Introducing the Kings Port & Western Part 2

Hello all,

Just a follow up to my previous post providing glimpses at KP&W rolling stock and locomotives.   Over time, I've experimented with variations of the KP&W image, tweaking the herald and experimenting with colors.   Examples of KP&W equipment follow below.

These covered hoppers are former Tyco cars I've had since I was a teenager in the mid 1970s.  I cut off the the original horn hook couplers from the trucks, replaced them with body mounted Kaydees,  and replaced the plastic wheels with metal wheel sets.    I like the solid heft of these cars.  These two former billboard cars were originally decorated for Kellogg Cereals and Morton Salt.

I bought these two cylindrical covered hoppers at a flea market for a couple bucks a piece.   Both were painted and decaled for the KP&W and had Kaydee couplers added. The one on the left is a "patch job" with the grey rectangle obscuring the original Santa Fe logo. 

Another patch job of what I believe is an Athearn car purchased at a flea market...

Moving on from covered hoppers, here are examples of the infamous Bachmann steel coil cars that seem to show up at every flea market for a dollar or two.  Despite the fact that the prototype proved to be unreliable and dangerous as the hatch covers would either jam or drop unexpectedly,  I still like their design.  I've purchased seven of these cars, originally decorated either as P&LE or B&LE rolling stock.   In my imaginings, the KP&W shops improved the performance of the hatches and put the cars into regular service...most often seen at KP Steel in Kings Port, shown below.   I've often seen these cars referred to as "Clam Shell" coil cars but have recently learned that in the industry they were known as "Bread Box Trough" cars.

I patch job-lettered all seven coil cars for the KP&W, added body mounted couplers, and discarded the odd "tootsie roll" insert that is apparently supposed to represent steel coils.   I've made my own coils (seen at the lower right in the photo above)  out of grey or silver paper wrapped around a dowel stick,  that I can put in an open car if I wish.  

I experimented with making a number of home road hoppers out of inexpensive Tyco cars found at flea markets.   I run a unit coal train with black hoppers from a mix of PC, Reading, B&O and other roads, including four from the KP&W.  All maintain their talgo trucks and horn hook couplers.  Some day I may convert them and add metal wheels.  Since the coal train is operated as a run-through only, and doesn't back up, I don't run into the usual aggravations of horn hook couplers causing derailments. 

Lettering and numbering the hoppers was a grand experiment in attempting to see if rubber stamps could be used instead of messing with white decal sheets (I could never get the black background on the decals to match the black car body!) or by paying a decal business to create custom decals.   So, for $20, I had a Kings Port & Western stamp made and also purchased a pricing stamp at an office supply store that let me set any series of five digit numbers I wanted.  I thought I might have discovered a wonderfully inexpensive way to letter and number cars!   The results are ...OK....   Unfortunately the white ink on the stamp always comes off looking a bit faded; certainly not as bright and solid as decal letters.  The numbers didn't turn out too badly though.  The biggest challenge is printing the stamp as straight as possible.  The ink is forgiving for a minute or so and can be easily wiped off for a re-try.  The cars above probably took me three or few trials before they looked straight to me.   Considering that my interest in freelancing the KP&W has continued over the years, I think it may be time to bite the bullet and contact a  custom decal  company about having professionally made logos for my road.

Let's move on to locomotives.   After painting the S-12,  my next customized KP&W motive power was this pair of switchers.   

You'll notice that the lettering is orange.   This was an attempt to try avoiding the use of white decal paper.  The letters printed out rather lightly and transparent on the clear decal sheets but there was enough color to make them legible on the switchers.   After trying this experiment, I think I prefer white letters on the blue loco bodies.  

This pair of F7s (below) purchased from the used equipment section in the back room of my LHS are Athearn units, one powered, one a dummy.  The powered unit includes the extra heavy weight inside that allows the set to pull well.   I custom painted the pair, trying my hand at masking off the orange stripes.   The white letters are from white decal sheets with an orange background created to match up with the stripe.  Again, this required considerable trial and error.  These units are the work horses of the KP&W, often assigned to transfer runs between Kings Port to West Mill, or to Mayfield Yard. 

