Rock Island Model Rosters

[Wolv33]

Morning,

Okay, after nearly all night with my stuff, here is my ROCK rolling stock listing. It will be longer, as I am taking off for a couple of shows in Sept, and October. I wanted to go to a show in Nov as well, but the 'little Woman' put her foot down, when she found out it was the same weekend as Thanksgiving weekend. Ooops!

Anyone have anything for me for the MOW vehicles? I know you guys dont do BN/BNSF but I am also looking for those, besides ROCK vehicles. I suppose I could just get some N-scale ROCK decals and paint up some Trident Chevy trucks and go from there. Walthers sells hyrail wheels for them. Any ideas or REAL pics? Thanks guys.

Okay Mike, here ya go....

4 50' ROCK blue gondola-Athearn
2 50' ROCK oxide red steel boxcar w/sliding door-Accurail
2 50' ROCK blue covered gondola-Athearn
2 ROCK silver stream-lined Budd sleepers-ebay
2 40' ROCK brown flatcar w/stakes-Athearn
2 ROCK gray PS2 2bay covered hopper-got them at a show
6 40' ROCK blue PS-1 steel boxcar-Accurail
8 50' ROCK blue ext post modern boxcar-Accurail
2 54' ROCK blue ribbed side covered hopper-ebay
4 47' ROCK blue ACF center-flow covered hopper-Accurail
4 50' ROCK blue welded boxcar w/double door-Accurail
2 ROCK brown open tri-level autorack-accurail
2 40' ROCK red boxcar-Athearn
2 86' ROCK red high-cube 4-door boxcar-Athearn
2 50' ROCK work flat caboose-Tyco
2 50' ROCK blue outside braced boxcar w/sliding door-Athearn
2 50' ROCK brown flatcar-Athearn
2 50' ROCK red boxcar w/plug door-Athearn
2 40' ROCK brown stock car-Athearn
4 ROCK brown bi-level autorack-Accurail
2 54' ROCK blue 3-bay covered hopper-Athearn
6 40' ROCK blue PS-1 steel boxcar-Accurail
4 85' ROCK blue all-purpose flatcar-Athearn
4 55' ROCK white ACF centerflow covered hopper-ebay
2 60' ROCK blue ACF autoparts boxcar-got them at a show
2 29' ROCK red/yellow wide-vision caboose-Athearn
2 50' ROCK blue boxcar w/plug door-ebay
2 50' ROCK blue boxcar w/sliding door-ebay
2 50' ROCK blue railbox boxcar-ebay
4 50' ROCK red w/speed lettering boxcar-ebay
4 56' ROCK blue centerflow covered hopper-got at a show
4 60' ROCK white material handling car ex-Amtrak-Walthers
12 50' ROCK white bev-bel modern boxcar w/sliding door-Athearn
4 50' ROCK blue railbox boxcar w/plug door-Athearn
10 54' ROCK blue covered hopper-Athearn
2 54' ROCK brown GSC flat car-Walthers
2 50' ROCK oxide red steel boxcar w/sliding door-Accurail
2 ROCK blue bay window caboose-Walthers
2 47' ROCK gray ACF center-flow covered hopper-Accurail
2 50' ROCK oxide red steel boxcar w/sliding door-Accurail
2 54' ROCK blue covered hopper-Bachmann
4 45' ROCK blue coal hopper-Bachmann
2 86' ROCK red high-cube 8-door boxcar-Athearn
4 89' ROCK blue tri-level car carrier-Walthers
2 250ton ROCK work crane-Tyco
4 ROCK white bay window caboose-Athearn

Still to come are the two work trains and a coal-unit train I am starting to build on paper. The ROCK carried coal, but NOT in blue hoppers, right? I thought they were black like the BN had, and had the white ROCK logo/herald on them.

Man, I haven't seen any of those since 1978! What year is this? Oh no! I am getting old!!

 

[IMRL393]

Wolv -

Looks to be a fine collection!

Er ... Wolv, Mike is listing rolling stock by road number .....
you need to add those in.....


So ... YOU are the one who bought all the white RI cabeese that I can't find !!!

