O Scale Trains Magazine Online

A better view of passengerand freight station.the many trees. Ninety percent of the trees are made fromgoldenrod, a weed found in the Midwest. Foreground treesare made from armatures imported from China or scratchbuiltfrom cuttings of a hydrangea bush. These took about 2½ hours each to construct. Rock formations were made fromrubber molds I borrowed from Miles Hale. The water andground cover is from Woodland Scenics.Seven of my locomotives are unpainted and not shown.Friends like Jerry Ballard are good enough to show me themany errors on my locomotives which I attempt to correct.When I cannot do the work, like regauging the wheels,installing DCC and Tsunami sound decoders, I turn to twomore friends, Gary Schrader and Stew Kleinschmidt.The good thing about the layout is sharing it with friends.The best thing is seeing the excitement and joy in my grandchildren’seyes when they help me run my trains.References:Two Views of Thurmond: One Hundred Years of History byWalter R. Witschey, Gatewood Co., 1978.Scale drawings of many of the structures at Thurmond areavailable for free at [http://www.wva-usa.com/newsite/www.wvrailroads.com/drawings/].uAnother view looking east.Mar/Apr ’09 - O Scale Trains • 7

Building a GE 44-Tonner in StyreneCharlie Purin andTom HouleThe ubiquitous GE 44-tonner is perfect for layouts smalland large. This loco was used by most Class 1 roads andmany industries as well.I (Charlie Purin) sowed the seeds for this article many yearsago when I built and painted the styrene body and frame.Thirteen years later, Tom Houle added a Q-Car drive andtrucks, handrails, grabs, lighting and other details to finish upthe project. We wrote this article not so much to show how toreplicate a GE 44-tonner, but to demonstrate that any O Scalerwho is familiar with styrene can easily build this loco orany other short-coupled Diesel. It’s meant as an inspirationalproject for those who have never tried building a loco fromscratch because they don’t believe they can. Well excuse us,but we’d like to prove that you really can.Yeah, we know all about the good old days when one hadto be a blacksmith or a tin bender to build a locomotive withall the associated soldering, tin-snipping, shearing, bending,filing, drilling, tapping, etc. and then it weighed ten pounds.Today it’s possible to do that same kind of work in styrenewith a straight edge, a sharp modeling knife, a few files, drillbits, and a 2-56 tap. And folks, when your project is paintedand weighted, it’s virtually impossible to tell the differencebetween brass and styrene. So if you’re hankering for a GE,Baldwin, Midwest Locomotive Works, Whitcomb, Plymouth,Davenport or other Diesel critter and you don’t know whereto start, consider researching and rounding up the necessarydrawings and photos and try a styrene loco.My research began with a three-part article and a prototypedrawing in the May, June, and July 1955 issues of ModelRailroader by Bob Klubertanz. There is another article onbuilding styrene Diesels that’s worth looking at. It’s a DollarCar article that ran in the December, 1967 issue of ModelRailroader. It was written by Ted Davis and is titled “Build aBaldwin”. This article covers the construction of a 1,500 HPBaldwin Diesel in styrene. The author brings many usefulconstruction techniques to the table. Since I’m a MilwaukeeRoad nut, I also located three Milwaukee Road HistoricalSociety magazines that contained photos of their three 44-tonners. Tom and I also find the Internet to be an excellentsource of prototype data. Whatever loco you choose to build,remember the same styrene materials and drive we used canapply to your project. The Bob Klubertanz and Ted Davisarticles are still available from Kalmbach for a nominal copyingfee. Go to the Model Railroader website and look for CustomerService.I’ll begin with building the styrene body and frame. Tom’scomments on finishing up the loco will follow.Body and Frame - Charlie PurinWhen I was a junior in high school, my modeling skillswere very limited, but there was something about the Klubertanzarticle that I never forgot. The beauty of Bob’s articleis that most of the techniques he used to build his brass lococan be replicated in styrene. 40 years later and newly retiredfrom a long military and merchant marine career, Bob’sarticle came to mind. I did some digging and found a fellowmodel railroader, Dick Scott of Midland MI, who had a greatcollection of Model Railroaders and even remembered thearticle I had in mind.A lot of changes have occurred in the 53 years since thatarticle was published. Bob used a Main Power M-70 motor,Jerry Martin Centriclutch belt drive; U-joint coupled driveshaft, Lindsay gearboxes and 33”wheelsets for his drive. Heeven painstakingly built his own sideframes.When I started my project, I was familiar with Q-Car’s poweredtrucks for traction modeling. I found Q-Car sideframesthat were a close match to the prototype. (Tom made minimalmodifications so that the sideframes match the GE prototype.)Things were looking good on the project until my life changed.I found myself suddenly un-retired and working again.I was a merchant mariner and I knew I’d have plenty oftime between watches to do some model building. I decidedto build a static model for display purposes only. Thoughspace on board ship was limited, the little desk in my stateroomwas big enough to provide a small work space and toMar/Apr ’09 - O Scale Trains • 9

accommodate a cutting board. I decided to limit the materialsfor my project to what I could fit in a shoebox. My favoritetools for styrene are: an X-Acto knife, O Scale rule and ametal ruler with a non-slip backing. I cut pieces that would fitin my shoebox from 0.020”, 0.030”, 0.040” and 0.060” styrenesheets. My plan was to take Part 1 of Bob’s article withme and cut out the necessary parts for the two hoods andcab. I would bring them home between trips and assemblethem later. In retrospect this worked out fairly well.The first thing I did was convert Bob’s comprehensive HOdrawings to O Scale. I discovered the drawings had shrunkslightly. Either the Kalmbach printing press or running thearticle through a photocopier caused the shrinkage. So I convertedthe HO dimensions in inches on Bob’s drawings to HOfeet and inches and then into O Scale. In retrospect I couldhave simply multiplied the HO dimensions by 181% and gottenmy O Scale dimensions. Live and learn!I next laid out all the components. I typically increasedthe thicknesses of my styrene pieces vis-à-vis the brass sheetthicknesses Bob used. For example, where Bob used 0.030”brass for the hood sides, I used 0.040”. This gave me a littlemore strength and the necessary thickness on which to scribethe door panels. I tend to have a heavy hand, so for me,thicker is better.The hood sides weren’t much trouble, but I must confess Iscrewed up many cab ends, sides and hood ends before I hadpieces I was satisfied with. Working with styrene can be alearning experience. I tried drilling small holes in the cornersof the window openings and then carefully cut away the windowoutlines with an X-Acto knife. I also tried cutting awayfrom the corners without first drilling the holes. In either case,some filing was required to square up the corners. In the endit came out OK. I found out later the easiest way to accuratelycut window and door openings in styrene is to cut a pair ofdiagonals in the opening (an X pattern) and then cut the foursides. The styrene doesn’t have to be cut all the way through;1scoring the styrene is sufficient to snap out the four unwantedtriangles from the opening. When the parts were all cut, Itook them home to my workbench.I assembled the hoods, cab, and radiator shutters usingplastic cement. I’ve forgotten the brand I used (Photo 1-2).The radiator shutter frames with their requisite nine angledand parallel louvers about drove me nuts. I tried all sortsof support jigs to align the individual louvers, but nothingseemed to work as well as simple trial and error. I eventuallygot them right; but there is probably a better way to get themperfectly aligned.I made the two exhaust stacks by cutting pieces of rectangularcross-section styrene tubing in half lengthwise andadded ears to get the U -shape. I sanded the stacks to matchthe hood and stack angles. Spoiled by the space on my workbench,I decided it would be easier to complete the project athome rather than at sea.I cut the frame deck from 0.060” styrene (Photos 3 & 4).The frame ends and side skirts were cut from 0.040” styrene.I assembled these parts into a complete frame including bolstersand coupler pads. I painted the body and frame in theMilwaukee Road’s circa mid-fifties black and orange. At that342point I was sidetracked by several home projects, ship modelingprojects, and some models on consignment. My littleswitcher ended up unfinished and relegated once again to theshoebox.Time passed and I found myself in Wisconsin in a homewith a real basement. At long last, there was the possibilityof a layout of my own and I resurrected the little switcher.I ordered truck bolsters, sideframes, 33” wheelsets, and aMashima gearmotor drive from Q-Car. As fate would have it,I got side-tracked again, this time by a huge, scratchbuilt OScale Lake Michigan railway car ferry. This turned out to be athree year project. During this period I also renewed a bunchof old modeling friendships and made some new ones, too.10 • O Scale Trains - Mar/Apr ’09

One of my new friends, Tom Houle, came to the rescue andagreed to finish my switcher, for which I’m grateful.Power, Detail, and Lighting - Tom HouleWhen Charlie first blew the dust off his shoe box and openedit up to show me his styrene 44-tonner body and frame, I wastotally impressed. Charlie had done a great job replicating BobKlubertanz’s excellent brass workmanship in styrene.As depicted in Photos 1-4, Charlie gave me a completelypainted body and deck-frame assembly. The end grabs, hoodgrabs, and the railings had not been installed. Charlie wantedme to power it up, add the details and constant lighting. I wassomewhat skeptical about the Mashima #MT10LP 26:1 gearmotor.It looked pretty small. Would it provide enough torqueand would it run slow enough? I recently completed anAdirondack Car & foundry GE /Alco boxcab kit and poweredit with a NWSL double-shafted motor and couplings, 32:1gear boxes, and Grandt Line sprockets and chains. The NWSLdrive albeit being somewhat noisy - perhaps due to my workmanship- is a real stump puller.5I hooked up the Q-Car gearmotor to a MRC supply andwas pleasantly surprised. It ran in both directions so quietlyI could hardly hear it. Voila! A gearmotor that eliminatesshaft-coupling to gear boxes and it’s truck-mounted. What asuper-neat package (Photo 5). Will it provide as much torqueas the NWSL system? No, but two of these gearmotors, safelyweighted to prevent current overloads, should be an easyto install underbody drive for many small Diesel projects.And with the Q-Car spring-wound coupling to the un-drivenwheelsets, you have eight-wheel drive.I began construction with the trucks. They are not sprungbut they do provide equalization. We’d decided the trucksshould have eight-wheel pickup - best for sneaking past theoccasional dead frog or dirty spots on the rails. I cut off the0.060” square brass tubing cross-members that were solderedto the ends of the sideframes. I assume these were meant tohold the sideframes together while in transit. While checkingthe sideframe’s profile against the prototype drawing, Inoted the extensions on the ends would need to be nippedoff. The sideframes are white metal and can be cut with a sidecutter or Zona saw. After the unwanted ends were removed,I squared up the corners with a small flat file and then withthe same file, carefully radiused the corners to match the MRdrawing.I next did a trial assembly of the trucks to check for fitand equalization. To mount the sideframes there are largecylindrical bosses on the inside faces that slide into matingholes in the truck bolster. The sideframes are retained to thebolsters with 2-56 screws. My sideframe bosses fit so tightlyin the bolsters they were almost a press fit. They would notmove at all. Using a long rattail file, I carefully filed eachbolster opening, test fitting along the way to achieve what anold machinist friend of mine terms a “snick-fit”. I also had toopen up the 2-56 screw holes in the sideframe bosses. Easydoes it! You want just enough clearance to allow the sideframesto pivot about their retaining screws just a few degreeseither way to equalize the trucks when operating over uneventrackage. Too much clearance between the screw holes andthe retaining screws and you’ll have what I call a bag of marblesinstead of a working truck.As shown in Photo 5, the Mashima power truck comeswith a 33” steel wheelset and its own special bolster that alsoretains the gearmotor. The bolster has a 1” long 2-56 brassmounting screw permanently attached. Due to the height ofthe gearmotor, the bolster is unusually high (though this did notpose a problem in the installation). I simply removed the deepstyrene bolsters Charlie had originally installed on the underframeand replaced them with much shallower 3/32” deep bolsters.Note on the power truck all four wheels are powered viaa wound spring belt drive between the two wheelsets.The height of the unpowered truck bolster is much lower.To enable common frame bolsters and truck retention, I glued¼” wide styrene strips to the top of the un-powered truckbolster with CA and added a 0.030” thick washer so that theheight of the un-powered truck bolster matched the height ofthe powered truck bolster. Then I drilled through the styreneto clear a 1” long 2-56 screw that I glued to the underside ofthe bolster. Now both truck bolsters had the same mountingsystem and height.With the two trucks built up but sans their electrical pickups,I drilled 2-56 clearance holes in the deck and styrenebody bolsters for the truck mounted retaining screws. I set thetrucks on the rails, dropped the frame onto the trucks, andchecked the deck-to-rail height. Spot on!I got out my Kadee® coupler height jig, set it on the rails,and checked Charlie’s coupler pad heights. The coupler padswere exactly the correct height. How Charlie did that aboard arolling ship in a tiny stateroom and without a jig is beyond me.I attached the couplers with one screw per coupler by drillingand tapping a 2-56 hole into the pads. I drilled 2-56 clearanceholes through the deck for the other two centerline couplerscrews. These two screws retain the couplers and the loco bodyto the frame. I also added ¼” thick styrene blocks to the insidesof the hood ends. These blocks were drilled and tapped 2-566Mar/Apr ’09 - O Scale Trains • 11

to accept the screws that hold the body to the underframe. Thatdone it was time to add the truck’s electrical pickups.Before I measured the wheelset’s spacing and laid out thepickups on Walthers 0.010” phosphor bronze sheet, I addedmounting bosses to both truck bolsters (Photo 6). These aresimply 1/4” square styrene pads that are glued to the tops ofthe truck bolsters and drilled and tapped for Walthers 2-56nylon screws. The bosses should be at least 1/8” deep to provideadequate thread retention.The pickup pattern was laid out on paper and then I transferredthe dimensions to the 0.010” phosphor bronze sheet.I used an old pair of scissors to cut the bronze sheet. Redmotor leads were soldered to the pickups before I attachedthem to the bolsters. I left these leads 7-8” long. I trimmedthem after the truck and lighting wiring was run up into thebody. A bit of bending and tweaking was required to positionthe pickup tabs on the inside faces of the insulated side ofthe wheelsets. There shouldn’t be any undue side pressure.The strips should just graze the wheelsets. The other side ofthe power comes up from the uninsulated wheelsets into themetal truck bolsters, and then to the gearmotor. I solderedblack leads to the white metal bolsters. Make sure the redleads do not contact the truck bolsters or you’ll have a deadshort. That’s why I used nylon screws. Since the underframe7bolsters and the underframe itself are both styrene, there isno chance of a short circuit there. I had to remove a bit of thebody bolster material to allow for truck swing and to clear thepickup’s nylon screw heads.DetailingThe handrails and grabs were next (Photos 7 - 8). I used0.030” brass wire for the handrails which is a bit heavy. 0.020”wire would look better, but with 0-5-0 handling the heavierwire makes sense. I laid out the railings on a clean piece of 1 x8 pine, using the Model Railroader drawing as a guide.While I use ordinary 60-40 rosin core solder from thehardware store for all of my electrical soldering, as far as I’mconcerned, the best solder for handrailings is Tix solder sticksand liquid brush-on flux. I used a small 39-watt solderingiron. Just touching the tip of the iron to a joint along with astick of the Tix solder completes the joint. It couldn’t be simpler.Just be sure you brush on the Tix flux before you heat thewire. Walthers carries it if you cannot find it locally.I spotted the handrail locations on the deck and thendrilled the holes with a #69 bit, which gave me a nice tight fitfor the posts into the deck. I left the vertical posts and the horizontalrailings where they plug into the body about 1/8” too98long. The vertical railings were glued with CA to the undersideof the deck after they were installed. The extensions weretrimmed off after the glue kicked. I drilled #69 holes wherethe horizontal rails join the cab ends. These locations have tobe marked on the body and then drilled.In Photo 9, you can see how I attached the handrails to thedeck and the Tichy/CMA bronze wire straight grabs to the endsills. The same grabs were attached to the hood ends per thephotos Charlie provided. The vertical handrails are paintedwhite per Milwaukee Road practice in the fifties. I triedevery model paint known to man and none of them gave anopaque white finish. In desperation I broke out a quart canof Ace Hardware exterior gloss white acrylic enamel. Usinga very fine brush, I hand painted the end railings. One coatcovered them beautifully. Yes, the paint is thick and no, itdoesn’t clump if you keep the brush clean and flow it on verylightly (it cleans and thins with water). I wouldn’t paint a carwith it, but for small white areas I’ll certainly use it again. Thecouplers and trucks were also installed at this time.12 • O Scale Trains - Mar/Apr ’09

1011Wiring and LightingI added a Miniatronics two-pin polarized connectorbetween the loco body and the frame to allow easy accessto the lighting circuit and the truck mounting screws andnuts. I soldered the red leads from both trucks directly to thered lead of the Mashima gearmotor. The black power leadsfrom both trucks were soldered together and then broughtup through a hole in the center of the deck and soldered toone lead of the female side of a Miniatronics two-pin polarizedconnector. The gearmotor’s black lead was brought upthrough the hole in the deck and soldered to the other leadon the female connector. I used heat-shrink tubing to encapsulatethe leads and to keep everything neat.I installed a forward bright/reverse dim Miniatronics lightingkit in the loco body. I soldered the two leads on the maleside of the Miniatronics connector to the leads of the lightingmodule and then stuck the module to the interior of the cabwith the double-sided tape that came with the kit. I retainedthe lamp leads in their respective headlamps with WalthersGoo. I connected the two halves of the Miniatronics lightingconnector and then attached the body to the underframe withtwo 2-56 screws and it was time for a test run (Photo 10). Thelittle loco ran like a jewel, very quietly and slow enough thatI was able to couple to a boxcar without even moving thecar. The lighting worked great, although I could see the littlecritter was definitely going to need some additional weightbefore it could be put to work shifting cars.In Photo 11 you can see the lead wheel weights under theframe and the truck wiring routed up into the body. The locomotiveis weighted to one pound. On the flat and through48” curves it will easily move 6-7 plastic cars and drawsabout .25 amps. On sharper curves it needs a shot of throttledue to the extra drag of the curved rails. Q-Car didn’t list amaximum current draw for this gearmotor, but with a motorthis small I think 0.25 amps is probably approaching themaximum safe limit.This is a great little loco and I’m honored to have playeda part in its completion. The 1700 is hard at work now shufflingcars on Charlie’s layout. Now I just have to decide whatloco I’m going to build next. Maybe a GE 70-tonner? Staytuned…Bill of Materials:Q-Car Mashima #MT10LP 26:1 gearmotor with specialbolster and 33” wheelset.Q-Car #G. E. 95 84” wheelbase sideframes.Q-Car Unpowered truck bolster and 33” wheelsets.Miniatronics two-pin polarized connector.Miniatronics Forward Bright/Reverse/Dim lighting kit.Sheet, tube, and strip styrene.uJD’s Trains Exclusive Heavyweight Custom RunsComing Fall 2009 Golden Gate Depot 80’ Heavyweight Coaches in FIVE new roadnames:Chicago & Northwestern, Nickel Plate Road, Rock Island, Seaboard & SouthernEach car will be painted Pullman Green with a black roof and underframe, all lettering will be gold. Visit www.jdstrains.com tosee photos of each roadname. Reserve today as only 10 sets will be made per roadname. Just $475/4 Car Set (2 & 3 Rail)Be sure to visit us at theChicago March Meet!JD’s Trains, Inc. 9648 Olive Blvd #384 St. Louis, MO 63132Phone: 314-409-4451, Email: info@jdstrains.comJD’s TrainsMar/Apr ’09 - O Scale Trains • 13

P&D HobbyShop31280 Groesbeck, Fraser, MI 48026Voice: 586-296-6116 • Fax: 586-296-5642Open Mon-Fri 10-8 • Sat 10-6, Sun 12-5www.pdhobbyshop.comFor All Your O Scale NeedsPower/Repower Kits for RedCaboose GPs from $160.P&D F UnitsPowered A Units - $289Call Now!O ScaleTrainsSubscription Rates: 6 issuesUS - Periodical Class Delivery uS$35US - First Class Delivery (1 year only) US$45Canada/MexicouS$55OverseasuS$80PO Box 289,Exton PA 19341-0289.voice: 610-363-7117 • fax 610-363-7357• Office hours are Mon. - Thurs. 10:00 am to 5:00pm. Leave a message and someone will call youback. Closed Fri. thru Sun.• Back issues available are: 32, 38, 40-43 @$6.95 ea.Include $4.80 postage for every 4 copies.• Subscriptions which start with the current issuealready on the street will be charged $2 extra forpostage. Subscriptions and back issues can beordered at our website. Check our website forfree downloadable PDFs of early issues.• OST is published in January, March, May, July,September & November. Issues usually arrive bythe second week of the issue month. If your issueis not delivered by the end of the month, call andwe will replace it.• Your subscription expiration date is nowprinted on the mailing label.Grade Crossing Signal SetGrade Crossing Signal SetCS-2 Grade Crossing Signal Set includes:CS-2A Signal CS-2 Grade with Crossing flat cap Signal and basic Set includes: mast supportCS-2B CS-2A Signal Signal with with bell flat cap cap and junction basic mast box support supportAWS-1 Advanced Warning Signs (X2)CS-2B Signal with bell cap and junction box supportWPS-1 Whistle Post Signs (X2)AWS-1 Advanced Warning Signs (X2)GCF-1 Flasher/DetectorWPS-1 Whistle Post Signs (X2)$69.95 plus $6.95 S/H in the continental U.S.GCF-1 Flasher/DetectorCustom $69.95 Signals plus $6.95 S/H in www.customsignals.comthe continental U.S.27 Gellatly Drive(877) 523-3236Wappingers Custom Falls, Signals NY 12590www.customsignals.comphone/fax27 Gellatly Drive(877) 523-3236Wappingers Falls, NY 12590phone/fax14 • O Scale Trains - Mar/Apr ’09

