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Steam Nut
Fireman
USA
1277 Posts |
 Posted - 11/19/2010 : 07:33:25 AM
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| Helix was stopped for non payment of the labor force. LOL!!!!! |
Steam Lives! |
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George D
Moderator
USA
9916 Posts |
Posted - 11/19/2010 : 08:30:00 AM
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Congratulations on the major milestone, Mark. Enjoy watching those Pennsy trains run.
Pat, that’s not a crummy, it’s a “cabin car” (Pennsy). I see we need an education program on the forum.
George
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elwoodblues
Fireman
Canada
4876 Posts |
Posted - 11/19/2010 : 08:49:01 AM
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Mark,
Congratulations on making a major milestone, It's always a great feeling when you can finally get to run some trains.
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Ron Newby
General Manager
Clearwater Valley Railway Co.
http://www.cvry.ca |
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MarkF
Engineer
USA
9276 Posts |
Posted - 11/19/2010 : 10:27:57 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by belg
Mark, congrats on getting to this milestone. The crummy with the red marking lights, did it come that way or did you install them? Who makes it if they came with it? Pat
Pat, thanks for noticing that little touch! As George already corrected, us 'Pennsy' guys call them 'cabins'.
As for the working lights, I installed them. The PRR typically had two on the end of a cabin car. Basically, in the 60's, these were battery operated flashers, very similar to the old yellow flashers you might see on the roadway barricades of the time, but these had metals boxes under the light that held the battery. So each of these lights flashed independently.
I have a section on my website that explains how I did it, but basically I used metel wheels with pickups made by Jay Bee. For the circuit, I used the alternating strobe circuit made by Miniatronics. I am really pleased with how it looks!
You can read about it on my site: http://home.comcast.net/~prrndiv/tricks.html#marker
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Mark
See my homepage at http://home.comcast.net/~prrndiv/
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MarkF
Engineer
USA
9276 Posts |
Posted - 11/19/2010 : 10:31:19 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by jatravia
Very good Mark! Have you had your grand daughter down to try out a throttle yet?
I see what appears to be an unfinished helix in the background of one of those photos. How is that going?
Joe <><
No, she hasn't seen the railroad yet, but don't worry, I have a Thomas the Tank Engine that will be set aside for her eventual appearance! She will be trained on the finer aspects of operations in the years to come.
Now, as for the helix, there appears to have been a work stoppage! We are currently in negotiations with the Union, but management may be forced to bring in 'outside help'. Stayed tuned for updates on this developing story! |
Mark
See my homepage at http://home.comcast.net/~prrndiv/
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bitlerisvj
Crew Chief
USA
930 Posts |
Posted - 11/19/2010 : 10:33:20 AM
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So were these "marker lights" and were they always RED? They look really cool. I am considering something like that on future caboose/cabin/van/waycar/crummy builds.
I will definitely look at your website for technical details.
Regards, Vic Bitleris
quote:
Originally posted by MarkF
quote:
Originally posted by belg
Mark, congrats on getting to this milestone. The crummy with the red marking lights, did it come that way or did you install them? Who makes it if they came with it? Pat
Pat, thanks for noticing that little touch! As George already corrected, us 'Pennsy' guys call them 'cabins'.
As for the working lights, I installed them. The PRR typically had two on the end of a cabin car. Basically, in the 60's, these were battery operated flashers, very similar to the old yellow flashers you might see on the roadway barricades of the time, but these had metals boxes under the light that held the battery. So each of these lights flashed independently.
I have a section on my website that explains how I did it, but basically I used metel wheels with pickups made by Jay Bee. For the circuit, I used the alternating strobe circuit made by Miniatronics. I am really pleased with how it looks!
You can read about it on my site: http://home.comcast.net/~prrndiv/tricks.html#marker
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belg
Fireman
USA
4380 Posts |
Posted - 11/19/2010 : 5:14:11 PM
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Mark, thanks for the link to the how to. Here I thought I was being so smart by calling it a crummy, live and learn. This will be something I'll do soon enough, do you have any idea when these came into common practice? Pat
George, I'm all in for the education!!! Since I only repeat things like a parrot right now and am often wrong. ;-) |
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MarkF
Engineer
USA
9276 Posts |
Posted - 11/19/2010 : 10:11:14 PM
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Vic, I'm not sure what they were officially called, but for lack of a better term, yes they were marker lights. And yes, to the best of my knowledge, they were always red, indicating the rear of the train. Thanks for your comments. Yes, I like they way they look heading down the track! And it's really an easy installation as well. And the added bonus for me is since I have detection, it makes the cabin car detectable!
