Here's What's New:
Railroad Status Report, 5/22/03: I've finally taken some pictures of some of my favorite equipment.
Left: Western Pacific 2-8-2 Mikado #310. Protoype built in 1919.
Right: Western Pacific EMD GP-7 #702. Prototype built in 1952.
Railroad Status Report, 6/15/02: I've acquired a few freight cars from a friend who's also involved in N-scale trains.
Left: Union Pacific 40' wooden boxcar used for automobile transport. Protoype built in 1927.
Right: North Carolina & St. Louis 40' wooden boxcar. Prototype built in 1946.
Above: Hills Brothers Coffee 40' wooden boxcar. Protoype built in 1930. As it turns out, in light of my wife's maiden name, this car is one of our favorites.
Railroad Status Report, 5/15/02: My new Kato 2-8-2 Heavy Mikado Steam Locomotive arrived today. Good news... it does start and stop smoothly; it runs smoothly at slow speeds; it traverses the three pieces of 9-3/4" radius curved track on my layout just fine. The owner of HobbyTown USA need have no worries about having to honor his thirty-day money-back guarantee. I'm VERY impressed. Once again, this first picture isn't very good. But once I install the THIRTY or so detail parts that came with it, I'll post a new photo or two.
Railroad Status Report, 5/12/02: I've ordered a Kato 2-8-2 Heavy Mikado Steam Locomotive. My biggest concern is whether it will run smoothly at slow speeds, and start and stop smoothly as well. I also have three pieces of 9-3/4" radius curved track that bother me. I'm hoping that the eight drivers will navigate that section without derailing. HobbyTown USA was willing to special order it for me. The owner was so confident that I'd like its performance that he's willing to give me a written 30-day money back guarantee. He doesn't have a test track set up in the store yet, so he is going to let me take it home for the test. It happens to be available in the same road name (Western Pacific) as my freebie Boxcar.
There doesn't seem to be much Western Pacific rolling stock available, but the WP connected San Francisco with Salt Lake City via the Feather River Canyon. At the west end, they connected with Southern Pacific (who eventually bought them). At the east end, they connected with Denver & Rio Grande Western. So, a little variety in road names on my tiny layout won't keep me from enjoying it.
Railroad Status Report, 5/5/02: Initial photos taken and web page built. Most of the rolling stock below is stuff that I bought years ago when I was in high school and never really did anything with. My Dad sent it all to me after discovering that I was now interested enough to actually make use of it.
Existing Rolling Stock
Bachmann U-36-B Diesel Locomotive |
Atlas 0-6-0 Saddle Tank Steam Switcher |
Atlas Florida East Coast 40' Boxcar |
Bachmann State of Maine 40' Boxcar |
Atlas Pacific Fruit Express 50' Boxcar |
Atlas Pennsy 50' TOFC |
25' Penn Salt Chlorine Tank Car |
Atlas 36' B&O Cupola Caboose |
While shopping at the Grand Opening of the local HobbyTown USA (20% discounts), the owner gave me this Micro-Trains 40' Boxcar (Walthers #489-20506). I spent sixty dollars anyway. So, I guess I'm going to start the coupler conversion process on all my rolling stock a little sooner than I had planned.