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2-RAIL ‘O’ SCALEwithHudson PowerS a n t a F e C l a s s 3 4 6 0Santa Fe 4-6-4 2-Rail Steam Locomotive20-3135-2 w/Proto-Sound ® 2.0 $999.95Powerful HeadlightMetal Wheels and AxlesDetailed CabRising passenger volume for theAtchison, Topeka & Santa Fe’s 922miles of main line service betweenLa Junta, Colorado and Chicagocreated the demand for a new class of 4-6-4 Hudson locomotive from the BaldwinLocomotive Works. Six of these Class 3460oil burning locomotives were delivered in1938. The 3460 class were the largest 4-6-4 types yet produced and utilized a fueloil tank built into the water tank inside thetender for easy conversion of the locomotiveto a coal-burning version.Fully outfitted with the power and performanceof Proto-Sound ® 2.0, the Class 3460Hudson is the first Premier Line 2-rail steamengine to ship with synchronized puffingsmoke, Proto-Speed Control for incredibleslow speed action and the industry's mostrealistic digital sound system. Capable ofoperating on either DC or AC power, thislocomotive can be quickly converted for 3-rail operation if desired — an industry first!The FIRST engines offered to2-RAIL Enthusiastsincluding these incredible features:• Superior patented synchronized puffing smoke• Superior patented locomotive speed control thatreally works in conventional or command mode• Patented Proto-Scale 3-2 for quick conversion toand from 2 and 3-rail operation• Unique digital sound features including squeakingbrakes, Doppler, train wreck, clickty-clack andmuch more• Unsurpassed value in conventional or commandoperationFind your Nearest Dealerat www.mthtrains.com©2004 M.T.H. Electric Trains

Modelingfor theO ScaleCraftsmanIssue #16Sept/Oct 2004Vol. 3, No. 5Editor/PublisherJoe Giannovariojag@oscalemag.comArt DirectorJaini Giannovariojaini@oscalemag.comAssociate EditorBrian Scacebrian@oscalemag.comAdvertising ManagerJeb Kriigeljeb@oscalemag.comContributorsTed ByrneGene DeimlingBobber GibbsCarey HinchHobo D. HirailerRoger JenkinsJace KahnNeville RossiterSubscription Rates: 6 issuesUS - Standard Mail DeliveryUS$30US - First Class Delivery (1 year only) US$40Canada/MexicoUS$50OverseasUS$75Visa, MC, AMEX & Discover acceptedCall 610-363-7117 duringEastern time business hoursDealers write for terms.Advertisers write for informationor visit our website.O Scale Trains ISSN 1536-9528www.oscalemag.comPublished bimonthly (6 times a year) byO Scale Trains Magazine,PO Box 238, Lionville PA 19353-0238© 2004 OST All Rights ReservedPrinted in the U.S.A.Contributors: O Scale Trains welcomes your featurearticles, photos, and drawings. Such material should be sentto the above address for possible publication. If we accept,you will be notified immediately. For more information concerningarticle preparation guidelines, please send an SASEto the above address and request our “Guide For Authors” orvisit our website at: www.oscalemag.com.Cover: Ted’s Signs is just one of many scratchbuilt structureson Gary Patterson’s 3-Rail Cherel Valley RR.Centerspread: New Englanders will long remember thewinter of 1948-49. Here, a Boston and Maine R1dMountain makes a stop to load mail and milk on theFitchburg Line. The snow won’t ease off for long! Thelocomotive was built by Tom Harley, using a WestsideRF&P Governor and a KTM UP tender as startingpoints. Photo by K. Jeb Kriigel, Get Real Productions.OST is a proud Member of theModel Railroad Industry AssociationO TrainsScaleFeatures4 Cheryl Valley RailroadGary Patterson does 3-Rail with a 2-Rail scale feeling.10 Layout in a Small Space: 11'x19'Some thoughts on small O Scale pikes from Mike Culham.14 Yards, Part 3 — Division Point YardHerm Botzow finishes up his great series on yard designs.19 Red Caboose Reefer Kit BashThe venerable Red Caboose reefer gets transformed by Tom Kabele.27 Building the Depot at Early WintersNeed a small depot? C. Victor Robart describes how he built this littlejewel from old plans in MR.34 An Old Atlas Caboose RevisitedU.S. O Scale from down-under. Paul Hemsworth reworks an oldInternational clear-vision cab.38 Some Thoughts for Scratchbuilders on Finding DimensionsHow large is that sand box? Brian Scace shares his techniques forgleaning prototype measurements from photos.Departments13 Modeler’s Shelf, also pages 36, 55, 6122 Traction Action – Roger Jenkins25 Easements for the Learning Curve – Brian Scace41 Narrow Minded – Bobber Gibbs42 Fine Scale Modeling – Gene Deimling44 Reader Feedback – Letters to the Editor46 Product News & Reviews53 The Workshop - Neville Rossiter54 The Good Old Days - Jace Kahn56 Confessions of a HiRailer – Hobo D. Hirailer58 Buy-Sell-Trade Ads59 Advertiser Index60 Events Listing62 Observations – Joe GiannovarioSept/Oct ’04 - O Scale Trains •

Photos by Ted Williamsby the Staff of O Scale Trains1: These yard structures are built from Thomas Yorke kits. Notice the standard railroad paint scheme on all five buildings, giving a commonappearance to Cherel Valley's structures.In 1991, Gary Patterson’s Cherel Valley got its start in a rathernormal fashion, as a 4x8 loop-type railroad. As a result of hiswife’s urging, Gary dug out a Lionel train set, packed away afterthey married in 1962, and soon trains were running on that circleof track. So far, it sounds like a pretty standard story. What developedis anything but standard, normal or run-of-the-mill!Gary tells us, “Why did I chooseto use 3 Rail? Well, I had used Gargravestrackage on my first layout.I was familiar with the ease of ACwiring and trackwork ‘in its simplestform’ and not living too far(50 miles) from the Gargraves factorywere deciding factors. Anothermajor factor in going with the scale(Hi-rail) scenario was that a goodfriend of mine, Westbrook Evans,had a large O Scale layout withmany well done “kit” buildings.He encouraged me to try a kit. Idid, I was able to build it, and I washooked.”Now there are, at last count, 71kits or scratchbuilt structures onthe layout. No two kits are alike,and many of them bear almost noresemblance to what the original • O Scale Trains - Sept/Oct ’04manufacturer intended. Structures and their usage range fromthose that “just happened’ to discrete scenes such as Main Streetin Cherel Valley, built from drawings in Harry Brunk’s book, UpClear Creek on the Narrow Gauge. The overall flavor ranges fromrural to the concrete jungles of Central City.The scenery on the Cherel Valley is mostly built using the2: Ophansky’s was built from a Steam EraStructures kit, with many details added tocomplete the scene.

Cherel Valley RailroadCVRR DetailsTrack: Gargraves, 3-RailSwitches: Gargraves, Ross & Curtiss with DelAire pneumatic switch machinesMax Grade: 4 percentControl System: Lionel TMCC® with blockcontrol signalingScenery: Screen & plaster with ground foamStructures: 71 total, either kit or scratchbuilt3: The Root Beer Factory is scratchbuilt using a drawing by Gary's web designer and fellow modeler, Ted Williams.Sept/Oct ’04 - O Scale Trains •

4: Today's steamexcursion ispulled by a NYCJ1e Hudson,smuggled fromthe clutches ofthe scrap dealerand lovinglyrestored by theC.V.R.R. shopforces. Wait 'tilthe railfan presshears about thisone!5: Central Plastics was built from a fourpartarticle by Mike Tylick.Here, chemicals used to make plasticpellets arrive in tank cars.time honored screen wire and plaster method. After the basic forms are created,paper towels are dipped in plaster andstretched over the screening to create the terrain.Ground foam and other texturing bringit to life, followed by lots of trees, bushes,figures, vehicles, and hundreds of detail castings.As you can see from the photographs,the scenery has a decidedly Western flavor,although Gary likes to run some Eastern prototypelocomotives along with his UP, ATSF, andSP power.This is not just a display or diorama, therailroad runs as good as it looks. There areindustries to switch, loads-in/loads-out scenarios(such as a mine-to-tidewater coal operation),and lots of operating potential here.Gary describes the track plan, saying it “justseemed to materialize as I built the layout, a4x8 section to a time. I had to change trackonce in a while but overall it is a very useable • O Scale Trains - Sept/Oct ’047: A Precision Laser Craft kit forms thebasis for Wiggins' Wagons and Wire.The structure in the background isscratchbuilt.6: Looking quite at home in Cherel Valley's Western flavoredscenery, a Santa Fe trailer train meets a UP coal drag.layout. There are several places to turnan entire train around, lots of sidings, 1large yard, 1 interchange yard, 2 mindbenderswitching areas. There neverwas an overall track plan during construction.”Continuous running is also an optionon the Cherel Valley. There are twomain lines, each has a passing siding.The tracks can be configured to allowcontinuous runs for three trains. Theruling grades on the mainlines are 3 to4%. “This sure shows off Lionel’s OdysseySystem (cruise control), set speedand forget it. When running three trainsat scale speeds (all engines with Odyssey)it makes for some very interestingvideo shots or just sittin’ and watchin’.”Gary uses Gargraves, Ross and Curtissswitches. He started out using NJIelectric switch machines but changedto pneumatic equipment after seeingDel-Aire’s product line at a York T.C.A.

meet, finding it much easier to install. The air operatedswitch machines also hold the points very solidly. Inkeeping with the scenery quality, all trackage is ballastedfor added realism.A Lionel TMCC control system is used, although theentire layout is blocked between switches. Double-poleswitches are used for block control and power distribution,allowing operators to use either side of Gary’s ZWpower supplies in each block. Insulated rail sections withrelays are used for signaling.Steam power shares the rails with Diesels on the CherelValley. Currently, the steamers have such pedigrees asLionel, Weaver, Williams, Kline, and MTH. Diesels representthe efforts of Weaver, AtlasO, Lionel, MTH, and RedCaboose. Rolling stock comes from Weaver, MTH, Atlas,and AHM. There are lots of kit-built freight cars, too,ranging from Quality Craft “stick kits” to the latest from8: Dominating the view of Central City is the Schlock Brewery. Thestructure is kitbashed from good ol' AHM/IHC engine house kitsand covers the household wastewater cleanout pipe.9: Johnson Leather Works was built from a kit designed by Roger Malinowski.Notice how the structure foundation is carefully nestled into the surroundingground cover with no apparent gaps.remote couplers has now given 2-Rail all that 3-Rail had or has. But, withthe changes in this industry occurring so rapidly, who knows what the nextfew years will bring. This hobby is what you make of it. I certainly havemet many great people and many new friends through this hobby.”Here at OST, we think his current railroad is a beautiful example of whatis possible in Hi-rail. Not only that, his structures and scenery would morethan do justice to any scale. Trains roll through the scenes, moving abouttheir work with a clear purpose. That is, after all, what model railroading isall about.For questions, comments, or complaints Gary can be reachedthrough‐his‐website:‐ www.cherelvalleyrailroad.com. ◆Intermountain. Garyhas especially enjoyedbuilding andcollecting QualityCraft N&W hoppers,though nowhe has a 23-cartrain to decal.W h e n a s k e dwhat he’d do if hewas to start a newrailroad, Gary says,“I probably wouldgo to a 2-Rail layoutbecause I knowa lot more aboutDC than I did. Theadvent of DCC,onboard sound and10: Roger’s Plumbing has justreceived a shipment of newfangled"indoor" fixtures forthe Cherel Valley Hotel. Claudelooks a little puzzled. Is it ashower stall for the "verticallychallenged"? Perhaps it's adrinking fountain for indoorhorses. You can never tellabout those Easterners andtheir high-falutin ways.Sept/Oct ’04 - O Scale Trains •

In StockBut not for long...PRR Q1 4-6-4-4Pennsylvania Railroad produced theopposed cylinder duplex Q1 in 1942.With 300 PSI and over 93,000 lbs.tractive effort, it was one of the mostpowerful non-articulated locomotivesever built. Only a few of the as-built(skirted) version remain. Call Today!CB&Q O-5 4-8-4The highest level of detail... Openingcab doors, operating vestibule, convertibletender (oil to coal). OperatingMARS light. Fully detailed cab interiorwith figures. The list goes on. Only afew 2R models remain.Call Today!NYC L-3b MohawkA one-of-a-kind production of theL-3b with elesco feedwater heater.Every rivet has been scrutinized bythe members of the NYC HistoricalSociety. It is an accurate and highlydetailed scale model. What are youwaiting for? Call Today.B&O S1a “Big Six”B&O had over 120 of these freightmonsters. Choose from either theBaldwin or Lima versions. Accuratedown to the builder’s plates. Othershave treated themselves to this excellentmodel, why haven’t you?Call Today.Sunset Models Inc.37 South Fourth Street · Campbell, CA 95008 · 408-866-1727 · fax to 408-866-5674 · www.3rdrail.com

Scale Train Auctionof theGIL STOVICEK ESTATEMany two rail scale Engines - U.S. Hobbies 3 rdRail, Williams, Weaver, Gem Models, Max Gray,Lobaugh, All Nations, MTH, Atlas (some in OB!)Rolling Stock - Atlas, Kris, Pola, CMP, Kusan,KMT, All Nation, U.S. Hobbies, Westbrook,Lionel, Weaver, Rivarossi, K-Line, Thomas,Mainline, Walthers, BC, LaBelle, Others! ManyKit-Bash/ Scratchbuilt buildings and trains, layouttoys, accessories and more!Auction planned for the general Cleveland, Ohioarea onSaturday, November 27th, 2004.(Thanksgiving weekend)Auction ad with exact specifics to appear in nextissue of "O Scale Trains" or send S.A.S.E. forearlier info to:Jim Eastwood Train/Toy AuctionsP.O.Box 27Sunbury, OH 43074 Sept/Oct ’04 - O Scale Trains •

Layout In A Small Space:11'x19'Mike CulhamWorking in a train store, I have had the chance to talk tocustomers about building O Scale layouts. The most commoncomplaint I hear is that many people don’t have the space tobuild a layout; they only have part of the basement or no basementspace at all. I thought about this and took a look at theproblem as if I was in their shoes, trying to plan a layout withonly a limited space in which to do it.First, I had a look at the basement in my two-bedroom late-40s period bungalow. I mentally divided it into 3 equal sizedareas, a family room, an area for laundry/utility room, and atrain room. This gave me an area of 11 feet by 19 feet across theend of the basement in which to build my layout.I remembered that some of my store customers have no basementspace at all. What if I lived in a part of the country that didnot have houses with basements in which to build a layout?I pondered on this and came up with the option of buildingit in, say, a single car garage that measures 11 feet by 19 feet(the same area as in the basement). As a second option, I couldbuild a shed of the same size in my yard to house my layout.With this amount of area in mind, I started working on a planfor my layout, keeping in mind that I like industrial switchingand small engines. A while back, I had read an article on theModesto and Empire Railroad in California. I liked the idea ofa five-mile long industrial railroad, using GE 70-ton engines. Itwas a perfect candidate for a concept for my layout. Although Iwould not model the MET, per se, a plan started to take shape.What would I want in a Smaller Layout?I thought about what I would like to see on a layout of thissize and made the following list.A balance between track, buildings and scenery.Good aisle space for operators.Minimum radius curves of 48 inch# 5 or #6 turnoutsDCC with soundAn interchange yard with a Class 1 railroad plus a classificationyard.Two areas for operations so that two crews could work thelayout.Lots of industries to switch.Point-to-point operationIt had to be O ScaleThe Basement VersionWith this list of requirements, I started to work on the drawingfor Plan A (the layout in the basement). The entrance to thetrain room is via the family room area, so a lounge for the crewsis not necessary. They can sit in the family room.As soon as you come into the layout room the interchangeyard is on your left with the classification yard in front of you.You then enter the main layout area and find the engine shopsand several industries on your left. The line then curves aroundthe end of the room and into another switching area. The runaroundtracks are long enough for four cars only, which adds alittle more interest and challenge when switching. A two-mancrew can work the side of the layout with the yard while anothertwo-man crew can deal with the other side.If you would like to have a continuous-run loop, a curvedlift-out section could be built between the interchange yard andthe end of the main line. The layout is designed to be built fortyinches off the floor and have a reaching depth of no more thantwo feet. With the layout this far off the floor, there is room forstorage cupboards underneath.TrackTrack can be either hand laid or you could use the newline of Atlas turnouts and flex track. I myself would hand laythe track using Right-O-Way turnout components, as I like thelook.Engines and Rolling StockAs previously mentioned, the layout is loosely based on theMET in California, so GE 70-ton engines rule. The models madeby Rich Yoder Models fit the bill nicely.Three of these engines would be enough to handle the operationson this layout. Now, if you wanted to use GM diesels,the SW switchers would work as well, and Atlas makes a niceselection of these.For freight cars, you’ll need a selection from boxcars to gondolas.Manufacturers such as Atlas, Lionel and Weaver producea wide variety of scale cars these days, which can fill out theroster nicely. Fifty-foot cars should be the longest cars used on alayout of this size.StructuresKits, pre-built buildings, modular wall sections, and scratchbuiltstructures all have a place on this layout. There are manymanufacturers to choose from, such as Walthers, DPM, PecosRiver Brass and MTH, or you can scratchbuild some with EvergreenStyrene. You certainly should have no problem acquiringmaterials or buildings.The Garage VersionThis plan is designed for the same area, but built in either asingle car garage or garden shed. You will notice that Plan B isidentical to Plan A as far as the layout and track design, exceptfor the changes in the entrance area. In this version, the combinationof the interchange with the classification yard allows forthe addition of a lounge area for the crew. A TV and VCR couldbe built into the wall across from the couch and bookshelveswould fit under the yard area.ConclusionThese plans can address your need for a good operating layoutthat fits in a small area. The resulting layout can be run byone person or a crew of four, give you space to store things, andkeep the rest of the family happily in their own space. Soundslike a perfect win-win situation all round. In addition, it wouldprobably cost less to build this layout than the price of two largeO Scale brass locos, and would be a lot more fun.Well, it’s off to the Home Depot to get some lumber andsoon this layout will start to become a reality.◆10 • O Scale Trains - Sept/Oct ’04

MARSHALLING YARDSCALE HOUSE ENGINE HOUSE KILKENNY WIDGET CO.TERMITE LUMBER CO.Layout InformationMin. Rad. 48 inchesRail-Code 125 NS#6 Turnouts40 inches above floor1 FOOT GRIDINTERCHANGE YARD SCALE HOUSE ENGINE HOUSE KILKENNY WIDGET CO. TERMITE LUMBER CO.Layout InformationMin. Rad. 48 inchesRail-Code 125 NS#6 Turnouts40 inches above floor1 FOOT GRIDSept/Oct ’04 - O Scale Trains • 11

620 Wright Loop Williamstown, N.J. 08094 — 2-RAILSS PRR I-1, 2-10-0 Original Unptd (Short Tndr.) $1,120SS PRR Q-2, 4-4-6-4 F⁄P $1,480SS PRR S-1 6-4-4-6 F⁄P Shrd ⁄ Unshrd $1500 eaSS PRR S-2 6-8-6 F/P TDR trucks $850SS PRR FF2 electric F⁄P $ 850SS PRR P5a electric F⁄P Modified (baby GG1) $750SS PRR T-1 4-4-4-4 Baldwin version $1600SS PRR E-6 4-4-2 Original U⁄P $725SS PRR N-1 2-10-2 F⁄p $1,150SS PRR P70, Coach, baggage, F/P int, lights ea. $310SS PRR G-5 4-6-0 U⁄P $850SS PRR Q1 4-6-4-4 F/P shrouded $1500SS B&O 2-8-0 F/P $750CB PRR E8 Diesel A&B U/P $750WSM PRR Q-2 4-4-6-4 U⁄P $2,500WSM PRR M1, 4-8-2 U⁄P Cab detail (NOB) $1,380WSM PRR M1a, 4-8-2 C⁄P extra detail, by H. Hieke $1,500SS PRR K4s, 4-6-2 Pre & Post war, F/P $620Ss B&O S1, 2-10-2 F/P, lots of detail $1,230ALC PRR K-4 4-6-2 U⁄P Brdway Ltd, Streamlined $1,400WIL PRR T-1 4-4-4-4 U⁄P 2-railed by Trackside $1,100WIL PRR L-1, 2-8-2 2-railed by Trackside $750Gem PRR B6sb 0-6-0 Used, ptd, wthr’d, driver wear $500Call 856-629-9702 Between 6 and 10 PM ESTSumpterValleyDepot135 NW Greeley Avenue,Bend OR 97701● Specializing in O Scale 2-railmodel trains since 1985● We buy or consign brass modelcollections● Model reservations gladlyaccepted● Prompt, courteous serviceCheck our website for latestO Scale Listingswww.sumptervalley.comtrainman@callatg.comTel: 541/382-3413Fax:541/389-7237Hours:Mon. thru Fri 8:30 AM - 5PMand sometimes on SaturdaysNow Available From O Scale Trains MagazineA Guide To Modern O Scaleby Brian ScaceO Scale Trains MagazinepresentsA Guide To ModernO Scaleby Brian ScaceO ScaleTrainsThese ain’t yer Daddy’s trains!For the first time, here is a guide to OScale two rail. This book was writtenby O Scale modelers with years ofexperience in the hobby and they sharethat experience with wit and wisdom.We’ll show you how to get startedin 2-rail O Scale, what you need andwhere to get it.Of particular use is the list of Resourcesat the end of each chapter.Get your copy today from your localO Scale hobby shop or direct from OScale Trains, just $14.95 plus $3 s&h.VISA & Mastercard Accepted.O Scale TrainsPO Box 238Lionville PA 19353-0238610-363-7117Here’s a peek at the Table of Contents:1. Welcome, and a little History2. Concept of Operation3. Locomotives4. Rolling Stock and Couplers5. Space Prep and Benchwork6. Track and Track Planswith Joe Giannovario7. Structures and Scenerywith Neville Rossiter8. Wiring and Control Systemswith Ted Byrne9. Narrow Gaugewith Bobber Gibbs10. Consider Traction11. Proto 48with Gene Deimling12. Toolswith Neville Rossiter13. Useful Tables, Tips,and Short Notes14. Sources, Conventions,and Meets15. Glossary of Terms12 • O Scale Trains - Sept/Oct ’04

