Author Archives: George Losse

2024 Strasburg O Scale Show – April

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Today, was the April 2024 Strasburg O Scale Show. As always there were lots of buying and selling going on as well as a lot of stories being shared. Sometimes I think these events are really an excuse to hang out with some friends for a few hours on a Saturday and enjoy some models as well tell some stories.

I didn’t get as much of a chance to get around to all the tables. I was covering a table selling off some of John Dunn’s collection. I was helping finding new homes for some nicely built kits and Kit-bashes that John had collected.

Ken Kime did a demonstration on using a static grass applicator to flock the trees and ground cover.

John Wubble, owner of The All Nation Line had an interesting drive on his table. It was an underbody for a Gas Car. He also had a bunch of drive component part available. Glad to see the line growing since they bought it.

Finally, I wanted to end with an image that makes me laugh. Atlas O just announced re-releasing the old Weaver 2-8-0 Baldwin consolidation. There was a lot of talk online about how wonderful this is with a release price of $799.99. I wonder how well they willl do against the Weaver models that regularly show up at the shows?

2024 Chicago Show – On the Tables

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The show always starts with high hopes. We all have things on our “Have-to-Have” and “Want-to-Have” lists. We always hope one of those models turns up on a table for us to buy.

I have a number of those models that I’m on the look out for, this show did not have any of my “Have-to-Have” models, but it did have a lot of really nice models available. I thought I’d share a few that that I saw at the show.

Bill Yancey had this nicely built SC&F kit built up on his table for sale with Protocraft Proto48 trucks for less than the kit originally cost. That one came home with me.

Bill also had some really nice structures on his table.

Not my era for modeling but this was on Bill Davis’ tables.

The Pacific Limited 1932 Seaboard car was also on Bill’s tables. There were three additional examples of this model on other tables at the show.

I’m not a big fan of the cement canister cars, most were in dedicated service and would not be seen on other roads. Bill Davis had this pair of Parri built cars. They were not the only example of the Parri built cars at the show. They did look nice.

Jim Canter had another example of a the cars this one imported by RY Models.

Greg Stone had some nice cars on his table also.

Tom Mapes had two sets of Key PRR models. An AA set of E8’s and an ABA set of E7’s. Those models made it all the way to late Sunday morning. While I was talking to Tom around the end of the show, the E8’s went to a new home.

There were a number of models in the show for us East Coast modelers. This example of the Golden Gate B&O Columbian set for example. A few years ago, when I was considering modeling the Reading line in NJ, I would have gone after this set.

Dan Mason had a nice OMI CNJ caboose on his table.

There were a total of three Westside PRR H6sb’s in the room. This one was the cleanest one, a little tarnished. I had one of these but sold it back at the O Scale National in NJ. They are a really nice model.

There were a pair of Pecos River Brass Contrail GP-15’s on Dave Vaughn’s tables.

There were even some Reading models in the room.

The nice thing about the show is there is always more stuff to look at than you can imagine.

2024 Chicago Show – New Models

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Just returned from the 2024 Chicago O Scale Show. Another great show!

There were some new models from various manufacturers at this show, as well as a host of used models. Here are some of the new models I saw at the show.

Twin Star Cars / Modern Era O Scale
Ross Dando had a sample of a Rock Island rebuilt USRA box car. The car looks great and should be released later this year. I’m looking forward to this kit!

Ross also had samples of the car that are available through the other side of his business Modern Era O Scale.

Southern Car & Foundry
Jon Cagle from Southern Car & Foundry had the last of his inventory of previously released models on his table maybe a half dozen kits at the beginning of the show. He also had samples of a possible car to be released later this year. We saw the casting for a Northern Pacific composite box car.

Jon was also showing samples of the masters of two different tank cars. One a two compartment car and the other a single compartment car.

Rails Unlimited
Ted Schnepf had a UP 50 foot composite boxcar. I also was interested in the “PS-0” as he labeled them.

Lambert Locomotive Works
Dylan Lambert had available of Dave Vaughn’s table a couple of recent 3D printed cars. The PRR “Ore Jenny” Class G39 and the modern center beam cars.

Snow Day Today

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With a nor’easter coming into the area dropping snow, our offices were closed today. Almost feel like a little kid again wanting to go sledding.

This morning the workbench is full of models that were sprayed with Dull Coat on Saturday. The weather was nice enough to paint in the garage. Go figure.

