A Quick Update....

Just a week-and-a-half to go before Crazy Time at work starts to calm down. In the meantime, I've converted my before-work rides & runs to Layout Time! Of course, it helps that the weather's been lousy just about every morning. It's much nicer to have a cup of coffee in the basement rather than toughing it out in the rain. . .

So lately, I've been doing a little tinkering on a Mogul and have started to experiment with backdrops in East Berlin.

During my last ops session, a couple of nagging issues with the #343 came bubbling up to the surface and got it added to the punch list. The rear coupler was too low, the tender didn't track well, and the engine would bog down at turnouts.

The issue with the coupler was two-fold: 1) I'm using a whisker-spring KD rather than the more traditional coupler (with the separate centering spring), and 2) the coupler box itself was tilted on its mount. Both issues together caused the coupler to sag significantly.

I addressed both issues simultaneously by adding a strip of styrene under ("on top of" - when the engine is upright) the back of the coupler box. It over-tilted the box slightly the other way, but that offset the slack/slop there is when using a whisker KD in the standard KD coupler box.

Problem #1 solved!

Next, I turned my attention to the tender . . .

The tender trucks on this particular model are rigid on one side and free-pivoting on the other side.

My track is pretty decent (if I don't say so myself), but it seemed even not-so-bad track was giving this tender fits - especially on curves.

The solution turned out to be pretty simple - though it did take some care to execute. I just turned one of the trucks around so that the opposite sideframes would be rigid/free pivoting. Of course, the finicky part was removing the wheels on the truck I turned and replacing them so that the insulated side was still on the engineer's side - just like the other truck.

Problem #2 solved!

Problem #3 is turning out to be a bit more of a problem. Turns out, the main driver wheelset on this locomotive is ever so slightly tight in gauge. That's not so bad, except when it encounters a Micro-Engineering turnout which is ever so slightly out of gauge. The combination of the two issues causes the locomotive to bog down noticeably in the frog.

So, since I am NOT going to regauge the driving wheels (way too much trouble for as little out of gauge that they are), I've started filing out the frogs & guardrails of the ME turnouts. My first experiment proved promising - just have to finish that and the do another 73 turnouts(!)

If they're out of gauge, might as well fix them . . .

But before getting too far along on that tedious job, Bill came over and we started playing a bit with photo backdrops. I started by doing some mocking up on the floor:

Then started mocking up a bit in East Berlin . . .

It's really amazing what a difference a photo backdrop makes - especially in photos! Really provides realistic depth to unrealistically shallow scenes.

So that's it for now. I've actually made a bit more progress lately than these photos would lead you to believe, so I have lots more to report. Hopefully the upcoming 3 day weekend break will allow me some time to get caught up. In the meantime, if you're a member of "The Valley Local" Facebook group, you've already seen some of what's been going on more recently. And if you're not a member, all you have to do is go there and ask to join to get more frequent updates.

Until next time, here's hoping you and yours have a wonderful weekend with your families!

Miscellaneous Monday: Register & Couplers

Thanks to Stanley and Roger for commenting on my paperwork post. I'm still trying to figure the best approach here, but in the meantime at least here's a copy of the prototype NHRR paperwork my form is based on:

Now, granted, I think this is a form used by station agents/tower operators to record passing trains (as Stanley described in his comment) and I modified it for use on my railroad. But it probably is overkill.

* * *

Thanks also to Dave who, while not posting a comment to the blog, did weigh in on the DL-109 coupler conversion - suggesting that I try using one of KD's underset couplers to raise the coupler height while saving me some work. While I'd mentioned in the post that I thought an underset coupler would look bad, I was too impatient to wait for one to be delivered, and it would probably end up too high anyway, I picked up a package of #147 couplers at Centerline Hobbies in Hyannis on my way home from vacation this weekend.

So at least I wouldn't have to wait for them.

Unfortunately, when I got them home I realized that I didn't get the "scale" head couplers but the old "standard" head (i.e. like the old No. 5s). The one consolation was that I made no mistake - KD doesn't even make a "scale" size underset coupler. In fact, they actually say so on their website:

We do not make "offset" scale head couplers only center set because an offset scale head coupler is simply too ugly.

I figured I'd go ahead and try the 147s anyway since, if they truly just dropped in as an easy replacement, it'd save me some drilling & tapping.