HARD TO FIND RAILROADCOLOR PHOTOS & SLIDES275 Companies and 1,500 views availablein color. Major Railroads, Shortlines,Industrials, Cabooses, Freight Cars, MOW,etc., from the 60’s to the present. Inventoryof over 24,000 types of railroad equipment.Send for our 28-page catalog – $3.00Includes a free 5 x 7 photo!RAIL PHOTOS UNLIMITEDP.O. BOX 230 ● Joliet, IL 60434-2306www.RailPhotosUnlimited.comThis “Russian Decapod” was scratchbuilt by Gil Stovicek - see Model Railroader, Jan '63, p. 35. Ipurchased the engine a year ago at an O Scale meet.I repainted and lettered the cab and tender side but made no other changes.Joe Ranker, Cooperstown, NYAtlas O Special Run Exclusive from AM HobbiesJersey Central 3-Bay Cylindrical HopperAtlas O Item #’s 6315 (3-Rail); 7315 (2-Rail) 2 Road #’s:1083, 1088Central’s Latest ReleasesGP38-2, GP40-2, SD40-2, SD40T-2 & SD45T-2GP40-2The finest in modern O Scale Brass. 2 or 3-Rail operation. Machinedbrass frames and fuel tanks, Pittman motor with dual flywheels.Your choice of gear ratios, wheelsets, detail parts, etc. Custom builtto your specs. Kits $650 - $800. Custom built, painted and lettered$1100 to $1400.Central Locomotive Works17525 Alder St Ste 46 • Hesperia CA 92345ph 760-244-9222 • fax 760-244-9322e-mail clw2000@earthlink.netwww.centrallocomotiveworks.com3-Rail: $55.95 2-Rail: $59.95Shipping: $5.95 for 1 or 2 carsAM Hobbies6 Delmar Ridge DriveWellsboro, PA 16901(570) 723-1824PayPalAdditional Atlas O Special Runs Coming SoonLackawanna/Phoebe Snow Double-Sheathed Box CarLackawanna SW-8Lackawanna 70-Ton HopperNYC “Pacemaker” 1937 AAR Box Caramhobbiesonline.comNOW!DUE TO EXTREMEWHINING!A New Drive By Accurate O ScaleMAX-M-DRIVE Synchronous BeltAll New Ball Bearing Quiet DriveReplace Those Tired Worn out Old TechnologyDrives With A Pittman Bearing Motor.NEW PRODUCTS• California Roadbed •• PECO Track & Turnouts •• Special Shapes Brass •• NWSL • Keithco Loco-Link ••Freight Trucks • Kadees •Accurate O Scale38623 Orchard StCherry Valley CA 92223Sept/Oct ’04 - O Scale Trains • 13

14 • O Scale Trains - Sept/Oct ’04This is the last of three articles describing thedesign and functions of relatively modest yardsfor O Gauge layouts. Both the linear yard and theloop yard, discussed previously, served specificterminal functions. In this article, we examine amultifunctional division point yard on the BuckeyeRailroad. Included are four ladder tracks forclassifying freight cars, a freight main that bypassesthe yard, and tail tracks at each end of thefreight yard so two switchers may work the yardsimultaneously. Also, this yard features four tracksfor through operations at an adjoining passengerterminal, interchange connections with three railroads(the B&O, Erie and Pennsylvania), a steamlocomotive facility, and a Diesel repair shop.Located near the east end of the BuckeyeRailroad, the yard at Sue City marks the divisionbetween mainline operations westward to theAshtabula yard and urban operations eastwardto Pittsburgh. The yard stretches 57 feet fromthe B&O and Pennsy interchanges at Jey Junctionat the west end to the switch where the mainline and east tail track merge at the east end. Asshown in the drawing, it accomplishes this in arelatively small space by placing the main portionof the yard on a very gentlecurve in the corner of thetrain room.Two B&O interchangetracks join the BRR singletrack mainline at Jey Junction’sJJ Tower. The BRR

1: Jey Junction marks the west end of Sue City Yard.At a busy moment in an operating session, threetrains are caught in action at the junction. From topto bottom, an eastbound passenger train arrivesfrom the Pennsylvania Railroad interchange tracks,a B&O freight departs to that railroad’s connectingtracks and a piggyback arrives on the Buckeyemainline, ready to continue on the freight main intothe classification yard.mainline then merges immediately with thetwo-track PRR mainline at a double crossoverat J Tower. The Buckeye then sharestrackage with the Pennsy to the east end ofthe yard. Here, at SC tower, Pennsy’s SueCity branch line ends and there is a shortinterchange connection to the Erie Railroad.The Pennsy operates the steam enginefacility and caboose track at the west endof the yard, and the Buckeye operates theDiesel shop at the east end. The elevatedBuckeye passenger station handles Buckeye,B&O and New York Central passengertrains. In its inimitable fashion, the Pennsyoperates a separate passenger station for itstrains on the valley floor just west of theirroundhouse. The yard will handle some 36trains during a typical operating session.Scenically, Sue City sits on a narrow2: At Sue City, the Pennsylvania Railroad operates aseparate passenger station. An eastbound Pennsylocal is discharging mail and passengers behindthe station on the passenger mainline. Meanwhile aBuckeye 44-tonner awaits duty on the freight mainand a caboose temporarily occupies the west tailtrack.3: A Buckeye Railroad Consolidation occupiesthe turntable at the Pennsylvania Railroad’s SueCity steam engine facility. Note “K” tower and theadjoining sign that indicates a record 13 accidentfreehours for the roundhouse crew.flood plain in the fictitious Buckeye RiverValley. Pine covered bluffs rise above theyard and a tunnel connects the elevatedBuckeye passenger station and adjoiningbuildings with the imaginary downtown onthe other side of the bluff. The tracks crossthe Sue River at the east end of the yardwhere it joins the Buckeye River. At thewest end, the tracks cross a small drainageditch. These watercourses and the resultingbridges add scenic interest to a layout that isliterally covered with yard tracks. The passengertracks are placed at the back of thebenchwork because most of the switchingoperations at the yard involve freight cars.The passenger tracks are slightly elevatedto further break up the visual impact of allthose tracks. Various ballast colors, tie spacing,and rail sizes are used to identify thefour railroads and to distinguish mainlineand yard tracks.Sue City is a way station for the stream-Sept/Oct ’04 - O Scale Trains • 15

4: Beginning at the left of the photo, thepassenger yard throat is visible as the passengermain divides into four tracks. To the right of thatis the double slip switch that marks the westentrance to the 4-track freight classification yard(track exiting the double slip switch to lowerleft). The freight main enters the switch at the topleft, the west freight lead from the top right. Thefreight main exits the double slip on the lowerright and runs around the freight classificationyard. The switch at the bottom leads to thelocomotive ready track and steam engine facility.Note the connection between the freight andpassenger tracks behind the signal at the leftof the photo. Also note the coaling tower andsand house. A passenger train is arriving in thebackground while Buckeye, B&O and Pennsycabooses occupy the caboose track.4: A Buckeye switcher is coupling onto a localfreight on Track 1 in the freight yard while anothercut of cars sits on Track 2. Track 3 holds a trainof loaded Pennsy hoppers. In the background,the B&O’s “Baltimore Oriole” has just arrivedon Track 1 at the passenger terminal. Visiblebehind it on Track 3 is a string of loaded New YorkCentral hoppers.5: At the right of this photo is the double slipswitch at Lodi at the east end of Sue City yard.The right hand track is the mainline, the left trackis the east tail track. To the left, under a viaduct,is the Buckeye Railroad’s Olsen Diesel Shopwhere an F-7 is being serviced and a GE 44-tonner awaits its next job. A New York Central tugis tied up at the adjoining wharf.16 • O Scale Trains - Sept/Oct ’04

liners on the Buckeye operating betweenCleveland and Ashtabula to the west andPittsburgh to the east. The Pennsy operatesa hotshot passenger train betweenJey Junction and Pittsburgh as well. Amidday local and an all-mail train originateat Sue City for Ashtabula. Also,a crew shuttle operates between thetown immediately west of Jey Junctionand Lodi with stops at Jey Junction andboth passenger stations. Express perishable,merchandise and piggyback trainsalso run through the passenger terminal.A crossover at K Tower, adjacent to theroundhouse, connects the passenger andfreight yards. This facilitates simultaneoustwo-way movements through SueCity and gives steam-powered passengerlocomotives access to the roundhouse.During an operating session, freightyard activity begins with arriving freightcars for Buckeye destinations beingpulled from the B&O, Erie and Pennsyinterchange tracks. These cars are classifiedinto four trains, two through freightsto Ashtabula and Pittsburgh and two localfreights or turns that serve the towns andvillages between Sue City and Ashtabula.Westbound through cars are sent to CollinwoodYard west of Ashtabula. At theend of the day, the outbound cars on thereturning trains are classified and shovedonto the interchange tracks.At the start of an operating session, theyard area also is filled with three loadedcoal trains from the south that have beendelivered during the night by the B&O,New York Central, and Pennsy for forwardingto the coal port at Ashtabula Harbor.The yardmaster usually scatters thesethroughout the yard, with one tucked on~ O Scale Train Show ~Presented bySouthern New England O ScaleModel Railroad ClubO Scale only (No Tinplate, please)FeaturingDealers, Displays and the Southern New England "O" Scale Layout20' x70', Fully Scenic'd - Operating with Digital Command ControlAmple Free Parking - Food and Beverages AvailableSaturday, October 9, 2004 9:30am - 4:00pmUnited Methodist Church161 Chestnut St., Gardner MassAdmission $5, Family Maximum $8Dealer Tables AvailablePrior to Labor day -6ft tables $15.00 8ft tables $20.00After Labor day -6ft tables $20.00 8ft tables $25.00Make checks payable to Southern New England Model Railroad ClubDealer and General Information: Bob Jones, Show Chairman860-774-8622 P.O. Box 272, Ballouville, CT 06233SASE for Info & Directions e-mail: bobjonesmodels@earthlink.netor visit our website at www.snemrr.orgDOMINION MODELS1942 Hudsonby Western . . . $129.001950 Studebakerby Brooklin . . . $85.001951 Ford SFPDby Brooklin . . . $85.00Call or write for Free Brochure:Dominion Models • Dept. OST, P.O. Box 515 • Salem, VA 24153phone/fax: 540-375-3750 e-mail: dominionmodels@aol.comthe west tail track, one parked under thepassenger terminal, and one occupyingone of the freight yard tracks. During theday, Buckeye crews will move these carsto Ashtabula for unloading and will returnthe empties to Sue City for forwardingto the south. Also, a Buckeye crew willmake a caboose hop from the Sue CityYard west to the Buckeye’s own mines topick up loaded hoppers, move them toAshtabula Harbor, and return the emptiesto the mine spurs. The many freightmovements are greatly facilitated by thedouble slip switches at each end of thefreight yard. Perhaps a similar yard couldintroduce a wider variety of operations toyour layout as well. ◆1/43rdScaleModelsofAmericanCarsSept/Oct ’04 - O Scale Trains • 17

Car & Locomotive Shop - 3 Cylinder 4-10-2The pictures above show the four versions of the SP-5000 that are now available and being shipped. Look closely at the differentdetails for each version of engine with the tenders being identical except for engine number. Each model is all brass sheetand castings with tapered stainless steel axles ● stainless steel wheels ● full working spring equalizers with individual leaf springs● all ball bearings throughout ● opening journal box lids, hatches, doors, windows & covers-moving booster piping ● openingsmokebox door with smokebox interior detail ● punched rivets ● scale rods and driver counterweights ● full engine and tenderbrake and underframe detail with castings for the pedestal binders ● silky smooth, powerful and durable mechanism with excellentspeed control and no noise ● full cab interior ● double drawbar with inconspicuous electrical hookup ● working 3rd cylinderdetail ● swinging tender bolsters and other details and features too numerous to list here. The models come factory painted onlywith all lights lit with reflectors in the headlights and number boards. All glazing is installed and dials in the gauges. Quality anddetail throughout from LIK ENTERPRISES INC. new to the American prototype scene but steeped in the European market. Theprice for each model is $3800.00 with shipping and handling extra. N.J. residents must add 6% sales tax.For more info contact:18 • O Scale Trains - Sept/Oct ’04Car & Locomotive Shop, PO Box 20, Asbury NJ 08802E-mail: carlocoshop@enter.net — Ph/Fax: 908-479-4736. Fax after 4th ring.

Merchants Despatch Transportation(MDT) traces its roots back prior to theCivil War. In 1871, control of MDT wasacquired by the Vanderbilt group, andMDT began leasing freight cars. At itspeak, the MDT fleet numbered about18,000 cars, mostly wood reefers withsteel underframes. Roger Hinman haswritten an excellent reference coveringthe history of the MDT reefer fleet, completewith photos and diagrams, that waspublished in the NYCS Historical Society’s“Headlight”, Second Quarter, 1998.The Red Caboose reefer kit is anexcellent starting point for modeling severalvariants of the classic MDT reefer.In fact, Red Caboose sells a kit alreadylettered for MDT, which is a very closemodel of a 1930-1940 MDT car, straightout of the box. In this article, I’ll show1how to backdate this kit to model MDTcars of the 20’s (the more common version),and WW I. The latter version issuitable not only for MDT, but for theRutland Railroad as well. The Rutland,which was controlled by the NYC at thetime, purchased MDT-built reefers justprior to WW I.Photo 1 shows a stock Red CabooseMDT reefer built exactly to the kitinstructions. Note it has AB brakes, anAjax brake wheel, red ends, and the letteringhas no NYC oval herald. This is amodel of a 17000-series MDT reefer builtin the early twenties, and rebuilt in thethirties, with a new AB brake system anda new paint job. The only changes to thismodel are that the end ladders have beenshortened top and bottom as per the prototype,and cut levers have been addedto the ends.1920’s MDTReeferStart witha kit pre-letteredfor MDT.(If you can’tget one, you’llhave to paintthe roof boxcarred, and the sides and ends white.)To backdate the kit to model a 1920’s car,we need to change to K brakes with a verticalbrake staff, add some corner bracing,and make some changes to the paintingand lettering. Build the roof and sidesas instructed. I used TENAX-7R plasticcement to assemble this kit. The 1920’scars had white ends with black hardware,much like the sides. Before adding anydetail to the ends, they must be paintedwhite. If you are starting with a kit preletteredfor MDT, this is much easier todo before you glue the ends to the car.You’ll want to plug the leftmost hole atthe top of the car where the original Ajaxbrake wheel gearbox attached. I addedthe grab-irons before I painted the ends,and later painted them black. Use anygood plastic-compatible white paint, thenattach the painted ends to the car.Next, add the corner braces, one percorner. I used Evergreen Styrene 1x6(HO) strips, each a total of 5 ⁄8 inches long.Bend them in the middle, and cementthem midway between the top and bottomof the car side. When dry, paint themblack. Now you’re ready to add the enddetails.The kit’s end ladders are longer thanthose on the prototype, so shorten themSept/Oct ’04 - O Scale Trains • 19

top and bottom using either prototypephotos or copy mine. Pre-paint the shortenedend ladders black, and add them tothe ends. Also add the brake platform andthe roof walk supports, and paint themblack. For the vertical brake staff and itshardware, I used plastic parts from PrecisionScale (PSH 4002-1). There are threeparts: a stirrup-shaped bottom support forthe brake staff, a flat attachment plate forthe upper brake staff, and a sleeve thatholds the upper brake staff. I used K&S1⁄32” diameter wire for the brake staff, anda brake wheel from my “junque” box.Carefully drill out the bottom support andthe sleeve with a #67 drill. Attach thebottom support, inserting its locating pin2into the hole originally meant for the Ajaxassembly. Similarly, attach the upper supportplate to the top of the side using therightmost locating hole originally meantfor the Ajax assembly. Mount the platein a vertical orientation. Drillthrough the hole in the plateinto the car end with a #70drill. Cement the locating pinon the back of the sleeve intothis hole. Now add the wirebrake staff. At the bottom ofthe staff, ACC a short length offine black chain once aroundthe staff, thread it through thebottom support and ACC theother end to the bolster wherethe brake rod attaches. Add abrake wheel to the staff. Next,take the Ajax assembly suppliedwith the kit, cut off the20 • O Scale Trains - Sept/Oct ’04retainer pipe/valve, and cement it to theend. Lastly, add the cut levers. Paint theend sills and all hardware black. Photo 2shows the B-end details for this car.Adding the K brakes to the undersideis easy. Install the floor, but do not installthe AB brake components, or the half ribthat supports the AB air reservoir. Usingsmall wire cutters, nip off the supportposts for the AB brake air reservoir andtriple valve. File smooth. I used a whitemetal K-brake casting. Drill the valve endto accept an air line (a #67 drill for 1/32K&S wire). Attach the K-brake cylinder tothe original AB brake cylinder mountingpost. I used a scrap piece of brass rod.Drill the cylinder casting to accept therod and glue it into the cylinder, leavingabout 1 ⁄4” protruding from the cylinder.Drill a hole in the support post to accommodatethe resulting peg, and ACC thebrake assembly into the support post.The piston end of the casting should justtouch the brake crank. Next, ACC a shortlength of 1 ⁄32” wire from the valve end ofthe cylinder over to the train line. Addthe kit brake rods. (See Photo 3) Paintall brake hardware black. Add couplers3and trucks.Changing the lettering for this car iseasy. The 17000 series was built in 1923-24. You may want want to remove the“ER 1936” reweigh data and either adda “NEW 1923” or “NEW 1924” date ora reweigh date appropriate for the timeperiod that you model. (If you model thelate thirties leave it alone, it’s correct.) Ifound that the printed lettering can easilybe removed by using a regular pencileraser. Be careful not to erase the paint.On the right side of the car, add an NYCLines oval herald, centered on the carside. Also add a “Built” date (again 1923or 1924) in the lower right side. Champ’s#R-110 MDT Reefer set contains the herald.The ends will require black lettering.I used Greg Komar’s dry transfer set#MDT-O-61A. Pick the M, D, & T fromthe “Merchants Despatch” line. Get thenumbers from the capacity data. You’llalso need to continue the red stripearound the end of the car. The Komarset contains one. I added additional datafrom a Walthers freight data set. I wantedto model the 20000 series reefer, picturedin Hinman’s article. The Champ R-110 set is for that car. I had to remove thecar number and all the data first. I usedthe eraser method, but repainting is certainlyan option! Photo 4 shows the completedcar. Since I model the mid-forties,I’ll need to heavily weather this car. Afterall, it wasn’t modernized or painted dueto the Depression and WWII!WW I Era Reefer and Milk CarThe cars built just before WW I weremost notable for having five-foot widedoors with four hinges per door. They alsohad K-brakes, and additional corner bracing.The MDT cars had white ends andwere painted and lettered like the 1920’sreefers. I kit-bashed two cars, a reefer,and a reefer that has been converted intoa milk car. They closely approximate Rutlandprototypes. You can letter the reefermodel for MDT, Michigan Central, or Rutland.It’s your choice. I started with kitslettered for MDT, but any lettering (or anundecorated car) is fine if you’re makingthe Rutland cars, because you’ll repaintthem anyway.Changing the door detail requiressome aggressive handling of the car, soyou might want to do this before addingany details to the roof, ends, or under-4

ody. First, remove the hinges. I sandedthem off. Be careful not to remove anyof the latch detail. Next, you’ll have toscribe the areas where the hinges were(See Photo 5). I used Precision Scale(PSH 40729) reefer door hinges. Remember,they come 12 to a pack and you’llneed 16 hinges per car. The WW I carshad five foot doors, so the hinges aremounted 1 ⁄8” outward from the original57For the reefer, I built the roof withbare hatches, no planking around them.You’ll need a frame for the hatch to sitin on the roof of the car. I removed theplanking from the part supplied with thekit. The resulting frame was too high.I cut this frame down with a razor saw,then glued it to the hatch opening. Alternatively,you could build up a frame withstyrene strips, and salvage the hingesfrom the original hatch frame part. Addhatch covers, latches, etc. Photo 7 showsthis detail.The milk car has no hatches. You caneither plug the holes, sand, etc., or coverthe holes with 10mil styrene, as I did. Icut the thin styrene to fit between the roofribs, and feathered the ends into the carside and the center of the roof. This patchis practically invisible after painting, andis much easier than trying to smooth outa plug. I used roof walk end platformsfrom an Intermountain boxcar roof walk.Brass wire and eye pins were used for theroof walk grab-irons (See Photo 8).I painted the cars with Scalecoat IIplastic compatible paint. The Rutlandreefer is painted boxcar red and letteredwith CDS dry transfer set # 430.The Rutland milk car is painted Pullmangreen and lettered with Champdecal sets #P-86 (Rutland Passenger)8locations. Space the four hinges per dooras shown in Photo 6. Add the latch andgrab-irons. I also extended the drip stripout to five feet wide. Cement a scale fivefootstrip of Evergreen 1x6 (HO) to thetop of the existing drip strip. Now, here’sthe hard part. Cement 1 ⁄8” strips under the6new strip at the ends to “extend” the oldstrip. File smooth. (If you’re a masochist,remove the old drip strip very carefullyand add a new one.)The K-brakes are modeled in exactlythe same way as for the 1920’s car. Boththe end and underbody details are thesame. Note however, that there are twobraces per corner for the WW I car. Evenlyspace them between the top and bottomof the sides.9and #OD-19D (Express Reefer Data). Ifyou wish to letter the reefer for MDT orMichigan Central, use the dry transfer ordecal sets mentioned in the section onthe 1920’s era cars from Greg Komar orChamp. The MDT/MC cars had boxcarred roofs and white sides and ends. Photosof these cars are in Hinman’s article.Lettering is very similar to the 1920’scars. Photo 9 shows the finished Rutlandcars. All the cars covered in this articlewere at home during the steam-Dieseltransition era.◆Sept/Oct ’04 - O Scale Trains • 21

TractionTractionRoger JenkinsActionActionThis month we will talk about gettingyour trolleys to run better. The biggest problemwith cars produced lately is they areall insulated for 2 rail operation. In order toimprove track pickup, we need to groundall 8 wheels. I have discovered a miracleproduct called Nickel Print Coating (by GCElectronics, a division of G.C. Thorsen, Inc.,1801 Morgan St., Rockford, IL 61102-2690). I found it at an electronic store. It sellsfor about $35 a bottle. This liquid metalneeds to be stirred up and shaken as it congealson the bottom. It can then be paintedover the insulated joint between axles andwheels on each truck. Make sure any oil isremoved from these surfaces before painting,or the coating will peel off.It really works well and improves operationor cars over street tracks or open track100%.Making your cars run both ways ifthey are double enders is tricky, but easilydone. Isolate the plus and minus wires tothe motor. Run the ground wire to one polebase and the other wire to the opposite polebase. The pole hooks are connected togetherand to the trucks (see diagram).Whichever pole is under the hookwill operate the car in that direction. Youwill have to figure out which motor leaddoes this. Placing one pole on the wirewill give you the power to run forward.Changing the poles will reverse the direction.With both poles down under thehooks it won’t run.Another few words on power stations.The latest development in power was the+– MotorIgnitron rectifier that used tubes to convertAC to DC. The Seashore Trolley Museumpicked up one of these units in a 10 ft. by10 ft. building from the Cedar Rapids andIowa City Railway after they quit operationson May 30, 1953. The unit ran okay untilone of the tubes failed and they discoveredit would cost $10,000 to replace it. The unitwas retired at that point, the museum nothaving the funds. Other power setups wereused after this, but eventually new tubeswere donated and this is used in reservenow. Newer light rail lines use small buildingsalong their lines every six miles or so,but I’m not sure what is inside these. Morethan likely a more modern electronics setupto convert ACpower to thec o m m o n l yused 550-750 volt DC.◆22 • O Scale Trains - Sept/Oct ’04