The Art of FinescaleMichael CougillWhat year is this?that way but I don’t, at least not anymore. I grew up in a smalltown during the ‘60s and have tons of great memories offorty-foot boxcars and other steam era rolling stock that wereI don’t think we’re in the 1990’s anymore Dorothy.Those of you who have followed this column for a while(there is at least one person I know of, but I’m married to her)will remember that I’ve said I’m modeling the modern era. Asemphatically and as many times as I’ve said that, observanteyes will notice that every time rolling stock appears in mylayout photos, they’re from the transition era. Further evidencein the form of the Wabash single-sheathed boxcar projectmentioned in issue #41, also suggests something is fishyera-wise. So, what’s going on here? Well, it’s time to comeclean and confess that the choice of modeling era on theI&W has changed. I’ll be drifting back in time to the 1960s.When I started building the layout, I wanted to model amodern day shortline based on one in nearby Brookville, IN.The one thing that really stands in the way of doing that to mysatisfaction is (get the moans ready) P48 roller bearing trucks.They are just too hard to come by. A couple of sources havehinted they would do a run, but that may be several years off,if ever. So, what does a guy do in the mean time?I could use replacement wheelsets in the Standard O truckframes as a stop-gap. I’ve tried that with limited success.Given that the trucks are often hard to see, even on a chesthigh layout like mine, what’s the problem? Nothing really. Ijust wasn’t satisfied with the results or the performance. Themore I learn about freight cars, both vintage and modern, themore demanding I’ve become toward my modeling. Thereis always going to be a compromise of some sort. The questionone has to answer is: How much of a compromise am Iwilling to accept? Since trucks and wheels are so basic to amodel’s appearance and operation, for me, the compromisewas too much.Is the era shift a second choice option? Some might see itstill plentiful during that decade. The photo above shows anN&W boxcar spotted at the grain elevator in Centerville, INabout a block from my parents’ house. I don’t recall the datethis was taken (it may have been the early ‘70s.), but the cutdown ladders and missing running board on the roof arestrong clues to go by. Joe and I have been trying to figure outwhat class of car this was for the N&W and we’re closingin on it. The neat thing for me is that it’s sitting on a pair ofNational type B-1 trucks. I have a pair from Rich Yoder justbegging for a car body of some kind and this N&W boxcarseems like a good candidate.In addition to easier freight car modeling, the layout’soperations will also be enhanced in that more, and oftensmaller industries (such as local grain elevators), were stillserved by rail in the ‘60s than are today. For the layout thismeans that a feed mill that is now abandoned can be re-activatedfor occasional car loadings. That’s a plus on a small layoutlike mine. My Red Caboose Geep will be right at homein the new era with a new basic black paint job. While I mayhave to rethink the operations and overall concept a bit, Idon’t foresee anything that can’t be overcome under the cureallbanner of freelancing. I don’t yet know if I’ll nail down theera to a specific year or not.Is this what one does when there’s no more layout tobuild? It could be. There are a lot of things to consider andresearch in an era change like this but that’s part of the funof the hobby, isn’t it? I still like the idea of a modern dayshortline in P48 and I’ll continue to lobby for the productionof P48 roller bearing trucks. Who knows, maybe I’ll have tohave two eras to keep things interesting.uMar/Apr ’09 - O Scale Trains • 15

More Kits from B.T.S. !American Flag CompanyThe trapezoid shape, exterior stair case, loading dock, roof-topbillboard & water tank, positionable windows and doors, andbrass & pewter detail castings make this laser-cut craftsman kit a‘must have’ for any layout. Figures, signs, interior floors andwalls, and grade crossing components are all included aswell as a removable roof.Approx. footprint - 73’ x 40’(at the wide end)#18108 $ 299.95McCabe Planing ShedThe McCabe Lumber Co. Planing Shed complex consists of thetransfer shed, two planing buildings, boiler house, water tank, andloads of details, and is a key part of the Slatyfork Sawmill Complex.The Planing Shed can also be used as a stand-alone manufacturingindustry such as a box factory.This kit consists of laser-cut basswood, plywood, and cardstock,tarpaper roofing, brass, urethane, and white-metal detail castings, andloads of character. The tabbed, well-engineered construction providesfast and easy assembly. The footprint is about 70' x 90'. #18225 $449.95New in O Scale!#19201 $ 99.95MEC (#12720 $7.95) and CNW (#12721 $5.95) decals are available.The Evans Gondola304-823-3729In 1975, the Southern Iron and EquipmentCo. started building a 52'-6", 100-tongondola. Evans took over SIECO andcontinued building the cars throughDecember 1981. A total of 1,730 cars werebuilt with three minor body variations.This model represents the second, andmost common, version of the car.The unpainted kit consists of highquality,no-odor urethane castings for theone-piece body and separate frame, hiddenweights, and brass & white metal brakecomponents. Easy assembly with ACC orepoxy. Less decals, trucks, and couplers.www.btsrr.comShipping - $5.00/order in the USAll Scale Catalog - $5.00Celebrating 30 Years of Service since 1979

Locomotive EvolutionWith the latest production models from GE & EMDbecoming commonplace on the nation’s Class 1 rail systems,we are seeing an era of evolution, the evolution series of Diesellocomotives. The ES4400 AC or DC from General Electricand the SD70ACe from Electro-motive are the new kids onthe block. They are distinctive from their previous versionsdue to the raised height of the carbody with all possible connectionsfor air, fuel and electrical being mounted on the outsideof the frame or underneath the walkway instead of insidethe long hood. Along with carbody changes, (this is the partof the upgrade that is visible) improvements go much deeperfrom the prime mover and its efficiency and performance tooverall electrical and tractive effort upgrades.As O Scale modelers this translates into some new anddifferent Diesels that we can add to our locomotive roster.In times past, the fact that modern Diesel power was eitherunavailable or out of my price range caused me to model in amore popular scale simply due to availability of what I wantedto model. Today, that is not the case. With brass models still atthe top of the list in regards to detail, performance and cost,the manufacturers that produce plastic and die-cast modelsare gaining ground in the marketplace at a rapid pace.For proof, take a look and read the review on the MTH8-40C in this issue. If you’ve been involved in O Scale 2-Raila minimum of 10 years or longer then you remember or ownsome of MTH’s 2-Rail limited production locomotives thatwere available in the late 1990s. I have two: an SD60-M inCSX paint and a BN SD70 in executive colors. These wereboth a basically correct SD60 Body with China Drive, 2-Railwheels and the same fuel tank and detail parts used on the3-Rail version minus the electronics. The differences betweenthe two were the truck side frame castings and the paint jobsand that was it.Over the last few years, I have seen other models producedby MTH in 2-Rail that I did not know about. At the time Ipurchased my MTH models, I was tickled pink to have thembecause there was nothing else like these (except brass) in themarketplace. By today’s standards most modelers wouldn’tgive these models a second look on a display table. Now Iwould probably be considered a member of that group.There was a time in O Scale when economical plasticmodels were produced only by MTH, Weaver and Lionel,and even then sometimes a 2-Rail conversion was required.For a number of years now Atlas O has set the standard forO Scale models in their level of quality and detail, and wehave come to expect that same level of quality and detail inall mass-produced models. The MTH 8-40C review is my firsthands on experience with one of their locomotives in years.Currently its proprietary DCS control is its only flaw, especiallyif you are using any other type control system other thanDCS. That is supposed to change this next year. With DCCcompatibility and the current quality and attention to details,MTH should elevate its competitive status to that of the AtlasO Gold Line. Having converted several of their Premiere Linecars to 2-Rail in the past, a factory offering of scale cars with2-Rail trucks and wheelsets, plus coupler pockets that acceptKadee couplers would, I think, go over well in the 2-Rail marketplace.The 8-40C started me on a research mission of MTHDiesels, the ES-4400 DC is produced in BNSF livery butthe SD70ACe is not. A set of Microscale decals and a custompaint job would solve that problem. An SD70ACe wasordered and arrived in MRL colors, it is currently operatingon the layout in DC mode but it, along with the ES-4400 DCwhen it arrives, will be converted to DCC control and sound,along with several remaining TMCC diesels.Some readers are probably thinking: why go to this muchtrouble? Simple answer: it’s my desire to have models of theGE & EMD locomotives I work on each and every trip operatingon my layout. Although what I would like to have is notavailable ready-to-run out of the box, I can achieve my goalat a reasonable cost with a little work and effort. That’s justpart of being a model railroader; if you can’t get it ready-torun,then build it.So stay tuned for this and other locomotive projects in theworks. As work is completed, I’ll cover the results here inOST and hopefully one of the projects might be your inspirationto start on that locomotive of your own. Oh by the way,MTH staff, an 8-40CW in a Santa Fe Redbird scheme, orBNSF Heritage scheme could probably find itself a home onthe Alco Belt.uMar/Apr ’09 - O Scale Trains • 17

Looking For A MentorThe cause of this letter is in response to your editorial andyour desire to bring more “younger people” into the hobby andO Scale in particular.I have been interested in O Scale since 2001-2002 when I wasa member (briefly) of the Denver O Scale club in the basement ofUnion Station. Needless to say, I was probably one of the youngestmembers. Since relocating back to Pennsylvania in 2003, Ihave not had the opportunity to do any modeling for a varietyof reasons, but I know that one is that I don’t feel “prepared”to work in O Scale, and I know that there are many excellentresources in this part of the country. OST is right down the roadnear Philly, and many vendors listed in the magazine are in PA,NJ, MD, and VA. I even had the opportunity last year (or was itthe year before) to go to the Estate auction for the late Mr. JohnArmstrong. I regret that I did not buy that Hi-Cube Hershey’sboxcar.As a 41 year old man, I realize that I am not the “youngerpeople” that you hope to attract, but I would love to meet withand receive guidance and wisdom from some of the more experiencedO Scalers who would be willing to share their knowledge.Donald J. Dissinger, via e-mailMike replies: Don, in O Scale young is a relative term. We’realways happy to welcome new converts to the scale. Are thereany readers in Don’s area willing to help out a newbie?Reader Wants To Know...The current issue has a couple of great articles but I wasespecially interested in Don Smith’s story, Street Level Rails. Themodeling is superb and the workmanship topnotch. The coverand the centerspread are great photographs too. I would reallylike to know if Don handcrafted the building fire escapes or arethey a commercially available product? Any information you canprovide would be greatly appreciated.Bob Garrelts, Tarpon Springs, FLTraction “Trouble”I want you to know how much “trouble” Roger Parker getsme into every time he does his column. As a new person toscratchbuilding trolleys, I think it would be a very good idea todo a story on the basic features and equipment on a trolley. Whya pole instead of a pantograph? How about an update onLabelle? I have heard some of LaBelle’s kits are now availableas laser-cut, but which ones? I get the most bang for my buckthrough your Traction Action column.Thanks.Jim Bengert, via e-mailJoe replies: Jim, you can contact LaBelle by email at info@labellemodels.comChallenged AgainThank you for challenging me with your articles on kit buildingrather than settling for RTR models. You have rekindled anenjoyable part of [model] railroading for me. I have always builtmy own bridges no matter what scale I was into at the time.How that I am back full circle in O Scale 2-Rail I can't getenough of these kits like Quality Craft and others found on eBay.They look great on my scratchbuilt bridges.Wilbert Prattis, PAJoe replies: Wilbert, send us some photos of your bridges.$21.99$21.99$21.99$21.99175 Sheffield Dr. #100Delmont, PA 15626-1723Tel: (724)468-3106Fax: (724)468-3879www.scenicexpress.comRequest FREE 224 pagecatalog with order or send$5.00 to cover postageAdd $8.49 Shipping &handling - PA residentsadd 6% State Sales Tax.18 • O Scale Trains - Mar/Apr ’09

Mar/Apr ’09 - O Scale Trains • 19

20 • O Scale Trains - Mar/Apr ’09

A Signal System For The Alco Belt - Part 1Gene ClementsIntroductionYou’re the engineer on empty Coal Train E-PAMNAM30-1A, onboard BNSF #8810, an SD70MAC. You are at MP694and in #4 Dynamic drawing 26kbs of braking force runningon a clear signal. Traveling at 40mph you’re in the process ofslowing down for the 30 mph curve ahead. As you round thecurve at North Jasper, this is what you see: A clear signal onthe NS Interlocking and Intermediate north of the interlocker(Photo 1).12This scenario is typical for train crews operating over CTCterritory across this nation every day. These signals instruct thecrew as to what’s ahead and how their train should be operated.Anything less than strict compliance with signal aspectsand the operating rules can result in a tragic collision, causingtremendous property damage and injury or death.Signal systems came about many years ago as a means ofmoving multiple trains over a section of railroad in a safe andeffective manner. The three-color signal system: red, yellowand green, share a similar meaning with our highway trafficlaws. The railroad’s rules go into more detail concerning thesecolor aspects in relation to their placement, use and meaning.Make any of these three colors flash and you create a wholenew set of aspects, rules and responses.The addition of a number or milepost plate to a signalchanges it from an Absolute to a Permissive Signal. The difference?A red aspect on a Permissive signal means stop. Afterstopping, you may proceed at restricted speed. A red aspecton an Absolute Signal means stop. You can only pass this signalonce you have authority to do so from the Signals ControlOperator, or you get a more favorable aspect that allows youto move.In CTC territory the location of control points is usuallygiven a name and identified in the timetable for the territory.For example, the small town I live in is called Adamsville.The BNSF runs through the town and has a controlled siding,which is named after the town. With operations being in anorth–south direction, the two turnout control points on eachend of the siding are named “North & South Adamsville”respectively.Photo 2 shows the control point at “North Benoit”. Thenorth and southbound mainline signals are mast type searchlightsignals with the southbound signal in the distance havingtwo signal heads. The top head applies to the mainlineand the lower one to the diverging route. The northboundsiding signal is a dwarf located to the left of the siding. Dwarfsignals are usually found where there may be a clearanceissue with passing rail equipment. Notice too the equipmentbungalow in the distance. The bungalow has a sign mountedon the building with the name “North Benoit” identifying thislocation.While most signals are mounted on a mast or tower andcan contain multiple signal heads (Photo 3), they can also bemounted on a concrete base low to the ground. These low tothe ground signals are called dwarf signals and are no differ-3ent from their taller counterparts in regards to their aspects ormeaning. Dwarf signals are usually found where there maybe a clearance issue with passing rail equipment.Signal aspects and meaning do get complicated on prototypesystems, but for the purpose of designing and installingMar/Apr ’09 - O Scale Trains • 21

4a functional three color signal system on an O Scale home orclub layout, I’ll try to keep it simple and relate my expertiseas a model railroader instead of a prototype engineer.PlanWith the introduction of the Atlas O 21st Century SignalSystem components, plus multi-head “SA” signals and accessoriesfrom Custom Signals, the plan is to use current sensingdetectors from NCE to create a type “SA” Searchlight SignalSystem for my layout that would handle bi-directional trainmovements on the mainline tracks and also include the sidingsand other mainline access points from the yard or industrytracks. I intend to include some type “D” signals once theybecome available (Photo 4), as this would create a model ofthe system that I operate by while on the BNSF. As a sourceof reference, take a look at the review of the Custom Signalsmulti-head searchlight signals on page 53 of OST #31,March/April 2007 and their Tumble Down Control-1, TurnoutSignal Controller-2 and Block Signal Flasher-3 control boardsreviewed on page 56 of OST #32, May/June 2007.The control boards for the 21st Century system are modularand designed for use in conjunction with each other. Theyare, for lack of a better descriptive term, plug and play and thesignals will change color aspects as the train moves throughthe system. For APB signaling, you may add a Tumble DownControl board to override the appropriate signal boards asneeded. To make a color aspect flash, such as a flashing redmeans Restricted, a flashing yellow: Advanced Approach andflashing green: Limited Proceed, you can install a Block SignalFlasher board (BSF) for the specific signal head and install aTurnout Signal Controller (TSC) to display the proper aspect fora diverging route at a turnout. With a plan in mind for the project,it’s time to move to the design phase.DesignWith no two layouts being identical, I’ll relate the designprocess for my layout, the Alco Belt, in the hope that parts orall of this process will work for you. If you are designing yourfuture layout, now is the best time to design your signal sys-22 • O Scale Trains - Mar/Apr ’09tem. If your layout is under construction, or complete to thepoint of doing finished scenery, you can still include a signalsystem. It’s never too late.Experience has taught me to keep detailed notes andrecords on the current layout, especially the electrical system.The Alco Belt was originally a conventional DC layout withcommon rail wiring to track blocks that could be turned onor off by a SPDT switch mounted on a track diagram display.When 2-Rail TMCC came out, I converted the layout intothree separate power districts by separating the common railand installing two new common circuits. I decided to keepthe conventional DC system and installed DPDT switches foreach power district so I could switch either one or all districtsfrom DC to TMCC. The original block wiring stayed the sameand this allowed me to turn individual blocks on or off ineither mode of operation.Then along came DCC. One by one the power districtswere converted by removing the TMCC. An existing block inthe Diesel shop was designated as the programming track,which can be switched between the program function andstandard operation via a DPDT switch. The ability to turnindividual blocks on or off remained in place as before, andis now a key element in installing the NCE current sensingdetectors that will function as the heart of the signal system.Current sensing detectors are the preferred means of blockdetection for layouts where constant voltage is supplied to thetrack, such as DCC, TMCC or DCS command and control.(Check out Ted Byrne’s article: Block Detection in O Scale.Sept/Oct. 2008 OST.) Current sensing detectors will work onconventional DC systems but only after the throttle is turnedup to supply a locomotive or lighted car, thereby giving thedetector a source of current that it can detect. If there is not asource of current, you can get a false indication showing theblock is clear when it is actually occupied. As a result of thispossibility, you may want to consider optical or other sensorsif you intend to retain conventional DC control.Having covered the basic principals for the design, it’stime to drag out pencil and paper, CAD system or layoutdesign software on your computer. The first step is to draw asimple version of your layout showing every track that youintend to signal. On this or a separate drawing, lay out theelectrical blocks of your track for your proposed signal system.Once you have this done you can start placing signals toguide trains and their operators through your railroad accordingto prototype practice.Each signal from Atlas O and Custom Signals comes witha manual that explains the possible uses for the signal andincludes different design and placement suggestions as wellas controller connections. If you’re uncertain where signalsshould be located, observe the prototype or check the TrackConfiguration Library and Signaling Section of the CustomSignals website [www.customsignals.com]. If you find yourselfstumped over a signal scenario, feel free to e-mail TerryChristopher of Custom Signals at [TerryC@customsignals.com] or call Terry at 1-845-592-1302. Terry will do customSignal Installation designs for a nominal fee.While designing the system for my layout, I decided torelocate my mainline control panel. I drew a pattern to fit thesize of the new panel and I decided to use this drawing as themaster signal plan, and make additional smaller drawings foreach control point (See Figures 1-5). These smaller drawings