I needed to seal the decals on my friend’s H21. I went through on shot gloss coat and dull coat on a few other models, 17 more actually. Most were cars I either picked up recently and updated the weight dates but others were lettered in recent months.

2024 Time to turn the page

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It’s time to turn the page on 2023. Enough of that year. Time to clean off the workbench and start the new year off fresh.

The weather guys on TV have been talking all week about SNOW today. Now they are saying just a dusting. Either way it is a good morning to finish cleaning in the train room and clear off the workbench and jump back into a couple of recent projects.

A PSC Bethlehem 65 ft mill gondola for the CRP and the RY Models PRR H21 in the background being done in a late 50’s paint for a friend. Both models have had a lot of cut and piecing together of the lettering. Both had one side lettered on each of the models. Then the workbench got a little cluttered and these two were on hold since the beginning of the Fall. Now the bench is clear and time to work one them again.

So I’ll finish my coffee in my Chicago mug, look forward to thoughts of the March Show and focus on 2024.

In Memoriam: Bill Losse

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My brother, Bill Losse passed away yesterday. I’m the youngest of six kids and he was number two in birth order. He was responsible for introducing me to most of what I enjoy in life.

He put a camera in my hands when I was five. He let me ride along in the car while he went out to chase trains. He introduced me to a lot of the locations that I would travel to later when I would go out on my own adventures. He encouraged me to build models, first with airplanes and later with trains.

The image I posted is from the early 80’s. We were trackside up on the former NYC along the Hudson River to photograph the Amtrak FL9’s.

This is the memory of my brother I keep going back to today. I will miss him.

In Memoriam: John Dunn

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John Dunn who most know as one of the promoters of the Strasburg O Scale Shows died peacefully at home on Friday Dec 12th after battling several serious health issues over the past month.

I’ve known John for over 20 years, he was a friend. If you ever attended a show or event with John you would have seen, John knew everybody. I was always amazed how many people that knew him and greeted him warmly. Not only did he know them, but he always remembered their names and had stories to tell about them. And John was a very good storyteller.

I had the pleasure of driving to the Chicago Show a couple of times with John. He was one of the most upbeat people I’ve ever met. When it came to trains, John liked them all, HO, O Scale, Lionel, and prototype trains. They all brought out the little kid in him.

The above image was taken at Chicago. It was the Saturday late in the afternoon. After a good day of buying and selling, I asked John if he found everything he was hoping to see. John mentioned that he was hoping to see an Overland Ferdinand Magellan Presidential Car. I smiled and told him to turn around, there was one on the table behind us. This was John’s reaction to opening the box to examine the car.

I will miss my friend.

In Memoriam: Dave Richter

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Dave Richter

Sorry to hear of the passing of Dave Richter.

Dave was the promoter of the  “Eastern O Scalers” series of train shows. Under his guidance it expanded from a small show in Easton, PA, to three shows a year, a Spring and Fall show in Wind Gap, PA and the August show in Denver, PA. Dave also was a dealer for Weaver Models, Sunset 3rd Rail and others. In retirement, he moved to Virginia to be near his family.

For those that didn’t know, he was a former long-time member of the Cherry Valley Model RR Club. That was where I met him.

TCA Eastern Division York Train Meet – October 2023

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Yesterday, I attended my second TCA Eastern Division York Train Meet (aka York). I had always thought that as a Proto48’er that these shows held little to no interest for me. I can say, I was wrong. While there are very few 2 rail O Scale models on the tables, there are some. I came home with two “new to me” brass cars from both the Spring show and now the Fall show.

In addition there were some building manufactures there, tool suppliers and also people you haven’t seen in ages. One them was Robbie Kimmey, who I used to see over at Fran Pfiel’s house. It was really nice catching up after almost 20 years. Robbie is shown here with John Dunn.

The York show is big and there are many halls. Below was just one hall and I was standing about half way inside the hall.

Altoona Model Works was there displaying their model offerings. I always liked their Brewery complex model.

As I said there were 2 rail models in the show. Here is an image within the Trainz display. Nothing on the table for a Reading modeler, but still great to see nice 2 rail models being offered for sale at what I always thought was a 3 rail tinplate show.

After walking around the show it was nice to go out for a nice dinner at the local Hoss’s Steak and Sea House. Walking into the lobby you are quickly reminded that we are in York, PA, the home of the Harley Davidson assembly plant.