Turns out - they did end up too high. No worries. As they say in the scientific field: "A negative finding is still a finding." I did the experiment and it proved my initial hypothesis. Back to drilling, tapping, and installing a "proper" "scale" head coupler:

A little bit of work, but so much better

Tuesday Tip: Raising Pilot Couplers on a Walthers/Proto DL-109

Afternoon westbound at Old Saybrook, March 1948 (John M. Wallace photo)

While my main project is replicating The Valley Local, the New Haven's heavy-duty Shoreline mainline figures prominently as well - at least the part that goes through Old Saybrook, CT. And during the era I model (1947-1949), almost all of the 71 trains that pass through Saybrook each day are powered by the New Haven's class DER-1 locomotives - a.k.a. Alco DL-109s.

Fortunately, Proto1000 (now Walthers) produced a very robust HO scale model of the DL-109. It's certainly no Rapido locomotive - heck, it's not even as detailed as a Proto 2000 engine. But those molded-on grabs & railings make them perfect for frequent handling by my Shoreline operators. So I have an even dozen of them to run my Shoreline trains.

But there are a couple of problems: 1/2 of my DLs are at a friend's house being decodered and weathered (along with a beautiful pair of PAs which will hopefully show up soon to squire the Yankee Clipper), one of them is a brass model that will need some reworking, in addition to decodering, and one of them runs very intermittently and I haven't been able to figure out the problem yet to fix it.

So that leaves me with only four units - two back-to-back pairs that basically handle about 80% of the Shoreline trains during my ops sessions (a couple steam engines "taken out of semi-retirement" handle the remainder). Again - and luckily - the prototype helps out here too: During the 1940s, the New Haven practically ran the wheels off their DER-1s sending them back and forth between New York and Boston. I actually have documentation showing pairs taking passenger trains one way in the morning, and the same pairs going back the other way with a freight train that evening.

Unfortunately, all that use means it's just a matter of time before problems start cropping up. And the main problem I'm having with my operable DER-1s is that the pilot couplers droop:

Yup - that's some drop - and they're ALL like this. Note how the entire coupler box is slanted downwards.

Now, it's usually not a problem - but when it is, it's usually on some fancy name train. Paying passengers don't like being unceremoniously left in the (staging) yard while they watch their locomotives pulling away without them.

So what's the Motive Power Department to do (other than get more DER-1s into service)? They Fix the Problem.

I considered a number of different solutions, including shaving down the top of the stock coupler box (wouldn't be enough), bending the coupler up (too risky that you'll break it), getting an offset coupler (would look bad, I'm too impatient to wait for them to come in, and they'd probably end up too high so I'd have to shim to lower them). But I finally decided to bite the bullet and "just" install a new, thinner coupler box.

Here are the steps, in brief:

• Remove stock coupler box (which has a very thick top)
• Drill/tap new mounting hole for a new, thinner KD coupler box
• Insert a small strip of .020" styrene under (on top of) the rear of the new coupler box
• Tighten screw against the strip styrene.

Start by flipping the engine over and putting it in a nice foam cradle. The coupler mechanism is actually pretty clever - that whole assembly swings from side to side to accommodate tight curves. You can just make out the curved piece of brass strip at the back of the coupler box that acts as a centering spring.

You'll need to remove the body shell eventually, so may as well do it now. It's a simple matter of spreading the sides of the body away from the mounting lugs on the side of the frame. The mechanism slides right out.

If there isn't already some tape holding the motor in, add some as I did in the photo above. You don't want anything falling out when you tip the mechanism over. Ask me how I know....

Weighing almost two pounds(?!) is both the good news and bad news for this engine. Good news for pulling power; bad news that the entire frame - and coupler box mount - is solid metal. Raising the coupler ain't as easy as just shaving away some styrene. Note that I'm resting the mech on "jack stands" of scrap 2x2 wood. I could have used the foam cradle, but I didn't want to risk any wires getting caught on the foam - and for drilling into metal, I wanted a really solid support.

I removed the stock coupler box and curved brass strip, then replaced just the top of the stock box as a drilling template. The coupler mounting lug makes a nice drilling guide (keeping the bit perpendicular to the frame) and places the hole in the proper position.

I drilled & tapped for a 2-56 screw, so I used a #50 drill bit in my Dremel (with flex shaft and foot pedal for control).

It takes some patience, but using the Dremel is SO much better than using a pin vise. Just go slow and keep the bit lubricated (I rub it against some old bar soap) Thankfully, the metal is soft. Just be sure to back out your tap often to clean out the threads.

From that point, it was pretty easy - just assemble a KD coupler box with your coupler and screw it in.

OH! One last - and critical - step: the styrene strip!