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Wisconsin/Minnesota . .45.00Trackside Around Atlanta 1955-1975 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48.00Trackside Around Illinois 1960-1973 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48.00Trackside Around the Niagara Penninsula . . . . . . . . . . .48.00Trackside on the PRR in Central Pennsylvania . . . . . . .48.00Union Pacific 2-8-8-0 Articulated Vol 7 & 8 each . . . . . .23.25Wabash Pittsburgh Terminal Railroad – Worley . . . . . .21.00Warbonnets & Bluebonnets – Mc Millan . . . . . . . . . . . .58.50*$18.00 MINIMUM order for free shipping in the USA. Send $3.00 for latestlist. All orders must be paid in U.S. funds. NY residents please add correctsales tax. Print your name, address and phone number. Credit cardusers add card number and expiration date. Allow 4 weeks for delivery. For deliveryoutside of USA please add $8.00 for the first book and $3.00 for each additionalbook. Make checks payable to Ron’s Books. Only inquiries which include aSASE will be answered. Prices subject to change. WE BUY COLLECTIONSThe Public Delivery TrackLocomotives - 2 railAtlas..Dash 8's, GP-35's..Pwr or dummy..$189-$359RS-1..LIRR, PRR, Rut, CNJ, RI, SF, WT, M&E..$339-$359SD-35..B&O, CNJ, WC, MRL, NW, Sou, WM..$299-$349SW's..RRiv, B&O, LV, Rdg, Susq, RI, CNJ, DMIR..$225-$329MTH..New PRR H-3..$669; CNJ P-47 Pacific...$749PRR K-4..$649. Centipede..$849. WP F-3's..$550Weaver....K-4, L-1, GG-1, C-630, NKP Berk...callLittle Joe Electric..$735. USRA Light Pacific..$649VO-1000..B&O, CNJ, GN, LV, MILW, PRR, UP, WM..$249RS-11..C&O, CN, CV, CNW, MEC, PRR, SOU...$249RS-3's, U25's, GP-38's..B&M, BN, C&O, CP, CSX, D&H,EL, ICG, LV, L&N, MEC, MILW, NH, NKP. NYC, PRR,Rdg, Rutland, Susq, more..Powered..$249; Dummy $159Shaft drive RS-3's, GP-38's, FA/FB's...$99-$150Passenger SetsWvr..P-B cars..NH, CNJ, Rdg, PRR, LV..2/$219; 4/$419K-line..80' cars..Amtk, DRGW, PRR, NYC, more..callBox Cars - 2 railPecos River..NYC, SOU, SP, SF, CBQ, WAB...$35..C&O, B&O, WM, PM, Erie, NKP; UP, SF end door..$45Atlas..40' Wood..P&R, B&O, C&O, CBQ, CNJ, CNW, EJENYC, N&W, PRR, Rdg, SP, SSW, WM, B&M, WAG..$47-$5540' 1940's..Erie, NH, SP, PRR, NYC, CNW, GN, Susq..$48-$5240' 1960's..Erie, L&N, MEC, PRR, NYC, MILW, B&M..$3250'..NH, RG, BAR, DH, NYC, MILW, MKT, SAL, SF..$55-$5753'..Aloha, Purina, B&M, BN, CNW, FEC, MP, UP..$35-$5060'..MKT, NS, CSX, B&O, EL, RG, Sou, NW..$39-$49Weaver..40' & 50'..ACL, ACY, ARR, ATSF, BAR, B&O,B&M, CBQ, CGW, CIM, CNJ, CN, C&O, CP, CV, CR,D&H, DTSL, EL, GN, IC, MEC, LV, L&N, MP, NYC, NWNH, NP, NYSW, PC, PLE, PRR, Rdg, Rut, SCL, SOU, SPTPW, UP, WM, WP, R&N, Rbox, RI, MRL, more..$25-$30Refrigerator Cars - 2 railWvr/Crown..B&M, CV, CN, NYC, NP, BAR, REA, Hoods,Whitehse, Dubuque, Nrn Refrig, Beers, more..$25-$3057' Mech..PFE, Trop, UP, SF..15 roads..$30. w/sound..$40Atlas..36' & 40'..Custom ptd CNJ..20+ others..$55 and upNew 40' steel..IC, DLW, NP, ATSF + old Intermtn..$35-$50Covered Hoppers - 2 railWeaver PS-2.. Bakers, Jack Frost, Wayne Feed, PurinaRevere, Goiden Loaf, BN, CBQ, CNJ, CNW, CP, CR, CSXDLW, DTI, EL, LV, NH, NYC, PRR, Rdg, WAB, UP..$25-$30Wvr C'flow or Grain..CR, CP, LV, NYC, PRR, WC,MRL, BN, UP, SP, RI, CNW, MNS, 20+ roads..$25-$29Atlas..ACF 34' ..Erie, LNE, NKP, GN, SP, Boraxo...$55Cyl..DLW, BN, Trona, NYC, WGrace, GN, PRR..$35-$45Gorilla Glue Airslide..CNJ, is the versatile,interior/exteriorPS-4427..RG, SF, MILW, LV, SOO, Wayne Fd, PRR...$55LV, D&H, CSX, PRR, UP, Jfrost..$35-$45adhesive ideal for most Hopper Cars - 2 railAtlas..Comp...B&O, C&O, CRR, VGN, PRR, SOU..$47household fixes and buildingprojects: Ore..BLE, furniture CN, DMIR, UP..$27. H21..PRR, NW, PC..$55-$64ACL, CNJ, C&O, DH, LV, Rdg, WM, P&S, DLW, NYC..$47repair, crafts, Weaver..2, woodworking,and general CP, CR, repairs CNJ, C&O, D&H, DLW, Erie, EL, IC, GT, NH, NS3, 4-bay and Comp..B&A, BAR, B&M, CBQNYC, NKP, NW, PRR, Rdg, SAL, SF, UP, WAB, WM..$27around the house. Bondswood, stone, metal, Tank Cars - 2 railWeaver..Jfrost, GULF, BN, Trusweet, Allied, ADM, Armyceramic &Ethyl,more!Diamond, Hooker, DuPont, Sunoco,Bakers..$30Incredibly Atlas..60'..Propane, strong and CNTX, Pyrofax,Tech Prop..$37-$5040'..SHPX, UTLX, Hook, Gulf, Sunray, Shell, Spence..$55REQUEST 50'..ACFX, YOUR Olin, Diamond, FREE Hooker, Stauffer..$59INFORMATION Flat Cars, Stock KIT! Cars, MofWwww.gorillaglue.comAtlas..89' flats..$65. Trailers..$25. Auto Carriers..$85Pulpwood flats..ACL, ATSF, BN, D&H, IC, L&N..$47-$501-800-966-3458Front runners......no trailer..$47; With trailer........$67Wvr Flats..SF, Rdg, CN, Erie, LV, BN, TTX, Army..$25-$30Stock..CNW, Armour, RG, PRR, Rdg, Erie, UP..$27-$32Sept/Oct MTH..Plows, ’04 - O Cranes, Scale Schnabel, Trains dump • 23 cars, etc..callK-Line Diecast Double-Stack $50. Coil cars..$35-$40Scale signals..1 and 2 head color, PRR, B&O, dwarf,semaphore, cantilever, highway flashers, 20+ types..$20-$50

Get Real Productionsis pleased to announce itsO Scale model building services:Custom high quality railroad buildingsBuilding & Weathering of kitsCustom Painting & DetailingUltra-realistic and prototypicalScratchbuildingKitbashing & FreelanceSpecializing in unique & one-of-a-kind creationsAll work guaranteed by a Model Railroad Craftsman!Visit us at: www.oscalemag.com/pix/index.html\Call or write for a free quote:Get Real Productions11 Out of Bounds RoadPalmyra VA 22963Voice: 434-589-2660 • Fax: 434-589-4898 • kjkriigel@aol.comO Scale SignalsHighly detailed, accurate, affordable. Made in the USA.Assembled and hand-painted by a model RR craftsman.Double Semaphore Train Order Board $59.95 + p⁄h3-Color Block Signal w⁄Equipment Box $49.95 + p⁄h3-Color Block Signal w⁄Standard Mast $49.95 + p⁄hDwarf Signals(2⁄pack) $39.95+p⁄hGet RealProductions11 Out of BoundsRoad, Palmyra, VA22963-2318434-589-2660fx434-589-4898kjkriigel@aol.com24 • O Scale Trains - Sept/Oct ’04

You’ll have to excuse me this month.It’s been hard, lately, to get a singlethought stretched out to column length(Can’t be age; perhaps the influence ofstrong drink). I figured that a group oftotally disassociated thought provocationsmight be a fun change of pace from myusual practice of flogging a single thoughtbeyond recognition. So, without furtherado (and with apologies to the late greatKin Hubbard) we present…Scace’s Short Furrows:Item: Lately, there have been severalreally nice diecast steam locomotivesintroduced in the Hi-rail world. Lionelhas announced a B&M Mogul, K-line hasa decent scale Hudson out, and showedtheir B&A Berkshire at the last coupleof TCA meets at York. The castings areexquisite, the proportions are good-toexcellent.There is nothing I’d like morethan to be able to convince Lionel or K-Line that there would be the potential foran at least reasonable return on investmentto do some of these locomotives intwo-rail, much like Weaver’s 2-8-0 or 3rdRail’s offerings (and I’ll keep trying!).In lieu of that, perhaps there would bethe potential for some after-market drivesthat would just bolt up to, say, the LionelMogul. We’ve been hearing you, here atOST, asking for more on smaller railroads,and small modestly priced steam to run onthem. Now that these newer diecast Hirailpieces are well within the “neurosis”tolerance of most scale types, after-marketdrives may be a new market niche.Although a more complex approach tosteam conversions, the approach of dropindriver sets has worked well for the Proto-48 folks. Can it work here, in a somewhatlarger marketplace?Item: I recently had the privilegeof visiting Phil Opielowski, Bob Buck,Jimi Smith, and several others from theAmherst crew. If you remember, Phil isthe guy who wrote the article on scratchbuildinga couple of B&A cabooses and aflanger out of styrene, which appeared onthese hallowed pages a couple of issuesago. Phil has scratchbuilt some magnificentstructures on his Ware River branch,including the stone station at Palmer,Mass. He and Jimi have formed a partnership,exchanging ideas and methods usedin building structures, and Jimi has builtsome truly magnificent B&M structuresas a result. The lesson here is one that Ihave been flogging for some time, now.There is wisdom in numbers. Seek outothers around you who are well behavedand can pass skills and new ideas on foryour benefit. In return, you can bringfresh approaches in different fields, suchas painting, carbuilding, or trackwork,that benefit the other parties involved. I’msure that Phil and Jimi are scurrying abouttaking photos of their work for the “Modeler’sShelf” section of this august journalas we speak (Right, guys? That way, wewon’t have to be inundated with Joe’sN&W stuff.). By the way, Phil and hisdarling bride, Brenda, were perfect hosts,plying this thirsty traveler with coffeeand gin (in separate containers! C’mon!).I learned a lot, was pleased to see Phil’sand Jimi’s work, and always love matchingstories with Bob. Thanks to all theAmherst guys for making me welcome.Item: Take a look at those diecastautomobiles and trucks on your railroad.Do they look like part of the scene, or anifty collection? Part of the fun, unlessyou collect them (in the original boxes,thank you) as an adjunct to your railroading,is to paint and weather them. You dothis with your rolling stock, so these puppiesare fair game, too. If you model the1940’s, as I do, you’ll discover that mostcars were painted in single, rather mundane,colors. Dark reds, blues, and greenspredominate with black. Grey was morecommon than you’d think. Whitewalls(for you young sprats, these were tireswith white sides; very snappy!) were rareduring the period, especially during thewar. The lacquers used in that era tendedto go flat, as well. Just look at some photosand you’ll get the idea. You ‘50s folkscan go crazy with the two-tone paint andwhitewalls to a point, but there were stilla lot of more conservatively colored carson the roads to go with those scarlet andwhite ’57 Chevys. The bottom line hereis to check out photos and video footagefrom your era, and follow suit. It wouldamaze you how much of a difference thislittle bit of neurosis makes in the scenesyou’re creating. Besides, it’s fun to hearthe agonized screams from the diecast carcollectors when you pry ‘em apart, paintthem, and dull them down a bit.Item: Many a newcomer to our worldmay be curious as to how the reservationsystem works for the various manufacturers.Because of the relatively smallsize of our marketplace, even the leastexpensive locomotive projects, and manyof the higher end rolling stock offerings,are announced by manufacturers well inadvance of their availability. The goodfolks at, for example, Sunset/3rd Rail willannounce the project and “take reservations”.Reservations are considered astatement of real interest by the marketplacebefore significant capital is investedin development and production. Thiscan be frustrating to us, because we mustwait. Occasionally, the manufacturer willcancel a project, dashing our expectations.Then, we sulk a lot, and say lotsof unstudied bad things on the Internetabout how we got hosed. Actually, nothingcould be further from reality.If the manufacturer decides that reservations(read expressed interest in theproject) don’t meet expectations, theyhave a couple of choices. Let’s use 3rdRail’s B&M/B&O 4-8-2 as an example.Say the B&M guys “subscribe” all theB&M 4-8-2’s and the B&O guys aren’teven close. Then Sunset could choose todrop the B&O version as a bad risk. If theHi-rail folks fall short on the 3-Rail ones,and the 2-Rail ones are over-subscribed,Sunset can choose to shift the ratio ofthree-rail to two-rail models. If the wholething looks soft, then it is probably wiseto drop the project, and be very circumspectabout trying other projects for thatrailroad.Remember that what is a luxury tomost of us is a livelihood to some of us. Itonly takes a couple of bad calls to breakthe bank, even with some of the largerimporters and manufacturers. Some of thecompanies that import our loot are soleproprietors(one person running the entireshow); for them it only takes one projectgone sour to put them in the tank. Ourreservation system, no matter how clumsyand drawn out it may be, is a very importantmarket research tool for the manufacturer/importer,and a method for you tohave your voice heard. Meanwhile, youB&O guys need to get on the stick, ‘causewe New Englanders want our 4-8-2!Let’s go Exploring!◆Sept/Oct ’04 - O Scale Trains • 25

26 • O Scale Trains - Sept/Oct ’04

1After cresting the summit of the NorthCascades, the first town through whicheastbound Cascade Northern Railroadtrains pass is Early Winters. Named for anactual place, the town has been expandedconsiderably in my fictional version ofits history. On the CNR, the depot servesa thriving upper Methow Valley agriculturalcommunity.This is the story of how I built mydepot. Most important to me in this projectwas capturing the personality andatmosphere of a small town depot in earliertimes. I wanted it to be the kind offriendly spot where townsfolk of all ageswould feel welcome to drop in any timeto visit with the agent, or just to warmthemselves by the stove on a cold winter’sday.My O Scale model is based on thedepot described in the February 1970issue of Model Railroader by Ben King.Gene Deimling built a finescale versionthat was shown in the March 1972 issueof Finelines (now the Narrow Gauge &Shortline Gazette).In building my model, board-by-boardconstruction was used most of the time.The roof, for example, is fully framedand individually cut and stained cedarshingles were applied. The model has acomplete interior. The ceiling is built upto resemble one constructed of lath andplaster. A variety of castings were used toadd clutter to the interior with the purposeof making the building look likeit is actually in use. In the absence of acommercially available product, itemswere scratchbuilt. Windows and doorsare mostly Grandt Line products, as is thebaggage wagon. This article will take youthrough the process I used in the hopethat it will inspire you to build your ownpersonal favorite.Work on this structure proceeded onand off throughout the winter of 2001/2.A running joke in my family was that acouple of 1:1 size carpenters could haveconstructed a full size version of thisstructure in less time than it took me tobuild the model. That may be true, butwould they have had as much fun as Idid?ConstructionI like working with wood as a constructionmaterial. One attribute of wood is itsability to take paint and stain. All of thewood I used in this project was paintedprior to installation. My usual procedureis to stain the wood with Builders in ScaleSilver Wood Stain. I then wipe each pieceof wood with the desired color using anold cotton T-shirt onto which a dollop ofFloquil thinner has been dripped.The MR drawings were the startingpoint for my depot. I elected not to elevatethe baggage room floor as Ben Kingdid. Earlier I noted that board-by-boardconstruction was used most of the time.One place where it was not used wasin the construction of the hidden portionof the main depot walls. Instead ofbuilding up a frame using scale 2x4’s, Iused sheets of 1 ⁄16-inch thick basswood. Ibegan by laying out the sides and ends ofthe structure on the sheets up to a heightof 10 scale feet. Then, I cut the windowand door openings into the sides.Over the lower portion of the exteriorI glued strips of 1x6 lumber to create thewainscoting. The same was done on theinside. Above this on the outside, 1x12siding was applied.On the inside in the waiting room andticket agent’s office, I glued a secondlayer of 1 ⁄32-inch thick sheet. I was carefulto align the grain of each piece at a 90-degree angle. This was done to minimizewarping. For the baggage room interiorwalls, I used 1x12 boards, aligned vertically,to construct the walls.To bring the exterior side and end wallsup to their full height of 14 scale feet, Iadded a 2x4 frame to the top of each walland added siding. Care was taken to placethe 2x4 studs in a logical position relativeSept/Oct ’04 - O Scale Trains • 27

2Early Winters depot showing the front elevation. The walls are solid basswood from the uppergreen trim to the ground level. Above the trim, the walls are studded with scale 2 x 4s.3Interior view of the depot showing the solid main walls, studded upper wall extensions and thepartition walls.4Backside view of the assembled depot walls showing the interior and framing of the baywindow area. Also note the boxed door track for the baggage doors on the right.to the windows and doors. The two interior partitionwalls were made from sheets of basswoodwith the grain aligned horizontally.Grandt Line windows and doors were usedeverywhere except for the baggage roomdoors. In using these styrene parts, some careis needed to get three specific horizontal linesto match. These are: (1) the tops of the windowand door frames, (2) the wainscot top andwindow bottoms, and (3) the door and wainscotbottoms. I worked on the outside first andfound I could keep all of the horizontal linesstraight if I trimmed the top off the Grandt Linewindow castings and let the bottoms fall wherethey may. My only problem is that the bottomof the door sits slightly higher than I would like.Inside I applied trim all around the windowsand doors.The front wall was constructed in three sections.Building the sections on either side of thebay window was a straightforward process. AsI’d learned from previous experience, buildingthe bay window itself would be an exercise incutting, fitting and cursing. This project provedtrue to form.I started the bay at the bottom and workedmy way up. The floor and the interior wallbelow the windows were built first. Next, twotriangular pieces were sanded to shape andused as a structural member between the windows.The edges of the window castings werecarefully mitered. When all this was done, theportion of the bay above the windows wasbuilt. Because the interior of this can be seenwhen the roof is removed, I employed standardconstruction practices. Inside, the trim thankfullyhid many of my sanding errors.The two baggage doors were much simplerto build. Pre-painted strip wood was glued apiece of 1 ⁄32-inch thick basswood sheet cut tosize. Trim of appropriate size was added toboth doors and they were “hung” in a trackhidden behind a wall-hung box built of stripwood. To complete this phase of the project,the four walls were joined.Top & BottomA concrete foundation was built up from6x12 strip wood. An inner 6x9 perimeter provideda platform on which to mount the floor.The floor material is 3x12 stock laid on a diagonal.It was weathered before installation. (Seephotos #3 and #4)My interior ceiling was designed to look likelath and plaster construction. This was done byfirst cutting a piece of 1 ⁄16-inch thick sheet woodto size. Lathe made from 1 x 2 scale stock wasglued to it at a 30-degree angle to the walls.Over the top of this a 2 x 4 structural frame wasadded. Two access holes were cut, one to allowa person to enter and the other for the chimneyto pass through.My first try at constructing the interior ceilingwas a complete disaster. I decided to useliberal quantities of white glue in affixing thelath. My plan was that the excess glue would28 • O Scale Trains - Sept/Oct ’04

look like plaster that had oozed out from underthe lath during construction. I achieved this lookinitially, however, after being left overnight tocure, the dried glue warped the ceiling badly.On my second try, I used ACC and in sparingquantities. This time I got a ceiling that lookedless like it was mimicking the swells on theocean and more like it belonged in a building.For the structure’s roof, I went the full boardby-boardroute. A series of roof trusses was constructedfrom scale lumber. These were gluedone at a time to the sub course of the roof on18-inch centers. This structure was very fragileand had to be handled with great care to avoidaccidental collapse. Once again, the bay windowarea proved a trial. A couple of monumentalfailures in getting pieces cut to the correct lengthand angle made me doubt the wisdom of what Iwas trying to do but, with perseverance, successwas ultimately achieved. When 1x12 sheet wasadded to the eaves the roof was made stronger.My shingles were made from real cedar. Acigar-smoking colleague of mine once lit up anafter-lunch smoke that had a cedar wrapper. Inoted that this thin piece of veneer might be suitablefor use as a credible O Scale shingle onceflattened and stained. During his brief infatuationwith this brand of cigars, I assembled a stockpileof thin cedar sheets. Steamed and pressed theyflattened out nicely. There are over a thousandshingles on the roof of the Early Winters depot.Cutting and staining tripled the number of stepsinvolved in completing the roof. I found rainywinter afternoons, the radio tuned to the localNPR station, a #11 Xacto blade in an Xacto knife,and a lot of patience all to be assets. For those ofyou less compulsive, the Builders in Scale shinglestrips would no doubt offer a viable option.Out in front of the depot there is a passengerplatform constructed of 2x12 timbers. A smallwing serves the baggage room.Details, Details, DetailsHere’s where the fun really begins. I purchasedfigures and packages of detail parts fromseveral manufactures suitable for use in mydepot. After painting, they were used to bring lifeand clutter to my depot scene. Among the itemsemployed were a mailbox, a gum machine, a pairof stoves, a mop, brooms, barrels and miscellaneoustools. One waiting bench was scratchbuiltand the other came from a kit. My suitcases werescratchbuilt from basswood, painted and given ametal handle.The chimney was a major headache for atime. Search as I might, I could find no commerciallyavailable casting of a chimney suited toinstallation in an interior space. After discussingthis problem with my friend Clint Crow of C. C.Crow, he was kind enough to cast one just theright size for my project. In combination with aGrandt Line cap, it helped create a classic smalltown depot interior look. Clint promises to addthis valuable item to his fine line of Hydrocalcastings.To prepare the chimney casting, I sprayed itInterior view of the ceiling showing the lath and framing.Roof assembly seen from the underside. Note the roof trusses and the rafters.Roof assembly siting on the assembled walls.Sept/Oct ’04 - O Scale Trains • 29567

with a coat of Badger OxideRed paint and applied ScaleModel Works modeler’s mortarbetween the bricks. The sameprocedure was used on theGrandt Line cap that sticks outthrough the roof.Signs were something Iwanted to have plenty of onmy depot. The majority of themwere made by building a framearound a pre-painted, 1 ⁄16-inchthick, sheet of wood and addingpress on letters. A small square ofstyrene was painted grimy blackand press on letters and stripsused to create a black board onwhich train arrival and departuretimes could be posted. TheA street-side view of the depot showing the baggage platform on the right.red Railway Express Agency signis a decal applied to a thin pieceof styrene.For the platform, I built aGrandt Line baggage cart andacquired some milk cans todisplay on it. To blacken whitemetal castings I use a productcalled Blacken-It made by the A-West Company. I’ve found thatthe length of time the casting isemerged in a bath of this mildacid solution determines howblack it will become. A short bathwill produce a tarnished look onan item like a milk or garbagecan that in real life would bemade from galvanized metal. Along bath will bring a dark, richInterior of the depot with details added.patina to the metal.To get a weathered look on thestructure, I used artist’s chalks.So, there you have it. Now, if you’ll pardon me, I think I’lljust wander out on the platform and watch to see who gets onand off the afternoon local.◆Resources:Model RailroaderP.O. Box 1612, Waukesha, WI 53187-1612,262-796-8776, www.trains.com.C. C. Crow / Builders In ScaleP. O. Box 1427, Mukilteo, WA 98275,www.builders-in-scale.comFloquil, a brand from the Testor Corporation440 Blackhawk Ave, Rockford, IL 61104,800-962-6654, www.testors.com.Grandt Line1040 B Shary Court, Concord, CA 94518,925-671-0143, www.grandtline.com30 • O Scale Trains - Sept/Oct ’04

