ATSF Los Angeles Division, circa 1949

[Steveruger45]

These are way out of my era, but I’ve decided to get a couple.  I will use them with my UP excursion passenger cars as a railfan special.  I’m actually looking forward to hearing the sound on these puppies.  Will make a nice change from all the EMD and GE diesels.  Now that I’m thinking about it in this way this would also give me a great excuse to get a steam loco too for a similar railfan special.    Oooh, now mr wallet is really complaining.  Come on Uncle Sam with the next stimulus check.  Scale Trains make some beautiful stuff, I’m just wondering what the minimum radius will be.

Otto, back on track, those F units are gorgeous Sir, so is everything else in the video.  Hmmm, I need to raise my modeling game.

[Cajonpassfan]

Thanks for the compliment Steve. The weathering is inspired by a 1949 16mm movie taken in Cajon...steam era trains had a smoky grimy patina on virtually everything and most of my cars start with a cheap flat black wash, it helps blend things nicely.
Mike, maybe I need to beg, buy, or steel a second shell from Scale Trains and build the original 50, 1949 Thomas Hotchkiss photo below. (Just another project I don’t really *need*).
Otto

[Cajonpassfan]

Well, I broke down and bought the new BLI ABBA Warbonnet F3 #31 set, on a blowout sale. Unlike the original F3 #18 release, this one is pretty accurate  and, at least mine, seems to have much improved electrical pickup....no cutouts. Maybe the caps are doing their job. I put it to a test running my (out of era) 13 car Kato high level El Capitan, and it looks and sounds great And it *almost* has enough power to pul it up my 2.2 % grades ...but not quite. The B’s are dummies. I spliced in another powered B unit from another set, and that solved the problem.
It’s hard to take pictures of a long train like this, but here are a couple of iPhone grabs, eastbound, between Verdemont and Devore, for flavor.
Otto

[basementcalling]

Thanks for the compliment Steve. The weathering is inspired by a 1949 16mm movie taken in Cajon...steam era trains had a smoky grimy patina on virtually everything and most of my cars start with a cheap flat black wash, it helps blend things nicely.
Mike, maybe I need to beg, buy, or steel a second shell from Scale Trains and build the original 50, 1949 Thomas Hotchkiss photo below. (Just another project I don’t really *need*).
Otto

Gordon Odegard did this back in 1980-81 and wrote a nice article for MR about it.  I forget what month, but I want to say April 80.

[Vince P]

The passenger train is way cool like that consist.

[C855B]

... Thomas Hotchkiss photo ...

Holy cow, there's a name I haven't heard for almost five decades. I met Tom at a slide show/party at a friend's parents' home in '72 or '73, IIRC. My friend was one of "the gang" I hung around with that terrorized the SoCal railfan scene at the time. His father had his own circle of railfan photographer friends including notables such as Tom, Donald Duke, and Dick Steinheimer. I think Ward Kimball was also part of that informal group, too, as they all lived in the Monrovia/Pasadena/Glendora area. Ward and Dick couldn't make it to that particular party - Dick was out chasing trains, as usual - so I never had the pleasure of meeting them.

One thing I recall from that slide show was Don showing a bunch of 1950s Kodachrome slides of mostly - or entirely, maybe - Santa Fe east of Barstow. He "complained" that it was about the only location he could reliably get action shots given the slow film speed (ASA 1), and even then only in the most intense sunlight of the day. Warbonnet red popped off the screen in a way I've never experienced since.

The other thing I remember from the party was my absolutely miserable allergic reaction to their cats. I spent too much of what was a historic gathering of the best, outside trying to simply breathe. 

[MK]

Probably Kodachrome 25 (ASA 25).  I don't know of any ASA 1 film.

[C855B]

Probably Kodachrome 25 (ASA 25).  I don't know of any ASA 1 film.

I do stand corrected, it was an ASA of 10. 25 didn't exist until 1961. These were early 1950s images.

[Cajonpassfan]

Gordon Odegard did this back in 1980-81 and wrote a nice article for MR about it.  I forget what month, but I want to say April 80.

Hmmm.., did he use ConCor Veranda bodies and filled the verandas?

[Cajonpassfan]

Holy cow, there's a name I haven't heard for almost five decades. I met Tom at a slide show/party at a friend's parents' home in '72 or '73, IIRC. My friend was one of "the gang" ...
The other thing I remember from the party was my absolutely miserable allergic reaction to their cats. I spent too much of what was a historic gathering of the best, outside trying to simply breathe. 

Dang Mike, we’re old
Sorry to tell you, there are two cats living here, but the trainroom is (mostly) cat-free environment, and has its own outside access...
Otto

[C855B]

Nothing against cats, Otto, and my allergies to them depend on... something... specific to the cat(s). I've had three of my own, this one my faithful friend of several years; she was a sweetie, her personality oozing in this shot:



It was just something about theirs that triggered things. I've run into that only one time since, about six years ago with an anaphylactic reaction that nearly sent us to the ER. 

And yes, we're old. At least I can still remember the party and who was and wasn't there.   

[Cajonpassfan]

Yeah Mike, they do grow on you. One of ours thinks he’s a puppy dog, follows me around like one. It kills him he’s not allowed in the trainroom...for a good reason because he’s not what you call a “floor cat”; climbs onto everything, higher the better and loves to sit on things, like six-packs, pasta boxes, and Summit, Cal.😬
The other one, well she mostly sleeps,  20 hours a day...
Otto

[Santa Fe Guy]

Nice looking consist Otto, dang I'm 77 years young and enjoying my hobby even more.
Rod.

[Cajonpassfan]

Thanks Rod, appreciated. And yea, isn’t it great to have a hobby like this?, especially now😬
Otto

[Cajonpassfan]

Time for a quick layout update. I’ve been quite busy, just not with my own layout
Designing and helping build a very large HO layout for a friend has become a part-time job, and building a she-shed for my lovely wife in our back yard is the other part-time job I have, see pic below. Wags are accusing me of making it look like a little train station, but she loves it, and that’s what matters. Happy wife, happy life....
I do have a new addition to my switcher fleet, two formerly undec Atlas S2’s graciously custom painted and decaled in the transition phase “partial zebra” scheme by our very own @SP-Wolf...   thanks Wolf!
I did modify the 2352 with a new turbo stack and both need “wagon wheel” antennas and radio boxes (where does one get such details?). I have another thread on these in the DCC section, but that’s another story. Pics below.
Otto