|
Post by edwardsutorik on Jul 19, 2015 6:56:00 GMT -8
Ed, doesn’t .020” equal about 1 ¾ inches in HO scale? So, it sounds like the P2K model is actually pretty close to correct in overall height and from rail head to bottom of the deck. Close? Yes. Close enough? You-be-the-judge. That .02" combined with brake cylinders being too small and/or too low might very well be noticeable and irritating to a person (see eh49, above). I haven't tried to check that out yet. But it was easy for me to come up with the numbers I cited. So I did it. Ed
|
|
|
Post by edwardsutorik on Jul 19, 2015 7:01:04 GMT -8
The argument for the NW5: - More roads used them than some might think. Great Northern being the obvious one, and Southern. But with the two Fort Street Union Depot engines, you can make the case for the C&O, the Wabash and (cue the choir of angels) the Pennsy.
Uh, BN. Cough, cough. Burlington Northern. Cough. None at all, to a rational mind. Ed Say, anyone noticed how similar an NW5 is to a GMD-1?
|
|
|
Post by Judge Doom on Jul 19, 2015 9:23:19 GMT -8
I measured a P2K FA-2 and compared it to the drawings in the Kalmbach book. The bottom of the side of the model is .59" above the rail top, compared to the drawing of the prototype, which would be .57". Thus, the bottom of the side is .02" too high. The roof height of the model is 1.93", while the drawing measures 1.94". However, a GN diagram book shows a roof height for these locos as 1.93" (in HO). So, lowering the loco by .02" is not the solution. Ed Ed, doesn’t .020” equal about 1 ¾ inches in HO scale? So, it sounds like the P2K model is actually pretty close to correct in overall height and from rail head to bottom of the deck. It's not that much of a difference, and a little less noticeable when you bend and install some air lines for the brake cylinders to fill that void. Not as noticeable like the jacked-up MRC F-units, or even the IMRC SD40-2's. The bigger thing that sticks out on the P2K FA2 is the squared-off front windows which don't have that noticeable round gasket the prototype has - something the Rapido FPA4 has replicated. The P2K trucks also visually look ok, with separate parts and a good amount of depth tooled into them - not like the ugly flat Botchmann FA2 and RS3 trucks, the old solid one-piece Atlas trucks (difficult to install brake chain rigging on those slippery one-piece castings), or the new retooled Atlas trucks on their C424, c420, etc that have those oversized bearing covers (to fit over the roller bearings that the truck was tooled with).
|
|
|
Post by Paul Cutler III on Jul 19, 2015 20:12:21 GMT -8
Spikre, The SP&S was, indeed, a pretty small railroad. It's also a very popular one. Of the 10 classes of steam engines still operating in 1950, ALL have been modeled in HO. Well, that'll be true in a month or two when the O-1's show up. Canya name any other railroads that can match that? Well, going waaay off topic, but I'll see your 1950 SP&S and raise you a 1948 NH. (Why 1948 on the NH? Because the NH was almost completely dieselized by 1950). G-4 4-6-0 (Empire Midland) I-2 4-6-2 (Crown Custom) I-4 4-6-2 (NJ/CB, Precision Scale, BLI Hybrid) I-5 4-6-4 (NJ/CB, W&R, Precision Scale, BLI Hybrid and BLI All-Brass) J-1 2-8-2 (Key) K-1 2-6-0 (NERS) L-1 2-10-2 (NJ/CB, Precision Scale) R-1 4-8-2 (Key, Bachmann) R-3 4-8-2 (NJ/CB, Precision Scale) T-2 0-6-0 (Overland) Y-3 0-8-0 (W&R, P2K) Y-4 0-8-0 (Precision Scale) So that's 12 NH steamers that have been produced in HO scale for a RR that was ranked 30th in size for US RR's (2100 route miles). About the only "modern" NH steam missing from the HO market are the 8 R-2 Mountains, 12 H-1 Atlantics, 6 I-3 Pacifics, a decent 4-4-0, a decent 2-8-0, and a decent 0-4-0. Getting back on topic... Dear Jason, Did you know that the NH had five FB-2's? It's true! They mixed them in with their FA-1/FB-1 fleet, and later put them in general freight service with the rest of the NH freight diesel roster. It was not uncommon to find an FB-2 hauling tonnage with RS-11's, GP9's, RS-3's, and H16-44's in the 1960's. So if Rapido ever considers doing FB-2's, please keep us NH fans in mind. It can be done in three NH paint schemes: Green & Gold, full McGinnis (black, red-orange & white) and Alpert (no white paint). At least one FB-2 even made it PC. Would we NH fans be crazy enough to buy B-units without matching A units? (Do you actually have to ask that question?) FWIW, no one has ever manufactured a NH FB-2 before, only custom painted ones exist.
|
|
|
Post by edwardsutorik on Jul 19, 2015 20:31:01 GMT -8
Paul,
Nice try, pal. But those missing steamers don't look like a raise to me. SP&S = ALL.