P&D Hobby Shop31280 Groesbeck,Fraser, MI 48026586-296-6116Open Mon-Fri 10-8,Sat 10-6, Sun 12-5Fax: 586-296-5642P&D Hobby F Unit Body Kit SaleModel shown is #7000F Unit “A” Body Kits: reg. $99.95, on sale $82.99#5000 EMD F2, F3-Ph1 (3 portholes)#6000 EMD F3-Ph2, F3-Ph3 (2 portholes)#7000 EMD F3-Ph4, F7-Ph1 early (2 portholes)#8000 EMD F7-Ph1 late, F7-Ph2 (2 portholes,48" brake, vert. grills)#9000 EMD F9 (2 portholes, vert. grills)F Unit “B” Body Kits: reg. $94.99, on sale $79.99#1000 EMD F2, F3-Ph1#2000 EMD F3-Ph2, F3-Ph3#3000 EMD F3-Ph3, F7-Ph1 (horiz. grills)#4000 EMD F7-Ph1 9late), F7-Ph2, F9 (vert. grills)All kits include brass etchedgrills, appropriate detailed parts,and preformed grab irons forindicated model. These kitsinclude only the parts above theframe.P&D 5080K AtlasF Unit MountingBracket Kit formounting P&D F“A” or "B” body toolder Atlas chassis(includes allhardware): $30Sept/Oct ’04 - O Scale Trains • 31

Photograph 1. Removing the roof walks and end ladders and plating overthe side windows gives the old Atlas caboose a distinctive appearance.Even after weathering, the Cascade green of the blanking plates makesthem more prominent.At a recent running session we were embarrassed to discoverthat we had no cabooses. Everyone had the same, lame excuse,“Ah, err, well, um, my cabooses aren’t up to scratch so I didn’tbring one.” It was time to think about a caboose upgrade again.I had started once before but more pressing projects intervened.My Burlington Northern caboose is a 30 year old Atlasextended vision model that I had acquired second hand. Theloops at the tops of the ladders were missing so I had removedthe roof walks and filled the resulting holes in the roof.(Although my rolling stock is mass-produced plastic I still likeit to be distinctive. I don’t want my equipment to look the sameas everyone else’s.) The surrounds of all the windows had beenpainted silver to simulate aluminum framing. As an experiment,the railings on one end had been cut away leaving only the endbeam, brake stand and brake valve. I had fabricated new handrailsfrom .020” brass wire and added “spray guards” to match aphotograph. That end looked pretty good with the finer rails andno ladders or roof walks, but where was the photograph now?A search of the most likely publications failed to find thephotograph. However, I did learn that I had copied the railingsof one of Burlington Northern’s newer cabooses. These hadbeen built without windows in the body side and without roofwalks. Naturally, the ends had no ladders.My search for photographs in books and magazines leftme with a long list of the model’s shortcomings. Some wouldrequire a lot of work to correct. However, the next running sessionwas looming so I decided to make only the following, simplemodifications:• Use the brass rail assembly at one end and leave the originalplastic rail assembly at the other end. After all, only one endcan be seen at a time!• Paint over the left-hand window on each end wall. All BurlingtonNorthern extended vision cabooses appear to have onlyone window on each end and that’s to the right of the door.• Plate over side windows that are there, not windows thatshould be there.• Replace original trucks with correct Barber Bettendorfswing motion caboose trucks from Atlas O.• Paint ends and step risers yellow and paint rails, grabs andlower step edges white.I started by preparing the side windows for blanking. Forthe blanks to sit flush, the raised window frames had to beremoved. I used an automotive points file (remember when carshad distributors with points?) held at an angle so that it passedthrough the window opening. By watching the strokes carefullyI was able to file the frames away without gouging the sides.See Drawing #1.Drawing #1Cross sectionof cabin sideshowing removalof the raisedwindow framesby angling theautomotive pointsfile.34 • O Scale Trains - Sept/Oct ’04

This procedure left the window openings with a slope aroundtheir perimeters. However, I cut the blanking plates bigger thanthe openings so the slope won’t interfere when attaching theplates. I did consider blanking the left-hand window on eachend but these also have raised frames. I couldn’t use the pointsfile to remove these frames because of the roof overhang on theends. I decided to spray the left-hand windows yellow, and pretendthey were not there.Four 11 ⁄16”x 5 ⁄8” pieces and two 9 ⁄16”x 1 ⁄2” pieces were cut from.010” styrene and painted with MODELflex Cascade Green.The greens don’t quite match which is actually good. Becausethe blanks were added later, they should be a different green.I masked the body sides and roof, then sprayed the ends withgrey automotive primer from an aerosol can. I sprayed straightover the window glazing. It seemed that, after painting, it wouldbe easier to remove the old glazing and put in new. The endbeams, railings, brake stands, brake wheels and valve assemblieswere also sprayed with primer.When the primer had dried, all the above parts were sprayedwith yellow. In the step wells the step risers were brushed withyellow.After all this yellow paint had dried I brushed the roof panelswith a 50/50 mix of MODELflex L&N Grey and ATSF Silver,not forgetting the cupola roof or the smoke jack. On the endassemblies I brushed the corner verticals, the horizontal rail andthe vertical rail above it with reefer white. The brake stands andvalves were painted MODELflex Dark Tuscan Red.When the paint had dried the blanking plates were taped inposition over the side window openings. The blanked windowsare such a prominent feature of the caboose that I wanted to besure the plates were square and level. When I was satisfied withtheir placement I fixed them with ACC cement. This was donewith the body lying flat on the table so that any excess cementsqueezed out would not run down the body side.With a felt tip pen I silvered the raised surrounds of the righthand window on each end and the end windows of the cupola.The sliding window frames in the end doors and cupola sides werealso silvered with the pen. Next, I painted all of the grab irons reeferwhite, not forgetting the four on the cupola roof. The front edgeof each bottom step was also brushed with reefer white.I used Testor’s Dullcote from an aerosol can to eliminateany shine. A wash of Burnt Umber artist’s oil paint in turpentinegave a suitably grimy finish. Next, I replaced the glazing inPhotograph 2. Here’s a“warts and all” closeupof the end withfabricated brass rails.I have since found aphotograph on theCentral California Railswebsite that showsBN 12510. It has platedover side windows andhandrails that matchthese.Photograph 3.Photographs ofprototype caboosesshow that the ladderrungs above thehorizontal handrailshould be removed,although the stilesare left in place. Nowthat I’ve found aprototype there reallyis no excuse for notaltering this end, too.all but the left-hand window in each end. Now it was time toassemble the caboose.The AtlasO trucks were a disappointment. They have a 3-Rail bolster that is much too high. Bringing the car to its correctheight would have involved cutting away the car’s bolstersand parts of the center sill and brake rigging. I wasn’t preparedto sacrifice the underbody detail, so I settled for All Nationcaboose trucks. They have the correct leaf springs but have frictionbearings which are inappropriate for 1983/84, the periodI model. They do roll well and give the car a nice heft downlow. Jerry Snow of Accurate O Scale has announced correcttrucks with roller bearings, so eventually they will replace theAll Nation ones. I brushed MODELflex Rust on the wheel facesand backs, and the axles. Rust was also brushed on to the leafsprings of the trucks. A Burnt Umber wash over the trucks readiedmy caboose for the next running session.As time passes I find more discrepancies between this modeland the prototype. Obviously, this in not the end. It is justanother step along the path. At this stage my Burlington Northerncaboose is not strictly accurate, but it is distinctive, andmuch more convincing than no caboose.◆References:Central California Rails web siteBurlington Northern Caboose BookCopyright 1993 by Robert C. Del Grosso.Great Northern Pacific Publications.Resources:Accurate O Scale, 38623 Orchard St, CherryValley CA 92223, 909-845-5237, www.accurateoscale.com.All Nation, 23W546 St Charles Rd, CarolStream IL 60188, 630-653-4288.Badger MODELflex, Badger Air-Brush Co.,9128 W. Belmont Ave, Franklin Park, IL60131, (800)247-2787, www.badger-airbrush.com.Testor Corporation, 440 Blackhawk Ave,Rockford, IL 61104, 800-962-6654, www.testors.com.Materials List:All Nation caboose trucks.Automotive grey primer in aerosolcan.MODELflex Burlington NorthernGreen.MODELflex Dark Tuscan RedMODELflex L&N GreyMODELflex Railbox YellowMODELflex RustMODELflex Santa Fe SilverStyrene sheet .010” thickTestor’s Dullcote in aerosol canSept/Oct ’04 - O Scale Trains • 35

These photos were taken at the Mid-Atlantic Narrow Gauge Moduleconvention in Kimberton, Pa., this past May. This modular layout takesthe East Broad Top as its prototype focus. The modules belong to aloose knit group of guys, Gary Hart, Jeff Hart, Kevin Hartman, RichardLowe, and Steve Cenova, who all model the EBT. They’ve beenworking on the modules since 1989.THE GREAT SCALE MODEL TRAIN SHOW1-877-531-5275 TOLL FREE1-585-334-8810 LOCAL1-585-334-1003 FAXDigistardcc@netacc.netP.O. Box 577Henrietta NY 14467Your DCC, Sound and Signalling SpecialistNCE Retail DigistarDCCPH-PRO10 10 Amp DCC Starter Sys $649.95 $484.00PH-PRO10R 10 Amp Radio DCC Starter Sys $869.95 $660.00PB-110A Add-on 10 Amp Booster $269.95 $196.00PROCAB Delux Programming Cab $159.95 $119.00PROCAB-R Delux Radio Programming Cab $249.95 $188.50CAB04P Intermediate Cab w/Pot $89.95 $68.50CAB04E Intermediate Cab w/Encoder $119.95 $91.50CAB04PR Intermediate Radio Cab w/Pot $179.95 $135.00CAB04ER Intermediate Radio Cab w/Encoder $199.95 $155.50DIGITRAX Retail DigistarDCCSuper Chief 8 Amp DT400 ThrottleDCS200+ Booster $469.00 $365.00Super Chief 8 Amp Radio DT400R Throttle DCS200+ Booster $659.00 $504.00Super Empire Builder DT300 Throttle DCS200+ Booster $349.00 $269.00Super Empire Builder Radio DT300R Throttle DCS200+ Booster $549.00 $429.00DCS200 8 Amp command Station/Booster $305.00 $248.50DCS200+ 8 Amp Booster $199.99 $155.50DT400 Super IR Throttle with Programming $179.99 $136.00DT400 R Super Radio/IR Throttle w/Programming $229.00 $174.50DT300 Infrared Dual Throttle w/Programming $154.99 $115.00DT300R Radio/Infrared Dual Throttle w/Programming $204.99 $144.00UT1 Utility Throttle $79.95 $57.50UT2 Utility Throttle w/Programming $99.95 $77.50Decoders Retail DigiStarDCCNCE D408SR 4 AMP 7 Fx Wired $89.95 $70.75NCE D808SR 8 AMP 8 Fx Screw Terminals $129.95 $105.00Digitrax DG383AR 3 Amp 8 Fx JST/Wired $59.99 $46.00Digitrax DG583AR 5 Amp 8 Fx JST/Wired $64.99 $53.75Digitrax DG583S 5 Amp 8 Fx Screw Terminal $66.99 $54.75Lenz LE4024 4 Amp 4 Fx Screw Terminal $69.95 $52.95Sound Soundtrax DSX Sound Decoders $129.00 $97.00LightMiniatronics1.5V 15ma 10 Pack $9.00 20 for $17.0014V 30ma 10 Pack $8.00 20 for $15.0016V 30ma 10 Pack $8.00 20 for $15.00October 9-10, 2004Maryland State FairgroundsTimonium, MDAll new hands-on clinics!100’s of tables of scale and hi-rail trains and displaysFor details and hotel information about both Showsvisit www.gsmts.com or contact:The Ellicott City Scale Model Railroad Association410-730-1036hzane1@comcast.netAnd The36 • O Scale Trains - Sept/Oct ’04NewAll-American High-Rail & Collectors Train Show

CABIN CREEKCOAL COMPANYLimited Edition KitPrecise Laser-CutEngineeredfor Easy Assembly50+ Detail CastingsFlexible PositioningPositionable Doors& WindowsMaster Creations’ O kit #18105 contains the tipple, headhouse, power house, storage shed, retainingwalls, and a ton of character for $549.95! The tipple is approximately 45 x 90 scale feet with the overalldiorama shown being about 24" x 48". Not all details are shown in the photo!Celebrating over 20 Years ofService since 1979P O Box 561Seffner, FL 33583Phone: 813-643-1105Fax: 813-681-7326Web: www.btsrr.comwww.master-creations.comE-Mail: bill@btsrr.comS.A.S.E. for price list.$6.00 s&h on all US orders.Full Catalog - $5.00Sept/Oct ’04 - O Scale Trains • 37

Some Thoughts for Scratchbuilderson Finding DimensionsBrian ScacePrototype photos used by permission ofBob’s Photos.Much attention has been devoted to the construction methods,such as soldering brass, working with styrene, wood, Strathmore,et al. That’s, after all, what how-to magazines like ours dofor their worth. We supply a medium through which one personcan explain to another person how something was done.One aspect of this equation remains shrouded in mystery,receives little comment, and deserves more, as has beenbrought to my attention by Marty Iftody’s letter published inIssue #12. He asks how to get the info needed before embarkingon a scratchbuilding project. Here are some thoughts frommy locomotive-building experience.First, if there are drawings, I use ‘em. Many of the historicalsocieties, such as the New York Central System HistoricalSociety, have drawing archives. These groups are worth joiningto get access to these archives. Also, a post on some of theinternet sites, such as Bobber Gibb’s Otrains List [http://groups.yahoo.com/group/otrains], may get you linked up withsomeone who has a drawing you’re looking for in his musty,dusty, files. Lastly, there have been literally thousands of drawingspublished in the model press over the years. Some are notso hot, but many are worthy of use.You need to be careful here, for a couple of reasons. Forlocomotives and rolling stock, some of these drawings can leadyou astray in a big way. When you get that big roll of Limadrawings for a B&A Berk in the mail, you may think you havethe last word in fidelity. T’ain’t necessarily so! Chances arethat the drawing of the complete locomotive is what is calledan “assembly drawing” or a “general arrangement”. Assemblydrawings and general arrangements (for our purposes, assumethat these are one and the same) are used as keys to the other38 • O Scale Trains - Sept/Oct ’04several hundred detail drawings of each individual piece thatmake up the whole. There’s a detail drawing for the pilot casting,another for the cab armrest, and another for the bell, allnumber-keyed to the assembly drawing. Assembly drawingsdon’t have to be all that dimensionally accurate, just goodenough so that you can refer to the individual componentdrawings, and visualize the inter-relationship of the parts. Somecompanies’ assembly drawings are quite accurate, while otherswere notorious. Alco, for example, was noted for form errors intheirs, resulting in some major gaffs in production Diesel models.Even high-end imports are not immune to this, as severalNYC Hudson models have repeatedly erred in firebox shape,yet are faithful to the drawings used. Even the locomotive drawingsin the various editions of The Locomotive Cyclopedia areflawed in this regard, because they are derived from assemblydrawings, so be careful.The next thing to be careful of is the drawing date. Look inthe box under the drawing title for the last revision date. Youneed to be wary of this, especially if you are modeling 1952,and that locomotive of your dreams was built in 1929. Equipmentwas constantly upgraded and modified throughout its servicelife. Just as color schemes on, say, a boxcar changed overtime, brakes were upgraded, safety appliances added, truckswere changed, and a thousand other things were replaced andupgraded. The result is a new detail drawing for that new brakecylinder, and that new drawing number noted on the assemblydrawing as a revision. The whole assembly drawing quite probablywill not be redrawn to reflect the revision, however, andyou need to be aware of that!We can conclude that there is info to be gleaned from thedrawings, but they are not the definitive source we would likethem to be. They are, however, a good addition to our arsenal.With or without drawings, the next step is to find photos.Again, photos are usually pretty easy to find, whether in books,the same historical society where you got the drawing set, or

through one of the photo services. I have literally hundreds of B&A photos, mostly from Bob Liljestrand (Bob’s Photos, 37 SpringSt, Ansonia, CT 06401. Phone 1-203-734-6666), for the purpose. Find a favorite photo supplier and avail yourself of this preciousresource.Though not dimensioned, photos never lie. They can mislead the unwary in a big way, however. Look at the three B&A Mikephotos. These are all the same class locomotive, and all taken within three years of each other. 1201 has two air pumps, while1209 has one, for example. 1201 has a different backup light than the other two. Clearly, 1201 has a 7500-gallon tender. Those tanksall look the same in the pictures, and probably no one would squawk if you wanted a single pump version and you numbered it1209, and lettered the tank for 7500 gallons. After all they’re the same class! Well, you’ll have to decide your own level of neurosis.You’d probably get away with it, but I know that 1209 has an 8000-gallon tank that would be lettered as such! If you really are worriedabout it, the lesson here is to find photos of the same engine, all four sides, shot at the same time if at all possible.The third important resource is the “Diagram Book”. Since we are looking at B&A H5 Mikes as our example, the diagram fromSept/Oct ’04 - O Scale Trains • 39

know to be equal to 63”. Now measure the distance betweenHorizontal B and C, again along Vertical A’. I got 1.1”. Usinga little high school algebra, solve the ratio 63/1.5 equals X/1.1the NYC (B&A being under lease to NYC at that time) is nowadded to our array. Railroads published these for employees tohave a ready reference as to the dimensions and operating characteristicsof various pieces of equipment, be they locomotives,freight cars, or passenger cars. Some railroads even had diagrambooks for standard track components, buildings, and signage.Since railroads were, understandably, very interested in clearancedimensions, this source is extremely useful for us. Again,hit the railroadiana shows, historical societies, or the Internet tofind these books. Be careful to get the ones printed in your era.Now, we’ll combine all our research material and see whatwe can build, still using my B&A H5 Mike as our example. Thisengine was built by consortium, the suspects being myself, BudJaggers, and the late George Dzicky. We had no drawings towork from of this particular engine, so the first step was to findphotos of both sides of the same locomotive (#1211) taken atapproximately the same date. Having my copy of the abovementionedNew York Central Locomotive Classification diagrambook from the period, we were able to get the major dimensions.Even without this info, we can still get close so long aswe know the size of, in this case, the drivers.Blow up the photo as big as you can stand. The bigger youblow it up, the better the resolution of your measurements.Using the photo of 1206 for an example, you can see that I’vedrawn lines at the tops (Line C) and the bottoms of the drivers(Line D), which I know to be 63” diameter. You can then gridup some vertical lines (Line A-Prime, written A’, as an example),again using the drivers for distance, crossing both original lines.Next, I made the relatively rash assumption that the main partof the running board is straight and parallel, so another horizontalline (Line B) was struck using that feature. In our case, sincethe H5 boiler isn’t tapered, we can use the top of the boiler foranother horizontal line (Line A). Take a good scale and measurethe distance along Vertical Line A’, between Horizontals C andD. In my blown up photo, the distance was 1.5”, which weand you can determine that the distance between HorizontalB and C is about 46”. Do the whole thing again to get the distancebetween Horizontal A and B, and whatever other lines,both vertical and horizontal, you want to add for the purpose.As you can see, you are starting to get references to majorparts of the locomotive based on some proportion of that knowndriver diameter. Measuring along these lines with dividers anda rule, followed by a little high school math, yields wisdom. Asyou keep building up this grid, you can get a reasonable idea ofdimensions, rivet line positions, and all the other stuff you careabout.Because most rolling stock photos you’ll find, especiallyfrom the steam era, are shot in a wedge or 3/4-view, you’ll haveto use this sort of stunt. The more dimensions you can get fromother sources, like our diagram book, the more accurate yourgridwork and other aids become. Also, you can project backany horizontal planes, such as running boards, driver tops, railhead,and the like to establish a projection angle. Again, sincethe H5 boiler isn’t tapered, we could use the top and bottom ofthe boiler. Use your school trig to project more lines forwardagain for more dimensions. If this all sounds like Greek to you,get a textbook on mechanical or technical drawing. Look upthe chapters on projections and teach yourself how to deal withthem.Before some genius writes to tell us that Scace is imperfectlyeducated, we concede that there are some errors inherentwith grid dimensions from photos. Because the locomotive istaller than the photographer, for example, parts on top of theboiler may scale out a little shorter than they really are. Inthis case, there is an angular error between the lens and thetop of the locomotive that we aren’t taking into account withour somewhat simplified method. The alternative is the use of40 • O Scale Trains - Sept/Oct ’04

