Re: S scale switching layout plan
Tom,
?
Having modeled in hi-rail for decades, from time to time I have contemplated building a small, operating diorama in scale and developed sketches of some ideas.? My objective was to include both reasonable operation and multiple photo opportunities so I did not fill the space with track.? Rather, I divided the space into three scenes...a small industrial area at one end and small rural station and small industries and team track at the other with a creek/trestle to visually separate the two scenes.? I sketched both 12' x 2' and 10' x 2' versions.? I even got so far as to start researching structure kits.? ?One idea would be to build this as a 'How To Get Into S' project using only commercially available track, equipment and kits.
?
The next iteration of refinement would be to look into ways to 'rotate' the track slightly so it wouldn't all be parallel to the sides.? This would further improve the appearance and make it appear a bit larger.? Short locomotives and short cars would be the way to go.? But there could be some neat views...like looking down the road at the far end between the story and gas station to the industries beyond.? Looking down the creek would also be fun....and with more elevation changes that could be road passing under the track.
?
Maybe there are some thoughts here of value.? Again, I'm thinking of this as an 'operational diorama' more than a 'switching layout'.
Brooks Stover
?
?
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Re: S scale switching layout plan
Please do a Google search for "Gum Stump and Snowshoe":
?
?
I have built a version of this model railroad in HO in a space of 1' x 8'.? Operation is interesting in that it requires 2 locomotives.? The switchback and gradient gives you a sense of actually going somewhere with your train.? Many smaller trackplans seem to be just shuffling back and forth.
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Re: S scale switching layout plan
I don't have access to the plan, but if you have room for a 4'x8' layout I recall an old MR layout that had a two or three track yard on one long side.? It then curved around to an industrial area, about an inch higher on the other long side in HO.? ?The idea being actually going from one place to another.? Of course at this width, you can only run 40' or less freight cars safely if you are an average track layer.? ?Or you can do the same thing with a 4'x8' cut in half with a corner section along two walls.? Thus making a L shape with a possible wider curve.? Make scenery in the corner section to clearly define two different if close areas.? If you buy two sheets of plywood you can make a longer layout if you have the room obviously.
?
George Courtney
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Re: Scale Trains has reefers on preorder
On Sat, Jan 25, 2025 at 07:32 PM, George Courtney wrote:
Scale Trains has brought out four new lettering cars just after I painted and decaled the roads I didn't have.
Looks like you are a good luck charm...!!!
--
Ted Larson
trainweb.org/mhrr/??????? --------??????? NASG.org??????? --------???????
GN in 1965
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Re: Scale Trains has reefers on preorder
THANK YOU Scale Trains for giving us a positive topic of conversation. Thank You Scale Trains for answering my PLEASE for painted undecorated freight cars. Regarding my wife forcing me to buy many of these, I do have a good defense; Scale Trains is correct in saying that these wood reefers ran into the 60's, but not for a lot of reporting marks, but fortunately for some of my favorites; WFEX, FGEX, WRX, (giving some post-steam era decals a home).? And a?few of these as Minnesota Heartland reefers will make it much easier to provide for shipments of Powder Milk Biscuits from Lake Wobegone.??
And if anybody needs an SFRD reefer as pictured in a different number, I know where you can find a NIB 26329 from SHS.??
Ted Larson -- Ted Larson trainweb.org/mhrr/??????? --------??????? NASG.org??????? --------??????? GN in 1965
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Re: S scale switching layout plan
I based my original layout on this classic design by Linn Westcott.  Stan Stokrocki
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Re: Scale Trains has reefers on preorder
I received the announcement email.?
Might want? to check your profile for notifications setting at Scale
Trains.?
Dave McBrayer
Auburn, CA
---------------
On 01/26/2025 11:43 AM, Bill Hawk via
groups.io wrote:
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
Thanks for heads up.?
I¡¯m registered at ScaleTrains, messages ON, but I
never get their announcement emails. Dunno why not.?
Bill
On Jan 25, 2025, at 12:47?PM, David R.
Henley Jr via groups.io
<henley31c@...> wrote:
?
Hello all,
? ? Got a nice surprise in my email this morning.? Scale
Trains sent an email out showcasing their new products for
preorder.? The ACF 40' Wooden Reefer was one of the
offerings.? They will be released in eight road names /paint
schemes:
?