Anyway. A nice long list. And I'm glad NH has been sorta slightly covered, steamwise. I was tempted to get that upcoming BLI NH steamer. It is a real beauty.
Maybe you should consider picking up the new Athearn SP&S 4-6-6-4.
Ed
|
|
|
Post by Spikre on Jul 21, 2015 11:53:20 GMT -8
Paul, GM&O was also a Member in good standing of the FB-2, but Zero FA-2 Club. think they had 4. Spikre
|
|
|
Post by eh49 on Jul 21, 2015 13:29:02 GMT -8
So, has anyone other than me seen the ad yet?
|
|
|
Post by GP40P-2 on Jul 21, 2015 15:17:34 GMT -8
eh49:
The other question which relates to your "who has seen the ad" is who has even seen the "new" RMC?
No one sells it locally, and I am not about to subscribe to something sight unseen, so it kinda sucks to be RMC right now....
Jim
|
|
|
Post by jaygee on Jul 22, 2015 8:20:16 GMT -8
I scrapped my last magazine subscription earlier this year. That was Diesel Era. No more mags for me, unless they are really special one off copies from the LHS or grocery store.
|
|
|
Post by The Ferro Kid on Jul 22, 2015 9:51:28 GMT -8
eh49: The other question which relates to your "who has seen the ad" is who has even seen the "new" RMC? No one sells it locally, and I am not about to subscribe to something sight unseen, so it kinda sucks to be RMC right now.... Jim I've been buying individual issues from my local Barnes Ignoble since last February and am about to subscribe. I am very impressed with the total makeover, from paper quality to layout to content. Of course, quality of content is always in the eye of the beholder. But I've found enough in each issue to-date, to purchase after a quick thumb-through.
|
|
|
Post by kentuckysouthernrwy on Jul 22, 2015 18:57:13 GMT -8
The new RMC is quite well done, much better paper, lots of color even on department headers. They have a good grasp of using photography in their layouts.
|
|
|
Post by atsfan on Jul 22, 2015 19:36:01 GMT -8
RMC is much much better since White River took it over. I have looked at a few at a train store. I bought Model Railroad News though.
|
|
|
Post by spookyac47 on Jul 22, 2015 22:51:29 GMT -8
Now what's so suckulent about my B&O P2K FA-FB Alcos??? Last time I looked, the gears were OK and the body shells were pretty awful close....not to mention that dynamite Best and Only paint ! They ride too high off the trucks. And, they are hard to find today, though not impossible. I'll admit, I have a later run B&O, sans the grey, and it does look pretty good except for the mentioned height. To their credit, Life-Like did re-work the shell at some point and added D/B hatch, corrected the exhaust stack and got rid of those funky movable grills. However, most often if you find a model it's from a earlier run before those changes were made. The first release of the P2K HO FA2 / FB2 locomotives was around 1990-1991. None of those runs had the dynamic brake grids on the roof. They had the rotating cooling fan in the rear driven off the rear flywheel by a rubber band. On the back of the units is a radiator like assembly ( I believe it was for cooling compressed air but not sure what flowed through the coils. The also had the working slatted cooling vents on the sides at the rear. And, yes, they were the early builds that suffered from the drive axle gears cracking. The later release came out around 2002. They came with or without the dynamic brake detail on the roof, depending on the road being modeled. However, they forgot totally about the above mentioned cooling coils on the rear of the units, a part that is not commercially available from after market suppliers. The cooling vents on the back on the sides were not molded, not open like the original release, cooling fan on top, same way, molded in shell instead of being see-through. I have a quartet of each but have not run the later release set so don't know if they suffer the same cracked gear issue.
|
|
|
Post by Judge Doom on Jul 22, 2015 23:09:23 GMT -8
On the back of the units is a radiator like assembly ( I believe it was for cooling compressed air but not sure what flowed through the coils. The intercooler, IIRC. On the later model FPA4's and FPB4's this was inside the carbody where the extra set of side vents were.
|
|
|
Post by eh49 on Jul 23, 2015 2:37:26 GMT -8
I have a A-B set of B&O from one of the later runs (lacking the grey) and just got done replacing the gears this past weekend. Everyone of the was cracked. One so bad that when I lifted the wheel/axel out the bottom half of the gear casting stayed in there.
|
|
|
Post by eh49 on Jul 23, 2015 10:54:24 GMT -8
Ok guy's. Just got Rapido's latest newsletter by e-mail and they have announced the FA-2. No question about it, it is coming. I do find it rather strange B units are not mentioned at all.
|
|
|
Post by jonklein611 on Jul 23, 2015 11:01:52 GMT -8
Ok guy's. Just got Rapido's latest newsletter by e-mail and they have announced the FA-2. No question about it, it is coming. I do find it rather strange B units are not mentioned at all. It's also live on their site: www.rapidotrains.com/fa2.html
|
|
|
Post by jaygee on Jul 23, 2015 11:39:29 GMT -8
Koolness + ! Gotta get all the Central units for a full size 200 car ML 12 ! A couple of PRR might work too.
