The Carolina Sandhills Lines in HO Scale

[davefoxx]

Adding another first generation Geep to the fleet.  This is Aberdeen & Rockfish RR GP7 No. 205, known as “John Blue.”  See the small lettering under the headlight.  I finally located this locomotive after months, if not years, of searching, because it is a long out of production Atlas Classic model.  I think it’s about fifteen years old.  Being a DC model, I tore it down and added a Decoder Buddy and ESU V5.0 decoder, LED lights, and a sugar cube speaker.  I also installed the end handrails and uncoupling levers, which had never been applied and were still in their packaging in the box.  In fact, there was little wear on the wheels.  A little silver paint on the MU cables and air hoses, along with a pair of Sergent Engineering couplers, and here we are!  Just need to speed match the Geep to fleet standards and do a few more tweaks on the sounds.



It’s funny.  When I started this thread, I was going in a different direction and was leaving the A&R behind.  I sure am glad that didn’t happen after all.

DFF

[LIRR]

Looks like it just cam out of the showroom

[Steveruger45]

That’s a really nice looking loco, Dave
And it’s different. I like different BTW.

[davefoxx]

After joining the fleet, A&R No. 205 was MUed to GP38 No. 400 and headed onto home rails.



This JFRTMing led to the discovery that the tail track in the A&R’s yard (used to run around freight cars) was about an inch too short for two Geeps.  So, I pulled up the end of the tail track, straightened it slightly, and added about 1-5/8” of track.  This occurred, because, when building the yard, I didn’t anticipate that I would ever use two locomotives.  But, I like this option, and it was easy to fix.



Perfect!  Clears the points with a little room to spare.



DFF

[packers#1]

That’s just freaking perfect Dave! I know your focus is more on the Seaboard System/Family Lines, but you might want to check out this quarter’s TRP (Trains and Railroads of the Past, formerly The Railroad Press). They have an excellent article on the Southern and Norfolk and Western in Central North Carolina.

[davefoxx]

Sawyer,

Thanks for the heads-up on that article.  I’ll have to look that one up.  The truth is that I have been a big fan of the Seaboard System, since I discovered it in the January 1984 issue of MR.  At the time, I was modeling present day, and I really liked the SD50 that was highlighted in that issue.  However, I eventually stayed in that era.

I also have a large affinity for Carolina short line railroading that began, for me, in the 1990s when I lived in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.  I saw the Winston-Salem Southbound Ry. and the Yadkin Valley RR up close, for example.   I could see myself building a layout for just a short line someday.

Thanks,
DFF

[Angus Shops]

Please add something save a loco from making the plunge to the floor on that tail track!

[Steveruger45]

It has a “T” pin

[davefoxx]

As reported in the Weekend Update, I took the parts from two old (one is practically ancient) Life-Like Proto 2000 locomotives and built one good running and decent looking Atlantic Coast Line E8.  What little electronics it had before has been gutted and upgraded to a LokSound V5.0DCC decoder with sound and LED lights, including a Mars Light in the upper headlight assembly.  It’s a real Frankenstein’s monster, but it is running well.  It’s been speed matched to the fleet and remapped for the ProtoThrottle.

Here it is running an excursion: Coast Line style.

DFF

[packers#1]

Dave, it is absolutely gorgeous and stunning how you’ve captured the Sandhills, it’s perfectly done

[Scottl]

@davefoxx your scenery is tremendous.  The entire effect is very convincing.

[davefoxx]

The first of three or four Atlantic Coast Line passenger cars arrived today.  These were purchases from eBay for some ACL cars to build an excursion train.  As you can see upthread, I have DCCed an old Life-Like E8 and am trying to gather a few cars to run with it.  I decaled it as the “Cape Fear River,” a 4 compartment-4 drawing room car that is an ex-NYC car.  I body-mounted some Sergent Engineering couplers, and the car is now in service.  It took some trimming of the trucks, which is not apparent when the car is on the rails, to get this car to run smoothly through curves down to 22” radius.  Walthers recommends a minimum 28” radius.  Challenge accepted.



The other ACL cars will arrive this coming week.

DFF

[TiogaTracks]

Wow.  There’s a lot of impressive modeling here!  What impressed me most, though, is the close coupling on the passenger cars.  It really sells the realism.

Do you have a trick or technique for getting them close, but not too close?  I’m working on the same thing in G-scale, but every car turns out to be a “I sure hope this won’t bind on curves” custom job.

-Steven

[Point353]

Wow.  There’s a lot of impressive modeling here!  What impressed me most, though, is the close coupling on the passenger cars.  It really sells the realism.

Do you have a trick or technique for getting them close, but not too close?  I’m working on the same thing in G-scale, but every car turns out to be a “I sure hope this won’t bind on curves” custom job.

-Steven

Are you using LGB R5 curved track?

[davefoxx]

Wow.  There’s a lot of impressive modeling here!  What impressed me most, though, is the close coupling on the passenger cars.  It really sells the realism.

Do you have a trick or technique for getting them close, but not too close?  I’m working on the same thing in G-scale, but every car turns out to be a “I sure hope this won’t bind on curves” custom job.

-Steven

It’s a lot of experimentation.  I am body-mounting the couplers, so I get to choose where to mount them.  The cars are probably not as close as they seem, because there is a gap between the diaphragms on tangent track, which is necessary to navigate down to 22” radius curves.

On some cars, I even had to trim some underbody or truck details just to get the car to go around a 22” radius curve without even being coupled to anything.  My Amtoobs and the Cape Fear River are good examples.  Thankfully, these modifications are inconspicuous.

Thanks,
DFF