November 1 $3.95 Higher in Canada 1 1 > o 74470 91672 7 steel-style cab and wagon-top ill> How do we keep the excitement building in our large scale Spectrum® line? With a Climax, of course. For your railroad, or for your collection, this is the next Bachmann locomotive that everyone is talking about. Suggested Retail Price: $799.95 SHIPPING NOW MODEL RAILROADING November 1998 VOLUME 28 NUMBER II FEATURES 20 T DIESEL DETAIL CLOSE-UP Santa Fe GP7 by Rich Picariello 48 T MODELING MODERN INTERMODAL Spine Cars, Part 4A: 23 T Build A Custom Track-Cleaning Modeling a Thrall 48' All-Purpose Coalporter® in N Scale by Doug Geiger; MMR by Jon Myers 24 T The Early SD Units - Part 14: 54 T The Waterfront Series Project Southern Pacific & Union Pacific Modeling Mobile's Alabama State Docks by George Melvin Part 1 - A Look Back in Time by Mike Broadway with Bob Beaty 32 T FREIGHTCAROLOGY Amtrak's Boxcars by David G. Casdorph 58 T BEHIND THE SCENES Rough Cut: Creating 36 T Harvey Robinson's Rock Walls with Plaster Essex Lakeside Railroad & by Margaret Mansfield by Art Fahie 42 T Royal Purple - Part 1: 60 T ON TRACK The Atlantic Coast Line GP7 Bridging the Gap: The Dilemma (Part 3) by Jim Six by Jim Mansfield DEPARTMENTS 5 T Editorial 12 T New Products 16 T Letters to the Editor 17 T Product Reviews 63 T Dealer Directory 73 T Your Trek Plan 77 T The Boys in the Basement .8 o it '" "'--_ ____ T Advertiser Index ____ 78 ABOUT THE COVER We stern Pacific GP7 7ll climbs out of the valley with a short mixed freight in tow on Randy Lee's Blake modules. The modules, which are part of the Colorado Rail Link modular layout, have just recently received a new continuous backdrop, courtesy of Backdrop Warehouse. Turn to page 17 for a review of this new Proto 2000 locomotive and to see what details were added to turn it into this prototypical WP GP7. Photo by Randy Lee. INSET: Next month, Harvey Robinson's Essex & Lakeside Railroad celebrates is 40th anniversary. Join Art Fahie as he takes us for a tour of what has become a New England tradition to many. Phoro by Art Fahie. The Premier Track Planning Tool for All Scales The accuracy of CAD layout ... Easier to use than a penc[ Drive your train in 3D! Now you can easily create accurate custom model railroad designs with stunning landscapes, prototypical rolling stock. buildings and bridges -then drive your train through it in 3D. Watch your trains from the perspective of a user, or be the engineer, even looking out the cab's side windows! Select rolling stock from 3rd Planlt's Object Library, or design your own using tools made specifically for model railroading. Create your own Rolling Stock by making a group of body components and trucks, then mark the two pivot points of the trucks. Add couplers to the group and it's ready to run. The trucks realistically pivot to follow the track as each locomotive and car moves through curves. J-tl tJ · J Change any piece of Rolling Stock into a Locomotive with speed and acceleration controls by selecting an option. Multiple Locomotives in a consist are MU'd into a single throttle automatically. You can even run more than one train at a time, with a separate throttle for each train. Switch turnouts, couple and decouple to recreate real switching action on your computer. , . ��.:-�l-"J;t 3rd Planlt Version 3 retains the innovative automated layout features that established it as the new leader in model railroad design software. Tools such as Auto-Trim, Auto-Extend, Target Object Highlighting, Smart Turnouts and Turnout Connections (patents pending) let you create your design quickly while you enjoy model railroading. 3rd Planlt comes with a large library of buildings, landscape and track from various manufacturers such as Walthers, Shinohara, Atlas, Peco, Marklin, Micro Engineering, Pilz and DPM to get you started quickly. Tel: 916-939-3452 EI Dorado Software Fax: 916-939-3452 2222 Francisco Drive, Suite 51 0-196 System requirements EI Dorado Hills, CA 95762 IBM/PC 486-90orabove Windows 95, 98 or 4.0 web site http://www.eldoradosoft.com NT Upgrade $44.95 20Mb disk, 76Mb RAM e-mail [email protected] Free demo on web site Plus S5.00 shipping & handling (S 10.00 infl)- CA residents add 7.25%sales tax MODEL RAILROADING EDITORIAL EDITOR I PUBLISHER Randall B. Lee CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Sharing the Spirit David Bontrager A. ovember. ..a time for thanksgiving ...a time for celebra­ David G. Casdorph tion... and a time for sharing the hobby of model