3-dimensional angular projections, which is a really uglyreverse-engineering technique. Our method, salted with a goodeye to proportions and whatever info we can get from othersources, will still get you pretty darned close. Also on your side,at least in the locomotive world, many components, such asair pumps, are common to many locomotives and available ascommercial castings. Their dimensions are yet another piece ofthe puzzle solved for us.I have very rarely found that I have to use this grid/projectionmethod as the sole basis for building any model, but I stilluse projections and grids, in combination with info from theprototype railroad (diagram books as an example) when thereare no plans to be had. Even with plans in hand, I’ll use thismethod to determine the dimensions and locations of modificationsand features seen in photos which may not be reflectedin the drawings. Remember, do your best to match photos anddrawings carefully regarding dates taken, try to get photos ofthe same locomotive, car, or whatever, to work from, and useyour eye’s sense of proportion to detect errors. If it doesn’t quitelook right, it probably isn’t. You can judge for yourself how ourH5 came out.◆NarrowMindedBobber GibbsAs I look back at my many years ofinvolvement with O Scale trains, I can vividlyrecall my first real attraction to narrowgauge. I had previously learned that quite afew railroads had initially built narrow gaugelines and later widened them out to standardgauge, but I was deeply into the standardgauge learning curve and not really interestedin the subject until one special eventoccurred. At a train show, I saw a new, largescale, LGB Denver & Rio Grande Westernhigh side gondola and I was captivated bythe look and feel of it. That’s when I startedto get serious about narrow gauge.I read about the tiny Hunslets and Avonsidesthat worked the Welsh quarries, andstudied the history and development of narrowgauge around the world.I began to research the numerous Coloradonarrow gauge railroads and, for severalyears, I became totally immersed in learningall I could. I visited Colorado numeroustimes, followed the old lines, studied thepreserved equipment, rode all the trains,attended National Narrow Gauge Conventions,bought a lot of books and became aLife Member of the Colorado Railroad Museum.Along the way, I bought narrow gaugetrains in HOn3, Sn3, On2, On3 and most ofthe garden railroad size/gauge combinations.I bought and built riding equipment on 7.25”gauge and eventually topped it all off witha 1300 foot railroad around my two acrehome, dual gauged for full sized 24” and 15”equipment. At the peak of my involvement,I owned four gas locomotives, over 40 expeatcars, a complete Chance Manufacturingamusement park passenger train and a 15”speeder with work trailer.The more I learned about narrow gaugerailroading, the more I became attracted tolarger scale models of smaller equipmentand began to shy away from the larger locomotives,freight and passenger equipment.I started the Critters List on the Internet andthen the O Scale Trains List (now Otrains)followed by the On30 Conspiracy andProto48.You may be surprised to learn that, inNorth America and around the world, therehave been significantly more 30” gauge mainline and industrial railways than there everwere in 3-foot or 2-foot gauges.No, I was not the first to get involvedwith On30. I created the On30 Conspiracyin 1996 and have enjoyed watching this particularscale/gauge combination grow anddevelop into the biggest narrow gauge list onthe Internet with 1,661 members (comparedto 777 for Otrains, 721 for On3 and 216 forProto48). A large number of manufacturersare producing excellent On30 equipment atfair prices and many proficient modelers arebuilding beautiful models and sharing theirskills with newcomers.What have I learned about O Scale narrowgauge train operations? Mainly, tiny4-wheel locomotives that pick up currentfrom the rails can have significant operatingproblems if they are not heavily weighted ordo not have independent suspension on atleast one axle. For slow speed and falter-freeoperation, I prefer can motors, flywheels, lowgearing and a minimum of six (and preferablyeight) current conducting wheels.That brings us to the real subject for thismonth, creating a narrow gauge industrialline in conjunction with a standard gauge OScale railroad and some dual gauge trackwork.My friend, Neville Rossiter, who alsowrites for O Scale Trains Magazine, hasinstalled an On30 line on his standard gaugeswitching railroad in Perth, Australia, primarilyfor some of his friends and fellow operatorswho have On30 equipment.I hope to encourage a few OST readersand some Otrains members to considerinstalling a third rail on part of a standardgauge main line or spur track to create a sectionof dual gauge for visual interest and anoperating challenge. It could be On42, On3,On30, On2 or even smaller and it couldbe incorporated into traditional O Scale orProto48 standard gauge.If any readers have created sections ofdual gauge track, please contact me and offersome decent digital photos that we might beable to run in future columns. I am in the processof building my own dual gauge moduleto Proto48 and On30 standards and photoswill be ready for our next issue.Those on the Internet might want to checkout my new O Scale, modular, dual gaugeconcept at:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ODUALHappy trains to you until we meet again. ◆Sept/Oct ’04 - O Scale Trains • 41

Shifting DirectionThis column has been appearing for over a year in O ScaleTrains. Our Editor and Publisher suggested a different title toexpose the material to more who might be interested in prototypicallyaccurate modeling in O Scale, independent of gauge. Iam not sure how many readers haven’t been reading my columnbecause of the perceived subject matter or title. I am planning toadd a greater emphasis on techniques useful in modeling and tocontinue to discuss prototype modeling. I will still endeavor toprint news and information on Proto48 products and services.Fine Scale is a very general term that doesn’t define gauge,scale or even trains for that matter. When I first got interested in1⁄4”AAR (later Proto48) in the late 1960’s, the term “fine scale” wasused by a number of model railroaders in the Bay Area to describehighly detailed scratchbuilt models. I suspect the term came fromBob Brown’s pioneering magazine called Fine-Lines. Bob createda forum for narrow gauge and standard gauge modelers to sharetheir work. Much of the magazine was devoted to modeling techniques.I learned a great deal by reading Fine-Lines. Bob’s magazinelater evolved into the legendary Narrow Gauge & ShortlineGazette. Unlike the Gazette, I will try to keep the focus of my columnon standard gauge since we already have a narrow gauge column.Starting withthis issue, the columnwill be calledFine Scale Modeling.I will try toinclude one modelingtip per column.This month I willd e s c r i b e a napproach to buildingcurved roofsfor cars such ascabooses.Modeling Tip:Making CurvedRoofsMaking a curved roof for a freight car or caboose has alwaysbeen a vexing problem for me. I have tried various approacheswith little success, until I tried laminating thin sheets of styreneover a jig or form. I mainly build in styrene, and like to use thesame material for the whole car project rather than trying to blenddissimilar materials. Using one type of material in a model’s constructionavoids potential problems from dissimilar expansion andcontraction rates. Plastic, wood and metal all expand and contractat different rates. Combining material can result in somethingwarping, since uneven expansion will exert pressure on the structure.This techniqueworksvery well forstyrene, producingstrongand stableroofs.Determine the radius of the roof from drawings. Make a styrenetemplate with this radius. A constant radius roof simplifies constructiongreatly. You can use this technique for roofs that changetheir radius, such as passenger cars, though making the forming jigis more involved.Construct a simple wood jig with the desired radius. Use thetemplate to ensure a correct curvature. I use sheet balsa that I soakin water so it will bend easily without splitting. I glue down somestrip wood to form the risers on either side of the jig. I use a thickenedCA to build the jig, since it will dry very quickly. Place ametal rod in the center of the jig and let the balsa dry out. Glue thebalsa to the jig.The next step is to cut out several sheets of 0.010” styrene toa size slightly larger than the final dimensions desired. This willlessen the need to precisely align the layers in the lamination.Place the first layer in the jig. Hold it down with either doublesidedtape or a drop of standard ACC. You only want to hold thecenter down. Don’t coat the entire surface.Apply Plasti-Zap (CA formulated for styrene made by PacerTechnology) thinly over the first sheet. Keep it away from theedges, since it will bleed when it is laminated. Place the secondsheet on the first, using a wood dowel or metal rod as a rolling pinto ensure a smooth bond. Wipe off any CA that is forced out of thelamination. Let the lamination set for a few minutes.Apply subsequent layers using the same technique. Once youhave built up the thickness to the correct amount, seal the edgeswith your favorite liquid styrene cement. Let the lamination setovernight.Trim to the correct size. Pay attention to the fact that a lot ofroof edges are actually parallel to the car side.The last step is to fabricate formers to match the interior curvature(the same as the curvature of the car end). This prevents thelamination from changing shape over time. The formers counterthe forces created when adding interior siding, as in the case of themodel shown.Finishing the roof usually entails adding roof walk supports,cupola and roof walk. If the roof is of steel construction, you willwant to apply a sheet of 0.010” styrene with embossed rivet detailsper the prototype. I would allow for this final sheet in estimatingthe number of layers required in the lamination. This final sheetcan be bonded using normal styrene glue if applied sparingly. Ifthe model has a wood roof covered with canvas or some othertype of weatherproofing, you will want to install this before youapply the details. You can simulate this with a paper adhesive tapeused for bandaging wounds. It is easy to work. Painting the roofhelps set the tape permanently in place.◆42 • O Scale Trains - Sept/Oct ’04

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Reader FeedbackPower G & Sewing MachinesThank you for the info about the newMRC Power G power supply. I got one,itworks! Went back and got another onefor the second mainline and when I dosome future planned expansion, I willget some for that as well. And perhaps aspare or two backup as nothing lasts forever.A Big Boy and a Challenger pulling80 Atlas hoppers on 160’of mainline isno problem for the packs!A thank you to MRC for making thispower supply, too. Others I know, uponmy telling them/recommending the MRCpack to them, tried it and liked it, so they,too, are happy campers as well. Noteveryone can afford or perhaps want allthe expensive electronic gizmos, someprone to failure with expensive repairs.Some people I know have actually turnedoff the sound units in their new locos dueto the racket several would create run atthe same time.Re: George Ritter’s question aboutrigid trucks. About a year or so back,I got some Atlas trucks that had beenmodified by removing the top retainingplate from the top of the truck andthat allowed them to become “sprung”.However, the person who modified themdid not seem to know, or be aware of, orperhaps didn’t care, that the side frameswould not stay in alignment without thatcast plate.After some experimenting after I foundthat a pin could be inserted in a smallhole drilled through the tab on the sideframe and the bolster. Bend the pin overand it cuts the side frame play to almostzero. However, a little further experimentingshowed one could remove thetwo screws holding the top plate on the“new” Atlas Andrews trucks that come ontheir steam-era box cars and the truck isnow “sprung”. The Andrews trucks seemto be better made than the roller bearingand Bettendorf trucks and the side framesseem to stay true for the most part. Ifthere is a problem with the sideframestwisting, resort to the pin method.After reading more of the new issue,I have two cents about rivet machinesmade from old sewing machines. IrvLange showed me how he used a 1 ⁄8”thick piece of lead sheet as guides, oneon each side fastened to the table. Itwould be advanced by the “foot” justas cloth is. Use a Dremel cut-off disk toshorten and make the end of a needlesmaller. With a little experimental trialand error to get it the right length andsize, the machine makes fairly good rivet44 • O Scale Trains - Sept/Oct ’04impressions quickly. You do not want anew machine made of plastic and castzinc. You want an older machine, suchas a Singer or White. Sometimes they canbe found at second-hand stores, garagesales, etc. I found White machines workbetter as they “bit” twice on the downstroke.Likewise, one that has “zig-zag”can make staggered double rows of rivets.Carl PhillipsMore On TrucksReferring to George Ritter’s questionabout Atlas trucks. One thing to dois remove the truck mounted couplerbracket. This will let the trucks flex alittle. After that it looks like cutting offthe tabs on each side frame would finishthe job (haven’t tried this yet), sincethe truck bolster actually goes throughthe side frames and is held there by thesprings just like any other sprung truck.If he is real careful using a fine toothedsaw, he might be able to do this withouttaking the springs out and disassemblingthe trucks.Bob HayesTrucks: One More TimeReader George Ritter asked aboutfreight trucks. My experience is thatAthearn and Weaver trucks with Intermountainsteel wheels make an excellentchoice for trackability, both stayingon the rails and rolling. Also the carshould be weighted to NMRA standards,5 ounces, plus one ounce per inch oflength. A forty foot box car should weigh15 ounces.Do rigid trucks track well? Yes, Ihave several 21-inch K-Line passengercars converted to 2-rail using the originaltrucks with added 36-inch wheel sets.They track well on my layout which hasless than 48 inch radii.On the AtlasO cars, I usually changethe trucks to Athearn or Weaver becausethey look better. The AtlasO truck ismade for 3-rail wheel sets and therefore,is too wide. I am in the process of changingall plastic wheels to Intermountainsteel wheels. They roll well and don’tpick up dirt as much. And they soundlike the prototype.Bill Krueger, Cincinnati, OhioMystery Photo Revealed!I believe the picture in O Scale Trains#15, pg 45, is of a track-alignmentmachine. The folding assembly that trailsbehind carries mirrors, and the main unithas a light source, probably a laser beambecause it won’t spread out but remainsa narrow beam. The main machinemeasures the location of the beam thatis reflected back to it and so measureswhether the main machine (and thereforethe track it is on) is properly aligned withthe track behind. The forest of hoses inthe center indicates a set of hydraulic tietampers to tamp the ballast around andunder the ties to hold the track in theproper position.Essentially this system is doing whatthe track gangs of an earlier age did bysighting down the rails, moving the trackwith crowbars, and tamping the ballastby hand.I have never seen a description ofthese things, but I found one a few yearsago and was able to study it and (I think)deduce what it does. I think that of allrailroad equipment, track maintenanceequipment is the weirdest, least documented,most mysterious, and hardest tofigure out.Edward C. MillerLoves the MagI loved the photography throughoutyour magazine. I look forward to TheWorkshop, Easements for the LearningCurve, Traction Action, Modeler’s Shelf(which gets more interesting). I can’twait to see what you come up with next.Man, this is very therapeutic, if you will!I salute Editor/Publisher Joe Giannovarioand Art Director Jaini Simon, also AssociateEditor Brian Scace. I read the magazineeveryday over and over and overagain. I might read an article 2 to 3 times.No, I am not looking for a check in themail (smile). I am just thrilled and satisfiedas to how far O Scale has advanced.How, you have more than just arrived.Now after all this I am sending money forA Guide to Modern O Scale.I went to Springfield, Mass., TrainShow and, hopefully, I will make the2004 O Scale National Convention inWashington, D.C.Ted Hardwick, Brooklyn, NYWhelove CommentsBob O’Neill’s article about the lateBob Whelove brought back fond memoriesof my trip to the 1970 NMRANational Convention at St. Louis. I hadthe pleasure of seeing the club pike atWebster Groves, and was able to visitthe Wheloves at their home, thanks toMrs. Whelove’s kindness in acting aschauffeur. They were fine people, and

their hospitality to a stranger made a lastingimpression. I’ve tried to follow theirexample on various occasions when I’vebeen able to provide information andtransportation to modelers visiting in myarea.Woody Mathews (Seattle WA)A Note From A ConvertI recently received a copy of A GuideTo Modern O Scale. I have enjoyed itvery much and have found it very informative.I think it provides a fine overviewof the hobby. I like how you organizedvarious aspects of O Scale in differentchapters. One can find specific informationquickly. At the end of each chapter,A Guide To Modern O Scale lists manysources one can explore to get moredetailed information. From my own experience,your recommendations are “righton.” Some of these I haven’t explored butwill soon.I am one of those in your “target audience”since I recently become interestedin O Scale. I have been an active/inactivemodel railroader since 1952 whenmy folks bought me a Lionel train set(best Christmas ever!). My interest in Lionelgradually declined as I grew olderand became more interested in scaleappearance. This led me into HO whereI’ve spent most of my modeling life. Iadmired O Scale because of its greaterrealism and detail but in my area therewere no O Scale modelers, layouts orhobby shops offering O equipment.Times are much different now andwith the Internet, a large number of finehobby shops and manufacturers are onlya few key strokes away. Other modelerswith similar interests are easily contactedthrough various message boards. Otrainson Yahoo is one I find quite interestingwith many helpful and knowledgeablemodelers that will gratuitously shareexperiences and offer advice to a newconvert like me.Paul R. Searls, Rockford, Ill.What We Need Is...Hi Joe, I just wanted to say I notewith very much interest your editorial[in OST#15]. Do we think alike or what?We have had many O Scale meetingshere and discussed the future of O Scale.Lately it’s dealing with the plastic manufacturersas Atlas, Lionel and K-line. Yes,indeed, the third rail will have to go. Icame from the 3-Rail arena, as many ofus did, and, quite frankly, if they wouldhave been making the fine 3-Rail stuffthen as they are now, it would have beenmuch harder to switch to 2-Rail.The topic you really hit a hot buttonwith is track and switches. I have thoughtfor a long time what we really need to getthis 2-Rail hobby going into expansion isa nice affordable (Henry Ford version) setof track and switches, Track and switches.I can’t say it too much. Even the bestmodel trains will not run without trackand switches. If I ever come to power, Iwould make #6 R and L, curved Rand Land Y’s. Fixed curved snap track. Just likeHO. I would make it attractive with finescale detail, imitation spikes etc. Affordable,accurate scale track is the answer.Sam ShumakerJoe replies: Uh, Sam, what about thenew Atlas track? Doesn’t that count?Switch Built In PlaceA big thanks for the recent article onbuilding turnouts in place (OST#14,pg 34). Following the photos and text, Imanaged to build my first turnout ever,in place, on the layout and a curvedone at that. I’ve been wanting to do thatfor years but never had the confidence.Now I’m going to do another. Neat thingis I don’t know or care what the turnoutnumber is. I just follow the process andthe turnout designs itself.I did make one change: I simply solderedthe two point rails to a tie bar cutfrom PC board. Some of my purchasedswitch kits came with soldered pointsand they work just fine. Its a lot easier tosolder the point rails to the tie bar thanit is to drill and tap the tie bar for thosemicroscopic 00-90 machine screws. Iused code 100 rail, insulated the frog,added a Caboose Hobbies switch throw,and soldered jumpers from the stock railsto the adjoining point rails. All rail deadfrog turnouts work fine with my locos.None stall on the dead frog. But I do tryto keep those insulated frogs short, 2 1 ⁄2”to 3” in length.Tom HouleThe Harvey GirlsJust read your latest Column in #15.Thought you might be interested to knowthat “The Harvey Girls” was also a 1946Judy Garland movie. How much Hollywooddeviated from the original thing,I can’t say, but that’s where the themecame from. I also think this film mayhave introduced the song “The Atchison,Topeka, and The Santa Fe”.One other thing of interest (I think),is that I read recently on the ChallengerImports web site, that Samhongsa hasceased to be in the model train business.Also, Challenger is importing theirfirst “O” engine (4 versions of SP 0-6-0).I posted this info on the OTrains List, andit didn’t appear to generate any interest.I don’t know if it was read and noted orjust ignored!Considering the pile of brass done bySamhongsa over the years and the whiningabout no small brass engines beingdone, I sort of thought there would besome feedback!Dave K.Joe sez: Well, Dave, the news aboutSamhongsa getting out of the brass businessis kinda old. It was circulating atthe Chicago March Meet back in 2003.However, that’s great news about Challengergetting into O.Absolutely The Final Word On TheInternet vs. The U.S. MailThe debate about Internet vs. US mailseems a bit silly in this day and age. Toindividuals without Internet access andstores without websites, just consider myexperience (and I’m just one person, soimagine the thousands like me). I’ve purchasedhundreds of items over the Internetfrom hobby stores that I would neverknow existed and which otherwise wouldnever have me as a customer. Retail storesonly have a limited retail trading area.The internet opens a retailer’s potentialcustomer base to the entire world. As acustomer, without the internet, I couldonly go to local shops (if there was one)or request some catalog (if it existed and Iknew about the source). Now I do one oftwo things. If the retailer or manufacturerhas a website, I go there directly. Sometimesyou can purchase the items onlineor, at the minimum, view the items andprint an order form, send them a checkor call with credit card information. If I’mlooking for an item my normal sourcesmay not have, I just type in that item on“Google” and dozens of sources pop upin two seconds. Many times, I’ve lookedfor out of stock or out of production structurekits and found some obscure (to me)retailer who had the item and came up onthe Google search. The Internet doesn’thurt hobby stores, it enables them to createsales among people they could neverreach. It’s a business expansion tool.Those retailers who have yet to establisha website presence must have a businessdeath wish. Why would anyone restricttheir customer base in this way (and thencomplain the Internet is ruining theirbusiness)? As for consumers, the Internethas opened thousands of resources to usthat were inaccessible or unknown to usbefore. Could this be any easier?Jerry ZaretSept/Oct ’04 - O Scale Trains • 45

