Making the Case For Dummies, Non-Powered Locomotives That Is!!

 Greetings All,

Making the Case For Dummies,

Non-Powered Locomotives That Is

In my last post about locomotives stored repairs deferred I explained the issues facing some of my 1:87 scale fleet. Today we'll take a look at one of the hard decisions I needed to make to get these locomotives back on the layout.

Addressing The Issue

The failing GP30 fleet was finally addressed by un-powering the Made in Hong Kong GP30s and doing some shell swaps to better utilize the non powered chassis.

As reported yesterday the UP 721 is now riding on the EMD Demo chassis and the NYC 2194 is riding on the EBRR 2161 chassis. Both the UP and NYC 2194 can now be run in consist with any brand of locomotive.

The biggest winner of this project so far has been the NYC 2194 seen below with older sibling EMD GP20s in merger compliant numbers making a good looking lash up that is now possible.

The Dummy Locomotive Concept

Modelers of a certain age will remember the dummy locomotive concept is not new and has been offered by various manufacturers including Athearn, AHM and others. Below an Athearn Blue Box PRR U28C dummy locomotive looks to be providing additional muscle when leased to the Empire Belt RR.

Four BB powered units tend to heat up my DC controllers pretty quickly while three powered units run just fine. In September 2024, I converted this four powered consist to a three powered one non powered consist.

Erie Lackawanna GP7 #1400 is an AHM dummy locomotive. The EL S12 is an Athearn BB dummy unit.

The non powered EL S12 is used as a track cleaner so it's not just a cosmetic option.

A pair of Atlas Cotton Belt GP40s that were assigned to the Penn Central to run off owed miles are lensed in Terminal Yard. The middle unit is non powered.

A poor running Proto 1000 New Haven RS2 was made into a non powered unit which allows it to run with other brands of locomotives. It also allows for this winter lash up with the powered RDC pushing it to replicate the practice of placing a locomotive in front of the RDC to avoid grade crossing derailments during snow.

Early Efforts Back in The Day

One of the earliest non-powering efforts I made was to make these old Bachmann train set pancake motor F7As free rolling units. The two PC F7As were then sent to the Patti-O Paint Shop for painting about seventeen years ago.

Bachmann Plus B23-7s

Last But Not Least (Almost)

Happy with the non powering of the Spectrum Made in Hong Kong GP30s I continued with the program tackling a pair of Bachmann Plus B23-7s that I painted as Penn Central U33Bs. For years I tried to get them to run better and quieter to no avail. 

The disassembly of the B23-7 /U33B is underway. This was a pain in the neck!!

The 2899 is ready to go back together sans gears, weight, motor, driveshafts, electrical pickups and control board. I also had to drill out the trucks to get the wheels to roll freely.

This four unit four axle U-Boat consist is now a reality. Two powered Athearn BB U-Boats are on the ends with the non powered Bachmann Plus units in the middle. 

Last But Not Least

1:87 Scale PC Ralph Rides Again!!!

With the success of the non powering program I turned my attention to Empire Belt RR GP30 #2160 which features 1:87 engineer PC Ralph at the controls. For some reason I was reluctant to un power this unit.

This conversion was a little different as I left the electrical pickups in place but removed the motor. The gears and driveshafts were also removed as in previous modifications.

The 2160 with headlight shining leads the Belt Job back to North Side Yard. GP30 2160 looks good with the EBRR GP18s who have more than enough power to push the 2160 and haul a long freight train. 

See the new consists using the newly depowered locomotives.

Final Thoughts and Comments

For years I was reluctant to modify the locomotives in this project hoping that one day they would run fine and all would be well on my 1:87 scale railroad. As the years passed this was not to be so I finally made the moves. Once I started with the first two GP30s the project gained momentum to include the two U33B (B23-7s) and the EBRR 2160.

As of this posting five poor running locomotives, four that I painted and lettered as PC units, are now enjoying layout time and looking good in their consists. While they no longer provide power to the consist they don't hinder operations with their loud noises and poor running qualities.

Thanks for reading and watching!!

See you soon!!!

Engines Stored Repairs Deferred

 Greetings All

Engines Stored, Repairs Deferred

I've recently started to notice that some of my aging 1:87 scale fleet looks to be reaching the end of its serviceable life span similar to their 1:1 counterparts needing some replacement parts or rebuilding of components if parts are available.

The term "engines stored, repairs deferred" comes from the 1:1 railroad practice of storing locomotives still being paid off in need repairs that are deemed too expensive based on severity of problem(s) and age of locomotive. Once the trusts have been paid off the locomotives become the property of the railroad and can be sold off to another road, traded in for new locomotives or for scrap. 

"Schellville Train Purgatory" by Jeff Boyd is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/?ref=openverse.

Sometimes a RR will switch road numbers from a locomotive sidelined in need of repairs to an active locomotive that is already been paid off with the blessing of the financier. You'll see something like engine #1000(2) which would indicate the 1000 has received a new number from the original #1000 locomotive in the fleet. 

"Alco's retired" by railsr4me is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/?ref=openverse.

The active locomotive would be earning revenue to pay the bank and the stored, repairs deferred engine would become the RR's property for whatever disposition they choose like scrapping or trading in for a new engine.

