December 2011 Extra 503 (B&LE Connection) at Madison, OH Cleveland District - Nickel Plate Road by Bud Brueggeman The Year in NKP Models MODELER’S NOTEBOOK STAFF EDITOR/WEBMASTER John C. Fryar MODELING EDITOR William C. Quick MODELING COORDINATOR Henry C. Brueggeman NKPHTS BOARD OF DIRECTORS NATIONAL DIRECTOR Matthew E. Fruchey MEMBERSHIP DIRECTOR Thomas W. Newell ASST. NATIONAL DIRECTOR Willard A. Harvey, Jr. SPECIAL PROJECTS DIRECTOR Brian J. Carlson PAST NATIONAL DIRECTOR William C. Quick INTERNET SERVICES DIRECTOR John C. Fryar NATIONAL SECRETARY David B. Allen, Jr. DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR Joseph P. Juratovac NATIONAL TREASURER William M. Fisher ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR Timothy P. Adang INFORMATION DIRECTOR M. David Vaughn ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR Paul L. Emch PUBLICATIONS DIRECTOR Thos. G. J. Gascoigne ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR Nathan Fries ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR Thomas E. Harris CONTENTS 1. Cleveland District - Nickel Plate Road by Bud Brueggeman ® NKPHTS 2. The Year 2011 in NKP Models PO Box 272 Highland MD 20777-0272 Cleveland District - Nickel Plate Road Painesville, Perry, Madison, and Unionville, Ohio With the Perry, Ohio FP&E RR Connection by Bud Brueggeman, Modeling Coordinator, #29 For many years (since I was about 3 years old) my grandfather Goodwin would take me to the Route 306 crossing in Mentor, OH to watch NKP and NYC trains. I found out many years later that my grandfather Brueggeman did work for the NKP! We saw many diesels and some steam on the Central, but, my favorite memories have been of the few NKP trains we saw on those weekend days. Seems most NKP trains ran early morning or evening around Mentor when a little boy is home. I clearly remember double headed Berks Westbound so fast that the smoke was parallel to the engine!! Later I lived near the above towns and spent much time at these locations watching trains - leading me to develop a layout with these favorite spots covered. I would have included Mentor and more of Painesville but I ran out of room. 2 After some false starts due to moves, I have been finally able to build an operating layout. It roughly measures about 15'x25', primarily around the wall with a continuous loop and a branch. The towns are in railroad order from east to west in view blocks. If visitors are not operating, they can pick a town (as I did) and sit there and watch trains pass. This is the primary purpose of the railroad: railfan at a certain spot and wait for trains to come. But, there is plenty of local and switching, too. The Painesville B&O interchange and the Perry FP&E interchange each provided around 22,000 carloads (according to the “Ohio Along the Line” book). There are both east and west locals, as well as a Painesville “Back Out” and 2 Perry Turns daily, in addition to the many freights each way (about 14-16 each way daily) per NKP operating records. And, of course, passenger trains! For a railfan or an operator there is plenty of action to watch or freight to move. Since this is June-July 1958, there is minimal steam but there is steam! In this time frame most trains I observed were diesel. I did, however, see quite a bit of steam, so I have some running on the layout. Now for the statistics: my section of the division is DC with walk around control (too many locos to convert to DCC) with hand throw switches (there will be some powered eventually). Track is Code 70 on the main and passing tracks - a good representative of the NKP’s 110lb. mainline used extensively in my territory. Shinohara track and switches are predominate on the main and FP&E. The eight track staging yard is code 83 stub end. This will be changed to a run through yard as I learned a lesson here: a stub end staging yard to handle Eastbound and Westbound trains is acceptable but only if you don’t mind handling equipment (I realized that I do mind). While trains do run daily, and I am enjoying the freights and passengers on the NKP, I am progressing on scenery, rail/tie painting and ballast. All of these projects are continuous and will be continually improved. Fortunately for my modeled area, there are few commercial buildings other than railroad related structures so my investment has been in very realistic trees and other scenic materials instead of town buildings. I have some TCS station kits to build for each town, with some additional building modifications for each town, and to add other NKP company buildings. I have substituted some old Lindberg stations and an AHM station until the others are built. I have done the same thing in