7mm US model dabblings
- Thread starter Jordan or Plymouth Mad
- Start date
allegheny1600
Western Thunderer
Terrific photos Mick!
I do love those big solid blue CSX engines (YN3?) I guess they kinda remind me of BR Blue!!
Cheers,
John.
I do love those big solid blue CSX engines (YN3?) I guess they kinda remind me of BR Blue!!
Cheers,
John.
TheSnapper
Western Thunderer
American locomotives are not really my thing but keep it coming @mickoo
Your commentary and truly excellent pictures has me enthralled.
+1
Tim
mickoo
Western Thunderer
John, yes I believe it is YN3 though it has been superseded by the 'boxcar' style which is basically the same colours but different logos on the side.
I personally prefer the hockey stick YN2, especially the monster AC60CWs where CSX filled the letters in with yellow. I only ever saw one back in 2013, I didn't know about 'Rachels' until I drove past and nearly crashed. CSX stabled the engines for the afternoon R170/Q170 doublestack train there, it's out of the way so park in Rachels car park and wander around taking close ups, unfortunately the wife wasn't so impressed when she found out 'Rachels' was an all day lap dancing bar and club!
R170 is the designation if the train runs south, Q170 if it runs north.
The intermodal hub at Taft was part of a balloon track, the southern leg always went south, the northern leg had a wye so trains could turn south or more normally go north,
Therefore, engines sat at Rachels could go in either direction and it changed day by day, as did the time, sometimes it was around 12:00 but the latest I watched was 15:30. These light engines are going to turn left and south as they cross over the crossing outside Rachels; the road crossing being the main north south route through Taft.
The intermodal yard was small and only held 60 cars on three lines but R170/Q170 was normally loaded to 120 cars, which means that the front half has to be drawn out of the yard and then backed up to the second half, air pumped up (easily 20 mins or so) and then the whole train drawn out onto the siding if heading south. If going north then Q170 just goes. The problem is that the southern exit is covered by at least six crossings and R170 blocks them all.
If your rail fanning you have to first find out if the train is going north (Q170) or south (R170) and if south, make sure you are clear of the main exit crossing before the first half draws out.
If not you'll never get south in time to take any more photos, your just grid locked until the train leaves, there is one way around the back through back streets and industries, but it takes a good 30 mins and chances are R170 is long gone by the time you get round.
If the train uses the northern exit you can only really get good photos from Rachels car park, if the train turns south then your in luck as you can swing south and catch it further down the line, if north your just stuck there and even once the crossing clears it'll take you a further 20 minutes to fight through the traffic that's all backed up.
CSX 907 rolls Q170 past Rachels and then swings north.
The only other option for north bound trains is to make sure you're the other side of the line but then you're shooting into the sun at Rachels and there's a whole load of visual obstructions, but you can get some half decent shots as it comes round on the balloon track out back.
Then you have to hope it does turn north, if it does your traffic free pretty much all the way up to down town Orlando, if it turns south your stuck by the crossing at Rachels, this one turned north so I managed a few more shots up the line.
The train is just clearing Taft yard limits but the tail end is still coming over the crossing at Rachels.
Q170 rolls along through Edgewood, speed on this section is slow due to all the crossings, typically no more than 30mph but once it hits down town Orlando its about 15-20mph.
Running south R170 keeps to the siding and then swings onto the main about two miles south of Taft and can then get up to track speed. About two miles after that is a nice road crossing showing the gentle grade up to Meadow Woods, by that time the big '6' was well on the move.
With 6000Hp on tap she is already up to a good 40mph in run 8 as it stomps across the crossing traction motors whining in defiance.
As it heads toward the summit
By the time the tail end passes me it's up to 60, not bad for 120 cars loaded to over 10,000 tons and near 6500' long.
I had a nice long chat with an Ex CSX inspector, then working for the new SunRail commuter line construction, he said big '6's didn't actually move, they stood still and dragged the world beneath them.
Shortly after I left news broke that CSX would close Taft intermodal (though the autorack yard would remain and expand into the old container yard), much to the delight of local residents for whom Taft means 'Train After Frickin Train'. A new intermodal yard opened further south near Winter Park and now the mad dash or engines tied down at Rachels is a thing of the past, I'm glad I got to experience it.
