Because of a wreck...

doctorwayne

Active Member
on parent road Elora Gorge & Eastern's main line, the tri-weekly mail and express has been forced to detour on the Grand Valley's parallel north/south line. Those E-units will have their work cut out for them on the GVC's twisting main, nowhere moreso than on the twin horseshoe curves on the 2.8% ruling grade that begins just north of South Cayuga. Even when, or if, they reach the summit at Park Head, their high-speed gearing won't be of much use, as passenger trains are limited to a maximum speed of 45 mph on the Grand Valley Sub. Here we see the train entering South Cayuga, in the land of minimal scenery.

EG&E E-9A 210 is an old Model Power unit, with a few cosmetic upgrades.
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E-7B 212 is a phase II model built from two Model Power A units. Most of the body panels have been replaced to facilitate the installation of see-through screening in the various filter locations, some of which replaced windows on the prototype. Structural framing is represented behind some of the upper body openings. The replacement panels allow for a very thin appearance to the sheet metal around the various openings.
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CNR 10459 is an Athearn 50' express reefer, detailed to more closely represent a CNR prototype.
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CNR 11078 is an Accurail steel boxcar, modified with Athearn high-speed express trucks. All cars shown have added underbody detail, including brakes, along with free-standing metal grabirons and, where applicable, fabricated metal steps. All paint is from Accupaint, and lettering by C-D-S.
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CNR RPO 7776 is a Rivarossi RPO, with a couple of extra windows in the baggage section, and scratchbuilt security grills over the RPO windows.
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EG&E express car 2050 is a shortened Rivarossi coach, with most of the windows plated over. The baggage doors are scratchbuilt.
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Grand Valley mail storage car 2066 started life as an MDC/Roundhouse Harriman RPO. Windows were plated over and larger scratchbuilt baggage doors were installed, along with new roof vents. The entire underframe is scratchbuilt. All passenger car diaphrams, by the way, are by American Limited.
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GVC RPO 2064 is another Rivarossi, pretty much stock except for the usual upgrades.
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NYC 4748 was built from an Athearn Pullman, using only the roof and ends. New scratchbuilt sides and doors, plus a completely reworked underbody. Trucks are from Rivarossi.
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EG&E 2054 is a baggage car built by splicing together the end sections with the larger doors from two Athearn baggage cars. The windows are from an Athearn coach and the floor is scratchbuilt. The origin of the sprung, cast metal trucks is unknown.
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CNR 8520 is an express car built from a shortened Athearn car. Only the roof and ends were used. The sides and doors were scratchbuilt with Grandt Line windows added. The underbody is also scratchbuilt, including the Pintsch Gas tanks. The four-wheel trucks are from Central Valley.
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GVC 2070 is another Athearn roof-and-ends car, with scratchbuilt sides. The underframe and the Baker heater on the roof are also scratch, and the trucks are the old Athearn metal ones: rolls like a greased brick.
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PRR/REA 2705 is a renumbered Walthers rtr (horrors!) express reefer. Redetailed following an article in RMC, and a completely revised UC brake system added.
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CNR 11085 is another express boxcar similar to the 11078 shown earlier. Same upgrades as before, including the UC brake system, but this time with the more modern paint scheme.
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GVC 2045 is an express reefer built by adding Athearn express trucks to an old Train Miniature 40' reefer. The usual metal grabs and steps upgrades.
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Bringing up the markers, EG&E combine Onteora is the rider car today. She was built from the Rivarossi combine, with the original windows cut out and replaced with ones from New England Rail Service. The windows in the baggage compartment are from an Athearn Pullman and the doors are scratchbuilt. The underbody was stripped down and completely rebuilt.
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I hope that you've enjoyed this little detour of head-end equipment on the Grand Valley.

Wayne
 

Woodie

Active Member
Right..... Now I've set the camera up properly this time. :thumb:

**looks thru viewfinder...., steadies tripod, adjusts zoom and focus**

Ah.... perfect. Just gotta wait now :D


**yawn** Phew it's hot today. Might just go over to that tree and sit in the shade while I wait for the next train to come along.

**sits down under tree and rests head against trunk**

:sleeping: :sleeping: :sleeping: :sleeping: :sleeping: :sleeping:

AAAARRRGHHHH!!! Missed it again!! :cry: :cry: :cry:

You guys get all the good shots. :cry: :cry:
 

Drew1125

Active Member
Great stuff, Wayne!
I love all the "head-end' equipment!
What a super job you've done on those E-units!
:thumb: :cool: :cool: :thumb:
 

CharlesH.

Member
Marvelous as usual doc! I especially like the job you did with those big old E-Units. Say, what era do you model?
 

Ralph

Remember...it's for fun!
Great set of pics and equipment. I'm admiring those E's like everyone else! See through screening makes them look so real! This Penn Central fan who appreciates his roots also enjoyed the Pennsey and NYC cars as well! :)
Ralph
 

doctorwayne

Active Member
Thanks to all for your compliments. I would have replied earlier, but it seems that I'm getting only intermittent notification of replies to this thread.
I am normally modelling the '30s, although I do have a fair amount of '50s era rolling stock and about a dozen diesels, most of them correct only for the mid-'50s and later. I probably should be modelling the '50s exclusively as far as being able to operate almost anything that I own, especially since steam in Canada lasted until the end of that decade. However, vehicles from that era are generally not of interest to me, and the 1950s, from my present viewpoint, represent the final throes of steam and also the emergence of a louder, ruder, and more self-centred society. My version of the thirties is not at all an accurate representation of those times: rather it is an idealized version of something that I didn't have to experience, and so find easier to edit for my own use.
When I want to run a fifties-era operating session, I simply add the diesels and the newer rolling stock to what's already on the layout, and change out most of the vehicles.
The E-units, at least the B, was a really tedious project. It got stalled when I discovered that the two E-7As that I was going to cut up had body shells of dissimilar thickness. By the time I got the two sections spliced together and had started removing body panels, I'd decided to get rid of them and the 11 car train that had already been finished. (Rivarossi smooth-sided passenger cars with custom interiors and a couple of Con-Cor baggage cars, all done in a matching paint scheme) I really had to apply myself to keep at the job and ensure that I didn't let my standards slip, all the while knowing that selling equipment custom-painted for one's own roadname is not always an easy sell. Still, over the years I've sold about a hundred or so freight cars lettered for my own road, so there was a chance. The local hobby shop really liked the look of the whole train and decided to market it as a package. In about two weeks, I had a buyer, although he had to get the cash together. I waited six months, with assurances that he still wanted to buy, but finally decided enough was enough, and brought it back home. This photo session was a rare foray out of the box.

Wayne
 
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