Weekend Update 4/30/17

[Cajonpassfan]

Very COOL!
More pics please as you complete the build!
Otto K.

[Lemosteam]

Paging @Lemosteam , please report to the design studio STAT!

Start with the old LL plastic frame chassis guts motor and lead removed, and the LL shell, remove the sides from the cab door back to the rear wall, insert SW superstructure and wha lah!

Hmm.

[GaryHinshaw]

Had an opportunity yesterday to visit John Parker's incredible HO scale BNSF Fall River Division layout: http://www.bnsfrr.net/

Wow...    I've just been thumbing through the gallery on John's site and I'm speechless.  Here is an example of an everyday scene that is captured so well:

http://www.bnsfrr.net/uploads/3/2/2/4/32241659/canpotex-car-at-sage_orig.jpg

The passenger shelter, welded handrails, suburban landscaping, etc.  All very mundane, but rendered perfectly.  And that's just 1/1000th of the layout!

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I did some railfanning up in coal country.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdBtYlirKaE

Still have a TON of photos and video of some RBMNRR EMD hotness, but I wanted to share that with you all.

It's in full HD, so do yourself a favor and watch it somewhere you can appreciate the sights and sounds of five Alco Centuries doing their thing.

[Santa Fe Guy]

Great video Ed, what a catch and to be able to follow this as far as you have.
Rod.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Great video Ed, what a catch and to be able to follow this as far as you have.
Rod.

Thanks. Luckily, track speed is about 35 and they do a good bit of work en route, allowing us to get him all day.

It was almost like shooting fish in a barrel.

[up1950s]

I did some railfanning up in coal country.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdBtYlirKaE

Still have a TON of photos and video of some RBMNRR EMD hotness, but I wanted to share that with you all.

It's in full HD, so do yourself a favor and watch it somewhere you can appreciate the sights and sounds of five Alco Centuries doing their thing.

D&L still alive , I did not know that . What a treat , and sporting a brace of Alco's too . Thanks .

[narrowminded]

Love the Alcos.  

I grew up on stories of the 251 engine as my father worked for Alco as an engineer and specifically on the 251 development.  His boss was Paul Vaughan.  Until the day he died, on the wall in his home office there was an 8 1/2" x 11" simply framed black and white picture of the 251 prototype engine on the test stand in Auburn.  I don't know how many times he told me, "And my cot was right there when we were doing test runs"   They did some test runs that ran for days at a time.  He had a lot of interesting stories from his Alco days that I really enjoyed.

[OldEastRR]

I believe that "sparker" is just that - a spark-gap lightning arrester.  Normally, the gap insulates the hot side from ground, allowing the current to go through the motors.  If lightning hits the overhead, the high voltage ionizes the air in the gap, and the surge goes to ground (the rails). 

If it is, there should be a gap in the center of the "X", but I wouldn't advise trying to cut one.  The result would probably be too fragile to handle.

When the entire model is finished and painted, paint a thin black line on the brass where the "air gap" would be. Should look fine.

[nkalanaga]

OldEastRR:  I agree that would look fine, and would be a lot safer than cutting the gap.  I wonder if the ultimate owner will realize what the thing is, much less notice the gap, painted or cut?

Yes, I suspect that I have a touch of OCD, although it's never been diagnosed....

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Love the Alcos.  

I grew up on stories of the 251 engine as my father worked for Alco as an engineer and specifically on the 251 development.  His boss was Paul Vaughan.  Until the day he died, on the wall in his home office there was an 8 1/2" x 11" simply framed black and white picture of the 251 prototype engine on the test stand in Auburn.  I don't know how many times he told me, "And my cot was right there when we were doing test runs"   They did some test runs that ran for days at a time.  He had a lot of interesting stories from his Alco days that I really enjoyed.

That's so cool!!

Yeah, these things were amazing.

[dmidkiff]

Wow...    I've just been thumbing through the gallery on John's site and I'm speechless.  Here is an example of an everyday scene that is captured so well:

http://www.bnsfrr.net/uploads/3/2/2/4/32241659/canpotex-car-at-sage_orig.jpg

The passenger shelter, welded handrails, suburban landscaping, etc.  All very mundane, but rendered perfectly.  And that's just 1/1000th of the layout!

Glad you finally got to see his layout Ed!

Not only is his layout amazing to look at it, it runs beautifully too.  I've had the pleasure of operating there a few times, everything runs like clockwork and there is not a bad job on the list.  He is always a part of RockyOp, coincidentally happening this coming weekend, so if you are the kind that likes to travel for operating weekends, there is always a chance to operate on it.

Doug

[Lemosteam]

I did some railfanning up in coal country.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdBtYlirKaE

Still have a TON of photos and video of some RBMNRR EMD hotness, but I wanted to share that with you all.

It's in full HD, so do yourself a favor and watch it somewhere you can appreciate the sights and sounds of five Alco Centuries doing their thing.

Subscribed.  Really, really nice vid, Ed.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Subscribed.  Really, really nice vid, Ed.

Thanks!

I've got another coming from the following day's Reading an Northern chase that happened to feature two of my favorite engines.

[SAH]

Really fine video work Ed.  What a treat to hear the 251s at work and watch the black smoke roll.  I would watch them work the locals on the EL in the Warren, OH area as a teen.

Quite a few years ago I had a morning to kill before my flight out of Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, so I went to Steamtown.  As I walked across the pedestrian bridge some C424s or C425s were working the yard and a Steamtown steamer was preparing for the day's first run.  It occurred to me at the time that there might be fewer existing operational Centuries out there than steam locomotives.  I did my best to watch the action in both places.