Q170 normally heads north through down town Orlando and doesn't clear city limits until well past Sanford, best part of 35 miles at 20 mph, there are further restrictions on the way north and then another grind through lower Jacksonville.
R170 (re-routed Q170) heads south down the old A Line to Lakeland (more on there in a later update) where it will swing north and head up to Vitis to join the S line. From there it's up to Wildwood, Ocala and finally Jacksonville, quite a round about route and about 95 miles longer, but because most is at 60 mph it was often faster then going as Q170.
In 2013 the new SunRail project was being built, a new commuter line from Taft to Longwood north of Sanford. This required frequent engineering possessions and they had to a tight time table to fit in between trains. Most freights were delayed or re-routed but the Amtraks had to pass through what ever. By 2015 it was all up and running and very impressive I must say and I now see it's being extended further south to Poinciana and north to Deland.
MD
I personally prefer the hockey stick YN2, especially the monster AC60CWs where CSX filled the letters in with yellow. I only ever saw one back in 2013, I didn't know about 'Rachels' until I drove past and nearly crashed. CSX stabled the engines for the afternoon R170/Q170 doublestack train there, it's out of the way so park in Rachels car park and wander around taking close ups, unfortunately the wife wasn't so impressed when she found out 'Rachels' was an all day lap dancing bar and club!
R170 is the designation if the train runs south, Q170 if it runs north.
The intermodal hub at Taft was part of a balloon track, the southern leg always went south, the northern leg had a wye so trains could turn south or more normally go north,
Therefore, engines sat at Rachels could go in either direction and it changed day by day, as did the time, sometimes it was around 12:00 but the latest I watched was 15:30. These light engines are going to turn left and south as they cross over the crossing outside Rachels; the road crossing being the main north south route through Taft.The intermodal yard was small and only held 60 cars on three lines but R170/Q170 was normally loaded to 120 cars, which means that the front half has to be drawn out of the yard and then backed up to the second half, air pumped up (easily 20 mins or so) and then the whole train drawn out onto the siding if heading south. If going north then Q170 just goes. The problem is that the southern exit is covered by at least six crossings and R170 blocks them all.
If your rail fanning you have to first find out if the train is going north (Q170) or south (R170) and if south, make sure you are clear of the main exit crossing before the first half draws out.
If not you'll never get south in time to take any more photos, your just grid locked until the train leaves, there is one way around the back through back streets and industries, but it takes a good 30 mins and chances are R170 is long gone by the time you get round.
If the train uses the northern exit you can only really get good photos from Rachels car park, if the train turns south then your in luck as you can swing south and catch it further down the line, if north your just stuck there and even once the crossing clears it'll take you a further 20 minutes to fight through the traffic that's all backed up.
CSX 907 rolls Q170 past Rachels and then swings north.
The only other option for north bound trains is to make sure you're the other side of the line but then you're shooting into the sun at Rachels and there's a whole load of visual obstructions, but you can get some half decent shots as it comes round on the balloon track out back.
Then you have to hope it does turn north, if it does your traffic free pretty much all the way up to down town Orlando, if it turns south your stuck by the crossing at Rachels, this one turned north so I managed a few more shots up the line.
The train is just clearing Taft yard limits but the tail end is still coming over the crossing at Rachels.
Q170 rolls along through Edgewood, speed on this section is slow due to all the crossings, typically no more than 30mph but once it hits down town Orlando its about 15-20mph.
Running south R170 keeps to the siding and then swings onto the main about two miles south of Taft and can then get up to track speed. About two miles after that is a nice road crossing showing the gentle grade up to Meadow Woods, by that time the big '6' was well on the move.
With 6000Hp on tap she is already up to a good 40mph in run 8 as it stomps across the crossing traction motors whining in defiance.
As it heads toward the summit
By the time the tail end passes me it's up to 60, not bad for 120 cars loaded to over 10,000 tons and near 6500' long.
I had a nice long chat with an Ex CSX inspector, then working for the new SunRail commuter line construction, he said big '6's didn't actually move, they stood still and dragged the world beneath them.