"Deadline" by Patrick Dirden is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/?ref=openverse.

The Bachmann Spectrum GP30 Conundrum

The combined family fleet of GP30s dates back about 25 years when the Bachmann Spectrum Line was introduced. Happy with the original purchases I added several more over the years. The original Made in China run of GP30s ran great and continue to do so all these years later. 

The Made in Hong Kong run of Spectrum GP30s on the other hand are way too noisy, don't run that well and suffered from cosmetic defects like peeling paint.

When swapping out motive power on the layout it came to my attention that certain GP30s in the fleet were just not performing well and had been stored in their boxes for a long time because of this. I took out the entire combined GP30 fleet and test ran them singly and in consists. 

The Results Are In

Empire Belt RR GP30s #2160 and #2161 were a used purchase and added to the roster in 2017 when I repainted them into the EBRR fleet. These unfortunately were made in Hong Kong and have become just too annoyingly loud to run on the layout. With no available replacement parts they are now stored repairs deferred.

B&O GP30 #6954 is an original run made in China new purchase and runs beautifully. The EMD Demo GP30 however is a made in Hong Kong model that is junk, pure junk (to quote Big Mike Bednar). It barely moves and is now stored repairs deferred.

PRR GP30s #2218 and #2204 are original made in China models and continue by be great runners seeing lots of layout time. 

Three Bachmann Spectrum Penn Central GP30s were painted in the Patti-O Paint Shop about fifteen years ago when the Penn Central bug took hold. Thankfully these are made in China models that are running well.

The PC 2189 is an old Athearn rubber band drive model that I painted and made a free rolling unit. This four unit consist M.U.s well and can often be found in mainline service.

Spectrum NYC GP30s #2188 and #2197 are original Made in China models that I painted on the Patti-O Paint Shop in 2010. They continue to run well and enjoy a lot of layout time. 

Troubleshooting the issues of the made in Hong Kong models I found the gears were one of the culprits of the poor running and loud noises. Note the Made in Hong Kong on the bottom of the fuel tank.

So what to do with these clunkers? 

Hard Decisions To Be Made

The solution I came up with was to remove the gears from the gear towers, the electrical pickups and driveshafts to make them free rolling units.

NYC GP30 #2188 leads UP #721, NYC #2194 and NYC 2197 with freight train thru Empire City, NY. The UP shell is riding on the EMD Demo chassis. The NYC #2194 is an old Lionel shell that is riding on the EBRR #2161 chassis.

The above consist is just one of several that came as a result of the un-powering of the EBRR and EMD Demo GP30s. When all were powered this consist would be noisy, not M.U. well at all even though they are all Spectrum models and would be pulled from the layout in disgust.

Final Thoughts and Comments

The older locomotives in the 1:87 fleet face the same challenges as their 1:1 counterparts in finding parts. The original GP30s are discontinued and parts are scarce. I have a search going for available reasonably priced Spectrum GP30s from the Made in China run to use for a power chassis swap or as a parts source. The key words here are reasonably priced.

Coming Up Next

In the next blog post we'll take a look at "Making the Case For Dummies, Non-Powered Locomotives That Is". 

Thanks for reading!!!

See you tomorrow!!!

Shuffling Off From Buffalo and Beyond

 Greetings All,

Shuffling Off From Buffalo and Beyond

A new on layout industry needs new freight cars. Right? At the end of 2024 and in early 2025 I sought to add some freight cars from various manufacturers and sources for the newly established Quaker Plant and other on layout industries Several of these cars had roots in the City of Buffalo, NY.

Buffalo, New York

Buffalo, New York, the second largest city in New York State, was an industrial power house in the early 20th Century. Known as the "City of Light" for having the first hydro electric power plant using the Niagara waterfall which allowed for widespread electric lighting. The city featured steel, grain and automobile industries and was the third largest railroad center in the United States.

Buffalo Creek Railroad

A pair of Buffalo Creek Railway 40' boxcars and four Toronto, Hamilton & Buffalo 59' covered hoppers were added to the fleet in late December.

The Buffalo Creek Railroad was a terminal and switching railroad that operated on the waterfront area of Buffalo, New York. The company was in existence from 1869 to 1976, operating on 5.66 miles with a total trackage of 34.22 miles. It was formed by the Lehigh Valley Railroad and New York, Lake Erie and Western Railroad Company (Erie Lackawanna Railway) which each owned 50% of the company.

"Locomotive in Hamburg NY" by Mark Hogan is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/?ref=openverse.

The railroad primarily served the grain elevators in present-day 'Silo City and an adjacent area of Buffalo, including that of General Mills. The site was advantageous due to its location on the Buffalo River and the eastern coast of Lake Erie. Before the re-dredging of the Welland Canal in the 1950s, access to Lake Ontario and points further east were limited to large ships coming from in the Midwestern United States. As a consequence Buffalo hosted at one time the world's largest cereal packaging plants, and offloaded, milled, and shipped grain across the eastern United States.