About coal cars ... according to Hile et. al. in "Rock Island Color Guide to Freight and Passenger Equipment", the RI did carry coal in open hopper cars before 1942, but after that date changed to using mostly gondolas. After saying that, Hile's book shows coal being carried in an HT Series 10300-10399 3-bay hopper in 1968 (at Silvis), the only photo of a coal-carrying car!

Ya have to be carefull - some hopper types were used for wood chips, most others for grain, although which is which is hard to tell!

Hope this is of some help.

As for me, no problem - in 1996 BN/SF passes their coal cars to RI motive power (as they did for IMRL, and UP does for ICE today). Or gets permission to use RI track to deliver "in person". Already got the BN marked coal cars from Walthers, now working on coal loads for them using painted plant foam and some real coal sprinkles on top (glued down, of course!).


- George

 

[IMRL393]

RI Reference Books

My last post reference got me wondering - what reference books to the ROCK crowd use for their MRRing ???

I have three main sources.

For RI loco and rolling stock info:

1. "Rock Island Diesel Locomotives, 1920-1980" by Louis Marre

2. "Rock Island Color Guide to Freight and Passenger Equipment" by Hile, Hickcox and Miller.

and for general locomotive info:

3. A Field Guide to Trains by Foster (published in 1996, so date limited. But that is my cutoff date anyway!)

I also have a wonderful booklet by Philip Hastings called "Remember the Rock". Lots of b&w photos of the Rock in action mostly in Iowa, but some in Illinois (Chicago, Joliet) and Nebraska (Omaha) and down to K.C. from the early 1960s to shutdown. Wonderful recollections and shots! How else would you know that the RI used wooden-braced cabeese as late as 1964 on some trains ???!!


What books to you have?

Any you would recommend I get beyond what I have now?

I know the Marre series of three RI books exist, and the other two color guides to the RI - but I don't know if the info in these books would be redundant with what I already have.

Any thoughts ?????


- George

 

[rockislandmike]

Don't have no books at this time, although both of the ones you mentioned are on my list of must-have's in the near future.

 

[Wolv33]

George,

What??!!

If you guys want those numbers, you will have to come and get them. LOL!

Now about these hoppers. I lived less than 200 feet from the Rock Island's branch line that went from Rock Island to Peoria. I distinctly remember black coal hoppers with a white 'R' on them. I confirmed this with a color scheme they had from some other site. There was a white 'R' on a black background with the blue nut. So, I am going to see if I can find that decal somewhere, and build about 25 hoppers for that coal unit train. I may even buy some Bethgons and paint them up completely white and add the ROCK logo to them too.

Guys, I don't go by books. I go by my memory. Those trains came slowly through my backyard twice a day. They switched the foundry on West Division, the CO-OP that their line went directly through, and then headed towards Princeville. I not only watched these each and every day, but I also watched the CB&Q/BN double-track main line, when I went to my Grandma's which is halfway across town. She lives on the mainline, and I do not have to walk very far to get a good view of the action.

When I went back for RR Days in Galesburg, I visited my Grandma, and I got some good pics of the BNSF trains that day, going by right next to her house.

I know my Dad got some great photos of the foundry and Lilly Tulip (a plastics manufacturer where he worked-on the South end of the foundry) while they were being torn down, so I am gonna try to contact him and see if he got any shots of the RI line in any of the pics.

Of course, I am not saying I wouldn't want any of those books.

Does Shane have any layout pics he could share?

Curious...what do you guys listen to while you are on the computer? I surf over to shoutcast.com and listen to train radio traffic, then minimize the page and do whatever. It is like I have a home-based scanner, but my scanner happens to pickup IL, CA, and even the local UP sub in Sedalia, MO about 25 miles from here.

I guess nobody has any references for MOW vehicles or equipment for the ROCK?

Well. enuff for now. Talk to all you Rockies a bit later.

 

[rockislandmike]

Nope, no info on MOW. If you have a more specific question, George might have some answers from you in one of his books. He scanned and sent me a pic of a snowplow that I'm working on (or will be once the snow returns).

Hell, I don't even know how I came to be a Rock Island fan. The nearest trackage to me would have been through Denver, some 1275 miles away. So definitely no memories for me !!!!!

