Those have to be cool to watch, with the drivers and the side rods moving all around. Near the steps...are those third rail shoes?
ED42 (Continued) Now that you mention it, I never noticed until now. I took a closer look at the prototype photo and it looks like the pantagraphs are down and that there is a third rail along the track. Good eye! Here's a link to some other prototype pictures. Apparently, this locomotive had a rack system as well. http://www.usui-toge.com/history/ed422.htm
My club has a version of the old MR Clinchfield project layout and everytime I see the ED42 I imagine a set of them on a coal drag though the mountains like the Virginian.
I can see that - like an Baldwin EL-2 or an Alco EL-3. http://www.northeast.railfan.net/electric10.html http://www.davesrailpix.com/vgn/vgn.htm I guess a good concept (electrics with siderods) lends itself to different jobs in mountains all over the world. With their diminutive size, the ED42s would be at a disadvantage on long distance mainline run but what about a captive narrow gauge line between a mine and a powerplant? That might have some possibilities . . . .
Something like that would lend itself well to someone with only a small space. Japanese prototypes seem to work for that. btw, I was watching a Japanese drama last night called "Ekiro". Unfortunately, there weren't subtitles, but the lead character was a railfan. In the first few minutes of the show, he was photographing a steam loco (C 12 66). It was pretty cool.
C12 Steam Locomotive Trains turn up from time to time in Japanese movies and TV. I like to try to "railfan" them and find out more about them. A C12 is a diminutive 2-6-2T (1-3-1T as the Japanese write it). Here is a picture of C12 66. http://www.mito.ne.jp/~a-sekine/sub1.html http://www.mito.ne.jp/~a-sekine/sub2.html MicroAce makes a model of the C12 (A4280).
Maybe for the thread about changing eras I should have said something about changing prototypes? lol Or countries?
I was poking around on railpictures and found this very cool photo: http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=279775&nseq=18 I love the sakura blossoms along the right of way! And that little red loco is pretty cool, too! Do you guys know anything about these?
ED75 That is an awesome shot. That locomotive is an ED75 series. It's a an AC powered motor with B-B trucks. (The Japanese use a "D" to indicate four powered axles.) I believe it is used in the northern part of Japan but I will defer that to folks more expert on the subject than myself. Kato models for this unit are 3028, 3029 (with icicle cutters), and 3030 (EF75-700). EF75 (Kato 3029) EF75-700 (Kato 3030) Those are dang big cherry trees or they might be pear trees.
I might have to get me one of those (after my EF66 comes in of course). And then some freight cars to go with it and...this is becoming an addiction...
You got that right! It's like the first one free it the next 50 trains are the ones that will cost you. I liked the worked the modeler did with the Cherry Blossom trees. Do you know who did them?
I think that is a prototype photo and judging by their size, are flowering pear trees. (Or REALLY BIG cherry trees.) Tomytec does do a cherry tree in full blossom. I gotta get me some ...
One of the items in the title of this tread is "What's New." I saw that Walthers is taking over Marklin distribution for the U.S. Does that mean it will be easier to get European prototype rolling stock? If so, think I might be looking at getting a 2009 SBB class Ce 6/8 III "Crocodile" to go with my 70's Arnold version. It looks like this is a model of the later version that doesn't have the idler on the mainrod. It is Minitrix model 12128.
Absolutely. The blossoms really frame the scene. (BTW, my wife liked it too.) Maybe a diorama built in a circle so that it could rotate against the movement of the train and get the action shot of the landscape moving but still get a clear shot of the train. Would something like that be outside the definition of "diorama?"
I've always wondered how you could get the "pan shot" in model form. That's a good idea. I guess it would still considered a diorama if you just use it for photos, right?
The Japanese RR Modelers of Washington, DC do an exhibition during the "Cherry Blossom" Festival. I know in their last exhibition they had Cherry Blossoms on the layout. They're also a great bunch of guys who promote the hobby. Here is their link: http://www.japanrailmodelers.org/index.html
I got the idea many years ago from, I believe, a cartoon in Model Railroader. What made it stick in my mind is that whoever was doing it was using the hulk of a '64 Ford Falcon, which is what my mom drove when I was little, to make it look like the pictures were shot while train chasing. That was a great car.
