Category Archives: My Thoughts

2011 Cleveland O Scale Show – November

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I got back from The Cleveland O Scale Show last night. From New Jersey, it was an eight hour drive one way to the show but it was well worth it. This was my second time attending the show. The show’s size is not as large as Chicago, but  is close to twice the size of the O Scale shows back here in the East. Attendance was good and people were buying, maybe not the most expensive stuff in the room but they were spending money.

One of the really nice things about the show was the the show’s producer was walking through the hall during the last part of the show and asking some of the dealers not to start to pack their materials up. How many shows that were advertized for 9-2 really end at noon. This show ended at 2pm. This work out well for me, as I had a pair of larger sales within the last twenty minutes of the show to attendees, not dealers.

Again, I had my O scale track out on the table and it continues to find new homes. I noticed most of the track sales were smaller, guys buying one or two bundles at a time. Still, I’m glad it’s finding new homes. The first of Protocraft/Micro Engineering P48 flex track to start to replace it should be arriving this next week.  Since more of the O scale flex track sold this weekend another order for the P48 flex track will be placed shortly.

I also had the chance to meet some people I’ve only emailed with before. One of them was Lee Turner. You may remember Lee as the man that produced some resin kits in the past. I have a couple of his kits myself. He had some very nicely painted models for sale on his table. More importantly, Lee mentioned he is currently working on an LV wrong way boxcar. I hope he is able to find the right caster to produce the car, that’s a car I’d like to have on the layout.

I got to talk to some of the members of the Youngstown Club while I was there. They were one of the few tables I bought from at the National and they had another model on their table yesterday that managed to get me to dig into the wallet and take it home.

There was a nice mix of guys selling some extra stuff, brass dealers, parts guys and others selling off collections. There was also a mixture of guys selling scenery materials and buildings. I had a good time selling some of my extras and brought home some new models and parts for this winter’s projects.

Layout Visit: Jeff Lang, 2011 O Scale National

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Jeff Lang speaking to the visitors at his layout

Next on the list of Open Layouts on the Wdnesday was Jeff Lang’s layout. It is a standard 2 rail O Scale layout under construction featuring PRR Prototypes. Some scenes in the room are nicely finished and other while under construction are coming along nicely.

This was another large basement. I made the comment while visiting that a basement that size would scare the hell out of me. How can you fill it in one lifetime? Jeff is a part of the Round Robin crew that includes Jim Canter and Warner Clark and about ten other guys.

The layout design is a series of outer loops with a newly constructed urban area in the center.

One of the nicely finished scene on Jeff Lang’s layout

A nice grade crossing scene

The new urban scenes begin to take shape on the Center section of the Layout (on the right.)

Michael Rahilly and Matt Forsyth watch as Jeff (in background) starts out a freight with a pair of Sunset N1’s on the head end.

The yard in the city scene can easily be reached from the isle.

Another Northampton & Bath car, no wonder they are hard to find in the east, they are all in IN on layouts.

The city scene starts to take shape with new track work in the streets.

While not complete you get a good feel of what this scene will be.

Layout Visit: Jim Canter, 2011 O Scale National

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Jim Canter (far right) speaks to the crowd during the visit.

As I mentioned in my post about the 2011 O Scale National the Proto48 meeting became a Proto48 layout tour. The first Proto48 layout on the tour was Jim Canter’s “Nickel Plate & Plywood” railroad.

As Jim described the Proto48 “Nickel Plate & Plywood” railroad which has been under construction for ten years had recently had major changes made to it. Also the double track mainline had been spiked down in the last couple of weeks. Which I thought did speak very well of Jim’s Tie Strips which were used on the mainline. The layout is a classic design which seemed to be more for rail fanning trains run than operating.

The layout room is very large, larger then some of the clubs back here in the east. The benchwork was very solid and there were nice built-in display cabinets under the benchwork, That should look very nice when all the scenery is finished in that area. A nice crew lounge (where Jim is speaking above) was located in the middle of the room with the layout on the walls behind it.

The center of the room has the beginning of a nice city scene, an engine facility and a large yard. But what I observed while there, the yard might be to deep to comfortably work. On an empty section of yard I tried to reach in from the isle, I could only reach about half the tracks that the yard had, also the throat of the yard was positioned to be out of reach from the isle also. Maybe these are things that have yet to be addressed in the revisions of the layout.

