ScaleScale OOTraiTraiTrainsnsns O ◆◆ ◆◆ Jan/FebJan/Feb 2004 2004 IIssuessue #12 #12 $5.95$5.95 US $5.95.95 • Can $7.95.95 Display until Feb. 29th Modeling for the O Scale Craftsman 31280 Groesbeck, Fraser, MI 48026 586-296-6116 Open Mon-Fri 10-8, P&DHobbyHobby ShopShop Sat 10-6, Sun 12-5 P&D Fax: 586-296-5642 PowerPower oror RepowerRepower KitsKits forfor RedRed CabooseCaboose GPsGPs PDP2201K-Repower kit, Red Caboose GP9, P&D brass EMD Blomberg trucks PDP2200K-Repower Kit, Red Caboose GP9 PDP2201K-Repower Kit, Red Caboose GP9 with with plastic Blomberg trucks...$160.00 P&D brass Blomberg trucks...$200.00 The P&D TWIN TOWER DRIVE for the Red Caboose GP screws that are furnished in the Red Caboose body kit. body kit is functionally equivalent to the P&D power units These P&D Twin Tower Drive kits can also be used to repower already available for the P&D F units, GPs, RSDs, and the existing Red Caboose GPs. Two kits are offered: #PDP2200K has Weaver FAs, FBs, RS-3s and GP-38s. plastic Blomberg trucks, while #PDP2201K features the P&D brass The Red Caboose power kits provide only the necessary Blomberg trucks, which are truly some of the finest trucks on the power related parts to supplement the Red Caboose GP market. Each kit also includes a powerful Pittman motor and all body kit. These power kits fully utilize the underframe the necessary parts to complete the installation. Detailed instruc- (platform), deck, air tanks, fuel tanks, motor mounts and tions are included. CLOSEOUT on Red Caboose EMD, GP9 body Kits RC500 $49.99 each 3 for $100.00 10 for $300.00 Colors may vary. Modeling for the O Scale ScaleScale Craftsman Issue #12 OOOTraiTraiTrainsnsns Jan/Feb 2004 Vol. 3, No. 1 Features Editor/Publisher Joe Giannovario 4 The Great Central Railway Mike Culham fit a beautiful O Scale layout into a modest space. Art Director Here’s how he did it. Jaini Simon 12 Sandstone Bluffs Associate Editor A trip to the home and garden center is all you need to create Brian Scace beautiful cliffs says Herm Botzow. Contributors Ted Byrne 16 Converting a Lionel Gondola to Two Rail Gene Deimling Another Lionel scale car and Mike Culham shows how to detail it. Bobber Gibbs Hobo D. Hirailer 24 O Scale National 2004 — Part 2 Roger Jenkins Jeb Kriigel Brian Scace details the convention’s schedule for us. Neville Rossiter John C. Smith 26 Working Caboose Markers Fiat Lux! Marty Iftody shares with us his circuitry and how he Subscription Rates: 6 issues installed it into various caboose models. United States US$30 Canada/Mexico US$50 30 Building Traditional Wooden Kits Overseas US$75 Mastercard & Visa accepted Wooden kits can still be found at swap meets and many are still Call 610-363-7117 during manufactured. In a world of plastic ready-to-run, Wm. Kendall Eastern time business hours says the wood kits are still worth building. Dealers write for terms. Advertisers write for information 54 Considerations For Laying Track - By Hand or Otherwise or visit our website. The “how’s” and “why’s” of track laying as practiced by O Scale Trains ISSN 1536-9528 George Muller. www.oscalemag.com Published bimonthly (6 times a year) by O Scale Trains Magazine, PO Box 238, Lionville PA 19353-0238 © 2004 OST All Rights Reserved Printed in the U.S.A. Departments 9 The Workshop – Neville Rossiter Contributors: O Scale Trains 10 Easements for the Learning Curve – Brian Scace welcomes your feature articles, photos, and drawings. Such material should be sent to the above address for 14 Traction Action – Roger Jenkins possible publication. If we accept, you will be notified 21 Modelers Shelf immediately. For more information concerning article preparation guidelines, please send an SASE to the 34 Crapola From The Cupola – John C. Smith above address and request our “Guide For Authors” 36 Reader Feedback – Letters to the Editor or visit our website. 40 Confessions of a HiRailer – Hobo D. Hirailer 42 Product News & Reviews Cover:A GE 70 tonner does daily switching chores on Mike Culham’s Great Central Railway. RY Models 50 Narrow Minded – Bobber Gibbs makes the Diesel. Photo by Mike Culham. 