Product News & ReviewsReview: PRR K4 4-6-2, $699.95 2-Rail, $779.95 3-RailSunset High Iron SeriesSunset/3rd Rail, 37 S Fourth St, Campbell, CA 95008, 408-866-5764,www.3rdrail.comreviewed by Joe GiannovarioA Bit ’o HistoryIn 1914 the Pennsylvania Railroad (The “Standard Railroad of theWorld”) rolled out the first of a new class of passenger locomotive, 4-6-2, K4s #1737. The K4 shared a common boiler design with a new classof freight locomotive, the L1, 2-8-2. This K4s’ was superheated andcarried a new standardized grate area of seventy square feet.A three year hiatus followed before another K4s was built. Duringthat time 1737 underwent exhaustive tests, but the real delay was dueto production of L1’s. In 1917 the Pennsy began to produce K4s’ inquantity with a first batch of 41 engines. All totaled, the PRR built 425K4s’ and the design was so good from the outset that only minor alterationswere made to the basic locomotive throughout its 14 year productionhistory.The ModelI was fortunate to have both a pre-production model and a productionsample to work with for this review. Sunset is offering their K4 inPre-World War II and Post-World War II trim. The Pre-War version hasa slat pilot and the headlight mounted high on the smokebox front withthe turbo generator behind it in front of the stack. The Post-War versionhas the “modernized” (ugh!) front end with drop-coupler pilot whilethe headlight and generator have swapped locations. Each version isoffered in two different numbers and the 3-Rail version can be hadwith sound and TMCC® command control.I took the pre-production model of #1737 (Pre-War version) out toGordon Whitlock’s C&O Boyertown Division layout (OST#6 - out ofprint) for a test run. Gordon’s layout has 64” minimum radius curvesand lots of long curved switches. Sunset says the minimum radius forthis 80” drivered racehorse is 56” for the 2-Rail version, and O-42 forthe 3-Rail version.The locomotive ran smoothly in both directions. At 3 volts and 800mA, the markers, class lamps and headlamp came on. At about 4 voltsand 900 mA, the locomotive began to crawl slowly. At 5 volts and1000 mA the locomotive was rolling smoothly. At no time did the currentdraw exceed 1000 mA. This is great for an O Scale locomotive.The pre-production model had a buzz in the motor but the productionmodel ran flawlessly on my own test track.This is Sunset’s first steam locomotive built for them in China. Inmost respects, the Chinese got it right the first time. This is the firstimported PRR K4, to my knowledge, that has a correct boiler. Thecourse diameters are correct as is the taper. The model is built like atank from heavy gauge brass and the paint is virtually scratch-proof.The cab windows slide and have real glass in them. There are alsoworking wing vents and a sliding roof hatch. The water cistern hatchopens, as well, although there is no detail below.The tender is a very nice representation of a 130-P-75 “Kiesel” tender.The prototype held 22 tons of coal and 13,475 gallons of water.There is a coal load installed. The underframe carries a scoop andsome brake components but there is literally no other detail. Really,who sees that anyway when the loco is running?The mechanism is nearly perfect and runs like a fine Swiss watch.All chassis dimensions checked against the drawings in my MR LocoCyclopedia, Vol.1. While the finish on the lead truck wheels may bea bit bright for most, a little dab of paint will fix that easily enough. Iliked the finish on the rods, too. I’ve seen some criticism of the rodsonline but they look perfectly fine to me compared to the photos inPennsy Power 1 (by Bert Pennypacker and Al Stauffer). The trailingtruck looks dead on to me, right down to the lower springs being realsprings and not cast on. The trailing truck buffer plates on the frameare where they should be, a very prominent detail often overlooked onearly imports.I especially like the matte finish paint Sunset uses on its models.Almost everyone knows that PRR steam engines are not painted black,but Brunswick Green. Sunset’s model paint is as nice a rendering ofBrunswick Green as I have seen (and I’ve seen the prototype). You mayneed to take it out into the sunlight to see the green sheen, but believeme, it’s there. The cab roof is a nice oxide red as is the tender waterdeck. The keystone on the smokebox is Toluidine Red as it should be,not Tuscan as some think.Okay, by now you’re wondering in what respects it misses the mark.There is a mis-match in fonts between the cab numbers and the tenderlettering (post-war cab numbers, pre-war tender lettering) . The injectorsunder the cab are conspicuous by their absence. The pipe from theengineer’s side of the cab to the power reverse is not there althoughthere is a hole in the front cab wall and a bracket on the running boardso you could install one yourself. The handrail posts are circa-1970spindle and ball rather than the U-clamp we’re used to seeing now andthe handrails don’t curve up into the junction boxes on the front cabwall. The bell is not mounted correctly either, but then no import hasdone that right, yet. To mount it properly a hole needs to be punchedinto the brass and a plate soldered from below. The bell should mountflush with the lagging because Pennsy mounted their bells directly tothe boiler, not the lagging. However, to do this correctly would havemade the model more expensive because it would require more labor.There are two more items to note and both have been noted beforeon every review of any steam engine made for both the 2- and 3-Rail46 • O Scale Trains - Sept/Oct ’04

markets. The tender does not close couple to the locomotive. It can’tif you want to run it on even medium curves. For those who need toclose the gap, drill a new hole in the drawbar and then shorten it soit won’t short out on the tender. The other item is the classificationlamps. Stop with the green class lamps, already! You can now buywhite LEDs. All class lamps should have white LEDs and a set of clearand green lenses the buyer can install as appropriate. I’m going to givean ATTABOY Certificate to the first importer that convinces his builderto do class lamps that way.My ConclusionThe Sunset High Iron PRR K4s is a model that recalls the heyday ofU.S. Hobbies’ Japanese imports at about that same price (which if youaccount for inflation since the late 70’s makes this a damn good bargain).It’s solidly built of heavy material with a great mechanism and amodicum of detail. Some of the detailing is retro (the handrail posts),some is missing (the injectors), but some of it is right up to date (realglass in sliding windows). Unlike the old USH stuff, this comes factorypainted so you shouldn’t have to ever take it apart.If you are a Pennsy purist, you won’t like this model. There, I saidit! You’ll find lots of things to pick at... nit, nit, nit. Save your moneyand order a Kohs K4 (about 5 times the cost of this little jewel, but it’llbe near-perfect).But, if you’re a Pennsy fan who likes the look of PRR steam anddoesn’t get all torqued about bell mounts and junction boxes, this is areally great model that will run with the best of them for a long time.Since the PRR L1s uses the same boiler and cab as the K4s, maybeSunset will do an L1s as a future High Iron project. Whatever Sunsetdoes, the Chinese are definitely way ahead on the learning curvewhen compared to where the Koreans started. Anyone recall the F.E.D.“Disaster Series”? I’m sure future projects will improve with each iteration.Sunset’s next High Iron project is the SP M-6 and M-9 Moguls dueout in 2005.NEWS: O Scale Locomotive Sand Tower kitModel Tech Studios PO BOX 1497 No. Hampton NH 03862,603-964-5995, www.modeltechstudios.comThis new kit includes laser cut structure parts with cast details.The facility includes the whole sand delivery process with thewet bin, the dry house and the sand delivery tower, perfectfor trackside use. The kit comes complete with fully illustratedinstruction manual, color images and custom color sign set. Kitretail $135.00Also new O Scale super-detailing parts#OD2064 Dogs 3 pack $6.00#OD2065 Chimney’s with roof vents ( 4 pack) $7.50#OD2066 O Scale cardboard boxes (10 Pack - 2 sizes) $7.50NEWS: New kits now available from B.T.S., P.O. Box 561, Seffner,FL 33583, 813-643-1105, www.btsrr.comBTS has announced several new kits. All have standard BTS featuressuch as accurate laser cut components, peel ’n stick window sashes,slot ’n tab construction, accurate details, careful engineering for easyconstruction and thorough instructions. One of these new kits is theAnderson Pulpwood Yard (Kit #17480). At the yard, small truck loadsof pulpwood, small logs cut into about five foot lengths, are loadedonto pulpwood cars for shipment out to the mill. Stacks of pulpwoodcan be seen around the yard waiting for the arrival of the next emptywood rack - slang for the pulpwood car. The Anderson PulpwoodYard kit includes the office, storage shed, truck scale, oil drum rack,two wood racks, signage, raw materials for pulpwood, and over twentymetal detail castings. Laser-etched nail holes, self-adhesive shinglesand window sashes,and tabbed constructionare features ofthis laser-created kit.Office and scale footprintis 34’ x 40’.#17480 O Scale$ 89.95Sept/Oct ’04 - O Scale Trains • 47

Product News & ReviewsReview: Sunset’s CB&Q O5 NorthernSunset/3rd Rail, 37 S Fourth St,Campbell, CA 95008408-866-5764, www.3rdrail.comreviewed by Brian ScaceThis thing reminds me of the used car salesman’sline, “It’s big. It’s ugly. It’s powerful. It’swhat America is all about.” I now have an ideaof what attracts the small klatch of rabid CB&Qfans. If Burlington engines have anything, it’s“presence”. After unpacking mine, here’s whatI saw.The fit and finish is typical of Sunset’s currentofferings, nice and tight with a flawlesspaint coat. The lettering is nice and straight. Tomy eye, untrained as I am to the Burlington, itlooks as it should.The diaphragm of anall-weather cab is alwaysa difficult thing to model.I like the mechanism onthis cab. The striker (madefrom a slippery plastic forinsulation) moves freely.Although there are twoholes for the tender pin,the closest one still doesn’tquite bring the striker upagainst the tender andclose the gap. For youneurotics, I would suggestremoving the strikerand put a little black softdense foam between thestriker and the rest of thediaphragm. This shouldclose the gap and give alittle flex to accommodatethe motion between tenderand cab from gradechanges and imperfect track.You have your choice of oil fired or coal fired tender configuration,just by changing out the tops of the tender bunker. Both tops are included.Again, the fastidious among us will want to remove the ashpans if we settleon the oil fired configuration.Meanwhile, I submitted the O5 to my standard rigorous and totallysubjective tests. You won’t find drawbar capacities and speed curves in myreviews, just because I’m lazy (I’m kidding, people!). I’ve read too many ofthese with that kind of info, bought the product, and found that it wouldn’tdo what I wanted anyway. My test is simple. I played with it. I run ’em onmy railroad with my semi-lousy trackwork, #6 switches (sorry, “turnouts”),56” minimum radii, and an “S” curve I really should have extended outif I had been thinking at the time; all in all, a rather typical layout. Maximumgrades are two percent. Placing the locomotive at the head of a ratherheavy 10 car mail train, I feed the juice to it, and it performed up to theusual standards I’ve come to expect from the kind folks from California.Now, this is a pretty lanky engine, with a long wheelbase, but it navigatesmy railroad, with all its “average-ness”, quietly and smoothly. I was pleasantlysurprised. I thought it would be too big.Of course, I like thefunky lights. Going forwardat a good clip (6Volts or so), the simulatedoscillating light startsin. It flashes rather thanoscillates, but I liked theeffect enough to turnout the room lights andopen this thing up, lookingfor all the world likea blast up the Auroraracetrack to St. Paul.The result is a verynice model. It runsstraight out of the box,has plenty of eye candy,good proportions, all forless than $1100 retail.Scott says he has somein stock, so get yourdealer to give him ashout.Notes for the NeuroticMost of us can stop reading this review at this point, and make ourchoices with confidence. I’ve included a couple of things for the neuroticsamong us.Citing Jack Farrell’s book “The Northerns”, I learned some things aboutthese engines. The original subclass was built by Baldwin, with standardcabs and Elesco feedwater heaters. Later subclasses were home-built, withWorthington heaters, all-weather cabs, different pilot deck arrangements,and other differences as reflected in the Sunset model.The photos indicate that the coal fired configuration was common duringtheir passenger service from Aurora to St. Paul. The extra lighting cluster,with the oscillating warning light, also appears to be standard for thisservice, and a postwar feature.I’m not a Burlington historian, so take these observations with a grain ofsalt. Once you CB&Q types have stopped laughing at this neophyte, weighin here with your wisdom to help those who worry about these things toget it right. My point is that checking out the features such as the lighting,fuel configuration, and pilot arrangements so you can configure them foryour era is a lot of fun, and a source of pride once you’re done.48 • O Scale Trains - Sept/Oct ’04

BOOK REVIEW:Faces Of Railroading: Portraits Of America’s Greatest IndustryBy Carl A. Swanson.Kalmbach Publishing Company. Hardcover; 160 pages;160 b&w photos; $29.95.P.O. Box 1612, Waukesha, WI 53187-1612, 262-796-8776, www.trains.com.reviewed by K Jeb KriigelOne of the goals of famed railroad photographer O. Winston Link wasto photograph not only the machinery of the railroads, but to capture thehuman side as well. Faces of Railroading does just that by providing 160images of people with trains. This collection of photos features the work ofLink, Steinheimer, Wood, and others. Images by professional railroad photographersand creative amateurs are presented side-by-side. But, these arenot the usual photos that appear again and again in other railroad books.Author Carl A. Swanson has done an outstanding job of gathering veryunique and interesting images that portray the people behind the greatestindustry America has ever seen. He provides brief, but thorough, commentaryon each page. Many of these photos I have not seen before. Theseimages show the faces of the humans who made this thing work from allsides of the track: stations and depots, locomotive facilities, backshops, andyard offices. Railroad work was not pretty, but it represented the efforts of aprofessional group of laborers who were not afraid to get their hands dirtyand apply their skills to do whatever it took to get the job done.The faces shown are quite literally the unsung heroes of railroading inAnimated ‘Neon’ Signs: $32.95Miller EngineeringPO Box 282New Canaan, CT 06840203-595-0619 www.microstru.comreviewed by Ted ByrneMiller Engineering, under the name “Light Works USA”, produces animatedscale size “neon” signs for model train layouts. They have a widevariety of signs that would be seen on a business street in the Neon era, forexample a sign for a hotel that lights up: H, HO, HOT, HOTE, HOTEL.They call them “neon” signs because that is what they mimic, but theyactually use electroluminescence. Electroluminescence is defined as “thenon-thermal conversion of electrical energy into light”. In other words, youcan create light other than by heating a light bulb filament until it glows. Aplastic sheet is coated with chemicals that will cause light to be given offwhen a voltage is applied between the chemicals and the sheet. Electroluminescencehas been available for years, but only now is it slowly makingits way into mainstream applications.A unit from Miller consists of the electroluminescent plastic sheet, a batteryholder for AAA batteries, a small control module, a multiwirecable, and a connector that fastens onto the edge of theplastic sheet. The plastic is about 0.020” thick, about the same assix sheets of paper.The model I tested consists of text and firecracker burst patternsin five steps, six colors and two brightness levels. Colordisplays in 46 different sequences can be selected. Some areinappropriate for this particular pattern, but many are quite dramatic.It really draws attention to an urban area of a train layout.It is described as an HO/O billboard and is designed withthe wire patterns at the bottom of the plastic sheet simulating thestructure that holds the sign upright. It is 3 1 ⁄2” wide and 2 1 ⁄8”high, with another 3 ⁄4” as the simulated support. This would be,in O Scale, 14’ by 8 1 ⁄2’ with a 3’ high support. Typically, it wouldbe mounted on the roof or wall of a building with the connector,wire, control module and batteries placed inside. The brightnessof the displays is quite adequately, but they are more effective ifused in a shadowed area. It only glows on one side, but two canthe mid-20thcentury whentraveling meantgoing by train.And the trainm e a n t g o o djobs for thousa n d s o fAmericans. The country was held in place by the railroads during theGreat Depression. As America entered World War II the railroads werecalled upon to rush train after train of troops and supplies to the front. Withthe post-war industrial boom, the railroads again provided the link thatmade it all happen. Behind it all were the dedicated railroad people whowere always at their posts of duty.If you are interested in railroad history, railroading, or just enjoy lookingat railroad images, this book is sure to please. If modeling railroads isyour cup of tea, the unique images presented here will provide behindthe-scenesideas for projects, as many of the photos are unique andnever-before-published. The ultra-high resolution images are printed onsuperior paper and make this a very attractive book that is easy to look atand enjoy.be installed back-to-back for light in both directions. In fact, the modelswith vertical text are made with connections available on both the left andright side, to enable a double-sided sign to be created. It is very realistic.In use, the unit consumes about 0.05 Amperes of current, so batteriesshould last a while. You can also use 3 to 4.5 volts DC from your layoutpower supply instead of batteries. Then, the power to the sign turns on andoff with your layout power, or can be wired to go on at “night” as you wish.You cannot power it through a resistor from a higher voltage DC supplybecause the current varies depending on how much of the plastic is lit atany given time. Instead, a voltage regulator should be used (e.g. a LM 317and a resistor). Internally, the Miller unit steps up the DC power to a highfrequency AC voltage about five times the input DC voltage. This is still alow enough voltage to be safe.To see the full variety of animated signs (at different prices) checkMiller’s website or call them for a catalog. The company also makes laseretched scale model buildings, but almost all are for HO or smaller scales.The items are also sold through the Walthers Large Scale catalog.Sept/Oct ’04 - O Scale Trains • 49

ERRATAPage 55, OST#15: We neglected tomention the photo on page 55 wastaken on Pete Trunk’s Philadelphia& Erie.Page 40, The Erie berk was builtby Fred Fazio, not Frank Fazio. Weapologize for the error.Schomberg Scale ModelsPO Box 88Schomberg, OntarioCanada L0G 1T0905-939-0694O Scale Detail Parts andT-BONE MODELS“O”ScaleCUSTOM PAINTING & REPAIRDealer for Pacific LimitedSunset & Weaver‐T-Bone Models James Christensen32264 ClevelandCottage Grove, OR 97424-9381email tbone@epud.net541-942-5237Send SASE for informationRY Modelsrichyodermodels.comO ScaleRealtyRealisticWeatheredStructures inO ScaleScratchbuiltFrom YourPhotos, Plansor Ideas!(Will also build & weather your kits)Reed ArtimPh: 973-472-745675 Woodridge Rd, Clifton NJ 07012NORM’SO SCALETrains & MoreBuy, Sell, Trade!www.normsoscale.cominfo@normsoscale.com41 Roosevelt Trail, Route302. S. Casco, ME 04077Ph: 207-655-2550Fine Quality O Scale Brass ModelsGE 45 ton GE 25 ton Phase 3d GE 44 ton Phase 1Our model is offered in "On3" “On30” and"O" with all wheel drive, dual motors, cabinterior, directional lighting and Kadee ®couplers. This model is being offeredunpainted brass or painted black for $335.7 Edgedale Court, Wyomissing, PA 19610 - Phone: 1-610-678-2834 - Visa and Master Card Accepted - Direct Sales Only50 • O Scale Trains - Sept/Oct ’04Our model feature all brassconstruction all wheel drive,cabinterior and Kadee ® Couplers. “O"On3 / On30 and P48. $245Our model is offered with all wheel drive, dualmotors, cab interior, directional lighting andKadee ® couplers.This model is being offeredunpainted brass or painted black for $335.

This space intentionally left blankBuy⁄Sell⁄TradeNEW SERVICE: We can now offer custom painting, finishing and repair.Call, fax, or email for details.WSM PRR Q2, 4-4-6-4, N/P, OB, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$2,200.00WSM PRR J1a, 2-10-4, C/P, OB. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,950.00WSM PRR M1, 4-8-2, Kleinscmidt Dr, C/P, NOB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,750.00USH PRR K4, 4-6-2, Kleinschmidt Dr, C/P, OB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,695.00SS ATSF 2-10-4, F/P, New . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,295.00MG PRR 2-10-2, L/N, N/P, OB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,875.00USH C&O 2-8-4, C/P, Runs good, OB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,375.00MG NYC J1e, 4-6-4, Nice, N/P, NOB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,375.00MG NYC J3a, 4-6-4, Nice, N/P, OB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,375.00MG N&W Y6b, 2-8-8-2, Can Motor,N/P,OB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,875.00OM PRR M1b, 4-8-2, F/P, LN, OB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,975.00USH NYC L4b, C/P, Kleinscmidt Dr, OB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$2,195.00MG B&O 2-8-8-4, C/P, NOB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$2,450.00USH PRR L1, 2-8-2, C/P, OB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,200.00SS NKP 4-8-2, “Water Buffalo”, F/P, LN, OB. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $875.00USH PRR K4 4-6-2, Late Run, C/P, OB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,250.00MG PRR E6 4-4-2, C/P, NOB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,175.00MG SP MT4 w/Icken Gears, C/P . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,895.00USH NYC H10, 2-8-2, Mint, N/P, OB. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,475.00OM NP A5 4-8-4, C/P, Mint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$3,895.00USH NKP 2-8-4, C/P, w/Special box, mint. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1350.00Weaver PRR M1a, 4-8-2, f/P, OB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $795.00Layaway AvailableJim HackworthMODEL TRAINS(and Subsidiary JH Consulting)2631 Edgevale Road, Columbus OH 43221-1113Phone:614-4514517 Fax:6144514557Email: jhmtrains@msn.com • Web: www.jhmtrains.comLSASE for Complete ListShipping 6% - $6.00 Min., $12.00 MaxOhio Residents Add 6.75% Sales TaxConsignmentsMG SP GS5, 4-8-4, C/P, Lites, Nice, NOB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1595.00CB PRR Gas Electric, Klienschmidt, C/P, OB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $995.00WSM NYC J1e 4-6-4, N/P, OB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1650.00USH B&O 040, N/P, OB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $525.00SS N&W J 4-8-4 Rebuilt w/Sound, C/P, OB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,500.00WSM PRR M1/K4 Tender Only, C/P. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $295.00OM PRR E8a, C/P Single Stripe, OB, late run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $995.00Gem PRR, B6sb 0-6-0, N/P, OB, Ex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $575.00OM CSX SD70M #700, F/P, OB, LN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,775.00Custom Built PRR GG1, Ptd Green, 5-Stripe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $575.00OL GN 2-D-2 #5001/5002 Set, C/P . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$2,495.00GHB Brill Model 250, C/P PRR, OB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $649.00OM #0011 UP Ca-11 Caboose, N/P, LN, OB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $295.00CB PRR P70 Coach, C/P, OB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $395.00PL#300 PRR R-7 Reefer, C/P . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $295.00Priester C.Built Morrell Reefers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . each $159.00MG #120 TT Flats, C/P PRR w/USH RB Tks(25 available) . . . . . . . .each $129.00PRB 60' Greenville Boxcars, Various Roads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .each $300.00PRB 62' PC&F Boxcars, Various Roads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .each $300.00MG PRR N8 Caboose, N/P, NOB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $250.00Alco PRR N6a, C/P or N/P . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .each $225.00CB PRR N8 Caboose, N/P, OB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $295.00Lionel 13 car NYC Smithsonian set, F/P . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .CALLSunset 14 car Congressional set, C/P, Lites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .CALLCustom built 5 car Kettle Valley set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .CALLEstates⁄LiquidationsCollection ReductionsSept/Oct ’04 - O Scale Trains • 51

2 New Releases fromDoylestown Car CompanyBoth in 1:48 scale from St. Petersburg Tram CollectionRef. 162Coming in October 2004—Illinois Terminal 450-457Double Ended PCC CarsIn 1949, Illinois Terminal ordered 8 double-endedPCC cars from St. Louis Car Co. for use in its St.Louis--Granite City suburban service. This was thesmallest fleet on any US company and all cars wereretired on June 22, 1958 when IT’s last passengeroperation ended. These cars were unusual for havingonly 1 set of doors on each side.Suggested Retail…$345.00Early Bird Special…$300.00Reserve now with a deposit of $75.00 for the special priceBalance due at time of model’s shipment from Russia. Free shipping via insured Priority Mail.Available in July 2004—Chicago Surface Lines #40511940 Experimental Door ArrangementIn 1940, CSL reconfigured the doors on pre-war PCC#4051 in what would be the arrangement adopted onall post-war PCC orders. The idea was to improveupon passenger flow while at the same time cuttingdown on the number of transfer cheats. This car wasoperated on Milwaukee Ave. (which had a reversingloop) in 1940 and was later restored to its originaldoor configuration.This limited edition model was prepared for theCentral Electric Railfans’ Assn. and was initiallymade available only to those participating on a recentCERA tour. We have a small number of unsubscribedRef. 166cmodels available on a first-come first-served basis.This model features a new, improved cast body withthe correct rear-end contour.$325.00We Accept VISA, Mastercard& American Express508 North Street, Doylestown, PA 18901(215) 489-7818 • doylestowncarco@aol.comwww.doylestowncarco.com52 • O Scale Trains - Sept/Oct ’04

SCRAP METAL YARDI started laying two dead-end spurs. I figured one “in” forempties and one “out” for loaded cars. I then added a heavycover of real dirt pressing various items of scrap into it at thesame time. This gave a good foundation.There have been many articles written in various modelrailroad publications about junk/scrap metal yards, probablybecause they are popular and easy to build. A scrap metalyard can provide revenue for your railroad and also give youthe chance to use up all those pieces of junk that accumulateover the years from the workbench. This is how I built one formy layout.A Campbell O Scale freight shed was added along with a Weaver woodside boxcar. The office is a cut-down version from aWalthers lumber yard kit. The area was fenced off using scratchbuilt wooden fencing.The “junk” is a combination of Weaver plasticrail, wheels, axles, Chooch junk piles, various olddiecast vehicles, pallets, Arttista figures and junkeditems from the workbench. A small crane wasscratchbuilt from styrene and the sides from a Bachmannsignal bridge.Everything was then glued down using a whiteglue and water mix. The complete area was given alight rusty spray along with rail brown color and anthe India ink wash.◆Sept/Oct ’04 - O Scale Trains • 53

