My inherited disaster...and legacy!


R

Riverrat

Member
Well, folks, I guess I can start the my story here. As you know, I am new, and posted in a couple threads, including some pictures, and have already gotten the impression that some of you are looking forward of the clean-up/clean-out of the old bench work and to see most of the goodies my father acquired over the years.

To start, these are the pictures of the "disaster" part that I got to start with.

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These are looking each way in the "train room" taken a little over a year ago. Dad had always kept buying and building kits, but you can see nothing was getting ran at home.

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These are shelves that he built for storage, well, since your couldn't safely stack anything else up on the bench work :)

And those shelves do not include 4 or 5 full plastic totes in the laundry room, at least 6 more full in the garage, and 2 even made it up to the storage unit and I dont even know what are in those two.

I have been a busy little beaver cleaning and working on the layout, cleaning and replacing ruined sections of track and figuring out his wiring from 1979-80-ish. I have taken quite a few pictures of pieces of the collection, and headway that I have made on the layout. I will start posting shortly.

ANY words of encouragement will help greatly :D
 
ok, here is an update already.

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These are the same views as before! I have physically ran a train on "main #2" under its own power, even across the lift out bridge I rebuilt. BUT... I in a tad of a hurried "craze" (HAVE TO RUN A TRAIN, HAVE TO RUN A TRAIN!!) so goofed it up some. And without funds to get proper nickel track, proper wiring, I had to use some smaller code brass flex track that was laying around. I am going to RE-rebuild it, proper straight boards and cut in a miter box, and I want to clean up the wiring and use plugs, instead of using 3 sets of alligator clips to piece together what dad had ripped out or had just deteriorated. And trying to find out which lead goes where and why this switch is insulated, and the next 2 are wired together. :confused:
 
His numbering system leaves A LOT to be desired... I will definitely have to rework and expand it.

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#31 and 32 are old Atlas.

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Old bb Athearn GP35

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Old Atlas GP38, probably Canon high nose put on. DBs were sanded off and patched where the fan was.
 
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Both Athearn bb SD40s, DB sanded off and fan holes patched. Ohh, note the middle FAN mounted horn.

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Another Atlas SD35 with a monster plow. and #60... why so different from #31 and #32 of the same type?

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bb Athearn TrainMaster

There is a U-something-B missing some where, with a MoPac eagle decal on the side. And Let an old Atlas high nose SD18 go to one of his old friends that remembered when dad painted it years ago.
 
First of all, it's nice that you found room for track!!! I like what I am seeing so far. Those locos look like they took at least a little work and as far as numbering goes that is something that doesn't need to be changed immediately, just have some fun w/ trains! :D I would say though that you wanna get that main in so that you can not only test and see what stuff you want but so that you have something to do to break up the task of cleaning out that room!! Being able to watch a diesel pull a nice little (or maybe even big) train around the bench while you work would be nice. Just be sure to move your hands when the crossing gates go down ;)

Also, I'm not sure what kind of time you have to devote to this but if you don't understand his wiring scheme you may just want to take the layout and redesign your own, that way you know exactly what is going on with the layout. I take it that everything is DC power (doesn't look like dcc) so it should be relatively simple to design. And if you had to use some brass track just keep it clean. I have some brass track on my layout but it rarely gives me any problems. Honestly I think I have more problems from my newer track (ns) than I do w/ the brass sometimes (but it could be b/c I pay obsessive attention to the brass sections. Don't wanna encourage problems!) Just remember to do what YOU wanna do and you will find the whole thing much more amusing for a much longer time.
 
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Ah, we have progress!
You're Dad had some skills I see!
He also had quite the collection of older and high end stuff.
As Nathan said a brush will help get the dust off, I'd also use a can of compressed air as well.
My advice to you is to take some time and remove everything from the benchwork and shelves and go thru it piece by piece. Sounds daunting but in the long run doing it this way will give you a feeling of getting somewhere. Make a list, sort out running locos and to be repaired locos, stuff you want to keep and stuff you want to think about. If you can get storage some boxes that you can mark and stack neatly under the layout, that in itself will make you feel much less overwelmed.
As was mentioned, get the main up and running so you can break up your time by running a train.
Above all ask questions, most of us love a challenge like the one you have before you.
No rush, this is almost a hobby in itself!
 
Holey Moley! Forget the local hobby store, I'm gonna head to your house and start shopping. With winter coming/here you will have plent of time to really dive into the wiring and inventory that you have. Although bitter sweet that you are going through your dad's stuff...at least it's something that you know he is enjoying with you from up above!!
 
That is quite a collection you have. Looking forward to seeing updates as you clear off and clean up the main line and run trains. Keep us posted.
 
Well, on the sorting, I have already gone through most of it, and have sold off a lot of unbuilt kits that I don't want to mess with. Most of what is left ,I think, is staying.

To break up monotony of cleaning, I have been getting good stuff out and taking pictures, and putting them back.

As for the track design and wiring, I am going to leave the double track loop where it is, as that was the only thing that was ever wired to begin with. And will be on the "easier" side, because most of the leads that I have found are just pressed to the track with spikes. When income allows, I will block the 2 mains, and acquire a second "cab". Of what yard track ARE on the bench work, have never been wired, so I can do those how I want.

On to some goodies...

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The Cary fleet!

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GP9/18 (I believe those are the super rare ones, as they dropped and broke the mold after the first run). FTA, and S2/S4

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These 3 are detailed and almost finished for paint, just need the wire screen on the radiator. One has had a stack removed for a SW1000.

The RS3s, I think they are, I THINK they are on HobbyTown drives? Drive shaft connecting the trucks under/inside the fuel tank.

I sold off a Cary Oscale NW2 shell, and i let it go for a STEAL :(
 
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All 3 MACs are different numbers(I was super busy at the beging of the last swap meet and think I accidently let a 4th custom painted one go...someone else was helping me unpack/half shopping at the same time :) I saw it hit the table, but it didnt register which one it was. It hit me later after it was sold that it wasnt in the same packaging the the others.

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All are Athrean Genesis, SD70MACs and SD75Ms. love the dirty patched SF!
 
All the coal cars you see there, are actually all mine. With the red ends, and 4- 5packs Athearn RTR sets of CWEX cars. The older BN cars is the new-er Broadway Limited 6-pack of BN 3-bay hoppers. $125 set of 6, traded a dealer I know for 12 unassembled InterMountian cylindrical hopper kits. Beautiful cars! Buyers remorse got me once I got them home, was going to let them go, but the longer I've had them, the more I'm falling in love with them! I want more of them now, once funds are readily available... I will get better pictures of them, if anyone is interested in the cars, or is curious about detail for their own railroad.
 
You know once Jerome see's those switchers he's going to start twitching and going to want to buy them. LOL
 
Well, back at it again today, but kind of lost as to where to start.

I'll post a few more.

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old yellow box Atlas, RS11, C425, RS3. There are 2 of each, this weathered trio. and unweathered set with same numbers, but boxes are marked with new numbers that they were to be renumbered to.

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all run just like they were brand new, lights still work. Not like they are 20-some-odd years old.
 
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