Fig. 1 Master Signal Planare done on standard letter sized paper and will be insertedinto a master electrical book for the layout where any notes,revisions and relevant updates can be added as the projectgoes along. This will save a lot of time in tracking down aFig. 2problem or making a change as the installation progresses.I’m now at a point where I know how many blocks willrequire detection, and how many and what type of signalsand control boards are needed. In the case of my layout,Fig. 4Fig. 3Fig. 5Mar/Apr ’09 - O Scale Trains • 23

there will be 26 blocks requiring detectors that will control80 three-color signal heads on 35- Atlas #6932 Type SA,Single Head Searchlight Signals, 15- C&S #SL-45 DualHead Searchlight Signals and 5- C&S #SL-55 Triple HeadSearchlight Signals.Not all of these will be mast signals. #SL-11 or #SL-12Dwarf signals will be used where necessary due to clearanceissues and the number needed will be determined asI go along. Dual head signals will be used at turnouts tocover both the mainline and diverging route movements.Triple head signals will be used the same as dual head signals,except their application will apply when more thana single diverging route is involved. Also several tumbledown, turnout and flasher control boards will be used tomake this system function according to plan.Since I now know the basics of the system, it’s timefor a few other considerations. I will need a master boardlarge enough to hold the 80 control boards plus the tumbledown,turnout and flasher boards. These will be placedin a central location under the layout that will be easy toaccess and allow a minimum of wiring to interconnectthe boards and detectors into a working system. Modularextension wires will be used to connect the signals at theirpermanent locations to their respective control boards.With the primary control panel relocated, I will now beable to add a dispatcher for possible multiple operators(Photo 6 ). For one-person operation, everything is easilyaccessible (Photo 7). A new master cabinet for the DC &DCC base units was constructed and located close to thenew primary control panel. This willclean-up some of the old wiring andmatch the home built bookcasesaround the layout’s perimeter (Photo8).With some of the remodelingcomplete and relocation of the controlpanel in progress, it’s time to startordering the necessary parts to getthis project off the drawing boardand into the construction phase. StubMain tracks #3 and #4 will be thefirst segments to be completed. Withonly 3 track blocks each, they willbe the simplest to set-up and createa lead in Control Point for MainsO SCALEKIT 004$61.98USASHIPPING$4.02(logs notincluded)CA RESIDENTSadd $5.11 tax“Quality for the Craftsman” LOGGING CAMP6 7#1 and #2 respectively.Once operational, I’ll do anevaluation on the progressfor the next article of thisseries.Stay tuned for the nextinstallment, which willcover installing signals, wiringup the control boards,plus the detectors andpower supply. I’ll give youa straight up account of thework in progress, as wellas the pros and cons andspecialty tools needed for aproject of this caliber. Untilthen, may all your signalsbe clear.uIncludes: color codedwood, sheet brass,hook, windowsand pulley blocks.12” x 14”spacerequiredCatalog $2.00 (refundable)P.O. Box 700 Artesia, CA 90702www.suncoast-models.comDealer Inquiries InvitedBF&M8Baldwin Forge & MachineBox 5, Baldwin MD 21013How can we help you? Custom machinework, 3-R to 2-R conversions for steam,diesel or electric. Driver castingsmachined. General repairs to O Scale locomotives.Call Joe, evenings 7 to 9 PM.410-592-5275 or rrjjf@aol.comStevenson Preservation LinesO Gauge Kits and Parts from pastMaster ModelersCatalog 2005 Price: $3.00Baldwin Model Locomotive WorksLobaughAdams & SonsLenoirKansas City KitHines LinesAlexanderPearce Tool Co.Bob Stevenson, 2326 230th St. Ames, IA 5001424 • O Scale Trains - Mar/Apr ’09http://RailsUnlimited.ribbonrail.com/email: railsunl@sbcglobal.net“We take time to give you full service”Unique O Scale models • Urethane cars; 40’ & 50’ boxcars,reefers, stock cars, milk cars, pickle car & circus cars.Full Service O Scale Dealer • Kits, DCC & Sound SuppliesBooks: new & out of print • Darkroom Services • Railroad PhotosModel Railroad Sales & ServiceNEW! Wagontop Boxcar & Gons for PRR and SALTed Schnepf126 Will ScarletElgin Il 60120-9524 847-697-5353 or 847-697-5366

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Traction ActionRoger C. ParkerPacific Electric Los Angeles Elevated Terminal JunctionConsider adding an upper level to your downtown terminal!I recently noticed a Pacific Electric photograph with greatmodeling potential while thumbing through Donald Duke’s excellentWest Coast Interurbans: California, recently published byGolden West Books. The photograph documents the junctionwhere the upper level tracks of the Pacific Electric’s Los Angelesterminal joins street trackage.This junction would make a great addition to any tractionlayout. It opens up numerous modeling possibilities for both newlayouts and adding visual and operating interest to existing layouts.Like all of the layout “centerpieces,” or modules I have beenexploring during the past few years, the junction and upper leveltrackage can be as simple or complex as desired.Modeling the PE JunctionThe junction itself is very simple. Located at the bottom of theramp leading to the upper level trackage, the junction is basicallya “T” intersection, or looked at another way, one-half of a GrandUnion. Trains traveling in either direction on street level trackagecan proceed through the junction in either direction, or proceedup the two-track ramp to the upper level platforms. Likewise,trains descending the ramp can turn either left or right.Although the junction opens up numerous possibilities, it isrelatively simple, requiring only 4 turnouts and two crossings. Allthat’s needed to model the junction are a pair of wye switches,a pair of matching-radius left and right-hand turnouts, and twocrossings.To operate the junction, only 3 of the turnouts need to bepowered: the wye turnout on the descending ramp, and thestreet-switch left and right-hand turnouts. The remaining turnout(on the “up” track of the grade) will take care of itself.Modeling Options, Stage 1One of the nice aspects of the Pacific Electric junction is theability to model it in stages. In the first stage the junction wouldbe modeled, but only the first few feet of the ramp tracks wouldbe completed. All trains on the street level would pass throughthe junction. At this stage it would primarily add visual interestand the sound of car wheels passing through the turnouts andcrossings. A non-operating junction could be added to narrowmodules or shelf layouts.If a few feet of the ramp were modeled, static trains could beshown ascending or descending the ramp trackage. This wouldprovide a space to display excess rolling stock right from the start.Alternately, if a modeler had experience painting layout backgrounds,the ramp and second level could initially be painted onthe background!Modeling Options, Stage 2Another option would be to simulate the upper level terminalby creating an upper level loop. The loop could be either visibleor hidden behind adjacent buildings or scenery. In either case,some, but not all, street level trolleys would proceed up the rampto enter the hidden staging area or immediately turn around anddescend the ramp.One of the nice things about the loop idea is that no additionalturnouts would be required, unless you wanted to include a passingsiding or holding area on the loop.If you’re short for space and have negotiated the right to “tunnelthrough” the walls in your layout room, you could even place26 • O Scale Trains - Mar/Apr ’09

the loop in an adjacent room. (You’d wantto include some sort of signaling or trackoccupancy lights to protect out-of-sighttrains on the loop, of course.)Modeling Options, Stage 3The upper level of the Pacific Electric’sLos Angeles terminal included 4 stub endtracks. These tracks were capable of handlingthe long, multi-car, trains typical ofthe Pacific Electric at its peak. The thirdoption could be delayed a year or twodown the road. In this case, you wouldcomplete the ramp and model the upperlevel terminal trackage and platforms. Thiswould add a great deal of operating flexibilityand, most importantly, storage spacefor your rolling stock.Writing Your Own “Story”The idea of a 2-level terminal introducesnumerous creative and operationaloptions. You could segregate trafficbetween the street level and upper level.For example, you could use one levelexclusively for freight motors, railway postoffice cars, and package express shipments,and the other level for passengertrains.Or you could restrict the upper level tolong distance trains and restrict the lowerlevel to shorter, more frequent locals.Your reason for this, of course, would beto eliminate blocked street level traffic atgrade crossings and intersections.Finally, if you already have a lot of rollingstock lettered for the primary line youmodel, you could restrict the upper leveltrackage to one or more foreign lines thatrent trackage rights from you.Inspiration EverywherePerhaps the biggest lesson of this columnis the ability of a single photograph toprovide inspiration for years of modelingpleasure. The first few times I read andKit-bashed Korber ModelsGrain Elevator Kitwww.modelbuildingservices.comreread Donald Duke’s West Coast Interurbans:California I hadn’t paid any attentionto the junction photograph.It was only about 6 months after I purchasedthe book that I first paid seriousattention to the junction trackage, andbegan to appreciate the numerous modelingand operating possibilities it suggests.The lesson? One photograph canlaunch years of modeling and operatingpleasure! We should all be thankful for thenumerous, high-quality traction books wecan choose from as traction modelers. uModel BuildingServicesModels built by Stu Gralnik264 Marret Rd • Lexington MA 02421Ph: 781-860-0554stu@modelbuildingservices.comAssembled buildingsfrom any manufacturer’s kit.Kitbashed, painted anddetailed...“Just Like Real!”Mar/Apr ’09 - O Scale Trains • 27

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Custom Building, Repair & Painting Services Available Buy-Sell-Trade, Consignments-Appraisals, eBay SalesWebsite: www.alleghenyscale.com • Email: oscale@alleghenyscale.com470 Schooley’s Mountain Road, Suite 8-117, Hackettstown, New Jersey 07840 • Voice - (908) 684-2070 • Fax - (908) 684-8911SteamSunset, C&O J2 4-8-2, CP, EX, Jerry White Drive, Road No. 543 ............................................$1,095Max Gray, C&O K4 2-8-4, CP, EX, Can Motor, Lights, Road No. 2761 ......................................$795PSC, CB&Q S4a 4-6-4, FP, L/N, PSC 17161-1, Road No. 4002 .................................................. $2,495PSC, CB&Q S4a 4-6-4, FP, Mint, PSC 17161-1, Road No. 4002, Upgraded .........................$2,795Sunset 3rd, CB&Q O5a 4-8-4, FP, New, Closed Cab Version, Road No. 5629................... $1,195Sofue, C&NW H1 4-8-4, UP, Mint, Handbuilt, Serial No. 174, Very Rare .............................$7,995PSC, D&RGW L-76 2-6-6-2, FP, Mint, PSC 17171-1, Black Boiler, Road No. 3351 ............. $2,495PSC, DM&IR Yellowstone 2-8-8-4, UP, Mint, PSC 15793, Worthington FWH.................. $3,350PSC, DM&IR Yellowstone 2-8-8-4, FP, L/N, PSC 15795-1, Elesco FWH,Black Boiler, No. 236 .......................................................................................................... $3,495Pecos River, GN P2 4-8-2, FP, EX, Glacier Park Scheme, Road No. 2510 ................................ $750Oriental, GN R2 2-8-8-2, FP, L/N, Vestibule Cab, FP Black, Road No. 2502 ...................... $2,495Sunset , GN S2 4-8-4, CP, EX, Late Run, Glacier Park, Open Cab, No. 2576 ......................$1,595USH, L&N "Big Emma" 2-8-4, CP, L/N, Pro Paint, Can Motor, Lights, Road No. 1965 .... $1,195USH, NYC H10b 2-8-2, CP, L/N, Can Motor, Lights, Crew, Coal, Road No. 2380 .............. $1,195PSC, N&W Class A 2-6-6-4, CP, EX, Crown Model, Aux. Tender, Road No. 1238............ $2,095Sunset, N&W Class J 4-8-4, CP, L/N, Pro Paint, Coal, Lights, Road No. 600 ...................... $1,195PSC, N&W Class S1a 0-8-0, UP, L/N, PSC No. 15699 ....................................................................$1,595Max Gray, N&W Y6a 2-8-8-2 w/Auxiliary Tender, CP, L/N, 1 of a KindCustom Model - Exquisite .............................................................................................. $4,895OMI, NP Z8 2-6-6-4, UP, New, Coal Version, Road Nos. 5130-5149 .................................... $2,695OMI, PRR 210P75 Tender for M1b, UP, Mint, Riveted Tender, w/Antenna ........................... $750OMI, PRR 210F82a Tender for M1, I1sa, CP, New, Earlier Full Scale Version, Pro Paint ....$395Weaver, PRR A5s 0-4-0, FP, New, Late Version, 2 Rail, Serial No. 6 of 12, Rare ................... $595Williams, PRR B6sb 0-6-0, FP, EX, 2 Rail, Road No. 6380 .............................................................$450Key, PRR H8sc 2-8-0, FP, V/G, Lights, Coal Load, Road No. 9978 ........................................... $1,195USH, PRR I1sa 2-10-0, UP, New, Late Run, New Correct Steel Driver Tires ........................$1,495Key, PRR J1a 2-10-4, FP, L/N, w/Antenna, Road No. 6498.........................................................$3,195Westside, PRR J1a 2-10-4, UP, New, 210F84 Tender w/o Antenna, .....................................$1,595Kohs & Co., PRR K4 4-6-2, FP, L/N, Postwar Version, 110p75 w/Antenna, No. 3729 ......$4,195PSC, PRR K4 4-6-2, FP, EX, Standard Prewar Version - 130P75 Tender ..................................$895PSC, PRR K4 4-6-2, CP, Modernized Version - 110P75 Tender w/Antenna ..........................$895Lionel , PRR Streamlined K4 4-6-2, FP, L/N, 1938 Broadway, Lights, Road No. 3768....$1,595Westside, PRR M1 4-8-2, UP, New, Last Run, Full Backhead ...................................................$1,495Max Gray, PRR M1a 4-8-2, UP, Mint, Late Run, 210P75 Tender ..............................................$1,095OMI, PRR M1b 4-8-2, FP, Mint, 210p75 Tender w/Antenna, No. 6753 ................................ $2,595Max Gray, PRR N1s 2-10-2, CP, New, McCafferty Paint and Weathering ...........................$1,695Sunnyside, PRR T1 4-4-4-4, FP, L/N, As Built Porthole Version ............................................ $2,095Sunnyside, PRR T1 4-4-4-4, FP, Mint, Never Assembled, Modified Version ...................$4,195OMI, RDG T1 4-8-4, UP, Mint, W/Decals, OMI 0150 ....................................................................$1,695WSM, RF&P "Gov." 4-8-4, CP, L/N, Black and Gray Scheme, "Gov. Fitzhugh Lee" ..........$1,650PSC, SP AC-12 Cab Forward 4-8-8-2, FP, L/N, Crown, Road No. 4292, Samhongsa ..... $3,895Sunset 3rd, SP F3 2-10-2, FP, L/N, 2 Rail, Road No. 3661 ...........................................................$1,095PSC, SP GS-4 4-8-4, FP, New, PSC No. 17347-1, Black, Road No. 4436 ............................... $2,695Max Gray, SP MT-4 4-8-2, CP, L/N, Pro Paint, Daylight, Skyline Casing, No. 5342 ......... $1,195Sunset 3rd, SP P8 4-6-2, FP, New, 2 Rail, Postwar Scheme, Road No. 2472...................... $1,195Sunset 3rd, SP&S E1 4-8-4, FP, New, 2 Rail, Road No. 700 ....................................................... $1,195USH, UP Challenger 4-6-6-4, CP, L/N, Pro Paint, Coal Version, Can Motor, No. 3910 .. $1,195Key, UP Challenger 4-6-6-4, CP, L/N, Oil Version, TT Gray, Silver Stripes, No. 3977 .... $3,595Sunset, UP "9000" Class 4-12-2, UP, New, Postwar Version ....................................................$1,350OMI #0130, UP FEF-1 4-8-4, Oil Tndr, CP, L/N, TT Gray, Silver Stripes, No. 818 ................$1,695USH Steam Loco Repwr Kit, New, Ball Bearing Gearbox, Pittman Can Motor ..................$200DieselOMI, ALCO FA-1/FB-1 A-B-A Units, UP, New, OMI 0356/0358, w/o Dynamic Brakes ....$1,695OMI, ALCO RS-11 High Hood, UP, New, OMI 0206, w/ Dynamic Brakes ...............................$695PSC, B&M SW-1 Phase 1, CP, V/G, Low Stack, Black w/Red Nose Stripes, No. 1112 .......... $550Red Cab, C&O GP-9 Phase II, FP, V/G, RTR Special Run, Replacement Gears (3 Avail.) ....$175Oriental, EMD GP-7 Phase II, UP, L/N, Freight Version .................................................................$695Oriental, EMD GP-9 Phase II, UP, V/G, Freight Body, Passenger Version U/F, As Is ..........$495OMI, FM H-10-44 w/Cab Overhang, UP, Mint, OMI No. 0433, NYC/NKP/PRR/Frisco ...$1,095Sunset, FM Trainmaster Phase IB, UP, Mint, Steam Era, Samhongsa .....................................$850OMI, NYC Baldwin RF-16 Shark Nose A-B Units, CP, Mint, Pantera Paint,Freight Lightning Stripe Scheme ................................................................................ $2,095OMI, NYC CUT Heavy Electric Locomotive, CP, L/N, OMI No. 0286, Pantera Paint,Lightning Stripe ...................................................................................................................$1,350OMI # 0210A, PRR ALCO DL-600B HiHood, UP, New, w/Ant., (2 Avail.) .................................$795OMI # 0393-0397, PRR ALCO FA-2 A-B Units, CP, New, w/Ant., Tower Drive ....................$1,495OMI # 0393-0397, PRR ALCO FA-2 A-B Units, UP, New, w/Ant., Tower Drive....................$1,395OMI #s 0425, 0426, 0425, PRR BLW RF-16 Shark Noses A-B-A, UP, Mint. ...........................$2,795Key, PRR EMD E7 A-B Units, FP, New, Tuscan 5 Stripe Scheme (2 Sets Available) ........ $2,395Key, PRR EMD E8 A-A Units, FP, New, Tuscan 5 Stripe Scheme ........................................... $2,495Key, PRR EMD F3 A-B-A Units, FP, Mint, Last Run, Late F7 bodies, Brunswick SS ......... $3,595OMI, PRR P5a Electric - Box Cab, UP, Mint, OMI No. 0219, Last Run ....................................$1,095OMI, PRR P5a Electric - Modified, UP, New, OMI No. 0237 .........................................................$995Key, SP EMD E9 A-A Units, FP, New, Daylight Scheme, Last Run, Road #6050/51 ........$2,795OMI, UP ALCO U-50-C, UP, New, OMI 0201....................................................................................$1,095OMI, UP ALCO C-855-A or C-855-B, UP, New, OMI 0203/0204, (Price for each unit).....$1,095OMI, UP ALCO PA-1, UP, New, OMI 0322, w/Dynamic Brakes (2 Available) ......................... $750Key, UP EMD E9 A-B Units, FP, Mint, 1st Run, Road Nos. 903A/6051B ............................... $2,695Rolling StockPSC 3 16959, MILW 1939 Hiawatha 9 Car Set, FP, New, Orange/Gray/Maroon ............. $4,995Walthers, MILW 1948 Olympian Hiawatha Coach, CP, New, Pro Built and Finished Kit,Interior, Exquisite ...................................................................................................................$250OMI, MILW 1935 Hiawatha Observation, UP, New, OMI 0032/O, "Wenonah" ................... $375Sunset, N&W Powhatan Arrow D1 Diner, CP, L/N, Pro Paint, Road No. 491 .......................$325Sunset, N&W Powhatan Arrow P3 Coach, CP, L/N, Pro Paint ....................................................$325CNJB, PRR B60 Baggage Car, UP, L/N, CNJB 702-O, Arch Roof, Porthole Doors ...............$295Sunset 3rd, PRR P70 Coach, FP, New, w/Air, Different Road Nos. (2 Available) .................$250Sunnyside, PRR P85br Streamlined Coach, FP, L/N, Tuscan w/Dulux Gold orGold Leaf (2 Available) .........................................................................................................$395Fine Arts, PRR 1938 Broadway Limited 7 Car Set, FP, L/N, "Fleet of Modernism" Scheme,Interior, Lights ......................................................................................................................$4,150Sunset/ 3rd, SP 70' Harriman Passenger Cars, FP, New, SP Lines, Baggage, Coach,& RPO Available ......................................................................................................................$295Sunset 3rd, UP 70' Harriman Passenger Cars, FP, New, TT Gray, Baggage &Coach Available ......................................................................................................................$295The P. Co., PRR X-42 Mail Storage Car, CP, New, Pro Paint, Shadow Keystone,Road No. 2541 ..........................................................................................................................$350PSC # 15519,, REA Steel 50' Expr Reefer, CP, L/N, Late Version, Lg. REA Herald ................$295Car Works, Nat. Car Co. 53' Milk Car w/"Bell" Tanks, UP, New, W/Express Trucks.............$250PRB # 16259-1, AT&SF R-27 Steel Reefer, FP, Mint, "Grand Canyon, Road No. 34716 ......$345Sunset, B&O Class I-5 Wood Cab, CP, L/N, 6 Window Vers., Pro Paint, Weathered .........$225OMI, B&M Wood Caboose, CP, L/N, Pro Paint, Steam Era, Ajax Brake Stand ..................... $275PSC, GTW 40' Seel Box Car, CP, Pro Paint, Stanray Roof, 6' Doors, D/N Ends ......................$215OMI, NH Class "NE" Wood Caboose, CP, L/N, Pro Paint, Road No. C-639 .............................$265Div. Point, N&W CF Class Wood Caboose, FP, New, Late Version (2 Available) .................$395Sunset , N&W C2 Class Steel Caboose, UP, New, Steam & Diesel Eras (2 Available) ........ $195CNJB, PRR N5b Cabin Car w/Antenna, UP, New, Excellent Model ..........................................$295PSC #15030, SP Class C30 Wood Caboose, CP, L/N, Pro Paint, Weathered, Steam Era ..$295PSC #15593, SP 40' "Overnight Merchandise" Box Car, CP, New, Pro Paint, Road # 9101,Exquisite .....................................................................................................................................$325OMI #0760, Wabash Square Cupola Steel Caboose , UP, Mint, Never Unwrapped ........ $375OMI #0761, Wabash S/L Cupola Steel Caboose , UP, Mint, Never Unwrapped .................$350OMI #0720, WM "NE" Steel Caboose, CP, L/N, Pro Paint, Lightly Weathered.....................$250PSC & USH, 2 Bay Hoppers, Various Types, Roads, CP, L/N, Pro Paint, Weathered,Coal Loads ..................................................................................................................................`CallAm. Std., PRR Passenger Car Kits, UP, New, B60 Baggage, D78 Diner, P70 Coaches ........ CallMid. Div., PRR H21a Hoppers & X29 Box Cars, FP, New, Many Versions Available ............. $60Mar/Apr ’09 - O Scale Trains • 29