Hopefully you noted in the second photo that the original coupler box actually slanted downward. I don't know whether that's due to the frame being cast slightly off or what. But the solution is surprisingly simple.

Just insert a little strip of styrene under the back of the coupler box (between the box and the frame - you can see a sliver of white in the photo above) and then snug the screw down. I used a .020" thick strip, but use whatever you need to get your coupler to the correct height.

May sound like an odd solution, but the proof is in the result. Compare the photo above to the one at the beginning of this post. It's pretty much dead-on. I just need to replace the body shell and this unit can go back into service.

Now I only have 3 (or 8!) more to do . . .

I hope you found this little tip helpful. And if you have any of the P1k DL-109s, I hope you'll let me know if you've had the same issue - and what you did to fix it.

Modeling Monday: DERS-1b (RS-1) #0669 - DONE!

While the Valley Line is firmly planted in the steam era (Autumn, 1947), I experienced a pretty severe case of era creep when Atlas came out with their Loksound-equipped Alco RS-1 in the New Haven's beautiful delivery scheme. The prototype was delivered in the spring of 1948, so I could use one in the Autumn of that year. And once I discovered that the #0669 - the one Atlas produced - was actually used on one of the Shore Line locals, well that cinched it. I had to get one.

Ever since I "New Havenized" my DERS-2b (Proto 1000 RS-2), I'd been looking forward to giving the 0669 the treatment. I finally got started last October, but between the holidays, ops sessions, and busy time at work, I wasn't able to do much more with it.

Until this weekend, when I finally doubled-down and decided to finish it - and did!

Last time, I'd only gotten as far as drilling the cab roof and installing the brass tube for the steam generator exhaust stack. So I continued by installing the hand brake chain and guides.

The chain has to attach to the brake valve pistons somehow, but you try to drill a hole through that little nub (the end of the brake lever sticking through the "clevis" at the end of the piston). I opted to just file that off to provide a flat area for drilling a #80 hole.

I then inserted a piece of .0125" wire, bent up into a hook at the end that I could use to hang the chain on.

Next, I drilled the mounting holes for the chain guides. Prototype photos are absolutely critical for determining location. As you can see, I had one false start. It's not easy drilling such small holes into the metal frame, but I made a dimple with a safety pin, lubricated the bit with bar soap and used my foot pedal/flex shaft Dremel combo to regulate the speed, backing out often to clear the metal shavings. Didn't break a single bit!

I threaded the chain through the guides before gluing the guides in place. Much easier than trying to thread them afterwards (ask me how I know!). Be sure to ream out the holes in the guides so that the chain goes through easily. I then glued them using gap-filling CA and - once in final position - I touched them with CA accelerant. That creates an instant, and secure, bond. I love this combo for just about all my non-styrene gluing. Click here for more about it.

I glued the rear end of the chain to the small guide, trimmed the chain to length (determined by swiveling the truck to its extreme), and hooked it on the little hook I'd installed on the end of the brake piston. It was SO fussy trying to do that that I decided to go ahead and glue that end of the chain as well so it wouldn't ever fall off. The photo above shows the final result.

Next, I drilled mounting holes for the BARCO steam heat pipes and glued them in place, using my favorite CA/kicker combo.

The Atlas model comes with LOTS of detail already in place (unlike the Proto1000 RS-2, which had almost no detail at all - not even grab irons!) , including a brake hose. But that brake hose didn't look that great (no valve), and I needed a signal hose as well, so I figured I'd next drill a couple mounting holes and glue nicer-looking ones in place.

The easiest detail to prepare (only needed painting) but the hardest to install (since there were no mounting lugs) was the diaphram buffer. I used contact cement to mount it - and hope it holds.

And in this - and the next - photo, you can see the completed end details

Like on the RS-2, the RS-1 has a brake equalization valve on the running board, but it's in a different location - in front of the engineer instead of behind the fireman.

Once the frame/end details were curing, I turned my attention back to the hoods. As I mentioned, I'd already installed the steam heat exhaust stack (including drilling a precise hole through the cab roof - free hand), so I next installed the rear horn and intake stack (aka "mushroom" vent). Full Disclosure: while I could find no blueprints/dimensions for this detail, I think it's on the small side. But it's still not as small as the part that Custom Finishing recommends. It'll do for now - at least until I wanna bother scratchbuilding one. Still looks pretty good.

And here's the front horn. The Atlas model has the horn coming out of the front of the cab. Not cool (or correct), so you have to fill that hole and drill a new one. But the result is worth the effort.

