scenery and my hand if I need to get to a derailed car. 4. No benchwork will be deeper than 30” unless there is access to it from 3 sides. No more step stools. 5. The benchwork will be between 36" and 48” high, give or take a couple inches. 7. The maximum train length will be 96”. This is about perfect for the Abingdon Branch which ran very short trains with double- headed locomotives. Research 8. Room space is 14’ wide by 22’ long with access at the right Now that I had an idea of how the benchwork would fit the end of the room. room I had to come up with a trackplan and, for once, I wanted a 9. My modeling workbench has to fit under the new layout. trackplan that reflected a real prototype. Now the Druthers: I knew quite a bit about the Abingdon Branch as it has been 10. The new layout will be double-deck to get a longer run. the subject of several articles in both model and prototype maga- Max grade will be 4% (which is almost what the real grade was). zines. I planned to start the design at Bristol since this is where 11. I will model two time periods: 1948 and 1968. This will the engines on the branch were serviced. I then picked several allow me to run small steam and GP-9s. locations along the branch that would be developed into vignettes 12. I will use Atlas O track and switches for speed of construc- along the wall. These included Abingdon, Alvarado, Damascus, tion, plus I had a design tool based on Atlas products. and Creek Junction, all located in Virginia. I decided to “termi- Armed with this list, I began to doodle benchwork configura- nate” the railroad at White Top, VA which was the highest point tions trying to find an arrangement that would utilize my space on the branch. White Top had the distinction of being the highest efficiently. Periodically I get an email newsletter from Model point (3500’) east of the Rockies with regularly scheduled passen- Railroader (it’s free to subscribers) and one of them mentioned ger service. In reality, the line continued from White Top another that the MR website has an online database of trackplans. I logged 35 miles or so ending in West Jefferson, NC. The N&W, unlike in and started looking. MR sorts its plans by square footage. My other railroads, names its branchlines based on where they start room is a bit under 308 sq. ft. Nearly all the track plans in the MR rather than where they end, hence the Abingdon Branch. database that are less than 300 sq. ft. are all designed for narrow I dug out what reference materials I had on hand and started gauge O Scale. I picked the next sort which was 300-600 sq. ft. searching the Internet for more data. For modeling purposes, the and the first plan that popped up looked intriguing. In January of best article was written in 1975 by Tony Koester with photos by 1999 MR published a plan for the Pennsylvania Reading Seashore Jim Boyd published in the September 1975 Railroad Model Crafts- Lines by Max Schwanda. It’s a walk-in design with a long central man. Little did they know the whole line would be scrapped just 12 • O Scale Trains - Jan/Feb ’10 two years later. ed the walls a very pale blue-white. Once that was done we Back in 1957 O. Winston Link published a photo essay titled addressed the floor covering. Previously, I simply painted the con- ”Mixed Train” in the July issue of Trains. The Abingdon Branch crete floor. After standing on that floor for many hours I decided was again the subject of a Trains article in June of 1984 written by we needed something easier on the feet. I opted for commercial Lloyd D. Lewis which included a general history of the line from grade carpeting installed over a foam pad. 1900 to its demise in 1977. I discovered that the nickname for The second major issue with the room was lighting. Originally the branch, the “Virginia Creeper”, predated the N&W operation. I had 9 incandescent flood light fixtures. As you can see in Photo The line was originally built as the Virginia-Carolina Railway and 1, this resulted in hot spots of light and lots of shadows between that led me to a publication titled The Virginia Creeper by Doug the fixtures. I decided to install Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFLs), McGuinn. but not just any CFL. For about two years now I’ve been using an I also scoured other N&W books for photos and clues about Ott-Lite lamp at my workbench and I really liked the clean white the line. These included August Thieme’s The Norfolk & Western... light it put out. I called Ott-Lite and found they made CFLs with As I Knew It, Mallory Ferrell’s Norfolk & Western Steam’s Last an Edison base. Since I already had pots in the ceiling I opted to Stand and O. Winston Link’s The Last Steam Railroad in America add 29 more, basically one pot every 2 feet around the periphery which devotes and entire chapter to the Abingdon Branch. of the room and down the center over the peninsula. CFLs use As for modeling plans, thank goodness Bob Hundman, pub- much less energy than incandescent bulbs, about 75% less. The lisher of Mainline Modeler, had grandparents who lived in Abing- 38 CFLs I’m using now consume 15 Watts less energy than the don. His fond memories of the town led him to publish many 9 flood lights I had before. They don’t heat up the room either. plans over the years including the Abingdon passenger station, The downsides are cost and warm-up time. Ott-Lites cost about the freight house, pedestrain foot bridge, the Bristol depot and the double what a run-of-the-mill CFL would cost in a big-box home depot at Green Cove. improvement store but the quality of light is spectacular. As for I also did extensive research on the Internet. I started with a warm-up time, it takes about a minute before the lamps come up Google search on “Virginia Creeper” and discovered the line from to full brightness. I can deal with that. Damascus to White Top has been turned into a bike trail man- Next time... a plan evolves. u aged by the U.S. Forest Service. Virtually every bridge and trestle between those two points still exists and there are photos of many of them on a website dedicated to the biketrail [www.vacreeper- trail.us]. I found a website for the town of Damascus and one for White Top. The depot at Damascus is gone. The depot at Green Cove, just before White Top, is the original while the depot at White Top itself was rebuilt by the Forest Service in 2000. I found topographical maps at the MapTech website [www. historical.maptech.com/index.cfm], and I found a trove of N&W photographs online at Virginia Tech [imagebase.lib.vt.edu/browse. php?folio_ID=/trans] with over 12,000 photos. I found 3 photos of the same end of the Damascus depot and one photo showing an end and the rear of the White Top depot.

Photo 1: The old lighting system during construction of the original layout. Notice the hotspots on the wall from the flood lights.

Figure 2: A portion of a topo map from green Cove to White Top. Check out the horseshoe curve! Last but not least, I joined a mailing list at the N&W Historical Society and posted a few questions about the line. Several people replied with answers and leads to answers. This would prove to be one of my best decisions. Prepping The Room Jaini and I tore out the old layout right to the walls. We repaint- Photo 2: The new lighting system during construction of the new layout. The Ott-Lites provide even, bright, non-glaring illumination. Jan/Feb ’10 - O Scale Trains • 13 P&D Hobby Shop 31280 Groesbeck, Fraser, MI 48026 Voice: 586-296-6116 • Fax: 586-296-5642 Open Mon-Fri 10-8 • Sat 10-6, Sun 12-5 www.pdhobbyshop.com Grade Crossing Signal Set For All Your O Scale Needs GradeCS-2 Grade Crossing Crossing Signal Signal Set includes: Set CS-2A SignalCS-2 Grade with Crossing flat cap Signal and Setbasic includes: mast support CS-2BCS-2A Signal Signal with with bell flat cap cap and and junction basic mast box support support Power/Repower Kits for Red CS-2BAWS-1 Signal Advanced with bell cap Warning and junction Signs box (X2) support WPS-1 Whistle Post Signs (X2) Caboose GPs from $160. AWS-1GCF-1 Advanced Flasher/Detector Warning Signs (X2) WPS-1 Whistle Post Signs (X2) $69.95 plus $6.95 S/H in the continental U.S. P&D F Units GCF-1 Flasher/Detector Custom$69.95 Signals plus $6.95 S/H inwww.customsignals.com the continental U.S. Powered A Units - $289 27 Gellatly Drive (877) 523-3236 WappingersCustom Falls,Signals NY 12590www.customsignals.comphone/fax Call Now! 27 Gellatly Drive (877) 523-3236 Wappingers Falls, NY 12590 phone/fax

Subscription Rates: 6 issues US - Periodical Class Delivery US$35 PO Box 289, Scale US - First Class Delivery (1 year only) US$45 Canada/Mexico US$55 Exton PA 19341-0289. OTrains Overseas US$80 voice: 610-363-7117 • fax 610-363-7357 • Office hours are Mon. - Thurs. 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. Leave a message and someone will call you back. Closed Fri. thru Sun. • Back issues available are: 32, 38, 40, 41, 44 & 45 @$6.95 ea. Include $5.00 postage for every 4 copies. • Subscriptions which start with the current issue already on the street will be charged $2 extra for postage. Subscriptions and back issues can be ordered at our website. Check our website for free downloadable PDFs of early issues. • OST is published in January, March, May, July, September & November. Issues usually arrive by the second week of the issue month. If your issue is not delivered by the end of the month, call and we will replace it. • Your subscription expiration date is now printed on the mailing label.

14 • O Scale Trains - Jan/Feb ’10 Hard Coal Scarcity Drillbits & Drill Bits cation for the particular crossing signal I Let me take this time to say how I am glad to see that somebody else wanted to use. much I enjoy O Scale Trains and how out there knows the correct terminology Charlie Morrill, via email much I enjoyed talking N&W steam for the drills we use. I was pleasantly with Mr. Giannovario at the Baltimore surprised when I saw [Joe’s] reference Danielson’s Trees O Scale National. to the use of a twist drill on page 51 of #47 was a great issue. I was mpressed I’d like to comment on Ed Bommer’s issue #44. I maintain there is no such with the trees on the feature layout --- B&O coal trestle article. It’s a fine article thing as a drillbit. but no mention was made of them. Their and I enjoyed reading about this re- Bernard Brock, Santa Fe NM source and construction methods, etc. ally nice model. However, I take issue would have been wonderful with the suggestion that folks along the Joe replies: Bernard is correct. There Donald P Wilkinson, via email Virginian, N&W and other bituminous is no such thing as a drillbit. There is, coal roads heated their homes with an- however, such a thing as a drill bit. The Duane Danielson replies: Ninety- thracite coal. A family friend, who for “bit” is the cutting device that fits in a nine percent of the trees are from Scenic many years ran a fuel business here in drill. The typical metal cutting bits most Express modified by me and repainted Lynchburg, refutes that notion also say- hobbyists use are called twist drills. to more proper colors. I think they are ing: “You couldn’t get anthracite coal, There are other types of metal cutting the EX200 series with about 15 in a pkg everyone burned bituminous!” drills. Bits designed for drilling wood for $29. I have over 3000 trees so far. I can attest that after years of pour- have names like auger bit or Forstner bit. ing over photos taken along the Virgin- Sweeper Correction ian, N&W and C&O, it’s extremely Crossing Gate Electronics I am quite pleased with how my Dou- rare to see a hopper from one of the Regarding Ted Byrne’s PoweringUp ble Truck Double Brush Trolley Sweeper anthracite roads in a train, let alone article on grade crossing detection and article came out in issue 47. Thank you. seeing one on a local coal trestle. It may how to actuate the crossing signal real- The following corrections should be seem logical that people might have istically. That is a very interesting solu- noted: preferred the clean burning anthracite, tion that he describes. I faced a similar • Figure 1 on page 12: There should but the soft coal was much more readily dilemma when I had to give up the be a box around the left ‘33’, as there is available and probably cheaper since it DC-only crossing detectors I had used around the right most ‘33’. didn’t have to be shipped as far. I most and find something that would deter- • Second paragraph, second sen- respectfully suggest that Mr. Bommer is mine the directionality for either DC or tence on page 13 should read: With DC mistaken on this point. Thanks for listen- DCC operations. The infrared detection this would give pole reverse but with ing and keep up the great work on the system offered by John Parsons of MR- DCC, the forward direction is deter- magazine. Matix ([www.mrmatix.com], P.O. Box mined by the connection of the orange Ed Burnett, Lynchburg VA, via email 6763, Longmont, CO 80501) proved to and gray leads to the motor. be just the answer for me. His system Thank you, again. can operate lighted and motorized type Bill Brandt, via e-mail crossing signals, and John was very helpful in working out a wiring modifi-

Jan/Feb ’10 - O Scale Trains • 15 Extra! Extra! Read All About It! Two new O Scale publications. $14.95 $19.95 Learn all you need to know For too long O Scale plus p&h plus p&h about O Scale in the 21st modelers have had to contend century. We cover: Operations, with layout books and Track & Trackplanning, trackplanning articles geared Locomotives, Rolling Stock, to HO or other scales. Pieces Scenery & Structures and we of The Puzzle changes that cover the specialty topics of by giving design tips and Narrow Gauge, Traction, techniques directed to the P48/Finescale and the unique needs of O Scale. latest in Command This 48 page book also Control Systems. includes a PDF format Plus we give you photo CD featuring the our exclusive Source book’s photos in full lists to help you find color along with a everything you need bonus chapter of to enjoy modern O extra material and Scale. The 2nd Edition photos not included in the Guide is completely rewritten and printed copy. Pieces of The Puzzle revised with all new color photos and up- will get you off to a good start if you are new to-date Source lists. No O Scaler should be to O Scale, P48 or just thinking of finally without a copy of this invaluable guide. starting that new layout.

