4th Quarter 2015 NYCSHS Modeler’s E-zine Volume 5 Number 4 An added focus for the Society on NYC Modeling Table of Contents Bob Shaw & Fabian Beltran Model Old Dog New Trick = Lord of the Resin By Phil Darkins the NYC in 3-Rail O-Gauge 34 NYC’s 50’ PS-1 Boxcar – Part 1 By Seth Lakin 56 The Early Car Shop NYC&HR 35’ Standard Boxcar By Kyle Coble 60 Building an O-Scale NYC Water Level Route By Bob Shaw & Fabian Beltran Bob Shaw tells us that layout changes are 71 inevitable . Page 71. Building the Rexall Train Loco in ¾”-Scale Steve Bratina Builds Another ¾”- By Steve Bratina 91 Scale Live Steamer Modeling Cross-River/Lake Transfer Systems By George Reineke 101 From the Cab 6 Extra Board 7 What’s New 10 Steve’s Rexall Train Mohawk locomotive is shown NYCSHS RPO 22 here with primer applied. Page 91. The Observation Car 114 Cover photo is George Reineke’s layout. The NYCentral Modeler The NYCentral Modeler focuses on providing information about modeling of the railroad in all scales. This issue features articles, photos, and reviews of NYC-related models and layouts. The objective for the publication is to help members improve their ability to model the New York Central and promote modeling interests. Contact us about doing an article for us. mailto:[email protected] NYCentral Modeler 4th Quarter 2015 2 New York Central System Historical Society The New York Central System Central Headlight, the official Historical Society (NYCSHS) was publication of the NYCSHS. organized in March 1970 by the The Central Headlight is only combined efforts of several available to members, and former employees of the New each issue contains a wealth Board of Directors York Central Railroad. The of information each quarter. Nick Ariemma, R.J. Barrett, J. NYCSHS is chartered as a non- From steam to diesel (and Epperson, T.R. Gerbracht, profit corporation under the laws electric), from freight to S.H. Lustig, D.T. Mackay, R.C. of the state of Ohio. The mission passenger, from branchline Schiring, D. Simonaitis, R.L. of the NYCSHS is to perpetuate to mainline, the Central Stoving, J.C. Suhs, M.K. Vescelus, N.F. Widdifield the legacy of the New York Headlight covers it all. Our Central System and its Annual Meetings focus on Directors Emeriti: P. T. Carver, predecessor lines and subsidiary the preservation of New J.W. Mills, J.P. Quinlivan roads through the acquisition and York Central railroad history (Founder) preservation of their various with informative speakers, Editor: Noel Widdifield histories, traditions, documents, presentations, and tours. The Asst. Editors: Tom Bailey records, and artifacts; and Society also has many NYC John Martin through the dissemination of reference books and Proof Editor: Julie Sanders accurate information in a manner drawings available for Engineering Dept: Manuel that is consistent with good purchase. Membership is Duran-Duran stewardship and preservation. open to all; so don't delay; Harmon Files: Larry Faulkner Your membership gets you four join today! www.nycshs.net Layout Drawing Artist: issues of the popularly acclaimed Frank Knight The NYCSHS Modelers Committee We have a NYCSHS Modelers Committee that now has 15 members. We meet on the phone about once a month to strategize about what to do to support NYC modeling for our members. The members of the committee are Noel Widdifield, Ron Parisi, Brian Marotta, Dave Mackay, Ralph Schiring, Jeff English, Dave Staplin, Paul Pickard, Lawrence Faulkner, Manuel Duran-Duran, Kyle Coble, Dan Seligmann, Seth Lakin, Larry Grant, and Rich Stoving. We have released over 50 models at up to 20% off MSRP to our members and have sold over 1000 models and taken pre-orders for another 1000. We have released several HO-scale models, one N- scale model, and are in the process of finding more HO-, N-, S-, and even O–scale models to be released in coming months. Watch our website and Collinwood Shop online store for more information. Website: NYCSHS.org and Collinwood Shop: NYCSHS.net We have released 15 new NYC models over the last year, but if you have some ideas for us, contact us at [email protected] NYCentral Modeler 4th Quarter 2015 3 Clean and Lube Rich Stoving, NYCSHS President Although I tore down my pre-war, 3-rail The counter salesmen would always try to American Flyer layout in favor of modeling sell a customer a “Clean and Lube” job on a in HO-scale in 1949, I had the opportunity in dysfunctional or dirty