Shortly after I left news broke that CSX would close Taft intermodal (though the autorack yard would remain and expand into the old container yard), much to the delight of local residents for whom Taft means 'Train After Frickin Train'. A new intermodal yard opened further south near Winter Park and now the mad dash or engines tied down at Rachels is a thing of the past, I'm glad I got to experience it.
Q170 normally heads north through down town Orlando and doesn't clear city limits until well past Sanford, best part of 35 miles at 20 mph, there are further restrictions on the way north and then another grind through lower Jacksonville.
R170 (re-routed Q170) heads south down the old A Line to Lakeland (more on there in a later update) where it will swing north and head up to Vitis to join the S line. From there it's up to Wildwood, Ocala and finally Jacksonville, quite a round about route and about 95 miles longer, but because most is at 60 mph it was often faster then going as Q170.
In 2013 the new SunRail project was being built, a new commuter line from Taft to Longwood north of Sanford. This required frequent engineering possessions and they had to a tight time table to fit in between trains. Most freights were delayed or re-routed but the Amtraks had to pass through what ever. By 2015 it was all up and running and very impressive I must say and I now see it's being extended further south to Poinciana and north to Deland.
MD
BrushType4
Western Thunderer
mickoo
Western Thunderer
Even better when it gets to the first bridge
UK clearance is just over 13' top of double stack is over 20', clearance for a GEVO is just about 16' so sadly not a chance in the UK.
BrushType4
Western Thunderer
I know. I remember going to the intermodal show a few years ago and an american company had a stand dedicated to double height container movements in the UK. Not seen them since.....Even better when it gets to the first bridge
UK clearance is just over 13' top of double stack is over 20', clearance for a GEVO is just about 16' so sadly not a chance in the UK.
Jordan or Plymouth Mad
Mid-Western Thunderer
The famous 'self-guarding frog' - note lack of check rails either side!These pictures of the turnout would have been a great help to me last year.You don't see many really good pictures of US track.
Jim.
I've cobbled up a couple of vague representations of these frogs myself, although proper cast versions are available for P48
Thanks for all the pics, Mickoo. Ever thought of setting up doing Guided Tours of Florida railroading hot spots??!!
Yorkshire Dave
Western Thunderer
The famous 'self-guarding frog' - note lack of check rails either side!
This is what I was looking at...... and have some on order.
mickoo
Western Thunderer
We need a supplier in the UK, none of those extortionate postage fees or customs fees.
I'll either go Jordans way and solder something up in NS that looks the part or explore ways to get some cast either here in the UK or at very least by Shapeways, if they even do Nickel Silver castings.
MD
mickoo
Western Thunderer
AbsolutelyThe famous 'self-guarding frog' - note lack of check rails either side!
I've cobbled up a couple of vague representations of these frogs myself, although proper cast versions are available for P48
Thanks for all the pics, Mickoo. Ever thought of setting up doing Guided Tours of Florida railroading hot spots??!!
There's more detail photos to come as I work through them but I think this was the most concentrated in one area.
MD
Yorkshire Dave
Western Thunderer
JasonD
Western Thunderer
Talking of turnouts.... Jordan's frogs got me wondering, so I switched off the tele for some serious searching:
Frogs, Switches & Turnouts | Harmer Steel Products Company
Yup, the more I know, the more I don't know. Then I wondered if Right-O-Way (new owner Jay Criswell, mails to the UK) did any and he does some rail-bound ones:
Right-O-Way Online Catalog - Frogs
Aaah - O-scale
Frogs, Switches & Turnouts | Harmer Steel Products Company
Yup, the more I know, the more I don't know. Then I wondered if Right-O-Way (new owner Jay Criswell, mails to the UK) did any and he does some rail-bound ones:
Right-O-Way Online Catalog - Frogs
Aaah - O-scale
mickoo
Western Thunderer
Here's something I spotted whilst researching railroads in Florida.
Seaboard Coast Line westbound manifest freight train is seen heading toward the old out of service Church Street Station along the mainline in Orlando, Florida, mid 1970's
Take a look at the switch crossing at bottom left, it has check rails but more importantly it looks like the wing rails are joined together and sprung loaded, kind of like a swinging nose but in reverse, I think it's called a moveable wing frog or spring wing crossing.