One day while visiting the aforementioned  back room of the LHS, I found two Athearn SD9 shells, one decorated for the Milwaukee Road and the other for the Great Northern.   I was struck by their similar paint schemes with dark bodies and orange stripes.   With a little effort I modified them into a matching set, to which I easily added BLACK Kings Port & western lettering from home made decals on clear sheets.   I decided that these units represent the newer KP&W scheme of the 1970s.  Perhaps as the Penn Central cut costs with their simplified scheme, maybe the KP&W was hoping to as well...or perhaps it just seemed fashionable to change the road's image for the new decade.  I'm not sure if I'll paint any additional units in this scheme or not.   Time will tell

Some odds and ends.  First up is this SD9 shell with an experimental scheme intended to keep units blue and orange but with the easy to apply black lettering.  I seriously over-painted the shell during successive trials to make it look right but its not a bad option for future units.  I liked being able to add the NY State outline to the herald on this one.   I don't run locos with this sloppy shell that lacks hand rails but it is a good reminder for me about painting options for future roster additions.  

A similar experiment with an old AHM C-Liner shell and an Athearn F7 B unit.  You'll notice the difference in paint shades between the two units.  The blue and orange on the left hand unit are the original KP&W colors, but after a while the blue rattle-can shade no longer seemed to be available in any of the hardware or big box stores in my area.  Out of necessity, I switched over to the shades on the right which seem more subtle.    Careful work with painter's masking tape made those angular orange patches possible.

Last but not least...A KP&W truck!  I found the trailer at a flea market already in this fine shade of orange.  It just begged me to letter it for the home road freelance!

Well, that's probably more than enough for now.   I'm planning to describe operation between the KP&W and the Penn Central next time! 

Introducing the Kings Port & Western

You may have noticed some references to the Kings Port & Western RR or seen some KP&W equipment in some of my previous posts.  It’s time for me to formerly introduce my freelanced railroad that interchanges with the Penn Central on my layout.

KINGS PORT & WESTERN RAILROAD

I can trace the initial motivation for adding a freelanced road to my Penn Central-themed pike from my enjoyment of the 2006 edition of Great Model Railroads.  This layout-packed issue includes articles about Eric Brooman’s Utah Belt and Matt Snell’s Conrail New Jersey Division.   Both layouts included small short lines (the Southern San Pedro and the Rahway Valley RR respectively)  to add interest . I liked the idea of having a colorful locomotive from another road rolling by in contrast with the black PC roster on the Kings Port Division.

The largest city on my layout is Kings Port so it seemed natural that the freelanced line would connect there.  Since my layout is loosely (very loosely) based on the Penn Central’s River Line along the Hudson River, I considered the PC’s western oriented branch lines between New York City and Albany and used them as inspiration for the “& Western” part of the new road.   The KP&W  originally wasn’t going to be very big.  I first imagined it as a short line that would have a switcher emerge from this hidden track next to the reddish building at Kings Port…

…drop off a couple of cars to interchange with the Penn Central…

 …and head back into staging.  

As time went by and I thought more about it, the KP&W has grown larger and I now see it as an independent railroad along the lines of the Delaware & Hudson, but more on that later.   For now, here are some of the locos and rolling stock in the freelanced KP&W scheme. 

First up is this dummy AHM RS3 I bought at a flea market for two dollars.  It was originally painted and lettered for the Penn Central, rather inaccurately.    I used this cheap model as my experimental canvass for painting and decaling.   The orange and blue colors reflect my love of the NY Mets (National League Champions this year!) even though I chose a more muted shade of blue.    The lettering was my first attempt at creating my own decals.   I used Testor’s white decal paper for the white letters.   This requires making a background color on the decal to match the body of the loco.  It took considerable trial and error to achieve the correct shade but I think I finally nailed it.     

Once I was satisfied that I could paint and decal a locomotive, I moved onto the Athearn  Baldwin S-12 (shown in the above pictures) that was originally painted for the New York Central.    