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16 • O Scale Trains - Jan/Feb ’10 The Engine House at Gorre

Jim Gore

The engine house at Gorre. It’s all cardstock! For those of us of a certain age (and even some who are House and suggested a few design changes and additions. younger), John Allen has been an icon for longer than most Thom discovered that, unlike their other models, the number of us are willing admit. His Gorre & Daphetid (G&D) has of parts and details for the engine house would require over been the exemplar for model railroad realism and operation. 50 printed pages and be pretty costly. So, Clever Models has I had the chance to visit John’s layout once. Unfortunately, opted to offer the model on DVD, bundled with some options I shipped out to Vietnam a week before the scheduled visit. and a model of John’s water tower at Gorre. I’ve been receiv- When I returned, John had died and the G&D had burned to ing the various pages via email, printing them out on my own the ground. printer, and doing test construction. I thought I would relate In the September 1948 issue of The Model Craftsman, John my adventures to the readers of OST. introduced us to his engine house at Gorre. It was build of Getting Into Cardstock Modeling the common scratchbuilding materials of the day: Strathmore Paper and cardstock models are not new. The art has bristol board, stripwood (if you could get it), and celluloid been practiced in Europe for several centuries. Probably one from old film (for the windows) – total cost 98 cents. I am still of the most famous paper and card modelers was Joseph amazed at the results, although I get a chuckle over John’s Merrick in the late 19th Century. If you are an aficionado of suggestion of using an ice pick to create scribed siding on the European model railway magazines, you already know the bristol board. Over the next few years John won regional and wealth of cardstock models available. Examine some of the national honors for that structure while introducing another well-known layouts in the United Kingdom and Europe and concept – ageing or weathering of structures. John’s structure you will see many incredible card and paper models, rivaling was meant for shortline or secondary service, but it was a the best of the craftsman kits. Of course European model- beauty! After examining the drawings John provided for the ers also have other media that we American modelers are magazine, this is a building with a lot of character and (as less familiar with. (Anybody tried an etched-brass structure my wife puts it when she sees a new house) lots of potential. kit recently?) For some reason, in the 1970s, we gave up on However, it is pretty small but ideal for narrow gauge. cardstock models (it was thin cardboard, after all) and turned Although there have been several kits released over the to wood, plastic, plaster, and various resins. With the advent past 60 years to honor or reproduce that engine house (most of new CAD software, the days of single color artwork on notably the Fine Scale Miniatures version), the most recent cardstock are gone. The new purveyors of cardstock models offering is unique. Made entirely of cardstock, by Clever can truly call them craftsman kits as they contain a multitude Models, it harkens back to John’s original and certainly chal- of detail and color variations (weathering) already printed. All lenges the builder to step into the “shoes of the master” as it you have to do is add those detail parts make it more three- were. Indeed, the Clever Models kit doesn’t rely upon strip- dimensional. wood at all, it’s all cardstock! With all of the wonders of CAD Cardstock design and the artistic ability to create textures, colors and First, you must print out the pages on appropriate paper. weathered patterns, this model is contemporary in its pro- Clever Models use 80 lb cardstock for their kits but I decided duction but reprises some old construction techniques and to go with what was available at the local office supply store. disciplines. After some experimentation, I decided to use 65-lb ultra- I had the pleasure of working with Thom Miecznikowski white cardstock for all of the sides and ends, as well as those of Clever Models in testing his version of the G&D Engine parts which will require bending. For the large (and flat) struc- Jan/Feb ’10 - O Scale Trains • 17 The kit arrives as a DVD but you must print out about 60 pages by the time This is a page with a you’re done. This page shows set of interior beams. the exterior side of the end They must be folded and wall. The window openings the tabs appropriately are cut out and windows glued in order to create and frames from other the set of seven interior pages are added in layers to supports. give a 3-D look and feel.

stock craftsman kits. Take the time to study all of the pages of parts and visualize not only how the parts are to be folded and cemented together but how you want it to look when completed. Ask yourself: “What is my order of construction? Which of these parts need to be sandwiched in multiples for the best effect?” I spent a week jotting down notes before I lifted the first #11 blade. Six weeks later (about 1.5 hours per day), I completed the project. Adhesives Although it may not sound correct, I used CA glue (medium viscosity) for cementing the parts together even for the large building sides. If you draw a bead of CA along the wall edges just 2 or 3mm inboard, as well as along the edge Here’s that same end after the various pieces have been of each window or door opening, and place a few dabs in layered on to give dimension. An interior wall is also laminated. between, and then quickly put weight on the piece, the CA This layering gives the wall considerable strength and integrity. will spread sufficiently. Don’t use white glue (or any other water-based glue), it will warp the parts and cause the ink tural parts like the fascia, windows, window and door frames, to run or discolor. After trial and error (a whole lot of error), etc. I used 110-lb cardstock (ultra-white if you can find it, but I would not recommend spray adhesives either. The solvent I have found that the standard white works well enough). You in the cement soaks through the cardstock and discolors can use just about any home printer. I have both inkjet and everything. That’s the nice part about the kit; if you make a laser printers, and both seem to work just fine. Set the printer mistake, just print out another piece and start over (I did that settings as if you were going to print a photograph so that any a few times too). “grain” is minimized. Also tell your printer that you are using cardstock so that it eases up on the feed-roller tension a little. Although I have never experienced it, I am told that some printers might make the print a little green or yellow. You may have to adjust your printer’s color settings. Obviously, since it is printed from a PDF file, these are not laser cut parts, so you will need lots of #11 blades. I used over 20 blades to complete the model. At the first sign of dullness, replace the blade. This is especially important when cutting out the openings for all of those windows (and there are a lot of them). The other valuable tools include a good metal straight-edge (or two). A square is quite nice to have for some parts and a self-healing cutting pad. Planning Despite the fact that it’s cardstock, you have invested in a craftsman kit; treat it accordingly. If this kit were not provided The opposite side with the interior laminations. The struc- on DVD, it would cost well over $100 for the 60+ pages of tural beams are all individual pieces. I used a piece of Kappler’s printed parts and options. Most model kits tell you to take O Scale 12x12 as a gluing surface when creating the beams. the time to read the instructions before commencing. Since They are just slightly larger and the “jig” can be removed when I was experimenting with this kit, there were no instructions, the tab has been glued and the sides aligned. The gussets are but it did teach me something very important about card- double pieces with their edges painted using a black magic marker with the backs painted with a Floquil Rail Brown marker. 18 • O Scale Trains - Jan/Feb ’10 Making the Model Dimensional There are four methods to creating a realistic cardstock model: layering, edge-painting for contrast, weathering, and detailing. The trick to any of these kits is creating three-dimensions out of two. Think, for example, of a window. The realism of a model window is the fact that the mullions, frame, glass, and the sill are all on different planes. With a printed cardstock model, the same thing applies. Clever Models provides those layers in the form of extra windows, frames, mullions, etc. When all cut out, they can be layered to create the window on the wall. A typical window, then, would have a sandwich of an inside set of mullions, a layer of clear plastic, the exteri- or mullions, and then the exterior frame with perhaps another frame placed on top of that, all completed with a layer for the lower sill. So, for this model, the walls are layered with The sides of the engine house are created by placing two fascia strips (to your chosen thickness) with doors and win- appropriate sides together and joining them with overlays of dows often made of four or five layers, to give them true three material to represent the outside braces and inside beams dimensions. (you can make out the joint, here, on the inside view). Is the Of course, the edges of the layered parts must be painted building too short for K-27s or K-36s? Just print out another to remove the white color of the cardstock. Besides, covering side and make the building three courses long! the white of the paper, the edge color can be used to create a little contrast to make the layer even more noticeable. In addition to the old standbys from Floquil (I use their acrylics) I have accumulated quite an array of acrylic paints from the local arts and crafts stores. Some of my favorite colors are driftwood, blue-gray, and a variety of browns (Railroad Tie Brown is a particularly useful soft contrast color), in addition to whites, and yellows. I choose a color that is slightly darker than the printed color. This gives a little shadow to the part and adds to the dimensionality. I use a black permanent marker with a fine point for the edges of things like tarpaper and some hinges to really increase the contrast. Whenever possible, the colors should be painted from the reverse (white) side of the part. Use the side of the brush to apply the paint. With the bevel of the cut coming towards you, misapplications of the paint (“slop”; it’s a technical phrase) tend to be on the white side, where they won’t be seen. The exposed edge of a folded part must also be painted. In that case, I use the tip of the brush but dilute the paint by dipping the brush in “wet water” (a drop of dish detergent in a small bowl) before dipping into the smallest amount of paint. When dragged lightly along the folded edge, the paint tends to run quickly into the fold. You might think that the water would warp the parts but most acrylic paints are so thick and set so fast that this doesn’t cre- ate a problem. Weathering Once completed, cardstock kits can be weathered just like any other kit. Before adding the clear plastic windows (or even before cutting out any parts), a light coating of Dullcote (or similar) will give the surface some tooth for weathering powders and will protect the colors from fading. Obviously, you can’t use washes (especially alcohol washes) to any great effect. However, some controlled streaking can be done with very dry washes (several times) of acrylic paints and weather- As I began to create the box of the structure and add the ing chalks can be used with great results. With brick build- supporting beams, I added Kappler scribed material for the ings, I even outline a few bricks with my fine-point black floor (you could also use Clever Models’ wood underlayment marker to indicate grime and mold. laminated to sheet plastic) and laid some On30 track. Details Of course, we all want to add those details that personal- Jan/Feb ’10 - O Scale Trains • 19 Before the final wall went up, I created some interior details. With all of those windows and skylights, somebody is going to peek in and see if there is any action going on inside. I used all kinds of details and figures from my various junk boxes.

John Allen’s original structure had brick stacks and metal vents extending into the enginehouse. I liked circular ones instead, so Thom designed new ones for me. Cardstock does a remarkable job of resembling sheet metal. This vent is com- posed of seven pieces which are cut and folded.

Although John Allen’s structure was designed for the warmer climates of southern California, my layout is set in the high mountains of New Mexico. I wanted some doors and Thom Meicznikowski was kind enough to design some for me.

John Allen’s cupola had windows, so that’s what I added. Clever Models also provides a cupola with slatted vents, instead. I still have no idea why John added that piece of strip- wood along the base of the cupola, but I did too. ize the structure and give it that used appearance. In the case of a structure that might appear overly two-dimensional, I think the external details are particularly important. For example, even though you could add an additional layer to represent a door-knob, I added something a little more dimensional. Those pins that seem to be everywhere on the latest shirt that you bought work just great for an O Scale doorknob (I think I have enough to populate every door on every O Scale layout on the planet). I always keep a good supply of Grandt Line (or other suppliers) lamp shades The roof is Clever Models’ roof underlayment laminated to around. One really good way to give the 3-D look is some- the roof sheets, with the skylights cut out. I liked some of the thing sticking out from the flat surface. So, a lamp or two Rusty Stump’s skylights better, so it’s easy to add them in the over loading doors and entryways gives a good appearance. appropriate place (at each end, in this view). Eventually it will be Another nice touch is a gutter and downspout along the edge covered with cardstock shingles, except for a few holes to reveal of the roof. I have used soda straws carefully cut in half for that very nice underlayment. gutters with plastic rod for the downspout. Clever Models 20 • O Scale Trains - Jan/Feb ’10 The holes in the shingles have to be repaired. The underlay- ment is nicely exposed and an unlucky employee gets to climb the ladder and make the fix.

Now it’s an engine house and ready to go! It will soon be It is indeed remarkable that John Allen produced this real- installed on my On30 Jemez & Rio Grande. istic and dramatic model for less than a dollar. The Clever Models’ version is as realistic and it does challenge the skills that craftsmen must possess. Many current day craftsman-kit aficionados ask me why anyone would bother to regress back to old techniques and materials when so many new (and easier) kits are available? Once you have completed a few of these cardstock beauties, it becomes much easier and less daunting to challenge that box of sticks or to scratchbuild that structure you’ve always wanted. I view these cardstock mod- els as the best of modern computer aided design with incred- ible artwork combined with some tried and true techniques that may have been lost or pushed aside. So, why do I want to bother with cardstock structures? Quite frankly, my most common response is like that of most mountain climbers, “Because I can and because it’s there!” u

All of those nifty detail parts make the scene come to life and tends to convince people that maybe cardstock isn’t so bad after all even sells a cardstock set of gutters, but you still have to do a little painting and weathering and create the downspouts. A few stacks of various stuff (standpipes, smoke stacks, etc.), is also a good touch. Some scrap stripwood to create a frame around an inset door or a wooden ramp outside a loading door also help to create the illusion of form and function. Finally, add a little clutter along the base of the structure to give more dimensions and make the entire scene come alive. No matter how well I do (and I suspect there may be oth- ers like me), there will be a gap somewhere that just won’t go away. Even though paper/card is a very forgiving medium, sometimes (usually due to my own ineptitude) things just don’t quite line up (or the CA dries too darn fast before align- ment). That’s the time to get a little creative. In Howard Zane’s scenery world, it’s HIWAB (hide it with a bush). My HIWAB is “hide it with a board” (or two or three).