The 'Crik', as it was nicknamed, switched the grain elevators. The railroad connected with seven major railroads. In addition, the railroad owned a fleet of over 1,700 40-foot boxcars for transporting flour. The railroad was taken over by Conrail in 1976.

"Buffalo Creek logo from boxcar" by AmplifyWiki is marked with CC0 1.0. To view the terms, visit https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en/?ref=openverse.

Model Information

The 40' BCK boxcars are ready to run Bowser models that come with metal wheelsets and Bowser knuckle couplers. The 1602 is just out of the box and will need some weathering once the weather warms up and the Patti O Paint Shop can be reopened.

The 1693 is also just out of the box. The writing to the left of the door says "Special weevil control car. Do not contaminate. Return to Buffalo for flour loading".

BCK & THB 40' boxcars deliver sugar and flour to the new Quaker Plant.

Toronto, Hamilton and Buffalo Railway

The TH&B was jointly owned by the CPR and the NYC for several decades. The NYC and its subsidiaries (Michigan Central Railroad and Canada Southern Railway) owned 73%, and the CPR owned the other 27%. It never built into Toronto or Buffalo but used its parent companies' trackage to reach both cities. 

"Yellow TH and B train car in St Jacobs, Ontario" by User:Saforrest is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/?ref=openverse.

In 1977, CP Rail acquired the NYC's portion (then part of Conrail), giving the CPR 90% ownership. The CPR merged the TH&B into its system in 1987. The TH&B line between Hamilton and Welland is still in use, but its former line west of Hamilton to Waterford via Brantford has been abandoned past Aberdeen Avenue in Hamilton.

"File:Toronto, Hamilton and Buffalo Railway caboose.jpg" by Harvey K from Toronto, Canada is licensed under CC BY 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/?ref=openverse.

Model Information

Four Walthers TH&B 59' cylindrical covered hoppers will be used to transport oats, grain, flour and related materials from Buffalo silos to the Quaker Oats Plant as well as Hostess, LIRR served industries like Sunshine and Ronzoni and Pier 16 for export. 

THB #1538 is just out of the box and poses in Terminal Yard for this publicity photo. The models come with Proto Max metal couplers and metal wheelsets.

TH&B #1517 is also just out of the box. The 59' cylindrical covered hoppers in this series were built in March 1967.

TH&B #1505 is the third car in this fleet. The covered hoppers have a capacity of 100,000 tons.

TH&B #1520 is the last of the cars I purchased in the 1500 series. Each car has four bays and will fit the needs of the local consignees quite nicely. 

TH&B covered hoppers make a delivery to the Quaker Plant.

NSC 50' "Newsprint" Boxcar

In 1967, the National Steel Car Corporation of Hamilton, Ontario, created the first purpose-built cars for handling dedicated newsprint paper transport between Canada and the US. These cars featured riveted or welded sides, and completely smooth interior surfaces – including the doors – which was necessary to protect the large rolls of paper which weighed as much as 2000 pounds each. These rolls were normally stacked two high, requiring an internal height of more than 9 feet for clearance. 

"CN Tempo service to Sarnia" by Bobolink is licensed under CC BY 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/?ref=openverse.

The paper rolls also required large door openings, and the cars featured sliding Youngstown lever-type flush plug doors or lever-less exterior post plug doors. These cars were originally purchased by seven different railroads (CN, CV, CP, DWP, PGE, MDW, and QNS&L) and were regularly seen in international paper shipping service through the late 2000s. Over their long lifespans, they wore many different, usually colorful, paint schemes which made these cars readily identifiable in any consist.

"Boxcar, Canadian National - 10586862645" by Gary Lee Todd, Ph.D. is marked with CC0 1.0. To view the terms, visit https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en/?ref=openverse.

A Central Vermont newsprint boxcar in service in this undated photo. The CV was a wholly owned subsidiary of the CN at this time.

"Boxcar, Central Vermont" by Gary Lee Todd, Ph.D. is marked with CC0 1.0. To view the terms, visit https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en/?ref=openverse.

Model Info

CN 401527 and CV 402312 are Atlas models that feature metal wheels and Accumate knuckle couplers. 

CV NSC boxcar 402312 in a look alike CN paint scheme. The lettering to the left of the door states in both English and French "Canadian Built For International Service Only". 

The NSC boxcars are now ready service with Kadee couplers replacing the Accumates. They will be used in Paper Service to deliver rolls of paper to Quaker, Berk Enterprises, Lightning Press and the LIRR served Newsday daily newspaper.

The CN &CV boxcars get shoved towards the Quaker Plant.

New Haven RS3s do the honors of testing some of the new freight cars and bringing them into Terminal Yard.

Final Thoughts and Comments

The eight freight cars added to roster along with cars already in service should be more than adequate to handle the needs of the new Quaker Plant and that of some other industries both on and off the layout.

The new freight cars headed to the shops for some light weathering, painting of the trucks and wheel faces, the addition of extra weight and Kadee couplers as needed when the Patti -O Paint Shop was briefly reopened on January 29th. 

All freight cars were tested for coupler heights and adjusted as needed using Kadee fiber washers and/ or placing the centering spring at the bottom of the coupler box to achieve greater coupler height.

Thanks for reading and watching!!!

See you soon!!!