At first I was planning to have the KP&W switcher push cars from various roads into the interchange but I decided it was time to create some home road rolling stock.   I experimented on some old Tyco 50 ft boxcars and later purchased a six pack of undecorated 40 ft.  Atlas Trainman plug door boxcars.   Here are a couple of examples.

 The KP&W herald with the name of the line superimposed over an outline of the State of NY was the result of more trial and error with design and in learning the intricacies of Microsoft Word.   I've since learned how to add text over an image but my earlier attempts at creating decals involved applying the NY outline and then placing the name as a separate decal.  I was pleased to see that the double thickness decals weren't a problem.

I don't want this post to get too long so I'll finish with some cabooses, but more photos and descriptions of KP&W equipment will follow in future posts.

My early attempts at creating a caboose roster are now considered to be in the KP&W's "early scheme" with the blue and orange complimenting the similarly colored locos.

 As I attained more skill with decals, I opted for an all orange scheme so I could apply black lettering instead of dealing with the hassles of using white decal sheets.  These two wide vision cabooses were originally factory painted for the Penn Central although the PC didn't have any in this style.  The KP& W does, however, which is the beauty of freelancing.  You get to choose the rules and everything is correct!

One more before we go.  I cobbled this transfer caboose from spare parts leftover from other caboose projects.

More to come soon!

 

Signals at Kings Port video

It took me longer than expected but here is the Youtube video showing the signals at Kings Port in action.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ab1CsOybEak

Thanks for taking a look!

Signaling a Change in Topic 3

Hi all,

Once again, I'll shift topics from motive power to signaling.    Thanks for bearing with me as I go back and forth like this!  

I've installed more signals on the Kings Port side of the layout.  As on the West Mill side, the new signals at Kings Port are bi-polar green/red LEDs intended to indicate the polarity of the track and direction of travel.  I've tried to arrange them in ways that not only let me know which way the trains will be going, but also to actually take a role in modeling prototypical operations.

The layout has a mix of signal styles which might not be very protoypical but I decided to use what I had on hand and also wanted to fashion some searchlight signals similar to those I used to see near my childhood home in Upstate NY. (See previous signal blog post)

Starting with those searchlight signals:  my dogbone styled track plan creates an illusion of a double track main.  Here it is being protected by searchlight signals on the curving grade out of Kings Port...

  ...and a couple more on the high line above town.

A combination of signal styles illuminated in green and red can be seen in this view toward the entrance to Williams Yard (staging), creating a festive look for the Holidays!

Were I to just start building the layout now I'd do so many things differently the second time around!   I'd certainly plan the locations of signals and leave enough space prior to adding any scenery, for example.   But, since I'm retrofitting, I'm making do as I can.   Some of the track clearances at Kings Port are too tight for a full size signal.  Experiments in placing them showed that rolling stock would catch the signal heads as it passed by.   Dwarf signals were utilized in these locations where track clearances were an issue.   Some were commercially available dummy signals like the cheapie Bachmann signal on the left which I drilled out to accommodate the LED.

Others had to be custom made when test fitting revealed that even the small Bachmann signals were getting knocked around by locomotive steps and boxcar doors because of close clearances! 

The two dwarfs pictured above were fashioned out of these electrical components  (Arrgh!  Can't remember what they're called!  Help me!).  I pulled the insulation off and sank their posts into the roadbed and fitted the LED bulbs through them so the LEDs were just barely off the ground.   All rolling stock rolls safely above them!  A little bit of shrink tubing was used to represent the signal head shades.    

A couple of examples of the signals taking part in railroad operations:  Extra 6554 rolls out of Williams Yard with the red signal near the overpass indicating its approach while a Kings Port & Western RS3 approaches a green indication to the right.

On the other side of Kings Port, a B&O coal train headed by a pair of F7s gets the green to proceed into Williams Yard.  

I'm planning to make a couple more dwarf signals for the  engine yard and for nearby KP Steel's holding yard.