PS - been a good weekend on eBay. Bought a dummy SD9 (which will be converted to Rio Grande), a powered SD40-2c (Missouri Pacific - it's actually listed as an SD40-2 by Athearn, but MoPac annointed all their SD40-2's with dynamic brakes as SD40-2c). *AND* I finally got me an OER - from July 1981, but only a year out isn't bad at all !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Wolv33]

Mike,

I found a useful site that allows you to tinker with new paint scheme experiments. But, you have to be good with graphics manipulation. Myself, I use Paintshop Pro, MS Paint, CorelDraw, and ACDSEE for all my graphical needs. If I need 3D then I have Ulead Cool 3D and 3DMax 4...

Anyhow, the url is:

http://paintshop.railfan.net

There is practically every locomotive ever made here-uh diesel I mean. They are all non-painted, and all you have to do is convert the image over to a .bmp file and open it in MS Paint or CorelDraw, and paint it up the way you want it. Kinda like a scheme testbed of sorts. This site also has a lot of rolling stock and logos. If you haven't already, check it out. I feel it's a good source for what we do.

Well, to be specific... I am looking for trucks, cranes, and any trucks that belonged to the RR with hyrail wheels on them.

Service Pickups
Welding Trucks
Crewcab Trucks
Cranes
Stakebed Trucks
Bucket Trucks
Inspection Trucks

I am not truly worried about the actual track MOW stuff, since all mine is going to be safety yellow-tie cutters, tie lifters, ballast tampers, ballast spreaders, track welders, etc.

My main concern was just the trucks. I have a few pics of orange BN/BNSF and green BN utility trucks, but was looking to expand that too.

Like I said, any help is appreciated. I posted this topic on trains.com and didn't get one reply. I guess no-one there uses MOW vehicles on their layout. Pity. I mean, they are much a part of the scene as the trains themselves. I mean..HECK, if you cut out all the small details, don't you start to lose your realism??

George,

Any of your books have pics for that kind of thing? The BN Annuals, that go for so much at train shows and Ebay, show all kinds of that stuff. Just never able to win one. LOL!

While I got your attention George.... Do you know if the 14 million dollar Intermodal facility that was propsed in 2000 has been implemented in Silvis, IL or not? I am not sure how far Davenport is from Silvis, so I thought I would ask. They were supposed to put it up on the former ROCK's Silvis yard. But, that was back in 2000, and I am not sure it ever went into production.

Talk to you guys later.

 

[IMRL393]

Wolv - Is this the hopper you had in mind ???

BTW - if *I* went on memory, I would model either the Southern RR in the Smokies or the Gainesville-Midland RR in Georgia!

- George

 

[IMRL393]

No inspection TRUCK, but ...

... what about a CAR ???

 

[IMRL393]

Trucks -

(my scanner is old, but hopefully you will "get the picture"!

 

[IMRL393]

Cranes ...

.. RI style:

 

[IMRL393]

PS

The only new intermodal facility I've heard of is one to be at Rochelle, not Silvias.

Am I missing something ????

(Wouldn't be the first time!)

- George

 

[rockislandmike]

Thanks wolv, I already knew about that one

 

[rockislandmike]

PS - I've got a metal Custom Finishing "Tamper Track Alignment Machine" that I'm going to assemble and paint yellow, then add a couple ROCK logos on each side so it's obvious it belongs to them.

When my wife looked at it, though, even she realized how tricky a project it will be. I'll probably save it for the Xmas holidays.

 

[RI541]

hey guys,

I'll try to get a list of the rolling stock on here in the next few days. The layout is a mess right now. and most of the rolling stock is set either here or there.

Mike,
I need to change one of the SW9/12 to one SW9/12 and one SW1. The SW1 is RN 541 which is how I came about my screen name. I also need to add one 0-6-0 # 248 and I 'll be finishing up mu 2-6-2 right after surgery. Also on the list is 2 PA's and 2 PB's I got from BDC. That will hit the paint shop about the same time.

Sorry to be a pain in the caboose.

Oh by the way I model in N-Scale.

The thread I was talking about is the one where you, George and myself all meet up. Its in the HO section under Picking On the LIttle Guys thread. The thread is upteen pages long,it was also the longest thread in The-Gauge. It's a few pages back now since it kinda got shut down.

How many RI threads does this one make?

 

[Wolv33]

I've been working on the railroad, all the live-long...errr uhhh, hi guys!

