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Post by harborbelt70 on Dec 30, 2023 11:32:43 GMT
This week I have changed railroads to Southern Pacific (or “Espee” as some would say) and also the basic theme but of course this doesn’t oblige anybody else to follow suit. Actually, I am much more interested to see what other posters come up with than my own efforts, and in any case I have to move away from Santa Fe because that’s the subject of tomorrow’s Founder’s Favorites thread.
Now, “fantasy schemes” have become really big in 3rail O scale as witness all the Lionel and MTH products of that kind that have been made lately. A while back I came to the not very profound conclusion that most 3rail stuff is really in the fantasy category because most 3rail cars, engines and accessories are only representations of the real things. In fact, the whole exercise of running electric trains around a circuit of track is a kind of fantasy. My own particular take on this has been to create a couple of fantasy excursion trains using what I have on hand. This was the first one based on my favorite color scheme, SP Daylight, led by the 2013 Lionel Daylight AC-12 cab forward:  
Apologies for the poor quality of this and the next image because they are screenshots from homemade videos. What I’m trying to illustrate is something I’ll bet many of us have done, which is to see how many engines can be lashed-up and then maybe pull really long trains. I went really over the top with the SP Fantasy Excursion Train when I added a GS-5 Daylight steamer to the front – an example of MU Madness and it was too big for the train table I once had:
In fact, I could only run the 5 engines together with no cars because this contraption was too big to add anything behind them without looking even more ridiculous on the table. Still, it was a very satisfying smoke display, and once I ran the earlier version around the living room pulling a whole Shasta Daylight train for the entertainment of my daughter and friends who came to stay. This plaque in the Daylight Corner of my display was the inspiration:
Speaking of displays, my fascination with SP’s passenger cars includes dome cars of which various representations have been made. Recently I took the three examples of these that I have off the shelves and arranged them side-on in the order I have got them over the years. The one at the top is a K-Line full-length dome and the shorter (18”) one below MTH. SP never had any domes of this kind so these were as much fantasy as the manufacturers’ use or "recycling" of generic body tooling: 
By contrast, the one at the bottom I have posted about before as it is a GGD scale dimensions ¾ length dome, a unique prototype that SP built in its own shops. It’s been a while since I handled this car after spending the better part of a year detailing the interior, and perspective distorts the ruler in the photo but it is absolutely HUGE at 21.5 inches long. I’ve tried to give some idea of its size in this photo with a 1/43 scale car in the foreground and some D56 items behind but this thing is truly massive beyond what the photo can convey:
Finally, I’m reminded of the juvenile madness of my grandson who puts all of his Brio freight cars on the wooden track behind a battery powered engine I got him and expects this puny thing to pull the whole train, including uphill. Of course, it can’t and doesn’t but he’s undeterred – as am I when it comes to fantasy trains.
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Post by ron045 on Dec 30, 2023 14:11:48 GMT
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Post by healey36 on Dec 30, 2023 14:24:02 GMT
Nice job, Ron; they look great. Here's a couple of prewar boxcars, an Ives 1679 (Lionel transition) and a late Lionel 1679:  The little brass pull on the Ives' door was a nice touch, but probably indicative of the reason Ives struggled cost-wise in its final years. |
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Post by josef on Dec 30, 2023 14:29:57 GMT
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Post by harborbelt70 on Dec 30, 2023 14:44:57 GMT
I rescued these G scale coaches out of the junk bin at my LHS and restored them to run under our Christmas tree. Not sure why I did the interior. No one will see it. I thought the floor did come out pretty good.
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Post by af3020 on Dec 30, 2023 16:44:04 GMT
OK, so, for the last Saturday of 2023 it is Southern Pacific. To the best of my knowledge, in the pre-war period the pickings are pretty slim as far as SP is concerned. However there are a few items of note. American Flyer's 6 1/2 inch litho boxcar is a reasonable example of the SP - granted the car colors aren't prototypical but the logo is.  American Flyer also turned out a small tender (#509) which was sold with their very basic windup sets between 1930 and 1933. The tenders were lithographed for 9 real railroads (Rock Island, C&NW, Great Northern, Illinois Central, Union Pacific, Southern Pacific, Pennsylvania, Baltimore & Ohio, and New York Central) and it was also lithographed for NationWide Lines for their basic, supplied by American Flyer, clockwork sets. #509 Tender - SP  Next up is Bing - they made an 8 wheel tank car with S.P.C.A.L markings - this is a rather unusual car - the typical markings are for the Peerless Tank Line  Moving into the postwar period we have the Lionel 6464 boxcar offering  and the Marx Southern Pacific diesel set  Beyond the post war scene one can find any number of interesting Southern Pacific offerings such as the Lionel Heavyweight passenger set   in the "traditional" Lionel size for O gauge as well as full scale O gauge models such as this 3 rail O scale "set" comprised of a 3rd rail engine and passenger car and an Atlas boxcar.  Wishing all of you a Happy New Year. |
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Post by af3020 on Dec 30, 2023 16:55:49 GMT
harborbelt70 and ron045 - to your comment concerning anyone noticing if the car interiors are detailed I would have to say people will notice a lot more than you might think. My favorite story in this regard happened at least 10 years ago. The local TCA had set up a running display and one of the members had provided a fully detailed passenger train which was running on the outermost loop. The cars didn't have interior lighting but you could tell they had interior detail. As I was standing there admiring the train, one of the other people watching the train sidled up to me and, in a very low voice, said, "The next time that train comes around look in the next to last Pullman car window. There's a naked lady just stepping out of the shower." Sure enough, when it came around you could just make out that what I had been told was true. A few minutes later a second individual, who I had first noticed standing on the far side of the display came up to me and, in the strictest confidence, told me the same thing. I'm pretty sure everyone who watched that passenger consist pass by, no matter how briefly, noticed the naked lady.  |
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Post by josef on Dec 30, 2023 17:15:52 GMT
"The next time that train comes around look in the next to last Pullman car window. There's a naked lady just stepping out of the shower." Sure enough, when it came around you could just make out that what I had been told was true. A few minutes later a second individual, who I had first noticed standing on the far side of the display came up to m and, in the strictest confidence, told me the same thing. I'm pretty sure everyone who watched that passenger consist pass by, no matter how briefly, noticed the naked lady. So of all the work that went into the interiors, it was the naked lady that was noticed only? That is hilarious.