Jan/Feb ’10 - O Scale Trains • 21 22 • O Scale Trains - Jan/Feb ’10 Traction Freight today’s O Scale traction modeler. A few short decades ago There are passengers and then there is freight…and more you could order as many as 6 different types of box trailers opportunity! When last appearing here, I made a less than from All-Nation; those kits still surface periodically but with oblique comment about discussing traction freight trailer kits decreasing frequency. One of the 36’ box trailers that I’ve and moving freight under the wire. The vast majority of mod- managed to acquire is shown in Photo 1. All-Nation also elers hear the words traction and trolleys and immediately jump to the conclusion of running a passenger operation, 1 picking up and transporting commuters or residents out and about town. And while perhaps many modelers do run a pas- senger trolley about their layout in some configuration, so much more could be done to interchange with one’s other modeling interests, be it steam or diesel driven. This of course does not refer to those heavy mainline boxcabs and electrics common to the PRR and other lines. Consider in your mind’s eye the remarkably tight radii that accompany driving down the street and making turns and now image a trolley following the same route. Ok, that’s simple and easy to visualize and accept, particularly for those had offered a stake side flat car trailer with and without a that have ridden such. But now consider taking 36-40’ freight load, and a gondola. Midwestern Train Hobbies produces cars around the same curves! To facilitate getting around that (produced?) two traction trailer kits; a flat car and a stock corner you could maybe relieve the corners of the freight car trailer. While the flat car provides an outstanding entry point to have a rounded end and if that wasn’t enough, you could for scratchbuilding a vast array of possibilities, the stock permit the coupler to pivot or use a radial coupler that would trailer can provide a reasonable representation of an actual swivel through the arc as defined by the end curvature of the prototype car, albeit one that will have to have all of the car. Now you can run freight cars through your cityscapes, appropriate details added to it as these kits come with very wrap right around the blocks and navigate directly up to the little, if any, detail parts. The stock trailer is patterned after doorways of warehouses and businesses to make deliveries the #651-79 series of cars that ran on the Interstate Public with none of those nasty expulsions from steam or diesel Service Company in Indiana that were built in 1924. After powered locomotives. that lengthy list of possibilities, there seems to be precious Traction freight cars were built and used by such luminar- few other options except to scratchbuild such cars for your ies like the Northern Ohio Traction & Light Company, Union layout or to score a vintage car off eBay (Photo 2). But before Traction, the Cincinnati & Lake Erie, and the Western Ohio Railway. Of course, just about any configuration of regular 2 freight car translated across to traction freight cars, e. g. , flat cars, gondolas, boxcars, reefer cars (even billboard reefers), and the list goes on. There were even standard designs gener- ated by the Central Electric Railway Association (CERA) to address increasing freight business and to decrease mainte- nance and repair costs. Thus was borne the Standard Freight Trailer, or CERA box trailer, as described in the Electric Rail- way Journal in 1926. For a good introduction into the use of traction freight and freight cars, I can recommend that you sit down with a copy of Not only Passengers: How the Electric Railways Carried Freight, Express and Baggage. This happens embarking on that exercise, note that LaBelle (who continues to be Bulletin 129 of the other CERA, the Central Electric to make some outstanding wooden O Scale trolley kits) also Railfans’ Association, and copies can be located with minimal makes three different box trailers in HO, including the CERA effort. And of course back issues of both Traction and Models box trailer, a standard design one can build in as many as 16 combined with Trolley Talk are both invaluable resources; the different configurations. One could probably scale up such former published plans of an array of box trailers, and even a kits with reasonable assurances of success. I think it’s entirely paper model that could be cut out and assembled. possible that we’ll head off in that direction in some future So, what are the options for traction modelers? Unsurpris- installment! u ingly and unfortunately, very few options indeed exist for Jan/Feb ’10 - O Scale Trains • 23 MoreMore LaserLaser--CutCut KitsKits fromfrom B.T.S.B.T.S. !! McCabe Lumber Co. MoW Speeder An old boxcar body, a truck chassis, and some great planning on the part of the crew Company provided the main ingredients for a unique and handy House speeder. This company house The body kit consists was inspired by one of laser-cut basswood, plywood, cardstock, and brass, urethane, & white from Pickshin, WV. The kit includes the piling to build it for metal detail castings. And the driver, load, and decals are included. The a level surface or for a sloped location. Interior partitions are fully-assembled mechanism is American Made by David Hoffman. It included as are positionable doors and windows. This kit con- features a sheet brass frame, lost-wax brass end steps, NWSL gears and sists of laser-cut basswood, plywood, and detail castings. wheelsets. Scale 27’ long over footboards. On3/On30 versions also Approx. Size - 31' x 35'. #17237 $ 54.95 available. #18280 $ 239.95

Green Springs Depot West of Bellevue, Ohio stands Green Springs Handcar Shed Junction on the NKP. Over the years, the original Track gangs needed a place to store their depot was modified with large doors in the handcars when not in use as well as all baggage room. This kit consists of laser-cut their tools and supplies. Sheds with tracks basswood, plywood, and cardstock, self-adhesive quickly answered the need. This kit shingles, and detail castings. The doors are consists of laser-cut basswood, plywood, positionable, and floor and interior partitions are and cardstock, and detail castings. The included. Approx. Size - 24’ x 52’ footprint is approximately 18’ x 20’. #17162 $ 109.95 #17503 $ 49.95

McCabe Water Tank At the McCabe Lumber Company, the water tanks were unsophisticated, open-top 20,000-gallon tank based upon several different prototype tanks. The standard gauge version of the tank is shown in the photos. The bents of the On3/30 version Willet’s Supply Co. are a scale 30" shorter in height; details Junior’s Shiner and the tank are the same as the standard A perfect little mobile home fit for the Willet’s Supply Company represents a small gauge version. The base of the tank has a trackside firm dealing in just about anything! 1930’s to the present time. The kit scale 18' square footprint. See-thru 'water' includes venetian blinds and color awning. This kit consists of laser-cut basswood, plywood, is included. Laser-cut wood with plastic & and cardstock, and detail castings. Approx. Size - Laser cut wood and styrene with metal metal detail castings. detail castings. Approx. Size - 34' x 22' 45' x 24' #17490 O $ 99.95 #17405 $ 49.95 #17435 $95.95 #17489 On3/30 $ 99.95 www.btsrr.com Shipping - $5.00/order in the US All Scale Catalog - $5.00 304-823-3729 Celebrating 30 Years of Service since 1979 OST 01-10:Layout 1 11/3/09 4:46 PM Page 1

Another Special Tool from Deichman’s Depot finally a O Scale 3518-1 Conrail (Svngs Bond) SD-40 DC/DCC $407.95 2004100-2 D&H U23b DC 212.45 Resistance Soldering – the TOUGH 20-2779-2 NS U30C w/P2 AC/DC 404.95 Easy, Professional Way to Solder 7345-1 Beacon Feeds PS4427 Hopper 57.75 sUper GlUe. 7374-2 WM 40' Airslide Hopper 50.95 7768-2 Reading Fishbelly Hopper 44.60 7766-1 WM 55T Fishbelly Hopper(Pt. of Balti.) 44.60 7780-4 PC (MOW) H21a Hopper 55.20 9383-2 Kimberly-Clark 70T Cov. Hopper 55.20 9052-1 ASD 36' Wood Reefer 55.20 9053-2 Libby's 36' Wood Reefer 55.20 9062-2 Dubuque 36' Wood Reefer 57.50 9088-2 Great Falls Beer 40' Wood Reefer 67.95 9091-1 Flaharty Dairy 40' Wood Reefer 82.95 9122-1 Harding Butter 40' Reefer 65.95 Starting at 9196-1 Borden's 40' Wood Reefer 57.75 $ 95 9403-6 NH 50' PS-1 DD Box 55.20 199 9855-2 Schmidt's 50' PS-1 PD Box 59.45 #82111 9280-5 Trusweet 17,600K Tank 66.25 9286-3 ADM (Leaf) 17,600 Tank 66.25

9287-2 ADM (Molecule) 17,600 Tank 66.25 © 2009 Gorilla Glue Company Get our BIG catalog of model trains, 9693-3 PRR (Delivery Scheme) USRA SS Box 50.95 tools and more FREE with any order! 3002009-1 WP 53'6" Wood Express Reefer 67.95 Order Toll-Free Deichman’s Depot fOr THe TOUGHesT jObs On planeT earTH® 1-800-225-1066 110 Ivyside Dr, York PA 17402 Shop On-Line at Ph: 717-755-1108 • Fax: 717-840-9650 [email protected] www.micromark.com 1-800-966-3458 Made in U.S.A. www.deichmansdepot.com Please mention code 3694 when ordering

Etched brass numbers SP-style, MSRP: $15. East Gary Car Co. Dept OST 3828 St. Joseph Ct Lake Station IN 46405 They’re Back! Former Indianapolis Car Company sides are now available from new tooling. Parts #100 & #200 $3.00 each More brass numbers coming soon!

Field parts for your interlocking tower: pipe Orders under $50 please add $4.50 for postage and carriers, crank stands and cranks. Visit our handling. SASE for updated list. web site for details.

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Jan/Feb ’10 - O Scale Trains • 25 VALLEY MODEL TRAINS The Public Delivery Track Sumpter PO BOX 1251, Wappingers Falls, N.Y. 12590 Sumpter Credit Card Orders Welcome Custom Run Items Order/Info(845)297-3866 Fax(845)298-7746 Atlas..SP 2 bay hopper car, large lettering...$63 SP and SINCLAIR 8K tank cars..$63 ea Valley American Model Builders O Scale Laser Kits SP double sheathed box cars...reserve Dimensions: 9-3/4 x 4-3/4 x 4-1/2" WP 40' "Rides Like a Feather" box car...reserve Depot WP 52' mill gondola, feather logo..reserve Depot Dock Adds 2" to Length MILW and RI "MDT" steel reefers...$55 ea 135 NW Greeley Avenue, Golden Gate...Sleepers..Erie, DLW, SF, MILW..$119 Bend OR 97701 Coaches..PRSL, RG, Erie, DLW, MILW, RDG..$109 Head end cars..Erie, DLW, MILW, NYC...$119 ● Specializing in O Scale 2-rail Weaver...50' flat w/trailer..UP, Erie, SP, SF..reserve model trains since 1985 484 RPO & Baggage..Erie, CNJ, SF, PRSL..$75-$90 Locomotives ● We buy or consign brass model 484 Elevated Warehouse Kit O...... 79.95 67.98 Atlas..U-23, GP-15, RSD's, Dash-8, RS-3..$159-$299 RS-1's, GP 7/9, F-3's..$399-$449. SW's..$199-$359 collections 489 479 - 2 per pack GP-35's, SD-35's, SD-40's, D8-40b's..$329-$449 ● Model reservations gladly Alco Century's..PRR, EL, CN, ACL, L&N, BRC..$329-$449 3 rail scale diesels..fixed pilots, k-d couplers..inquire accepted 3rd rail, Sunset..Greenbrier..$999. O-1..$899 ● Prompt, courteous service SP Mogul..$749-$849. AM-2 $1499. MT-4..$1095 Wvr/Wms brass..PRR K4, A5, B6, others..call 6 x 4-1/4 x 6" 4 x 3 x 2-3/4" Weaver..SD-40, C628/630, E-8, Sharks..$199-$399 MTH..Premier and Railking Scale diesels..$199-$429

489 Loft Barn Kit O...... 42.98 36.55 valleymodeltrains.com Now order online! Check our website for latest 479 Long-Bell Lumber skid shacks 2/ O42.98 36.55 K-line..GP-38..CNJ. RS3..Rdg, NYC, WM, SP, PE Crow River Products Resin and Metal Kits..... E's..NYC, SP, CN; F's..PRR, NYC, Amtk....$249-$429 O Scale Listings Passenger & Head End 308 Golden Gate..Sleepers..Pullman, PRR, N&W..$109 www.sumptervalley.com Footprint with Coaches..$100-$109. Baggage, RPO, Combine..$119 loading dock Aluminum streamliners..NYC, SP, SF, PRR..call [email protected] 3" X 10" Atlas..Industrial Rail..SF, GN, PRR, PRSL..$49 Use in the yard, 60' coach, Comb, Bag, RPO..$69. Horizon cars..$89 on a dock or Tel: 541/382-3413 industry. CALIF ZEPHYR 80' domes and sleepers..$129 MTH sets..AMTK, UP, SP, Septa, NYC..$249-$329 Fax:541/389-7237 Weaver..60' baggage or RPO..PRSL, Erie, CNJ 308 Fixed Boom Crane O...... 65.00 58.50 SF, PRR, NYC, NH, UP, CN, N&W, B&M..$60-$90 Includes utility tank Box Cars Hours: shown on right - For use Pecos River..SOU, KCS, NYC, SF, SP, T&P..$35-$45 with Derricks, Clam- O111 Shell Derricks or as Atlas..40' Woodside..30+ roads!!!...$47-$55 Mon. thru Fri 8:30 AM - 5PM Logging Donkeys 40' Steel..Rebuilts, or AAR..20+ roads..$47-$55 40' & 50' Trainman, 1970's (refurbished)..$30-$35 and sometimes on Saturdays 323 X-29's..$50-$62. HyCubes..60'..$69. 40'..$35 50'..Siide or plug door..$50-$60 60' auto parts..$52 Weaver..40' PS-1, 50' modern, Steelside, Outside braced 40+ roads..Old ones our speciality..$25-$40 323 3-Drum Steam Hoisting Engine O .....80.00 73.60 Refrigerator Cars O111 Utility Tank O....1 ¼”L X 2 ½”H ...... net 8.00 Weaver/Crown..30+ roadnames in stock..$25-$40 Main Street Heritage Resin Kits..... 57' Mechanical..15+ roads..no sound..$35, sound..$50 Atlas..53' xprs..$65. 40' steel..$45-$55 505 503 36' & 40' woodside..oldies, newies, custom..$50-$125 40' plug door..Trainman, 1970's refurbished..$30-$35 K-line..Woodside..same detail as Atlas..$40-$60 Covered Hoppers Weaver PS-2 & AC-2..old & new..30+ roads..$25-$40 Centerflow or Grain..old and new..25 roads..$25-$40 5 x 9-1/2" w/ boardwalk 5-1/2 x 8" w/ sidwalks our website to see hundreds of HOVisit Kits and O Scale Craftsman Atlas..3 bay PS-2..$35. ACF 2 bay..$55-$65 505 The Weekly Record O ...... 66.95 61.60 New Trinity 5161..$66-$70 Cylindrical 40'..$45-$55 503 Bill's Place O...... 62.95 57.90 Airslides and PS4427's....20+ roads...... $45-$55 Evergreen Hill Design O Laser Cut kits Hopper Cars Footprint: 9" deep (including both decks) 11" wide Atlas..3 bay..WM, SOU, BN, NH, Rdg, RG..$35 (including stairs) 8" high (including fire barrels) Ore cars..CN, UP, DMIR..$25. H21a 4 bay..$50-$58 2 bay. usra or Panel side..10+ roads...$50-$60 Weaver..2, 3, 4-bay..30+ different roads....$25-$40 Tank Cars Weaver...40' & 50', new & old, 20+ roads...$27-$35 Atlas..33K..Propane, Delta, CNTX, Union Tex..$52 17K..Trusweet, ADM, GATX, SHPX, Stauffer, more..$65 8K..Navy Gas, Woburn, Staley, Taylor, more..$52-$59 11K..Beacon, SHPX, UTLX, Anchor, Dow..$55-$65 Flat Cars, Stock Cars Atlas..Double stacks..$129-$289. Pulp flats..$49 2007 Dollar Bros Motor Express Kit O Front runner..$45. 89' flats..$60-$65. Trailers..$29-$35 2007 Dollar Bros Motor Express Kit O 169.95 144.50 Trainman 50' flat w/pipe load and stock cars..$30-$35 lots of detail 2005 Includes Wvr..40' & 50' flat cars, Stock cars..20+ roads..$25-$40 parts pool table, Gondolas cues, balls, 2011 Atlas..52'..15+ roads..$30-$35. 40' composite..$52-$59 stove, radio Wvr..LV, RI, SF, UP, NW, Rdg, B&M, MEC, PRR..$28 Now order online! valleymodeltrains.com Atlas Track..2 rail, 3 rail, 3 rail steel Industrial Rail..Locos.cars.trolleys.sets.track Dealers..request our wholesale list 2005 30's Gas Station O (4 x 6.25”) ...... 59.95 50.99 2011 Pool Hall with table O (5.25 x 6”)..69.95 59.50 www.PublicDeliveryTrack.com Add $8.00 S&H in 48 States • Others pay actual e-mail us: [email protected] postage cost • N.Y. residents add 8.25% sales tax. Drexel Hill, PA • Paso Robles, CA (prices are subject to change w/o notice) 610-259-4945 • 805-226-0320 www.valleymodeltrains.com 26 • O Scale Trains - Jan/Feb ’10 I challenge the other regions in the Midwest to con- sider chartering a bus or taking AMTRAK to Milwaukee as a group in order to lower an individual’s transporta- tion costs and to increase the fun factor. So will there be a bus originating in Indianapolis? Bring your spouse, significant other, your family or a friend along. They don’t have to be NMRA members and you don’t have to railroad every minute. There are lots of fun things to do in Milwaukee. We will have garden, shopping and sightseeing tours as well as gen- eral interest clinics for non-rails. There will be a special event every evening consisting of a dinner cruise aboard the Edelweiss, a dinner social at the Milwaukee Public Museum, the Ladies Luncheon at the Wisconsin Club, a Sunset Zoofari at the world renowned Milwaukee County Zoo, a dinner train trip on the East Troy Electric Railroad and a Milwaukee Fish Fry at the Historic Turner Never Been? Hall. You can also find adventure at the Harley David- son Museum, the Milwaukee Art Museum, the Eisner Now’s the time to Museum of Advertising and Design, the Mitchell Park Domes, Discovery World and Pier Wisconsin, the Betty come!! Brinn Children’s Museum, and on the Schooner Den- If you’ve never been to a National Convention of the nis Sullivan. There will be free musical entertainment NMRA or to Milwaukee Wisconsin, now is the time to at River Splash and Jazz in the Park, or you might take come and visit us in July 2010. We are planning a, rip in one of our ethnic festivals or Bastille Days. We also roaring Midwestern, good time for all, both model rail- have the Milwaukee Brewers baseball team at Miller roader and general interest attendee alike. Our goal as Park with its retractable roof. If you feel lucky, take a trip a committee is to have the best attended convention in to the Potawatomi Casino. All of these attractions are in NMRA history! On Sunday we are going to kick off the walking distance or a short bus ride from downtown. week with a Beer and Brat Fest (a Milwaukee favorite) at Not enough to do in Milwaukee? Downtown Chicago is Ziegler Park, just a stone’s throw away from the conven- a short ride via AMTRAK. tion site and hotel. I can hear the Um-pah-pahs now! Besides all the great ideas and information that you Some of you may have not felt comfortable attending can gain at the clinics and demonstrations, there will a national convention because you don’t know anyone be several layout and industrial tours for you to choose else. Never fear, at Brat Fest we will match you up with from including tours of Kalmbach Publishing and Wil- three other attendees who model in the same scale, or liam K. Walthers. Come and see what it’s all about. maybe even the same prototype, or are fellow freelanc- We’re looking forward to meeting you! ers. You may get to know some interesting people, get Sincerely, new ideas about the hobby, and have a great time. Ken Jaglinski – Vice Chair u

