What’s on the tracks?

I am still running the box car consist headed by Lionel #218 SF FA unit. The Highway Crossing Gate was moved from adjacent to Northside track 2 to the central part of the layout between two tracks that merge and pass under the elevated track. I left the actuator on the Northside Track; and I will wire the crossing gate into the Ringing Bell Signal – this way, the crossing gate will activate alone for the Northside Track, and both it and the bell signal will activate from the other location. Also, I installed 4 straight track sections (terminated by bumpers) parallel to the Southside mainline track. It is to the right side of the Control Area - in this way, I can have a place to store and swap rolling stock. It runs by the Milk Car Stand, whose UCS can be used to unload other operating cars to the adjacent track. Right now. There is a Lionel Lines #6656 Cattle Car (1950-53) waiting to be put into the consist. (The extra track is also positioned to be linked into the mainline, thus making it part of a spur or siding. Alfred

    _    

My PRR Tuscan K4 and PRR Madison passenger cars.

Edited Post by atsda on Mar 25, 2023 at 9:57pm
My son took me to a train warehouse today and I did not leave empty handed. I purchased the following. All of the items are in very good to excellent condition. All were in original boxes ()one box car box was missing all of the flaps at one end; and the other box was missing only the short tuck portion of one end flap.
Here are details of the equipment.
The Lionel 2046 locomotive with tender was from 1951-52. The orange Great Northern 6464-25 was from 1953-54. The silver and yellow Denver & Rio Grand Western 6464-650 is from 1951-52, 53.
The 2046 ran incredibly well. Its E-Unit was quiet and smooth. The loco had no problem pulling a 5 car consist (the one that I had been running with two powered 218bdiesels in tandem - I am going to add the 2 new box cars on the video run. The cost was reasonable, and I am very pleased with the purchases. I was looking for some new road names and I wanted some bright colors for layout visitors - so I had my son on the lookout. I will have photo/ video soon. Alfred (See What Have You Purchased Recently.)

I had the 2046 (it has Magnetraction) on the tracks for a while with a freight consist – I’m impressed with how well it runs.. I have not run the box cars with it yet. I did find one issue – the cowcatcher rides very low and it started to ground on entry into switch 12. The spring on the pilot truck is good; however, when fully compressed, the front of the unit bottoms out. I removed the truck and put a plastic disk on the front underside of the pilot, to keep it off the underside – I have not tested it yet. I found a screw port on the frame further up under the pilot (I think this might be for another pilot if the chassis were used for another type of engine. I am going to used it to screw in some plastic , so the spring assembly is lower when fully compressed. I don’t like making crude adjustments like this; however, I don’t know how to resolve the issue otherwise – I don’t think that a more robust spring will help, and I don’t want to make any bend. Alfred (PS, the previous owner may have used the loco on a Christmas layout – when it runs, there is a distinctive bayberry smell – probably from scented smoke.)

                    _    Photos of 2046 Consist. I am never sure if I have the phone pointed correctly. Alfred        _

Not great photos of these fine boxcars but they were the rolling stock most recently on the track. They were a K-Line dealer custom run by The Train Loft from many years back. All are UP in a Big Boy commemorative scheme. I think this was a fantasy scheme and in any case they are very colorful:









Also running at the same time was this Legacy Veranda although it drove me crazy with the turbine unit showing weird tracking issues although the SuperBass sounds and smoke features mostly made up for that:

Today, sawdust. Alfred