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Post by harborbelt70 on Dec 30, 2023 17:38:12 GMT
harborbelt70 and ron045 - to your comment concerning anyone noticing if the car interiors are detailed I would have to say people will notice a lot more than you might think. My favorite story in this regard happened at least 10 years ago. The local TCA had set up a running display and one of the members had provided a fully detailed passenger train which was running on the outermost loop. The cars didn't have interior lighting but you could tell they had interior detail. As I was standing there admiring the train, one of the other people watching the train sidled up to me and, in a very low voice, said, "The next time that train comes around look in the next to last Pullman car window. There's a naked lady just stepping out of the shower." Sure enough, when it came around you could just make out that what I had been told was true. A few minutes later a second individual, who I had first noticed standing on the far side of the display came up to me and, in the strictest confidence, told me the same thing. I'm pretty sure everyone who watched that passenger consist pass by, no matter how briefly, noticed the naked lady.
    
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Post by 4dogsinjersey on Dec 31, 2023 2:04:18 GMT
 A Weaver N&W caboose… Tom
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Post by david1 on Dec 31, 2023 18:47:19 GMT
This week I have changed railroads to Southern Pacific (or “Espee” as some would say) and also the basic theme but of course this doesn’t oblige anybody else to follow suit. Actually, I am much more interested to see what other posters come up with than my own efforts, and in any case I have to move away from Santa Fe because that’s the subject of tomorrow’s Founder’s Favorites thread.
Now, “fantasy schemes” have become really big in 3rail O scale as witness all the Lionel and MTH products of that kind that have been made lately. A while back I came to the not very profound conclusion that most 3rail stuff is really in the fantasy category because most 3rail cars, engines and accessories are only representations of the real things. In fact, the whole exercise of running electric trains around a circuit of track is a kind of fantasy. My own particular take on this has been to create a couple of fantasy excursion trains using what I have on hand. This was the first one based on my favorite color scheme, SP Daylight, led by the 2013 Lionel Daylight AC-12 cab forward:
Apologies for the poor quality of this and the next image because they are screenshots from homemade videos. What I’m trying to illustrate is something I’ll bet many of us have done, which is to see how many engines can be lashed-up and then maybe pull really long trains. I went really over the top with the SP Fantasy Excursion Train when I added a GS-5 Daylight steamer to the front – an example of MU Madness and it was too big for the train table I once had:
In fact, I could only run the 5 engines together with no cars because this contraption was too big to add anything behind them without looking even more ridiculous on the table. Still, it was a very satisfying smoke display, and once I ran the earlier version around the living room pulling a whole Shasta Daylight train for the entertainment of my daughter and friends who came to stay. This plaque in the Daylight Corner of my display was the inspiration:
Speaking of displays, my fascination with SP’s passenger cars includes dome cars of which various representations have been made. Recently I took the three examples of these that I have off the shelves and arranged them side-on in the order I have got them over the years. The one at the top is a K-Line full-length dome and the shorter (18”) one below MTH. SP never had any domes of this kind so these were as much fantasy as the manufacturers’ use or "recycling" of generic body tooling:
By contrast, the one at the bottom I have posted about before as it is a GGD scale dimensions ¾ length dome, a unique prototype that SP built in its own shops. It’s been a while since I handled this car after spending the better part of a year detailing the interior, and perspective distorts the ruler in the photo but it is absolutely HUGE at 21.5 inches long. I’ve tried to give some idea of its size in this photo with a 1/43 scale car in the foreground and some D56 items behind but this thing is truly massive beyond what the photo can convey:
Finally, I’m reminded of the juvenile madness of my grandson who puts all of his Brio freight cars on the wooden track behind a battery powered engine I got him and expects this puny thing to pull the whole train, including uphill. Of course, it can’t and doesn’t but he’s undeterred – as am I when it comes to fantasy trains.
Always love seeing your collection! The SP is one of my favorites though I don't own any SP models. Dave
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Post by atsda on Dec 31, 2023 23:48:35 GMT
harborbelt70, a very interesting experiment; I enjoyed the description. Alfred
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Post by Adam on Jan 1, 2024 13:26:57 GMT
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