Jan/Feb ’10 - O Scale Trains • 27 CHICAGO “O” SCALE MEET

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28 • O Scale Trains - Jan/Feb ’10 Flagpole Uncoupling Tool Photo 1 Ted Horvath It is fair to say that Kadees® are the couplers of choice for O Scale operators, and that many of these folks prefer manual uncoupling to the buried magnet & trip pin approach. I also favor manual uncoupling because it simulates the prototype’s reality, and does not limit uncoupling to specific locations. However, layout design, with respect to benchwork height and depth, must take into account the Giant Hand reaching down with an appropriate tool. The subject of uncoupling tools comes up regularly on Internet forums, and in those discussions people advocate a variety of Photo 2 things, including coffee stirrers, screwdrivers, tongue depressors, and purpose-made tools such as offered by Micro-Mark. Clearly, no one particu- lar tool suits everyone. The flagpole uncoupling tool described here works well for me and I hope some readers will find it useful. Start with a 12”-13” length of 3/16” diameter metal rod. I used zinc-plated steel rod (from TSC) but brass or aluminum would work equally well. Grind the tip to a sharp angle, say 10º, all the way through to the other side of the rod (Photo 1). This will produce a nice rounded point brass tube. Photo 2 shows the flagpole next to a for easy insertion between the couplers’ knuckles. cardboard mock-up for a proposed industry on my The rounded outside face of the tapered portion layout. seems to help the tool to rotate and spread the Obviously, several flagpole uncoupling tools knuckles. could be positioned on the layout so that one is When not in use, the uncoupling tool doubles always within reach. A 3/16” diameter rod scales as a flagpole, which can be located wherever con- out to 9” and is most likely too thick for a proto- venient and handy for operations. The base is a typical flagpole, but I have found that a 1/8” diam- 0.75” square of 0.031” brass with a 3/32” hole eter rod does not open the couplers’ knuckles as drilled in the center. Solder a 1.5” length of brass well. Also, a 3/16” rod is easier for me to aim and tube, with an inside diameter just large enough rotate with my fingertips. Even oversized, this for the metal rod, centered over the hole (refer “flagpole” adds a realistic touch to the layout. back to Photo 1). Mount the base to the layout Good luck and happy modeling! u with a small screw inserted down through the Jan/Feb ’10 - O Scale Trains • 29

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Jan/Feb ’10 - O Scale Trains • 33 A Humpback Bridge Ray Grosser

A painting by Larry Fisher* of a Soo Line FA-1 going under bridge look reasonable. I prefer to have a whole bridge with one of the humpback bridges north of Detroit Lakes, Minne- scenery on both sides of the cut rather than a half bridge at sota, was the inspiration for this bridge on our new O Scale the edge. Doing this on our layout is easy as we have the Nostalgia Trip railroad. The bridge pictured was one of many edge trim secured to the stringers with drywall screws. I just around the country and there are still a few around here and removed the old trim, added some 1x3 pieces to the ends of there. They seemed to last forever but toward the end of their the stringers and put some Styrofoam over the top to make life span, they required more maintenance and in snow coun- the topography. It was then covered with Sculpta-mold to try, they were prone to drifting snow around and in the cuts make the surface a bit tougher (Photo 1). Running the train they spanned. through the area really fired up the desire to get the bridge We had to add some scenery to the outside edge of our under construction (Photo 2). curved track in order to get enough real estate to make the 1 2

34 • O Scale Trains - Jan/Feb ’10 To get started I decided to cut all my own lumber. I used basswood to make all the structural components. I do not 5 have a modeling saw, so I used my 10-inch table saw with a carbide tipped blade that I found at Lowe’s (Photo 3). This blade is thinner and smaller than a regular blade so I had to make a new blade guard. For that I used some pine, thinned down in a planer to get the correct thickness, and then I 3

6

traced the existing blade guard to the wood, cut it out and sanded it carefully to fit the opening in the saw’s table. After mounting the blade in the saw, it is a simple matter to turn on the saw and raise the blade up through the new blade guard (Photo 4). (Editor’s note: Use common sense and cau- tion when doing this. If the new blade guard is loose or unse- cured, it can come off from the force of the blade’s rotation and cause an injury.) 4 end result appears as an old timber that had been treated with creosote. Normally the upper parts of the bridge might have been built with untreated oak, but that turns black in a short while when left out in the elements, so I used the same stain on the rest of the timbers but I had it thinned out 3-1 to get just a thin grey finish. Once I had the measurements for the bents completed, I was able to take them off the layout and finish them on the workbench. However, these were the only parts I was able to make this way (Photo 7). The bridge would not only be humped in the middle, it is also skewed over the track on a 7

I decided to build the bridge on site rather than on the workbench. This takes on a life of its own once you get start- ed (Photo 5). I had to run that train through at least 24 times. (Yeh I know, it could have been done in one pass, but there is something about an O Scale train with all metal wheels run- ning over track with a slight gap every 39 scale feet.) After measuring the height needed to clear everything, I started with the two bents in the center. All the other bents would have to be installed in line with these two. The round pilings were roughed up with a razor saw blade, cut to length and then stained with Ebony colored stain I got at Lowe’s (Photo 6). If you apply the stain and wipe off most of it, the Jan/Feb ’10 - O Scale Trains • 35 curve. This presented way too many variables for my worn out brain to calculate so as previously mentioned, I built 10 things on site once the bents were completed (Photo 8). I did not have any small nails, so I used railroad spikes. They don’t look too bad from a galloping horse or a rocking railroad caboose. 8

I did make an error when fitting up the handrail pockets. In an attempt to try to get them to look like ones in the Fisher painting, I actually measured wrong (Photo 10). The model’s are close to eight feet apart while the painting’s appears closer, but I decided to leave them. Realizing that installing Once all the bents were constructed, I put them in place scenery under a decked bridge would result in problems, I and began the work of setting up the deck girders. The whole managed to catch myself before I put the deck on the bridge. project turned out to be a cut-to-fit job (Photo 9). Several times It was really starting to come together and with the I cut pieces twice and they were still too short. The skewed approaches cut out of two inch blue Styrofoam we were able bridge is easier to look at than it is to build. I found several to just glue them on to the scenery base and start the road- photos showing skewed structures like this and they appeared ways. This shaping of blue Styrofoam is always done in the to be going in several directions at once. It makes for an inter- barn or on the driveway with the wind blowing. The fastest esting scene because nothing is square with anything else. way I have found to remove blue Styrofoam and shape it onto scenery is to chuck up a wire brush in a right angle grinder 9 and chew away. Photo 11 shows the completed bridge with #74 passing while the local farmer replaces several rotten deck boards and a few broken off hand rail stanchions. The next project is to build some fences to keep the horses off the tracks. u * Larry Fisher’s painting reproduced with permission of the artist.

11

36 • O Scale Trains - Jan/Feb ’10 Jim Hackworth

Buy⁄Sell⁄Trade MODEL TRAINS Consignments (and Subsidiary JH Consulting) 2631 Edgevale Road, Columbus OH 43221-1113 Phone: 614-4514517 Fax: 6144514557 Email: [email protected] • Web: www.jhmtrains.com AOCC* AOCC* Gem PRR B6 0-6-0, C/P or N/P, OB ...... $575 .00 USH B&O C16a, 0-4-0, C/P, OB ...... $675 .00 WSM PRR J1a, 2-10-4, C/P, OB ...... $1,550 .00 PRB PC&F 62’ Boxcar, F/P UP, OB ...... $250 .00 WSM PRR M1, 4-8-2, C/P, Nice, OB ...... $1,150 .00 OM PRR PAPB Set, Late Run, F/P, New ...... $2,875 .00 USH NYC J3a De-Streamlined 4-6-4 w/Centipede tender, OM #0445 C39-8, C/P, OB ...... $1,195 .00 C/P Ex, OB ...... $1,275 .00 OM NKP War Caboose, C/P, Wtd, OB ...... $295 .00 USH C&O 2-8-4, C/P, Runs good, OB ...... $1,275 .00 CB J&L Tank car, C/P, OB ...... $295 .00 USH PRR M1a, 4-8-2, C/P, OB ...... $1,175 .00 Scale Mod Ind Roundhouse Kit ...... $159 .00 MG NYC J3a, C/P, NOB From Tony Ambrose ...... $1,395 .00 PRB 60’ Greenville Boxcar, F/P GT, New ...... $ 295 .00 USH NYC S1b, 4-8-4, C/P, OB ...... $1,250 .00 Atlas EMD F2/3, AB Set, Both Pwd, F/P SRR, OB ...... $650 .00 MG PRR J, 2-10-4, C/P, Icken Gears, NOB ...... $1,895 .00 RY Models (Yoder) Brass C&O Woodside Caboose LN, OB . . . . $375 .00 USH NYC H10, 2-8-2, Mint, N/P, NOB ...... $1,275 .00 USH PRR N5 Caboose, New w/Trucks, N/P, OB ...... $250 .00 USH PRR L1, 2-8-2, N/P, LN, NOB ...... $1,175 .00 OM PS2-CD Covered Hopper, C/P ATSF, OB, LN ...... $319 .00 Gem PRR A5 0-4-0, C/P, NOB ...... $475 .00 PRB SP Gunderson D .Stack Set, LN, OB ...... $1,395 .00 Atlas EMD GP9, F/P UP, OB ...... $250 .00 Sunnyside PRR N5c Caboose, N/P, OB ...... $309 .00 OM N&W C630 High Hood, FM Trucks, New, OB . . . . . $1,195 .00 MG PRR N8 Caboose, N/P, NOB ...... $250 .00 OM NKP GP35 N/P, LN, OB ...... $950 .00 Alco PRR N6a, C/P or N/P ...... each $225 .00

*All Offers Cordially Considered

LSASE for Complete List Estates⁄Liquidations Layaway Available Shipping Cost Based On Location Collection Reductions Ohio Residents Add 6.75% Sales Tax Jan/Feb ’10 - O Scale Trains • 37 The Newark & Marion Railway (Pennsylvania Railroad) Freight House Drawings, Text and Photos by Harold Russell

This freight house was located in Marion, NY on the southeast corner of Walworth-Marion Road (Buffalo St.) and the intersection of the New- ark and Marion Railroad. Farmers and small manufacturers of the region wanted to get their products to market. To do this, they would take their products to the freight house where the agent would log in the shipment and collect the ship- ping fee. The Marion Canning Com- pany, Comstock Cannery, and a Birds Eye frozen food plant shipped processed produce in addition to fresh produce grown in the area. The town had large cold-storage facilities, an ice house and a large fertilizer plant. Some History The Beebe syndicate built the eight mile Newark & Marion Rail- way in 1905. The Beebes were noted as the builders of electric railroads in Upstate New York and in the tradition of the electric rail- roads; the N&M’s construction fea- tured light rail and flimsy bridges. The railroad was essential to Mar- ion’s produce traffic but encoun- tered financial difficulty in 1917. After this, the branch was operated by a group of local businessmen until May 1930 when the Pennsyl- vania Railroad purchased it. The railroad was distinctive because for a time it ran down the center of north Main St. in Newark. It stopped for a red traffic light and even stopped for crossing cattle. The light construction of the line limited it to 2-8-0 locomotives and freight car weights of 210,000 pounds. The diesels arrived in 1954. The railroad featured one round trip train per day - sometimes less when traffic was light. Newark had many canneries. In spite of this, twelve to fifteen cars of raw produce such as apples, beets, 38 • O Scale Trains - Jan/Feb ’10 The southwest corner of the freight house. The platform ramp was sloped to allow easy access by hand trucks. The end door allowed trucks to unload if the door on the east side was being used.