As great as O Scale is, it’s not high up on the inexpensivelist. So on the way to figuring out background buildings formy large layout, I realized that over twelve linear feet ofbuildings could break my piggybank. It quickly became clearthat it would be necessary to come up with a creative solutionto filling all of this background real estate.I had some Clever Models brick texture sheets in my shopbut hadn’t decided how I wanted to use them. When theproblem of the background buildings came up, the proverbiallight came on and I was off and running towards a realistic,inexpensive and easy solution that from virtually any distancelooks as good as three dimensional buildings. And, you canconstruct any of these “flats” in about one day!The whole key to making this idea work is 3-dimensionaladditions. The more creative you are with these items, themore realism you’ll get out of the brick paper walls.Basic Materials• Clever Models [www.clevermodels.com] brick texturesheets. They have dozens of options, not only brick but otherfinishes as well. They are currently peel and stick but areconsidering switching to non-stick so you may need a sprayadhesive.• Foam board 3/16” thick which is available at any craft storelike Michaels or online. There are thicker versions, but will beharder to cut.• Commercial ads available online at Mike Tylick’s website[www.trainweb.org/tylick/indes.html], in magazines or fromGoogle Image.• A selection of 3-dimensional items like Tichy or Grandt Linewindows and various vents, billboards, doors, styrene tubes, etc.• A #11 hobby knife, some weathering chalk10 Easy Steps1. Cut the foam board to the size you want. Virtually anysize will work. Remember that scale is determined by thesize of windows and doors, so how high or long you want thebuilding is up to you.2. Mount the Clever Models brick sheets on the foamboard. If you’re doing a larger flat, you’ll need to match themultiple brick sheets as best you can so that the foam boarddoesn’t show. If you’re using white foam board, you can spraypaint it black before mounting the brick sheets. This will helphide any minor gaps. Don’t worry about the seams betweensheets. They’ll be taken care of later. After mounting thepaper, I like to dust on some gray or black weathering chalkand then wipe it vertically with a paper towel to tone downthe brick paper and age it a bit.3. Lay out the ads and windows in a rough way to seehow you’d like the building to look (Photo 1).4. Now the careful part: outline the size of the windows(or even loading doors) on the brick paper. I measure theback of the window to get as close a fit as possible, and thendraw the rectangular shape of the window on the brick paper.I recommend you use windows with a lip molding aroundthe window and not masonry windows (like those used inroundhouses or in some commercial buildings) as they arevery difficult to get a close fit without light coming throughfrom the back.5. Cut out the windows in the foam board with a verysharp #11 blade. (TIP: Don’t drag the blade or you might ripthe paper. Press down on the blade and gradually move alongthe drawn lines). Make sure you’ve gone all the way throughthe foam board. If not, you can also finish the scoring fromthe back. Pop out the foam core window and dry fit the castingto make sure you’re getting a close fit and the windowframe covers the opening. If it does, you’re in business andyou can cut all the remaining windows the same way.6. If you’re using black foam board, you can start gluingin the windows. If you’re using white foam board, paint theinside sashes of the window with any black acrylic paint sothe white doesn’t show behind the glass. Now glue in thewindows. I use GS-Hypo glue. It has a very thin applicator sothat you can get glue around the entire inside of the plasticwindow frame. You can also use CA (medium or thicker, notthe thin version) but you’ll need to use a micro-brush or atoothpick as an applicator and be very careful about not gluingyour fingers to the windows. (Don’t ask me how I knowthis!) Glue clear styrene on the back of the flat for the windowglass and also some shades made from craft paper. (Gluethe shades at different heights for added realism.)7. Apply the ad(s) using Elmer’s white glue or RubberCement. I usually sand the front lightly and then run a lightcoat of India ink/alcohol wash over the ad to tone it downand give it a weathered look. When you paste the ad directlyto the brick paper you can’t get the ad to sink into the spacesbetween the brick so it looks painted on (as you do on a resinor Hydrocal brick wall) since there’s no texture in the paper.But, from any reasonable distance it will still look prettygreat. An option for smaller ads is to mount them on a thinboard or even cardstock, make a thin wood border aroundthe ad and create a 3-dimensional billboard (Photo 2).8. Add a business name either on the building or on theroof. There are many ways to do this. You can do a separatesign with dry transfer letters, and then add it to the flat. Youcan also apply the dry transfer letters directly to the brickpaper. The Garen Photo letters are 3-dimensional letters thatI had in my shop (Photo 3). The Goar & Vetter letters weredone by painting the background wood strip white, puttingon self-stick letters, then painting the whole thing with a30 • O Scale Trains - Mar/Apr ’09

1324black spray can. After it dries, peel off the letters and Voila!,an instant sign. Of course, you can always just make anoriginal sign on your computer.9. We’re almost finished. so now is the time for someoptional details. Depending on how deep you’d like the flat,you can add a faux roof the width of the building and 1-2inches deep. Skip this part if you don’t have the room. Itspurpose is to provide a platform for roof billboards, vents, etc.10. Finally, remember those seams? If they show toomuch, paint some 3/32” and/or 1/8” round styrene and someBerkshire Valley electrical boxes (or cut just the boxes fromsome rectangular styrene) and place the round styrene stripalong the seam. You can glue it to the brick with CA (mindthose fingers, though). You can further hide the seams byapplying white glue and then some Woodland Scenics foliagematerial to create climbing vines (Photo 4).That’s about it. There are many options to make eachbuilding flat look different from the others. The Garen PhotoSupply has a double bay-window type extension. Use youown creativity and in no time you’ll have a whole row ofbackground flats that will add immensely to the realism ofyour layout.uMar/Apr ’09 - O Scale Trains • 31

SMR TRAINSVirginia & TruckeePre-Order Now!www.smrtrains.comPreproduction model shownSchneider Model Railroading, Inc. P.O. Box 753, Mount Laurel, NJ 08054Visit our Website or Write for Terms and Conditions34 • O Scale Trains - Mar/Apr ’09

Introducing Turntables from Ross Custom Switches!Our new turntables are ready. After two years of development and testingRCS proudly introduces our new line of turntables.Product# Description PriceManually Indexing Turntable (line up tracks by eye)TUTA18M 18” Turntable with manually indexing motor $949.95TUTA24M 24” Turntable with manually indexing motor $1149.95TUTA27M 27” Turntable with manually indexing motor $1199.95TUTA33M 33” Turntable with manually indexing motor $1299.95Automatic Indexing TurntableTUTA18A 18” Turntable with Automatic indexing motor $1349.95TUTA24A 24” Turntable with Automatic indexing motor $1549.95TUTA27A 27” Turntable with Automatic indexing motor $1599.95TUTA33A 33” Turntable with Automatic indexing motor $1699.95Shipping on these items are as follows:18” and 24” turntables: $100 • 27” and 33” turntables: $125Precision made using a CNC cut 3/4” cabinet grade, no-warp, 13 ply baltic birch frame and pit, 7 ball androller thrust bearings, 1” ground center shaft, CNC cut 18” drive gear, mated to an automotive type, nostretch,timing belt for perfect grip all the time. Stepper motor with electronic controls and power supplyfor automatic indexing with speed (rpm) set by you, or heavy duty gear reduction motor with manual andinfinite low speed control and power supply. Full bridge with detail will accept many types of two andthree rail track. Track spacing at 7.5 or 15 degrees. Pre-wired with an industrial turntable track powerconnector and will transmit remote train controller commands of various manufacture. A square hole 6”larger than the bridge length is required. Motor drive hangs down appx. 10.5” Below table.Don't forget our line of auto indexing transfer tables as well!See www.rossswitches.com for full details on all our productsor call 1-800-331-1395.Mar/Apr ’09 - O Scale Trains • 35

Culverts AndDrainage PipesL. Lee DavisRailroads have always had to reckon with drainage problemsof the track bed and have, over the years, utilized severalmethods to deal with this on going problem. One of whichis plain old drainage pipes. This is an easy and inexpensiveway to add a touch of realism to your right-of-way. I haverarely seen drainage pipes used on most layouts and it’s hardto understand why they’re not used more often. Let’s do a bitof thinking on this. Where am I going to put drainage pipes?Like the real railroads we want to put pipes where waterwants to congregate. Water pools at the lowest point floodingout the roadbed. If your base scenery is done, then it will beself-evident where the pipes or culverts will go. If not, then alittle planning is in order.The method used to do your subroadbed will determinethe best way to mount your drainage pipes. You could justdrill a hole through the subroadbed but I think that wouldweaken it and waste a lot of pipe. I would suggest straightcutting pieces of brass or plastic tubing in lengths 4 to 6 scalefeet, then glue and clamp them on to the subroadbed justbelow the ballast line. With some methods you might need toplace small 1” x 1” square mounting blocks along the edge(Photo 1).1You can get either plastic or brass tubing and it is offeredin quite a lot of sizes to fit almost any scale. Take your scaleruler with you when you shop for tubing so you can measurethe diameter of it. As an example 7/32” = 12” pipe, 3/8” =18” pipe, and 1/2” = 24” pipe in O Scale (Photo 2). Plasticor brass tubing will work fine for concrete pipe when painted234If you have a track chart of your favorite right-of-way, itwill show what size pipe was used and where. Most railroadsused 12”, 18” and 24” corrugated metal or concrete pipe formost of their small drainage problems, as well as larger sizes.36 • O Scale Trains - Mar/Apr ’09

567a concrete gray after mounting. Corrugatedpipe is another question and therehas been a way of making it aroundfor quite some time. The tried and truebolt and aluminum foil method. I havea twist on this method. Take a bolt thesize of the pipe you want to model andrub beeswax on the threads (Photos 3& 4). Then wrap aluminum foil aroundbolt, cover with fast dry epoxy andlet dry. Remove the bolt by unscrewingcounter clockwise (Photos 5 & 6).Mount it to the subroadbed and paintaluminum, silver or light gray.89To cover the larger drainageareas, the railroads would usually useculverts of about three feet to fifteen feetwide made of reinforced concrete andsteel I beams, with rip rap (large stonessometimes covered with heavy dutychicken wire) or concrete wings andor retaining walls (Photo 7). WoodlandScenic makes a culvert for HO and theywork quite nicely in O Scale as smalldrainage culverts (Photos 8 &9). Ofcourse you can make your own, but thatwould be another article I will get intolater. Have fun and I hope you enjoyincorporating this little detail into yourlayout.uDeichman’s DepotATLAS O Scale 2-Rail3518-1 Conrail "Saving Bond" SD-40 DC/DCC $407.953815-2 NS MP-15 DC/DCC 407.9520040014 PC RSD 7/15 DC 203.957382 BNSF PS-4427 Low Side Hopper 55.209278 ADM 17,6000K Tank 6.259527 Armour 40' Wood Reefer 57.759156 Lackawanna 40' Wood Reefer 53.507767 NS 55T Fishbelly Hopper 46.709287 ADM (Molecule) 17,600K Tank 66.259277 Cargill Foods 17,600K Tank 63.709122 Harding Butter 40' Wood Reefer 62.659085 Ken-L-Ration 40' Wood Reefer 69.309851 B&O PS-1 50' Plug Door Box 59.459403 NH PS-1 50' Plug Door Box 55.209802 NYC Conposite Gondola 53.509476 B&O USRA 55T Coal Hopper 53.509170 Plitts Ginger Ale 40' Wood Reefer 64.557709 Blatz 40' Wood Reefer 53.507645 D&TSL Ext. Vision Caboose 66.257632 GN Ext. Vision Caboose 62.009716 WM 1937 40' AAR Box Car 57.759781 PRR X-29 Box Car 61.70Deichman’s Depot110 Ivyside Dr, York PA 17402Ph: 717-755-1108 • Fax: 717-840-9650deichmansdepot@comcast.netwww.deichmansdepot.comEtched brass numbers SP-style, MSRP: $15.More brass numbers coming soon!Field parts for your interlocking tower: pipecarriers, crank stands and cranks. Visit ourweb site for details.The IrishTracklayer2682 W. Palo Alto AveFresno CA 93771www.irishtracklayer.comMar/Apr ’09 - O Scale Trains • 37

Are YouExpired?Your subscriptionexpiration is nowprinted on your mailinglabel!EVERY Layout Has Its...BACKVIEWPedestrians And Workers to placeAnywhere on Your layout that hassteps or stairs.Realistic Figures Bring Your Layout to LifeSend $1.50 for our full color catalog featuring the over 420 PEWTER Figures AND Accessorieswe produce in O Gauge All Made and Hand Painted in the USA with Pride. $9.50 S&H per order.VISA & MC orders call 1 800 316-2493. For Information:302 455-0195. FAX orders: 302 455-0197Visit us at www.arttista.com for color photos 105 Woodring Lane Newark DE 1970238 • O Scale Trains - Mar/Apr ’09FRONT VIEWUps&DownsPainted / Unptd1497 Businessman walking up/dn... _5.99 / 4.001498 Man in suit walking down...... _ 5.99 / 4.001499 Worker walking up.................. _5.99 / 4.001500 Worker walking down.............. _5.99 / 4.001501 Man w/hard hat walking down. _5.99 / 4.001502 Worker w/hard hat walking up. _5.99 / 4.001503 Businesswoman going down... _5.99 / 4.001504 Young girl walking up or down.._5.99 / 4.001505 Woman with/bags walking up _7.25 / 4.501506 Old woman w/cane walking up _6.25 / 4.001507 Woman w/blowing dress up/dn _6.25 / 4.001508 Couple walking ................. _12.50 / 8.001509 RR worker holding on........ ......_5.99 / 4.001510 Welder looking at job................_6.25 / 4.25People make the difference

A Makeover for the MTH 64’ Wood CoachEdward F. BommerRecently, MTH released an O Scale 64 ft. open-platformwooden coach. It’s based on a Long Island Railroad prototypebuilt for commuter service around the early 1900s and numberedin the 200 series. I altered the MTH car to representone of fifty B&O open-platform wooden coaches in variousclasses built between 1886 and 1912. They were sent to theStaten Island Rapid Transit in the early 1920s to help withincreasing passenger traffic.The prototype cars had steam heat and electric lightingsupplied by a generator on the locomotive. As the SIRT’selectrification was completed, new steel subway-compatiblecars were delivered and the coaches were then returned tothe B&O.In this motley fleet were three 64 ft. cars having nineteenside windows. They were built by Pullman for the Coal andCoke Railway of West Virginia in 1912 and were the newestcars in that group of fifty (Photo 1). The C&C became12part of the B&O after WW I. While the C&C cars had pairedside windows, the MTH car has nineteen single windows.It would be close enough to look like a former branch-linecoach pressed into metropolitan rapid transit service late inits life.While made initially for the 3-Rail market, this car is easilyconverted to 2-Rail as shown in an article by Joe Giannovario(OST #39, July/August 2008). Read on and see how theappearance of this MTH coach can be made over.The CarMade for operation with tight curves, MTH placed thesteps beyond the car sides to allow for maximum couplerswing (Photo 2). Over the lowest steps the car measures 10’9”wide – more than a large steam locomotive! These stepsshould be about one to two inches inside the width of a carfor proper AAR (and NMRA) clearance. Brake parts are thesecond item to be addressed. There is a small, square boxon the underbody; it’s supposed to be a brake cylinder andshould be round. Also, there is no control valve for the brakesystem. The end windows were blanked on the MTH model,as the prototype did not have them. The last window on eachside was altered to be a shorter arched window, like the C&Cprototype. More details, new paint and SIRT lettering willcomplete the transformation.DisassemblyDisassemble the car by removing the six large screws fromthe underframe and then lift the body off. There are manyscrews of various sizes in this car. Sort and save them and theother little parts in an empty egg carton or other container.Take out the screws to remove the car steps. Use care inpulling the steps off the underframe. They are a tight fit andare delicate. Do not try to twist them off. Pry them up gentlywith a thin screwdriver blade around the mounting flange.The steps are indexed right and left. The notched side of thestep faces the carbody. Remove the interior seating from theunderframe along with the steel weights. Remove the trucksand disconnect the lighting wiring. Do not lose the thin brasstruck washers.Mar/Apr ’09 - O Scale Trains • 39

Next, remove the lighting assembly from the roof. The wiresunplug from the gray contact connector and from clips on oneend. Pull off the gray connector, taking care not to lose thecontact springs. Leave the reflector tape in place. Remove thecar ends from the body. These may be a tight fit as they slideout of grooves in the car sides. Use care when pulling themfree. The underside roof end pieces can stay in place.Remove all of the car’s window glazing. If one is damagedit can be easily replaced. Replacements for the green glazingmay be more difficult to find. The coach is now ready formodification work (Photo 3).3Next, cement shims made from 0.010” thick styrene toeach side of the piece. These shims will replace the materialthe saw kerf removed. After the cement dries, be sure to trimand notch the shims on each side to match the part’s profile.Check the fit and, if necessary, lightly sand each side evenlyfor a snug fit. Cement the part back in place on the underbody,being sure it is even on the top side. I found it best towork and finish each step one at a time. To stiffen the ends,I added centersill beams made from 3/32” x 3/16” styrenestrip. They are located so their centers line up with the nutdetail on the end sills. These bolts represent the ends of theinner truss rods on a prototype car (Photo 5).5The Car StepsThe first order of business is to relocate the car steps 3/16”inward on each side. To move them in, use a fine-toothedrazor saw and cut 1/2” further in at each side of the steprecess on the underframe. Use a drawing motion with thesaw; do not push. Score a deep, straight line on the undersidebetween these cuts, making several passes with a fresh singleedgedrazor blade. Be sure all cuts are square and true. Snapoff the car step mounting area and smooth the cut surfaceswith a file or fine emery paper. Trim 3/16” from the inneredge of the broken-off piece. This cut should be about 1/32”from the step mounting boss (Photo 4).4Two pieces of 0.060” scribed styrene 0.020” thick werecut to 1-19/32” long and 17/32” wide (9 boards) and sandedon the back until they were reduced to 0.015”or a bit less inthickness. These were cemented to the top of the smooth platformto better represent a wood deck (Photo 6). I used someAthearn drop style grabirons on the end sills. Brass wire of0.022” or 0.025” diameter can also be used. Figure A showsthe dimensions for the grabirons. Figure B, from the CarBuilder’s Cyclopedia, shows the location and dimensions forthese on the coach.6Figure A40 • O Scale Trains - Mar/Apr ’09

Figure BThe UnderframeThe square box-like brake cylinder was pulled off theunderframe and replaced with an All Nation passenger brakecylinder. The large box with the wood detail was removedand its mounting bosses were cut down to the side sill height.An All Nation passenger UC brake control valve was cementedbetween those bosses.Next, the truss rods were bent so their angles would be atthe queen posts and not some point beyond. The center ofeach truss rod was fitted with a 5/32” long piece of wire insulationslipped over it to represent the turnbuckle. All of thesewere secured in place with CA (Photo 7).7This model does not have a generator and battery box.While these old B&O coaches had electric lighting, they didnot have generators or battery boxes. Running in three to fivecar trains with a mile or less between stops, the locomotive’sgenerator supplied the lighting needs at night.The Car Ends And SidesWith the steps relocated, the ends must now be filled in ateach lower corner to close the resulting gaps. Pieces of 3/32”thick styrene were used with overlays of 0.020” thick, 0.060”scribed styrene sheet. They are matched to the car siding asbest as possible. Door thresholds made from a piece of 1/32”x 3/64” styrene strip were notched to fit along the lower edgeof the door. They fill the gap between the scribed platformdeck and car door bottom.Since the Coal and Coke car did not have end windows,the end windows were filled in with pieces of 3/32” thick styreneand more 0.020” thick by 0.060” spaced scribed overlays.This matches the thickness of the car end (Photo 8).8The Coal and Cokecoaches had arched sidewindows at each end. Tomake them, drill two 1/2”diameter holes in a piece of3/32” thick styrene sheet.It took several changes ofbits, each a little larger thanthe other and drilling byhand to keep from ruiningthe styrene.The drilled holes arecut to make four half-round arched sections. Each sectionis then trimmed to fit a window opening. The bar in eachend window was cut out and the arched piece is cementedin its place. A 3/32” x 3/32” styrene strip was fitted over thetop of the lower window sash of each side’s end windowsto shorten them. A 0.020” thick by 0.060” scribed overlay3/32” wide was cemented below it over the original lowersash. A small strip of 1/32” x 3/64” styrene was added for thewindow sill (Photo 9).9The Car RoofMore details were applied to the car roof. Small roundvents from Keil Line were installed over the arched windowsat each right-end of the car. Two ladder stays were made from0.022” diameter brass wire and installed on the lower part ofthe roof at each right end. Figure C is not scaled; so followthe dimensions shown. Drip rails, made from 1/32” x 3/64”styrene strip with one edge rounded off, were cemented toMar/Apr ’09 - O Scale Trains • 41

