I never seem to have photo's ready when I'm on this forum - but I recently went a little crazy and got a bunch of the latest Mololco PC&F box cars in SP, Cotton Belt, WP and a EL.
It liiiiiiiiiiives just got these thanks UPS Both are for one scene end to end Gotta make the power work for it as they'll also be on a grade that requires helper's Paul of the Pokey V 3.0 knows what these bridges simulate Just on my freelanced road Enjoy
I am going to cheat a little bit as I have not posted my locomotive roster, ever I think. Only 4 of my locomotives are from the old with the remainder sold off between 2013 and 2018 as I lived as a nomad moving 9 times to include two cross country moves (Minnesota to California, and California to Georgia). I am happy to say that we have dropped anchor with purchasing our home in Georgia. As I mentioned, 4 or my locos are from the old roster, several from May 2020, and the remainder since December 2020. I will start with the 4 old locos that are to be used with my Office TCW layout (ETA Operational 2023/2024) 1. Burlingt0n Northern 9794 - Atlas (Roco) FP7A with Digitrax decoder installed BN9794 by mtaylor posted Feb 2, 2021 at 1:50 PM 2. Burlington Northern 6266 - Lifelike Proto 2000 with Digitrax decoder BN6226 by mtaylor posted Feb 2, 2021 at 1:50 PM 3. Burlington Northern 6232 - Lifelike Proto 2000 with Digitrax decoder BN6232 by mtaylor posted Feb 2, 2021 at 1:50 PM 4. Soo Line 501A - ER Models (Roco) chassis & motor with Digitrax Decoder / Atlas (Roco) FP7 shell SOO501A by mtaylor posted Feb 2, 2021 at 1:50 PM
Here are the locomotives that were added to my roster in May 2020 for the TCW Office Layout: 1. Twin Cities & Western 406 - Intermountain GP10 with factory ESU LokSound TCW406 by mtaylor posted Feb 2, 2021 at 1:51 PM 2. Twin Cities & Western 405 - Intermountain GP10 with factory ESU LokSound TCW405 by mtaylor posted Feb 2, 2021 at 1:51 PM 3. Twin Cities & Western 403 - Intermountain GP10 with factory ESU LokSound TCW403 by mtaylor posted Feb 2, 2021 at 1:50 PM 4. Soo Line 6062 - Walthers Mainline SD60M DCC Ready - will install ESU LokSound SOO6062 by mtaylor posted Feb 2, 2021 at 1:50 PM 5. Soo Line 6059 - Walthers Mainline SD60M DCC Ready - will install ESU LokSound SOO6059 by mtaylor posted Feb 2, 2021 at 1:50 PM 6. Chicago Northwestern 7008 - Athearn RTR SD50 DCC Ready - will install ESU LokSound CNW7008 by mtaylor posted Feb 2, 2021 at 1:50 PM 7. Chicago Northwestern 7004 - Athearn RTR SD50 DCC Ready - will install ESU LokSound CNW7004 by mtaylor posted Feb 2, 2021 at 1:50 PM 8. Burlington Northern 7847 - Intermountain SD40-2 DCC Ready - will install ESU LokSound BN7847 by mtaylor posted Feb 2, 2021 at 1:50 PM 9. Burlington Northern 7844 - Intermountain SD40-2 DCC Ready - will install ESU LokSound BN7844 by mtaylor posted Feb 2, 2021 at 1:50 PM 10. Burlington Northern 6353 - Intermountain SD40-2 with factory ESU LokSound BN6353 by mtaylor posted Feb 2, 2021 at 1:50 PM 11. Burlington Northern 6328 - Intermountain SD40-2 with factory ESU LokSound BN6328 by mtaylor posted Feb 2, 2021 at 1:50 PM
Here are the locomotives added to the roster between December 2020 and January 2021 for the TCW Office Layout: 1. Soo Line 550A - ER Models (Roco) chassis and motor with Digitrax decoder / Atlas (Roco) FP7 shell SOO550A by mtaylor posted Feb 2, 2021 at 1:50 PM 2. Soo Line 500A - Atlas (Roco) chassis and motor with Digitrax decoder / ER Models (Roco) FP7 shell SOO500A by mtaylor posted Feb 2, 2021 at 1:50 PM 3. Soo Line 4511 - Athearn Genesis GP38-2 DCC Ready - will install ESU LokSound SOO 4511 by mtaylor posted Feb 2, 2021 at 1:50 PM 4. Burlington Northern 9285 - Walthers Mainline SD60M with factory ESU LokSound BN9285 by mtaylor posted Feb 2, 2021 at 1:50 PM 5. Burlington Northern 9258 - Walthers Mainline SD60M with factory ESU LokSound BN9258 by mtaylor posted Feb 2, 2021 at 1:50 PM 6. Soo Line 4599 - Athearn Genesis GP39-2 DCC Ready - will install ESU LokSound SOO4599 by mtaylor posted Feb 2, 2021 at 1:50 PM 7. Soo Line 4598 - Athearn Genesis GP39-2 DCC Ready - will install ESU LokSound SOO4598 by mtaylor posted Feb 2, 2021 at 1:50 PM 8. Twin Cities & Western 2300 - Atlas GP39-2 with factory QSI Sound DCC decoder TCW2300 by mtaylor posted Feb 2, 2021 at 1:51 PM
