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What Alco do you have?


JAMO
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Well, I have arrived late to this thread - better late than never.

 

Atlas O Pennsylvania Alco RS1 #5633 - on duty at Arcadia Pennsylvania Terminal.  Shortly to be on view at the MMRS December exhibition. Originally

fitted with A TMSS legacy sound system - ripped out and now running with a simple MRC Sounder chip linked to the original (powerful) TMSS/Atlas speaker.

 

Runs with 2 china drives, wired in series, and is controlled via an Atlas D408SR v35, 4 amp decoder.

 

post-6729-0-51512500-1539290564_thumb.jpg

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Hi

My latest Alco, a CP Rail chop nosed RS-3, not the prettiest Alco you ever saw, but a must have in N-Scale.  This and the 2 MLW M-420s behind it are Briggs Models Kits.  Jeff Briggs was a founder of Kaslo many years ago.  Now to get them all finished.

Cheers
Steve

P1040754_zpsofttgvur.jpg

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  • 5 weeks later...
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I've gone through my spreadsheet and realized that I only have two Alco models! That needs to change.

 

For now, my Alco models are:

Big Boy Union Pacific 4024 (Rivarossi HR2005)

RS-3 Canadian Pacific 8438 (Bachmann 63902)

 

Both are H0 scale.

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Thanks Covkid!  Yes, O scale.  It's the chassis of a Car and Locomotive Shop Alco RS11, one of the finest brass O scale Diesels made imho. It has the original Pittman motor but it's  a custom 24V unit and draws only 1.2A stalled. The low stall current means an HO sound decoder can safely be used. In this case a Loksound Select with a TCS KA2 Keep-Alive. The sound file is 75414. Not exactly right for this loco but close, and such a nice recording. This leaves room (just!) for a Tang Band 1931s speaker which has FO of 105Hz thanks to its passive radiator. :) 

 

Should sound even better when the Loksound V5s arrive.  ;)

 

I hope this is helpful. I'll be happy to share more details if of interest, but don't want to go too far off topic in this thread.

 

Here are a couple of pics showing the level of detail on these beautiful locos:

 

1482051255_2019-01-2716_28_47.jpg.db6cbd941cfff76cc98760d5fcdc0934.jpg

1398078271_2019-01-2716_28_33.jpg.612d1d2bbaa559a7ef32cc01e0ec5348.jpg

 

I seem to be addicted to them!  :blush:

 

Pete
 

Edited by GP9u
Added Loksound sound file number
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On 12/04/2019 at 04:37, GP9u said:

 

I seem to be addicted to them!  :blush:

 

Pete
 

Understandably so!

They are amazing, I wish I had known about this company when I tried US 0 scale! I tried Sunset and PSC and they were nice, especially PSC but your C&LS loco is quite remarkable. Great job with the sound fitting too. Is it to remain a Pennsy loco?

I'm almost disappointed to learn that is an ESU decoder!

Why? I didn't recognise it and thought there was another make who provided such clear sound and superb motor control!

Great throttle too.

Cheers,

John.

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I had the immense pleasure of seeing "Los Karr Quays" many years ago, and of meeting Mike Scott who I believe was involved in the building - always found the use of REAL "wet stuff" on an exhibition layout VERY impressive - does the layout still exist?

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A couple of cheap recent(ish) acquisitions were an Athearn sound-fitted Rio Grande RS3 for £30(!) with battered handrails and a missing fuel tank moulding, replacements for both easily sourced from ebay. And a Kato/Atlas New Haven RS1at the SECC show, bought labelled 'non-runner' for just £13 (!!) from a well-known trader. Lifted the lid to find the motor had come loose and the drive shafts popped out of their sockets, easily fixed :)

 

Although my US modelling has taken a back seat in recent times, these were too good a bargain to ignore. 

 

Just need to decide how to finish them... The RS1 as NYC is a no-brainer, but the RS3... I might look at using the chassis as a common one across the fleet so I always have a sound one. My layouts tend to be one loco in use at a time anyway, so that might work. Just need to see how the different shells fit on it. 

 

 

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23 hours ago, shortliner said:

I had the immense pleasure of seeing "Los Karr Quays" many years ago, and of meeting Mike Scott who I believe was involved in the building - always found the use of REAL "wet stuff" on an exhibition layout VERY impressive - does the layout still exist?

Yes it does and featured in our open day last year. Unfortunately due to the reduced size of our premises, we can only bring the loyout out on special occations. Mike scott was responsible for a lot of the buildings on the layout.

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Lots of short line Alcos on this superb site

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/85501582@N03/albums/72157631263297576/with/8058251574/

 

Info on these interesting railroads

 

http://www.lalrr.com/

 

http://www.wnyprr.com/index

 

Interesting Trains article re above Railroads

 

http://www.lalrr.com/June2012_38-45.pdf

 

Brit15

 

 

 

 

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On 13/04/2019 at 10:54, JAMO said:

What a nice RS-11 chop nose!

 

Thank you Jack! 

 

On 13/04/2019 at 12:04, Allegheny1600 said:

Understandably so!

They are amazing, I wish I had known about this company when I tried US 0 scale! I tried Sunset and PSC and they were nice, especially PSC but your C&LS loco is quite remarkable. Great job with the sound fitting too. Is it to remain a Pennsy loco?

I'm almost disappointed to learn that is an ESU decoder!

Why? I didn't recognise it and thought there was another make who provided such clear sound and superb motor control!

Great throttle too.

Cheers,

John.

 

You're right John. Unfortunately the founder of Car & Locomotive Shop Henry Bultmann is no longer with us.  He created and imported some exquisite steam and Diesel locos during his all too short career in O scale, but these days they are harder to find.

 

The speaker will end up being mounted in the long hood, it just fits. The Pennsy paint wasn't factory and will go, as I don't think it's correct anyway. It's numbered 8620 which I think was a high-nose RS11.  It'll be patched for my modern-era shortline for now, maybe repainted later. 

 

The motor control is pretty good considering the motor and gear ratio. I'm waiting for my first Loksound V5 to arrive and then I think the sound quality and motor control will be even better! I may put a smaller coreless gearhead motor in there to make the speaker easier to fit.

 

The ProtoThrottle is amazing! It has added more realism to the model engineer's role in ops sessions than anything since DCC imho. It makes "super-detailing" the locomotive sounds worthwhile.     

 

Fun!!

 

Pete

 

 

Edited by GP9u
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  • 2 weeks later...

A few photographs of my Alco locos.

 

27868671128_d7377b547b_z.jpg

An S2 working in the east yard at Benson Arkansas.


40963280655_afcc9f119b_z.jpg

26957885507_9893b9f8ae_z.jpg

A Century 420 also shuffling cars at Benson.


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A TVRR S2 with a mid week switching job at Benson.


26852845797_ae46df666b_z.jpg

A TVRR RS1 working in the west yard at Benson.


Peter M

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