Figure C10the roof at each end. These details were brush-painted withPolyScale Engine Black, which reasonably matches the MTHroof paint.Conductor’s Brake ValveA conductor’s brake valve was added on one end platform.It is located at the left end of the side where the UC valve ison the underbody. the valve is made from 0.028” diameterbrass wire with a handle of 0.019” diameter wire flattened,wrapped and soldered to it and then bent (Figure D).Figure DPaintingNow the car is ready for paint and new lettering. The car’sold lettering was rubbed with fine emery paper and steelwool to remove as much of it as possible. The car has ratherdeeply “grained” wood siding, so it is difficult to remove allof it. The parts to be painted were cleaned to remove dust,fingerprints and bits of styrene. Glued joints were checkedover and cleaned up if needed. The underbody and truckswere airbrushed with a coat of Floquil’s Engine Black andGrimy Black in a 50/50 mix. This lightens the Engine Blackand avoids the bluish hue that Grimy Black sometimes showsin photos. Once dry, the underbody was wrapped in newspaperand masked to cover the black areas, so the end sillsand platforms could be painted green. The black areas ofthe roof were masked since the sides of the clerestory willbe the body color of the car. Masking tape was also appliedinside to cover the clerestory and coach windows (Photo 10).A piece of rolled newspaper stuffed into the clerestory roofcovered the light reflector strip. Floquil’s current shade ofPullman Green is reasonably close to the B&O’s coach/olivegreen which the SIRT also used. The car steps, ends, bodyand underbody platform ends were given two light airbrushed42 • O Scale Trains - Mar/Apr ’09coats about an hour apart. I brush painted the brake wheels,end sill grab irons and platform railings PolyScale EngineBlack, along with the conductor’s brake valve.Between coats, the interior seating piece was airbrushedwith Floquil’s New York Central Dark Gray. Micro-Mark hasreplacement paint bottles with caps that match the Badgerairbrush. They make changing colors much easier when airbrushing.LetteringAfter drying for a day or two, the masked car sides andends were given a spray of Glosscote in preparation for letteringwith Champ’s “Dulux Gold” alphabet decal sets. Carnumbers for the ends and the sides were done with 3/32”Express and 5/32” Railroad Roman respectively. The roadname is 1/8” Chelsea. While Champ’s Chelsea lettering israther heavy-looking, it’s as close as I could get to a B&O/SIRT font. The corners of each E, L, and T were trimmed andthe E’s center tail tweaked to more closely match SIRT lettering.Champ’s decal setting solution was used to bed down thelettering. Air bubbles, showing under the decals as whitishspots, were poked with a pin and a bit more setting solutionwas applied.After drying overnight, the lettering was wiped with adamp cloth to remove any remaining decal glue. When dry,another spray of Glosscote was applied to seal them. The nextday, several light sprays of Dullcote were applied, to furtherseal the decals and to dull the shiny MTH roof. Paint anddecal work was also detailed in an article on painting and letteringa B&O baggage car (OST #20, May/June 2005).After removing the masking materials, the clerestory glazingstrips were matched and reinstalled in their original locationswith drops of CA.The clear MTH window glazing was replaced with 0.015”thick clear styrene. Frosted window areas were made by rubbingthe inside surface of the glazing with fine emery paper.Use an up and down, then side to side motion first. Dust it offand then rub it again in a circular motion. This makes a uniform,frosted glass look when seen from the outside. The glazingwas glued in place along with window shades cut fromblack ribbon, using Walthers Goo with a Micro-tip. Take carethat the glue will not show in a window! Shade heights canbe varied if they are cut to one, two or three window widthsbefore cementing in place.ReassemblyWhen inserting the car ends, be sure to scrape off anypaint that may be on the tapered flanges that slide into the carsides. These ends fit very tightly. Reinstall the light strip in theroof and fit the wiring into the slots on the car end. Plug thewire into the connector and then slide the connector onto itspost. The brass spring contacts face the car floor. Attach the

weights and the interior to the underframe. When attachingthe trucks, scrape off any paint on the bolster and the contactarea on the truck. Be sure the thin brass washer is in placeover the truck’s mounting boss.Because MTH screws trucks on from inside the car, be surethat they are tight. The screws could work loose and a truckcould possibly come off. Fixing that will require disassemblingthe car.Attach the couplers and the car steps. My car came withcoupler shims and self-tapping screws hidden in a compartmentof the packing. These shims were sanded down to getthe coupler at the correct height. The self-tapping screwswere replaced with brass 2-56 machine screws cut to thecorrect length. Self-tapping screws can eventually strip thethreaded hole in the plastic underbody.When installing the steps, it helps to clean out any paintfrom inside the mounting hole with the tip of a rattail needlefile. That way, they should fit over the boss on the underbodywithout undue force. Be sure the notched side of the stepfaces the carbody. Put in the attaching screws. Finally, thecoach body is mounted to the underframe. Take care here; itonly fits one way. When securing the body screws, be surethey turn into place without cutting new threads. Otherwisethey could strip the plastic mounting posts.A Few More DetailsSteam lines on older cars like this were hoses. These aremodeled with short pieces of #20 black insulated wires. Acollar of larger insulation was put on one end to represent thecoupling union. The safety chains were made from a pieceof discarded costume jewelry. It had flat links that scaled6” long. Pull-type uncoupling rods were made from 0.019”diameter brass wire fashioned to look like those sometimesfound on cars like this. Pieces of 0.015” x 0.060” brass stripare used for the uncoupling rod support. The coupler endis fitted to wrap around the Kadee® box. Figure E is not toFigure EFigure FOne end link of the chain was slightly squeezed with pliersand attached to the underbody with a cut-off straight pinand a drop of CA. These details were brush painted with theFloquil 50/50 black mix. A specific detail for the SIRT is theelectrical jumper cable for the locomotive powered car lightingthat hangs from the roof at each end. MTH’s roof detailingrepresents Pintsch gas piping for car lights. It can alsorepresent electrical conduits. The jumpers are made from finestranded insulated wire with a short piece of larger insulationapplied at one end for a plug. Clamps made from 0.022”diameter brass wire hold them in place at the roof ends(Photo 11).11scale. Follow the dimensions and bend the rod to fit the location.Small pieces of 3/32” styrene were cemented betweenthe steps and coupler box on each side to provide a place forattaching these parts.The steam line and air hoses are attached closest to thecoupler. The steam lines are #20 stranded, black insulatedwires. One end of the insulation was cut back about 1/8” andtinned with solder. This end was bent and fitted into a hole inthe pad on the left side of the coupler, then formed and cutto the proper length. A snippet of larger insulation was fittedas a collar to represent the coupling union. Two cast brass airhoses were similarly attached to the right side of the coupler.The safety chains have four links on the right side of the couplerand three on the left side, with a hook on the end madefrom 0.030” diameter brass wire. (See Figure F.)The Staten Island Rapid Transit had high-level platformsat all stations since 1884. The 50 open-platform cars weremodified for that with trap plates and gates. On this model,the trap plates are made of thin styrene sheet painted Pullmangreen and applied over the step openings (Photo 12). Foursafety gates were made from 0.015” x 0.060” brass strip forthe top and bottom. Holes for 0.022” brass wire were spaced1/8”apart from the outer end. The inner ends were drilled0.028” (a #70 bit) and cut to make slots for the gate to fit ontothe handrail. The vertical rods were fitted, soldered in placeand trimmed to length, as shown in Figure G.The safety gates were painted PolyScale Engine Black.These trap plates and gates are fitted so they could be easilyremoved if no longer wanted. With a different look and iden-Mar/Apr ’09 - O Scale Trains • 43

into their attachment holes in the bottom of the car. I also leftoff the eyelets that MTH used. This looked much better to meand was more pleasing. Photo 13 shows the differences fromstart to finish.Figure Gtity, this old coach is back in service.At this point I thought I was finished but the more I lookedat the coach the more those low hanging truss rods buggedme. The Long Island prototype and the car I was modelingfor the SIRT both had truss rods that were much closer to theunderframe.I pulled off the rods and cut back all eight of the plasticqueen posts by about half. With a small file, I cut a shallowgroove into the cut ends of each queen post. Then I rebentthe truss rods to fit back over the shortened queen posts andMaterials, Supplies and Tools:Liquid cement for styreneCA glueWalthers Goo and Micro-Tips0.015” clear styrene sheet for replacement window glazingBlack ribbon 1/2” to 3/4” wide – window shades0.010” white sheet styrene - shims0.020” white sheet styrene, scribed .060”3/32” styrene sheet1/32” x 3/64” styrene strip3/16” x 3/8” styrene strip0.019”, 0.022” or 0.025”, 0.028” and 0.030” diameter brasswire0.015” x 0.060” brass stripFour Grandt Line 1/16” diameter nut/bolt/washer detailsFour air hose detail partsPassenger type brake cylinder with slack adjuster extensionPassenger type air brake valve2” of 20 AWG wire with black insulation, for steam hoses14 links of chain with links no more than 1/8” or less than3/32” long for car end safety chainsFour straight pins for fastening safety chains to underbodyFloquil Pullman Green, Engine Black and Grimy BlackPoly Scale Engine BlackSpare bottle for mixing and storing paintTestors GlosscoteTestors DullcoteSingle edge razor bladesFine toothed razor sawFiles, emery paper, sandpaper, 000 steel woolNo. 74, No. 72 and No. 70 drills (0.022”, 0.025” and 0.028”dia.)Pin viseDrill bits up to ½” diameterPhillips head screwdriversFlat blade screwdriversTweezersEmpty egg carton or other storage for small parts44 • O Scale Trains - Mar/Apr ’09

East GaryCar Co.Dept OST3828 St. Joseph CtLake Station IN 46405They’re Back!Former Indianapolis Car Company sidesare now available from new tooling.Parts #100 & #200$3.00 eachOST 03-09 1/9/09 1:07 PM Page 1Orders under $50 please add $4.50 for postage andhandling. SASE for updated list.Your source for:Motive power, rolling stockand structure plans(since 1975)Quik-Signs sign setsScale industry directoryPaper Creek ModelsSend $2.00 for catalogUnderground Railway PressP.O. Box 814OSBrevard, NC 28712-0814Get our BIG catalogof tools and supplies forthe railroad modeler!T H E S M A L L T O O L S P E C I A L I S T S1-800-225-1066$4Shop On-Line: www.micromark.com– a $ 4 00 value –yoursFREEif you mentioncode 3600when calling...1-800-225-10669am – 5pm ETMonday thru Friday© 2008 Gorilla Glue Company SG6HD2FOR THE TOUGHEST JOBS ON PLANET EARTH. ®1-800-966-3458 WWW.GORILLATOUGH.COMPro Patria Mill...from Rico, Co, On30/On3/O scalelaser cut wood, tons of strip wood, over 400 parts, 800 bits of stripwood.... you get theidea, a lot of hobby building enjoyment..bmw-137 O shipping now!$975.00footprint: 48” wide, 30” deep, 30” tall...it’s big!!..more info on our web site or write fora product flyer....limited run numbered kits. only 36 O scale kitsbanta modelworks421 hopkins road, dummerston, VT05301, add $10 for shippingorder line 800.653.8214bs line 802.258.3869Little CreekDepotOn30/On3/O scale#6122....$110.00Includes everythingyou see includingthe baggagewagon, workbench in back,station benches,barrels crates,milk cans, tools,semaphore,lamps, signs, etc. Less figures and pumpkins!(scenery items like ground cover and trees not included)www.bantamodelworks.comMar/Apr ’09 - O Scale Trains • 45

Buy⁄Sell⁄TradeAOCC*Gem PRR B6 0-6-0, C/P or N/P, OB.................................................$575.00WSM PRR J1a, 2-10-4, C/P, OB...................................................$1, 550.00WSM PRR M1, 4-8-2, C/P, Nice, OB............................................$1, 150.00USH NYC De-Streamlined 4-6-4, C/P, Ex.OB.............................$1, 275.00USH C&O 2-8-4, C/P, Runs good, OB.........................................$ 1, 275.00USH PRR M1a, 4-8-2, C/P, OB....................................................$ 1, 175.00MG NYC J3a, C/P, NOB From Tony Ambrose............................$1, 395.00OM N&W Y3a, 2-8-8-2, C/P VGN, DCC, OB.............................$ 2, 250.00USH NYC S1b, 4-8-4, C/P, OB.....................................................$ 1, 250.00MG PRR J, 2-10-4, C/P, Icken Gears, NOB.................................$1, 895.00USH NYC H10, 2-8-2, Mint, N/P, NOB........................................$1, 275.00USH PRR L1, 2-8-2, N/P, LN, NOB..............................................$1, 175.00Gem PRR A5 0-4-0, C/P, NOB..........................................................$ 575.00Atlas EMD GP9, F/P UP, OB.............................................................$250.00OM N&W C630 High Hood, FM Trucks, New, OB....................$1, 195.00OM SD70M Demo, F/P, LN, OB...................................................$1, 750.00USH B&O C16a, 0-4-0, C/P, OB......................................................$ 675.00Jim HackworthMODEL TRAINS(and Subsidiary JH Consulting)2631 Edgevale Road, Columbus OH 43221-1113Phone: 614-4514517 Fax: 6144514557Email: jhmtrains@msn.com • Web: www.jhmtrains.comConsignmentsAOCC*Joe Fisher?? PRR R50b Express Reefer..........................................$200.00OM PRR PAPB Set, Late Run, F/P, New.....................................$2, 875.00PRB 60’ Greenville Boxcar, F/P N&W, LN, OB..............................$249.00USH #506 2-Bay Hopper, N/P, OB....................................................$125.00OM ATSF Erie Built ‘B’Unit, F/P, New............................................$899.00OM#0626.1 ATSF SD75M, F/P, OB..............................................$1, 750.00Scale Mod Ind Roundhouse Kit........................................................$195.00PRB 60’ Greenville Boxcar, F/P GT, New........................................$ 295.00Atlas EMD F2/3, AB Set, Both Pwd, F/P SRR, OB.........................$650.00OM 89’ TTX Flat, C/P TTX Yellow, LN, OB...................................$275.00USH PRR N5 Caboose, New w/Trucks, N/P, OB.............................$250.00OM PS2-CD Covered Hopper, C/P ATSF, OB, LN.........................$319.00PRB SP Gunderson D.Stack Set, LN, OB....................................$1, 395.00Sunnyside PRR N5c Caboose, N/P, OB ...........................................$309.00MG PRR N8 Caboose, N/P, NOB......................................................$250.00Alco PRR N6a, C/P or N/P........................................................$each 225.00Layaway Available46 • O Scale Trains - Mar/Apr ’09*All Offers Cordially ConsideredLSASE for Complete ListShipping 6% - $6.95 Min., $15.00 MaxOhio Residents Add 6.75% Sales Tax

NEWS: Laser-cut Architectural Materials; MSRP: $9.99 &$12.99 eachModel Tech Studios, PO Box 1497, N. Hampton NH 03682603-964-5995 • www.modeltechstudios.comModel Tech Studios has begunproducing a new line of architecturalmaterials whichare essentiallylaser engravedwood sheets.They sent us asample of a bricksheet painted andweathered, aswell as a sampleof a cut blockwall and heavilyworn and weatheredsiding. Available on theModel Tech website isa sheet of old, worn,cracked concrete sidewalk,also etched intowood.The idea behind theseengraved sheets is to save time making structures by nothaving to laminate materials to backer sheets to get thelook of brick, stone, etc.The O Scale brick, stone and siding sheets are 6” x24” and cost $12.99 per sheet. The sidewalk sets provide30 linear inches of material and sell for $9.99 per sheet.Model Tech Studios will be producing more of these uniqueproducts during 2009.NEWS: Kit #O214, The Auto Dealer Relief; MSRP: $49.95DSL Shops, 630-858-1803 • www.dslshops.comThis new kit is a circa 1920-30 brick auto dealer in relief.It is made from cast urethane that must be cleaned, paintedand assembled. It features pre-cut dealer signs and pre-coloreddealer sign pieces, plus other paper signs. The finished buildingis 13-3/8" wide by 3-3/8" deep by 5-5/8" high. See your localhobby dealer first, or contact DSL Shops at [dsl@dslshops.com], 630-858-1803.NEWS: 2-Rail Converted GENERAL 4-4-0; MSRP: $1499.95SMR Trains, PO Box 753, Mount Laurel, NJ 08054Email: dave@smrtrains.comIt’s not often that folks can get a second chance to own asellout! When SMR’s ground-breaking, fully decorated, allbrassmodel of the famous Civil War locomotive the GEN-ERAL was introduced, only 25 2-Rail models were made.These sold out immediately and no resale of this popularengine has been noted to date.Now SMR has contracted the original Korean builderof their Civil War era locomotive to convert a total of 18remaining models from 3-Rail to 2-Rail operation. Withthese additional models the number produced will still bejust 43 pieces total!The conversion will consist of replacing the 3-railwheels, pickups and other electronics, with all new wheelsand drivers, having RP25 flanges and profile with newwring and insulation for 2-Rail. The revised model will alsofeature a real wood load to replace the original castingalong with additional weight. Of course, everything will befully decorated with SMR’s super-detailed, museum-authenticated,12-color paint scheme.The additional 2-Rail GENERALs are expected thisspring. Price is just $1499.95, delivered. A refundabledeposit of $100 is required to hold your model. Becausethis is an extremely limited, special release, it is expectedthat these models will sell out quickly.Contact SMR directly by email to dave@smrtrains.com orwrite to SMR Trains, PO Box 753, Mount Laurel, NJ 08054.NEWS: Autumn Colors In The Northeast, Fall Foliage seriesfrom SceniKing.BPH Enterprises, 4 Palmer Drive, Barrie, ON L4M 9V4Canada.705-739-4878 •www.sceniking.comNow shipping to dealers, the Fall Foliage Series fromSceniKing creates new, longer images in all scales from Nto G. The full line of 104 SceniKing photo backdrop kitsare printed as individual panels on 8-1/2” x 14” 24-poundpaper. Careful assembly using the manufacturer’s instructionscan create a seamless image.Package #R028 Autumn Treeline provides 9-1/2 feet ofbrilliant fall foliage for O and S scales, and connects with#U029 Autumn Camp, to add 9-1/2 feet more. These kitssell for $49.95 each.SceniKing photo backdrop kits are available throughauthorized dealers or direct from BPH Enterprises.Mar/Apr ’09 - O Scale Trains • 47

