New stuff at MBK

[Jbub]

My wallet hates me now but there there is new stock (very limited in quantity) on RS3 and 4/5's, a bunch of the Trinity Refer's (the reason my wallet hates me), Trash flats and cabeese.
Just a friendly FYI for your purchasing pleasure!

[garethashenden]

I've had a cart full of stuff for a couple of weeks now but I held off because I new those NE5s were coming soon. Now they've been ordered!

[reinhardtjh]

Yikes! Half of the RS-3's are sold out already.  I have all I need though - unless Atlas comes out with an ESU sound version before I get around to converting mine.  But I sure love the looks of an ALCo RS-3.  That CP paint sure is spiffy.

[Tom L]

Dang, missed the boat on CGW cabeese. They didn't last long. Probably have to pony up retail for one on the Bay.

Tom L

[peteski]

I needed to order a replacement Kato truck (since MBK's prices are discounted from what they charge on Kato's site), so I took the opportunity to add a, Atlas B&M RS-3 and a gaggle of B&M cabese to my truck order. My wallet is not happy, but I am. 

[Chris333]

I like that P&LE Alco 

[garethashenden]

MBK seem to often get small initial orders and then get a resuply a little while later. It may be worth keeping an eye on things. I can’t imagine that they would only order two of each RS3.

[Jbub]

If I hadn't spent so much lately on rolling stock I would definitely get one of those Alco's. They're not even in my era (present day)

[Point353]

Dang, missed the boat on CGW cabeese. They didn't last long. Probably have to pony up retail for one on the Bay.

Try here:
http://www.lombardhobby.com/Atlas-N-50003499-Master-Line-NE-5-Caboose-CGW-p/atl50003499.htm
http://www.lombardhobby.com/Atlas-N-50003500-Master-Line-NE-5-Caboose-CGW-p/atl50003500.htm
http://www.lombardhobby.com/Atlas-N-50003501-Master-Line-NE-5-Caboose-CGW-p/atl50003501.htm

[Tom L]

Thanks for the tip, Point353.

Tom L.

[brokemoto]

Ya' know, when I saw this and went to MBK's site, I was a bit put out, as I had missed the lightning striped Pacemaker Green P&LE RS-3s.  After a moment's consideration, I decided to go upstairs and check the numbers on the pair that I had custom painted for me a number of years back.  Yup, yup, yup, the numbers that I had put on them are #8353 and #8356, BOTH the same as the numbers on the Atlas issues.   P&LE had only five of these things.

P&LE used mostly GP-7s for road freight power, but 230 Park Avenue might have decided that the number of those was insufficient for P&LE's needs.  The other possibility is that it did want to do something for ALCo, which was on-line in Schenectady.  One of the class DRS-6j went to a coal mining railroad in 1964 or '65 before all of the other ALCo s on P&LE's roster went to parent NYC in 1966.  I am not sure if NYC removed the "System" or P&LE reporting marks once it got them.  It never did that when it got the A-2a s, the FM yard goats (DES-14a) or the PAs (DPA-2c/-4c), although out of that class trio, only the FMs lasted any time on the NYC.


So far, my batting average is poor on manufacturers' issuing models with numbers that I have put onto mine, already.  In addition to this P&LE debacle, I received my MT B&O five pack yesterday.  When MT first issued the coach, I bought three others and changed the numbers.  Two of the MT coaches out of the three have numbers that I put onto the three,  Fortunately, all than I need do is change the last digit on the two that I did.

This is not the first time that this has happened to me.  A number of years back, I painted and decalled two Kato RS-2s for Western Maryland in fireball.   When LL issued its RS-2s in WM Fireball, both numbers were the same as mine.  WM had only four of those things.

I know, I am not the only one who has had this experience.  Murphy likes to play with model trains,  This is not the first time that it has happened, nor will it be the last,

On the bright side, at least I need not be put out about missing P&LE Pacemaker Green lightning stripe RS-3s.   NOW IF ONE OF THE SEVERAL MANUFACTURERS THAT HAS DONE PAs WOULD PLEASE DO A PAIR OF P&LEs! .........preferably BLI PA-2s.

[thomasjmdavis]

Yup, yup, yup, the numbers that I had put on them are #8353 and #8356, BOTH the same as the numbers on the Atlas issues.

I thought this was just a law of nature.  It works a bit differently for me, and usually Kato, and causes shifts in my layout timeframe.  I collected a bunch of car sides to do a more or less accurate 1950ish Super Chief, and a few weeks later, Kato announced their 1952 Super Chief.  Which I bought and started collecting enough 44 seat chair cars to do 1952 El Cap, and once I had enough, they announced the 1956 El Cap.  So now I model 1956.

For me, before I realized it was happening, the Zebra stripe RSDs were all gone.  Which may be for the best, with several passenger car kits/models (Stillwells, Atlas 60', the mythical single window coach, a rumor of maybe, just maybe, sides for Erie rebuilds....) and now living on the dreaded "fixed income" of retirement.

[brokemoto]

On another note, the New York Central numbers are actually freight units, this time, instead of passenger units, as were the first releases of NYC RS-3s from Atlas.  NYC passenger RS-3s had the stovepipe escape stack located closer to the end of the short hood (as opposed to the angled escape stack up against the cab), which meant that the JnJ RS-3 steam generator detail kit was no good for them.  I simply fashioned the escape and vent stacks out of sprues.  I did not buy the second run.

None of the five P&LE RS-3s had passenger equipment.  P&LE's RS-3s were strictly for freight.

Peoria and Eastern did not have any RS-3s.

[peteski]

...
 which meant that the JnJ RS-3 steam generator detail kit was no good for them.  I simply fashioned the escape and vent stacks out of sprues.  I did not buy the second run.

Ah, so that is who made the steam generator detail set.  I used it when I custom-painted my B&M RS-3 years ago but I didn't remember where the steam generator details came from.Thanks for unintentionally refreshing my memory.

[brokemoto]

Ah, so that is who made the steam generator detail set.  I used it when I custom-painted my B&M RS-3.

It is funny, but those are the only ALCo steam generator details of which I am aware from any manufacturer.  JnJ is out of business, but you still can find its details at shows and some dealers have them as NOS.  No one has manufactured steam generator details for ALCo cab units, perhaps because they would have a limited application:  FPA-2s and FPA-4s, the latter only in Canada (with the exception of Western Maryland Scenic).  The PAs, will, of course, already come with the steam generator stacks. 

I must still fashion a pair for my B&O FPA-2.  It is funny, I have changed the number on the old LL Blue and Grey FA-2 shell, I have adapted the plastic frame shell to the metal (on the metal frame, LL did the 1959 paint scheme in B&O) but have yet to fashion a pair of steam generator stacks.  The RS steam generator stacks will work for RS-1, -2, -3 as well as RSD-4, -5, unless you model a road such as NYC or Delay and Hesitate, which used the stove pipe escape stack.  NYC did use the angled stack on the RS-2, but the stovepipe on the RS-3.

Where did Busted and Mined run the passenger RS-3s?  I do not remember seeing them.  By the time I was riding the B&M, it was mostly RDCs, although I did see the occasional BL-2.  I have seen numerous service photographs of the BL-2s, many of which were taken in Salem on street running (back when Salem had that), including a few taken in front of the Peabody Museum.   The only service photographs that I have seen of B&M passenger RS-3s were when they were in a yard somewhere, which never was identified. I have seen photographs of freight units' working trains, but never of a B&M passenger unit's working a train.