Strange Fruit (or This Is Really Starting To Freak Me Out)

[sirenwerks]

Let me preface this post with an apology to Lee. Lately, as I get ever closer to be able to pull my life out of boxes and start modeling again, I've been doing research to bring my fictional PENMARVA closer to reality. A lot of that entails finding and reviewing photos, and many of those photos have been of Chessie System trains. Having grown up around Ellicott City Maryland on the old B&O Main Line, the tri-color Chessie locos were a mainstay in the RRing diet of my younger days. And one of the fondest early childhood memories I have, that truly sparked my interest in RRing, was standing too close to the tracks and nearly being sucked under a speeding Chessie System steam special heading north into Laurel MD. Yet, the rainbow-esque Chessie paint scheme always churned my stomach, and it was the blatant use of yellow that did it for me. I've just never liked yellow, it tries to be too happy for my anti-Pollyanna attitude. Even the subtle use of it by the B&O made the hair stand up on the back of my neck. But for some reason, as I look at these photos, I find myself thinking, more and more, that maybe I should model the Chessie. Despite my dislike for the scheme, I loved the multi-4 axle unit lash-ups pulling long strings of black coal cars and grain cars on the snaking tracks along the Patapsco River. Many trips to see family in Youngstown and Akron leave similar memories of griminess trying to take over the rainbow, that are fond to me. Add the occasional WM red & white unit (especially the rare Fs) and the B&O's almost black of a blue (did they even try to wash their locos back then?), and the starkness of a the Maryland landscape in the winter and how those colors actually did kinda light a dreary winter day up, and, well, the urge is getting even stronger. Running in Patapsco State Park the other day I came across a CSX train with its B&O-esque blue and yellow units waiting to head into Baltimore or cross the Thomas Viaduct. Even with this new scheme, CSX just won't do it for me. Now, I'm just not sure whether to give into or fight the urge anymore. Can I actually allow yellow into my life? Do I give in, and digress back into my childhood and let Chessie back in too?

Signed - Confused

[wm3798]

I'm here to help...  First, attach these electrodes to your temples...  okay, now put this I.V. in, and hook up the bottle of Ecstasy...  Okay.

Now, there's really nothing wrong with wanting to model Chessie (bzzzzzazzAAAAAAPPP), Although, if you look at the landscape prior to May of 1973, you'll see that there is still a good representation of first and second generation diesels, including some older schemes on the B&O (drip drip drip) and the Western Maryland (drip drip drip drip drip).

Even before the Chessie (BBZzzzzzzzZAAAAAAPPPPP) paint scheme was introduced, there was a mingling of the participating roads.  It was not uncommon to see WM (drip drip drip) power working on B&O (drip drip) routes.  You could also see some C&O (bbzzapppp), which you'd need to have if you wanted to run some GE's.

So really, other than traumatic childhood memories of yellow diesels (BzzzzzaaaPPPP) and deep seeded emotional problems resulting from seeing cats (BBBBBZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZAAAPPPPPPPPPP) painted on locomotives, there's no reaon why you shouldn't consider modeling the Chessie System (BBBzzzzzzzzzzzAAAAAAAAAAAAAAZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZpppppppppppppppppppppPPPPPPPP).

I hope this helps clarify things for you.
Lee

[ljudice]

Sounds like we're making some progress here!!!

[sirenwerks]

Well, I never really thought of the cat thing. I have two, but neither are named Chessie. They're Oskar and Trixie. Oh, one is orange. Hmmmm....

[Robbman]

Message deleted

[sirenwerks]

Actually, I always liked the N&W's maroon and gold scheme, and wish they would have chosen it over the B&W. But as far as contemporary roads go, NS black and white is probably my favorite paint scheme out there (plus, I'm quite partial to the southern end of the Buffalo line). And, there's little worry about paint color matching.

[wm3798]

Eureka!  We have a break through!

Dr. Freud

[sirenwerks]

I don't know? The Chessie urge is still there.

[wm3798]

Do this... get a Chessie locomotive, perhaps a C&O U25B from Atlas, and put it on your layout.  Weather it a bit... wait, it's Chessie... weather it A LOT.  See how this makes you feel.  Photograph it, put it on line.  Let the panel of experts critique the work.  Naturally I would recuse myself from the discussion (as long as tolerable).
Perhaps if your fleet is dominated participating Chessie roads in their original livery, with a couple of cats sprinkled in for flavor (bitter and harsh with a terrible aftertaste) you might be on to something.

Similarly, it's possible to model in the Penn Central era by using PRR equipment almost exclusively, with just a couple of worms to let people know what time it is.

Lee

[Bob Bufkin]

I don't see any damn cats.

[3rdrail]

Speaking of cats and freaking out, yesterday I played the Pennsy T1 whistle recording while one of our cat boarders was napping on the bed behind me. Boy, was that cat spooked by the sound of the steam whistle!

I realize Lee has a personal animosity toward the Chessie kitten for the rape of Wild Mary, but I always thought the color scheme was impractical and looked cheap so have always had a strong dislike for it. The worst though was putting it on the Chessie Steam Specials. 

B&O's original blue and gray scheme looked so dignified by comparison.

[asciibaron]

i have thought many times to jump ahead from 1967 to 1974-77.  i grew up with Chessie and love their scheme.  the problem with modeling Chessie is a lack of on-line customers in between Baltimore and Pittsburgh.  basically by that point, the railroad was little more than running trains from yard to yard.  sure there were some customers along the way, but they are so spread out that it would require a ton of compression.

i'll stick with my last days on the Pennsy in eastern Ohio - plenty of trains, plenty of customers, and plenty of fun

-steve

[John]

You guys are starting to remind me of some other posters on another forum