My Work Bench and storage room, what I am up to

toptrain1

Well-Known Member
Here are some of the locos

First is a EMD GP-7, Then a EMD GP-9 Phase 1, Then a GP-9 Phase 2, Then a GP-9 Phase 3. ALL are Pennsylvania Railroad locomotives. The GP-7 and The GP-9 phase 2 I had already.The other two came from saturdays trainshow.
 

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Hoorhaylowe

New Member
Very good photos of the geeps...makes a great tool for identification and modeling. I hope you can keep showing pictures of your inventory I'm learning a bunch!
 

ed acosta

Member
Nice set of Geeps!

I've enjoyed your thread since it began. Your worktable looks very much like mine, and judging by the number of boxes, I would say your collection exceeds mine by a little. Like you, I enjoy tinkering and my favorite place to pick up 'tinker toys' are the model trains show & swap meets. For a rather small amount of money I can find enough kits and incomplete cars & locos to keep me at my worktable for months!

I don't frequent the model train stores much anymore. There are fewer kits being offered (I'll miss the Bowser kits) and almost everything sold - from locos to cars to buildings - are ready made! Sure, the models are nicely built for you, but it was building models that got me into this hobby in the first place. I can't understand why these RTR cars and locos are so expensive when labor is so cheap overseas. As we see, the migration of jobs overseas has left a lot of unemployment in this country, but why should us 'kit builders' be left out of work?

-Ed
 

toptrain1

Well-Known Member
Your right ED.

Kits seam to be dissapearing. Not as many made. The Athearn-Model Die Casting Company still make kits, So do Accurail, and their are others but the volume is gone and hobby shops don't seam to stock them anymore. Only one hobby shop, The model railroad shop in Dunnellen stocks a lot of kits and it is a hour away so I don't get their much. What is the use of a Hobby shop if they don't stock for your hobby. Why support them. The hobby shop in my town has usually 10 to 20 boxed HO cars on it's shelfs. Almost all read to run. Even tho it's in town I woun't stop unless their is a parking space close by. I feal it's not worth a longer walk to the store.
frank
 

Bill Nelson

Well-Known Member
Interesting!

This has been interesting, especially the Americans and the Bowker.

Those critters were the foundation of my modeling efforts until my Railroad crept into the woods, and became a logging railroad. I still have two heavily modified Generals in service in my Valley division, one with a tender and a motor from a Reno behind it, which performs very well, and another that has a Modernizing conversion boiler on it, and a MDC tender, with a motor from a Cannon copier in it. On my work bench I have a fresh from the Box AHM Reno, that I couldn't resist, and a Heavily used Bowker that needs repair a refit. but the two Americans I have ready to go @ the engine facilities in Harlow and Crooked Creek Tn. don't see much service as most of the Valley division work goes to the more powerfull 2-4-4-2s. The Americans can't handle the grades on the Mountain Division, which is geared locomotive only territory.


Bill Nelson

Logging in eastern Tn on the DG CC &W RR over in the logging and minning subdivision.
 

toptrain1

Well-Known Member
Re intersting !

****Reading Bill short thread he has just inserted makes ones mind wander. Visions of small 4-4-0s, 2-6-0s,and 2-8-0s working in the hill country fill my mind. Seans of geared loggers yanking their loads through tree filled slopes down to unloading depos also appear prominently in clear visions. I llike this hobby!
*** Bill nice post.
frank
 

Bill Nelson

Well-Known Member
****Reading Bill short thread he has just inserted makes ones mind wander. Visions of small 4-4-0s, 2-6-0s,and 2-8-0s working in the hill country fill my mind. Seans of geared loggers yanking their loads through tree filled slopes down to unloading depos also appear prominently in clear visions. I llike this hobby!
*** Bill nice post.
frank


Frank,

That was my original inspiration, but my grades got too steep of the little teakettles. I put photos of two Generals (modified and very heavily modified), and a Bowker and a Genoa. All of these teaketles need to go into the shops to clean them up and get them ready for passenger service, and light freight. I posted the photos over in Logging and Minning section on page 8 of my main thread. I've got to clean these up, perhaps work my track controls so that I can double head them more easily (my grades are so steep I need to hve locomotive full of lead-DCC not an option on this RR)


Eastern Tn logging on the DG CC & W RR 1928



Bill Nelson
 

toptrain1

Well-Known Member
great work Bill.

