Conrail up in Coal Country

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I know you're all SW1500 and GP15-1 in your mind's eye with this, but those scenes just scream for RS-2s and -3s. FWIW. 

Well... I DO have a growing fleet of Reading power. However, that's well trodden ground and generally a VERY different railroad. St. Nick, for example, used to have a full classification yard. The way I'm modeling it? Ya go up there once or twice a week.

[C855B]

Never mind, anyway. For some reason this diehard West Coaster was thinking that a handful of PC RSes made it into blue. After browsing around, apparently not.

Carry on.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Never mind, anyway. For some reason this diehard West Coaster was thinking that a handful of PC RSes made it into blue. After browsing around, apparently not.

Carry on.

Nope, but Conrail DID have a bunch of rebuilt RS3ms that... oddly enough, I haven't seen photos of up there. But that doesn't mean it didn't happen. And hell, I have one, so it'll probably happen on the layout too.

[wm3798]

There was at least one...  I remember seeing an RS3m switching Guilford Avenue in Baltimore putting newsprint cars into the Sunpapers.  Circa 1980, IIRC.  Decidedly not coal service, though!

There's also a lot of blue paint extant around the edges of this old girl...



Lee

[Hawghead]

@Ed Kapuscinski ,

Why were so many switchers used in coal service?  Seems like a fairly heavy job for such light engines.

Scott

[dem34]

@Ed Kapuscinski ,

Why were so many switchers used in coal service?  Seems like a fairly heavy job for such light engines.

Scott

In Appalachia the bulk of coal in the 80s was smaller ops where I imagine it was more advantageous to have small locomotives to maneuver around tight track and work properly on decayed rail.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

@Ed Kapuscinski ,

Why were so many switchers used in coal service?  Seems like a fairly heavy job for such light engines.

Scott

Well, a couple of reasons.

First: the Anthracite mining industry is very different from the bituminous industry. These mines, by and large, weren't shipping unit trains. They're filling a handful of hoppers a week (by the era I'm interested in). Mines are generally much smaller in output and deal with a wider range of customers. This is because anthracite is more like a raw material for various industries than a general purpose fuel. Whereas a decently busy bituminous mine might be loading a 100 car unit train, anthracite loading is generally MUCH more like the operation at Blaschak Coal: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Blaschak+Coal+Corporation/@40.803583,-76.1696369,172a,35.9y,39.24t/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x486ba4d6ce38a3b0!8m2!3d40.8053749!4d-76.1737728

Second, due to the decline of the industry and region in general, that there had been a LOT of deferred maintenance on these various lines and it's a lot easier to re-rail an MP15 than an SD50. Take a look at the caption on this photo: http://conrailphotos.thecrhs.org/Images/CR-9627-and-local-WHSN11-working-the-St-Nick-breaker-on-June-7-1987

Lastly, it was kinda traditional. The LV used its "pups" for a lot of stuff like this and I think it made sense to keep the ex-Reading MP15s together (kinda like the 80macs on NS).

Occasionally some larger power showed up, but it seems that was usually on "hopper jets" that brought empty hoppers back to distribution points. I plan on immitating that too with a GP38/GP10/U23B combo (or maybe something else from time to time), like this:

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[wm3798]

Love it.  It's a perfect theme for a bite-sized layout. 
You get a long train of empties to run around the main loop, occasionally cutting out a few here and there, then the MP15s come out of the woodwork to the spotting and shifting.

Properly designed, you should be able to let the long train lope along under a speed restriction, then force the switchers to work at a pace that keeps them out of the way.

Lee

[davefoxx]

I can't believe that I watched that entire video, but it was fascinating.  A couple of interesting notes that I'd like to see on the layout, @Ed Kapuscinski:

1) Where's the track under the train at 3:46 in the video?

2) Love those first generation Geeps at 4:30 in the video.

Bring this sh!t on!!!

DFF

[MichaelWinicki]

Never mind, anyway. For some reason this diehard West Coaster was thinking that a handful of PC RSes made it into blue. After browsing around, apparently not.

Carry on.

It's unfortunate they didn't make it into CR colors.

PC had a small "army" of RSes– Which see prominent service on my 1970-era PC.  They're a nice alternative to running GP7's-9's on all the locals.

[glakedylan]

lots of familiar scenes
hamburg ----> tamaqua ----> mahanoy city
lots of memories
thanks for sharing


sincerely
G

[Point353]

It's unfortunate they didn't make it into CR colors.

Did you mean black or blue?

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Did you mean black or blue?

Those are RS3m's, smart guy

But... here's an RS3m (the sexiest one, btw) in Cressona: https://rrmuseumpa.andornot.com/permalink/archives184779

This is the problem with doing more research: it often blows up your assumptions. I ain't complainin though!

[wm3798]

I've taken a moment to watch the full video.  This is an incredibly model-railroady area...  quaint stations, pitched landscapes, faded blue second and third tier diesels pulling Penn Central hoppers...
And the winter back drop...  This just screams "Ed's Layout".

Lee

[garethashenden]

What about this RS3M? http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=4301954