rail­ Doug Geiger, MMR N roading. It seems hard to believe that November is already here Patrick Lawson, MMR again. Isn't it amazing how much faster each year goes by... al­ Jim and Margaret Mansfield most like somebody forgot to turnoff the fast clock in the layout George Melvin room ...and it's now keeping time for the I: I world. Well, be that Rich Picariello as it may. it's once again National Model Railroad Month, and our "Your Trek Plan for Larry J. Puckett the Weekend" column is overflowing with announcements of shows and open houses Jim Six that are scheduled around this time of year to enable modelers to share their love of Larry E. Smith, MMR model rai lroading with others in their communities. By the time you read this, more than half of November will be gone, but there are probably still plenty of opportunities for you to visit one or more of the events sched­ ART DIRECTORS Erik Fritz uled for your area. And if there aren't any events scheduled in your area, now is your chance to plan one of your own for next year. Michelle Ruffner But shows and open houses aren't the only way you can share the joys and plea­ CIRCULATION I OFF ICE MANAGER sures of model rai lroading this year. Next month, in communities throughout the Donald R. Strait US ...and probably the world ...orga nizations will be sponsoring campaigns to provide toys for chi Idren. These programs are often coordinated by local radio stations that collect information about the wants and desires of children in need from charitable NATIONAL SALES MANAGER Chris Lane organizations, social agencies... even from police and fire departments. They then try to find a donor willing to commit to filling a specific child's unique request. 1-888-338-1700 Why not take the initiative and let them know that you are willing to purchase one... or more ...train sets for a child(ren) who might ask. Who is better qualified to Volume 28, Issue 11. MODEL RAILROADING is pub­ select a train set than you? Your years in the hobby have given you the knowledge to lished 12 times a year by Highlands Station, Inc., 2600 S. Parker Rd., Suite 1-211, Aurora, CO 80014, (303) 338- diffe rentiate between a quality set that can start a child on the road to a lifetime of 1700. Price per single copy is $3.95 in U.S.A. Subscriptions enjoyment. .. and a junky, but usually glitzy, set than will only lead to frustration and are $31.95 in the U.S.A. or $40.00 in Canada (or foreign) disappointment. You could end up giving a lot more than a mere toy - you could be - payable in U.S. funds. Unsolicited manuscripts or giving a child a pastime that he ...or she ...will enjoy for the rest of his or her life. If not photographs should be accompanied by return postage, you, then who? and Highlands Station, Inc., assumes no responsibility for But even if you can't afford to do it on your own, what is stopping you from get­ the loss or damage of such material. No part of this publi­ ting your club, division, or a few modeling buddies to pool your resources to see that a cation may be reprinted without written permission from the publisher. Printed in U.s.A. child has the opportunity to sample firsthand what has given you so much pleasure? The information contained in the various articles in this While I don't pretend to speak for your local hobby shop owner, I suspect that many magazine is presented in good faith, but no warranty is would be more than happy to offer a special discount if they knew the purpose of your given, no results guaranteed, nor is any freedom from any purchase. But remember too, this is your gift. .. not theirs. patent or copyright to be inferred. Since we have no con­ And finally, I'd like to let you know of one more event you can take part in this trol over the physical conditions surrounding the applica­ month that isn't listed in "Your Trek Plan." On Saturday, November 21, from 9AM to tion of information in this magazine, Highlands Station, 9PM, the Southeastern Model Railroaders Association (SEMRA) will be holding a Inc., and the various authors and editors disclaim any lia­ bility for untoward results and/or for any physical injury in­ one-day event at the Radisson at the Airport (formerly the Double Tree) at 50 I 0 Old curred by using the information herein. National Hwy. in Atlanta. This group, which is an Internet user group of modelers Copyright © 1998 by Highlands Station, Inc. interested in modeling southeastern roads, was started by Jim Six and a few others earlier this year.