“The O Scaler’s Own Paper”Last column I talked a bit about someof the earlier publications that treated ourscale, from its earliest times up until afterWWII, when the dominance it had enjoyedwithin the hobby began to be threatened bysmaller scales and the cultural and economicforces that encouraged them. I had hopedto treat a second part in this column, but Iam still trying to establish more facts aboutthe Vane/Corey Jones O ScaleRailroading. Inever had a chance to meet either, althoughtheir distinctive personalities came throughin their periodicals very clearly. Since manyof their friends are still around, as well astheir daughter/sister, Ginger, I would notwant to misrepresent their contribution tothe hobby through my ignorance. I wouldbe glad to have any reminiscences readerswould like to share about them for thatfuture column (I have some already).One follow-up to my last column, however:After I submitted it, I came into possessionof a nice, thick book titled Handbookfor Model Builders, by the Staff of the ModelBuilder, published by Lionel in 1940, muchof it reprinted material from the magazine.With this before me, I realized what hadhad been tickling my mind in discussing themagazine. Many of the articles, particularlysome of the more challenging constructionarticles, were anonymous, and there is nomasthead identifying any of the faceless staffin any issue I’ve found (at least so far). Thenthere is the matter of MB being published inMt Prospect, Ill., a very long way from thefactory in Irvington, N.J., or corporate headquartersin New York City. Perhaps someonecan enlighten me (or us) about this, butI do wonder if someone well-known (FrankTaylor? Al Kalmbach?) was not ghosting thepublication on contract for Lionel.But, in lieu of bringing O Scale magazinesdown to OST this time out, I’d like toshare what I know about one of my favoriteartifacts, questions about which recur fromtime to time on the OTrains List, the RailCraft freight car line.Rail Craft was based in Webster Groves,Mo., from the late 1930s up through theearly 1950s (with time out for WWII).If an O Scaler wants a model of thedistinctive but very common Norfolk andWestern peaked-end hopper, he has severalpossible options. He (or she) can buy oneof the excellent and highly detailed recentbrass imports from PSC and others. He canhope to find one of the Quality Craft woodand white-metal kits from twenty-odd years54 • O Scale Trains - Sept/Oct ’04ago (there are a few minor errors in the kit).He can spend quite a bit of time and ingenuityre-working an International importfrom the mid-1950’s to correct quite a lotof errors (I’ve done it, and it is WORK!). Hecan scratchbuild one, perhaps using the oldTaylor article in Twenty Projects for ModelRailroaders (with scale drawings usefulfor correcting either the QC kit or the IMPimport). Or, he can hope to find a Rail Craft,which will need only the level of additionaldetail the modeler desires.At its greatest extent, the Rail Craft lineconsisted of three hoppers, a USRA-typetwin, a panel-side twin (oddly termed “offsetside” by RC and best suited to a Wabashprototype) and the N&W peaked-end twin.There were also three gondolas, an Eriehigh-side (although that prototype had adrop-bottom which the model does notinclude), the Missouri Pacific panel-sidelong gondola (also available as a woodenkit in the Suncoast line) and a Texas &Pacific car. Also offered was that curioushybrid, the KCS hopper-bottom gondola,the unique (Ed Bommer, our resident B&Oguru, says there was only one) B&O “MoreService” experimental flat with variableends, and the basic B&O flat car on whichit was based. Perhaps it will have struckyou that each of the RC offerings is basedon a specific prototype car rather than therather generic kinds of kits that were usualuntil comparatively recently, when modelersbegan to be as particular about theaccuracy of cars as they had about locomotives.Some of Rail Craft’s prototypes are stillunavailable commercially today.Doubtless the most striking feature ofRC cars is the amount of galvanized (tincoated)steel used in their construction.Some time ago, another O Scaler (I can nolonger recall whom) said the test for a RCcar was simply to check it with a magnet.The B&O flat cars had a wood deck/core,but otherwise the cars were all metal withvarious formed shapes and stampings solderedtogether. Depending on when anygiven car was made, it may have more orfewer brass parts in addition to the galvanizedsteel components. While it is usualfor the stamped panels in the Wabash-typehoppers and MP gondolas to be brass, I doown one hopper that is entirely galvanized.I also have another hopper that uses brassfor the bulb angles at the top of the sidesand ends and for the frame members at thebottom, although every other one I’ve seenuses galvanized steel there. Although I haveseen scans of them and have instructionsheets that discuss their assembly, I havenever owned a RC car entirely in pieces,although that was the cheapest way to buyone. One could also pay a bit more for anassembled basic body, requiring only solderingon end detail and steps. Lastly, forabout twice the cost of the complete set ofparts, one could get a car ready for trucksand couplers (perhaps requiring installationof the brakewheel, too). As nearly as I cantell, the three-level pricing was commontoward the end of production, as modelersconsidered price more and more, and alsoas labor costs rose after WWII. It appears theearlier production was mostly of assembledbodies with some modest work needed bythe buyer.At least one of the “factory-assembled”bodies I’ve bought exhibited very poorworkmanship, and the reason may havebeen explained by someone who relatedthe history of the line some time back (Icannot recall who it was to credit him,but would be glad to do so). From what Ilearned, the owner/developer of the linewas a Mr. Beeman, in the suburban St Louisarea, who taught in a vocational (or “trade”)school. He had ready access to a full metalshop and the skills to use it. I conjecturethat he may well have used student laborin producing at least some of the line, withor without compensation beyond scholasticcredit. It would make sense, as those completinga unit of metal shop (industrial arts,as it used to be called when I was in highschool) would have learned how to form,bend, shear, die-stamp and solder, using allthe tools needed in producing a Rail Craftfreight car kit. That one car reminds me thatnot everyone is an honors student.At a model railroad show you may seea metal hopper or gondola, more than likelyunder a coat of thick enamel. If it is notobvious that it is a KTM piece, imported byMax Gray or US Hobbies, it is very likelya Rail Craft car. If most of the componentsare there and the price seems reasonableto you, I think you will enjoy cleaning itup and re-soldering the crooked details. Ifyou are indeed having a good day, you mayfind a kit in its original box, never built fromfifty or sixty years ago. I am not sure, butI think the first RC boxes were a deep redwith black lettering and fairly large (convenientlyso to hold a finished car with trucksand couplers). The later (I think) kits camein slightly smaller cream/beige boxes withred lettering, with the gondola and flat kitsin smaller boxes than the hoppers. If it isuntouched, you should find an envelopeor two of detail parts, a mimeographedinstruction sheet (perhaps done in theschool office?), and a genuine blueprint ofthe car itself—not highly detailed but suffi-

cient to locate all the parts to be added. Therivets are oversized by modern standards,but that seems to have been common ageneration and more ago. I suspect it mayhave had something to do with paint backthen not having so fine-ground a pigment,so that detail had to be more emphatic notto be obscured.They are rugged cars, well-proportioned,and with adequate detail. If you want ahopper, gondola or flat primarily to operate,consider Rail Craft. There are a surprisingnumber of them still out there. Again, purelyfrom conjecture, I think Mr. Beeman wasready to retire from teaching after twentyoddyears, and by the early 1950’s the firstof the Japanese brass imports were just startingto come in; they sold more cheaply thanthe RC kits could (at least initially). Probablyhe considered he had had a good run andcould retire the line, perhaps as he movedto the Sunbelt. I would welcome moreinformation to share about the Rail Craftline.◆This 42' flat car (SP #42881) was modified to carry trailers. Both flat car (Red Caboose) andtrailer (Berkshire Valley) are kits built by Juerg Luetscher of Switzerland. The early TOFCoperation of SP in the 50’s attracts his interest. He’s building a full TOFC train.Important noticeregardingFirst Class Mailsubscriptionavailability.Many of you have asked usto provide a First Class Mailsubscription. Well, your pleashave been heard. Starting withthe July issue, we will offerFirst Class Mail service for $40a year. We will also upgradethose of you with current subscriptionsat $1.65 per issue,but you will have to call theoffice to find out the exact costsince that will depend on howmany issues you have left. So,if you’ve had bad postal servicein your area, you may want toupgrade your subscription.Any chance you could put this in the mag as a “who done it”?I have asked on the OTrains List and haven’t had any luck. I bought this at O Scale West thispast February and haven’t a clue who made it. It has a brass cast boiler/cab, Lionel Hudsonvalve gear, cylinders and trailing truck, All Nation/GMC pilot truck, cast brass frame and whatlooks like a Lobaugh C&O 4-8-4 sheet brass tender.The engine is well done and runs great. The boiler is definitely a C&O Hudson and I wouldassume that others are out there somewhere as it is a large cast hunk of brass that someonewent to a lot trouble building a master for.There is a “sticker” on the cab floor from “The Hobby Depot, Elizabeth, NJ”.Perhaps most of your readers are on the OTrains List and have seen me write about the enginebut having a photo may help to jog someone’s memory.— Thank you, Ron MorseSept/Oct ’04 - O Scale Trains • 55

and Along Came Scale...As you know I am a Hi-Railer in transition.I have ventured out into the deepwaters of O Scale on a few occasions, butalways within sight of the safety of Hi-Rail.After all, I have a lot of time and moneyinvested in my Hi-Rail empire and, while itis fun to go exploring and think about operatingin a total scale environment including2-rail track, to actually sail into thoseuncharted waters is a bit frightening. Hi-Rail is fun and it is comfortable. It worksand it lets me enjoy the best of both worlds,the ease of operating trains and havingeverything as scale as possible. Besides, Ilike all of the available features like smoke,synchronized chuff, bells, and whistles.Just when I thought it was safe to ventureout into the waters of scale, just when Ithought I was comfortable with my Hi-Railchoices, along comes major manufacturingchange that will affect those choicesand quite literally force me back out intothose scary, deep uncharted waters. Thistime I may go further than I have ever gonebefore... way out beyond the great 3rd-railbarrier. I need a safe harbor.I guess you could call me a hybrid Hi-Railer. I have many model railroad friendson both sides of the tracks. My 2-railfriends have always had major manufacturersworking for them to produce very scaleand highly detailed locomotives and rollingstock. Names like Max Gray, Overland,Precision Scale, and Kohs come to mind.My Hi-Rail friends have always had to begand plead for help from the likes of Lionel,K-Line, Williams, and M.T.H. to get them tonot only build a locomotive, but build it ascorrectly as possible. No matter how gooda model it might be there always seemedto be compromises in production for the3-Rail operators. On the other hand, Atlasand Weaver have a proven track record ofoffering detail and quality in both 2-rail and56 • O Scale Trains - Sept/Oct ’043-rail products for several years.Then along came scale. Atlas really setthe standard. Competition rose to producethe most scale looking locomotives androlling stock that we have ever seen. Attentionto detail was the accepted goal. Eachcatalog from the traditional 3-rail manufacturersoffered never-before-produced itemswith lots and lots of details. Racing competitionto announce products and get theirmodels to market rivaled that of the BroadwayLimited and 20th Century Limited.Realistic model railroading was born and itflourished and it has become a revolution.Now, to those deeper waters, recentlyannounced locomotives and rolling stockthat are scale 2-rail and coming from some3-rail manufacturers. Imagine Kadee-stylecouplers included in every box of rollingstock. In their search for their niche in themarketplace, their quest led them to therealization that O Scale is not dead. Thereis a whole new market of 3-rail hobbyistswho are sitting on the fence ready tojump in. These are what I call hide-boundHi-Railers who have no wiggle room...nowhere else to go in their search for realism.Their next logical move is to scale.Who would have thought that we wouldhave scale locos with a 2-rail/3-rail switchcapable of running on 2 or 3 rails? Whowould have thought that we would havesuch choices? These announcements ofnew products will rock my boat and theripple effect will be seen throughout thishobby I can now have all the benefits andfeatures of 3-rail with M T.H.’s DCS systemand run on scale 2-rail track! These aretotally new concepts and even my 2-railfriends are excited!In giving M.T.H.’s announcement a lotof thought, I have come to the realizationthat I tend to model in degrees. I transitiona lot as I learn new methods and newways of doing things. Change is inevitablein model railroading just as it is in the realworld. Technology brings change. I havedecided that I will maintain some track onmy layout as Hi-Rail to accommodate myroundhouse full of 3-rail trains. I will alsoconvert some of my tracks to scale 2-railwhich will allow me to operate the newscale locomotives. This way I can experimentand determine if I like them withouthaving to have a “fire sale” with my investment.After all, this hobby is supposed tobe fun, not frustrating. It is great that I canuse my DCS system for both track systems.This will allow me to test and play with thenew offerings and TRANSITION. This willallow me to grow my interests in the hobbyand mature.It has been said that you can never goback and I think this is right. These newproducts and announcements force me todeal with these issues now instead of later.And since I am a Hi-Railer in transition, Imay just make my move into scale 2-rail alittle sooner than later. New technology isseeing to that. You know, I never really had alove affair with that center rail anyway! ◆Stevenson Preservation LinesO Gauge Kits and Parts from pastMaster ModelersCatalog 2002-1 Price: $1.00Baldwin Model Locomotive WorksLobaughAdams & SonsLenoirKansas City KitHines LinesAlexanderPearce Tool Co.Bob Stevenson, 2326 230th St. Boone, IA 50036

Whitehall HobbiesSpecializing in Brass Locomotives1431 Windrush Circle, Blacklick, Ohio 43004Voice: (614) 861-0018 - Fax: (614) 861-3034JWTrains@aol.comPhotos are availableon request.—————————Ask about new unlisteditems. We carry nearlyevery imported brassline.Key NYC E7 A-A, latest run F/P, new, never run . . . . . . . . . . . . . $2595Key SP E7 A&B, latest run F⁄P Daylight, new, never run (pair) . . $2595Key PRR E7 B unit, F/P Tuscan, buff stripes, new, never run . . . $1250PSC SP AC-9 2-8-8-4 Coal 222 R-1 Tender F⁄P - Black Boiler New . . $3195OMI UP FEF-3, F⁄P, Road# 844, new, never run. . . . . . . . . . . . . . $2550PSC C&O T1 2-10-4, C⁄P, like new condition, reduced. . . . . . . . . . $1600OMI UP DD40X F⁄P Road# 6931, like new w⁄Cockerham drive . . $2250KEY PRR E7, A-B-A, latest run, F/P Brunswick green, gold stripe,new, never run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $3660PSC NP Z5 2-8-8-4, F/P Rd# 5006. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $3295Kohs & Co NYC J3a 4-6-4, F/P Rd# 5424, late version PT4 tender,Boxpok drivers, plain rods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $4000Key UP Challenger, 4-6-6-4, FP Rd#3977, oil version, two-tone grey,silver stripe. New, never run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $3650Key UP Challenger, unptd, coal version. New, never run . . . . . . $3195PSC NYC F12e 4-6-0, 5000 gal. tender, F/P, new, never run . . . . .$1195Key NYC K3n, 4-6-2, FP Rd#4740. New, never run. . . . . . . . . . . $2250Key PRR E8 AA, FP Brunswick Green, gold stripe. New . . . . . . . $2695PSC C&O J3a, 4-8-4, F/P rd# 614, new, never run . . . . . . . . . . . $3195OMI, UP 3 unit turbine, latest run, F/P #18, new, never run . . . . $3495Good selection of latest run Key F3 & FP7, most roads AB set. $2495OMI B&O S1a 2-10-2, C/P #614 w/overfire jets, new . . . . . . . . . $1495Key D&RGW L95, 2-8-8-2, F/P #3400, grn boiler, new, never run . . $3795Key D&RGW L96, 2-8-8-2, F/P #3404, grn boiler, 1 of 3, new never run . $3795PSC D&RGW L-131, 2-8-8-2, FP Rd#3600, black boiler (one of a kind),boiler tube pilot and tri-color herald w/D&RGW spelled out.New, never run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $3895OMI UP FEF-3, F/P #835, w/triple stacks, new, never run . . . . . . $2550Key PRR J1 and J1a, 2-10-4, F/P all numbers available. Will be available inabout two months . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Approx Price $3000Send your photos to OST Modeler’s Shelf.See your models in print! Send photos by postal mail or email and we will put themin the magazine for everyone to enjoy. If you don’t want to end up seeing ourpublisher’s N&W collection, send something today!Sept/Oct ’04 - O Scale Trains • 57

Buy–Sell–TradeBuy-Sell-Trade ads are $5 for 30 words plus your address information.Additional words are $0.25 each. Subscribers are permitted one free adper subscription cycle. All B-S-T ads are prepaid. You may send ads bypostal service with a check or money order. Ads sent by email or calledin must use a credit card. See our contact info on page 2.LARGEST INVENTORY INTERMOUNTAIN BUILT-UP GONDOLAS,HOPPERS, BOX CARS, REEFERS, TANKERS... $39, If you demandINTERMOUNTAIN quality, buy while they are available. SASE forlistings. Phone: 727-391-3135, John Clemens, 5273 97 Way N,St. Petersburg, FL 33708-3752PACIFIC LIMITED Second run USRA box cars. Don’t miss out again!Pennyslvania nine versions, MKT, Ann Arbor 1 1/2 door, Ann Arborsingle door, DT&I, C&NW four versions, Western Maryland, C&O,N&W stock car... SASE. Phone: 727-391-3135, John Clemens,5273 97 Way N, St. Petersburg, FL 33708-3752KEYSTONE MUSEUM QUALITY Pennsylvania GLa twin hoppers,GS, GSd gondolas, scrap tin cars, H-25 quads. Scale, Kadee versions.painted, unpainted, H-21’s coming... Hundreds more. SASE.Phone 727-391-3135, John Clemens, 5273 97 Way N, St. Petersburg,FL 33708-3752SUNSET MODELS: B&O early 2-8-8-4 #7615, later 2-8-8-4 #7624$1499; PRR 4-4-6-4 #6184 $1499; PRR streamlined electric #4746$699; NKP 4-8-2 #845 $979, UP C-44-9W #9734 $699. SASEfor listings. Phone 727-391-3135, John Clemens, 5273 97 Way N,St. Petersburg, FL 33708-3752FOR SALE: Overland - USRA Heavy 2-8-2, N/P $1450; NKP S-2 2-8-4, N/P $1550. KTM/USH - UP 4-8-4 Stu Kleinschmidt drive N/P$2400; UP 4-8-8-4 Stu Kleinschmidt drive A/P $2900.Ph: 815-464-6794 (after 4 PM Chicago time).FOR SALE: Red Caboose tank and reefers, also US Hobbies plugdoorbox car and Intermountain built-up and kit cars. USRA Choochkits. Ph: 717-624-8894. John Hoffnagle, 10 Sunset Ln, NewOxford, PA 17350-1618PACIFIC LIMITED First run USRA box cars arrived in the followingroad names: Southern Pacific, Milwaukee, C&NW, Clinchfield, AnnArbor, RDG, D&H, NYC, RF&P, CNJ, Maine Central. SASE Listings.Ph: 727-391-3135. John Clemens, 5273 97 Way N, St. Petersburg,FL 33708-3752FOR SALE: Key E units, various A, B, A-A, A-B, and A-B-A combinations,details, numbers and paint schemes. Fax or mail for specifics.Firm reservations only. Due in early 2005. Also, PA/B 1/2: AT&SF,D&RGW, Erie, EL, GM&O, MKT, MP, NH, NYC, NKP, PRR, SP, Spiritof 1776, UP, Wabash. PA3: MP, NYC, SRR, SP. EMD EA: B&O, E1:AT&SF, E3: AT&SF, C&NW. E4: SAL. E5: CB&Q. E6: AT&SF (2),ACL, B&O, C&NW, FEC, IC,, Milw, RI, SRR, UP (2). E7: B&M, GN,IC, RI, Wabash. E8: AT&SF, B&O, CB&Q, CR, C&O, Erie, NYC (2),N&W, RF&P, Wabash, IC, UP. PRR S-2 6-8-6, AT&SF 4-8-4 2900’sand 3776’s. Fax: 412-766-4213. Mail Order Trains Plus, 349Roosevelt Rd, Pittsburgh, PA 15237-1024FOR SALE: US Hobbies NYC L4b, new in box, never assembled.KTM-Westside NYC J3a Hudson, detailed, painted, can motor, doneby Harry Hieke. Thinning railroad book collection. Send LSASE forlist. Ph: 440-355-5733, Larry Vajas, 41103 Whitney Rd, LaGrange,OH 44050-9628, cometcyclene@alltel.netKEY Reserve now, firm reservations only. EMD E9: Burlington Silver/Red A-A, IC A-B, and UP “Streamliner” A-B. Also EA, E1, E3, E4,E5, E6, E7 and E8. Write or fax 412-766-4213.Mail Order Trains Plus, 349 Roosevelt Rd, Pittsburgh, PA 15237-1024FOR SALE; Dry transfer gold-leaf Railroad Roman style lettering setsfor New York Central heavyweight coaches and combination cars;yellow gold for head-end cars, $5 plus $1 shipping. Sam Shumaker,20th Century Models, 32575 Pettibone Rd, Solon, OH 44139-5454FOR SALE: MG ATSF 2-10-4 unptd, OB; USH ATSF 4-8-4, Mint OB,ATSF 4-6-2 heavy Pacific, can mtr. cust. ptd & ltd, l/n NOB; PSCKTM Crown Model UP DD35B #96B s/n 33, F/P lights & Kadeesadded, Mint, OB; SSM SP MK-6, Mint, OB, 44-Ton Diesel F/Pblack, no ltrs, Mint, OB. WANTED: PSC CLOVER VALLEY Lbr. 2-6-6-2,USH SD-9 & SSM Pacific Coast 3-trk Shay all l/n or mint. [modelrr@sonic.net]or 707-539-0861. Bill Gallagher, 2332 StonegateCt, Santa Rosa, CA 95409-2626FOR SALE: Extra On30 cars, shays, misc. Ph: 254-547-3932For Sale: OMI FA1/FB1 (0355/0357) $950, OMI BL2 (0375)$700, Russell Snowplow (0781) $400, Jordan Spreader (0014)$400, OL NW2 PhIII $450, GP7 $400, C&LS RS36 LH $850,RS11 HH $850, Car Works PRR N5 cabin car $150, Sunset B&Ocaboose (I-5, 8 window) $150, B&O painted caboose (I-5, 7 window)$190. All unpainted (except last mentioned caboose), originalbox, TRO. Email [ijmunro@paradise.net.nz] or write Ian Munro, POBox 24, Wellington, New ZealandINTERMOUNTAIN BUILT-UP CARS - Gondolas: CB&Q, C&O, NYC,SP, MoPac, PRR, SL&SF; Box cars, refrigerators, hoppers, tankers,$39 plus $10 shipping. SASE for three pages of listings. Phone:727-391-3135, John Clemens, 5273 97 Way N, St. Petersburg, FL33708-3752WANTED: Max Gray Erie K5 Pacific. Will answer all responses.Phone: 440-543-4764, email: [tpuckey@msn.com], Tim Puckey,17091 Wing Rd, Chargin Falls, OH 44023-2601FOR SALE: Max Gray UP Big Boy, painted black, runs good, $950;Max Gray C&O H8, needs front gear box (front gear is frozen),good paint, $875. Ph: 708-456-6122, John Zito, 2259 N Elm St,River Grove, IL 60171-1802WANTED: Max Gray, SP 2-6-0, also Lobaugh SP 0-6-0 (kit or builtup). Will trade my Big Boy or C&O H8 for brass Max Gray freightcars. Send list. Ph: 708-456-6122. John Zito, 2259 N Elm St, RiverGrove, IL 60171-1802FOR SALE: Sunset - PRR N1, 2-10-2. $900; PRR I1, 2-10-0, shorttender, $900; PRR HH1, 2-8-8-2, $1400. Ph: 502-228-6336.James L Burch, 4005 Hayfield Way, Prospect, KY 40059-9706Reserve: Pacific Limited 1924 modified ARA Single Sheathed boxcars for the Frisco. Four versions Wood door with either KC or ABbrake or Youngstown door with KC or AB brake. SSAE for info.Email: [tbone@epud.net], T-Bone Models, 32264 Cleveland, CottageGrove, OR 97424-938158 • O Scale Trains - Sept/Oct ’04