Pat, I couldn't tell you exactly when the battery operated lights began showing up on the railroad, but my best guess would be in the 40's, if not earlier. Perhaps someone else may be able to give us better information. |
Mark
See my homepage at http://home.comcast.net/~prrndiv/
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dave1905
Crew Chief
USA
927 Posts |
Posted - 11/19/2010 : 11:51:12 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by belg
Mark, thanks for the link to the how to. Here I thought I was being so smart by calling it a crummy, live and learn. This will be something I'll do soon enough, do you have any idea when these came into common practice? Pat
Marker lights have been used since the mid 1800's.
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Modeling the Wilmington & Northern Branch of the Philadelphia & Reading in 1900-1905. Iron men and wooden cars. |
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Vagel Keller
Crew Chief
USA
722 Posts |
Posted - 11/20/2010 : 01:44:59 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by MarkF
Pat, I couldn't tell you exactly when the battery operated lights began showing up on the railroad, but my best guess would be in the 40's, if not earlier. Perhaps someone else may be able to give us better information.
Don't know exactly when the battery flashers started to show up, but I suspect it was later than you surmise, Mark. The PRR's kerosene marker lamps, painted yellow with a single red lens facing rearward, lasted well into the mid-20th Century. As just one example, I was able to find a picture of them on an N5C dated Aug. 20, 1956, on p. 72 of Bill Caloroso's Pennsylvania Railroad's Elmira Branch (Andover, NJ: Andover Junction Publications, 1993). They didn't flash, but they did flicker. |
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Dutchman
Administrator
USA
23234 Posts |
Posted - 11/20/2010 : 08:47:04 AM
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Congratulations, Mark. A milestone worth celebrating, for sure.
BTW, is this some kind of hi-tech wheel cleaning pad?
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Bruce
Modeling the railroads of the Jersey Highlands in HO and the logging railroads of Pennsylvania in HOn3 |
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lv4142003
Engine Wiper
USA
161 Posts |
Posted - 11/20/2010 : 10:16:45 AM
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| Dutchman, that looks like the "Official, authorized EMD bubble wrap" that EMD packed all their GP's in in the early 50's. It was superceded in the late 60's by foam peanuts and later by a large foam rectangle with the shape of the locomotive routed out. Trash day at the roundhouse after delivery of a few of these must have been horrendous. <lv4142003> |
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MarkF
Engineer
USA
9276 Posts |
Posted - 11/20/2010 : 8:37:11 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Vagel Keller
quote:
Originally posted by MarkF
Pat, I couldn't tell you exactly when the battery operated lights began showing up on the railroad, but my best guess would be in the 40's, if not earlier. Perhaps someone else may be able to give us better information.
Don't know exactly when the battery flashers started to show up, but I suspect it was later than you surmise, Mark. The PRR's kerosene marker lamps, painted yellow with a single red lens facing rearward, lasted well into the mid-20th Century. As just one example, I was able to find a picture of them on an N5C dated Aug. 20, 1956, on p. 72 of Bill Caloroso's Pennsylvania Railroad's Elmira Branch (Andover, NJ: Andover Junction Publications, 1993). They didn't flash, but they did flicker.
Thanks Vagel! Yes, it was a best guess for me. I know most of the pictures I see them in are in the 50's and 60's, since that is the era I focus in, so I can only guess as to when they exactly started appearing. |
Mark
See my homepage at http://home.comcast.net/~prrndiv/
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MarkF
Engineer
USA
9276 Posts |
Posted - 11/20/2010 : 8:40:46 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Dutchman
Congratulations, Mark. A milestone worth celebrating, for sure.
BTW, is this some kind of hi-tech wheel cleaning pad?
Actually, Joe isn't far off! It's bubble wrap from the Northern Divisions shops from unpacking some of the engines!
Now that the railroad is well underway, I am slowly unpacking engines and freight cars. It's like Christmas morning all over again! [:-jump2]
Bubble wrap for the engines, and I wrapped the frieght cars in paper towels. You should see the pile of paper towels that's growing from all the freight cars I am unpacking. I won't need to buy another roll of paper towels for a year! [:-boggled] |
Mark
See my homepage at http://home.comcast.net/~prrndiv/
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Edited by - MarkF on 11/20/2010 8:41:49 PM |
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pcmatt
Engine Wiper
USA
181 Posts |
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Topic |
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Construction of the new PRR Northern Division
