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Modelling Electrics


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The exchange between types of traction is always interesting.  I have some photos somewhere showing Sir Nigel gresley pulling off the Cumbrian Mountain Express at Carnforth to be replaced by an 85 for the return to Crewe, sometime in the 80's.   Perhaps i ought to try and find more details of the proposed Midland B0 Bo's and have a traction change on Green Ayre for the final few miles to Heysham.

 

Jamie

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Wikipedia makes no mention of the Hoosac tunnel being electrified, and a 2005 picture shows no wires. Forgotton perhaps...

Yes it definitely was electrified I think in the 20's and was abandoned some time after WW2.  I'll try and find the exact dates.  It was only the tunnel that was wired  and as shown in the dideo the steam locos were pulled through with their trains.

 

Jamie

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Wikipedia makes no mention of the Hoosac tunnel being electrified, and a 2005 picture shows no wires. Forgotton perhaps...

 

 

Yes it definitely was electrified I think in the 20's and was abandoned some time after WW2.  I'll try and find the exact dates.  It was only the tunnel that was wired  and as shown in the dideo the steam locos were pulled through with their trains.

 

Jamie

It was electrified in 1911 and unelectrified in 1946. With the 4.75 mile tunnel smoke from locomotives caused unpleasant conditions for the crews. The Fitchburg Division was dieselized in 1946. 1943 and 1944 deliveries of EMD FT locomotives removed steam from freight trains but it wasn't until post war deliveries of EMD E7s that the electrification was disused.

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Another reason that freight modeling with electric OH is not common in the US, is the proliferation of "operations". Most "operations" (magazine articles and model operations books) taught folk, in order to uncouple freight cars anywhere at will, chop the magnetic sensitive pins off their Kadee couplers and instead uncouple with the giant five finger sky monster and a 12" bamboo skewer, inserted between the car ends, and twist.

 

I have even noticed a considerable proportion of disdain for more accurate modelling, anywhere it might interfere with the enjoyment of representation of the "established rules" of model operations. :nono:

 

There is even a point of view that having and using chopped Kadees in this manner is "more realistic".  :O

 

Andy,

 

Marching to my own minority beat in this regard :beee: :jester:

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One of the other issues for electrics, particularly in British N gauge, is that the market is fractured between third rail and overhead types making two even smaller markets. Perhaps a better approach from the manufacturers would be to produce a 'true' fully dual voltage unit that ran/runs over both systems in the same liveries such as a class 319 Thameslink units (providing a large geographic coverage from Brighton to Northampton/Bedford) or the equivalent Electrostar units that run with shoes and pans.

 

Other than that my first instinct would be, as already suggested, for FarBach to shrink down their 2EPB - a veritable workhorse covering a large area and period, as well as already having had the design work carried out. Plus being a two car unit would be cheaper to manufacture and purchase (than an alternative 4 car unit like many others) and can be coupled up to form 2,4,6,8 and 10 car unit if necessary.  

 

Go for it Farish.

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Another reason that freight modeling with electric OH is not common in the US, is the proliferation of "operations". Most "operations" (magazine articles and model operations books) taught folk, in order to uncouple freight cars anywhere at will, chop the magnetic sensitive pins off their Kadee couplers and instead uncouple with the giant five finger sky monster and a 12" bamboo skewer, inserted between the car ends, and twist.

 

I have even noticed a considerable proportion of disdain for more accurate modelling, anywhere it might interfere with the enjoyment of representation of the "established rules" of model operations. :nono:

 

There is even a point of view that having and using chopped Kadees in this manner is "more realistic".  :O

 

Andy,

 

Marching to my own minority beat in this regard :beee: :jester:

I'm with you on that, I removed the trip pins from my #58s and don't have a problem with the overhead getting in the way. I can see how hands-off operation can look good, especially from a historic point of view in the UK when 20 years ago most 4mm scale layouts didn't have remote uncoupling and punters were amazed at the lack of intervention from the "Hand of God*".

 

Since I have to copy what the crew did when raising or lowering trolley poles, any extra faffing with the train is prototypical, although I haven't gone as far as having mini air hoses, handbrake wheels, or padlocked switches.

 

* I really don't like that phrase, some people see an American layout and assume you must be hands-off and therefore automate everything, including automatic raising and lowering of trolley poles.

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Slight change of tack, and I've put the link in the DVD/TV section, but just in case you don't go into that forum, the Media Archive for Central England have uploaded a 10 minute taster of a downloadable (for a fee) 20 minute ATV Today item about the new electric service from Birmingham.

http://www.macearchive.org/Archive/Title/atv-today-06031967-your-new-railway/MediaEntry/33160.html
 

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  • 4 weeks later...

Farish have dropped their class 87, 90 and 91 from their latest catalogue.

 

Presumably that means that they've none left in the warehouse (so all ordered and on dealers shelves or sold out?) and no intension of any more batches at least in the short term.

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