The layout did have the mainline running, and Jim was a great host. Answering questions and trying to meet the needs of the visitors while having to tend to the issues of hosting an O scale National the next day.

The scene on the outside walls at the bottom of the stairs

Solid benchwork. Also you can see the Tie strips on the mainline.

The Engine Facility displaying a number of Jim’s models

The Yard scene in the middle of the room

Some of the models in the yard scene.

Another Pacific Limited NYC boxcar on the layout.

2011 O Scale National, Indianapolis, IN – News

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There were a couple of new O Scale products displayed at the show:

Southern Car & Foundry’s New ATSF Bx-12 raised roof boxcar

Jon Cagle of Southern Car & Foundry had the pilot model for his new release the ATSF Bx-12 raised roof boxcar on display at his table.

SC&F CP “Minibox”

Also on Jon’s tables for sale were his kits of the Canadian Pacific “minibox” all steel boxcar. I was very glad to see so many of those kits go home with the show attendees. Jon also had a sample of an upcoming tank car on display. The frame castings were great!

I need to learn more about tank cars so I know what was running in my modeled area during my modeling period. Jon also put on a great clinic where he talked about how to build his kits.

Early sample of SC&F new tank car

Details for the Tank car

Another new product was on display on Bob Lavezzi’s table, a sample from Weaver Models of the upcoming release of a PRR class H30 covered hopper. I was impressed with this car. On the heals of their successful B&O M-53 wagon top boxcar, it looks like Weaver might have hit another homerun with the H30. Bob mentioned that the reservation period for this car should start sometime this Fall.

Weaver’s New H30 covered hopper

Roof detail on Weaver’s new PRR H30

Even though Protocraft was not at the show, John Paultz of American Switch and Signal had a set of their 41-N passenger truck at the Proto 48 convention. It was beautiful and just what I need under my Reading passenger cars. John also had his turnout casting for sale at the show, I will be using them on my railroad. John’s detail parts are also available through Protocraft.

Protocraft 41-N Passenger Truck

2011 O Scale National, Indianapolis, IN

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A View of the Proto48 Meeting at the O Scale National Convention

The 2011 O Scale National was held during the week from September 21st thru September 25th in Indianapolis, IN. Communication is not always what it should be and 20/20 hindsight is always better, I wish we would have known at the time that this National was put on Jim and his crew late.

When I go to a National, I’ll admit I want to be entertained by the local modelers. I look forward to seeing their layouts, attending their clinics, and seeing their modeling. Each area of the country that the Nationals have been held in sees the world differently. At the O Scale  National each we get a chance to see that area through the eyes of the people in that region. We get the chance to see common sceans modeled as they are remembered.

The first day had Proto48 meeting and a layout tour. We were invited to Jim Canter’s layout where we saw a large railroad under construction. It also was a great display for his track sections as they were being used throughout his layout. I look forward to seeing the eveloution of that layout.  We also had the chance to see a real jewel of a Proto48 layout, Warner Clark’s layout is worth going to Indianapolis to see on it’s own. We also attended another layout that day even though it was not a Proto48 layout. We visited Jeff Lang’s layout fine layout.

Before we headed out we had the chance to see some examples of On3 layouts that fit on the tables. We also had the chance to talk with one of the Proto48 suppliers, John Paultz of American Switch and Signal. He showed off a turnout built with his parts and talked about the development of his product line. One thing that really looked great on his display, besides his parts, was his use of an N scale Cab Industries ground throw. I spoke with my local suplier who was sitting next to me during the meeting and have some on order now.

The next day, there were good buys on the trading floor to be had. The time spent with the modelers who were there was very enjoyable.

Reading Modeling Myth #2 – Reading Cabooses all had Taylor Trucks

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Reading NMf 90723 sitting in Tamaqua

 

One of the common Reading Company Myths is that all of their cabooses road on Taylor Trucks.

Based on the 1957 roster, the following is a breakdown of how many of each type of truck were under Reading Steel caboose in 1957. Turns out there are more Birdsboro Bettendorf style trucks under the Reading Cabooses than Taylor trucks.