The roadside view of the freight house. The office occupied this end of the building. At this point the railroad had a passing siding which served cars being loaded or unloaded as well as a runaround for the lo- comotive. The platform at this end could be accessed by a set of stairs.

potatoes and spinach were shipped southward to large cities served by the Pennsy. The railroad ceased operations in 1984. Some of the roadbed remains today. We owe the website of Newark, New York [www.cgazette.com/towns/Newark/his- tory/] and Bill Caloroso’s book Pennsylvania Railroad’s Elmira Branch for information on the Newark & Marion Railway. Note that the roof overhang Modeling the Freight House on the platform’s side is much The Marion freight house was small and is suitable for easy modeling. The building can be modeled easily using commercial board and batten siding and roofing. Strip- greater than the opposite wood will most accurately represent the platform, stairs and door bumpers. Grandt side in order to protect goods Line, among others, sells windows and doors that may be suitable. on the platform. The window The east side of the building as well as the south end had a large freight door to above the end door provided serve trucks with bumpers located at the bottom of the doors. The railroad side, with marginal light for the freight one freight door, had a platform from which freight could be easily transferred to wait- end of the house and at the ing cars. There is evidence of boarded up doors and windows and these could be a same time a measure of se- subtle modeling feature. The floor of the depot’s freight section was at platform level with a small elevated curity. Curiously, both are off office located at the north end of the building. A short set of stairs enabled the freight center. agent to access the different levels. The intermediate vertical trim board on the build- ing’s sides indicates that at one time the office was enlarged. The freight house siding shows evidence of last being painted Pennsy red. Under this there is evidence of it once being gray. The building had composition roofing and a red brick chimney. There are ample opportunities to add neat details to your model. One could expect the platform of a busy freight depot to have boxes of freight, one or two hand trucks and a scale. A bench could be located outside the office doors. The grass would be neatly trimmed with perhaps a flower patch. The truck side could have a gravel drive- way with dirt peeking through at the tire tracks. Some shiny black spots could indicate leaking oil from the trucks. u

Jan/Feb ’10 - O Scale Trains • 39 60'-7" ROADSIDE TRACKSIDE 3" 9" 19-'0"

40 • O Scale Trains - Jan/Feb ’10 5'-7" NORTH SIDE NORTH NORTH SIDE 60'-7" SOUTH SIDE SOUTH SIDE 3" 9"

Jan/Feb ’10 - O Scale Trains • 41 20'-2" Custom Building, Repair & Painting Services Available Buy-Sell-Trade, Consignments-Appraisals, eBay Sales Website: www.alleghenyscale.com • Email: [email protected] 470 Schooley’s Mountain Road, Suite 8-117, Hackettstown, New Jersey 07840 • Voice - (908) 684-2070 • Fax - (908) 684-8911

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C&O H8 Allegheny 2-6-6-6 FP New, Weathered, Road # 1628 ...... $5,895 Key UP FEF-2 Oil Version FP L/N, TT Gray, Silver Stripes, Road # 825, Rare ...... $2,495 USH C&O K4 2-8-4 Kanawha UP L/N, Can Motor, KTM Japan, Great Runner ...... $1,195 USH UP FEF-3 4-8-4 CP EX, Pro Paint, 2 Tone Gray, Oil Version, Can Motor ...... $995 Westside C&O T1 2-10-4 UP L/N, Can Motor, KTM Japan ...... $1,795 SS/3rd UP MK Class 2-8-2 FP Mint, Never Unwrapped, Short Vandy, #2260 ...... $795 PSC #17161-1, CB&Q S4a 4-6-4 FP Mint, Road # 4002, Upgraded ...... $2,595 USH UP TTT Class 2-10-2 CP EX, J. White Drive, Lt Weathering, Road #5078 ...... $1,895 PSC #17171-1, D&RGW L-76 2-6-6-2 FP Mint, Black Boiler, Road # 3351 ...... $2,495 USH UP TTT Class 2-10-2 - Custom Rebuild CP EX, BL FWH, Sweeney Stack, Key D&RGW L-105 4-6-6-4 FP New, Postwar Mod, Black Boiler, # 3700 ...... $3,695 Larger Tender, # 5305 ...... $2,195 PSC #16857-1 D&RGW L-131 2-8-8-2 FP L/N, Black Boiler, # 3600 ...... $3,895 C&LS WM M-2 4-6-6-4 FP L/N, Hinged Smokebox Front, Road # 1208 ...... $3,195 PSC #16857-2 D&RGW L-131 2-8-8-2 FP L/N, Green Boiler, # 3607 ...... $3,795 Westside WM 3 Truck Heavy Shay UP L/N, Late Run, Can Motor, Full Backhead ...... $2,095 PSC #17247-4 D&RGW M-68 4-8-4 FP New, Green Boiler, Road # 1804 ...... $2,895 Diesel Max Gray Erie K5 4-6-2 UP New, Unassembled, Spoked Drivers, 1 of 10 ...... $2,695 OMI #0356/0356/0358 ALCO FA-1/FB-1 Units UP New, Per Unit ...... $595 Custom Brass Little River 2-4-4-2 UP L/N, Can Motor, Test Run ...... $1,795 Car Works B&M ALCO S-1 Switcher CP EX, w/DCC and Sound, Road # 1161 ...... $650 US Hobbies L&N M1 "Big Emma" 2-8-4 CP L/N, Pro Paint, Road # 1970 ...... $1,195 PSC B&M EMD SW-1 Phase 1 CP EX, Low Stack, Black w/Red Nose Stripes, # 1112 ...... $625 OMI NYC J1e Hudson 4-6-4 CP L/N, Pro Paint, Cockerham Drive, Road #5336 ...... $2,295 OMI #0304/0305 EMD E8 A/B Units UP L/N, Per Unit ...... $595 Kohs & Co. NYC J3a Hudson 4-6-4 FP New, Scullin Disk Drivers, Road # 5425 ...... $3,795 OMI #0292/0293 EMD F3 A/B Units UP New, Per Unit ...... $625 WSM NYC J3a Hudson 4-6-4 CP L/N, Pro Paint, Original Version, Road # 5405 ...... $1,095 Oriental EMD GP-9 Phase III UP New, Samhongsa Korea ...... $825 WSM NYC J3a Hudson 4-6-4 CP L/N, Pro Paint, Original Version, Road # 5414 ...... $1,095 OMI #0393-0397, PRR ALCO FA-2/FB-2 - A-B Units CP New, w/Ant., Tower Drive ...... $1,595 WSM NYC J3a Hudson 4-6-4 CP L/N, Pro Paint, Fully Streamlined, Road # 5447 ...... $2,295 OMI # 0201A PRR ALCO DL600B High Hood UP New, w/Antennas, 2 Available ...... $695 WSM NYC J3a Hudson 4-6-4 CP L/N, Pro Paint, Mod Strmlng, PT-4, # 5451 ...... $2,295 OMI # 0425, 0426, 0425 PRR BLW RF-16 Shark Nose A-B-A Units UP Mint, ...... $2,995 USH NYC J3a Destreamlined Hudson 4-6-4 CP EX, PT-4 Tender, Road # 5447 ...... $1,095 SS/rd PRSL Budd RDC-1 - Two Units FP New, 2-Rail, Powered & Dummy Units, Key NYC K3q 4-6-2 FP New, Single Window Cab, Road # 4675...... $2,250 # M402/M405 ...... $795 PSC NYC S1b Crown Niagara 4-8-4 CP New, Pro Paint, Road # 6021, Exquisite ...... $4,095 Atlas O P&LE EMD GP7 Units FP L/N, 2 Rail DCC/Sound, Pwr & Dummy Units ...... $575 Sunset N&W Class J 4-8-4 CP L/N, Pro Paint, Coal, Lights, Road # 600 ...... $1,195 Atlas O SRR F3 Phase 1 A/B/A Units FP L/N, 2 Rail DCC/Sound, Freight Scheme ...... $895 PSC #15699, N&W Class S1a 0-8-0 UP L/N, Road # 200-244 ...... $1,595 OMI #0322 UP ALCO PA-1 UP New, 2 Available ...... $750 Overland NP Z8 2-6-6-4 CP EX, Coal Version, Weathered, Road # 5130 ...... $2,295 Hallmark UP EMD FT A-B Units CP EX, Yellow/Gray, Lights, Crew, Road # 516/516B....$795 Gem-Heike PRR A5s 0-4-0 CP L/N, Complete Rbld, 1 of a Kind Model, #94 ...... $2,895 OMI # 0354 UP Standard Turbine UP Mint, , Round Tender ...... $2,695 SS/3rd-Heike PRR E6s 4-4-2 CP L/N, Complete Rbld, 1 of a Kind Model, #1092...... $2,695 Atlas O WM F3 Phase 1 A/B, CP L/N, 2 Rail DCC/Sound, Fireball Scheme, # 51A/B...... $695 Sunset-Heike PRR H9s 2-8-0 CP Complete Rbld, 1 of a Kind Model, #1145 ...... $2,595 Kohs PRR GG1 Brunswick 5 Stripe, FP New, Clarendon, Fixed Cplr, #4840, Rare ...... $4,995 Key PRR H10 2-8-0 FP L/N, Pro Details, Weathering, Road # 8014 ...... $2,495 Kohs PRR GG1 Tuscan 5 Stripe FP New, Clarendon, Drop Cplr, #4911 ...... $5,195 Overland PRR HH1 2-8-8-2 CP New, OMI # 139, 1 of 10 Produced ...... $2,595 Rolling Stock US Hobbies PRR I1sa 2-10-0 UP New, Late Run, New Correct Steel Driver Tires ...... $1,295 PSC GN HWT Empire Builder 9 Car Set FP New, PSC # 16981 ...... $7,595 Key PRR J1a 2-10-4 FP L/N,210F84 Tender w/Antenna, Road # 6498 ...... $2,795 PSC Harriman 72' 72-D-3 Diner UP New, PSC # 15477 ...... $425 Westside PRR J1a 2-10-4 UP New, 210F84 Tender w/Custom Antenna, ...... $1,695 Custom Brass PRR B60 Baggage Car CP EX, CNJB # 702-O ...... $295 Kohs & Co. PRR K4 4-6-2 Prewar Version FP New, 130P75 Tender, Road # 3863 ...... $4,195 SS/rd PRR BM54, P54 Commuter Cars FP New, 2 Rail, Baggage, Combine, Coaches PSC-Heike PRR K4s 4-6-2 Postwar CP L/N, Complete Rbld, 1 of a Kind, #1329 ...... $2,795 Price Each ...... $250 Westside PRR M1 4-8-2 UP New, Last Run, Full Backhead ...... $1,495 Sunset 3rd PRR B60, P70, Baggage, Coaches FP New, 2 Rail, Price Each ...... $275 Max Gray PRR M1a 4-8-2 UP Mint, Late Run, 210P75 Tender ...... $995 P. Co. PRR X-42 Mail Storage CP New, Pro Paint, Shadow Keystone, Road # 2541 ...... $350 Overland PRR M1b 4-8-2 FP Mint, 210p75 Tender w/Antenna, # 6753 ...... $2,295 PSC REA Steel 50' Express Reefer CP L/N, Late Version, PSC # 15519, Lg. REA Herald .$295 Max Gray PRR N1s 2-10-2 CP New, McCafferty Paint and Weathering ...... $1,695 Overland GPEX 47' Pfaudler Steel Milk Car UP New, OMI # 0700 ...... $295 Westside PRR Q2 4-4-6-4 UP New, KTM Japan ...... $1,995 Div. Point N&W CF & CH Class Cabooses FP New, Several Versions Available ...... $395 SS/3rd PRR S1 Duplex 6-4-4-6 FP L/N, Deskirted, Lightly Weathered, # 6100 ...... $1,195 W&R NP 24' Wood Caboose FP L/N, 2nd Run, Version 3, Interior, Road # 1644 ...... $435 Overland P&LE A2 2-8-4 FP New, W/Decals, OMI 0159 ...... $1,995 Overland Palace Poultry Car UP L/N, OMI # 0055, W/Trucks ...... $575 Overland RDG T1 4-8-4 UP Mint, W/Decals, OMI 0150 ...... $1,595 Kohs PRR N5c Cabin Car FP New, Version 2, "Buy War Bonds", # 477009, 1 of 10 ...... $675 Weaver-Heike RDG G2sa 4-6-2 CP L/N, Complete Rbld, Exceptional, #112 ...... $2,495 RY Models PRR GLca Fishbelly Twin Hopper UP New, AB Brakes ...... $275 PSC SP AC-9 2-8-8-4 FP New, Coal Version, Road # 3800 ...... $3,295 Overland UP CA-1 Wood Caboose UP New, OMI # 0797 ...... $225 PSC SP F-4 2-10-2 FP L/N, PSC # 16915-1, Postwar, Road # 3679 ...... $1,795 Kohs & Co. VGN Class C10-1 Caboose FP New, Road # 309...... $595 PSC #17347-1, SP GS-4 4-8-4 Postwar Version FP New, Black, Road # 4436 ...... $2,695 C&LS WM "NE" Steel Caboose FP L/N, Round Heralds, 2 Versions Available ...... $435 PSC #15839-1, SP MT-4 Crown 4-8-2 FP New, Gray Boiler, No Skyline, Ser. 4 of 9 ...... $2,495 International Harriman 65,000 Gal. Water Tank UP New, Model # IH-03, W/Spout .....$395 SS/3rd SP MT-4 4-8-2 FP New, 2-Rail, Daylight Scheme, Skyline, Road # 4352 ...... $1,495 Various Craftsman Structure Kits UP T. Yorke, Stoney Creek, Others ...... Call PSC #16467-1 SRR PS-4 4-6-2 FP New, Green/Black, Road # 1401 ...... $1,695 Various Freight Cars - Brass, RTR, Kits FP Pacific Ltd, PSC, USH, Atlas, etc...... Call

