Mopac Coal motors

Tim
I can't remember where the ready kil-o-watts trains were headed But I will find out give me a couple days and will let you all know
Blane

 

Thanks for the coal train info Hemi & DRGWEngr. (West) Labadie isn't too far from here and is the largest plant in the Union Electric system, I believe. The 5-bay UCEX hoppers were painted by me from other roadnames I scrounged off of that auction site, incl. Colorado & Wyoming, so I just assumed that the Ortners from the Minturn photo were C&W (all black 5-bays w/white marks?) - not sure. Once the EPA regulations called for low sulfur coal, the So. Il. mines were shut down and local plants were forced to get their coal from out west, so I'm sure the yellow and red UCEX hoppers were used at Empire Mine on 713 & 714, although their reporting marks were changed to Kerr-McGee (KMCX) sometime in the 1980's (IIRC). I believe I have eastbound photos of UP pulling these in the 1996 timeframe. Union Electric now runs mostly Trinity aluminum rapid discharge types.

Blane, thanks for checking into the Mo. Public Svc. Ortners. At least I know I can run the three I have since they were in the area.

Here's a red KMCX hopper in Dupo, IL in August of '96 (you can see the restenciling):

 

MPSX Coal Hoppers

One of the unit trains in the collection is made up of 40 MDC/Roundhouse Ortner 5 bay hoppers in Missouri Public Service colours. The car is tan with a red "Ready Kilowatt" figure and black lettering. Does anyone know if the model cars are correct? The train us usually pulled by BN SD40-2 units and a BN wide vision caboose on the end. I know I'm old fashioned but a train just isn't complete without a caboose.

 

That "GE something" is a C36-7 with extended-range dynamics, a variant unique to MP.

 

And don't forget NS (NW).

 

Ouch... That made me remember that there was one refitted like that before the MP units were built. But I had completely forgotten that NS had more of them, because I don't often see photos of them. Now I remember some shots of black C36-7(XR)s in Brazil.

 

And IIRC, some of them (ex-UP?) wound up on a RR in Estonia. Too bad they're all gone; I liked those late-model C36-7s...even the UP ones!

 

Hemi
From what I can remember they were bought during the merger process and painted UP colors with Missouri Pacific on the long hoods.
Blane

 

MP C36-7s

I like the look of the C36-7s too. They definitely bridge the gap between the C30-7 and modern Dash 8s. MP relocated the airtanks to the radiator housing and ordered extended capacity fuel tanks, which give them a stout look.





9050-9059 were platforms originally built for NdeM C30-7s, which had anticlimbers. I made three of these for coal & intermodal services on my N-scale layout from Kato C30-7s and Atlas parts. I have step by step instructions if any N-scalers would like them. There was an article in 'Model Railroading' on building an HO C36-7 for Mopac (July & August '97).

 

Thanks Hemi! Man, they took a while, but doing 3 at once probably saved a lot of time. Yep, that's correct - the relocated tanks were hidden under the hood.

 

I sure did Paul. Thanks again for your help with it! I sent it in on a CD several months ago - maybe Kirk doesn't think it has enough appeal. I'll try to get the module out and take some good shots for N-spirations when I get some free time. In the meantime, if anyone's interested in their own N-scale C36-7, I don't mind sending them a copy.

 

Tim;

Those are FANTASTIC looking, but a little new for me.

mike.p