The Carolina Sandhills Lines in HO Scale

[BOK]

Hi Dave:

What max./min. radius curves do you use on your railroad? Getting those passenger coaches to run around curves can be frustrating and result in removing connections in order to handle sharp curves.

I try to stay at 30" radius on the main except around legs of my wye which gets down to 26/27" radius. I also have trouble getting a Walthers, six wheel, trucked heavy weight observation car to get around most curves. I needed to carve away some under body frame (no one can see it anyhow) to clear the trucks on curves. Just a heads up about some of Walthers passenger trucks: they metal ones are sometimes assembled with small screws and they are a real challenge to disassemble/re-assemble to change out wheel sets.

Attached is a photo of museum IC passenger train which is similar to what Monticello's IC equipment looks like.

Enjoy,

Barry

[davefoxx]

@BOK,

I wish I had the space for 30” radius curves.  However, I’ve been successful in getting these passenger cars to run well, without a huge gap between cars, down to the 20” minimum radius curve of my passing siding.  My mainline minimum radius is 22”.

Most of my cars didn’t require cutting any details away.  But, my Amfleet and one IHC heavyweight car did get some trimming, which is all invisible under normal viewing.

I’m not a fan of those metal Walthers trucks.  I’ve already scrapped one set (replaced with a spare set of plastic trucks I had), because I could not get them to stop derailing after I took them apart and put them back together.  I swear the trucks are not square.

DFF

[davefoxx]

Barry,

I like your IC train!  That IC scheme is classy and looked good on the trains that ran over ACL tracks, among others, to reach Florida.  I was this close to adding an IC car to my ACL excursion train.

DFF

[BOK]

Thanks, Dave.

The IC was the first of many railroads I worked for starting there as a college brakeman/switchman. I always like their passenger paint scheme and the real museum has several painted IC cars to make a 6-10 car train.

I believe the City of Miami may have gone down the ACL to get to Florida and as part of that off line route also C of G. I remember they had a pair of C of G, E units painted IC and I believe maybe even a few passenger cars maybe ACL? The IC insisted that any foreign passenger equipment which was part of their trains had to painted in IC colors including those ones leased like NP domes.

I need to go back and re-read all the posts of your railroad it looks like a great railroad. I would be interested in knowing how you managed to get 85' (?) passenger cars around 22" radius curves.

Take care,

Barry

[davefoxx]

Oh, this can’t be good.



DFF

[Point353]

Oh, this can’t be good.



DFF

Could be so much worse. At least the colors are reminiscent of the old RF&P scheme.
That unit was once Chessie (C&O) 4394 and looked like this:

[Missaberoad]

I remember a couple thousand posts ago a young man full of naivety switching to HO telling everyone that he pretty much had all the rolling stock he is going to need! 

Still looking good!

[davefoxx]

I remember a couple thousand posts ago a young man full of naivety switching to HO telling everyone that he pretty much had all the rolling stock he is going to need! 

Still looking good!

"Hi, I'm Dave, and I'm a model railroading shopaholic." 

In my defense, I'm sort of doing what I did in N scale.  Multiple eras on the same line that I'm modeling, so I can switch locomotives and rolling stock out to run late 1950/early '60s, early 1980s, or (now) late 1980s. 

DFF

[davefoxx]

Could be so much worse. At least the colors are reminiscent of the old RF&P scheme.
That unit was once Chessie (C&O) 4394 and looked like this:

Interestingly, I was looking at pictures of CSX No. 6292 (nee-C&O No. 4394) last night, but I didn't see the picture you posted.  Thanks for sharing that.  I already own C&O (Chessie scheme) No. 4385, so I have No. 6292's sister that can run along with it.  Atlas actually did a nice job with the detail on these Geeps.  I'm not usually a rivet counter, but I appreciate manufacturers getting the obvious details correct.  For example, Atlas has the proper rock pilot on these units, which is very specific to the Chessie roads' locomotives.

I also have an RF&P GP40-2 and my SBD fleet, so I'll be able to lash up the usual dog's breakfast of mixed schemes that were in the early CSX lash-ups.

DFF

[wm3798]

Heh.  Welcome to my world.  I now have a layout of 3x7, but I know I have more locomotives than I had to run the Western Maryland in my room filling empire.

Cause you know, steam.  And diesel.  And PC, and WM, and B&O, and Amtrak, and GG1s...  Good lord.  A small layout just means your fleet doesn't HAVE to make any sense at all!

Lee

[davefoxx]

Heh.  Welcome to my world.  I now have a layout of 3x7, but I know I have more locomotives than I had to run the Western Maryland in my room filling empire.

Cause you know, steam.  And diesel.  And PC, and WM, and B&O, and Amtrak, and GG1s...  Good lord.  A small layout just means your fleet doesn't HAVE to make any sense at all!

Lee

Absolutely!  And that allows you to keep it fresh and interesting.  The one constant in the different eras that I can run is my Aberdeen & Rockfish Ry. GP7 No. 205.  The A&R bought it new, and it still runs today.  No matter what era I am running, that little bugger can stay on the layout!

DFF

[wm3798]

But now you'll have to buy a few more to show it in various stages of age and weathering!  1954 205 will be a lot different from 1995 205!

BUY ALL THE TRAINS!

[davefoxx]

@wm3798,

Good point, although it took me a few years to find this long out of production Atlas model. 

DFF

[davefoxx]

It’s 1987, and here they are.  Not obvious, but these are former C&O GP40-2s, with No. 4385 still in Chessie System paint.  No. 6292 (formerly C&O No. 4394) is in the new CSX scheme.  Sisters!



Here’s the reason for the addition of another era on my layout that extends into the CSX years.  I’m losing interest in the fictional Seaboard Central Ry. and want to go back to proto or reasonably close.  If I push into 1987 or more recent, I can model the Aberdeen, Carolina & Western RR, which, like the Aberdeen & Rockfish RR, I have become very fond of.  The ACWR gets you this:



Here’s a rough idea of the different eras that I might operate on the layout, which will likely be tweaked as necessary:
In 1960, the roads on my layout are Seaboard Air Line RR, Aberdeen & Rockfish RR, and the original Norfolk Southern Ry.
In 1973, the roads are Seaboard Coast Line, A&R, and Southern.
In 1983-86, the roads are Seaboard System, A&R, and the Aberdeen & Briar Patch Ry. (a very short-lived road).
In 1987 to present, the roads are CSXT, A&R, and the Aberdeen, Carolina & Western RR.

DFF

[wm3798]

2021....F'N F UNITZ!