Two DD-51s and the diesel steeple cabs in mine service sit in front of the station while a parade of Japanese power passes. Fourteen locomotives.
Well the parade of motive power continues with the boxcabs, with 10 boxcabs of the Turtle Creek Central. Two are Microace and two are Shapeways shells with Bmann 44 ton mechanisms. The rest are Bandai shells with Kato power chassis. Notice the close coupling between pairs done with using Kato couplers. All are operated as pairs and are good for 40 boxcars of the 40 foot length. You get to see a little of the port town of Friday Harbor.
Reminds me of one of the most unusual consists I ever saw. It was late 1980s, and at about 10 PM, a train of about 8 CSX locomotives (no freight cars) came by. I'm guessing there was a big surplus of locomotives in Jacksonville, and CSX needed some of this surplus elsehere in Mobile or New Orleans. Or maybe they were going to another railroad as a lease group. Wished I had a camera to catch that.
The remaining diesels of the fleet. The SW unit parked on the mine spur will either be scrapped or re-motored. The 70 tonners will soon be on the workbench in an attempt to improve their performance or maybe replacement with a Japanese mechanism that tracks better on my tight radius. And most of my caboose fleet. A unplanned uncoupling took place and those cars will also head for the work bench.
And the last of the steam on the Turtle Creek. A 4-4-0, a 2-6-0, and two Shays. Sitting on the siding is a 2-6-4T. Two other Shays are in storage and a MicroAce 0-6-6-0 is under repair. Next up will be the critters. A photo of remaining steam. Two Class A Climax of which one is not running. A Model Power 2-6-0 that decided to quit working and home built 0-6-0T that also is not working. The little green 0-6-0 tank engine that is 50 years old purrs around the layout fine. 100_1795-1 by John Moore posted May 24, 2022 at 5:10 PM
And the start of my critters. These I have bought not built. The Concor Galloping Goose doesn't come close to speed matching these little critters so it is parked during the run bys. This is part one of two videos. The two are TGW 14064 and 14055. For only two axles, both powered, it runs well and can pull a mixed train and the limit is 7-8 cars. No issues with frogs. Both critters are pulling two axle cars, some by Kato and some I have built on Peco underframes. And in part two the Waddling Moose is parked in front of the station. Car parts and passenger car parts plus a trailer car with electrical pick up. Mechanism is a 2 axle Kato mechanism. Headlight works and in the trailer car the tail light works. The rest of the critters all have Kato mechanisms. My favorite fodder for these builds are Overton shorties. Next up on the parade of power is a several part video of passenger equipment.
And the last of the herky jerky videos. I am partially disabled and the jerks are caused by my moving of a chair I am sitting in. The first one features my Kato trams, and my two car sets of self propelled cars. Each colored set is a power car and trailer. A 3 car set of mini RDCs is also here and the last two electrics. And also shown here is my Thomas and my Kato pocket line 0-4-0 And the last of the series. Old time coaches powered by a 2-6-0, and my steam generator/HEP power cars for when a freight engine is in passenger service one made from a tender the other from a caboose. Behind the station is another old timer powered by a 4-4-0, the two blue cars in front are a diner and an open air touring car. The queen of the fleet is drawn by 3 DD 383s with steam generator, and the first car is a HEP power car. The 11 car blue train are all Bandai cars and the two great domes were added using some from domes from Shapeways. The power mechanisms under the Bandai cars in both videos are all Kato.
Most of my locos with the same power source play nice and although of the same Manufacturer Kato, two completely different motors. And as one can see from the videos there are no large locos on my pike. I did re-engineer the 70 tonners to better handle my tight radiuses and it was a simple operation, it just involved widening the frame slots that the truck tabs swivel in. 100_1797-1 by John Moore posted May 25, 2022 at 1:46 PM So the 4 70 tonners are back and part of the fleet again. I also rebuilt a 44 tonner bringing my total of those to 4 once again. There will be no more locomotive purchased unless I happen to run across a set of very small locos for the port.
