PRR Locomotives

[rogruth]

Very nice.

[bob turner]

Fortunately, there really aren't any restrictions here, nor are there any self-appointed forum police. Post away - we need photos!

Scale Craft Dave is wondering about dummies. I have quite a few - steam and Diesel. I am not an "operator" - I need a margarita in hand before I can watch a train go round and round, and switching is definitely not my thing. To each his own.

But these two are dummies because of an egregious robbery, in which I took part. They are empty! The A unit has Lionel side frames, and wheels from my supply of spares. The B unit has CLW trucks - arguably the best - and no gears. Their mechanisms are under a pair of MoPac plastic PAs. I can tell you that the plastic is as good or better than these, appearance-wise. Perfect windshields! These slightly miss that mark. But I don't allow much plastic around here, and am not at all jealous of the winner of that auction. I might have paid a couple hundred, then returned the mechanisms to their rightful owners, but hey - I do not need powered PRR PAs.

[PRRK4s]

Not an operator either. Modeler, collector and picture taker of finished projects. Those PA's do look good. I have a set in HO but in original DGLE paint. Here is another scene with a vintage look. I grew up on looking at good old black and white photos in the Pennsy Powers books and to me those are how I like my models to look. Here an E3sd scampers by with a short local.

[De Bruin]

Those don't look like models to me.
You;re posting photos of the real thing and trying to fool us. .....

I'll second that, the sepia tone on some of these makes me think of one of those shots in Abdill's or Westing's Golden West collections, but even the straight color is masterful in model and composition

[rogruth]

Even the smoke and steam look real.
I had to look real hard but about the only thing I could see that
would give away that it is a model is that I don't see any rail joints.
Pretty sure they didn't have welded rail in that time period.

[PRRK4s]

Roger, yeah, my track diorama lacks rail joiners. I do have plans on correcting that by building an all new diorama that will include the joiners. I have new sections of track now and come winter time I'll concentrate on putting it all together. The rail joiners will be etched brass pieces that get glued to the sides of the rails. This present diorama is only like 24"x24". The various scenes can be established by placing different accessories on it and posing the models properly. Photos are taken outdoors in real sunlight, background trees are real. This scene is reminiscent of the ready tracks near the 28th street area in Pgh, minus the smoke and steam. I do have another view that includes those dark and dreary days of the smoky city . I'll post that one later. Seen here are K4s and G5s locos waiting their morning assignments.

[rogruth]

My vocabulary to state my appreciation of the models shown here by all is used up.
You know there are only a few ways to say WOW, GOLLY, GEE WHIZ, etc.

[bob turner]

All you have to say is that you are enjoying the photos. I sure am.
I too spend time with the "Pennsy Power" books.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

.

[PRRK4s]

Here is the smoky version of the same area, 28th st ready tracks, Noon time but you'd never know. This time a couple T1s join in. The smoke from the steel mills hang over the river valleys, the railroads putting up their share and the smoke has no escape, it just settles over the town. You can almost taste it.

[bob turner]

Sometimes I go to Chama NM just to taste it.

[bob turner]

With the length of this thread, and the ease of using Shutterfly, there is a very real risk that I will begin repeating photos. Call me out on that - nothing worse than an old guy repeating stuff endlessly. Following is my collection of Saginaw and CLW. I may have previously posted the E6.

This one is my very first kit-built O Scale steamer. I put it together at my brother's shop during a four day weekend while flying for Ransome Airlines out of Philadelphia - took the kit to Charlestown, assembled it, and back on the line on Tuesday. Great fun.

It has plastic drivers - final cure was picking up all current from the tender - four wheels for each polarity plus sliders under one truck. Smooth. Or it was last time I tried it.

[rogruth]

The PRR H series locos always surprised me.
They were relatively small locos but could pull huge strings of hoppers loaded with coal.
Not very fast but they got them there.

[PRRK4s]

One of photographer Don Woods famous scenes which made it's way into books and calendars, duplicated in miniature. Two M1b class speeding towards each other somewhere on the middle division. Even the graffiti (one of the earliest I've ever seen) made it's way on to this pic. There is another photo in one of Don Woods books that shows a low angle view looking up at the front of an M1b. I asked Don one day if he remembered how many attempts it took to get that perfect shot on film. His answer was, one. I told him it took me dozens of shots to get that same view in model form. I have it somewhere around here too in my files.

[bob turner]

This one is a happy place for me - a spare CLW H10 boiler, lengthened (believe it or not) a quarter-inch, mounted on a fully sprung Saginaw frame, with Lobaugh drivers. Scratch tender; Walthers coach.