Erie Railroad Mahoning division HCD

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Love the video, but it looks even better when slowed down to 50% speed.

[btrain]

Thank you for sharing this video! It gives me some motivation to start my Nickel Plate Road layout!

[Chris333]

Love the video, but it looks even better when slowed down to 50% speed.

Yeah I always speed up the train for video, like don't want people getting bored watching the train pass. The background is clear, but all the passing cars are like a blur. Maybe I'll try my old camera next time.

[crrcoal]

Amazing layout!!!

[soo]

Awesome layout!!! I would have to say the bridge and crossing/interchange are my two favorite scenes.

Cya, Y-it

[Bendtracker1]

As others have said Chris, Awesome layout!
I hope my Little Rock turns half as nice as yours.

[milw12]

Very cool Chris, it feels like looking into the past even if it's unfinished, if that makes any sense. I remember vaguely someone posting about modeling a time period accurately without kitschy nonsense (definitely not in those words) and you've nailed it.

Makes me wish I had the room for an HCD. It always struck me a a good compromise between space and achieving decent train lengths, straight runs, etc. Someday!

Thanks for sharing

[Chris333]

Figure I'd post these here. I bought 3 Life Like PA1's many years ago for $15 each and tucked them away. With the ideas to release Erie Stillwell coaches
https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=38041.0
I started looking into where they ran besides NJ and found they were used a bunch in Ohio. Then I found short PA+ 3 coaches being used a lot. My layout is set in 1948, but Erie bought their first PA1's in April 1949. Not only that they were bought specifically to be used between Cleveland and Pittsburgh on a joint Erie/P&LE train. This cuts straight through the Mahoning Div.

Pulling out the LifeLike models the paint jobs don't look that bad, but the big error is the lower yellow stripe that curves up at the nose, it should be straight. First I just ground away at tabs inside the body to let it sit lower on the chassis because they just didn't look right. Later I checked drawings and the overall height is still about 3" too tall, but I left it as is. I knew the front stripe needed fixed, but when looking at real photos I could see the Life Like anti-climber was too high and the whole pilot still looked high from the rails. So I chopped off the pilot of a Kato shell and glued it on. This will let me put a straight stripe on and have it fall in the right place. Hopefully I can touch this up without it looking bad 

[Chris333]

Turns out .99 cent Walmart black matches 

This left a gap between my new yellow stripe and the nose graphic. I just free handed that with the closest match I could mix.


I also put a small brass tube in the headlight and filed the lens smaller till it fit. Then put Bare Metal Foil on the lens. Plus a Z scale coupler.


Ready and waiting for some Stillwells or maybe even a single window coach 

[C855B]

I'm sending my FA to you to mod, Chris.    It may not have seemed like a big project, but the contrast - and finish quality - is outstanding. Nice work!

[Chris333]

So I've been working on the layout again. Just doing small stuff like adding window glass to buildings and stuff like that. I did get the city side passenger station roof installed finally. Used 3D laser cut sheets from Monroe Models:


And these 2 buildings at the edge got painted up

[soo]

Looking goooood. Dynooomite!!

Y-it

[Chris333]

Across the track from the station I knew I wanted some sort of large culvert and a small pump house. There were many of these in this area and when the water was low we rode 4-wheelers up a bunch of them. Some went on forever. This is the area that I just sorta cut out before putting up the fascia.


Now I go off to find a pump house only to find there just isn't anything I like or that fits. So I cobbled one up from Atlas Middlesex Mfg. wall pieces. I cut out the area bigger a popped in a plaster tunnel portal.


I'll have the house up on a concrete platform with a couple large pipes to the water. And the water will be that murky brown stuff 

[Chris333]

Done for the night.




Also added a shack behind here:

[mcjaco]

Nice.