Bill : I went thro the 12 pages of logging that makes your thread. It is good. I had a old layout constructed like yours. But definitly not as involved. Their seams to be alot there. I didn't use logging as a theam but just a old backwoods railroad. My road nane is the ANNA RR. My mining is the ROXY RR. I didn't have a logger, but I do have some Mantua 2-6-6-2s, and a few MDC shays and climaxes. I did run, many times trains made uo of double headed 2-6-6-2s pulling a dozen or so old hotco heavy duty multi-truck 50' flats with their log loads around the old layout.
I posted in your thread to lock it into my posts to keep viewing it.
Keep up the good work! frank
 

toptrain1

Well-Known Member
Latest workbench 4-12-09

I pulled out my Freedom Train cars to put them together. I was waiting to get the Baggage but never found it. It will have to be a four car train for now. frank
 

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Bill Nelson

Well-Known Member
Back woods railroad!

Bill : I went thro the 12 pages of logging that makes your thread. It is good. I had a old layout constructed like yours. But definitly not as involved. Their seams to be alot there. I didn't use logging as a theam but just a old backwoods railroad. My road nane is the ANNA RR. My mining is the ROXY RR. I didn't have a logger, but I do have some Mantua 2-6-6-2s, and a few MDC shays and climaxes. I did run, many times trains made uo of double headed 2-6-6-2s pulling a dozen or so old hotco heavy duty multi-truck 50' flats with their log loads around the old layout.
I posted in your thread to lock it into my posts to keep viewing it.
Keep up the good work! frank


Thanks Frank,

My RR started as a small short line. My Dad was a professional Forester, as well as being a life long train nut, and the information he collected on logging railroads eventually colored the character of my railroad indelibly. That said Some elements of the original remain. I have interchange with two standard gauge and one narrow gauge railroads, so through freight is possible.

As I try to set up operations, I envision 65% logging related (logs, lumber supllies and personel to the camps and mill, as well as the tannenbark to the planned tannery) 12 % iron related (ore and lime stone to the furnace, coal to the coke ovens, and pigs to the interchanges) I'm figuring 10% local frieght not directly associated with the above industries, 7% total passenger (local and through- who wants to go to Gegoukayoosa Tn?). and about 6% through frieght- would be higher, but through frieght must go through the mountain division, which operationaly is a bottle neck from hell.


What are you planning to do with your stuff? and plan carefully, as your best work will certainly take place at the most ill convieved parts of your plan! If you are like me you will end up with a horrible mess, that looks too good to tear out and start over!


I got one of the Mantua 2-6-6-2's to go to the Club. We are in the midst of a massive construction there, so It hasn't been run much yet. one thing I found on mine, is it ran poorly from bad contact. The Chinese had hooked the black wire to the locomotive frame with a screw under the cab. That screw was screwed into a painted frame! I cleaned off the paint in that location, but I suspect more electrical pickup work will be necessary.

Once again let us lament the passing of kits. building a kit may take time, but as it is going together it is easy to make modifications. I hate taking abort a RTR locomotive to change stuff around, and that is funny, as I have had no reluctance to tear into brass to make cosmetic or mechanical changes. Getting the average Brass locomotive is easy compared to disassembling a Mantua 2-6-6-2 though!


Bill Nelson


PS, I like those little MDC overtons. those provide the backbone of my passenger fleet. They cut up very well to make an inexpensive HOn3 coach as well.

