Trucklover's Shelf Layout Thread

TruckLover

Mack CH613 & 53' Trailer
Even ex-ATSF GP60s and GP60Ms are used on locals.

Ex-BN GPs include GP38-2s, GP39-2s, and GP39E/M/Vs (rebuilds from GP30s and GP35s). They're also rebuilding GP50s (the ones they haven't sold off) into "GP25"s.

Thanks Triplex, I also have a BN GP38-2 and a GP50 lol, and a BN SD40-2
 

TruckLover

Mack CH613 & 53' Trailer
More Supplies

Just placed an order with Model Train Stuff (MB Klein) and here's what i got


  1. KATO HO 309014 Maxi IV Well Car TTX #732750 (1)
  2. KATO HO 309014 Maxi IV Well Car TTX #732753 (1)
  3. KATO HO 309014 Maxi IV Well Car TTX #732000 (1)
  4. Woodland Scenics C1203 Plaster Cloth (2)
  5. Woodland Scenics C1202 Mold-A-Scene Plaster (2)
  6. Woodland Scenics ST1455 Paving Tape, 1/4" x 30' (2)
  7. Woodland Scenics ST1454 Concrete Top Coat, 4oz (1)
  8. Woodland Scenics ST1453 Asphalt Top Coat, 4oz (1)
  9. Woodland Scenics ST1452 Foam Smooth-It, 1qt (2)
Well Cars were a SUPER Deal at $54.99 each and i simply COULD NOT pass up that deal on them!!!! When the BNSF ones come out, im going to get all 3 sets of them as well :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:


Anyways, i hope to have this order by the end of the week, cuz im stuck right now on my layout until i can start the roads lol
 

Russ Bellinis

Active Member
lol, they must feel like half the train they used to be...:p

I think we sometimes forget that the Gp 50's and 60's came out originally with turbo charged 3000 horsepower prime movers designed to move mainline freight at mainline speeds. When these older units get downgraded to local switching duties, the extra horsepower is not needed and the savings realized by getting rid of the turbos is significant. Non-mechanics may not realize a turbo charger is cooled by oil. Years ago I worked for a trucking company that bought some new Freightliner tractors with turbo charged 350 Cummins engines. One tractor had a leaking seal in the turbo charger that allowed it to suck the oil used for cooling into the engine and burning the oil. The way we found out about it was that 10 gallons of oil was sucked into the engine and burned in less than 50 miles, at which time the engine was out of oil, lost oil pressure, and the driver shut it down, and called for a tow. A diesel engine was good for 500,000 between overhauls, but turbo chargers were a regular maintenance headache.
 

Triplex

Active Member
Actually, 3500 hp for a GP50 and 3800 hp for a GP60. The 50s are being reduced to 2500 hp, like a GP35 (but still 645-engined).
 

jbaakko

Active Member
Josh, you don't really need rail cars with cement company logos. Most cement is hauled in short covered hoppers owned and operated by the railroad with a railroad logo. The Cemex plant in Victorville ships product out by the U.P., but they occasionally receive switching help from the BNSF. When I took the tour during the NMRA National Convention, all of the cement hoppers in the Cemex yard belonged to the railroads.
Depending on the era, yes. Josh, if you're modeling the last few years, they're not longer railroad owned. Athearn, Detail Associates & Ramax make/made the right type of car, along with the Walthers cement hopper (different style). Two bay 100 cars, with center discharge.
http://rostershots.modelrailroadtips.com/thumbnails.php?album=search&search=cement

That link contains my "profile" of cars I saw while I was there, tried to get one of each style/reporting marks.

[...]When the BNSF ones come out, im going to get all 3 sets of them as well[...]
They're out already, check MB Klein again. :p I might have to order me one car this payday.
 

TruckLover

Mack CH613 & 53' Trailer
Depending on the era, yes. Josh, if you're modeling the last few years, they're not longer railroad owned. Athearn, Detail Associates & Ramax make/made the right type of car, along with the Walthers cement hopper (different style). Two bay 100 cars, with center discharge.
http://rostershots.modelrailroadtips.com/thumbnails.php?album=search&search=cement

That link contains my "profile" of cars I saw while I was there, tried to get one of each style/reporting marks.


They're out already, check MB Klein again. :p I might have to order me one car this payday.

Thanks for the link Josh!!!

HOLY COW, MB Klein does have them, just came in today cuz they wernt up when i bought my TTX ones this morning!!! Wow looks like ill be placing another order very soon for all 3 sets of the BNSF ones as well hehehehe, STILL a GREAT price on them!!!! :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
 

green_elite_cab

Keep It Moving!
I think we sometimes forget that the Gp 50's and 60's came out originally with turbo charged 3000 horsepower prime movers designed to move mainline freight at mainline speeds. When these older units get downgraded to local switching duties, the extra horsepower is not needed and the savings realized by getting rid of the turbos is significant. Non-mechanics may not realize a turbo charger is cooled by oil. Years ago I worked for a trucking company that bought some new Freightliner tractors with turbo charged 350 Cummins engines. One tractor had a leaking seal in the turbo charger that allowed it to suck the oil used for cooling into the engine and burning the oil. The way we found out about it was that 10 gallons of oil was sucked into the engine and burned in less than 50 miles, at which time the engine was out of oil, lost oil pressure, and the driver shut it down, and called for a tow. A diesel engine was good for 500,000 between overhauls, but turbo chargers were a regular maintenance headache.


Oh i know what a pain they are! i'm a mechanic, and i work on diesel engine components (although in this case they belong to tugboats and the like), and I'm always dissassembling parts loaded with oil in places where it shouldn't be. I'm not sure if i've worked on a turbocharger yet (we only get the components, or small engines), but so far anything that says turbo on it has definitely given us trouble.
 

green_elite_cab

Keep It Moving!
Thanks for the link Josh!!!

