3 rd Quarter 2014 NYCSHS Modeler’s E-zine Volume 4 Number 3 An added focus for the Society on NYC Modeling Table of Contents Building an O-Scale NYC-Like Layout By Bob Shaw 26 Using 3-D Printing to Build HO-Scale “Dry Bulk” Trailers By Barry Clements 38 The NYC Engineering Department By Manuel Duran-Duran 41 The Harmon Files By Larry Faulkner 47 Building My NYC DFA/B in HO- Scale – Part 2 Bob Shaw’s table construction. (Photo by Bob By Rick DeCandido Shaw) 55 Building an O-Scale NYC-Like Layout Point and Go Tortoise Control By Pete LaGuardia Bob Shaw teaches us some exciting new 60 techniques for building a model railroad History of the NYCRR’s West Side from the beginning. This is the first of Freight Lines – Part 2 several articles that will follow Bob along as By Ron Parisi 62 he builds a new O-scale model railroad. This article takes us from the beginning as he Regular From the Cab 4 Extra Board 6 constructs the layout foundation and has the Features What’s New 8 backdrop painted. Future articles will take us through the various steps required to NYCSHS RPO 18 build a complete layout. (Page 26) The Observation Car 76 The NYCSHS provides considerable NYC Railroad information that is very Check out the NYCentral Modeler features, “From The New York useful for modelers. Pages 3 & 5. Central Engineering Department” by Manuel Duran-Duran and the “Harmon Files” by Larry Faulkner. They will offer scale drawings of NYCS structures and take you through the steps to build them. 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. NYCentral Modeler 3rd Quarter 2014 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 Only the Central Headlight is combined efforts of several available to members, and former employees of the New each issue contains a wealth York Central Railroad. The of information each quarter. NYCSHS is chartered as a non- From steam to diesel (and Board of Directors profit corporation under the laws electric), from freight to R.J. Barrett, C.J. Beargie, P.T. Carver, J. Epperson, T.R. of the state of Ohio. The mission passenger, from branchline Gerbracht, J. Hands, S.H. of the NYCSHS is to perpetuate to mainline, the Central Lustig, R.C. Schiring, D. the legacy of the New York Headlight covers it all. Our Simonaitis, R.L. Stoving, J.C. Central System and its Annual Meetings focus on Suhs, N.F. Widdifield predecessor lines and subsidiary the preservation of New Directors Emeriti: A.K. Bush, roads through the acquisition and York Central railroad history J.W. Mills, J.P. Quinlivan preservation of their various with informative speakers, (Founder) histories, traditions, documents, presentations, and tours. The Editor: Noel Widdifield records, and artifacts; and Society also has many NYC Asst. Editors: Tom Bailey through the dissemination of reference books and John Martin accurate information in a manner drawings available for Proof Editor Julie Sanders that is consistent with good purchase. Membership is stewardship and preservation. open to all; so don't delay; Engineering Dept. Manuel Duran- Duran Your membership gets you four join today! www.nycshs.net Harmon Files Larry Faulkner issues of the popularly acclaimed Layout Drawing Artist 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 Ron Parisi, Brian Marotta, Dave Mackay, Ralph Schiring, Jeff English, Noel Widdifield, Dave Staplin, Paul Pickard, Lawrence Faulkner, Manuel Duran-Duran, Kyle Coble, Dan Seligmann, Seth Lakin, Larry Grant, and Rich Stoving. We have released over ten models at 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- and even O–scale models to be released in coming months. Watch our website and “Collinwood Shop” online store for more information. We have released several NYC models over the last year, but if you have some ideas for us, contact us at [email protected] NYCentral Modeler 3rd Quarter 2014 3 Little Things Mean a Lot By President R. L. Stoving “Blow me a kiss from across the room, say photograph. Virtually any railroad photo I look nice when I’m not.” If you’re of my will yield interesting modeling ideas. generation you might remember the 1954 Yes, little things do mean a lot. If you Kitty Kallen hit song that reminded a spend a lot of time in the train room and hubby or boyfriend that little things mean there’s also a sweetie in your life, you a lot in affairs of the heart. 1954 was the might want to pull up the song on the year that I started dating my bride-to-be, internet and listen to Kitty’s good advice. and I guess we’ve both remembered some of the little things, because we’re still very much in love sixty years later. Little things mean a lot on a model railroad, too. Small things like an interesting load on a flat car, switch rodding at a tower, or a family picnic scene near the high iron tend to capture the eye of a viewer and keep it from dwelling on such unavoidable modeling shortcomings as ridiculously sharp curves, out-of-perspective backgrounds, and the unavoidable “drop off the face of the earth” right under the viewer’s nose. Little things can be very little. Flanger signs, mileposts, whistle posts, telephone boxes, etc. all add to any scene. Moreover, if they replicate the appearance and practice of a particular railroad, they establish the “feel” of that railroad in miniature. New York Central’s uniquely shaped whistle posts come to mind. Little things are nice, too, because adding them to a model scene generally does not entail the investment of a lot of time, effort, or cash. And for someone like me, who has a model railroad that is basically finished, they can provide modeling challenges that will keep the creative juices flowing. Need some inspiration? Just look at some railroad photos. Kalmbach’s Classic Trains recently initiated a “What’s in a Some official NYC drawings from our latest DVD. “NYCS Standard Plans for Right of Photograph” series that, in each issue, Way and Structures”. Available at identifies and explains a plethora of www.NYCSHS.net NYCSHS “Collinwood trackside items found in a single Shop” NYCentral Modeler 3rd Quarter 2014 4 The NYCentral Modeler From the Cab This publication of the NYCSHS is for the purpose of providing NYCS modeling Every time I sit down to write this column, I am information. It is a publication by the NYCSHS reminded of the more than 1600 members in the Modeling Committee –- all rights reserved. It NYCSHS. We estimate that about 75% of those may be reproduced for personal use only. It is members are associated with modeling in some not for sale. way. We encourage articles and photos submitted The two surveys we have conducted on modeling for publication. Materials submitted are have given us some insight into how you model considered to be gratis and no reimbursement and what you would like to see us do to improve will be made to the author(s) or the our support to modelers. photographer(s) or his/her representative(s). The Society reserves the right to reject, for any The NYCSHS Modeling Committee meets about reason, any material submitted. once a month to review our support to all of you who model. We feel an important responsibility to We especially need articles for scales in make sure that all we do supports of all of you addition to HO. We have complaints that we modelers. only publish HO-scale articles. That is because we only get HO-scale articles from you. We have listened to what you are saying to us in the surveys and are doing our best to bring you Please contact the editor for submission what you ask for in those surveys, emails, and information and guidelines. We have a style comments. guide to be used for articles and will send it to any aspiring author. Photos should be Check out the NYCSHS website at submitted at not less than 640 x 480 pixels and www.NYCSHS.org for some new features for the in JPG, TIFF or PDF format. Statements and modeler. Look at the pulldown button “Modeling opinions made are those of the authors and Resources” on the front page. We have several don’t necessarily represent those of the Society. new menu items called “NYCSHS Model Offerings,” “Modeling Videos,” and “Modeling We make every effort to ensure all information Technical Data”. is technically correct but do not guarantee it for accuracy. All articles and photos should be Please send me your articles, comments and/or sent to: [email protected] corrections. [email protected] I really want to hear what you think concerning Thanks, Noel this issue and about your modeling or collecting.