Dog days of summer

Summer has all but passed me by, and I've hardly got anything new to show on my basement layout. though I could use the excuse that my outdoor Large-scale railway is receiving my attention during this extended dry spell of 2012, I've just been into other family activities lately. That said, I was motivated enough to craft and complete one new mountain scene (based on sights in/around Banff, ALB) on my O gauge pike this summer -- here's a quick clip to prove trains still DO run in my basement!

Maroon, gray, yellow…and brass

Fresh out of the CP Shops at Butler, Wis., my Lionel no. 34582 F3AA pairing is poised to ease Canadian Pacific top brass out for a jaunt along the western rails. Due largely to the adjacent heliport, waterfront, and immediate access to the central city, CP execs prefer embarking on The Executive Train (appropriately designated Train no. 001) from the Vancouver Waterfront Yard.
For precisely the same reasons, several other business trains from foreign roads also made this holdover yard an extended port of call during the 2010 Winter Olympics. Following the Games, my CP yard will continue to extend an open invitation to BNSF and Union Pacific executive specials in an unabashed effort to promote international ventures with either road. Already, visits from UP specials (headed by Lionel no. 11131 “844”) have resulted in a power-pooling plan that pairs Action Red and Armour Yellow locomotives.

Sights in the City

After making a bit of progress on my Vancouver Waterfront Station, I decided to snap a few photos. I really don't like shots of incomplete scenes, so I framed a West Coast Express (custom-painted by Jeff Sohn) K-Line F59PHI and Bombardier bi-level commuter cars in an area adjacent to the subject of my recent modeling efforts.
I was inspired to snap this image after viewing several photos on flickr.com. Some old and some new, but both helped me get a better take on the station's architecture.

Santa's little helper

Thanks to the steady easterly Pacific trade winds from China, Santa was able to make a timely pre-Christmas (FY2010) delivery that’ll help spell my depleted fleet of Canadian Pacific motive power. A new O scale (1:48) Lionel no. 28450 CP Rail 4850TM Trackmobile will pitch in to help shuttle locos about the diesel dead line and freight cars along the waterfront wharf and industries Vancouver and North Vancouver.

The die-cast metal construction of this TMCC command-control road/rail vehicle with ElectroCouplers gives it just enough girth to tow and spot maybe 2 or 3 full-scale cars (2lbs.) on the slight, yet slippery grade along the waterfront. Nevertheless, this is just the type of fresh “new” product that the hi-rail world needs to stay relevant.

Dead line downsizing

Just like the real railroads on the slow track to economic recovery, I too have found it necessary to liquidate certain motive power assets. As more and more inactive locomotives lined my prototypical dead line (a yard track designated for loco storage), the accountants soon advised me to part ways with some idled power.

Weaver SD40-2 on the dead line.
See the November 2010 issue of CTT for details

To raise enough capital to purchase new fuel-sipping workhorses, my operation elected to purge high-mileage Lionel Dash 9 (AC4400) and older surplus SD40-2 units. Railroad leasing businesses in Milwaukee, San Diego, and Canada were the first to secure power on auction, but others are certain to bid in the world's largest "yard" sale. For replacement units, Canadian National has already delivered Lionel SD70M-2s, while Canadian Pacific Rwy. has its sights set on new Lionel ES44 Evolution Hybrid power.

S-P-I-R-I-T Train!

Although the 2010 Winter Olympics concluded last weekend, neither the Olympic spirit nor the Canadian Pacific Spirit Train has left town. In a few weeks, Vancouver will host the Paralympics Winter Games. Accordingly, my version of the CPR Spirit Train will continue to hang loose in the waterfront yard, a location immediately adjacent to a parking area filled with marquee tents featuring Canadian history exhibitions. Weaver Royal Hudson #2860 with TMCC leads MTH ES44AC #8733, plus an MTH CPR flatcar with a custom-decorated container (color copied at 128% for K-Line containers) Lionel Standard O CPR boxcar, Weaver CPR RPO, and a pair of MTH CPR heavyweight passenger cars. On a side note -- can you find all the LEGO parts I used? The forthcoming May 2010 issue of CTT will reveal all!

In with the "factory new"

Thanks to previous field tests (product review) performed on a comparable Lionel no. 28264 UP SD70ACe, I could quickly move my two new CN SD70M-2 diesels into revenue service following a few minor modifications. First, I wanted to make #8002 and #8014 look “factory new” by adding a rusty face to the wheels. As shown in CTT’s subscriber-only video with Mike Reagan, Director of Customer Service at Lionel, there’s a handy feature that makes it easy to remove the trucks from newer Lionel diesels and apply Polly Scale no. F414323 rust-color paint using a cotton swab. Next, to represent the equipment domes that weren’t included on #8014, my son and I used a dab of plastic cement to secure a few suitable white LEGO bricks atop the cab. Yes, LEGOs on my O gauge trains (and throughout my layout)! Finally, after christening them with Labelle Industries no. 107 multi-purpose oil, both units entered service in charge of CN C70751-15, a 16-car Alberta coal drag destined for Roberts Bank.

Out with the "old"

At 20+ inches long, this Lionel no. 18271 SD90MAC was the largest locomotive on my layout. But in keeping with current CPR practices, I voluntarily idled #9129 in early 2010. I'd come to love this model, but contemporary is my thing - if the real railroad isn't running them, I probably shouldn't either. Typically I'll store retirees on a dead line before I gather the courage to post them for auction. Not always easy to move forward, but the process provides the essential capital to run a railroad and acquire more modern power.