I hope to film a YouTube video of the signals in action and post it soon!

May you always get the Green aspect!

Latest Acquisition

Hello all,

I've been woefully neglectful of the blog again but hope to post more regularly in the future.  Starting  a new habit sometimes means starting small to obtain some initial success so this entry will be brief.

The Kings Port Division has recently acquired former New York Central GP30 #6115.   This is thanks to my regular scanning of the latest available products from M.B. Klein where, once in a while, I find great deals on locomotives like this.   I couldn't resist when I saw this one.  It's a Bachmann unit, and perhaps one of their best offerings for the price range.  My Bachmann Pennsy GP30 runs beautifully and I've heard similar reviews from friends who own others like it.   So, I was confident a smooth running NYC loco would be joining the fleet.    As expected, NYC #6115 runs just as nicely as its Pennsy cousin.   

 GP30 #6115 crosses Ulster Ave. while a train headed by units in the Penn Central scheme roll above in the background.   I gave the shiny new GP30 a weathering of acrylics and artist chalks to give it some age and experience.
 

The GP30 is in consist with a GP7, also showing signs of its New York Central heritage.  The GP7 is a dummy I purchased a couple of years ago for $5.00 at a flea market, weathered heavily and added appropriate numbers for the former NYC roster.

The Penn Central inherited a combined 62 GP30s from the New York Central and the Pennsylvania railroads and renumbered them in the 2188-2249 range.  I've decided to keep both my Pennsy unit and the new NYC GP30 in their pre-merger schemes for some variety and interest.    Sine the loco runs so smoothly at slow speeds it will definitely be assigned to local freights for switching.
 

That's it for now.  I've been working on installing more signals on the Kings Port side of the layout and hope to post about them soon.  Other things are in the works as well, so stay tuned!

Penn Central Power 3

I've interrupted the presentation of my PC locomotive roster by posting about signals on the Kings Port Division.  I’m continuing to add signals so there will be more to come on that topic, but for now I want to return to my motive power.

In no particular order here are:

GP38 #7692  This is an Atlas Yellow Box model from the early 1980s that I purchased at a flea market last year, still unopened in the box.   It runs very nicely.  The unit was undecorated so I painted and lettered it as #7692.   The PC had 268 of these EMD units.  According to Jeremy F. Plant in "Penn Central in Color Vol. 2", the New York Central and Pennsylvania Railroads weren't interested in the GP38 when it first came out, but "by 1969 it was the engine of choice" and the PC purchased 150 of what would eventually become a roster of almost 500 including the refined version, the GP38-2.     Plant quotes "Penn Central Power" author Robert Yanosey as noting that "the GP38 symbolizes the Penn Central".    GP38 #7692 heads local freights on the Kings Port Division thanks to its excellent slow speed switching qualities. 

F7B # 3489.    This unit is Tyco shell on an Athearn chassis.    The shell, another childhood acquisition, was originally painted in the ATSF Super Chief silver.  I painted and lettered the unit.   I've noticed in some proto photos that the number and PC logo were sometimes placed in the opposite arrangement on B units.    There units were rated at 1500 HP.

GP9B #3836   I'm fascinated by the cabless GP9B.  Penn Central inherited 40 of these 1750 HP units from the Pennsylvania Railroad numbered from 3800-3839.  I cobbled mine from an Athearn GP9 shell by modifying the cab section.

  

 GP9 #7175   Another Athearn unit that I've had for about 20 years.    It was originally undecorated.   Prototype photos of PC GP9s find them with either the small or large PC logo on the flank.  The Penn Central owned 453 of these 1750 HP units, a popular favorite of mine.   

 SD9 #6922    Yet another 20 year old Atheran, again originally undecorated but painted and lettered by yours truly.  I was delighted to find a few proto pics of this unit online.    SD9s were often assigned to yard, hump, and transfer service.   On the Kings Port Division this unit has been seen on pull-out duty hauling cars from staging into Kings Port as if it was assembling a train from Williams Yard.   It also heads transfer runs to West Mill.  These six axle units numbered from 6900-6924 were rated at 1750 HP.