Once that was done, so was I. All that was left was to take a couple of "builders photos"

Since the #0669 has been in the shop since last fall, and missed a bunch of ops sessions, I'm psyched to get it back into service. I didn't go quite as all-out on this engine as I did on the RS-2 (I skipped the marker lights, the MU hoses, and the speed recorder). And, unlike the RS-2 model which is close to accurate for the New Haven units, the RS-1 model needs a bunch of changes to be perfectly accurate, which I didn't bother with:

• Shave off overflow pipe from the side of the long hood in front of fireman and install on the short hood behind the fireman;
• Fill-in the fuel filler and gauges on the sides of the cab and relocate them to the front of the cab;
• And my personal favorite - move the number boards on the short hood up approx. 3". Yup - on the curve of the hood. Of course, the New Haven was the only railroad to do that...

So yeah, I didn't bother making those changes (though I did purchase an extra hood and cab for a possible future project...)

But all in all, despite these minor (to me) compromises, I'm very happy with how the 0669 turned out - and am especially happy it's finally done.  All I have left to do is some minor touch-up and weathering.

And then I can get back to working on the signature locomotive of the Air Line Local (and star of the blog banner above): J-1 class mikado #3022!

****

For those who might be interested in trying this project, here's a list of the parts I used:

• Brake Chain Guide (Custom Finishing #147)
• A-Line Chain
• .0125" wire for chain hooks
• Steam Heat/Barco Hoses (Custom Finishing #336)
• Brake and Signal Hoses (Hi Tech Details #6039)
• Passenger Diaphram Buffers (Custom Finishing #306)
• Brake Equalization Valve (Custom Finishing #308)
• Steam Generator Exaust Stack (1/8" brass tube)
• Steam Generator Intake Stack (Custom Finishing #346)
• Wabco Type "E" Airhorns (Details West #AH-174)

Fun With Research - Old Saybrook Operations, Trains, and Locomotives

If you've read anything on this site so far, you discovered pretty quickly that I'm a sucker for research. In fact, if it wasn't for the fact that I want to recreate in miniature this whole lower Connecticut River Valley region as it was in the late 1940s (at least as much as practicable), I'd probably be content with doing research for its own sake.

But as a prototype modeler, research is a means - albeit a fun means - to an end. The modeling provides the catalyst, and most of the reason, for the research. And, in the case of my latest Saybrook/Staging Saga, the research provided, and continues to provide, the catalyst and reason for all the track changes. What started as an idle curiosity while I was doing some incidental research, quickly blossomed to a full-blown dissection of railroad operations in the Saybrook area. I'd already done some pretty comprehensive research on my main focus - Valley Line freight operations - so segueing to Saybrook operations generally was an inevitable evolution.

Before you can have all this fun though, you have to have some primary research material. Fortunately, I've been collecting this information for a while now . . .

Binders full of NHRR prototype information

If you aspire to model a prototype, here's a list of the basic, primary source material you should have in your library:

• Railroad rulebooks (includes critical operating rules)

• Passenger Timetables (includes general, public info on passenger trains)

• Employee Timetables (includes more detailed information on passenger trains)
• Freight & Package Schedules (public info on freight trains)

• Arranged Freight Service books (the employee version, showing detailed info on freight trains and service)
• Engine Assignment Books (I'm still looking for a New Haven one from September, 1947)
• Misc

Under that last "category" would be anything else produced by the railroad that provides information on how it operated. In my case, a real treasure is a report the railroad did in April 20, 1948 showing what every locomotive did that particular day.

While this material can be hard to find - and sometimes expensive when you find it - you could do what I've most often done: purchase the original (no matter what the price), photocopy it, and resell the original to recoup funds for the next purchase. I'm a lot more comfortable thumbing through (and sometimes marking up) copies rather than originals. YMMV

So, what's all this have to do with my Saybrook/Staging Saga? Well, I "hit the books" (see end of post for sources used**) and discovered some really cool information about what a typical "day" would look like on my version of Old Saybrook - not only what trains there were, but what actual locomotives were used(!)

Since my "main actors" are the locals, they'll dictate the period of time I'll operate in Old Saybrook (there's no way I'm going to run a full day of 71 trains!). Originally, I thought I could get by with 3 passenger trains and one through freight, in addition to the two Shore Line locals. I could still do that in a pinch, I suppose. But making the track changes in Saybrook and in the two staging yards should allow me to do the following very interesting schedule.

