DFW Portable Layouts -- Mainline and Traction

[R.K. Maroon]

The traction layout is roughly half the size of the mainline layout, so it doesn't quite double our footprint (the square footage needed in the exhibit hall). But it sure draws as many people if not more so than the mainline layout. Everybody likes to watch traction, especially when the overhead is functional.

Here we see a New Orleans streetcar, owned by one of the OKC modelers:



A similar car was on eBay recently and was advertised as being made by MTS:



I would tell you it's a good looking model but I think that is self evident.

Next up was is a cast-metal Grzywna car, owned by one of the DFW members:



The prototype was Pittsburgh and Butler,. It had poles on the ends and a pantograph in the middle:



I have a matching combine:



The prototype setup is very cool, but these cars are very similar to the old Ft. Worth, Texas line (North Texas Traction) so they may wind up that way:



Erie-Builts next

Jim

[R.K. Maroon]

By complete coincidence to Bob Turner's efforts, one of the OKC modelers brought a set of FM Erie-builts in the Milwaukee Road Hiawatha scheme:





These are Overland models with Doug Cockerham drives. I don't what Doug did, but these were heavy enough to be mistaken for the cast unit that Bob is working on.

We didn't have an appropriate passenger train, so we had it pulling the Milwaukee freight car string showed earlier. This was not a totally inappropriate mismatch, as the Erie-Builts marketed by FM as dual-service.

Santa Fe PAs next

Jim

[bob turner]

Gorgeous! Thanks!

[R.K. Maroon]

We have a good number of passenger trains and associated diesel at the show. Here is a classic 6000 HP lash-up:





These are Key units, owned by one of the OKC modelers. These PAs were smooth runners and, not surprisingly, attracted a lot of attention and complimentary admiration. The bright light, which shows up much brighter in the photo than was apparent in person, is the back lighting for the lit side number boards, which as can be seen is missing on the front unit. Lit side number boards are a nice touch, just the kind of detail that separates a top-end model from the rest of the offerings.

Timken Four-Aces next

Jim

[De Bruin]

Ain't these pretty? As I recall Key had a extremely well done motor driven "Mars Light" that mounted the light on an oscillating arm, factory-installed on these in that iconic PA upper headlight sconce/bezel . When I first saw it more than 20 years ago I thought then that there was no prototype feature that could not be rendered in 1:48.
I regret never seeing the light and drive mechanism itself , it has to be pretty damn clever.

[bob turner]

Yes. The Key units were the definitive PA models, and their drives were noiseless. Way out of my hobby budget, but admired from afar.

Not anywhere near the same class, and (ugh) plastic - the newest Lionel scale PAs. Above the belt line they are almost as good as Key. As I understand it, they are not great runners.

I got the chance to compare the earlier Key PA with one of my metal MTH PAs. Dimensionally and body-detail wise the comparison was favorable. The tinplate folks have come a very long way . . .

[R.K. Maroon]

Next up is an Alexander model of the Timken Four-Aces, still running strong after over eighty years of service:



The markings are prototypical, as the NP wound up with the locomotive and numbered it 2626, the only example of class A1. This model was originally marketed as a live steamer, but was later made available with an electric motor. The hand-lettering is exceptionally well done and, luckily, well preserved.

Narrow gauge next.

Jim

[bob turner]

That would be an OST article all by itself! Hopefully owned by a friend of yours?

[R.K. Maroon]

Bob, I found the Alexander on eBay a few years ago, sold by somebody who didn't know what it was. I was lucky enough to recognize NP 2626 as the Four Aces, and I knew that Alexander had offered one. It arrived in a custom wooden storage case. The seller, who I believe was related to the now-deceased owner, simply wrapped the case in plastic with no additional padding. Miraculously, neither the case nor the locomotive was damaged. A few days later I bought a scratch-built Great Northern P2 Mountain from the same seller, and it was shipped the same way. A bit of damage to the case this time, but again very fortunate -- it was limited only to a bent metal corner piece on the case.

Jim

[Carey Williams]

Thank you Jim for sharing the photos of your great show ...glad it received a warm reception from the public ..the Alexander Ace engine is fabulous.....hand lettering is the tops ..( ok if the hand doing it has the touch) ..

The 4 Aces as offered in the Alexander catalog 1933/4 as a live steamer or electric was Roy Ashley design ..offered direct by Ashley in 32 .. early in the 1928 Alexander catalog he carried Roy Ashley's live steam Pacific ..here are photos of the catalog cut and the Pacific .. I have not yet fired her up ..yet ..
Cheers Carey

1928 Alexander catalog.jpg (487.18 KiB) Viewed 6957 times

right side a.jpg (363.99 KiB) Viewed 6957 times

[R.K. Maroon]

The OKC show was a three-day event. After the Saturday session the DFW guys were invited to see the new building for the OKC modelers. The building, which is being setup as a museum, is situated next to the BNSF tracks. We were treated to a monster double-stack container train and then the longest string of tank cars that I have ever seen:



I was told that it was most likely an ethanol train, which is essentially run as a unit train. It was true that all the tankers were the same type with the same road mark. There was also a buffer car -- an old covered hopper as I recall -- between the locomotives and the tankers.

The OKC O-scalers are starting to build a new and very large dual-gauge layout in their new building. In the meantime, they have their portable narrow gauge layout up and running. We were all impressed by the look of the existing layout:







I am not sure what you call the skill set that produces this kind of work on a layout, but our club could certainly use some more of it. I am very much looking forward to progress on their permanent layout.

Shots for the Sunday session next
Jim

[webenda]

The prototype was Pittsburgh and Butler,. It had poles on the ends and a pantograph in the middle:


Jim

Ingenious.

The traction club here in Tucson was disappointed because the city went with pantograph light traction rather than poles.
They said their beautifully restored trolleys could not run on the new system because the poles won't stay on the zig-zag wire used for pantographs.

[bob turner]

Disheartening. Do you know George Sokol? O scaler and trolley buff, and a good artist.

[R.K. Maroon]

I have a few more photos to post, all from the last day (Sunday) of the recent OKC Rail Expo. I'll start with traction. This is, as I remember it, a custom built and painted model:



I want to say the prototype is either Milwaukee or Minneapolis /St. Paul. I will ask Phil to jump in here if he knows. One of the OKC O-scalers rode these cars as a kid.

I will say here that we were surprised, but of course quite pleased, by how accommodating the traction layout was to equipment that was brought to the show. Some of it required a little bit of "dinking around" but overall we were able to run just about anything that showed up.

Jim

[bob turner]

That belongs in a museum! A work of art! Thanks for the photo.

Edit: It disappeared while I was typing! We run out of space?