Mail Call! Railway Post Office, commonly abbreviated as RPO has rolled in!

[Smudge617]

These arrived today, the cars were $4.00 a pop with loads, so couldn't resist.

This was included, not sure if I'll build this tho', we'll see.

Wanted one of these for a while now, first one I've found for reasonable £

And some half relief structures.

 

[Vince-RA]

Can’t really ever have enough car kits, can you? Now that I have one of these Labelle passenger cars mostly built I guess I can try another one

 

[Alcomotive]

Well the SNAIL MAN came today.

I got a few more railroad employees....




Then I got this 2 bay hopper....don't tell TomO lol....

I won't be having this one weathered because this makes 4 WC 2 bay hoppers and 3 of them have been weathered by TomO.


Then a FB market place purchase of 15 bucks....

An Athearn 2 bay hopper in the o'l RI blue with Union Pacific recording marks....

 

[Smudge617]

Picked these up from the Post Office yesterday, nice addition to my RR.

 

[J.Albert]

Proto1000 RS2 I picked up not long ago on ebay for a very nice price.

It did need all the wheelsets replaced due to cracked gears (cracked so badly they fell apart when I lifted them out -- had some replacements on-hand).

Also needed oil on the worm gear bearings (they squealed) and I put in a Soundtrax MC2H104at decoder into it. I re-used the factory incandescent lights.

Now it runs smoothly and whisper-quiet.
Pretty good for an engine that was probably made before the Walthers acquisition in 2005.

 

[Iron Horseman]

Proto1000 RS2 ...Pretty good for an engine that was probably made before the Walthers acquisition in 2005.

I've always thought the Proto-1000 was the most under appreciated line of products.

Don't know if anyone likes my stories or not, but way back when....

I was in Caboose Hobbies (the real one in Denver on Broadway) and encountered a woman looking for a train set for her son. Thankfully she was not buying a prepackaged set, but had pieced together a DIY set, and was working on the locomotive. She had narrowed it down to three, and asked me what I thought of them. They were horrible. As I recall a standard toy line Bachmann, a Model Power, and something as equally toyish. I asked her what the criteria had been, and it was simply road name. Seems her son wanted "Rio Grande". Sure enough being in Denver, the Rio Grande was very popular and there wasn't anything good in stock.

So I looked the three over and answered her question directly, "BUT", I said "for the same price there is this locomotive over here in the clearance rack." I explained any one of the three Rio Grande would be noisy, run jack rabbitsh, need to be pushed often, etc., and I thought her son would really, even if he didn't know it, like a better quality loco even if it wasn't painted Rio Grande. I took her over the the clearance rack and showed her the Proto-1000 that was there for $40. I think it was an Alco F AB or F3 AB set decorated in some eastern scheme (Pennsy or Western Maryland maybe). Anyway, I said perhaps it would spur his imagination to explore more of the railroad world and for certain it will run so much better than the others. She listened to everything I said and indicated that sounded like a good idea.

Just in case, my final comment was something to the effect of, "If you decide to buy this one, and your son really hates it or it doesn't run as well as I said, then I'll buy it from you, and you can come back and get one of those other ones". I gave her my business card. Never heard from her, so I don't know the real ending of the story.

 

[BigGRacing]

Proto1000 RS2 I picked up not long ago on ebay for a very nice price.

It did need all the wheelsets replaced due to cracked gears (cracked so badly they fell apart when I lifted them out -- had some replacements on-hand).

Also needed oil on the worm gear bearings (they squealed) and I put in a Soundtrax MC2H104at decoder into it. I re-used the factory incandescent lights.

Now it runs smoothly and whisper-quiet.
Pretty good for an engine that was probably made before the Walthers acquisition in 2005.
View attachment 156804

May I ask what you paid roughly? person on facebook up here selling some Proto 1000 engines......

 

[BigGRacing]

Don't know if anyone likes my stories or not, but way back when....

I love your stories IH and read the value of my last question.....I have learned a lot from you over the last couple years and its greatly appreciated !

 

[TLOC]

Good afternoon.

#8 turnout kits arrived yesterday. 2 from Oak Hill Railroad Track Supply @ $17.00 each. Just assemble to the supplied ties and viola, a functioning turn out. Frogs are assembled by Jeff the owner.

Exactrail coil car. I am going to have fun weathering this guy and his 2 brothers that showed up. I now have enough coil cars

More cars are coming this week

 

[HO Scale MILW]

Good afternoon.

#8 turnout kits arrived yesterday. 2 from Oak Hill Railroad Track Supply @ $17.00 each. Just assemble to the supplied ties and viola, a functioning turn out. Frogs are assembled by Jeff the owner.
View attachment 156836

Exactrail coil car. I am going to have fun weathering this guy and his 2 brothers that showed up. I now have enough coil cars
View attachment 156837
More cars are coming this week

nice coil car!

 

[TLOC]

nice coil car!

Thank you. Felt like I hit the jackpot a couple times last week at Exactrail’s storefront (trainlife.com)with Black Friday deals.

 

[J.Albert]

RE the NH RS2 above:
"May I ask what you paid roughly?"

From ebay, $61 (includes shipping and tax).
Winning bid was 47.89.

 

[D&J RailRoad]

Good afternoon.

#8 turnout kits arrived yesterday. 2 from Oak Hill Railroad Track Supply @ $17.00 each. Just assemble to the supplied ties and viola, a functioning turn out. Frogs are assembled by Jeff the owner.
View attachment 156836

Exactrail coil car. I am going to have fun weathering this guy and his 2 brothers that showed up. I now have enough coil cars
View attachment 156837
More cars are coming this week

Yep, those are some good looking coil cars.