SD9 # 8589  (Still in Pennsy livery).    This is a Proto 2000 unit and one of the most expensive locos on my roster.   It runs smoothly at slow speeds so it is often used at the West Mill Float yard.

 KP&W SD9 #890  This is the same PK2 locomotive with a custom painted Athearn shell on top.     I interchange them as the whim suits me.   This is a preview of coming attractions as I soon plan to post about my freelanced road, the Kings Port & Western Railroad.  The Black and orange scheme is a modification of the original Milwaukee Road livery the shell was painted in when I found it in the bargain back room of my LHS.     I actually have a pair of these, but more on that later.

Finally, here is the Proto 2000 SD9 carrying out its usual assignment at the Float Yard.

That's it for now!

Signaling a Change in Topic Part 2

Hello all!

I really DO intend to finish posting about my locomotive roster sometime, but I've been distracted by recent developments in creating illuminating signals on the Kings Port Division....

...Well...that and needing to take time to paint my house!   Sometimes life gets in the way of model railroading!

My previous post displayed my first attempts at using LEDs for signals on the layout.  Encouraged by my early success I've continued working on this project.    I am fortunate to have received a couple dozen cast metal signals of various types from my uncle many years ago when he changed scales from HO to N.    Examples follow below.

 These signals are probably over 50 years old.   Many of the Grain of Wheat red, green, and yellow bulbs in the two and three aspect signal heads did not function.  I kept them in a box since around 1981 and finally decided it was time to get them on the layout!


 

 The first consideration before installation was that I really wasn't a fan of the larger three light signals.   Growing up on the PC's River Line, about 100 miles North of New York City, I tended to see single light searchlight signals and wanted to replicate them on the layout.   I removed the large three light heads and replaced them with single-light heads made from cut down grommets as show in my last post.  I positioned the grommets near the opening in the signal mast to facilitate wiring.

 I secured the grommet signal head with Gorilla brand Super Glue after my futile attempts at soldering them.    They seem to be securely stuck on the signal masts!  Most of the old signals had chipped paint, making them look bad, so I spray painted their entire structures black.

                              Pictured above is the entire collection of signals after modification and painting.   

 I like the two aspect signal heads.  I decided not to modify them except to remove the bulbs and paint them black.

 I was especially pleased with this decision after seeing a photo in my copy of Morning Sun Books "Penn Central in Color Vol. 1" of all black signals on the B&M tracks used by the Penn Central.

Wire can be an expense but there is a cool liquidator store in my area called Axemans that sells bulk wire by the foot.   I purchased this 50 feet of wire for $2.00!

Here is a wired signal.   I threaded one wire down the mast and soldered the other leg of the LED to the signal itself.  I then soldered a wire to the base of the signal to complete the circuit. Resistors are included in the circuit under the benchwork.

One of the former two-aspect signals controlling access to the Main from the Mayfield Branch.   A air of GP9s wait for a train expected from the other direction.   The signals are wired to the track for power, making them simple "polarity signals".  Depending on the track polarity the LED will illuminate either RED or GREEN.   I tried to be clever in placing the wires to achieve operational functions.   In the case above, the signal is wired to the mainline to its right.    This is a separate block from the branch line on my DC layout so the signal can light up even though the track the GP9s sit on is not powered at this time.

 On the other side, this dwarf signal controls access to the Mayfield Branch from the main line.  This signal is powered by the first block of the Mayfield Branch so the signal aspect is RED when trains are coming off the branch toward the main, as noted above.   Trains approaching the branch when polarity is aligned the opposite way will be cheered by a GREEN indication allowing them to access the branch.

I've filmed another "Ops Snippets" video that show cases this action.   Here's the link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x13LF8Q-F04

Next time I'll document signal installation on the other side of the layout in Kings Port that will include these searchlight signals, among others.   As I noted previously,  I'm now totally hooked on signals!   The illuminating lights look great and I've found an easy way to use them to enhance operations on the Kings Port Division.