42 • O Scale Trains - Jan/Feb ’10 Bashing a U30C into a BQ23-7 Ed Reutling

I like the unusual. As a rule, the routine mass marketer (Photo 2). Remember now, some of the hood cuts were done doesn’t make the unusual, especially in 2-Rail. If I want an at the existing seams of the U33, which might not line up unusual model, I’ll have to somehow make one from some- exactly with what is needed to replicate a B23-7 hood. These thing which is available or, in a worse case scenario, I’ll have are some of the close enough scenarios I mentioned before. to scratchbuild what I want. In this case, there is a diesel body which is close enough: the MTH GE U30C. For the real 2 modeler, there are obvious discrepancies, but, until a B23-7 is introduced by the mass market producers, we’ll just have to accept close enough, or sell the kids to fund an accurate custom built model. I was aiming to at least have the winged radiator and the fresh air openings on the rear of the hood as close enough. My friend Greg Elems, searched through his magazine library and found the plans from an older magazine, and was kind enough to send me a copy that I had rescaled to 1/4” = 1’ so that I’d have some good information to go by. I laid a cutout of the cab on the dummy U33 shell I purchased and began imagining where I’d need to cut to approximate the B23-7 (Photo 1). Upon removing the cab and some of the hood, it was time to cut the frame to the correct length. I simply cut the cab out After cutting the frame, the next chore is to deal with the one of the photocopies, and used the paper pattern as a guide 3-Rail pilot. I determined that by removing the amount of frame material shown in Photo 3, the rise on all the pilot steps 1 would be the same with the correct number of steps and with the pilot close to the correct height. Photo 4 shows the fitted, but not finished pilot. Photo 5 shows how it all fit together, along with the filled in 3-Rail coupler hole. At this point in time, I forced myself to get the Ambroid Proweld out and glue up the frame and pilot. The Cab The cab, in this case is pretty much just a box with tapered sides and a beveled and tapered front. The rear walls are simply flat. Jan/Feb ’10 - O Scale Trains • 43 3 6

4

7

5

8

I cut 0.060” styrene for the bottoms of the sides, the rear sheet, and the two pieces of the wedged lower front. I checked the fit and sizes of all five pieces, and glued them up and then the two tapered portions of each side. Note that I haven’t made any window cutouts yet (Photo 6). Cut the two windshield sections of the front, then put them in place first and then cut out the windshield openings and side/rear window openings (Photo 7). It is time to fill the voids and also smooth off the ridges (Photo 8). Note, the red scratch filler is a Spot Glaze used in auto body work. I personally prefer it over green or white

44 • O Scale Trains - Jan/Feb ’10 putty. The cellophane tape, blue putty, and styrene add-ons Finishing are a part of the molding process. I usually finish with 600 grit One part of the finishing process is an attempt to do some wet/dry paper which makes everything ready for a nice finish. window glazing on thick cast walls, but not have them look At this point, the article will probably depart from how you three scale inches thick (Photo 13). Notice that I attempted to will work, because I finished my kitbash with a cast urethane model the rubber seal which holds the glazing in the frame. body. You will see the change of color and also that true to Well, it didn’t work with my limited casting procedures. I do form, my castings quite often have pin holes which need fill- think, for a single model, that if I would have added #20 wire ing. You are now here (Photo 9). or similar to the castings, or just to the styrene cab, it would work. Photo 14 shows the glazing cut to fit the window open- 9 ing, and Photo 15 shows the added-on frame in place. As for the rest of the finishing process, it is straight forward: strip the original paint, add grabs to the cab and rear of the hood, then repaint and decal. For once in a lifetime, I actually painted a loco and deca- led it as it was in real life. Even the road number is correct. As usual, I bought the specially made decals from Eric Ethridge [[email protected]]. If anyone is interested in a replace- ment cab similar to mine, I can make duplicate castings. u 13 The Drive I didn’t use the drive from the Weaver C425, but I’m sure it could be used. I just set them together, for comparison (Photo 10). 10

14

Now back to the serious part of powering the loco. I started with a stock size 0.060” thick K&S brass sheet for the deck, and to fasten the truck bolsters, the motor cradle and the cen- ter chain tower. No matter which Weaver chain drive I chose, there would be that dreaded drive shaft through the fuel tank which never bothered me (Photo 11). Two #43 holes were drilled to line up with the original mounting lugs under the long hood, and two others for mounting the front pilot. Photo 12 shows the large amount of room for additional electronics if one chooses to include them. Maybe one day I will modern- ize and add Dallee sound and a speaker. We’ll see. 11 15

12

Jan/Feb ’10 - O Scale Trains • 45 NEWS: Brewer’s Coaling Platform NEWS: Micro-Mark #84519 Digital Level; MSRP: $34.95 FOS Limited Model Railroad Structures, PO Box 1321 Micro-Mark, 800-225-1066 • www.micromark.com Pawcatuck CT 06379 • www.foslimited.com Carpenter levels are just too large and inaccurate for machine set-up, and too clumsy for measuring model railroad track grades and superelevation. So, MicroMark encased a high precision digital level in a compact hous- ing that’s only 2 inches square by 1 inch deep. At the press of a button, the large LCD reads the relative angle between machine surfaces or the percent of grade from level. Embedded magnets attach it securely to cast-iron/ steel surfaces for hands-free measurement. The measure- ment range is 0 to 45 degrees/100%. The accuracy is 0.05 degrees/0.01%. The Hold button remembers the last read- ing. The housing is made of durable CNC-machined, satin- finish alloy. The level includes a battery and auto shut-off battery saver.

Brewer’s Coaling Platform can be used to serve your shortlines, branchlines or logging sites. The kit features laser cut walls, door and windows as well as metal and plastic detail parts. The 2” x 10” platform is made from scale lum- ber and easily assembles with templates and laser cut jigs. It retails for $39.95. Pre-order today and receive 5% off, by using coupon code COAL. Please type this into the promo NEWS: Industrial Steam Crane/Shovel; MSRP: code box upon checkout. Kit began shipping October 15th. $129.99/$89.99 For more info and photos please go to: [www.foslimited. Model Tech Studios, PO Box 1497, N Hampton NH 03862 com] 603-964-5995 • www.modeltechstudios.com NEWS: Camp 12 On3/On30 Engine House; MSRP: $49.95 Sidetrack Laser, www.sidetracklaser.com • 503-449-5361

Sidetrack Laser has designed a Backwoods Engine House for your O Scale Narrow Gauge Locomotives. Per- fect for any backwoods scene, this single stall shed has roll-up fabric walls, a detailed workbench and takes loco- motives up to 9” long. The kit features laser cut structural components and details, as well as corrugated metal roof- ing, fabric walls and cast detail parts.

NEWS: Catalog of Scale Plans; MSRP: $2.00 The O Scale Industrial Steam Crane/Shovel kits have 12 Underground Railway Press, PO Box 814OS, Brevard NC main superdetailed sections making for fast overall con- 28712 struction. The primary construction is plastic with metal and lasercut detailing. The cab is able to rotate on the tracks The 35th edition of the URP Catalog of Scale Plans and the crane boom or steam shovel may be adjusted as includes plans for motive power, rolling stock and structures desired. Each kit includes a fully illustrated manual with for mainline, logging, shortline, narrow gauge and traction many images. The kits are also available built and weath- railways. ered at [www.finishedmodels.com]. 46 • O Scale Trains - Jan/Feb ’10 NEWS: 34” and 28” Turntables Birch plywood and can be used for 2- or 3-Rail operation. Millhouse River Studio, 541 River Road, Niagara Falls, NY Atlas nickel silver track is also installed and wired on the 14304, 716-830-5267 • www.studiozphoto.com/Millhouse. bridge and in the pit. The 3/16” aluminum welded bridge is html controlled by an industrial timing belt gear drivetrain which Millhouse River Studio has announced the availability of is powered by a 24VDC gear motor that produces 200+ a beautiful O Scale turntable available in two sizes: 34” and lbs. of torque for smooth operation with even the heaviest 28”. The turntable is constructed with cabinet grade Baltic locomotives. The bridge comes complete with girder detail applied to the aluminum bridge sides and laser cut/etched wood decking is installed and stained with a wash to give it a nice weathered look. Bridge bogies come with sealed roller bearings for lifetime trouble free operation. Pewter details are included, such as control cab, lattice girder electrical arch, bridge bogies and railing stanchions. The depth of the turntable is 6.5” and the corners can be cut off the top for tight installations. The 34” model is $1,100 plus shipping, the 28” model is $950 + shipping. Either table may be ordered weathered for extra cost.

NEWS: O Scale Scenic Accents® & Woodland Classics Woodland Clas- Woodland Scenics, PO Box 98 Linn Creek MS 65052 sics are ready-made 573-346-5555 • www.woodlandscenics.com trees with classic appeal, an eco- nomical price and designed to mix and blend through- out your layout for superior realism. The colors of their original patented foliage compliment Woodland Scenics is introducing two new O Scale Sce- each other and their nic Accents. These scale figures, accessories and animals other tree lines, turfs have been sculpted and hand-painted in fine detail. Scenic and foliages. Foliage Accents scaled figures add color, detail, personality and life textures and colors vary according to tree variety. to any layout, project or diorama. Best of all, they are eco- The painted tree trunks are finely detailed, flexible and nomically priced! The new O scale Scenic Accents are: represent a multitude of realistic shapes and branching forms. A2757-Depot Workers & Accessories-The conductor Woodland Classics vary in structure, textures, shapes and reviews the passenger manifest at the check-in podium while densities. These variations mirror nature’s contrasts and high- two workers maneuver dollies loaded with luggage and ship- lights and reinforce Woodland Scenics trademark mixing and ping crates. Additional standing train schedule, luggage and blending of the Landscape System. crate included. SRP $22.99 The actual trees will vary in size and shape and no two A2758-Park Benches-Set of six benches ready for your layout trees are alike within one package. For the sizes suitable to O residents to sit and enjoy the park, wait for the bus or place any- Scale prices range from $10.99 to $19.99 per package with 2 where else you would find seated pedestrians. SRP $14.99 trees per package and 10 varieties. NOTHING* * Is what happens when you don’t advertise. To advertise in OST contact [email protected].

Jan/Feb ’10 - O Scale Trains • 47 Review: Trains to Victory America’s Railroads in World War II railroad workers, their families and how the war affected Donald J. Heimburger & John Kelly, Heimburger House them. These stories gave the book a wonderful touch. Anoth- Publishing Co. 7236 West Madison Street, Forest Park, Illinois er section of interest is how women were brought in to work 60130 • www.heimburgerhouse.com in jobs they wouldn’t have been allowed to do before the war, and how they were so willing to sacrifice their own Reviewed by Bill Davis needs for the war. In spite of all the shortages caused by the war the rail- Like many mod- roads managed to add a lot of new equipment. The chapter elers when it comes titled Built with Pride for the War Effort tells the story of the to railroads, I have new locomotives, steam and diesel, as well as the freight an interest in the equipment. This chapter has an extensive photo section and late 1930s and early plans for a couple war emergency boxcars. The last part 1940s. This is in of the chapter tells about the troop trains and the special part because it was equipment built for troop movement. There are plans and the beginning of the interior layouts for these special cars as well as information period of change on interior and exterior colors. All the information needed we call the transi- by modelers. One thing I didn’t know is that the troop cars tion period. How- weren’t built until the men were returning. That explains ever, it was also the why so many survived into the late ‘50s & ‘60s. time when trains Many of the military camps had their own railroads and were the way most equipment for both training troops for railroad work and Americans traveled moving equipment. There are many great pictures of these and how their goods operations. The huge railroad operations at Fort Eustis are were shipped. This especially well covered. was never more Now I must admit that I have very little interest in for- obvious then during the war years from 1941 through 1945 eign railroads however, I found this section of the book when the movement of men and machines were at their very interesting. We built and sent a tremendous amount of highest. So with this in mind, I knew I had to have a copy of equipment to keep the railroads of the world running. Also, Trains to Victory, the new book on the war years from Heim- to operate these railroads there were many units of railroad burger House Publishing. men who volunteered for the service so they could use their This book tells how the railroad industry was used to skills to run these railroads. There are many pictures and haul the men and the supplies needed for the war effort. To stories of these operations in this section. Seeing Ameri- tell the story, Don Heimburger and John Kelly have gathered can equipment with foreign design lines and couplers was 542 B&W photos and an additional 285 B&W illustrations. unique to say the least. They also have included a 32-page color section with adver- Once the war was over there was the monumental task tisements from the period and some photos. I would have of getting our equipment and men home. After all, once liked more color photos, especially those by Jack Delano, they were back in America, how do you get them all to their but what is here is a good representation of the times. Final- homes throughout the country? How do we move the many ly, there is the beautiful 4-color dust jacket. All this informa- wounded troops to hospitals and recovery centers and then tion is contained in a beautifully done 380-page hardcover home? How do you get all the equipment back? All this is book. I found the quality of the reproduction of the pictures extensively covered. and illustrations to be exceptional. From a historical stand- Lastly there’s the future! The world had changed and point, the book tells in words, numbers and pictures just the railroads wanted to let people know they were chang- how monumental a task it was for both men and machines. ing too. They rebuilt their equipment, purchased new and This is a very complete study of the period. modernized in hopes of a continued bright future. However, There are 13 chapters that cover the various operations the days of railroads being the main mode of transportation the people involved for the railroads had to handle for the were nearly over. task of getting men and equipment to their destinations. The last chapter gives the statistics of what our railroads Unlike WWI when the government took over the railroads, had done and as that chapter is titled They Succeeded Mag- this time the railroads prepared in advance for the coming nificently, after reading this book I have to say they did! war, by creating their own organizations. So even when As a modeler, I found this book to be a great asset. It the government required certain conditions, they were helped me understand what happened and how those years prepared. One of the amazing things about this time is that changed the railroads and the world forever. The wealth of with less equipment, the railroads moved more tonnage and pictures will help me to more accurately model the equip- personnal than ever, especially when compared to the WWI ment and operations of that time. If you are interested in this era. Because of this, they pressed every piece of equipment period I highly recommend this book. It is an enjoyable read they had into service to meet the need. This was especially with a wealth of photos and information not often found true when moving oil which was a huge operation. in one book source. I know I’ll be referring to this book for One thing I really enjoyed about this book is all the per- many years to come. sonal stories of the people who rode the trains as well as the

48 • O Scale Trains - Jan/Feb ’10 Long-time readers of OST will remember Mike Culham’s series on building a small O Scale railroad. Mike was apartment dwelling at the time he wrote that series. Since then he has moved into a single family home and has rebuilt the Great Central Railway once again. Here is his plan and some photos.

