Went to the Rock River Thresheree near Edgerton today, and at the flea market bought out somebody's entire collection of HO scale trains for $35. This included Atlas snap-track and a power pack which was really superfluous, but what the heck.
The Grovemont Branch Roster Additions-September 2, 2006:
1 EMD F7 locomotive, lettered Canadian Pacific, does not carry a road number
1 EMD F7 locomotive, lettered Chessie System/B&O #4472
1 36' wood refrigerator car, lettered Wilson's Car Lines
1 gondola car, lettered Railgon (The Nationwide Gondola Pool), knew about Railbox but this is a new one on me.
1 gondola car, lettered Monon
1 single-dome tank car, lettered Texaco
1 single-dome tank car, lettered S.S.R.
1 40' boxcar, lettered Little Souix Valley Railroad
1 wood stock car, lettered Virginian
1 wood stock car, lettered Atchiston, Topeka & Santa Fe
1 covered grain hopper, lettered Chesapeake & Ohio
1 wide-vision caboose, lettered Union Pacific #207
1 4w bobber caboose, lettered Atchiston, Topeka & Santa Fe #806
Maintenance Docket:
All newly aquired equipment is currently in the maintenance yard for evaluation and repairs. The cabooses both are missing the chimneys for the stoves, and the AT&SF caboose is missing several other parts including the end ladders and brake wheel. Both cabooses along with the wooden refrigerator will be donated to the railroad museum for restoration and display. All other cars appear to only require a cleaning and coupler upgrade (horn-hook to Kadee) before they can be put into service.
Both locomotives still retain their prime movers and other major equipment, but they will need a major overhaul before they can be put into service, as well as all new cab windows (both locomotives are quite old and were low-end cheapies even when new, so they run badly with lots of stuttering and will need at least a good greasing, perhaps complete retooling).
The Canadian Pacific locomotive model is by Revell (which I didn't know made powered HO locomotives, I thought they just make plastic kits) and the Chessie one doesn't have a brand name embossed on it, but says "Made in Hong Kong" and has a cheap mechanism so I'd say it's either Bachmann or Tyco. Both require some encouragement by hand just to get them to move, and run with lots of stuttering jerks and the pungent smell of hot motor grease. Both have mechanisms I've never seen before. The Chessie's motor drives only the rear truck, as in my Bachmann AT&SF F9s. The CP has 8-wheel drive, but the driveshaft is exposed at the bottom of the locomotive-there is no covering in between the sides where the fuel tank would be.
About this "railroad museum" I keep mentioning. It stems from my idea that our expanded layout of the Grovemont Branch (if we ever get around to building it) would be modeled in the late 20th/early 21st centuries. However, we have all these model steam locomotives, cabooses, and old school freight and passenger rolling stock. What to do with it? Incorporate a railroad museum into the layout.
This museum (darn I wish I could come up with a good name for it) would be located on the outskirts of one of the big cities where the Grovemont Branch interchanges with a Class I railroad. It has built its own line where it can run its restored rolling stock, which parallels the Grovemont main line for a couple of miles. A crossover has been built between the two to facilitate delivery of rolling stock exhibits to the museum, and to allow the museum's restored steam locomotives to pull excursion trains elsewhere. When the Grovemont Branch retires locomotives or rolling stock (which is not often since they will run ANYTHING that is still serviceable, except for cabooses since they are not needed) they usually donate it to the museum rather than having it scrapped.
Pictures of the Thresheree's 2' gauge railroad coming up in the The Real Thing forum.
The Grovemont Branch Roster Additions-September 2, 2006:
1 EMD F7 locomotive, lettered Canadian Pacific, does not carry a road number
1 EMD F7 locomotive, lettered Chessie System/B&O #4472
1 36' wood refrigerator car, lettered Wilson's Car Lines
1 gondola car, lettered Railgon (The Nationwide Gondola Pool), knew about Railbox but this is a new one on me.
1 gondola car, lettered Monon
1 single-dome tank car, lettered Texaco
1 single-dome tank car, lettered S.S.R.
1 40' boxcar, lettered Little Souix Valley Railroad
1 wood stock car, lettered Virginian
1 wood stock car, lettered Atchiston, Topeka & Santa Fe
1 covered grain hopper, lettered Chesapeake & Ohio
1 wide-vision caboose, lettered Union Pacific #207
1 4w bobber caboose, lettered Atchiston, Topeka & Santa Fe #806
Maintenance Docket:
All newly aquired equipment is currently in the maintenance yard for evaluation and repairs. The cabooses both are missing the chimneys for the stoves, and the AT&SF caboose is missing several other parts including the end ladders and brake wheel. Both cabooses along with the wooden refrigerator will be donated to the railroad museum for restoration and display. All other cars appear to only require a cleaning and coupler upgrade (horn-hook to Kadee) before they can be put into service.
Both locomotives still retain their prime movers and other major equipment, but they will need a major overhaul before they can be put into service, as well as all new cab windows (both locomotives are quite old and were low-end cheapies even when new, so they run badly with lots of stuttering and will need at least a good greasing, perhaps complete retooling).
The Canadian Pacific locomotive model is by Revell (which I didn't know made powered HO locomotives, I thought they just make plastic kits) and the Chessie one doesn't have a brand name embossed on it, but says "Made in Hong Kong" and has a cheap mechanism so I'd say it's either Bachmann or Tyco. Both require some encouragement by hand just to get them to move, and run with lots of stuttering jerks and the pungent smell of hot motor grease. Both have mechanisms I've never seen before. The Chessie's motor drives only the rear truck, as in my Bachmann AT&SF F9s. The CP has 8-wheel drive, but the driveshaft is exposed at the bottom of the locomotive-there is no covering in between the sides where the fuel tank would be.
About this "railroad museum" I keep mentioning. It stems from my idea that our expanded layout of the Grovemont Branch (if we ever get around to building it) would be modeled in the late 20th/early 21st centuries. However, we have all these model steam locomotives, cabooses, and old school freight and passenger rolling stock. What to do with it? Incorporate a railroad museum into the layout.
This museum (darn I wish I could come up with a good name for it) would be located on the outskirts of one of the big cities where the Grovemont Branch interchanges with a Class I railroad. It has built its own line where it can run its restored rolling stock, which parallels the Grovemont main line for a couple of miles. A crossover has been built between the two to facilitate delivery of rolling stock exhibits to the museum, and to allow the museum's restored steam locomotives to pull excursion trains elsewhere. When the Grovemont Branch retires locomotives or rolling stock (which is not often since they will run ANYTHING that is still serviceable, except for cabooses since they are not needed) they usually donate it to the museum rather than having it scrapped.
Pictures of the Thresheree's 2' gauge railroad coming up in the The Real Thing forum.
:thumb:. 