Cheap-O Auto Parts Train (in breakable styrene & basswood)

[DeBruin]

I'm fascinated by the industry/customer specific trains of the 60-70's etc The NYC/PRR/PC in particular would run largely solid trains of expedited Auto's, TOFC, Automotive and Appliance Parts, Coal, Coil Steel and Scrap, Meat Products (" Cold ones up front, warm ones in back") cars, etc. The Auto Industry traffic in particular paid a lot bills for NYC and PC. Here's my take on one of the PC's Auto Parts trains with a mix of factory and custom painted Roco's, USH, QC, Atlas and PRB cars and a kit bashed caboose running around the Southern O Scaler's modular club layout behind a pair of GP-38-2's. (note time traveling T-1 in background)
Pete

[bob turner]

Impressive scenery and photos.

[Erik C Lindgren]

It is.

Very nice thank you

[rogruth]

Agree with the above.

I thought that no T1s were saved but somehow you spirited one to the Atlanta area.

[R.K. Maroon]

Ok, here's one to consider (and maybe make everybody feel old): The difference in time between the T1s and the Penn-Central GP38s is less than the time from the PC GP38s to today. One might say it is not just the T1 that is time travelling here.

Cool photos, Pete. Your paint and decals on most of that train? How many cars in the consist?

[aterry11]

Sure doesn't look el cheapo to me.. Not much of a freight fan but I'd run that in the backyard and blow everones mind cause it ain't a passenger train. Your layout looks magazine printable too.. Nice PC units also.

[DeBruin]

Thanks Terry, Jim et al
Terry , the Southern O Scaler's have a beautiful portable layout, I'm a member for the great fellowship, but the realistic detail on the pike is indeed a bonus as a backdrop like this will take me years to do on my own layout. The other members collections are incredible too (see attached).
I have been accumulating and building the cars for a couple of years now. I did "cheat" and score some stock Atlas PRC 60' high cubes and some E-Bay "fits" for it too but have been reworking the Roco/Weaver/PRB pile for the remainder. James, a baker's doz. including two of those Quality Craft 70 footer's you scored, I should post some mugs of those just for the edification of these kits and their builder's skill. I will in the hopes of getting some other folks here to post QC's they have, I really like these kits.
Looking at this now, I realize I should have weathered that screaming lime green US Hobbies twin door on the end, apologies to Rufous as he pointed out this chronic faux pas on an earlier thread awhile back.
Pete

[Rufus T. Firefly]

.........I realize I should have weathered that screaming lime green US Hobbies twin door on the end, apologies to Rufus as he pointed out this chronic faux pas on an earlier thread awhile back.

Screaming? Lime? Tomato!

[R.K. Maroon]

...including two of those Quality Craft 70 footers...

Here's one that would look good in that consist:

NYC 67000.JPG (226.99 KiB) Viewed 10673 times

I post this simply to demonstrate the length of these. A bit shocking perhaps to those of us stuck in the transition era.

[aterry11]

Those things are huge!!!!! Larger than a passenger car? The center spine bulk wood cars are close to the same size ? I worked at a truss builder who regularly shipped 6 car loads of bulk lumber, and remember the boss not listening or reading the safety info on how to unload evenly needless to say if you take all the bunks off on one side at a time the car rolls and stringlines all the others on their side. The whole neighborhood shook and I can still see bosses face in shock while he was deciding who to blame it on. Thought I was going to see the wrecking crane, instead we got two mobile cranes to upright the mess. 2 weeks later on the morning of aug. 9 the day Jerry Garcia died I got fired for my negligence. Boss says youll get your check at the next payperiod. I informed him state law says if fired employee gets check within 24 hours. He got in trouble for not waiting to the end of the period and after some noseing around was demoted. I cashed my check and went to frisco to party it up sure do miss the Dead.

[R.K. Maroon]

OK, I know it's only January, but I am nominating Terry's post for "most entertaining of the year".

[aterry11]

Should have been there in 1995 to see it. Never liked Mac the boss and the feelings were mutual. Seems he was the only one allowed to bend rules and if it turned bad somebody was going to be blamed. I operate on the principal of not wasteing time energy establishing blame lets solve the problem.

[J. S. Bach]

I post this simply to demonstrate the length of these. A bit shocking perhaps to those of us stuck in the transition era.

Yes, big they are:




And my favorite from that photo shoot:

[J. S. Bach]

The center spine bulk wood cars are close to the same size ?

Those center-beam cars are usually around sixty feet or so; the hi-cubes are about eighty-six feet. Still, they do look big when you have to load/unload one.

[rogruth]

Dave,

Your photos show very nicely why I don't run that type of car on my layout.