- American
Refrigerator Transit/ART
- Bangor
and Aroostook/BAR
- Fruit
Growers Express/FGEX
- Orange/Unlettered
- Santa
Fe Refrigerator Dispatch/SFRD
- Union
Refrigerator Dispatch/URTX
- Western
Refrigerator Lines/WRX
- Yellow/Unlettered
The
Fruit Grower Express and the Santa Fe will have six road
numbers that you can get.? All the rest except for the
unlettered will have three road numbers available.? If
you preorder by 24 Feb 2025 then the price is $54.99.?
The regular price after pre-order is $68.99.? The
expected delivery date is October 2025.
?
?
?Not sure how available some of these road names were
with SHS and MTH but being a Missouri Pacific modeler I
am excited for the ART reefer.? This is the single ART
shield herald design.? I only have one like it because a
club member custom did it and I was able to buy it from
his estate sale after his death.? So for the Missouri
Pacific, Wabash, and ART this is an entirely new model.?
I know some have complained that Scale Trains has only
brought out the same old stuff.? So far Scale Trains has
helped this relatively new S scale modeler quite a bit.?
I do hope that when they come out with the F7s that they
release them again for the Missouri Pacific so I can get
different road numbers or even for the Texas &
Pacific.
?
?
?So check out Scaletrains.com and preorder some
reefers.? Its been a while since they released the steel
rebuilt boxcars.? If they see a lot of preorders come in
then we might get more models in S scale released from
them sooner than later.
?
Regards,
David
Henley
?
--
Dave McBrayer
Auburn, CA?
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Thank You Scale Trains for giving us a positive conversation.
? -- Ted Larson trainweb.org/mhrr/??????? --------??????? NASG.org??????? --------??????? GN in 1965
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Would you consider a 1/16 +/- inch thick steel plate to act as a
stiffener and distributor of any extra weight?? A smallish plate
(square-ish) over each bolster could limit sagging.?
Dave McBrayer
Auburn, CA
---------------
On 01/26/2025 10:17 AM, Bob Werre via
groups.io wrote:
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
I think we all have come up against this!? I
bought several of the River Raisin Milwaukee Road cars from
years ago.? Being a fan of the road and given it was a part
NASG/RR project, I had to buy as many as I could afford. If i
caught the local way freight of 20 cars, generally half would
be ribbed sided cars! ?
So more recently I bought just one of the Smoky
Mt. cars that represents the older version of this car.? I
started on it a couple of evenings ago.? I'm now trying to
determine how much weight to add to a 'sealed car'? I know the
NMRA has it's guidelines, as does SHS for their cars (similar
as I recall) but the RR brass car comes in at 12oz naked.? The
SMountain version is about 4 oz? So I gathered a couple of
large steel nuts as Jim recommends--now I'm at about 7oz.? I
just cut up some of lead type that puts the weight at 10.? my
gut feeling says this is a bit too much!? However since this
car is resin, also subject to sagging and I don't want to have
to dig back into it going either way --add or subtract?? I've
had little problem with string-lining but I generally arrange
my cars in mind--something that might be difficult to correct
when you have a vintage Regal USRA gondola at about 2 oz
during guest operations!? Most of my brass cars outweigh my
more typical AM, SHS and SSA cars, though the SSA boxcars are
probably the heaviest (and longest)
Suggestions? or should I stage a contest of
sorts? Has anyone else built one (or more?) of these!?
Bob Werre
PhotoTraxx
--
Dave McBrayer
Auburn, CA?
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S scale switching layout plan
After a very long absence from the model railroading hobby I am back and believe I would like to build a small S scale switching layout as an experiment with the scale. ?If anyone has a favorite track plan that you have built or always thought of building and can share, it would be much appreciated. ?Thanks everyone. Tom
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Re: Scale Trains has reefers on preorder
Any thoughts on replacing or modifying the hatches to make them more realistic?
Charles Weston
On Saturday, January 25, 2025, 11:47:14 AM CST, David R. Henley Jr via groups.io <henley31c@...> wrote:
Hello all,
? ? Got a nice surprise in my email this morning.? Scale Trains sent an email out showcasing their new products for preorder.? The ACF 40' Wooden Reefer was one of the offerings.? They will be released in eight road names /paint schemes:
?
- American Refrigerator Transit/ART
- Bangor and Aroostook/BAR
- Fruit Growers Express/FGEX
- Orange/Unlettered
- Santa Fe Refrigerator Dispatch/SFRD
- Union Refrigerator Dispatch/URTX
- Western Refrigerator Lines/WRX
- Yellow/Unlettered
The Fruit Grower Express and the Santa Fe will have six road numbers that you can get.? All the rest except for the unlettered will have three road numbers available.? If you preorder by 24 Feb 2025 then the price is $54.99.? The regular price after pre-order is $68.99.? The expected delivery date is October 2025.