|
|
|
Post by espeenut on Jul 23, 2015 15:35:55 GMT -8
Ok guy's. Just got Rapido's latest newsletter by e-mail and they have announced the FA-2. No question about it, it is coming. I do find it rather strange B units are not mentioned at all. It's also live on their site: www.rapidotrains.com/fa2.html...if you look at the Great Northern paint scheme you'll notice the road numbers indicate a B unit, 277B. I may get a set of these but I was hoping they'd do them in SP&S markings, although the GN units did show up in the same area... cheers, Lorne Miller
|
|
|
Post by espeenut on Jul 23, 2015 15:44:07 GMT -8
...just read the full newsletter and notice that Jason says "If you don't see the paint scheme of your choice, don't worry! We have further runs planned."
...hey Jason, SP&S A & B units please...!!
|
|
|
Post by espeenut on Jul 23, 2015 15:47:23 GMT -8
...if you look at the Great Northern paint scheme you'll notice the road numbers indicate a B unit, 277B. I may get a set of these but I was hoping they'd do them in SP&S markings, although the GN units did show up in the same area... cheers, Lorne Miller ...forget that, the 277B was not a "B" unit...guess we'll have to see what develops with those...
|
|
|
Post by edwardsutorik on Jul 23, 2015 16:22:42 GMT -8
...just read the full newsletter and notice that Jason says "If you don't see the paint scheme of your choice, don't worry! We have further runs planned." ...hey Jason, SP&S A & B units please...!! And then there's the paint colors. The closest I know of are the "official" colors put out by the SP&S HS (yes, I have samples). Athearn has been matching them so far. And I think Atlas did, too. I'd surely like to hear that the potential Rapido FA-2's would match those colors BEFORE I am expected to commit. Otherwise, I'd just buy undecs and do it myself. Or maybe pass entirely--it could happen. Ed
|
|
|
Post by espeenut on Jul 23, 2015 17:11:55 GMT -8
...yeah Ed, I could always buys undecs, I've certainly got enough decals to take care of the markings, and the later paint job, which is what I'd use, isn't that difficult to do as I have a good airbrush...but, it would still be nice if they did a factory job, we'll see what happens. Anything will surpass the cra**y ones I have from Walthers. Now that I've got decent C636's, C424 and 425, VO1000, SW9, RS1 and RS3 it will be nice to have a decent set of FA's.
|
|
|
Post by jaygee on Jul 24, 2015 8:40:26 GMT -8
Gotta have that "B" there, Jason. B nice and get one to crankin' !
|
|
|
Post by rapidotrains on Jul 24, 2015 10:29:57 GMT -8
Gotta have that "B" there, Jason. B nice and get one to crankin' ! With the price of our engines, you don't want the Bs and As arriving together. We'll do the Bs as their own run later on. Best regards, Jason
|
|
|
Post by jonklein611 on Jul 24, 2015 10:41:30 GMT -8
Gotta have that "B" there, Jason. B nice and get one to crankin' ! With the price of our engines, you don't want the Bs and As arriving together. We'll do the Bs as their own run later on. Best regards, Jason Our bank accounts thank you...
|
|
|
Post by Spikre on Jul 24, 2015 11:33:26 GMT -8
Jason, Your just being Cruel to the NH and GM&O crowd !! PaulC3 may go Catatonic over this ? Spikre
|
|
|
Post by kcjones on Jul 24, 2015 12:36:33 GMT -8
Jason, My only worry is that the paint colors match your passenger cars. Please don't do what Walthers did. I bought a set of IC E units and when they started to release their passenger cars, the colors didn't match. Bummer!! See you in Portland. JL
|
|
|
Post by edwardsutorik on Jul 24, 2015 13:46:42 GMT -8
Please don't do what Walthers did. Funny. My problem with Walthers paint was that they painted their GN Empire Builder scheme passenger cars in the wrong colors. And then they matched those cars with the wrong colors on their diesels. And then when they produced their simplifed GN scheme, that, too, was in the wrong colors. There can be a downside to maintaining a mistake. In this case, I didn't buy ANY of the above. Of some interest, by the way, is that Walthers painted their quite exquisite GN U28B in the right colors. Or, so close, I can't tell. I would have gotten more than one, except GN only bought 6. But, tempted I have been. Golly willikers, I'd sure like to see a U25B to that level of quality. GN had a goodly number of them. I would recommend matching the prototype colors. The historical societies tend to have that information. And so do some of us civilians. Ed
|
|
|
Post by jaygee on Jul 27, 2015 4:44:46 GMT -8
I never saw or heard of these guys on the Sandusky Line, but they sure did appear on the various PRR lines in upstate New York.
|
|