engine. It was the mid-to-late 1950s to renew my supposed to make the engine look and run acquaintance with what we then called like new, and in most cases it really did! I “tinplate” as a part-time employee at Carmen recall Mrs. Webster got $12.50 for a Clean Webster’s Model Railroad Equipment Corp. and Lube, quite a lot of money at a time on West 45th Street in New York City. With when you could get a great cup of coffee (far some spare time on a Christmas break from better than Starbucks, I assure you) at the college and a strong desire to earn a few Automat for a nickel, and you could ride the bucks, I landed a job doing Lionel and subway to almost anywhere it went in the American Flyer repairs in the back room at city for a dime. I, and the other guys who “Ma” Webster’s famous store. did Lionel repairs, could do a Clean and Mrs. Webster was a tough cookie. She had to Lube job in about fifteen minutes. For most be to survive in what was then almost of the Lionel steam-style locos, here’s how it exclusively a man’s world. But she was fair if went: you didn’t cross her, and I worked for her After you took off the lead and trailing doing repairs for all the hours that I could trucks, the removal of three screws and a spare during the Christmas seasons of 1955- transverse pin would let you separate the 1960. She even kept me on for one whole driving mechanism, complete with the E-unit summer to do some custom painting and to reverser, from the boiler/cab casting. You’d reorganize the repair facility. And she gave then attach leads to the E-unit handle and the me a healthy discount on anything I wanted hot terminal on the E-unit and place the for my HO layout. mechanism in a bath of carbon tetrachloride. Very early on I learned that electric trains Yes, carbon tet! Then you’d turn on the were big business. There could be no power and let the mechanism churn away in tinkering around with little choo-choos like I the tet for about half a minute. You’d then did at home. You took a job off the repair pull the mechanism out, leaving it running to shelf, wrote down the time you started dry it off. This sprayed the very toxic tet working on it and the time you finished. On around, so you were mindful to hold one the back of the repair ticket you wrote an hand over the top of your Coke bottle. When account of what you did, and you accounted the armature bearings started screaming for for every part you put into the job. If you want of lubrication, you removed the leads. were a fast worker, you could afford to make You inspected the E-unit, and if the drum or an occasional trip to the Coke machine at the contacts were dirty or worn, you replaced front of the store. But you’d take the full them. Once you got the knack of it, this took glass bottle back with you to your bench to less than two minutes, including re-soldering get started on the next job. “Get the jobs the leads, and of course incurred an out!” Mrs. Webster would exhort us as additional charge to the customer. Similarly, Christmas drew nearer. Customers would you replaced worn third rail shoes or rollers. You then unscrewed the brush plate, not like to pay for a repair job on December discarded the brushes, cleaned out the brush 26. holders with a pipe cleaner, and inserted new NYCentral Modeler 4th Quarter 2015 4 Clean and Lube Rich Stoving, NYCSHS President brushes – another parts charge. You chucked the armature in a drill press and spun it, holding a Bright Boy against the commutator to “resurface” it. You were very careful not to let the spinning commutator nick your fingers. You then put the mechanism back together, lubed it with Lionel Lube and a heavy oil, and ran it back and forth on a test track at least ten times to be sure that all was well. You vigorously brushed the boiler/cab casting with a mixture of carbon tet and light oil until it looked like new, put the whole works back together, and again ran it back and forth on the test track a few times to be sure that everything was still okay. You wrote down everything you did on the back of the repair ticket, listed all the parts you used and their retail value, signed off on the job, put the engine on the finished shelf, and went for another Coke. Looking back on my experience, I wonder how I survived breathing in all that carbon tetrachloride and drinking all that Coke. But I did with no apparent lasting effects, and the memories of working for Mrs.