?
? ?Not sure how available some of these road names were with SHS and MTH but being a Missouri Pacific modeler I am excited for the ART reefer.? This is the single ART shield herald design.? I only have one like it because a club member custom did it and I was able to buy it from his estate sale after his death.? So for the Missouri Pacific, Wabash, and ART this is an entirely new model.? I know some have complained that Scale Trains has only brought out the same old stuff.? So far Scale Trains has helped this relatively new S scale modeler quite a bit.? I do hope that when they come out with the F7s that they release them again for the Missouri Pacific so I can get different road numbers or even for the Texas & Pacific.
?
? ?So check out Scaletrains.com and preorder some reefers.? Its been a while since they released the steel rebuilt boxcars.? If they see a lot of preorders come in then we might get more models in S scale released from them sooner than later.
?
Regards,
David Henley
?
|
Alan traveled many miles taking the various NASG modules to shows in many different states.
?
A couple of his stops was at the all 'S' Show in Carmel IN.? Also, Alan would set up the NASG modules at the Batesville IN library where the late Doug Evans would set up his portable layout.
This was during the Christmas Holidays.? Alan would instruct future young railroaders to operate the switching layout.? One visit, a 12 year old and his younger brother, (about 8) operated together for over an hour.? It was a great experience to watch the older brother develop leadership skills helping his younger brother, all under Alan's supervision.?
?
-- John E. Henning
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Looking for a SHS 00552 Locomatic Control Box
Good Day: I'm looking to add some additional features to the?control panel for my modules used?on the ACSG layout.? If anyone has a SHS 00552 Locomatic sound Control Box they would like to depart with, please?let me know?off line.
Thanks, Ted Zanders TRZP1800?at?gmail?dot?com
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Re: It's Official: No More Flyer
On Sun, Jan 26, 2025 at 02:01 PM, Jim wrote:
Interesting as the rep I spoke with stated no new tooling but continued production in a year or two
?
Jim Marski
?
?
Somehow, I doubt it.? Lionel's been gearing up HO with their latest announcement of road specific detailed NKP, PM & C&O Berkshires with ESU LokSound or DC with a DCC socket.? No Legacy or LionChief electronics.? They seemed determined to compete in the serious HO market.
?
Rich G(ajnak)
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Re: It's Official: No More Flyer
Not a surprise, but I suspect it will have little effect on the scale side of our 1:64 hobby.? Folks who want RTR trains for a plywood-based home layout will have to choose between Lionel O and HO equipment.? Or, horrors.............something in N scale.? As a youngster, I dabbled in Marklin and found it ran well without much trouble.? ?Looked decent to my eyes at that time.? Ed L.
--
Ed Loizeaux
Los Altos, CA
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Re: It's Official: No More Flyer
Interesting as the rep I spoke with stated no new tooling but continued production in a year or two
Jim Marski
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On Jan 26, 2025, at 4:48?PM, Rich Gajnak via groups.io <rustytraque@...> wrote:
?
From the NASG website:
?
"Dick
Kramer, the NASG membership secretary, attended the 2025 Railroad Hobby Show in Springfield, MA this weekend, and asked the Lionel representative there, point-blank, what Lionel's plans are for their "American Flyer" brand, since they are no longer listing
products in their bi-annual catalogs. The Lionel representative stated that due to lack of sales, Lionel will no longer be producing American Flyer products going forward. Doug Peck, owner of Port Lines Hobbies and a Lionel dealer, confirms that Lionel had
been hinting at this to him for the past three years. The catalogs only list what they still have available in their inventory."
?
This
is a significant loss, another reason for folks looking to change scales to move right past S to O.
?
Rich
G(ajnak)
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It's Official: No More Flyer
From the NASG website:
?
"Dick Kramer, the NASG membership secretary, attended the 2025 Railroad Hobby Show in Springfield, MA this weekend, and asked the Lionel representative there, point-blank, what Lionel's plans are for their "American Flyer" brand, since they are no longer listing products in their bi-annual catalogs. The Lionel representative stated that due to lack of sales, Lionel will no longer be producing American Flyer products going forward. Doug Peck, owner of Port Lines Hobbies and a Lionel dealer, confirms that Lionel had been hinting at this to him for the past three years. The catalogs only list what they still have available in their inventory."
?
This is a significant loss, another reason for folks looking to change scales to move right past S to O.
?
Rich G(ajnak)
|
Hi Bob --
I add 2 oz to a "naked" 40' PRS box/reefer which I suspect brings it up to about 4 or 5 ounces.? ?Never weighed my brass cars (many) but they are definitely?heavy enough!? ?I have three SWM flats running lead on a 30 car freight of mixed materials and I have no problems (54" minimum radius and 2+% grades).? I think Ed L.'s weighting system pretty much parallels mine, but his layout has about the same design minimums as mine.? ?If it works, no need to make things heavier as that causes more stress in the train (couplers, stringline effects, need for more horsepower, etc.).? ?Perhaps you can run the car unsealed (just setting the body on the floor -- easy enough?to glue some wood or plastic strip in the body?to keep the floor from going up too far into the body) to see what is / is not needed?? ??
I just?pulled my SMMW kit out to feel how heavy it is, and it is plenty heavy without adding any weight for my purposes.? ?I didn't see if there is a weight to be added in the box, but if there is and it's steel, I will change it out to lead, IF I think it needs?it.? ??
It's a very rare kit that I totally seal.? I usually just hit a couple of small places with a LITTLE bit of glue so that I can break into the car, if I have?to.? ?I only totally glued one car of all that I have built, but I regretted doing that.? I decided on this after I overweighted?a PRS boxcar to NMRA RPs long ago and discovered that it was very unnecessary.? However, I could not tear into the car without damage, so it has been a heavy weight its entire life leading the?M&E train behind it with a brass boxcar, three brass express cars, an RPO and rider coach -- the other 5 cars are plastic, including two HW baggage cars.? At 11 cars, it is a legitimate steam?double header, 4-4-2 or 4-6-2 and 4-8-2, on?the 2% grades.? (photos)
The only?cars I have that used a significant amount of weight more than what they came with (none) are the AM two bay hoppers and the smooth side streamlined passenger?cars.? ?Their lack of weight caused stringline issues (passenger?cars) and buffing issues with the hoppers being pushed off the track by the weight of the cars behind while on a downhill grade.? ? Have fun! Bill Winans
I think we all have come up against this!? I
bought several of the River Raisin Milwaukee Road cars from
years ago.? Being a fan of the road and given it was a part
NASG/RR project, I had to buy as many as I could afford. If i
caught the local way freight of 20 cars, generally half would be
ribbed sided cars! ?
So more recently I bought just one of the Smoky
Mt. cars that represents the older version of this car.? I
started on it a couple of evenings ago.? I'm now trying to
determine how much weight to add to a 'sealed car'? I know the
NMRA has it's guidelines, as does SHS for their cars (similar as
I recall) but the RR brass car comes in at 12oz naked.? The
SMountain version is about 4 oz? So I gathered a couple of large
steel nuts as Jim recommends--now I'm at about 7oz.? I just cut
up some of lead type that puts the weight at 10.? my gut feeling
says this is a bit too much!? However since this car is resin,
also subject to sagging and I don't want to have to dig back
into it going either way --add or subtract?? I've had little
problem with string-lining but I generally arrange my cars in
mind--something that might be difficult to correct when you have
a vintage Regal USRA gondola at about 2 oz during guest
operations!? Most of my brass cars outweigh my more typical AM,
SHS and SSA cars, though the SSA boxcars are probably the
heaviest (and longest)
Suggestions? or should I stage a contest of
sorts? Has anyone else built one (or more?) of these!?
Bob Werre
|
To the group,?
Al Clapp contacted me Friday to share with me that Bob Yanke was no longer with us.?
Bob was originally an HO guy who was introduced to S scale and never looked back on HO. He sold most of his previous equipment, torn up his layout and converted to S. I believe on of the few carry overs from his HO layout was his ore boat. He was a N&W fan and had a nice basement layout representing that fallen flag. He was a steam - first generation diesel fan and I believe a number of his diesel locomotives found a happy second home with Bill Lane.?
Bob was a long time member of the Cuyahoga Valley S Gauge Association and later a founding member of the Northern Ohio S Scalers (NOSS).
Bob was never verbose, he spoke his mind in just a few words and was always direct and to the point. Unfortunately our numbers continue to dwindle. RIP.
Mike, Ohio
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I bought my first S scale from him after I moved to Columbus almost 4 years ago. He invited me and my son over to his place so he could tell me more about S scale. Wish I had the opportunity to have gotten to know hum better.
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Ted Larson
David McBrayer
Charles Weston
John E. Henning
Jeremy Lighthouse