53 Proto48 – Gene Deimling Centerspread:A C&O Allegheny passes a Greenbrier 58 Buy-Sell-Trade Ads at Sewell station while a track hand gets ready to 59 Advertiser Index inspect the rails. The Allegheny is a Sunset model, the Greenbrier is by MTH. The yellow railcar and trailer is 60 Events Listing from RY Models. Sewell station was scratchbuilt by 61 OST Dealer List Reed Artim of O Scale Realty. The scene was staged 62 Observations – Joe Giannovario and photographed by Jeb Kriigel of Get Real Produc- tions. ©2003 by Get Real Productions OST is a proud Member of the Model Railroad Industry Association Jan/Feb '04 - O Scale Trains • 3 The GREATBy CENTRAL Mike Culham RAILWAY Kilkenny Widget Company My interest in O scale model trains started at a very early look back again to the smaller scales. age. My father and grandfather were both O scalers; my father My grandfather’s layout was called the Great Central Rail- had a trolley layout and my grandfather had a steam layout. I way and I have taken this name for my own layout in memory was shown by my grandfather how to build bench work and of him and my father. hand lay track when I was five years old and I developed my About the Great Central Railway skills from there. The Great Central is a Class 2 railway operating during the 1960’s. It runs in the northeast corner of Maine connecting with the Maine Central at Guilfoyle Junction in the south and with the Canadian Pacific Railway at Inwood on the US/Cana- dian border in the north. The GCR has three branch lines as well, including the Abbie Springs branch that connects at Inwood and runs down to the coast. This is the section of the Great Central that I model. Because of the light rail and the weight restrictions on bridges, the GCR has a fleet of GE 70 ton diesels that handle this line. The engine house for this branch is at Inwood, and on a good day you will see the 70 Tonners plus GCRs and CPRs GP-9s. This makes for some very interesting railfanning. On any given day during the week there are three trains that han- A shot of my grandfather with a display of his O scale trains after he had won dle the movement of freight on the branch, an early morning third place in a Toronto Hobby Show In the 1950s. way freight, the mill turn and then an afternoon mixed train. The Layout When I was fifteen I started modeling in HO and did so for The layout was started in 1999 and is about 90% complete. about 30 years. I went back to O scale about five years ago It runs along two walls, and through three rooms in my base- after I built an Intermountain kit and found that I could see the ment. It measures 31 feet by 20 feet and is 32 inches at its parts without the need of an Opti-Visor to see and tweezers to widest point. The framework is a boxed frame with the table handle the parts. (The age thing is catching up on me) top made of layers of pink building insulation foam. I have That was it. I was hooked again on O scale, and I will not used this method on my layout for four years now and have 4 • O Scale Trains - Jan/Feb '04 Industries in Tara Mills Acme Steel Construction materials: scratch built using Evergreen styrene with detail parts from Rix. Types of freight cars received: gondolas and flatcars. T. C. Food Products Construction materials: DPM mod- ule walls and scratch built sections with detail parts from Walthers and Rix. Types of freight cars received: boxcars, refrigerator cars and tank cars. R. Blackwood Furniture Construction materials: wall parts Acme Steel not had any problems. The backdrop, layout fascia and lighting valance are 1 made of ⁄8 inch Masonite. (see Figure 1 for details of layout construction) The track is code 125 nickel silver rail, hand laid with four spikes per tie and is detailed with Right-O’-Way track details. The turnouts are a mixture of B.K. Enterprises and Right-O’-Way and are fully detailed. Turnouts are powered with Tortoise slow action motors. The layout is operated with a Digitrax DCC system with plug-in outlets every twelve feet along the layout face. The engines are DCC equipped and have T. C. Food Products R. Blackwood Furniture Company sound by Soundtraxx. All turnouts are controlled by DCC also, using Digi- trax DS44 stationary decoders. Scenery is made using Woodland Scenics products, employing the same techniques as described in many of the “How To” books on scenery. As you can see from the track plan, the GCR serves 10 industries on the Engine # 23 waits in the siding for #22 to clear on its way modeled portion of the branch. Let’s take a look at these. back to Inwood. Jan/Feb '04 - O Scale Trains • 5 C. Hill & B. Lane Cold Storage Construction materials: made from scratch with Evergreen styrene. Types of freight cars received: refrigerator cars and boxcars J. Bird Feed and Seed Construction materials: made from a Walthers kit with extra details added. Types of freight cars received: boxcars and covered hoppers.