The activity I model in Old Saybrook would start shortly after noon, with an eastbound passenger train:

• 12:10 - Train #12, the eastbound "Bay State" (NY-Boston), powered by DER-1s (Alco DL-109) #0716 & 0717 towing a parlor car, grill car, and coaches passes through without stopping.
• 12:14 - PDX-2, the New London to Cedar Hill Shore Line local, powered by DEY-5 (Alco S-2) #0604, arrives from the east.
• 12:20 - Train #182, the eastbound "William Penn" (Phila-Boston), powered by DER-1 #0728 tows a parlor car, dining car and coaches, and passes through without stopping.
• 12:26 - Train #11, the westbound "Bay State" (Boston-NY), powered by DER-1s #0739 & 0740 has a parlor car, a dining car (instead of grill car) and coaches, and passes through without stopping.
• 12:35 - PDX-2, having done its switching, including dropping cars for PDX-1, and received its orders, heads north up the Valley Line to East Haddam.
• 12:40 - PDX-1, the Cedar Hill to New London Shore Line local, powered by DEY-5 #0612 arrives from the west.
• 1:10 - PDX-1, having done its switching a leaving cars for PDX-2, departs, continuing eastbound.
• 1:17 - Train #188, the eastbound "Pilgrim" (Phila-Boston), powered by DER-1 #0743 and hauling a parlor car, dining car, and coaches, arrives, makes a station stop, and continues east.
• 1:32 - Train #13, the westbound "42nd Street Express" (Boston-NY), powered by DER-1 #0733 and hauling a parlor car, dining car, and coaches, arrives, makes a station stop, and continues west (depending on the timing, both 188 and 13 could be at the station at the same time).
• 2:07 - Train #14, the eastbound "Bostonian" (NY-Boston), powered by DER-1 #0744 and hauling a parlor, grill, and coaches, passes through without stopping.
• 2:30 - FGB-2, hauling through freight from the PRR and the car floats at Bay Ridge, NY to Boston, and powered by DER-1s #0722 & 0731, passes through eastbound.
• 2:43 - Train #177, the westbound "Senator" (Boston-D.C.), powered by DER-1s #0742 & 0735 and hauling parlors, dining cars, and coaches (likely PRR equipment), arrives, makes a station stop, and continues west.
• 3:05 - Train #22, the eastbound "Yankee Clipper" (NY-Boston), powered by I-5 4-6-4 #1405 and hauling parlor cars, a dining car, a grill car, and coaches (alas, no longer all-parlors) highballs through town.
• 3:22 - Train #23, the westbound "Yankee Clipper" (Boston-NY), powered by DER-1s #0711 & 0752 and hauling parlor cars, a dining car, a grill car, and coaches highballs through town.
• 3:40 - PDX-2 arrives back in Old Saybrook from the Valley Line.
• 4:10 - PDX-2, having finished its switching, departs Saybrook, westbound.
• 4:17 - Train #174, the eastbound "Colonial" (D.C.-Boston), powered by DER-1s #0755 & 0748 and hauling parlors, a dining car, and coaches (likely PRR equipment), arrives, makes a station stop, and continues east.

Thus, endeth the session.

Whew!

Couple of cool things to note:

• A very busy 4 hour period on a typical weekday in Old Saybrook. But considering there were 71 trains in a 24hr period, this level of activity isn't too surprising.
• 10 passenger trains (3 of which make station stops), 1 long through freight, and 2 local freights that swap cars and do local switching.
• LOTS of DL-109s! To be truly prototypical, I'll need 14 different numbers (heh - maybe each loco could have a different number on each side - then I'd only need 7!). Of course, the engine numbers are all based on one particular day (4/20/1948). Substitutions regularly (and will) occur(red)
• One steamer: I-5 #1405, on the Yankee Clipper, no less! (could have been pinch-hitting on 4/20/48)
• Speaking of the Clipper - they pass through Old Saybrook within 17 minutes of each other
• One long through freight, powered by DL-109s
• PRR equipment (both the Senator and the Colonial make an appearance)
• I really need an Engine Assignment Book from before 1948 (preferably Sept. 1946 or 1947). As I noted here, steam was alive and well for a few years after WWII, then quickly declined very fast (all diesel on the Shore Line by spring of 1948).

Hmmm.... I may need even MORE staging than I thought . . .

**Primary sources of NHRR data aggregated:

• Arranged Freight Train Service Book No. 76, September 29, 1946
• Arranged Freight Train Service Book No. 79, April 25, 1948
• Employee Timetable No. 164, September 28, 1947
• Public Timetable, September 28, 1947
• "Locomotive Utilization - Tuesday, April 20, 1948"