Jan/Feb ’10 - O Scale Trains • 49 Engine 43, a leased RGS C-19, pulls a mixed freight across Main Street in the small town of Pajarito, New Mexico, on Jim Gore’s On30 Jemez & Rio Grande. Sure hope the lineman is a railfan!

50 • O Scale Trains - Jan/Feb ’10 A Sunset SP Mogul pulls a string of reefers across a trestle in Yosemite National Park. The layout, Mount Marlborough Scenic Railroad, was built by Dan and Armando Vargas, Images of the Past. We covered their recreation of Grand Central Terminal in OST #37. Photo by Scott Mann.

2010 O Scale National Convention

Why Attend? Up to 300 trading tables, clinics, tour of the California State Railroad Museum, videos, convention car, contests, six O modular layouts on site, about 40 home and club layouts open for visiting ,fly into/out of a major western city and drive a Grand Tour between there to and/or from the convention and visit dozens model and real railroads, national parks, and other attractions. Convention sponsored and managed by O Scale West. Where: Santa Clara, California (San Francisco Bay Area) When: June 30 - July 3, 2010 Location: Hyatt Regency Santa Clara. Room rate: $109 plus tax for 1 - 4 occupancy Registration: $35, $40 after May 31, registration includes spouse and children under 18 Table Rental: 30" x 72" tables are$45, $50 after May 31. Electrical hook-ups are free Banquet: Fri. July 2, $50 per plate including gratuity and tax, sign up by June 20 Tour: Wed. June 30, California State Railroad Museum, Sacto., $60 per person, incl train to/from Sacto. and admission, sign up by June 1 Web Site: www.2010oscalenational.com E-mail: [email protected] Telephone: 650-329-0424, please call between 9AM and 8PM Pacific time

A free newsletter with registration information will be available on the website for download after February 1, 2010. To receive a hardcopy, send an LSSAE with 2oz. of postage to: 2010 O Scale National, 876 Boyce Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94301-3003.

Jan/Feb ’10 - O Scale Trains • 51 2010 O Scale severalNational freight cars. Random mixing ensures at least one such car isConvention in each train. As a result the layout runs smoothly and reliably. Why Attend? Up to 300 trading tables, clinics, tour of the California State Railroad Museum, videos, convention car,The contests, mountains six O modular seen layouts behind the engine terminal were on site, about 40 home and club layouts open for visiting ,fly into/out of a major western city and drive a Grand Tour between there to and/or from the made by dipping bed sheets in plaster, then draping them conventionJerry and visit dozens Guth’s model and real railroads, SP national Layout parks, and other attractions. Convention sponsored and managed by O Scale West. Where: Santa Clara, California (San Francisco Bay Area) over plaster screen. Jerry preferred a specific kind of plaster When: RodJune Miller 30 - July 3, 2010 for this work, and unfortunately he was unable to locate it Location: PhotographsHyatt Regency Santaby Anne Clara. Room Bothwell rate: $109 plus tax for 1 - 4 occupancy Registration: $35, $40 after May 31, registration includes spouse and children under 18 when he recently completed the last section of scenery. Table Rental:The 30 Grand" x 72" tables Tour are$45, is a $50 set after of May do-it-yourself 31. Electrical hook-ups driving are free routes There are many model scenes that are typical of Jerry's Banquet:between Fri. Julyseveral 2, $50 per major plate including Western gratuity cities and tax, and sign up Santa by June 20Clara, sense of humor. There is the diesel salesman being eaten by a Tour: CA whereWed. Junethe 30, convention California State Railroadwill be Museum, held. Sacto., The $60 routes per person, include incl train to/from Sacto. and admission, sign up by June 1 Web Site: www.2010oscalenational.com vulture, and the kangaroos all the way from Australia looking E-mail:layouts, [email protected] operating preserved railroads, railroad museums, for my house. Telephone:national 650-329-0424, parks and please other call between attractions. 9AM and 8PM To Pacific participate time in the The layout is located approximately 17 miles south of tour, fly into one of the selected cities, rent a car, and drive Gardnerville, NV and approximately 30 miles south of Car- A free newsletter with registration information will be available on the website for download after February 1, 2010. To receive a hardcopy, send an LSSAEa with tour 2oz. route of postage to to: the 2010 convention. O Scale National, 876Of Boyce course Avenue, it Palo is possibleAlto, CA 94301-3003. to son City, home of the NV State Railroad Museum and the reverse that and take a tour route after the convention, or, rebuilt (and running!) Virginia and Truckee Railroad. Spec- drive one tour route before and another after the conven- tacular Lake Tahoe and Yosemite National Park are less than tion. More information is on the convention’s web site at 100 miles away. There is a motel about 3 miles away and the [www.2010oscalenational.com] convention web site has contact information for it. Jerry Guth’s completely finished 24’ by 64’ SP layout is All the layouts on the Grand Tour will have contact infor- one of the layouts on the 2010 O Scale National Conven- mation for the owners available on the convention web site tion’s Grand Tour. Some of these layouts have never before [www.2010oscalenational.com], early next Spring. been open for visiting. Jerry’s layout is in a purpose-built layout building. He lived in this building while he built his house, and after moving into the house, he began construc- tion of the layout, which took about nine years. Jerry joked to me that he built the layout in order to have a place to put the buildings he loves to build. Jerry is a long-time model railroader who lived in Southern California where he was very active in a round-robin group that operated on way freight (or peddler) oriented HO lay- outs. When he moved to Western Nevada, his original plan was to build in On3, but he changed his mind and built in O. He told me that if he had known he would end up in O when he built the building, it would have been 30 feet wide instead of 24. Jerry is a superb modeler. The scenes in the photos that accompany this article are typical of the quality and realism of his modeling. The track plan is a large convoluted loop. There is one reversing loop. There are two towns, Wrights and Coyote, The bridge is a model of the SP bridge over the San Lorenzo where way freight switching is done, and a division point, River at Santa Cruz, California that was destroyed in the 1906 Carcass Flats, where there is an industrial area, an engine ter- earthquake. The bridge is all basswood and built just like the minal, and a yard. prototype with pillow blocks etc. There are 92 buildings on the layout, 32 at Wrights which includes18 industrial spots including the mine; 27 buildings at Coyote with 12 spots, and 33 buildings at Carcass Flats with 14 industry spots. All the industries are named for Jerry's friends. There is about 950 feet of track and 66 turnouts all hand- laid. The minimum radius is 72 inches, and most curves are 84 inches minimum radius or larger. The minimum turnout size is number 6. The maximum mainline grade in one sec- tion is 1.9%; the other mainline grades are 1%. The short branchline grade to the mine is 4%. Train control utilizes a Lenz DCC system using Lenz throttles along with CVP wire- less throttles. All engines on the layout have been converted to DCC. Turnouts are air-operated except for one town, built before the decision to use air, that has solenoid-operated The engine facility. All of the structures are built from turnouts. The mainline is signaled. SP plans and all are scratchbuilt except for the roundhouse and Jerry installed Masonite® track cleaning pads underneath yard office. A reefer block is departing eastbound. 52 • O Scale Trains - Jan/Feb ’10 Jus Golden Gate Depot K-Line Circus ’09 Williams Trains 2009 Lionel Product Trains IN-STOCK Golden Memories Vision Line Info (302) 453-0465 F-3 AA $239 ABA $335 Orders (888) 453-9742 18” Heavyweight Car 89 Wab,IC,B&O,MR,Sou,NH,RG,CP #70 CT, Advert x2, Obs x 2 WP, SF Red/Sil, SF Blk/Red, TS, NYC PRR 0-8-8-0 CC2s Steam 1399 *Mon-Fri 9-6* 21688 18” Heavywt Coach 2Pk 177 15” Aluminum 4-Pk 229 2-Pk 119 Fax Orders (302) 368-6447 NYC 21” 6-pk 575 2-Pk 259 GG-1 Girls Freight Set 335 215 Newark Shopping Center Steam Girls Freight Set 379 SF 2-10-10-2 Steam 1799 Newark, DE 19711 GG-1 Girl’s Passenger Set 335 Buy both PRR & SF get $300 Most Orders over $200 Free Ship 18” Alum Animal Car 102 2-Pk 199 1520W F-3 Texas Special Set 285 Store open 7 days a week 1464W UP 50th Anniversary Set 320 MC VISA DISCOVER P70 20” Coach 4-Pk 399 2-car add-on $80 Full Set $395 PRR GG-1 Congressional Set 410 18” Aluminum Coach or Shop Car 119 Sunset/Third Rail LIRR, PRSL, PRR 12# 2-car add-on $115 Full Set $515 15” Aluminum Advertising Car 85 No Deposit on Reservations Heavyweight 20” 4-Pk 399 N&W 4-8-4 J Class Steam 259 GG-1 179 PRR x 4 GE ES44AC Evol Hybrid 699 NW-2 C&O, SF, Seabd 155 Die-Cast Shell Gold Unit Replica Tractor Set 38 Combo Flat w/Boxcar & wagon 45 Wood Gondola w/Cicus Equipment 48 22250 Dining Dept Billboard Reefer 65 CNW H-14-8-4 1245 FA-1 AA 225 B 80 ABA 299 UP 3GS21B Genset Switch 539 Combo Flat/Stock Car w/Wagon 38 Die-Cast, 3 smoke units Scale Dining Woodside Reefer 59 B&O, LV, L&N, NYC, PRR, RI, PRR 20” Head-End Set 359 SF,WM,LNE,GN Buy both diesels get $50 K-Line 2009 Product PA-1 AA 225 B 80 ABA 299 Op. 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903 Skyline Steel 6 x 8 25

950 American Flag Co. 14x9 69 306 2-Stall Diesel Shed 25 x 11 69 306A Extender 12.5 x 11 27

967 Shoe Co. 7 skylts 20 x 9 x 11 69 905 Blackshear Refrig. Transport 59

307 3-Stall Trolley Barn 23 x 11 95

953 Joe’s Pickle Factory 14 x 9 69 968 Freight Terminal 8 x 15 49

908 Shanahan Freight 20 x 8 x 9H 75 308 Quincy Mining Co. 47

954 Buck Island Canning 8 x 12 59 969 Gen Lt & Pwr Office 6x13x12 65

310 Mitchell Textile Co. 39 911 Perfect Tool Co. 8 x 16 55

955 RJK Tool&Die9x14 55 P56 Cut Stone P81 Random Stone 10

912 Roller Bearing Co. 9 x 28 89 3115 Grain Silo, 7 x 34 x 22 H 135 P83 Concrete 10 P57 Double 13 957 Lewis & Sons Machine Shop 25

915 Quaker Foods 9 x 12 49 D929 Roof Top Water Tank D30 12 315 Grain Silo, 7 x 19 x 22 H 85 956 James Company 13 x 8 x 9H 55