regard to the local industries: substitute but need to scratch build some industries and the loading ramp at Madison. In each town I have done minimal compression but have retained the basic track layout for every town including the FP&E trackage I am modeling. After looking at an old 1954 Official guide, I added the FP&E trackage parallel to the NKP main from Perry to Madison, so I have an additional branch to run to a stone quarry and cold storage warehouse the FP&E served. The staging yard feeds the main from a series of sidings and main tracks that are exactly like the Madison layout in 1958. This worked out very well for the Madison trackage arrangement. Signals are Oregon Rail Products except the fact I will have to scratch build the signal bridges for Madison and Perry since the Iron Duke does not have those. However, the Duke has provided the parts so I thought I’d give him a free plug! Because of the two rooms I am using, the towns are separated by a wall. At first I was dismayed by this as I wanted a nice open run but the wall caused the view block concept to work very nicely without my having to build any partitions. Enjoy the enclosed pictures and write me if you have any questions or comments. Watching the NKP fast freights and passenger trains brings back those memories of the Nickel Plate Road I remember. The railroad is far from finished but the work schedule I have allows me to work along at a nice pace. 3 View of Staging Yard FP&E NKP Interchange Yard Perry, OH #6 thru Perry 4 #6 towards Madison 541 Switching Madison 5 B&O, NKP at Painesville, OH Looking West at Madison, 1958 6 Looking West to Perry Madison View 1958 7 NC5 at Painesville, 1958 NC5 at Unionville, 1958 8 NC5 meets extra 456 at Painesville, OH, 1958 Perry-FP&E interchange 9 Extra 503 (B&LE Connection) at Madison, OH Madison-Silica Loading Area 10 THE YEAR 2011 IN NKP MODELS The following is a list of all NKP or NKP related models announced in the E-List Newsletter in 2011. The list is for reference only, as release dates varied throughout the year and not every model may still be available. Some models required an advance reservation. Please check the manufacturer website or your hobby store for availability. CURRENT DECEMBER LISTING Lionel NKP and W&LE 2-6-6-2 Mallets. $1,299.99 each. ETA December 2011. Lionel website page here. NKP Offset Hopper w/load. $69.99. Walthers shows ETA July 2012. Lionel website page here. Also shown on Walthers website here. Intermountain Railway Co. N-Scale NKP Centralia Car Shops Corrugated Coach. $39.95. Expected: TBA. No photo available. Shown on Walthers website here. Deluxe Innovations 1. Vintage by Deluxe(TM) NKP N-scale 2-Bay Covered Hopper. Price TBA. ETA TBA. Also available in two and three packs. Advanced Reservation. No photo available. Shown on Walthers website here. 2. NKP N-scale 1944 40' AAR Boxcar. Price TBA. ETA TBA. Also available in two and three packs. Advanced Reservation. No photo available. Shown on Walthers website here. Atlas O NKP Steel Re-Built Box Car. Road Number 27826. 3-Rail, MSRP: $59.95. 2-Rail, MSRP: $65.95. Estimated Delivery: 2nd Quarter 2012. Website: http://www.atlaso.com/osteelrebuilt6.htm. 11 Athearn Roundhouse HO NKP 30' 3-window caboose. $29.98. 3 road numbers. Orders due 12-16-11. ETA: July 2012. http://www.athearn.com/ newsletter/112211/09_RND_3wCab_112211.jpg Roundhouse HO Indianapolis, Peru, & Chicago 36' boxcar. $24.98. 3 road numbers. Orders due 12-16-11. ETA: July 2012. Ran out of Michigan City as well. http://www.athearn.com/newsletter/112211/08_RND_36_boxcar_112211.jpg PAST 2011 LISTINGS ACCURAIL HO-scale NKP 55-Ton Wood Side Twin Hoppers. 3-number set. http://www.accurail.com/accurail/2700.htm HO NKP 7700 Series Offset-Side Twin Hopper. Road number 33206. Retail $13.98. http://www.accurail.com/accurail/7700.htm (scroll down on page for #7716) ATHEARN HO RTR NKP 1955 Ford F-100 Panel Truck. The truck is MofW No.143. Item #27684. Retail Price: $15.98. http://athearn.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=ATH27684 HO and N Scale RTR NKP GATC 2600 Airslide Covered Hoppers. Three road numbers; 615, 623, 624. Retail Price: $44.98 HO; $25.98 N. HO: http://athearn.com/Search/Default.aspx?SearchTerm=gatc2600hopper+RTR&CatID=THRF&NYA=1 N: http://athearn.com/Search/Default.aspx?SearchTerm=gatc+2600+airslide&CatID=TNRF 12 Genesis HO NKP GP9 Phase II w/36" fans (road numbers 452 & 468), Phase III w/48" fans (#514), and with large fuel tank, steam generator and torpedo tubes (#483). Available with or without DCC & Sound ($289.98 and $189.98 respectively) http://www.athearn.com/newsletter/092011/02_Gen_GP9_NKP_092011.jpg Athearn HO NKP GP 35 Road Number 910.