HOLY COW, MB Klein does have them, just came in today cuz they wernt up when i bought my TTX ones this morning!!! Wow looks like ill be placing another order very soon for all 3 sets of the BNSF ones as well hehehehe, STILL a GREAT price on them!!!! :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:


Are you rich or something? i wish i had that kind of money to just be buying $50 sets of stack cars.....

then again i need a better job! and when gas goes down, maybe i can afford to drive to the hobby shop, lol.

Thats cool though. I have to ask you, which stack cars are the best? i've been considering buying a couple sets (ideally i want a 20 car train to match a picture in a book I have). Any particular manufacturer more worth the money?
 

TruckLover

Mack CH613 & 53' Trailer
Are you rich or something? i wish i had that kind of money to just be buying $50 sets of stack cars....

then again i need a better job! and when gas goes down, maybe i can afford to drive to the hobby shop, lol.

sign1no im not rich lol In fact i dont even have a job right now :eek: :rolleyes: im waiting to hear from the post office and take the test you have to take and pass to get into the USPS. I want to be a mail processor and work in the ANEX right next to my house, nice job, nice pay, full time, and full benifits lol so we shal see soon if i can get in, my fingers are crossed :mrgreen: Im getting most of my money right now from just selling off stuff i dont need/want any longer :twisted: to make room for new stuff :mrgreen:

Thats cool though. I have to ask you, which stack cars are the best? i've been considering buying a couple sets (ideally i want a 20 car train to match a picture in a book I have). Any particular manufacturer more worth the money?

There all pretty good, I have alot of Walthers 3-unit double stacks right now. I like them, there cast metal so there fully weighted already. Athearns RTR Wells are also nice also from what i have heard, i dont have any as of right now but i want some lol. These will be my first sets of Katos as well, im extied to see how they are, they look REALLY detailed and cool. Atlas just came out with some 48' all purpose wells that are really nice too, just wish they would come with weights for what you pay for them.

So Walthers, Athearn, Kato, and Atlas are all my favs lol. Intermountain is also coming out with some wells soon i think :mrgreen:
 

jbaakko

Active Member
I'd stick to Walthers if you want well weighted cars, they seem to track the best. I'm still waiting on my Kato's, so I cannot comment on them. The Atlas cars are VERY light, but well done details, Athearn has the largest selection, and those Maxi-I's are SWEET! The Intermountain Maxi-IV's should blow the Kato's away when it comes to detail. Lastly there's the A-line cars. A-line cars are SWEET, but have chunky details and fugly walkways. I'd replace them with Plano walkways. Very impressive Twinstacks. Intermountain sells decorated sets, which are basicaly the A-line cars assembled, detailed & painted.
 

TruckLover

Mack CH613 & 53' Trailer
George Roberts Printing Building Detailed + Some Roads Done

Yesterday i worded on a small section that i could do without needing the WS Plaster Mold-A-Scene that i ordered and will come on Monday of next week :rolleyes:. I cant wait to get my Kato wells!!!!

Anyways, I added a bunch of pipes to the top of the Geo. Roberts Printing Building using parts from the Refinery Piping and Piping Kits (both for Refinery's, 2 separate kits from Walthers). I also added some tanks up top on the roof and a LARGE tank at the bottom of the building with a long single pipe running from the tank to the top of the building. I painted the rooftop tanks and pipes white, they certainly stand out lol and they definitely need to be weathered lol.

There will be either a concrte wall or chain link fence serarating the parking lot for the Geo. Roberts Building and the main road that will run all the way around my layout. Heres some pics i got a chance to snap off before my camera died lol

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SL371279.jpg
 

zachary

Member
wow man nice work on that building i have a quick quiestion wre do yoou duy stuff from on the internet thanks zachary
 

TruckLover

Mack CH613 & 53' Trailer
wow man nice work on that building i have a quick quiestion wre do yoou duy stuff from on the internet thanks zachary

Thanks Zachary, I get most of my stuff from Internet Stores like Toy Train Heaven, Walthers, MB Klein, Discount Model Trains, Wholesale Trains, and a few other random shops here and there. and E-bay, i get alot of stuff off e-bay. Id say E-bay is about half or even a little more then half of where i get my stuff, followed by the internet stores, and then hobby shops because there is not really any around me with a reasonable driving distance. I usually go to them (there are 2 of them, both about the same distance from me but in diffrent directions) when my grandma is shopping for me for my bithday or christmas :mrgreen: :mrgreen: or if where in the area ill stop in and get a few things i dont necisally need hehehehe :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
 

TruckLover

Mack CH613 & 53' Trailer
First Crossing Complete!!!

I decided i was too impatient to wait for my box from MB Klein with the WS Plaster in it to come on Monday to do the crossings lol. i went ahead and did it with the WS Smooth-It and id have to say it came out pretty good i think. It took me a few coats, but thats what WS Smooth-It requires, and i know thats what a lot of others who have used it didnt have lol.

WS Smooth-It usually takes a rough coat (first coat), medium/semi-smooth coat (second coat), smooth coat (third coat) and sometimes even a tocuh-up coat (fourth coat). Just for this section i did all 4 coats lol. It takes time and patients, and you have to let them dry completly so it is time consumming, especially if you do thick coats around tracks to build up the grades around the tracks, but it is worth it and you get great results

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SL371282.jpg
 

zachary

Member
Josh thanks for that info on the internet stores i only habe one local hobby shop near me and its a good 45 minute drive to and back from my house thanks again and your layout is looking great a lot better than mine zachary
 
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