 

[TLOC]

Yep, those are some good looking coil cars.

Thank you. Great looking coil train on your layout. I see you like autoracks…

Debating with myself (always a bad idea) if these get slightly weathered for 2005 (build date of 1995) or medium for 2015. Pictures online are not showing much rust on these cars. Heavy fading though. Sometime today I will do a more thorough search for pictures.

I ran the 3 new ones last night testing track and then ran my Scaletrains and finally the Walthers coil cars. The Exactrail IMO has better details. The ST cars track better and the Walthers cars (Goldline series) are by far the best value.

 

[Alcomotive]

I've always thought the Proto-1000 was the most under appreciated line of products.

Don't know if anyone likes my stories or not, but way back when....

I was in Caboose Hobbies (the real one in Denver on Broadway) and encountered a woman looking for a train set for her son. Thankfully she was not buying a prepackaged set, but had pieced together a DIY set, and was working on the locomotive. She had narrowed it down to three, and asked me what I thought of them. They were horrible. As I recall a standard toy line Bachmann, a Model Power, and something as equally toyish. I asked her what the criteria had been, and it was simply road name. Seems her son wanted "Rio Grande". Sure enough being in Denver, the Rio Grande was very popular and there wasn't anything good in stock.

So I looked the three over and answered her question directly, "BUT", I said "for the same price there is this locomotive over here in the clearance rack." I explained any one of the three Rio Grande would be noisy, run jack rabbitsh, need to be pushed often, etc., and I thought her son would really, even if he didn't know it, like a better quality loco even if it wasn't painted Rio Grande. I took her over the the clearance rack and showed her the Proto-1000 that was there for $40. I think it was an Alco F AB or F3 AB set decorated in some eastern scheme (Pennsy or Western Maryland maybe). Anyway, I said perhaps it would spur his imagination to explore more of the railroad world and for certain it will run so much better than the others. She listened to everything I said and indicated that sounded like a good idea.

Just in case, my final comment was something to the effect of, "If you decide to buy this one, and your son really hates it or it doesn't run as well as I said, then I'll buy it from you, and you can come back and get one of those other ones". I gave her my business card. Never heard from her, so I don't know the real ending of the story.

I have to concur on your sentiments about the Proto 1000 series. I have 11 of them on my roster and love them. All Union Pacific F3 A/B units and RS units. I do however regret one Proto 1000 locomotive that I let go....

Being that I am a huge Alco lover. I had a DL-109 in the Santa Fe Warbonnet Scheme. #50 I had it for 2 years and added a decoder and bought a complete passenger set for it and it was beautiful! The locomotive ran like a swiss watch, it was so in tune. I had a Digitrax decoder in it that I installed. It ran great. Unfortunately or fortunately I bought this set up for my step son (not legal step son as I did not do the adoption) at the time back in 2002 I think it was. When I divorced his mom, he offered it back to me as he wasn't interested in it anymore as he was off to college in his 2nd year. I told him to hang on to it and that he may get back into it or have a son of his own that may be interested in it. To this day I do not know what became of it. Although my step son is a successful business owner and is doing well. He never married last I knew. Anyways the Proto 1000 series locomotives are solid runners and I concur that they are definitely underrated!

Interesting thing though the DL-109....Alco.....Union Pacific did however look at getting the Alco DL-109s....but it was not to be.
Being the most likely carrier to have ordered such a consist A-B-A or A-B-B -- Union Pacific -- being aware of the disastrous single 1941 trip of the Santa Fe's pair on the Super Chief, managed to resist any temptation to order. Santa Fe 50L and 50A had serious traction motor overheating problems on their trip across Raton, Glorieta, and Cajon Passes, and were never again allowed west of La Junta.

The prewar DL's had two straight-6, 1000 horsepower, 539 engines, which were as tough as nails, but they did not have electrical capacity for mountain territory. The postwar PA's, however, outperformed F3's electrically, but had the well documented early turbocharger and crankshaft issues with the engines. During war time and the event of Pearl Harbor things were pretty chaotic for all of the locomotive companies. Alco was not only in the business of building locomotives but they were also building ship engines.

So in retrospect the EMDs prevailed with their E units but Alco didn't completely fail as the PAs were a huge success!

I would have loved to seen a UP DL-109....maybe I should do a what if? Who knows......that could happen!

 

[Smudge617]

Just delivered, 2nd hand, bought from a gentleman in CA. US. that gives me three to go with the three cranes I now have, this is metal and wood chassis so I'm presuming it's a kit, got some weight to it too.

 

[D&J RailRoad]

My Rapido E8As and E8B arrived today.
Pictures will be forthcoming, soon.

 

[Smudge617]

Picked these up from the Post Office today, I only wanted the #12030 couplings, but it was a job lot, plus a Gon and a box car all for $27, a no brainer, even for me.

Following some good advice from a few well known members, got some more figures, but pre-painted this time.

These were also in the job lot with the coupling, both look to be near brand new

The one I've been waiting for, the body for the switcher chassis I have for the Gentleman in the care home, quite disappointed really, as you can see, it's a brush re-paint, not badly done mind, but getting those marks off could be troublesome, may well go with TLOC's heavy weathering route.

 

[D&J RailRoad]

As promised.
Rapido E8 locomotives.

 

[Alcomotive]

Here is my loot from the train show today at the Albany Great American Train show.

I was surprised to get the 3 Union Pacific airslide hoppers with all different road numbers that was cool! The rail bumpers were a cheap at 3 dollars each. I bought all they had. The Rock Island car was only 10 bucks so I had to get it....

The memoralbilia hat pin and the coin was 5 dollars each. I wanted to contribute to my local rail road that was raising money for locomotive maintenance etc.