Track Safety Standards Subpart D fig.33 near the bottom.
Spring Wing Crossing - voestalpine VAE Railway Systems
MD
Seaboard Coast Line westbound manifest freight train is seen heading toward the old out of service Church Street Station along the mainline in Orlando, Florida, mid 1970's
Take a look at the switch crossing at bottom left, it has check rails but more importantly it looks like the wing rails are joined together and sprung loaded, kind of like a swinging nose but in reverse, I think it's called a moveable wing frog or spring wing crossing.
Track Safety Standards Subpart D fig.33 near the bottom.
Spring Wing Crossing - voestalpine VAE Railway Systems
MD
JasonD
Western Thunderer
Church St... went there in 1976. Church St had started to be a tourist point - some passenger cars on a spur, a Hooters in that tower building - why do I remember that...? Looks like it's come on a bit (Google maps) so I mooched north on the satellite picture and there's a spur off to the left that winds up to a yard and today with the pedestrian view there's a CF7 switching tank cars, red livery with 2 black horizontal stripes - that's, er, oh no it's dogs' tea time.
mickoo
Western Thunderer
Finally bagged one of my favourite engines, I've been after one of these for literally years, two rail to boot but not DCC from the initial investigations peering underneath.
Whats in store for it, very little I think, except crawling over with a vernier to make up some art work for more etched Dash8 variants, both B and C truck.
I'll follow Daves P48 wheels route though and look at reducing the clumsy look on the bogie sideframes. If the cab comes off, which being Atlas it probably does, I'll consider replacing it with my etched version, primarily to get ride of the Benny Hill Jam Jar glasses glazing. Before any of that though I'll get back to the MP15 and finish that off.
I've recently gathered a massive pile of GEVO images and started fleshing out the art work for one of them, may of mentioned that recently...can't recall everything's a blur recently. I've also grabbed a load of 'inspirational' shunting type layout photos off the web as well, so perhaps it'll shortly be time to turn some decent wood into sawdust, hopefully that which isn't mullered will be flat and straight enough to lay track on.
MD
Whats in store for it, very little I think, except crawling over with a vernier to make up some art work for more etched Dash8 variants, both B and C truck.
I'll follow Daves P48 wheels route though and look at reducing the clumsy look on the bogie sideframes. If the cab comes off, which being Atlas it probably does, I'll consider replacing it with my etched version, primarily to get ride of the Benny Hill Jam Jar glasses glazing. Before any of that though I'll get back to the MP15 and finish that off.
I've recently gathered a massive pile of GEVO images and started fleshing out the art work for one of them, may of mentioned that recently...can't recall everything's a blur recently. I've also grabbed a load of 'inspirational' shunting type layout photos off the web as well, so perhaps it'll shortly be time to turn some decent wood into sawdust, hopefully that which isn't mullered will be flat and straight enough to lay track on.
MD
Steph Dale
Western Thunderer
Mick,
Over the weekend Dave and I discovered that NWSL are still doing their P48 wheels for Atlas drives. Unfortunately we also found out that Atlas drives are rarely square so I'm now working up a sprung bogie to take P48 wheels, our SDMP drive and the cosmetic outside frames...
Steph
Over the weekend Dave and I discovered that NWSL are still doing their P48 wheels for Atlas drives. Unfortunately we also found out that Atlas drives are rarely square so I'm now working up a sprung bogie to take P48 wheels, our SDMP drive and the cosmetic outside frames...
Steph
mickoo
Western Thunderer
Doesn't matter, given the weight of this thing any irregularity in the drive train will just force the track to comply
No diet coke and wheat bread here Three of four of these on your layout and you'll seriously need to consider adding extra support underneath...couple of redwood tree trunks might suffice
Good news on the power train, a whole new chassis will be required for the Dash8 and GEVO models eventually so may as well design it around those.
MD
Steph Dale
Western Thunderer
The trucks rock on plate glass. Standard approach to check for me. There is perhaps some adjustment in the fit of the bearing sleeves, which we haven't tried (yet?).
With the fine P48 flanges I'd be wary of a straight conversion to the finer standard unless I knew the truck was going to be square when assembled.
Steph