These are locomotives that I purchased for my son for Christmas 2020 and currently are running on his 4x8 one loop layout. I will build a bigger dual loop layout in 2022 / 2023 (after train room construction is complete). 1. Atlas (ROCO) - Burlington Northern 9794 - DC Only - Note: My third locomotive I owned in 1980 was this same model. Like an idiot, I sold it in 2009 during my N Scale Conversion. I then purchased another model of this loco in 2010 and was adding DCC & Sound, I sold that loco in 2011. Then in 2012 I decided I really did want this model and yep, purchased another one. That one I still own and is displayed in a posting above. This loco I purchased so my son could have a loco like dad's less the weathering and DCC. 20210129_162652 by mtaylor posted Feb 3, 2021 at 1:24 PM 20210129_162639 by mtaylor posted Feb 3, 2021 at 1:24 PM 20210129_162626 by mtaylor posted Feb 3, 2021 at 1:24 PM 2. Atlas (Roco) - Canadian Pacific 4068 - DC Only 20210129_162505 by mtaylor posted Feb 3, 2021 at 1:24 PM 20210129_162447 by mtaylor posted Feb 3, 2021 at 1:24 PM 20210129_162429 by mtaylor posted Feb 3, 2021 at 1:24 PM 3. Athearn Blue Box - Great Northern FP45 - DC Only - Note: Ok, this is actually a locomotive I purchased in my youth in 1983 and the sole survivor of my childhood model railroad roster (I sold off everything else in 1999). I extended stewardship and usage of this loco to my son when I setup his 4x8 layout after Christmas 2020. It runs fairly well for being 38 years old. It is beat up missing the hand rails and has my wreathing efforts from when I was about 11 or 12. This is actually my son's second favorite loco (the Canadian Pacific one currently being his favorite (why not the Burlington Northern....I don't get it lol)). 20210129_162541 by mtaylor posted Feb 3, 2021 at 1:24 PM 20210129_162555 by mtaylor posted Feb 3, 2021 at 1:24 PM 20210129_162529 by mtaylor posted Feb 3, 2021 at 1:24 PM
These locomotives are for the far future basement layout. They will make cameo appearances on my son's layout until either we build a layout together or I take over the space, whenever that happens lol. 1. ScaleTrains.com Rivet Counter - BNSF C44-9W 4434 with factory ESU Loksound 5 - Delivered May 2020 20210203_120445 by mtaylor posted Feb 3, 2021 at 2:09 PM 2. ScaleTrains.com Rivet Counter - BNSF C44-9W 617 with factory ESU Loksound 5 - Delivered May 2020 20210203_121741 by mtaylor posted Feb 3, 2021 at 2:09 PM 3. ScaleTrains.com Rivet Counter - Norfolk Southern C44-9W 9597 with factory ESU Loksound 5 - Delivered November 2020. 20210203_122842 by mtaylor posted Feb 3, 2021 at 2:09 PM 4. ScaleTrains.com Rivet Counter - Norfolk Southern C44-9W 9613 with factory ESU Loksound 5 - Delivered November 2020. 20210203_123954 by mtaylor posted Feb 3, 2021 at 2:09 PM 5. ScaleTrains.com Rivet Counter - Norfolk Southern C44-9W 9550 with factory ESU Loksound 5 - Delivered November 2020. 20210203_133545 by mtaylor posted Feb 3, 2021 at 2:09 PM 6. ScaleTrains.com Rivet Counter - Norfolk Southern C44-9W 9580 with factory ESU Loksound 5 - Delivered November 2020. 20210203_133606 by mtaylor posted Feb 3, 2021 at 2:09 PM 7. Broadway Limited Blueline - Norfolk Southern SD40-2 1643 with factory sound and DC plug. Loco is analog and currently running on my son's 4x8 layout. Delivered January 2021. These blueline locos run ok but was disappointed compared to former blue line locos I have owned. Hence why I have loaned these to my son's layout. I will likely add DCC decoders to them when I add DCC option to his layout. 20210203_131557 by mtaylor posted Feb 3, 2021 at 2:09 PM 8. Broadway Limited Blueline - Norfolk Southern SD40-2 1649 with factory sound and DC plug. Loco is analog and currently running on my son's 4x8 layout. Delivered January 2021 20210203_131628 by mtaylor posted Feb 3, 2021 at 2:09 PM
Finally received my Rapido F7B, its only 1-1/2 years since I got the F7A's. For Reference, here are the FP7A's Rick Jesionowski