Bill Nelson
 

ZeldaTheSwordsman

Thomas Modeler
They're cheap? Boy, I wish the Thomas and Friends composite coaches were cheap, as they form the backbone of my own passenger fleet. I currently have three. And one was a gift. BOT, toptrain1, the freedom train looks pretty cool. If I find a website or a store in your area selling the baggage car I'll try and pass the word on.
 

toptrain1

Well-Known Member
future plans

My plans are not set in stone but are more like dreams. Hopefull thoughts that may become reality. At preasent their are two locations for these thoughts. One here in Bayonne, NJ and the other in Pennsylvania. My son Steve who was on this site as e-paw, now prowls another, is launched on a large basement layout. He lives in Monroe county PA, and it would suit me just fine to sell my Bayonne home and move out by him. My wife has other ideas.
My basement layouts location became hazardous to my health and I broke it down. Moving to a 16'X2' 5 track switching layout in my attic, that is very insoficant. Back and forth does't replace four long circular main lines on two different levels that ran very well. my old layout was far from boreing. But it had to go! It is missed!
Here in the Bayonne house I know that my attic wount do. It needs to be inlarged or it's location replaced. I tried the club route and playing nice with other club members whos mind is set on changing and controlling everything, excludeing people like myself with straight DC equipment wasn't possiable. I can't belong to a club that doesn't allow me to run my trains the way I want to. DCC and sound isn't important to me. Running my old trains, is!
I don't know what the future holds, but i will live every day of it.
frank
 

toptrain1

Well-Known Member
MDC Freedom Train 1987

Here are the built up cars of the set that I have. The full baggage is missing. I don't have it at this time.
frank
 

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toptrain1

Well-Known Member
Trains from the Allentown train show 5-16-09

I purchased two Mantua-Tyco locomotives st this show. The first a Tyco Western & Alantic 4-6-0. I had one allready but my W&A passenger fleet needed another locomotive. You can see the Berkshire behind the ten wheeler. So for $15. another was added. The second is a Mantua Berkshire 2-8-4 for the Southern Railroad. This is one that has all the extra detail applied by Mantua. This one was $25.
 

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toptrain1

Well-Known Member
latest project completed.

The Athearn USRA Mikado.
First is photo of loco front as I got it.
Next is the tender rear as I got it.
 

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toptrain1

Well-Known Member
PRR L2s completed

PRR L2s completed :
 

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toptrain1

Well-Known Member
The current mess on the work bench.

Their are at least five things going on right now. it's a real mess.

1 the varney streamliner.
2 the Kirbi round house.
3 coupler replacement on a Aristo craft 0-8-0.
4 cleaning up 2 old metal varney tank cars.
5 boiler replacement for a mantua 2-6-6-2.
 

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Bill Nelson

Well-Known Member
Mess?

Their are at least five things going on right now. it's a real mess. . . . . . . . ..


actually it is very neat. I couldn't tell you how many projects there are on my bench, although I cleaned it off completely when I got done with my Surry-Parker ( in the logging mining and industrial section in the show us your unique logging equipment thread.)


I know there is a framed wall for an engine house, debris left over from a scratchbuilt bridge deck, deleterious from multiple small building kitbashes and paint job upgrades, as well as some O scale people waiting to get painted . I have worked on several locomotives, and while they aren't there some pieces and tools are there. I also have some flex track that I am mining for code 100 rail for some switches I am building for the club.


I'm attaching a photo so you can see what a mess looks like. (by the way , your trains look good). I shouldn't have done that, someone will post a picture that makes my work bench look neat

Bill Nelson
 

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Sawdust

Member
Nice Job

Hey Frank those Loco's look nice. I just bought some old Rivarossi's made in Italy on ebay from an estate sale & when I got them I found out they are brand new, looks like they've never been used. I will post them later on in the week. I hope your new endeavor with the move will be Blessed.

Hey Bill if your work bench had a couple of coffee cups one old & one fresh, it would look like mine. That's called " work in progress".
 
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