Atlas Code 55 vs. ME Code 55

[DKS]

Several years ago I gave N Scale joint bars a try. I added these homemade bars to Code 40 rail (and only to the outsides of the rails for obvious reasons):



I found myself having to hunt for them not only on the model but in photos, and given that they were quite a PITA to make and apply, ultimately I determined they weren't worth the effort. YMMV, however.

[mark.hinds]

As to "joint bars"...sure, you can paint 'em on, but that isn't going to look anything like the real deal.  When looking at real "joint bars" it's pretty obvious that they aren't hiding on the rail web, but they stand proud of the edges of the rail head by 1/2" to 1"...at least.  They have an angle on the top edge so the flanges don't hit them, but...they're much thicker than paint, and Archer rivets applied to the rail web every 39' aren't going to represent the plates on either side of the rail.
(text removed)

Visually from normal viewing distance, paint would be better than nothing, which is what most of us have; think Lance Mindheim:  https://lancemindheim.com/about-us/photo-wallpaper/ .  Also it's way easier to implement, once one finds the correct unobtrusive color.  Just *slightly* darker, which represents a distance view of the joiner plus bolt shadows etc.  Perhaps with a vertical line on the shadow side, for those with layout lighting designed to throw shadows to one side (see reply #40 in this thread https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=43618.0 ). 

MH

[robert3985]

Good sighting of a B&O M-15k! 

Info about the car and modeling in both HO and N available in past RPM Chicagoland program handout:
http://www.rpmconference.com/index.php/2016-rpm-program-complete/

The B&O M-15k is one of the reasons I kept this photo!  Thanks for the link too!

Interestingly (at least for me) in photos of U.P. trains, there are a lot of eastern cars, so my main purchases of the last couple of years have been eastern RR boxcars, to more accurately depict actual trains which ran during my era.

Cheers!
Bob Gilmore

[robert3985]

Bob, the picture of the u50c is amazing. Is it yours?  It's one I would like a print of when I finally get my train room.  I'm curious though, the scenery looks to be around wasatch summit but there's a station in the picture. Where is the actual location?

The photo is one that I found online somewhere and added to my continually growing collection of prototype scenes of areas I am modeling on my layout.  So, no...it isn't mine.  The location of the photo you mention is Echo, UT, just westbound of the start of Echo Curve, looking westbound (actual north).  The station is Echo Station, which still exists after being relocated to Coalville as the North Summit Senior Citizens Center, with a few additions now.  Interestingly the train order board in the photo has also been preserved as part of the establishment, as well as at least one steel baqgage cart imbedded in concrete at the new site so it doesn't disappear.

Photo (1) - A more complete view of Echo Station around 1954 or 1955 (Baby Turbine with no tender) again looking westbound (actual north):


Photo (2) - Echo Station 1969, Looking Eastbound (actual South):


These two photos are interesting from a mainline track appearance standpoint also, showing textures, details and colors.

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

[robert3985]

Visually from normal viewing distance, paint would be better than nothing, which is what most of us have; think Lance Mindheim:  https://lancemindheim.com/about-us/photo-wallpaper/ .  Also it's way easier to implement, once one finds the correct unobtrusive color.  Just *slightly* darker, which represents a distance view of the joiner plus bolt shadows etc.  Perhaps with a vertical line on the shadow side, for those with layout lighting designed to throw shadows to one side (see reply #40 in this thread https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=43618.0 ). 

MH

Mark ( @mark.hinds ), I'm gonna respectfully disagree with you. However, since I've never seen painted on joint bars, I might be totally wrong. 

I think that decals might be a better option than painting, with sharp lines, shadow details etc.

I'm thinking that attempting to paint anything other than a blob on the rail web will be verrrrry frustrating and difficult to do...it certainly would be for me.

DKS's efforts and conclusion with his joint bar experiment is probably the conclusion that I'm gonna come to...because of the excess flange depths in N-scale as compared to a Proto160 flange depth, attaching well-detailed joint bars to both sides of the rails every 39 scale feet in a prototype location between the rail head and foot, protruding an appropriate distance outward from the railhead, just isn't operationally possible.  What makes the real joint bars so obvious are that they interrupt the smooth flow of the rails at regular intervals...with quite large nut and bolt details littering their sides, which cast shadows and show relief, totally apart from the flow of the rails. 

I don't think that paint or decals applied to the rail web are going to be worth the effort...especially when applying actual little parts every scale 39 feet, such as the laser-cut joint bars that Dave ( @railnerd ) gave us the link to ( http://pdc.ca/rr/catalog/product/n-code-4055-joint-bars/12 ) would be sooo much easier than painting anything detailed that small is going to be.

For the rivet-counter lurking in many of our hearts...these laser-cut joint bars come in several types and sizes so we can actually apply the appropriate style as our chosen prototype did!   I think that's pretty damned cool!  Thanks Dave for the head's up!    I'll be ordering some of these soon...even though I have a bit of trepidation since the N-scale versions are good for "N Code 40/55" which leads me to think they may not be tall enough for C55.  We'll see. Maybe it will be worth the effort, at least in a few high-visibility areas of my layout.

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore