“like to haves” (druthers). My givens and druthers were as follows: The basic requirements were to have
heavy electrics, car float operation for interchange, a 1955 setting and a lot of passenger operations (multiple-unit electrics, locals, express trains, milk trains). Also needed were New Haven and New York Central trackage rights. My want list was a design for opera-
tion, lots of hidden staging, point-to- point, optional continuous running, a stub-end terminal and a good-size freight yard. Heavy electrics and passenger equipment can be a problem in S, my chosen scale. The only available elec- tric locomotives are the ready-to-run
American Models PRR GG1 and a New Zealand 3.5-foot gauge boxcab kit. Therefore, my electrics are a rather eclectic combination of kitbashed and scratchbuilt equipment.
Most of the bodies of the electric lo- comotives were bashed together from components like American Flyer ca- boose bodies and re-sectioned Ameri- can Flyer Alco PA shells. Some sit atop modified diesel chassis, but other chas- sis are scratchbuilt. Most steamers are brass imports, but a few have been scratchbuilt from brass and detailed with S scale brass castings. A few more are “interesting” combinations of Flyer, Rex, imported brass, and scratchbuilt components. (For our older readers,
think “Bill Schopp style,”as in his fre- quent articles on brass locomotive con- versions in the 1950-1960 era RMC’s.) Ready-to-run S scale passenger equipment is currently limited to American Models 75-foot heavyweights and Budd Empire State Express short- ies. The Supply Car offers a large vari- ety of full-length streamlined Pullman and Budd kits. No m.u. cars have ever been offered in S, but I have been fortu- nate over the decades to acquire equip- ment as it was available. Mine includes 1950-era Super Scale heavyweights, a Dayton Models NYC gas-electric from the same era, plastic heavyweight and streamlined Pullmans from American Models,
brass heavyweights from
SouthWind Models, and a fleet of m.u. cars based on American Models and American Flyer passenger cars with Black Beetle power trucks. My freight- car fleet’s lineage is similarly varied. I have a 12 by 46-foot space for the
layout with two closet doors at one end and a wall with a doorway separating the space roughly in half. There are no
Camelback 0-6-0 No. 1174 (left) pushes a caboose onto the tail end of the departure track at Troy. A brakeman will throw the switch and NYC Mikado No. 1849 will back its train to couple up the caboose before heading out on the line. Later, NYC No. 1849 (below) nudges a ventilated boxcar loaded with vegetables into the Ilzeb Wine & Produce spur while a yard man named Pierre enjoys a bottle of milk on his break.
RAILROAD MODEL CRAFTSMAN
43
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