NEWS: Evans Gondola Kit #19201; MSRP: $99.95BTS, RR1 Box 141A, Belington WV 26250304-823-3729 • www.btsrr.comIn 1975, the Southern Iron and Equipment Co. (SIECO)started building a 52'-6", 100-ton gondola. Evans took overSIECO and continued building the cars through December1981. A total of 1,730 cars were built with three minor bodyvariations. This model represents the second and the mostcommon version.The unpainted kit consists of a one-piece body andframe casting made of high quality, no-odor urethane, hiddenweight along with brass and white metal brake components.Assembly is easy using CA or epoxy. Decals, trucks,and couplers not included. Decals for the Evans Gondolaare available for Maine Central, #12720, for $7.95 and forCNW, #12721, for $5.95.REVIEW: Franktown Water Tank #VTFTWT: MSRP: $79.95Wiseman Model Services, 627 Cedar Lake, Ewing, KY 41039606-267-3466 • www.locopainter.comReviewed by Joe GiannovarioThe PrototypeThis unusual square water tower serviced the Virginia &Truckee Railroad at Franktown, Nevada in the Washoe Valley.The tank stood until late 1983 when it was lowered tothe ground because it had become unstable. A two-thirdssized replica can be seen at the Nevada State RailroadMuseum [www.nsrm-friends.org/nsrm88.html].The KitThis kit consists of a cast resin base, tank, roof; a bag ofpre-cut wood parts, and a bag of soft white metal castings,plus plans and instructions.AssemblyI read all the instructions before assembly and familiarizedmyself with the various parts. The instructions notethat the roof fits on the tank only one way and is markedwith an "F" on the underside. I could not find the mark, nordid it seem to matter which way the roof sat on the tank.All of the cast parts were examined for flash and cleanedup accordingly. I noted a strong odor, almost like kerosene,coming from the resin castings. This odor was presentwhenever I sanded or cut the resin.I test fitted the roof to the tank body and noted that thetop of the tank casting was not level. The only way to geta level top surface was to either saw off the excess resin ormachine it off, as simply filing it off would take forever. Iopted to machine it off using a Dremel rotary tool in a verticaltool holder. I could have used a table saw but it wouldhave taken longer to set that up. The resin machined easilyand the tank body was level in no time. I then followed theinstructions for assembly. I used CA glue for almost all ofthe assembly.Since the V&T was a standard gauge railroad, I figuredthe tank would be okay for use on the OST Coal CreekRwy. layout. Oops! Nope. The Franktown tank was usedwith standard gauge locomotives, yes, but they were rathersmall. The assembled tank has a height more appropriatefor On30/On3 locomotives. So, I modified the model byadding an extra four scale feet (1") to the bottom of the tankbase which I then covered with Plastruct masonry sheet.Had I really thought about it before I started, I would havecut new, longer tank supports.Getting back to the roof, I fitted soffits of 2x6 styrene tothe lip on the under side of the roof. I then glued additional0.040" styrene strips to the inside edges of the soffits. Thisallowed the roof to slip down over the tank body and sitcentered on the body.The only other area that gave me some trouble was settingthe tank on the supports. It’s very difficult to get all thesupports to line up with the notches in the tank base. So Iused a Dremel tool and opened up all of the notches a bitexcept at the four corners of the tank. I set the tank downon the supports making sure it was supported at the fourcorners and was both level and square with the base. Ithen used a polyurethane cement to attach the tank to thesupports. The cement foams slightly and expands as it sets,filling any voids in the machined out notches. This workedout very well.I chose not to install the water spout and mechanism asthe CCR likes to use water plugs. The frost box on the prototypecame out of the back of the tank. I installed a newfrost box down the center of the tank into the base (justbarely visible in the photo).I painted the tank with a combination of Floquil RailBrown on all the wooden parts and acrylic craft paint onthe rest of the tank parts.ConclusionsThe kit was easy to assemble and paint. It only tookabout 6 hours of work total and builds into a unique watertank. My only real issue was having to machine off the topof the tank body. For $80, I think the manufacturer shouldmake sure the top is level before it goes in the box.If you need a water tank for a narrow gauge railroad orjust want something different, this might be what you arelooking for.48 • O Scale Trains - Mar/Apr ’09

REVIEW: Canadian Pacific 4-4-4 Jubilee, 2-Rail w/o sound;MSRP: $995.Weaver Models, PO Box 231, Northumberland PA 17857570-473-9434 • www.weavermodels.comReviewed by Joe GiannovarioThe PrototypeThe Canadian Pacific built two series of 4-4-4 Jubilee locomotives.The first series of five built in 1936, designated F2a,had 80” drivers and the main rod was connected to the firstset of drivers as if it were a 4-4-0 American. The second seriesconsisted of 20 locomotives designated F1a and numbered from2910-2929. These F1a engines, built in 1938, had 75” driversand were lighter in weight than the F2a class.The F1a engines were designed for lightweight streamlinedintercity passenger service which never materialized. They werethen assigned to secondary local passenger service on the prairiesand in eastern Canada. One photo I found online showedan F1a pulling a string of three heavyweight passenger cars.Locomotive #2929 was known to have operated betweenMontreal and Ottawa in 1957 and as late as 1958 betweenMontreal and Farnham, Ontario. The 2929 was sold in 1959to American entrepreneur F. Nelson Blount who founded theoriginal Steamtown in New Hampshire. The 2929 resides inthe current Steamtown outside of Allentown, Pa. One other F1aexists at the Canadian Railway Museum in Delton, Quebec. Noexamples of an F2a exist. More information about the Jubileeclass can be found online at [http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/steamtown/shs3h.htm].The ModelWeaver has produced a brass model of the F1a Jubilee. Themodel sent for review was painted, lettered and numbered2929. Weaver also offers number 2928. A certificate was includedwith the model that indicated only 70 2-Rail models havebeen made. The model is constructed in the manner typical ofimported brass locomotives: a formed brass boiler, cab and tenderwith assorted cast brass fittings. The model was assemblednicely and the finish was flawless. The model has lighted classlamps, headlight and backup light. The headlight and backuplight are directional.FidelityUpon removal from its packing, the valve gear rods wereobserved to be bent, as were the hangers. I was able to bendthem back in shape with my fingers. The rods seem to be madeof soft plated brass. I would prefer the rods and valve gear bemade of harder material like Nickel Silver. The main rod andeccentric are held in place witha slotted screw. A hex headscrew would have been betterlooking. Other than these twoitems, the model looks verynice.I located plans for the F1ain the December 1963 issueof Model Railroader. I checkedall the major dimensions andfound only a few discrepancies.The most notable difference isthe lead truck wheel diameter.They should be 33” but measureout at 29”on the model. Thelead truck wheelbase was alsoextended on the model by 4 scale inches. I presume this wasdone to permit operation on sharp curves for the 3-Rail versions.Nevertheless, the overall length of the locomotive and the drivingwheelbase is not compromised. For those who object to thesmaller diameter wheels, they can be replaced. I also noted thatthe boiler diameter is a scale foot too wide but it is not reallynoticeable. The color of the cab window frame, which shouldhave been Tuscan Red, was near fuscia. The tuscan panel onthe tender seemed a tad too long in both directions. The formeris fixable, the latter is not. The air pipes on the air tank over thelead truck are missing but are an easy addition to make. Lastly, Inoted the tender has markings indicating a 7000 gallon capacitywhile both the drawing and online references indicate 7700gallons. Also, the drawing shows 12 tons of coal marked on thetender while the model has no notation for coal.CompatibilityAll the wheels and drivers checked out against an NMRAO Scale Standards Gage. Since this is a DC-only model it willoperate with other DC-only locomotives. Because of the verylow starting voltage, it will not run well with Dual-mode DCCor DCS engines in DC mode. The tender came equipped with aKadee® compatible scale coupler.PerformanceThe test model was 2-Rail DC without sound. The engineweighed four lbs. exactly and the tender weighed 1.5 lbs. Themodel started moving with no load at 1.7 Volts and 300mA.The speed was steady at five scale miles per hour. With nine OScale freight cars attached (approx. nine lbs.) the current draw atthe same voltage was 400mA on level track. However, with thenine cars attached, the engine could not pull the train up a 3+%grade. I reduced the number of cars from nine to eight and thento seven before it would take the train up the grade with a greatdeal of slipping.I suspected the model suffered from low engine weightbecause of the lack of a smoke unit in the boiler as did the CPEmpress I tested earlier (OST #37, pg 58), so I grabbed a chunkof Tungsten from my workbench and taped it on the boiler overthe center of the drivers. This extra 6.5 ounces made a huge differencein performance and the locomotive climbed the gradewith no problem drawing 700mA.ConclusionsThis is a very nice model of an unusual wheel arrangementspecific to the Canadian Pacific Railway. Nonetheless, it's niceto see small steam locomotives on the market. It runs smoothlyand quietly but I would strongly recommend adding extraweight to this engine if it's purchased without sound and smoke.Mar/Apr ’09 - O Scale Trains • 49

Review: MTH GE Dash 8-40C w/Scale Wheelsets; MSRP: $449.95MTH Electric Trains, 7020 Columbia Gateway Dr, Columbia, MD 21046www.mthtrains.comReviewed by Gene Clements & Joe GiannovarioThe PrototypeProduced by General Electric, the first production Dash 8 modelswent to the Union Pacific as 9100 series in December of 1987.Although similar in carbody design to the C-39-8, the cab wasraised sufficiently to match the hood contours over the dynamicbrake apparatus resulting in a smooth roof design. Originally producedwith the GE standard cab and low nose, later productionunits were equipped with the wide North American style cab andcarried a (W) designation for Wide Cab. The unit’s identificationstands for Dash 8, 1980’s improved electronics and features, whichincluded the primary dynamic brake grids enclosed in an enlargedbox over the brake blower fan mounted at the cab end of theprime mover. 40 stands for 4,000 H.P. plus and the “C” stands for6 powered axles.The ModelThis is not the MTH 2-Rail model from the 1990s. Althoughthis locomotive has a plastic body and metal frame as used before,the quality and detail is much improved. Twin vertical can motorspower the unit. The die-cast fuel tank houses the speaker for thesound system and brings the weight in at 7 lbs. 4 ozs. This weightproduces excellent tractive effort. Without scale plans to checkmeasurements, the unit is a scale 71’ 6” over the face of theKadee® couplers. It is a scale 10’ wide and stands 15’ 6” from therail top to the roof of the cab.The unit is factory equipped with Proto-Sound 2.0, a variablesmoke unit, operating headlights, flashing ditch lights and scalewheels with fixed front and rear pilots. The unit is also available in3-Rail and unpowered versions. Other road names include CSX,C&NW and Norfolk Southern.FidelityThe unit was painted in Union Pacific colors, lettered andnumbered correctly. The paintwork is sharp and crisp down tothe warning placards on the long hood. Grab irons, stanchionsand safety railings all appear to be installed per prototype photos.Additional details included coupler lift levers, m.u. hoses and cabcrew. The pilots accept Kadee No. 806 coupler boxes which areattached with two machine screws supplied with the engine. Anincluded snowplow also attaches to the front pilot in the samemanner.A word about the sound: a couple of days after this unit arrivedand had been through its paces, I caught a trip with BNSF #863,a Dash 8-40CW built in 1992. The idle of the 8-40 is distinctive;without knowing better, you’d swear a couple of the pistons wereswapping cylinders as the prime mover idles. After returninghome, I ran the MTH 8-40 again and can say it sounds like thereal thing.Compatibility (Joe Giannovario)I checked all the wheels with the NMRA O Scale standardsgage. All the wheelsets passed. Once installed, the scale couplerswere at the correct height without the need for shimming.PerformanceI tested the unit on a conventional DC system while Joe testedboth DC and DCS systems. Our results are:Gene’s Comments - The unit was operated using a StarrTech “Hogger” DC throttle. The sound system turns on and goesthrough start-up at 4 volts. At 5 to 6 volts the headlights illuminateand at 7+ volts (@ 200mA) the unit will start to move. At standardspeed on my layout (30-40 smph) the unit drew 12 volts at 55%throttle. At 90% plus throttle this unit will move an estimated 60+smph.Once the sound system goes through start-up, the primemover revs up with the increase of power; likewise it throttlesdown as power is decreased until you stop and the sound systemreturns to idle. Once stopped with the throttle off, the batterybackup keeps the sound system active in idle for about 30 seconds.Then the sound system cycles through shutdown and turnsoff. The sound system is not playable or adjustable in DC mode,with the exception of the volume control located underneath theradiator housing. Since MTH’s DCS system is proprietary, you willneed to use it to enjoy the full effects of the sound system.In testing on level track the engine reached 28 ozs. of drawbarpull prior to wheel slip.As everyone knows who reads my writings, I like to run multiplepowered units in consist. I operated the 8-40C with an MTHSD70ACe and other conventional DC Diesels without onboardelectronics. MU’d with the 70ACe, the two ran together as a teambut the electronics seemed to compete with each other. Operatingwith non-electronic units, these engines tended to push orpull the 8-40C simply because of the electronics’ power requirements.Operating as a single unit or with a dummy yielded goodresults.Joe’s Comments - The slowest speed in DCS mode was 2.5smph. Since this is a road engine, not a switcher, this is quiteacceptable. In DC mode the slowest smooth speed attainable was4.3 scale mph which is a bit on the high side. The power draw atthis speed was 9.8 Volts and 400mA. Under a full load using my12 standard freight cars, the locomotive drew 800 mA at 12 Voltson grade.ConclusionsIt is obvious from just viewing the model that MTH has beenlistening to its customer base. Forthose of you like me who ownMTH 2-Rail Diesels from the1990s, you will be impressed bythe attention to detail and effortsto improve their products in orderto compete in the O Scale marketplace.As Joe noted in his Observationsfrom issue 41, Nov/Dec 2008,MTH plans to have DCC compatiblelocomotives out in the fourthquarter of 2009. I, for one, will belooking forward to those productsbecause when our hobby supplierslisten, the consumers win.50 • O Scale Trains - Mar/Apr ’09

Product Review: Standard O and P48 passenger car trucks.;MSRP, $150Wasatch Model Company, PO Box 5669, Vernon Hills, IL60061847-833-5862 • www.wasatchmodel.comReviewed by Mike CougillThe PrototypeLightweight passenger car technology came onto the railroadscene quickly in the pre and post-War eras, along withnew designs for four wheel trucks. According to an articleby Pat Wider in the Railroad Prototype Cyclopedia’s Vol. 6,unlike freight car trucks, there really wasn’t a widely acceptedway of classifying lightweight passenger trucks. Truck designswere all over the map due to the variety of manufacturerswho were competing for the business. The Pullman Companycame up with a descriptive system of numbers and lettersthat identified most of the trucks in use with their cars, but itis complicated to remember and use. For a more technicalexplanation of the details of the prototype’s truck designs andfeatures, I refer all of you gentlereaders to Pat’s article.The ModelRoger Lewis of Wasatch ModelCompany is producing lightweightpassenger car trucks based on theSouthern Pacific’s 1939 prototypedesigns. The trucks are availablewith either Standard O (1-1/4”gauge, .145 wheels) or P48 wheelsets.The P48 version also has acorrectly scaled bolster, which is3-1/2 inches narrower than theStandard O trucks. Two confessionsare in order immediately. Iknow next to nothing about passengercar trucks and even lessabout the Southern Pacific’s passengercars and operations.Upon initial examination, theWasatch trucks look very niceindeed. They are made of heavybrass castings that feature crispdetailing, right down to the letteringon the lids of the journalboxes. I was able to read most ofthis tiny lettering with the help of astrong magnifying glass, althoughsome of it was obscured by thepaint layer. The triple bolsterdesign of the prototype is nicelyrepresented on the model alongwith the brake hangers and otherdetails. Overall, the workmanshipwas excellent and very clean. Thewheelbase scaled out correctlyat 8’-6” and the unpainted nickelsilver wheels are insulated for tworail operation. Both versions featureda Spicer Positive GeneratorDrive unit that was mounted to one axle. These power extractionunits were typically mounted on the inboard axle closestto the body-mounted generator. My preproduction samplesalso included a casting for the generator which can bemounted to the carbody and connected to the axle unit witha length of flexible rubber tubing. The axle unit slides easilyin a lateral fashion on the axle to accommodate our muchtighter than prototype curves.FidelityChecking the wheels against a P48 track gage showedthem to be right on the money. The same with the StandardO version when checked with an NMRA gage. Both trucksare fully sprung and very free rolling. Since the I&W is afreight operation, I don’t have any passenger equipment totest the trucks on. However, I took the P48 truck for a strollon the layout and it tracked well everywhere with a satisfyingclatter through the turnouts and rail joints. While I won’t bemodeling any passenger service, these trucks are a welcomeaddition for O Scalers who do. The Standard O versions areavailable from Wasatch while the P48 will be available fromProtocraft.Mar/Apr ’09 - O Scale Trains • 51

Review: Non-Derail Circuit Board #6924, 2 or 3-Rail; MSRP:$ 19.95Atlas O, LLC, 378 Florence Avenue, Hillside, NJ 07205908-687-9590 • www.atlaso.comLogging Caboose:Reviewed by Gene ClementsA new electronic board released by Atlas O is designedto insure correct current polarity when throwing switches(turnouts) for train routing. Engineered to work in eithera 2-Rail or 3-Rail application, the board will control upto two separate turnouts. The Non-Derail Circuit Board iscompatible with DC control systems and AC systems suchas TMCC/Legacy, DCS and DCC. Although designed for usein O Scale, the Non-Derail Circuit Board can be used inother popular scales.The board requires a power supply of 6-22 Volts, AC orDC. The electrical non-derail operation is provided by aDPDT 8 amp latching relay for power routing plus auxiliaryuses. Optional outputs are provided for connecting add-onaccessories such as the Atlas O Dwarf Signals to provideturnout indications or LEDs for control panel turnout indications.Additionally, the Non-Derail Circuit Board interfaceswith the Atlas O 21 st Century Signal System and CustomSignals products and signal control boards. When used in a2-Rail control system application, the non-derail board providespolarity reversing for the turnout points and closurerails or frog dependant on the type turnout being used.An additional 2-Rail feature of the board is the automaticcontrol of a reverse loop by adding separate detectionunits for the loop and its approach. Designed to workwith the Atlas O turnout motors, the board will also workwith Tortoise turnout motors and other electrically poweredturnout motors commonly used on O Scale layouts.In conclusion, rated at 8 Amps the Non-Derail CircuitBoard should handle most all O Scale locomotivesand lighted cars by providing correct power routing andimproved electrical pick-up through your turnouts. Itsability to control your turnout motors, either manually orautomatically by route selection, should ease some of theheadaches involved with wiring and dead spots on yourturnouts.A detailed wiring diagram is included with each circuitboard that shows the power hook-ups, auxiliary signalwiring, non-derail switch motor and Tortoise switch motorwiring, as well as diagrams for reverse loop wiring (2-Rail),turnout position indication,power routing andinstallation in a TMCC/DCS SC2/ AIU electricalsystem.So check out the Non-Derail Circuit Board atyour local hobby shop,Atlas O dealer or on theAtlas O website. I’m sureyou’ll find a spot whereit will be useful on yourlayout.I tend to model in spurts. There are times when I can’t getenough time at the workbench and other times when I don’tgo out there for weeks. Happily right now, I’m in a busyspurt! However, when I went to work on my current projects,I sadly discovered I couldn’t do much of anything. It seemedthat every project needed something that was back ordered.I know we all have been there and know how frustrating thatcan be. I have walked away more than once because of it.Many years ago in the mid ‘70s, I built a narrow gaugefour wheeled logging caboose for a friend. A very fun project!I always thought I would do one for myself someday.Well, recently, my friend Dan Downing and I have discussedbuilding a logging caboose or two. Both of us have becomeinterested in standard gauge modeling after our many yearsof narrow gauge modeling. As a result of this, I have beengoing through my parts bin to see what can be used for standardgauge.Among the parts I found were an old set of eight Lee Townpedestals and another half of a set. I also found a pair of P48,30” Northwest Shortline wheels, some link and pin couplers,Grandt Line brake shoes, assorted NBWs and all the thingsI’d need for an interior. Gee, I have everything needed tobuild this model and I can build it much the same way a reallogging line would by using what I had on hand. This wouldbe a nice diversion while I waited for the back orders for myother projects.After a little research, I was ready. I had enough stripwoodfrom Mt. Albert on hand; however, I needed some specialpieces, so I cut those on my table saw with a veneer blade.With my wood cut I was ready to start the assembly. Sincethis model was being built board by board, I pre-weatheredevery piece. I always try to do something new with everyproject and hopefully add a new technique to my skills.For this project I wanted a very weathered car, one wherethe paint was nearly gone! Photo 1 shows the tools andmaterials I used. Photo2 shows each step of the1process on a sample pieceof stripwood and explainshow I achieved the effect Iwanted. It is basically a 6-step process:Step 1: I grained thewood with a scriber and awire brush (shown on the52 • O Scale Trains - Mar/Apr ’09

A Diversion Model2William W. Davisfar left section of the sample piece). I don’t like using theZona saw method as I feel the graining looks to uniform to berealistic. Afterward I lightly sanded the pieces with some 400grit wet/dry sandpaper to remove the wood fuzz and softenthe graining effect a little. We all tend to overdo the grainingbecause it looks so good. That’s OK as it adds character to ourmodels. However on the other side of the coin, if you wereto take a piece of wood that had been left in the desert to besandblasted by the wind, took a picture of it and reduced thepicture to ¼” scale, that piece would look nearly smooth.Step 2: Next I dipped the wood into a home brewed mixof black shoe dye and alcohol (second segment). You can usecommercial products like Weather -It or Silverwood.Step 3: I have been using a lot more craft paints on mymodels these days. The Apple Barrel brand can be bought atWal Mart or your local arts and craft store. I feel they workwell in many applications, especially when it comes toweathering. Now, to me, the wood looked too gray. So afterit dried, I gave it a light coat of an Apple Barrel country tanwhich I rubbed in with my finger (third section). Messy, butfun. This made the wood look much better.Step 4: For the underframe, I gave the pieces a coat of asweet and sour mix and put it in my shop microwave whichmade it look like it had been creosoted. I don’t recommenddoing this in your kitchen, as your wife will kill you for messingwith the microwave. Now for the siding, I drybrushed onApple Barrel Barn Red, being careful to leave some of theunpainted wood color showing through, and let it dry naturally(fourth segment).Step 5: When the siding pieces dried, I lightly sandedthem with 100 grit sandpaper, which removed a lot of thered, making it look like it hadn’t been painted in many, manyyears. The effect I was after! (Fifth segment.)Step 6: Finally, I again brushed on a coat of the shoe dyeand alcohol mix to even it all out. I know this sounds likea long process but the end results are worth the effort (sixthsegment).Now that the wood was ready, it was time to assemble allthose little pieces into something. I basically winged it. I didwhat looked good to me as I went along. Probably what areal logging line did. This gave me a lot of freedom and was afun way to create a model. I wouldn’t do this on most of themodels I build but this, as mentioned earlier, was a diversionmodel so it was anything goes.I made several simple drawings of the underframe, thewalls and the roof framing and I assembled the pieces overthese drawings. This created a series of sub assemblies to createthe caboose. The roof was to be removable. I needed tohide that fact and at the same time keep it on the car. To dothis I mounted the fascia to the roof instead of the walls, makingsure that it had about a 3” reveal below the roof framing(Photo 3). This made it fit tight and it doesn’t look removable.For the interior I added a bunch of tools, some figures,and a stove that I built years ago from a Grandt line 55 gallondrum and some Grandt Line caboose stove parts. I alsoscratchbuilt a bench for the figures, added a calendar on thewall, some firewood for the stove and the interior was done(Photo 4).The undercarriage is pretty simple and Photo 5 illustratesthe creosote effect on the wood.This was a fun project! I’m glad I did it! I’m sure if you aredigging around in your parts box, you just might be amazedat what you have in there. Who knows what fun diversionproject might be waiting for you. Bottom line: Have fun. Afterall, isn’t that what this is all about?u345Mar/Apr ’09 - O Scale Trains • 53