Those are some useful pics, George. Thanks so much! I was looking for a bit of more modern era though...but I can use the two burrow crane pics, and a couple of those truck pics.

Well, I have pretty much struck out on this quest. What do ya guys think....get some Chevy pickups from Trident or other 1:87 vehicle manufs...and paint them up either white or blue, and add an N-scale decal to them? I think I can find most of what I was looking for. This is what I was gonna do with my BN/BNSF trucks.

Custom finishing is THE place to find MOW stuff, Mike! You mean you have to put all those things together??!! WOW! Do they come with decals or will I need to buy extras?

George, on the hopper pics.... the top one with the 'R' logo, and then the middle one with the 'Route Rock' slogan...those are what I seen in my backyard most of the time. But, it was a car that combined the two. I wonder why that one isn't in your book. Hmmmmm.

In fact, about 5-9 of these sat outside the foundry on a track. The foundry would place auger-type conveyers underneath the cars, and trucks would load from them, and take the coal up to the area where it was used.

I can still remember the roar and the bell on those locomotives as they blocked West Division street doing their switching, then coming back to the side track where the rest of the train was left, recoupling, and moving on down the line. Heck I was only nine years old at the time.

I took a pic this Summer of the former line as it went behind our house. I will attach it to this message so you guys can see how CLOSE the line was to the house. My Mom was constantly worried about us kids and the neighbor kids going down to the tracks and getting ran over. The crews of the ROCK though watched out for us, as we gawked. They were a bunch of nice guys and always interesting to talk to.

 

[Wolv33]

Forgot to mention... if you look REALLY CLOSE at the lower left side of the photo...in the road you can STILL see the tracks. They paved over them after the line was shut down. The greenery in the background was done after the tracks were pulled up.

 

[IMRL393]

Wolv-

Athearn makes a neat Ford box van RI "Motor Transit" that might be of interest to you - I have one - nice truck!

I would use FORDS, not "Like a rock - it doesn't move" trucks!

Shane -

I gave the link to your old list above (AND the list!) - no one seems to read the older posts when newer ones come along (sigh).

Mike -

Hoping you aren't regretting starting those rosters at this point ....

Gotta go - early (8 AM) chemistry lecture to give tomorrow!

- George

 

[rockislandmike]

Railroads go through color schemes like I go through cokes, wolv, so it's not really a surprise the photos don't show every permutation.

The Custom Finishing kit includes only metal and instructions, and scant instructions at that by the look of it. Definitely no decals . . . . . . .

 

[Wolv33]

Mike,

Well that might explain it. LOL! I went back to my Walthers catalog, Mike, and noticed they list the decals separately for the machines, but NOT all of them. When I got my cranes for my Intermodal stuff from Walthers, they included several lines in the box-UP, BN, and others. It's too bad Custom Finishing cannot do the same. Especially for their PRICE!

A question about the Microscale decals...the ones for the ROCK GP38-2 diesels...do they list ALL the names of the engines on there? I like the American Railfan, the city of Moline, the city of Rock Island, and a few others. I have priced the ROCK decals, and I can get them for $3 a sheet.

Now on custom decals....I came across decal paper that has a white background, and it says it works in an Inkjet printer. My HP is photo-quality, so I might just do that. Perhaps we could all pool our money, get the paper and one of us (the one who has the best photo printer) print up the decals, and then send them out to our select group. What do you think? They also have clear paper, so we could do up some decals for different color backgrounds like coal cars or boxcars, etc. Hehehe...

Though, if we did the clear ones, they would have to be on white items. HP does not support white ink...the only printer I know of is an ALPS that does that. But, you have to admit, it would be EASY to weather white coal cars.

I am currently working on my intermodal ROCK herald, and my coal unit herald for my new cars.

Mike,

Where does your ROCK and MOPAC lines begin and end? I was thinking I could have the Missouri area, and extend my ROCK coverage for the MWDLRR into Arkansas, Iowa, IL and some parts of Oklahoma. My BN/BNSF would also be in this area, but have trackage rights all the way to California. Currently the MWDLRR has trackage rights on the UP, CSX, NS and CP lines. Mike, I will probably need trackage rights with your RR. I have looked at your map, but need confirmation on your lines so that I don't claim that area, and can make requests for trackage rights. Thanks.

Well back to work. Later