N Scale PGE-BCR Modellers at Trains 2014

[BCR751]

Doug, are the GF6C's the shells available on Shapeways?  And what did you use to power them?  I've been staring at my shells for months trying to figure out how to fit a chassis under there.

Yes, they are the ones from Shapeways.  The chassis is from a Kato SD40-2 mid-production unit.  It's the one with the motor lower down in the frame.  This is needed do accommodate the low centre portion of the roof.  There is also some milling/filing of the frame required.  The shell needs to be shimmed to ensure a tight fit on the chassis as well.

One caveat to anyone thinking of purchasing one of these shells from Shapeways.  The version that has the roof and other details on a separate sprue is no longer available, last time I checked.  This means all of the roof stuff is attached which, in my opinion, would make it virtually impossible to paint the unit properly.  Something to think about.

Doug

[nkalanaga]

Doug:  I COULD electrify mine, and it would work.  I made sure of that when I installed it.  But there's no point in it, because rewiring a Kato motor isn't worth the hassle for what is, basically, operating scenery.  MY MILW track goes from a dead-end tunnel, through the junction, to another dead-end tunnel, with a switchable interchange track in the middle.  Electrics do look better with some kind of wire (or third rail), though, so it was worth the hassle.

Also, I have heard that one can't use live overhead and 2-rail steam/diesel at the same time with DCC.  Since I'm still running DC, I could do it, but there's no point.

I wonder if anyone has modeled a third rail electrification in N scale?  A dummy system wouldn't be that hard, but I wouldn't want to try to build working scale contact shoes.

[peteski]

Also, I have heard that one can't use live overhead and 2-rail steam/diesel at the same time with DCC.

I don't see why not. If the method works with DC, DCC will also work.  Just unplug the DC throttle and hook up the DCC output from the booster in its place.  If one got fancy, they could even have both: Use the overhead for one system and the 2-rail for the other system. That could get tricky though on reverse loops.

[nkalanaga]

I don't know why it wouldn't either, but that's what I've read.  The method most people used to use was similar to common-rail cab wiring, using one of the rails as common, and hooking one throttle to the other rail, the other to the overhead.  It meant that the electrics couldn't be turned, because they only picked up from one rail, and that had to be the common rail.

Running DCC on one and DC on the other, with separate power supplies, would probably work.  The comments were for a DCC-only layout, so maybe it has to do with using the same DCC system on both at the same time.  That doesn't work well with common-rail cab control either.  It usually required separate power supplies from the transformer down.  Something to do with phasing I'd imagine.

[jmlaboda]

Looks like the only thing missing, as far as passenger cars go, are a pair of MicroTrains 12 - 1 sleepers with the air condition ducts and AC equipment on the underframe removed.  Pullman cars Faunce (became PGE Anderson Lake), and Cheshire (became PGE Seton Lake) were both Plan 2410F 12 Section - 1 Drawing Room sleepers which were very similar to the MT's Plan 3410 models (the Plan 2410 12-1s were roughly a foot shorter than the Plan 3410 cars but had the same size and type of windows as the later cars) and with a little work some really fine models could be added to the passenger train.  Definitely would be some real lookers!!!

[PGE_Modeller]

Hi Jerry,

Those cars are currently under construction, both by David Morgan (in the post-1957 livery) and myself (in the 1948-1957 livery) using the Rivarossi car as a base. 

Note that, at some point in time, there was a mix-up in which car became "Seton Lake".  The PGE purchased three ex-Pullman 12-1s from Iron & Steel Products in October 1947 which became PGE "Anderson Lake", "Seton Lake" and "Williams Lake".  For many years various rosters, including the PGE's own, showed "Seton Lake" as the former Tourist Car 1345, nee "Cheshire".  However, Tom Madden's database of Pullman cars shows that TC 1345 (nee "Cheshire") was sold directly from Pullman to the SP  on November 12, 1947, the month after the PGE acquired its three cars from Iron and Steel Products.  The three cars sold to Iron and Steel Products on October 8, 1947 are shown as TC 2611 (nee "Faunce"), TC 1354 (nee "Cyprus") and TC 2551 (Nee "Blasdell"). Note the transposition of two digits in the Tourist Car numbers of "Cyprus" and "Cheshire".  All these cars were originally built with three-tread vestibule steps but "Faunce" and "Cyprus" were re-built with four-tread steps in the 1930s.  "Cheshire" and "Blasdell" retained the three-tread steps.  SP records show that TC 1345 (nee "Cheshire") was received on November 29, 1947, was converted to  Boarding Car SPMW 4812 on April 30, 1948 at Bakersfield and in August 1963, deemed "worn out", was dismantled.  Ernie Plant photographs of "Seton Lake" taken in June 1948 show vestibule steps consistent with Pullman records for "Cyprus" and inconsistent fdor those same records for "Cheshire".

Cheers,

[PGE_Modeller]

_ snip -

And here are all nine member sof our N Scale group together in front of our display:




It is a privilege to have such a great group of friends all modelling the same railway.  I hope you enjoy seeing their work.


Tim

A week later, we have reached agreement on how to identify the various members in the photograph:

Left to Right:  Tim (BCR 570), Greg (PGE_Modeller), Mike (lurker), Jim (lurker), Nolan (lurker), David (lurker), Doug (BCR751), Chris (BCOL 747) and Andy (BCRail_FSJ).

Jim takes the award (if there were one) for travelling the greatest distance to the show - from Santa Fe, NM.

Cheers,