2009 ConventionLayout Tours -Part 1The 2009 OScale Nationalfeatures a largenumber of layoutsto visit representingO Scale, Proto48,On3, On30, andscale Hi-Rail. Manyof the layouts havebeen featured in themodel press. Weare arranging for asignificant numberof layouts to beopen so you canvisit them before the convention on Wednesday, June 17, orafterwards on Sunday, June 21. These layouts will be organizedalong travel corridors. The three major groupings are southern(Routes 95 and 81 from the south), northern (Routes 95and 81from the north), and western (Routes 70 and 68 from the west).Layout tours during the convention will be available Thursdayevening and Saturday afternoon. Some layouts will beopen on multiple dates. A detailed schedule of layout datesand times will be posted on the convention website, and willbe made available to registrants at the convention. A samplingof the layouts arranged as of December is described below.Additional layouts are expected to be available.Southern Group: Layouts in Northern Virginia, DC, andMaryland suburbs near DC.Bob Guillete: Bob’s New York, New Haven and HartfordRailroad layout demonstrates that you really don’t need a lot ofspace to have a great O Scale layout. This layout features thebest of the New Haven’s steam as well as colorful early Diesels.The layout’s urban setting provides the perfect backdropfor train watching and way freight operation.Rick Wright: Rick’ s CONUS Lines (CONUS is short forContinental United States) is a 24x35 ft. John Armstronginspired,Hi-Rail layout featuring a double-tracked mainlinewith a 2.2% ruling grade; extensive yard and engine terminalfacilities, and a branchline to service a coal mine and applewarehouse. The layout is designed for prototypical operation.For this convention, trains of the Western Maryland, Baltimore& Ohio, and Norfolk & Western will be featured in the 1948-55 timeframe.54 • O Scale Trains - Mar/Apr ’09Gary Eames: This multilevel, medium-sized layout isanother John Armstrong Hi-Rail design and includes a helix aswell as unique solutions to the mushroom design. Based onthe Pennsy’s Northern Central, it features numerous scratchbuiltbuildings based on prototypes in Baltimore (Fell’s Point,Canton, & Pig Town) and suburbs (Monkton). There is a rotarydumper with sound effects, a coal loading facility, a spectacularunion station and other interesting scenes.John Sethian: A PRR layout that includes electrics, and amid-town Manhattan scene. John retained the MTH DCS controlsystem for full-featured sound effects and control. Thereis a double (and in some places four) track main line. The visiblecurves are all super elevated, with radii ranging from 57to about 200-inch. John’s goal is to depict GG1s, P5s and theoccasional K4 flying over the townships of New Jersey. Thebroadest radius section has a four track main crossing a fourtrack flyover.Western Group: Layouts in or near Cumberland, Westminster,and Rockville, MD, Berkeley Springs, WV, and Gettysburg,PA.Wes Morganstern’s Western Maryland East Subdivision is32’ X 24’ 2-Rail with DCC layout based on the Westminsterto Highfield, MD, segment of the original WM line betweenBaltimore and Hagerstown, in the 50s. The focal point of thelayout is Union Bridge, where a large cement plant and theWM’s car shop provide significant traffic. Equipment includesSoundtraxx equipped steam and Diesel locomotives. Most ofthe scenery is in place and operating sessions with switch listsand Form 19 train orders have been started.Pat Mitchell’s Proto 48, Black Fork Grade on the WesternMaryland features heavy coal trains and helpers betweenElkins and Thomas WV. All steam operation with batterypower and DCC with sound running on highly detailed P48track. This large railroad is under construction and has several

outstanding innovations, including a train elevator.Jay Beckham’s layout is based on the fabled Chicago, SouthShore and South Bend Railroad. Currently under construction,it will eventually feature 400 feet of point to point running. Thelayout will be controlled by a dispatcher using a CTC machine.The CTC will be interfaced with a PC using DCC by NCE,Bruce Chubb’s C/MRI, and JMRI. All benchwork is completedand 95% of the track has been laid. You can track Jay’s progresson his web site at [http://www.south-shore-line.com/.]Lee Gasparick’s Large 2-track mainline railroad featuresPennsylvania and New York Central RR steam and 1st generationDiesels pulling long passenger and freight trains throughthe countryside. Construction of the benchwork and trackis essentially complete, but continues on sidings, industries,and scenery. Lee has the ability to run guest locomotives onconventional DC even though his trains run on battery power,using RCS (Remote Control System) hand-held, walk-aroundthrottles. Lee has invested considerable time and effort into hislocomotives to improve their low speed performance and pullingpower.Arthur Selby: The 1950s Blue Ridge Midland Railroad isa John Armstrong designed 36 x 25 foot multi-level layouthoused in its own building. Hagerstown, the operational center,features motive power of the Western Maryland, Reading,B&O, C&O, PRR and N&W. White Sulfur Springs, WV, thepassenger terminal, features equipment from many railroads.Six DC Cabs are available to keep the trains moving.George Eschbach’s Bald Eagle and Northern Railroad(BEAN) emphasizes passenger train operations centered at alarge urban station, and features beautiful long distance andlocal BEAN and PRR passenger trains. A large freight yard,coach yard, engine facility, and commissary are near the station.The city scene features many fine scratchbuilt and kitbashedstructures. The layout appeared in OST #30, Jan/Feb2007. A narrow gauge branch is under construction.Rich Randall’s layout is under construction and features theMilwaukee Road at the Avery, Idaho Division Point in the early70s. Trains to and from the east will transit the Rocky Mountainsinto Montana. Trains to and from the west will transit theIdaho panhandle into eastern Washington. Electric locomotivesand helpers will be exchanged with Diesels at Avery withthe help of DCC control. Occasional steam railfan specials arerun (not prototypical, but they look good). The east end of therailroad is not built and there is no scenery as of Decemberbut work continues.uJune 18 - 20, 2009Join us for the2009O scale NationalConventionnBy Baltimore O Scale, LLC& The Baltimore Societyof Model EngineersnFriday Evening BanquetnModel ContestsnLayout ToursnTours & Visits to nearby:B&O Transportation MuseumBaltimore Streetcar MuseumBOSS,LLC.,P.O. Box 14, Baldwin, MD 21013For Updates, visit:www.OscaleEast.comMar/Apr ’09 - O Scale Trains • 55

Mullet Riverodel Works118 Huson Ct. • Plymouth, WI 53073Phone 920-892-8159WWW.mulletrivermodelworks.comO ScaleCaboose Models> Laser cut plywood body with working windows> Full interior with roof ribs and purlins> Separate doors can be modeled in the open position> Working windows> Etched brass underframesSee your dealer or our web site for more photos403001 SOO Line Caboose with single window cupola $120.00403002 SOO Line Caboose with two side window cupola $120.00403003 DSS&A Caboose $120.00403004 C&NW Caboose with no end windows $120.00403005 C&NW Caboose with end windows $120.00403006 C&NW Caboose with all wood underframe $120.00403007 Big Four Caboose $120.00403008 Milwaukee Road Caboose with tall cupola $120.00403009 CB&Q 28' Caboose $120.00403010 CB&Q 30' Caboose $120.00403011 SOO Line 34' Caboose $120.00403012 Central of Georgia Caboose with tong and groove side$120.00403013 Yosemite Valley Caboose $120.00403014 Central of Georgia Caboose with plywood side $120.00403015 Colorado & Southern Caboose standard gage $120.00403016 C&NW Bay Window Caboose tong and groove side $120.00403017 C&O-Pere Marquette Caboose $120.00New 403018 Southern Pacific C-30-1 Caboose $120.00New 403019 Southern Pacific CS-15 Caboose $120.00New 403020 Grand Trunk Western Caboose $120.00New 403021 New York Central Caboose $120.00New 403022 Boston & Albany Caboose $120.00TWIN WHISTLE SIGN & KIT CBuy Direct!31 Turnberry Drive, Arden, NC 28704 (828) 684-6Footprint: 10” x 4.5”ThKit• Pre-C• Comp• Asso• WideGraph• GranWind• ScribBuy Directly from our e-store!WWW.TWINWHISTLE.COMtwinwhi56 • O Scale Trains - Mar/Apr ’09

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Hot Box wRS 55 MDT, SFPRR F-7 Pwr B 160 Breakdn B 15024597 NYC E-7 Breakdown B 150Sante Fe F-7 Breakdown B unit 150Lionel TMCC & Power#990 Legacy Command Set 259#993 Legacy Expansion Set 219TMCC Cab-1 59 Command Base 59TMCC Command Set 109Lionel ZW 365 180W Brick 75TPC 400 149 TPC 300 109 PM-1 62ARC 73 ASC 67 AMC 73 BPC 67OTC 59 AVC 105 SC-2 Controller 74K-Line Circus ’0921641 Scale Merchandise Flat 3821649 City Traction Trolley 60Vintage Truck 28 Tractor Trailer 2421688 18” Heavywt Coach 2-Pk 17221691 Flat Car w/ 2 Trailers 4721692 CNW MP-15 w/RB&B 9921715 Scale Stock Car #50 Silver 3822225 JOMAR 18” Private Obs 7922250 Dining Dept Billboard Reefer 6518” Aluminum Coach or Shop Car 11922259 Trailer #2 on Scale Flat Car 4022415 Scale Flat #75 w/ 3 Wagons 38K-Line 2008 Volume IRS-3 Diesel w/TMCC & Smoke 299NYC, PRR, PE, E-Lack, B&MGN or CNJ Boxcab 782-Bay DC Hopper 38 3-Pk 102 MRNP Aluminum Hopper 45 3-Pk 124Reading Alum Tank 45 3-Pk 124Overland Models $1700UP C44ACCTE #5735 FlagUP C44-9W #9700 or #9716UP C60AC #7567 or #7567UP SD90043AC #8024UP SD90AC #8201MTH 2009 Vol IWeed Sprayer 3-Unit Pwr 399UP, C&O, NP Dmy 3pk 209NYC Mohawk 2 or 3 Rail 999L-3a, 3b, 3c L-4a, 4bL-4a Mohawk Freight Set 1079NYC 35’ Wood Caboose x 3 52DMIR 2-8-8-4 Yellowstone 1299Yellowstone Freight Set 13994-6-0 G-5a LIRR, PRR x2 719PRR N5C Caboose x4 524-6-0 Camelback Steam 819JC, NYO&W, Reading2-10-0 Russian Decapod 899Erie, Pitt Shaw& N, W. Md0-6-0 525 PRR, ACL, MP, NKP4-6-4 Royal Hudson 899BC, CP, Southern, CP-Royal TourOrient Express 2-3-1 Pacifc 8995-Car Orient Passenger Set $419Fleche D’Or 2-3-1E Pacific 8990-6-0 USRA Steam 519CB&Q, GM&O, MEC, RI, T&PMadison 5-Pk 335 2-Pk 137JC, NYO&W, Reading RPO 77Erie, VGN 2-8-8-8-2 Triplex 1299N&W 4-8-4 J-Class 999 2 #’sFEC SD70M-2 Twin-Stack 649UP SD70ACe Twin Stack Set 649GP-35 Pwr 389 Dmy 169 3R 399PRR, NYC, GN, Alaska, GM&OSD45 Pwr 389 Dmy 169 2R 399MR, GN x 2, SF, UPSD70ACe 389 Dmy 169 2R 399BHP Billiton, KCS, UPSD70M-2 389 Dmy 169 2R 399NS, CNSD40-2 3-Rail Pwr 359 Dmy 169UP, Marquette, IC, BCRF-3 ABA 649 Dummy B 139B&M, CN, SF, SP&SF40PH 3-R Power 389 Dmy 169Alaska, Amtrak, CAR, VIAPremier Passenger Cars 5-Pk 3352-Pk 137 Full Vista 77 RPO 77GP-7 359 Dmy 169 BAR, ErieGP-9 359 Dmy 169 C&O, UPNJ Transit ALP46 399 Dmy 189NJ Transit ALP44 389 Dmy 169AEM-7 Electric 389 Dmy 169Amtrak x 3, MARC, SeptaAmfleet 4-Passenger 277 2-Pk 142Septa, MARC, Amtrak x 2EP-3 Electric 739 NH x 3Specialty SetUP M10000 Diesel Passenger 649M1000 Coach $85 2#R-11 Subway 4-Car 449 2-Pk 175N&W J Passenger Set 10792-Car 137 RPO 77 Vista 77N&W J Express Mail Set 1079NH East Wind EP-3 Pass Set 819Zephyr 4-Unit Sets 3 types 649Maersk GP-60M Twin-stack 64960’ Flat w/Trash Containers 57East Carbon x2, Gen. Am., Joe TransPremier Husky Stack Cars 52CSX, KCS, NW OK, Trailer TrainR50B Express Reefer, 2# 57PRR, East Wind, SF, N&WFreight Cars 6-Packs 2# 219Fish Belly WM, Waddel, NYC, VGN2-Bay Offset PLE, Erie, NP, Pitt ShawTwin Stack 5pk 289 3pk 195 2pk 135CN, TTX, Conrail, SealandOre Car 6Pk 192 CN DMIR, MR BLEE44 Electric Conrail, PRR 385E33 Electric N&W, VA, NH 385MTH 2008 Vol II 2 or 3RPremierMadison 5-Pk 335 2-Pk 137JC, NYO&W, Reading RPO 77Erie, VGN 2-8-8-8-2 Triplex 1299Princess Coronation Steam 1079London, Midland, & Scot, BritishGP-35 Pwr 389 Dmy 169 3R 399PRR, NYC, GN, AlaskaSD70ACe 389 Dmy 169 2R 399BHP Billiton, KCS, UPSD70M-2 389 Dmy 169 2R 399NS, CNSD40-2 3-Rail Pwr 359 Dmy 169UP, Marquette, IC, BCRF-3 ABA 649 Dummy B 139B&M, CN, SF, SP&SF40PH 3-R Power 389 Dmy 169Alaska, Amtrak, CAR, VIAE-8 ABA 649 Dmy B 139B&O, Burl, Lack, PRRPremier Passenger Cars 5-Pk 3352-Pk 137 Full Vista 77 RPO 77Alaska, B&O, Burlington, Lack,PRR, Sante Fe, VIA RailGP-7 359 Dmy 169 BAR, ErieGP-9 359 Dmy 169 C&O, UPAEM-7 Electric 389 Dmy 169Amtrak x 3, MARC, SeptaAmfleet 4-Passenger 277 2-Pk 142Septa, MARC, Amtrak x 2EP-3 Electric 739 NH x 3MTH 2008 Vol I 2 or 3 RSP Cab Forward Freight Set 1389CNW E-4 Strm Hudson Pass Set 999Alco S-2 359 CVT, JC, NP, SFPRR P-5a Box Cab Electric 739Diesels Pwr 389 Dmy w/Lts 169AC6000 NS, CSX, BNSF, UPAC4400cw CNW, KCS, Quebec, UPSD-80MAC NS, CSXSD-9043MAC CP, UPSD40-3 Tunnel CNSD45T-2 Tunnel KCS, SP, SLSWSD-35 Chessie, PRR, Sou, W. MDDiesels Power 359 Dmy w/Lts 169GP-40 B&O, CNW, Rdg, WCGP38-2 BNSF, B & Pitt, MEC, W&SSD40-2 CN, Conrail, MoPac, UPGP-60M BNSF, Maersk, SFPremier Specialty SetsFlying Yankee Zephyr 4-Unit 649Burlington Zephyr 4-Unit 649Mark Twain Zephyr 4-Unit 649Maersk GP-60M Twin-stack 649NYC J-1e w/PT Passenger 999CNW E-4 Hudson Passenger 999SP Cab Forward Freight Set 1399C&O M-1 Stm Turbine Pass Set 899PC E-44 Tropicana 4 Reefer Set 475MTH PremierES44AC 3R 385 2R 399 Dmy 142BNSF, CP, GE Demo, UP64’ Passenger 3-Pk $229 Coach 79B&O, PRR, UP, CP, LI, StrasburgDiesel LocomotivesUnion Pacific #80 Coal Turbine 909Sharknose AB 488 A-Unit 135NYC, B&O, D&HR40 4-Car Set 439 Dmy 2-Car 168