Accurate O Scale 13Allegheny Scale Models 59AM Hobbies 13AtlasOIBCBTS 37California Roadbed Co. 12Car & Locomotive Shop 18Central Locomotive Works 13Chicagoland 51Custom Signals 9Diecast Direct 9Digistar 36Dominion Models 17Doylestown Car Co. 52Eagles Nest Miniatures 26Eastwood Auctions 9Get Real Productions 24Advertisers IndexGorilla Glue 23Great Scale Model Train Show 36Guide to Modern O Scale 12Hackworth Model Trains 51House of Duddy 24Keil-Line Products 22MTH Electric TrainsIFCModel Tech Studios 50NCE Corp 37Norm’s O Scale 50O Scale Realty 50O Scale Signals 24Old Pullman 57Overland Models 43P&D Hobby Shop 31PRR Brass 12Public Delivery Track 23Rail Photos Unlimited 13Rons Books 23Russian River RR Co. 13RY Models 50SNEMRR 17Scale University 22Scaled World 26Schomberg 50Stevenson Preservation Lines 13Sumpter Valley Depot 12Suncoast Models 24Sunset⁄3rd Rail8, BCT Bone Models 50Weaver 26Whitehall Hobbies 57Allegheny Scale ModelsO Scale Locomotives & Rolling StockWebsite: www.alleghenyscale.com • Email: oscale@alleghenyscale.com470 Schooley’s Mountain Road, Suite 8-117, Hackettstown, New Jersey 07840Voice - (908) 684-2070 • Fax - (908) 684-8911Steam LocomotivesC&O T-1 2-10-4, Westside, Mint, KTM Model, Unptd...........................$2250NH I5 4-6-4, Weaver, New, Late Version - 2 Rail, F/P........................... $795N&W A 2-6-6-4, PSC, Excellent, Tuned Drive, C/P..............................$1850N&W Z1b 2-6-6-2, PSC, New, Road No. 1462, F/P..............................$2875PRR B6sb 0-6-0, PSC, Excellent, Standard Version, Unptd.................$925SP AC-12 Cab Forward 4-8-8-2, PSC, New, Crown Model,Samhongsa, No. 4290, F/P..........................................................................$4950UP FEF-2 4-8-4, Key, New, Coal Version, 1 of 10, Unptd...................$2795UP Early Challenger 4-6-6-4, Sunset, Like New, Cockerham Drive,Two Motors, Cust. Ptd..............................................................................$2750USRA Light 2-10-2, Sunset, Like New, Samhongsa, Unptd.................$850Diesel LocomotivesAT&SF F3 AB, Key, New, Ph2, Warbonnet, Samhongsa, F/P.............$2795NYC PAPB, Key, New, Lightning Stripe - Samhongsa, F/P................$2695NYC E8 AA, Key, New, Lightning Stripe - Samhongsa, F/P...............$2495PRR E7 ABA, 5 Stripe, Key, New, Brunswick Green, Last Run, F/P.....$3895PRR E8 AA, 5 Stripe, Key, New, Brunswick Green, Last Run, F/P........$2595PRR E7 AB, 5 Stripe, Key, New, Tuscan, Samhongsa, 1st Run, F/P........$2295PRR E8 AA, 5 Stripe, Key, New, Tuscan, Samhongsa, 1st Run, F/P.......$2495UP EMD E7 A-B, Key, New, Samhongsa, 1st Run, F/P.......................$2395Rolling Stock‐SP C-30-1 Wood Caboose, Pacific Limited, New, Straight Side Cupola,Rare, Unptd................................................................................................. $450PRR H21a Quad Hopper, Pacific Limited, new, WBM Korea, Unptd....$225PRR H22 Quad Hopper, Pacific Limited, new, only 60 made, Unptd.....$315PRR H21a Quad Hopper, Atlas plastic, new, 1st run, circle herald...........$60UP Streamline Passenger Cars, Wasatch, New, Nine Car Set, Unptd:# 9000 Dome/Obs, Western Sleeper, National Sleeper (two), #7000 Dome,Placid Sleeper, ACF 5450-5487 Chair car (two), RPO Postal mail/storagecar 5816-5820.......................................................................................each $800Sept/Oct ’04 - O Scale Trains • 59

EventsA current list of events is now available at our website [http://www.oscalemag.com]. If you havean event you’d like listed, we have a submission form at the website (the preferred method), oryou can mail the info to our office address given on page 3.September 200418-19: Dothan, AlabamaWiregrass Annual Model RR Show & Sale, sponsored by the WiregrassHeritage Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society at the NationalPeanut Festival Fairgrounds, 5622 US Hwy 231 South. Sat. 9 - 5, Sun.10-4. Admission $4 adults, under 12-free. Contact dannylws@yahoo.com24-25: Indianapolis, IndianaIndianapolis Midwest “O” Scale Fall Meet - NOTE: CHANGE IN DATE& LOCATION - Marriott Convention Center, near I465 East and I70 East(hotel phone 317/322-3716) - 2-Rail O Scale, Proto:48, On3, On2, OTrolley/Traction displays and sale. Friday registration 10 am, trading hallopens 2 to 9 pm; Saturday registration 8:15 am, sales 9 am to 3 pm, layouttour 4:30 to 7 pm (7 layouts open); Sunday layout tour 9 am to 2 pm(9 layouts open); advanced registration by August 1st $10 for one or bothdays; 30”x72” table $35 each until August 1st, or $45 after that date.Info: Jim Canter, 1203 Rotherham Ln, Beech Grove, IN 46107-3323;(317) 382-3322. Contact jcanternkp@aol.com25: St Paul, MinnesotaTwin City Model RR Museum Hobby Sale, at the Education Building atthe Minnesota Fairgrounds. Show is 9 Am to 3 PM, $4 admission, under8 FREE. TCMRM, 1021 Bandana Blvd. E, Ste 222, St Paul, MN 55108,651-647-9628. Contact paulgruetzman@usfamily.net26: Victoria, British Columbia, CanadaVictoria Model Railway Show 14th Annual Event, presented by VancouverIsland Sub-division, Seventh Division, Pacific Northwest Region, NMRA(Canada). Held at Cedar Hill Recreation Center, 3220 Cedar Hill Rd,Victoria, 10 a.m to 4 p.m. Adults $5; Family $12; NMRA/PNR Members$4; Children under 10 FREE when accompanied by an adult. Operatingmodel railroads including the O Scale Cascade Pacific Railway. contact:David Tomljenovich 250-652-1894. Contact dtomljenovich@shaw.caOctober 20041-2: Oklahoma City, OklahomaSouthwest O Scale & Oklahoma Narrow Gauge Group Combined Meet.All O scale (2- and 3-Rail) and any scale Narrow Gauge dealers areinvited. Modular layouts and model contests. Oklahoma Christian University,2501 Memorial Rd., OKC, OK 73013. Registrations $15 (includesspouse and children), first two tables, $10 each, add’l tables $5 each.Contact George Wallace 405-751-7649 (home) or 405-755-4894 (fax),or write George at 11937 Stratford Dr., OKC, OK 73120.2: North Haledon, New JerseyModel Engineers Railroad Club of North Jersey - Annual Swap Meet 9:30A.M. - 1:00 P.M.; $4.00; Dealer Contact: Karl Geffchen 39 Rugby Rd.Cedar Grove, NJ 07009 (973)857-2825 before 10:00pm. Meet locatedat the First Presbyterian Church of North Haledon, 201 SquawBrook Rd.,North Haledon, New Jersey. Contact pharbord@optonline.net9-10: Timonium, MarylandGreat Scale Model Train Show Double Show: The Great Scale ModelTrain Show & The All-American High-Rail & Collectors Show - MarylandState Fairgrounds - separated into sections, Scale (by gauge) and HiRail.Fri: dealer setup 5 pm to 11 pm; Sat: setup 7 am to 9 am, sales & exhibits9 am to 4 pm; Sun: setup 8:30 am to 10 am, sales & exhibits 10 am to4 pm; Admission: $6, kids under 12 free, family max $12; 8’ tables $55(includes 2 worker’s passes for the first table and 1 for each add’l table).Contact Howard Zane, (410) 730-1036. Contact hzane1@hcomcast.net9-10, Sequim, WashingtonNORTH OLYMPIC PENINSULA RAILROADERS presents the Fifth AnnualTRAIN SHOW AND SWAP MEET at Greywolf Elementary School, 171Carlsborg Road, Sequim, Washington. Saturday Oct.9th,2004-10:00amto 4:00pm, Sunday Oct.10th,2004-10:00am to 3:00pm. FREE ADMIS-SION. This is a “multi-scale” show with door prizes. For information onswap table rentals call Bob Nelson at (360)681-7538 or email: bob@olypen.com9: Gardner, MassachusettsO Scale Train Show, Southern New England Model RR Club Annual OScale Train Show and Open House on Sat. Oct. 9, 2004, 9:30 AM to4:00 PM. Dealers, Displays and Door Prizes, featuring the SNE 20’ x70’ layout operating with Digital Command Control. Located at UnitedMethodist Church, 161 Chestnut Street, Gardner MA. Directions: Route2 to either exit 22 or 23, then follow Train Show signs, or see map onour web site. Ample free parking, Food and Beverages available. $5.00discount on dealer tables prior to Labor Day. Admission: $5.00 Adults,Family Maximum $8.00. Contact Bob Jones at PO Box 272 BallouvilleCT 06233, (860) 774-8622, bjmodels@juno or see our web site www.snemrr.org for more details. Contact bjmodels@juno.com10: Orange, ConnecticutNew Haven & Derby RR Club 12th Annual Show - High Plains CommunityCenter, 525 Orange Center Rd (Rte 152), 10 am - 4 pm. Donation: Adults$4, children 6-12, $1 with adult. under 6 free, family $6. Handicapaccessible. Contact Don Robillard, 74 Colonial Blvd., West Haven, CT,06516, 203-932-0185. Contact donbetnessrobi@att.net10: St Paul, MinnesotaTwin City Model RR Museum Burlington & Zephyr Day At BandanaSquare. Show is Noon to 5 PM, $3 admission, under 5 yo FREE. TCMRM,1021 Bandana Blvd. E, Ste 222, St paul, MN 55108, 651-647-9628.Contact paulgruetzman@usfamily.net15-16: Brevard, North CarolinaNarrow Track 04 Two day narrow gauge meet features model/prototypeseminars, manufacturer displays, operating modules, and a popular-votemodel contest. To receive a non-binding registration form, write to narrowTrack 04, 216 Broad St, PMB 4OS, Brevard NC 28712-3702.16-17: Birmingham, AL16th Annual Model Train Show sponsored by the Steel City Division of theSER/NMRA & the Wrecking Crew Model Railroad Club. Show location:Bessemer Civic Center, 1130 9th Avenue SW or Bessemer Super Highway.2 blocks off Exit #108 on I-20/59. Free, Safe parking. Easy accessto site. Adults $6.00, under 12 Free. Admission good for both days. Free“how to’s”, operating layouts, collectibles & more. Door prizes drawnevery hour. Note: The layouts at Westlake Mall will also be open. Comevisit a HUGE O Scale layout, two HO layouts and two N scale layouts.Contact fanchermw@msn.com23: Stamford, Ct.Stamford Model RR Club Swap Meet and Open House The StamfordModel Railroad Club has scheduled Sat. Oct 23, 2004 for its O ScaleSwap Meet and Open House. Show opens at 9:00am. Layout opens at10:00am. Located at St. John’s Episcopal Church, Main and Grove Sts,Stamford, Ct. (Exit 8 CT Tpke). Dealers contact Mike Crandall, 718-829-1764. Email:(Jim Mardiguian) Contact dlwh2466@hotmail.com30: Strongsville, OhioWestern Reserve O Scale Meet Cleveland area-Western Reserve O ScaleMeet (2-Rail O Scale Only) - Holiday Inn Select Strongsville (1 exit southof turnpike at I-71 and OH Rte 82) - 9 am to 3 pm; $5; tables $20. Info:Bob Boeddener, 32165 Hickory Ln, Avon Lake, OH 44012; (440) 933-7169.November 20046: Wind Gap, PennsylvaniaEastern O Scalers Swap Meet – Plainfield Fire Hall, 6480 Sullivan Trail– 9:00 am – 1:00 pm Adm. $5; (spouses & children under 14 are free),$16.00 for the first table (includes one admission) and $12.00 for eachadditional table. Information SASE EOS, PO Box 1781, Bensalem PA19020; (215) 639-3864. Bring an index card with your name, addressetc., for a $1.00 off your admission. Contact eostrains@att.net6-7: Syracuse, New YorkCNY-NRHS 30th Annual Train Fair Planning is already underway. Wealready have requests for applications from some new vendors and manufacturersincluding K-Line, Charles Ro.and several others. Applications fornext years show should be available in the spring of 2004.Write to P. O.Box 229, Marcellus, NY 13108-0229. Contact CNYNRHS@aol.com26-12/-12: North Haledon, New JerseyModel Engineers Railroad Club of North Jersey - Annual Open HouseNovember 26 - 28, December 3 - 5 & 10 - 12; Fridays 7:00 - 10:00P.M., Saturdays & Sundays 2:00 - 5:00 P.M.; $4.00, children free withadult. Club located at 569 High Mountain Road, North Haledon, NewJersey 07508. Contact pharbord@optonline.net60 • O Scale Trains - Sept/Oct ’04

Nickel Plate Road 2-8-4 #757 by Harry Hieke, Eagle’s Nest MiniaturesHarry says his goal here was to produce the most detailed O Scale engine ever. He waslimited only by economic considerations. He used previously imported models in HO, Oand G scales, plus photos and scale drawings as references. There is also an NKP 2-8-4 atStrasburg, Pa., at the Pennsylvania (State) Railroad Museum. Harry took over 150 photos ofthe prototype there. Phil Sciarra and Dave Vaughn lent their engines for reference.This engine features a built up firebox, smokebox, and backhead plate which used justunder one thousand nut-bolt-washer castings. Each smokebox dog is made of five separateparts and is operable. Harry opened the frame like the prototype and it is equalized like theprototype. The brake rigging is all there and it works, too, although Harry says not that wellsince a prototype brake shoes shoe moves maybe one-half inch. All the journal lids open.Harry says he is most proud of the powered auger in the tender. It took a couple tries butit now rotates when you press down on the tender cistern lid. Harry says he can modify thismechanism to power a water scoop, a power reverse, etc.There are 22 bulbs in the engine and tender, and there are a total of 25 hinged surfaces.The loco was painted and weathered using a stencil weathering technique Harry developed.According to Harry, this is the best he’s done to date.Sept/Oct ’04 - O Scale Trains • 61

ObservationsJoe Giannovario, Editor⁄PublisherI’ve just returned from the O Scale National conventionin D.C. and what a great time we had. It’s always great toput faces with the names we see every time we process themailing list. I was able to also spend some time talking withthe many dealers and manufacturers who keep O Scale aliveand vibrant.I was most pleased to see both K-Line and M.T.H. at theshow. While primarily providers of 3-Rail equipment, bothhave made serious commitments to scale 2-Rail. K-Lineshowed their Shay and their B&A Berkshire both in 2-Rail.These K-Line offerings will be welcomed additions to the 2-Rail side of the O Scale fence.I talked at length with Andy Edelman, vice president ofmarketing at M.T.H. We discussed not just the re-entry ofM.T.H. into the 2-Rail marketplace but also about the futureof model railroading as a hobby activity. M.T.H.’s take is thatwe need to engage the “computer generation” of youngstersand young adults who show an interest in the hobby. Onething that I think is “cool” about the D.C.S. system is its flexibility.For example, D.C.S. will operate off either AC or DCpower. If you have a conventionally wired 2-Rail layout andput an M.T.H. 2-Rail locomotive on it, it will run just likeany other engine — sans the sound and smoke. Add theM.T.H. D.C.S. components to your layout and you now getcommand control of your loco, plus all the sound and smokefeatures. There are no switches to throw on the engine. TheD.C.S. board senses the track voltage and acts accordingly.Another great aspect of this convention was the marvelouslayouts open for touring. I didn’t get to as many as I wouldhave liked but what we saw was magnificent, both 2- and3-Rail. The Capital Area O Scalers are to be commended forextending an open hand to the Hi-Rail community. This wasa convention that had plenty to interest both 2- and 3-railmodelers alike. I know some dealers did as much businesson the 3-Rail side as they did with the 2-Rail side. Consideringwhat M.T.H. and K-Line are doing, this “integration” atthe national is only going to benefit everyone.By the time this reaches your hands you may have heard arumor that OST will be sponsoring the 2007 O Scale National.We have Ron Sebastian of Des Plaines Hobbies to thankfor “volunteering” us after no one bid for the date at the banquet.Jaini and I have agreed to consider being the 2007 hostbut we’re not committing to anything until we study this a bitmore. We should have an answer for everyone by next issue.I was as surprised as anyone that no one was there ready tobid for 2007. Perhaps a “national” convention is now passé.Maybe the regionals, like the Chicago March Meet and theSeptember Indy meet draw large enough crowds that modelersdon’t feel as compelled to attend the national anymore. Ifthat’s true, then hosting a national with dwindling attendanceposes a significant financial risk. That’s part of what we’regoing to study over the next two months.We pretty much finished the magazine before we went tothe convention except for this column, so we don’t have anyphotos for you in this issue. We will have them in next issue.However, I’d like to recognize the contest winners:Steam — First Place, Louis Bartig for a magnificent MoPac2-8-4; Second Place, Joe Ferraloli for a B&O W1 class 4-8-4;Third Place, Charles Bard, CN class U4a 4-8-4.Diesel — First Place, Joe Ferraloli, for his Diesel critter;Second Place, Joe Ferraloli, B&O SW1; Third Place, BenBrown, G&W MP15 switcher.Electric — First Place, Joe Ferraloli, freelance railbus; SecondPlace, Bob Fryberger, Midland Lines doodlebug; ThirdPlace, John Crisi, NYC class R2.Freight Cars — First Place, John Young, B&M reefer#13271; Second Place, John Young, B&M reefer #13128;Third Place, Ben Brown, MEC gondola.Passenger — First Place, Bruce Aikman for modeling acomplete B&O passenger train; Second Place, ben Brown,B&M milk car; Third Place, Bob Hoffman, GN full-dome car.Caboose — First Place, Brion Boyles, Nevada Northern #5(with a full interior); Second Place, Nick Powell, B&O #1937;Third Place, Sue Powell, B&O #1980.MoW — First Place, Mack Creswinski, RGS FlangerStructures — First Place (and Best of Show), Mike Miller,Dig-Rite Shovel Company diorama; Second Place, DougKirkpatrick, Evergreen Hill gas station; Third Place, JamesHartgraves, scratch gas station.Mike’s diorama was so cool I have to give you a glimpsebelow with more to come next issue.Meanwhile, keep high ballin’!◆62 • O Scale Trains - Sept/Oct ’04

A PRR-FECT CHOICE!New! Atlas O PRR H21a HoppersNEW!Getready to rollwith Atlas' new Pennsylvania Railroadfreight car, the PRR H21a Hopper. Touted as thelargest single hopper car class on the PRR, over39,000 cars were built, with an amazing history ofservice and longevity as several hundred cars lastedwell into the Penn Central era. During the 1940sand early 1950s, these hoppers were leased to boththe Norfolk & Western and Virginian railroads.(Item #6779)(Item #6778)(Item #6780)3-RAIL2-RAILITEM # DESCRIPTION/ROAD NUMBER ITEM #O PRR H21A HOPPERS - NEW!6775 Undecorated 77756778 Norfolk & Western 77786779 Penn Central 77796780 Penn Central MOW (Yellow/Black) 77806781 Virginian 7781Eight road numbers will be available per road name, except for Penn Central MOW,which has four road numbers.Features Include:• ABS and die-cast construction• Extremely accurate 1/4" scale details and dimensions• Designed from the actual PRR blueprints• Wire handrails and grab irons • Die-cast stirrups• Accurate painting and printing • Operating hopper doors• Removable coal load • Minimum diameter (3-rail): O-45• Minimum radius (2-rail): 24"Please note: Atlas “O” scale couplers can also be used on both 2-rail and 3-rail versions.(Item #6781)For the Atlas O Spring/Summer 2004Locomotive & Freight Car Catalog, pleasesend $3 ($1 shipping) to the addressshown below.Atlas O, LLC. • 378 Florence Avenue • Hillside, NJ 07205 • www.atlasO.com

Three Unique and Exciting Projects...Coming Late 2004 Early 2005 in O Scale 2 Rail“The Biggest Challengers...”Z-6 “Challengers” (NP, GN, SP&S)“Heaviest Mountain Locomotives...”B&O T-4aAwesome Brass Detail...Very LimitedProductionsBoston & Maine R-1a MountainPullman Heavyweights were used on just about every Railroad, shouldn’t you have a set?Pullman Heavyweight12-1 SleeperPullman HeavyweightDinerPullman HeavyweightObservationFullInteriorsCall 1-408-866-1727 or your dealer today to reserve your piece of history!Sunset Models Inc.37 South Fourth Street · Campbell, CA 95008 · 408-866-1727 · fax to 408-866-5674 · www.3rdrail.com