New Modular System Kit 74.95 Unlimited configurations 24 walls 320 3-Stall Roundhouse 26” Deep 159 916 General Light & Power 48”L 175 958 Mill Works 11 x 7 w/Tower 49 Just Trains (888) 453-9742 Buy–Sell–Trade Buy-Sell-Trade ads are $5 for 30 words plus your address information. Additional words are $0.25 each. Subscribers are permitted one free ad per subscription cycle . All B-S-T ads are prepaid. You may send ads by postal service with a check or money order. Ads sent by email or called in must use a credit card. See our contact info on page 2. FREE O SCALE LIST: List of O Scale shows for wiring, and table height. Visit the web site at: WANTED: Car Works Alco HH660. call Frank 2009. Send LSSAE to Bob Retallack, Dept OST09, www.oscale-2rail-club.com Request a free PDF 503-452-2336, or mail to: Frank Hillman, 10007 2224 Adner Ct, Columbus, OH 43220. of the O-scale 2 rail club standards guide from: SW Balmer Cir., Portland, OR 97219-6374 [email protected] WANTED: Small N&W custom-built or scratch- WANTED: GN brass PFM E-6, 4-6-0, Oriental built steam. Especially looking for N&W 4-8-0 FOR SALE: New Sunset 2-Rail engines: 2-Rail UP 25’ caboose, Oriental 60’ combine, GHB Brill by Bill Lenoir. Also 2-8-0, 4-6-0. Also looking for Big Boy, $1500; 2-Rail UP Challenger $1500, 250. Call Frank 503-452-5336 or mail to: Frank N&W brass parts, e.g., pilot, cylinders, domes, 2-rail UP 4-12-2 $1500, 2-Rail B&O EM1 2-8-8-4, Hillman, 10007 SW Balmer Cir., Portland, OR tenders, etc. Contact Joe Giannovario, jag@oscale- $1500. Email: [email protected], or call 97219-6374 mag.com or call 610-363-7117. 505-898-6956. FOR SALE: Exceptional brass Midland WANTED: Ambroid special run 50’ Milw. box- WANTED: Steam/Diesel era, DM&IR, Soo Line, Reproductions full-length Budd dome kit. Contact: cars, Hallmark comp gons, Sunset WWII emer- DSS&A. Frt., pass., MoW, cabooses, NO ORE [email protected], or 302-379-1302. gency boxcars, PRB WWII comp gons, Lobaugh CARS. Joe Fischer pass. & head end cars. What 50’ reefers, WWII era boxcars what have you? have you? Mail contact only. Jim Seacrest, PO Box TRADE: Have Precision Scale Southern Pacific Mail only. Jim Seacrest, PO Box 6397, Lincoln, NE 6397, Lincoln, NE 68506-0397 SD-7 Black Widow, Road# 5324 w/can signal 68506-0397 lights. Would like to trade for PSC SP SD-9 Black WANTED: LTD AMT Steam/Diesel era GN, NP, Widow w/small Emergency signal lights. My FOR SALE: Brass and die-cast parts for All Nation/ C&NW, CM&O engines, passenger cars, freight SD-7 is new in original box. I can provide photos. Babbitt steam locomotives, frames, drivers, rods, cars, MoW, cabooses, What have you? Mail only Bill Gruner, 541-464-8579, or email [shipguy@ valve gear, boilers, cabs, tenders, and details. Also please. Jim Seacrest, PO Box 6397, Lincoln NE cmspan.net]. restoration and repairs available. Some complete 68506. kits available on a limited basis. Some older FOR SALE: All engines F/P, MINT & TRO. SP kits and built up kits also available on a limited FOR SALE: Ft. D.D.M.& S. decal sets. Will do 2 AC-12 #4294 PSC $4950; SP 2-8-0 Glacier basis. Write and include $1 for a catalog. Babbitt locos and several cars. $18.50 per set. Call Mike Park Models #2811 $2200;SP MT-5 #4370 PSC Railway Supply Co., 715 Barger St, Mayfield KY at 515-353-4292 or email bluffcreektrains@wccta. (latest run) $2750; SP P-10 PSC (Skyline Casing/ 42066. Call 270-247-0303 between 8 am and 8 net. Deskirted) w 120 C-8 Tender Soufie Drive, $2500; pm CST, or email [[email protected]]. P-8 PSC w 120 C-8 Tender Cockerham Drive FOR SALE: Sunset, mint condition B&M 4-8-2, $2500; ATSF Pecos River Brass - Heavyweight WANTED: The O-Scale 2 Rail Club is a modular NP 4-8-4, PRR K4 and P70 coaches. Also many Chair A/C (#3050-3069) and R.P.O w/o Skylight train club looking for members or those to follow books: PRR, NYC, Reading, WM, B&M, CB&Q, (#57-59/70-79) U/P $400 each. Reasonable offers this standard and start a club. We are using a por- NP, C&NW and others. Contact Ed Jarolin, PO considered. Bruce Antell 650-347-4402 Office, table 2’ x 4’ foot table format. Follow the modular Box 782, Sundance, WY 82729, 307-283-1029 or [email protected], 50 S. San Mateo Drive, Ste standards for placement of the two track mainline, email: [email protected] 105, San Mateo, CA 94401

Events To ensure your event listing makes it into the proper issue, please note the following deadlines for publication: Jan/ Feb issue: November 1 of the prior year. March/April issue: Jan. 1. May/June issue: March 1. July/August issue: May 1. Sept. /Oct. issue: July 1. Nov. /Dec. issue: Sept. 1

January 2010 June 2010 July 2010 1-3: Baltimore MD 30th to July 3rd: Santa Clara CA 11-18: Milwaukee WI Baltimore Society of Model Engineers Open The 2010 O Scale National is being NMRA National Convention & 75th House Two model railroad empires occupy- held in lieu of the 2010 O Scale West. Anniv. The National Model Railroad ing 2500 sq. ft., operating trains and trolleys The hotel room rate is $109/night plus Association (NMRA) will be celebrating in HO & O scale, static model displays; 10% room tax, for up to 4 people in its 75th birthday in 2010. As part of the railroad heralds; and railroad artifacts. And the room. Registration is $35, $40 After festivities the National Convention will for our youngest visitors, Thomas the tank April 30, 2010. Vendor tables (72”) are be held in Milwaukee Wisconsin, the Engine models. Located at 225 W. Saratoga $45, $50 after April 30, 2010. A ban- birthplace of the NMRA. We are plan- St, 3rd floor walkup. Questions about this quet will be held at 7:30 PM Friday out- ning a, rip roaring Midwestern, good event info or our organization should be side the hotel. For more details, contact time for all, both model railroader and directed to Jim Berg at: 410-859-4376 (day), the O Scale National Convention, c/o general interest attendee alike. Dates 410-519-9837 (eve). Contact jtmcberg@ 876 Boyce Ave., Palo Alto, CA 94301- for the convention are Sunday July 11th gmail.com 3003 or call Rod Miller at 650-329- to Sunday July 18th. On Sunday the 0424 between 9:00 AM Pacific Time 11th, we are going to kick off the week and 9:00 PM Pacific Time. Email: rod@ with a Beer and Brat Fest (a Milwau- March 2010 rodmiller.com. kee Favorite) at Zeidler Union Square 12-14: Lombard IL Park, just a stone’s throw away from the Midwest March Meet 2010. New loca- convention site and hotel. Contact Ken tion! Westin Lombard Yorktown Cen- Jaglinski, Vice-Chair. Contact mjaglin- ter, 70 Yorktown Center, Lombard IL [email protected] 60148. Call 800-937-8461 and ask for the Chicago O Scale room rate. Show registration write to March Meet, 2636 Hallquist Ave, Red Wing MN 55066 or call 630-745-7600. By email contact [email protected].

56 • O Scale Trains - Jan/Feb ’10 Advertisers Index Advertisers

2010 O Scale National 51 Irish Tracklayer 25 Public Delivery Track 26 AAA Turntables 16 JD’s Trains 21 Rails Unlimited 10 Allegheny Scale Models 42 Just Trains 53, 54, 55 RGSRR Hobbies 10 Atlas O IFC JV Models 10 Scale University 34 Bachmann 22 Keil-Line 10 Scenic Express 15 Baldwin Forge & Machine 10 Key Model Imports 14 SceniKing 9 Brummy’s Ballast 33 LaBelle Woodworking Co. 26 SMARTT 6 BTS 24 Micro-Mark 25 SMR Trains 33 Bullfrog Snot 10 Millhouse River Studios 9 SpecCast 32 Chicago O Scale Meet 28 Model Building Services 33 Stevenson Preservation Lines 10 Clever Models 9 Model Rail Scenes 25 Sumpter Valley Depot 26 Custom Signals 14 Mt. Albert Scale Models 10 Sunset⁄3rd Rail 8 Deichman’s Depot 25 MTH Electric Trains IBC Underground Railway Press 33 East Gary Car Co. 25 Mullett River 27 UpBids.net 33 Get Real Productions 57 NCE Corp 37 Valley Model Trains 26 Golden Gate Depot BC O Scale Realty 25 Wasatch Model Co. 28 Gorilla Glue 25 O Scale Trains 14 Weaver 32 Guide to Modern O Scale 16 P&D Hobby Shop 14 Woodland Scenics 28 Hackworth Model Trains 37 Pieces of the Puzzle 16 Howard Zane 10 Protocraft 16

Jan/Feb ’10 - O Scale Trains • 57 Joe Giannovario

OST Reader Poll tory installed wiring and sound cams: 71% replied this was Last issue I posed a poll about what is important to you, the important. Questions 13 through 16 taken together indicate O Scale Modeler. The response to the poll has been great with that O Scalers would like to choose their own control systems. nearly 500 respondents at this point in time (late November). 17. Smoke units in either steam or diesel locomotives: 23% So here are the results (with comments) which I will share with said this was important which makes it pretty clear that smoke all the major importers and manufacturers. units are wasted on O Scalers. 1. Model is dimensionally accurate - Models should be built 18. Low current, high torque motors - Motors that draw 1 to the correct overall length, width and height of the prototype amp or less are available for use in O Scale models, they just modeled: 97% said this is important in any model they con- cost a bit more: 85% said this was important. Other than cost, sider buying. there is no reason we can’t have high performance motors. 2. Accurate castings and details - Models should have the 19. Slow speed operation for switching - Slow smooth correct details for the prototype modeled and these details operation at 1 smph or less: 95% responded this was impor- should be of fine quality: 91% said this was important. tant. In other words, skip the high speed gearing and build for 3. All wheels sets gauged the current NMRA standards - operations. Manufacturers should use either the older 0.172” tire design 20. Dual motors in articulateds - Does each engine need its or the newer 0.145” tire design, but keep the 0.177” Check own motor: 40% said this was important, the rest said it was a Gauge for maximum track compatibility: 82% responded this waste of money. was important. The message here is don’t invent something 21. Dual motors in diesels - Do you prefer the so-called new that isn’t universally compatible. China Drive or a single horizontal motor driving both trucks: 4. Drive wheels sprung - Axles or journal boxes sprung on 79% voted for the single horizontal motor configuration. either steam or diesel: 61% said this was important. In most Recently there has been a great discussion online about this people’s experience springing is inadequate. question and the consensus was that the typical China drive 5. Drive wheels equalized - Axle to axle or axle to frame (low-cost vertically mounted motors driving spur gears on the equalization on either steam or diesels: 64% said this was wheels) did not allow for smooth slow speed performance and important. Many people felt that equalization doesn’t work was not able to be modified by the modeler. well and drives up model cost. 22. Written Warranty - Know what your rights are as an 6. Drive wheels sprung and equalized - Applies to both owner. Put the warranty in the box, not on a website: 79% said steam and diesel: Only 47% thought this was important. this was important. 7. Ease of maintenance/disassembly - Screws and fasten- 23. Minimum radius stated on the box - Put this informa- ers should be easy to reach with typical modeler’s tools: 96% tion where it can be seen before purchase: 81% said this was replied this was important. important. 8. Factory painted and lettered - Prototypically correct let- 24. Minimum radius no greater than 60” - Most O Scale tering and numbering: 60% replied this was important. The locomotives should run on track with a radius no greater than prevalence of factory painted models makes customizing or 60”: 60% said this was important. correcting errors difficult. 25. Limited quantity - Are you interested in “collector” 9. Constant intensity lighting: 57% said this was important models of 100 pieces or less, or subtle variations in units: Only and frankly I am baffled by this. 7% said this was important. 10. Directional lighting - Headlight dims or turns off when My take on these responses are that O Scalers (i.e., the in reverse: 56% said this was important (see question 9). 2-Rail modeler) do not care for the concessions made by man- 11. LED lamps - Use low power LEDs rather than incandes- ufacturers to the 3-Rail market. They’d rather have really good cent bulbs: 63% said this was important. LEDs would almost slow speed operation than electronic gimmicks. Ditch the never have to be replaced. smoke unit and lighted class lights. Spend the money on better 12. Lighted class lamps on steam engines: only 49% said motors and gearing. this was important. Many modelers would like a switch to turn Command Control is growing in O Scale but mostly as them off. a user-installed option. However, O Scalers gripe that they 13. Factory installed Command Control System - either pay the same price for models without any electronics as the DCC, or DCS or TMCC: 45% said this was important indicat- 3-Railers with all the goodies. That will change soon. ing that the many O Scalers still run straight DC control. Happy New Year! 14. If Command Control equipped, do you want sound: We start our ninth year of publication with this issue. This 56% said this was important. So, if we’re going to get a com- past year was rough on the hobby in general but we’ve weath- mand system factory installed make it with sound. ered the worst I believe. 15. If not Command Control factory installed should there I am especially pleased to have Tom Mix’s scratchbuilding be sound trigger cams on the drivers: 47% said this was series begin this issue. I think it’s a high water mark for the important. hobby akin to the Mel Thornburgh articles in the 40s and 50s. 16. Should locomotives be Command Control ready - fac- Keep Highballin’ u

58 • O Scale Trains - Jan/Feb ’10 O Scale Trains mth 02-2010.qxp 11/9/2009 1:44 PM Page 1

SWISS KROKODIL Available In 2 and 3-Rail Versions

Tuscan Swiss Crocodile Electric 20-5637-1 Hi-Rail Wheels $899.95 20-5637-2 Scale Wheels $899.95

For American modelers, the Crocodile (spelled krokodil in German) is perhaps the single most rec- ognizable European locomotive, having been imported as a Märklin model in several scales since the 1930s. Like the Lionel Santa Fe F3, the Märklin HO Crocodile was a top of the line model that many boys of the 1950s and '60s dreamed of, FEATURES INCLUDE: but few actually owned. If you were one of those •1:48 Scale Modern Diesels boys (or even if you weren't), this new Premier model offers the chance to own the most detailed, •Equipped With Proto-Sound 2.0 Digital Sound smoothest running O gauge model of this iconic •Superbly Detailed Die-Cast Metal mountain goat ever made. Construction This full 1/45 O scale die-cast model arrives in 2010 •Locomotive Speed Control In Scale as a die-cast model equipped with M.T.H.'s Proto- MPH Increments Scale 3-2 technology, capable of running on 2-rail or •Full Digital Sound Including Operating 3-rail track. Premier Line engines, like the Crocodile, Horn & Bell are as prototypically accurate as we can reasonably make them, and feature a large number of added-on •Operates On AC or DC Power details. It comes equipped with elaborate lighting •Available With Hi-Rail or Scale Wheels features including cab interior illumination and our full Proto-Sound 2.0 digital sound system. •Operate On 3-Rail or 2-Rail Track

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