Just Trains TM Most Orders Ship within 24 Hours Orders (888) 453-9742 Info (302) 453-0465 www.justrains.comAtlas 2-RailDiscontinuing Engines& Rolling StockIn-Stock Scale Wheels 3 rd Rail/Sunset Models2110 BN GP-35, DC 2502111 Reading GP-35, DC 3# 250Fleche D’Or 2-3-1E Pacific 899PRR “Old Rivets” GG-1 875SD70M-2 FEC, EMD 399 Conrail, Bi-Centennial, Wiskers,Strasburg Grn 5-S, Loewery 5-S2112 SP GP-35, DC 2# 2502113 Savannah & Atlanta 2502114 WM GP-35, DC 2502115 NKP GP-35, DC 250GP-35 also in PRR, CNW, GA2235 MR Hiawatha Power B 2507890 Ann Arbor RS-1, DC 299Other RS-1: NH, RI, C&O7805 Jersey Central SD-35 2757822 CSX SD-35, DC 2757823 Penn Central SD-35, DC 275Dash 8, DC Und, UP, BC, SP 299Dummy for above 1957840 BNSF Patch Job -8, DC 2997841 BNSF Patch Job Dmy 1957848 GE Demo Dash 8, DC 299GP60M SF, DC 299GP60M BNSF, DC 349GP60B BNSF Red/Silver DC 325GP60B BNSF Red/Sil, Dmy 190GP60 Undec 349 Dmy 185MTH SteamScale Wheel Steam w/PS 2.02-10-0 Russian Decapod 899ACL, Erie, Pitt Shaw& N, W. MdOrient Express 2-3-1 Pacifc 899Most Detailed Die-Cast Ever5-Car Orient Passenger Set $4190-6-0 525 PRR, ACL, MP, NKP4-6-4 Royal Hudson 899BC, CP, Southern, CP-Royal Tour0-6-0 USRA Steam 519CB&Q, GM&O, MEC, RI, T&P4-6-0 Camelback Steam 819JC, NYO&W, ReadingN&W 4-8-4 J-Class999 2 #’sPrincess Coronation Steam 1079London, Midland, & Scot, BritishMTH Diesel 2 or 3 RailGP-35 Pwr 389 Dmy 169 3R 399PRR, NYC, GN, AlaskaSD45 Pwr 389 Dmy 169 2R 399MR, GN x 2, SF, UPSD70ACe 389 Dmy 169 2R 399BHP Billiton, KCS, UPSD70M-2 389 Dmy 169 2R 399NS, CNEuropeanAA16 NOHAB 3-R 399 2-R 449GN, Denmark, GM Demo, Norway,Belgium, Luxembourg, HungaryTRAXX F140 AC2 399 2R 449Demo, SBB Cargo, Veolia, EuropeN&W Class A #1218 or #1242 1150PRR “Doodlebug”, TMCC 67520-3286-2 PRR 2-8-2 Mikado 72520-3288-2 UP 2-8-2 Mikado 725MTH Diesels Fixed PilotsSD40T-2 DMIR, BLE 399UP SD40-2T Scale Wheels 399SD70ACe UP Heritage 399Z-4000 385 AIU 85 DCS 249LionelReservations available forImmediate delivery2-8-0 TMCC & Railsounds 385NYC, Rdg, B&O, WM2-8-2 TMCC, RS, Odys 715WP, UP, MR, ATSFGolden Gate DepotPRR, LIRR, PRSLP70s In-StockLV John Wilkes 20” 4-Pk 399Reading Company 20” 4-pk 399K-Line 2-R Shay $499Lackawanna, PLCThird RailResrvations guarantee itemas well as the productionJ&L Silver, Koppers Black 219B&O Q4b 2-8-2, EOB 1125C&O “Heaviest Hudson” L-2/A 1155SP M-9 w/Whaleback Tender 899GN M-2 2-6-8-0 2 or 3R 1650NYC Dreyfuss 4-6-4 1175Scullin Disc Drivers 1938 & ‘4020 th Century Ltd 1938 4-pk 5853 different passenger setsUP 4-8-4 FEF, TMCC, EOB 1199CN U2g, GTW U3b, OC U3b 11754-8-4 w/TMCC, EOB Cruise2-10-4 “Colorado” 2 Heaters 1425CB&Q, B&LE, DMIRN&W Y-6B 2-8-8-2 , EOB 1695CPR D-10 4-6-0, 2 versions 875PRR O-1 2-Unit Electric, TMCC 975LIRR BB1 Rats (2), Conv w/Snd 575B&M R-1 4-8-2, TMCC, EOB 925A-4 Pacific “Mallard” 16953 TypesNSL Silverliner 3-Unit 1049Williams TrainsGolden MemoriesF-3 AA $219 ABA $31515” Aluminum 4-Pk 225 2-Pk 115Wab, IC, B&O, MR, Sou, NH, RG, CPWP, SF Red/Sil, SF Blk/Red, TS, NYCO-27 Alco FA-2 AA 199 ErieSF, RI, UP Yellow, UP SilverGG-1 Girls Freight Set 325Steam Girls Freight Set 359GG-1 Girl’s Passenger Set 3251520W F-3 Texas Special Set 2752368 B&O F-3 Freight Set 325N&W J Class Freight Set 3751464W UP 50 th Anniversary Set 3152-car add-on $85 Full Set $390PRR GG-1 Congressional Set 4102-car add-on $115 Full Set $515N&W 4-8-4 J Class Steam 259NW-2 C&O, SF, Seabd 149PRR S-2 Turbine #671 or #681 1952056 Semi-Scale Hudson 219SP M-6 w/Vandy Tender 899 #726 Berkshire w/TBII 229SP M-6 w/Whaleback Tender 899 FA-1 AA 225 B-Unit 80 ABA 299PA-1 AA 225 B-Unit 80 ABA 299Dash 9 Power 145 BNSF, CSX,NS, SF, UP, CNW, Amtrak, Con, SPGP9 129 Dmy 80 B&O, BR, MR,NYC, NS, RI, SF Blue, CN, GN,Rdg, SP, UP, IC, JC, WM-Fire, PRRGP38 129 Dmy 80 BNSF, Chessie,NH, NS, SF, GT, AK, GM&O, DTI, PCBL-2 Powered 129 BAR, B&M,C&O, C&EI, GM Demo, FEC, Monon,RI Red/Black, WM-Fire, MPE-7 AA 239 B 105 ABA 340ACL, B&O, Burl, C&O, NYC, UP,Prr Tuscan, Sou, MR, Tex SpecFM Trainmaster 149 CP, JC,MR, NYC, Rdg, SP, Wabash, N&WNW-2 149 B&O, Con, LV, NYC,PRR, UP, MR, GN, Monon, JCU33C Power 142 CSX, D&H, MRSF, SP, UP, NH, PRR, Reading, WP44 Tonner w/Horn 104SD45 142 Burl, Conrail, CSX, GNRdg, RG, SF, SP, UP WCSD90 Power 149 BNSF, CSX,Demo, NS, BN, Con, Amtrak, SFGenesis Power & Dmy 219J Class 4-8-4 255 SF Blue GooseB&O, CN, NH, PRR, WabBerkshire 2-8-4 Steam 225Die Cast Scale Hudson 349O27 Hudson 225 NYC, B&O, NP,Chessie, Sou Crescent, PRRSP Daylight 4-8-4 GS-4 249S-2 6-8-6 Turbine 209 PRR GrnGG-1 Scale Electric 249PRR Sil, PRR Grn 1-S, PRR Grn 5-S,PRR Tus 1-S, PRR Tus 5-S, PC, CRGG-1 14” Die-Cast 179 PC, ConPRR Grn 1-S, PRR Silver 1-S, AmtrakEF-4 Rectifier 165 NH, CR,N&W, VGN x 2, PRR BlkEP-5 Rectifier 132 PRR, NH, AM72’ (18”) Streamline 4-Pk 17972’ Madison 4-Pk 219 2-Pk 11060’ Alum 4-Pk 225 2-Pk 11560’ Madison 4-Pk 159 Many Roads60’ Amfleet 3-Pk 155 Amtrak x 2MTH2008 Dealer Appreciation08A SF 2-10-0 Decapod Steam 88908B KCS F-9 ABA Sou Belle 61508C KCS F-9B Southern Belle 14508D KCS 5-Car 70’ Strmline 33508E KCS Sleeper/Vista Dome 13508F KCS Sleeper/Vista Dome 13508G KCS 70’ Full Vista Dome 68

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Buy–Sell–Trade EventsBuy-Sell-Trade ads are $5 for 30 words plus your address information. Additional words are $0.25 each. Subscribers are permitted onefree ad per subscription cycle . All B-S-T ads are prepaid. You may send ads by postal service with a check or money order. Ads sent byemail or called in must use a credit card. See our contact info on page 2.WANTED: Small N&W custom-built or scratchbuiltsteam, 4-8-0, 2-8-0, 4-6-0. Also looking for N&Wbrass parts, e.g., pilot, cylinders, domes, tenders,etc. Contact Joe Giannovario, jag@oscalemag.comor call 610-363-7117.FREE O SCALE LIST: List of O Scale shows for 2009.Send LSSAE to Bob Retallack, Dept OST09, 2224Adner Ct, Columbus, OH 43220.WANTED: Ambroid special run 50’ Milw. boxcars,Hallmark comp gons, Sunset WWII emergency boxcars,PRB WWII comp gons, Lobaugh 50’ reefers,WWII era boxcars what have you? Mail only. JimSeacrest, PO Box 6397, Lincoln, NE 68506-0397FOR SALE: AFFORDABLE ORIGINAL railroad oilpaintings and prints by artist Christopher Jenkins.Steam, Diesel and electric. Join mailing list for newpainting announcements by emailing Alton45@comcast.net, www.trainsshipsplanes.comWANTED: Plans and complete instructions for allsections of an original All Nation Pacific 4-6-2. Contact Bernard at 609-645-8470, or email[bgl118@comcast.net].WANTED: CN, CV, GT, GTW, DW&P steam/dieselMarch 200920-22, Arlington Hts, ILChicago O Scale meet at the Sheraton ChicagoNorthwest Hotel in Arlington Heights,IL, (847) 394-2000. Room rates are $89 pernight if reserved under the Chicago O ScaleMeet. Admission is $20 for one or both days.Tables are $55 each until 1/31/09. After thatdate tables are $60 each. For more informationgo to [www.marchmeet.net] or callJudy, (888) 627-8093.27-28, Greensburg, PARailroad Prototype Modelers’ Seminar - East,sponsored by Division 2, MCR - NMRA. Themeet runs from 1:00 pm Friday, March 27through 11:00 pm Saturday March 28, at theSheraton Four Points Hotel Route 30 East,Greensburg, PA, Ph:724-836-6060, [www.greensburgpa4points.com]. Registration feeis $35. Room rate $95 plus tax (mentionPrototype Modelers’ meet) Saturday eveningbuffet $25, (reservation suggested). For moreinfo contact: Dick Flock, 337 Elm Drive,Greensburg, PA 15601, 724-850-8882 or E-mail: [jlerr337@verizon.net].April 20095: Hudson, MANew England O Scale Train Show 10 AM to4 PM. Featuring dealers, displays, 2 Rail and3 Rail SCALE trains, white elephant table,ample free parking, food and beverages.$5 Adults, $1 Children 5-12, $8 FamilyMaximum. Exit 25 on I-495 heading easton the route 85 connector, left onto route85 north, left on Brigham and right on ParkStreet. Contact Larry Grant 508-337-6661Eve., or BigBrotherLar@netzero.net18: Strasburg, PA.O Scale Train Show at the Strasburg, Pa.Fire Co.#1, 203 W.Franklin St. StrasburgPA 17579. Show Time: 9 AM to 1 PM.60 • O Scale Trains - Mar/Apr ’09era freight, passenger, MoW and caboose (vans). Whathave you? Mail only. Jim Seacrest, PO Box 6397,Lincoln, NE 68506.FOR SALE: Brass and die-cast parts for All Nation/Babbitt steam locomotives, frames, drivers, rods,valve gear, boilers, cabs, tenders, and details. Alsorestoration and repairs available. Some complete kitsavailable on a limited basis. Some older kits and builtup kits also available on a limited basis. Write andinclude $1 for a catalog. Babbitt Railway Supply Co.,715 Barger St, Mayfield KY 42066. Call 270-247-0303between 8 am and 8 pm CST, or email [boyceyates@bellsouth.net].WANTED: The O-Scale 2 Rail Club is a modulartrain club looking for members or those to follow thisstandard and start a club. We are using a portable 2’ x4’ foot table format. Follow the modular standards forplacement of the two track mainline, wiring, and tableheight. Visit the web site at: www.oscale-2rail-club.com Request a free PDF of the O-scale 2 rail clubstandards guide from: oscale2rail@live.comFOR SALE: New Sunset 2-Rail UP Big Boy, $1800; UP4-12-2, $1800; B&O EM1, 2-8-8-4, $1800; 2 SantaFe 2-10-4, $1300 each. Email: woodsbymarius@msn.Dealer setup Friday night, 6 - 8:30 PM andSaturday,7 AM to 9 AM. Admission: $5(wives, children, and active military w/IDfree). Dealer Tables: $20 each. Sponsored byScaleTwoRail Promotions, John Dunn (609-432-2871) and Rich Yoder (610-678-2834),[www.scaletworail.com]. This is a smoke freeproperty! Contact jdunn8888@hotmail.com25: Columbus, INSecond Annual Hoosier On30 mini-meetfrom 10 AM to 4 PM at the Columbus AreaRailroad Club in Johnson County Park. Formore info contact Al Askerberg at [aiberg@comcast.net].May 20092: Merchantville,NJCherry Valley Spring Swap Meet/OpenHouse-Saturday 05/02/2009. GraceEpiscopal Church,7 East Maple AveMerchantville NJ. Admission:$5.00 (Spouse.children free), Tables:$20.00(First Tableincludes admission,$15.00 each additionaltable. Contact: John P.Dunn Sr.609-432-2871 Contact jdunn8888@hotmail.comJune 200918-20: Towson, MD2009 O Scale National Convention to beheld on the campus of Towson Universityjust north of Baltimore, Maryland. Eventsponsored by Baltimore O Scalers and theBaltimore Society of Model Engineers. Inaddition to very comfortable trading halls(about 400 tables), convention featuresclinics, layout tours (June 17 through June21), model contests and Friday (June 19th)banquet. Early set-up for dealers on June17. Visits to B&O Transportation Museum,Baltimore Streetcar Museum and muchmore. Check [www.oscaleeast.com] often.More information available by email: [info@oscaleeast.com]com, or call 505-898-6965. Marius Vallecorsa, 4704Sandpoint Rd NW, Albuquerque, NM 87114-4533YOUR DREAM LAYOUT can be yours just days fromnow! Master the art and science of model trainswhether you’ve been railroading for years or if you’rejust a beginner. Learn how to get started, build yourown scenery and choose the right equipment. Getexpert tips on maintenance and solutions to problems.Go to [www,ModelTrainMasters.com] for more info.WANTED TO BUY: Past O Scale Trains Magazines, issues#1 through #11, #13, #14,#16,#28,and #29.Willpay shipping. Please call Herman Kline Jr at 302-397-7378, 311 S Ingram Ct, Middletown DE, 19709.FOR SALE: Sunset N&W Y3a, $1200; Pecos River GN4-8-2, $825; Sunset NYC S-1b $950; Atlas Sou MP15,$350; Weaver GP-38 N/P $200; Atlas NYC GP-35$280; Overland NYC F3B $550, PSC NYC 4-6-0,$990, Weaver VO1000 DCC $300, PFM GN 4-6-0$1400. Large List. Call 423-772-4401, Norm Reaume,129 Hamby Rd, Roan Mt, TN 37687-0004WANTED: Weaver CN Express Car #U21406 andCN Express boxcar #EBC61. Contact: [john.n.smith@btinternet.com].August 20098: Strasburg, PAO Scale Train Show at the Strasburg, Pa.Fire Co.#1, 203 W.Franklin St. StrasburgPA 17579. Show Time: 9 AM to 1 PM.Dealer setup Friday night, 6 - 8:30 PM andSaturday,7 AM to 9 AM. Admission: $5(wives, children, and active military w/IDfree). Dealer Tables: $20 each. Sponsored byScaleTwoRail Promotions, John Dunn (609-432-2871) and Rich Yoder (610-678-2834),[www.scaletworail.com]. This is a smokefree property! Contact jdunn888@hotmail.comSeptember 200912: Merchantville NJCherry Valley Fall Swap Meet/Open House,7 East Maple Avenue,Merchantville NJ. 9am-12 Noon. Admission:$5.00 (spouse/childrenfree). Tables:$20.00 (first table includesadmission), $15.00 each additional table.Contact: John P. Dunn Sr., 609-432-2871.Contact jdunn8888@hotmail.comOctober 20093: Gardner, MassachussetsSouthern New England Model RR O ScaleTrain Show, 9:30 AM to 4 PM. Admission:$5 Adults, $8 Family maximum. Dealers,displays, 2-and 3-Rail O Scale trains, SouthernNew England O scale layout, white elephanttable, ample free parking, food andbeverages. Contact Larry Grant 508-337-6661 Evenings or BigBrotherLar@netzero.10: Strasburg, PAO Scale Train Show at the Strasburg, Pa.Fire Co.#1, 203 W.Franklin St. Strasburg PA17579. Show Time: 9 AM to 1 PM. See Previouslistings for details

2009 Convention 55AAA Turntables 25Allegheny Scale Models 29Arttista 38Atlas OIFCBachmann 19Backdrop Warehouse 38Baldwin Forge & Machine 24Banta Modelworks 45Brummy’s Ballast 45BTS 16Caboose Hobbies 25Chicago March Meet 25Custom Signals 14Deichman’s Depot 37DM&M Railroad Co. 25East Gary Car Co. 45Gorilla Glue 45Hackworth Model Trains 46Irish Tracklayer 37JD’s Trains 13Just Trains 57,58,59Keil-Line 24Key Model Imports 14LaBelle Woodworking Co. 28Micro-Mark 45Model Building Services 27Model Tech Studios 37MTH Electric Trains IBCMullett River 56NCE Corp 46O Scale Realty 56O Scale Trains 14Old Pullman 34Rails Unlimited 24RGSRR Hobbies 25Ross Custom Switches 35Scenic Express 18SceniKing/BPH Ent. 38SMARTT 56SMR Trains 34Stevenson Preservation Lines 24Sumpter Valley Depot 28Suncoast Models 24Sunset⁄3rd RailBCTwin Whistle Sign & Kit 56Underground Railway Press 45Valley Model Trains 28Wasatch Model Co. 34Weaver 27Williams by Bachman 20Advertisers IndexGet Real Productions 61P&D Hobby Shop 14Golden Gate Depot 8Public Delivery Track 28Mar/Apr ’09 - O Scale Trains • 61

Joe Giannovario7 Going On 8Welcome to the seventh anniversary edition of O ScaleTrains Magazine! It doesn’t seem like it was all that long agothat I decided to publish an all O Scale magazine. I guessthe aphorism is true: Time flies when you’re having fun.Many things have changed since Issue #1 and all of themfor the betterment of the magazine. The biggest change isour subscription base which, even in these difficult times,continues to grow steadily every issue. While I hear mostother magazines bemoaning declining subscriptions and adrevenue, we seem to be bucking that trend.My guess is that we fill a need that isn’t filled by otherpublications. I believe that need is the “how-to” constructionarticle, whether it be rolling stock, buildings, scenery,or whatever. You just don’t see those kinds of articles muchin the other model railroad magazines, and certainly not OScale oriented.For me, the “heyday” of model railroading was the 1950sthrough the 1960s when virtually every article in the modelpress was how to build something. I recall a particularlyuseful article by Linn Westcott in HO Monthly (later subsumedinto Model Railroader) where he described in detailhow to add brass details to an HO Scale diecast locomotive.I still use those techniques today.O Scale has always been, and continues to be, the scalefor the model craftsman. I’m guessing it’s pretty tough, ifnot impossible, to make working brake gear in N Scale.But, if you’re in N Scale then detail isn’t what you’re after,it’s operations. O Scale is where you can make those finedetails like brake gear, chassis equalization, valve gear, anduncoupling brake hoses actually work. I’m not saying itcan’t be done in other scales, just that it’s a lot easier in OScale.2009 PreviewFinancially, times are tough. Many people are havingtrouble paying bills. The only bright spot is gas at less than$1.80 a gallon. If you are an O Scaler what do you do?How do you continue to enjoy this hobby without gobsof money to spend? Well, allow us to help you out in thatregard. As I said earlier, OST seems to fill the “how-to”need and here’s a sampling of what you can expect from usin 2009.Starting with this issue there is the reworking of thosegreat M.T.H. wooden coaches (Ed Bommer), and scratchbashinga 44 tonner (Tom Houle) and a small caboose (BillDavis).Next issue I will start a short series on detailing diecastlocomotives. We’ll show you how to realistically weathera Diesel (Don Smith) and how to scratchbuild a VirginianBattleship gondola in styrene (Conley Wallace).After that we’ll show you how to build your own rivetembossing tool (John Gizzi), a lighted switch stand (CharlieMorrill), a small retail coal trestle (Ed Bommer) and a pair ofcabooses (cabeese, cabice?) in styrene (Tom Houle).There’s more, of course, including some great layouts,but I don’t want to give it all away. You should be surpriseda little at each issue.We’ll keep doing what we’ve been doing these pastseven years, bringing you the best articles and photos of OScale craftsmanship. Your job is to keep sending in thosegreat articles and photos. Together, we’ll get through thesedifficult times and enjoy our hobby.Technology RulesThere is just no getting away from the fact that our trainsare now marvels of modern technology, whether you like itor not. I know there are some O Scalers out there who stilluse DC Cab Control but Digital Command Control (DCC)is here to stay and making more converts everyday. In fact,DCC is the main player in every other scale but O wherewe have 3 competing systems (DCC, TMCC, and DCS) allof which will work on both 2 and 3 rails. However, evenM.T.H. recognizes that DCC is the hurdle to cross and ratherthan try to get people to give up DCC for DCS, they’remaking DCS compatible with DCC controllers. Here’s aquote from M.T.H.’s Andy Edelman, VP of Marketing, “...[We] here at M.T.H. recognize that some of you out therelike DCC and don’t wish to purchase a new control system.Our goal is to give you what you want and we’re committedto including DCC in the new package next year [2009].”The other cool new technology we can look forward towill also be coming from M.T.H., a scale, operating electro-coupler.They’re going to debut this device in HO Scalefirst. What makes this possible is SMA, shape-memoryalloy, specifically two-way SMA, sometimes called “musclewire.” When heated this wire can contract, rather thanexpand, and in doing so can exert enough force to open thecoupler knuckle. Way cool!Now, whether or not this will be operable from DCCis still to be determined and how long it will be before wesee it in O Scale is a second unanswered question. Finally,we also don’t know if the scale electro-coupler will be soldseparately. We will keep you posted on these developments.In the meantime, I am still waiting for the first brassimporter to produce a DCC-ready model or maybe evenone with DCC and factory installed sound. Come on guys!The 3-Railers get sound in their brass so what about us 2-Railers? Maybe 2009 will be the year for this to happen.Keep Highballin’u62 • O Scale Trains - Mar/Apr ’09

O Scale Trains mth 1-2009.qxp 11/4/2008 1:23 PM Page 1The Orient Express'CHAPELON PACIFIC20-3344-1First In A Series Of European Locomotives•1/43.5 Scale Die-Cast Steamer•Equipped With Proto-Sound ® 2.0Digital Sound•Variable Intensity SynchronizedPuffing Smoke•Locomotive Speed Control InScale MPH Increments•Featuring European & U.S.Couplers•Operates On O-54 CurvesO Gauge Chapelon Pacific SNCF Green20-3344-1 Hi-Rail Wheels20-3344-3 Scale WheelsO Gauge Chapelon Pacific SNCF Black & O Gauge Chapelon PacificNord Brown (The Fleche D'Or) are also available.SEE IT INACTIONON THE WEBSee It In Action On The Webwww.mthtrains.com/europe©2009 M.T.H.Electric Trains 7020 Columbia Gateway Drive, Columbia, MD 21046

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