 

Andrews 25 9%
Taylor 114 40%
Birdsboro 148 51%
287 100%

Prototype: Reading RS-2 #539 two photos

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Reading 539 2/15/52
Reading 539 in Catawissa, PA 8/56

Just when you think you know something, you don’t!

 I’ve been looking at photographs and marking down the detail differences on the RS-2 page.
 
Before tonight I had only seen one photo of a Reading AS-16 without louvers on the Engineer’s side below the air intakes on the long hood. Tonight I found three more photos which clearly showed the panel on #538, 539 and 533 without louvers.
 
What is really making my head spin is that a photo of #539  dated 2/15/52 shows enginge number 539 without louvers and then less then four years lateer in 8/56 the same locomotive has the louvers.
 
Time to find more images of the locomotives in 1952!
 
 

Vulcan Trucks – Two Different Versions

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Yoder P48 Vulcan truck on left, San Juan P48 Vulcan truck with Protocraft 33″ wheelset on right.

While at the Strasburg show I picked up a pair of the new Yoder Vulcan p48 trucks.  The Yoder website shows the trucks are out of stock in P48, but he had some on the table at the show. The trucks come fully assembled and include a screw so that they could be mounted onto one of Rich’s models.

I had held back before on buying these because I have several pair of San Juan’s Vulcan truck on the shelf and really did not know much about the design. When I got home and set the truck next to a San Juan truck, I was pleased to see that they were different. This started a little digging to find out some more information about the trucks.

I looked at the article “Arch Bars to Roller Bearing, Freight car trucks 1900-1960″ by Richard Hendrickson in Volume 4 of the Railway Prototype Cyclopedia. Where I found out the Vulcan truck was manufactured by American Steel Foundries in the early 1920′s. They were similiar to Andrews trucks of the time, with a cast steel side frame with seperate journal boxes.  Where they differed is that the Vulcan design eliminated the need for a bottom retainer bars by bolting the journal box into pedestal jaws.

The article show photos of two different Vulcan designs one an earlier L-section and one a later U-section side frame castings.

In Robert Karig’s book, Coal Cars the first three hundred years, he speaks of the Vulcan design in chapter six on Freight car trucks. “George G. Floyd was awarded a patent for a side frame with pedestal mounted journal boxes on May 3, 1910. It served as the foundation patent for the American Steel Foundries’ Vulcan side frame. Initially built in a T-Section form, the Vulcan frame was ultimately converted to a channel-section design.”

I was also surprised to see that Rich’s trucks were completly within NMRA spec for P48. Not all of the trucks I have measured before from Rich for Standard O scale were, so this was great news. The San Juan truck does have nice casting letting on the truck sideframes that the Yoder’s are lacking.

Vulcan Truck from 1922 Car Builders Cyclopedia

Vulcan truck with NYC markings on display at the Danbury Railroad Museum, Danbury, CT.

2011 Strasburg O Scale Show – August

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Rich Yoder and John Dunn put on another O Scale Show in Strasburg on August 6, 2011. The show was very well attended and there were a number of new things to see at the show. One of the bigger items that was on a couple of tables was Weaver’s new Lackawanna Pocono 4-8-4, one of them is in the lead photo on theis post.

Rich Yoder also had his new Mathieson Dry Ice car.  I didn’t photograph the car because I was to busy going through his stock of trucks. One his table he had O scale and P48 versions of two new trucks, the PRR 2F-F2 and the PRR 2D-F12. I’ve added the measurements for the new trucks into the P48 Wheel Standards page.

I was also able to pick up an older Precision Scale Co. C&O 50 ton twin class H5 with flat ends. We had been talking about this car on the Proto48 modelers board. Turns out this car is correct for one order of theErieoffset twins and is different than the Yoder cars that are correct for theErie. I’ll post more on that later this week.

I had the chance to meet and talk for a while to Jack Hill at the show. It was very nice to put a face with the models that I’ve seen in his blog.

After a nice morning of buying and selling, I had the pleasure of going to lunch at Jenny’s Diner on US 30 with other p48′ers, such as Martin Latowsky. That is starting to turn into a regular P48 Lunch outing.