Rolling stock for the TCW (Twin Cities & Western) Office Layout (started over with rolling stock and sold all rolling stock between 2013 and 2018). 1. 17 Exact Rail Bethlehem 3483 coal hoppers in Burlington Northern - Delivered May 2020. Need 8 more to complete my BN Coal Train. 20210204_211944 by mtaylor posted Feb 4, 2021 at 8:43 PM 20210204_211920 by mtaylor posted Feb 4, 2021 at 8:43 PM 20210204_211958 by mtaylor posted Feb 4, 2021 at 8:43 PM 2. Athearn Bluebox kits - Cooperative Covered Hoppers (will need many covered hoppers for Grain, DDG, Sugar, Soy, Fertilizer, and other Ag products) - Delivered December 2020 20210204_212041 by mtaylor posted Feb 4, 2021 at 8:43 PM 20210204_212116 by mtaylor posted Feb 4, 2021 at 8:43 PM 3. Athearn RTR Covered Hoppers - Delivered May 2020 20210204_212154 by mtaylor posted Feb 4, 2021 at 8:43 PM 20210204_212218 by mtaylor posted Feb 4, 2021 at 8:43 PM 4. Trainman Covered Hopper - Delivered January 2021 20210204_212238 by mtaylor posted Feb 4, 2021 at 8:43 PM
I received a couple Tangent PS 4750 covered hoppers in the mail yesterday. They truly are lovely models. I posed them with some other recently acquired Athearn Genesis ACF 4600 covered hoppers, along with some Accurail PS 4750 and ACF 4600 hoppers I already had to get an idea of the variation in the red-brown paint used. Tangent PS 4750 vs. Athearn Genesis ACF 4600: Tangent PS 4750 vs. Accurail ACF 4600: Accurail PS 4750 vs. Tangent PS 4750: Athearn Genesis ACF 4600 vs. Accurail ACF 4600: Accurail PS 4750 vs. Athearn Genesis ACF 4600: Tangent PS 4750 vs. Accurail PS 4750: Accurail ACF 4600 vs. Tangent PS 4750: It's an interesting variety in color and intensity. The more I look at them the more I want to repaint the Accurail cars, assuming I can find suitable paint and decals. I think Tangent nailed the color on these whereas the Athearn cars seem a little purple to my eye. The Accurail ACF 4600s aren't too bad, maybe a washed out version of the prototype, but the PS 4750s are frankly just the wrong color.
If you plan on weathering these cars, the color difference won't be so dramatic, though I think they all look very nice....just need some gunk and rust lol. The Accurail cars are fine, as you stated, just been bleached by the sun. Very nice cars.
The Tangent cars look really nice, and I think I need some more rib-side cars for my hopper fleet. MY ratio of ACF-style to PS-style is too high. I'll need to do some research on these cars and their careers, but I wish Tangent would make more railroad-owned cars. It seems like all of their schemes are these obscure Co-Op cars. I just want some normal cars that will blend in, like a grey car or even Cascade Green. Obviously I am not an expert on the PS2CD, but surely there are some other owners that did not paint their cars orange or yellow. I think the ATSF car is the only 'normal' car in this release.
I agree, but since these cars are all about the same age they should be nearly the same color, at least by builder. They will all be weathered, but it will be easier to give them that uniform appearance if they all start out nearly the same color. As much as I like the Accurail 4750s - and I have loads of them in various roadnames - I might just replace these with more Tangent cars. I could say the same about the 4600s, assuming I can pick up a few more Genesis cars in Santa Fe. By the time you upgrade the Accurail 4600 with new stirrups, wheels, trucks, ladder rungs and running boards, even if you are able to save the paint, you've spent as much if not more than cost of a Genesis car. I've done several of those upgrades before the Genesis cars were available. Back then the cost wasn't really an issue since there was no highly detailed alternative. But now it's not worth it unless you just want the fun of doing the work.
It really depends when you're modeling and what you're modeling. BN took in loads of those former co-op cars and quickly patched them at the end of the 80s, so until the small logo BN cars started showing up in 92 there was a large variety of color in BN grain trains. Even after the small logo BN Trinity 4750s showed up the trains were far from monochrome. That came in the BNSF era.
I just fed my vehicle addiction again with these new offerings from Oxford. From left, their '57 Cadillac in metallic blue, '54 Pontiac in the California Highway Patrol livery (doors will be repainted for GreenRiver police dept) and their 36 Buick in dark blue, typical of the rich colors of the '30s.
