Modern-day New York Central hauls the Tropicana Juice Train

[mtrpls]

Since my friend Eric (Zephyr) posted pictures of his SPSF OMAX train, thought I would post pictures of the Tropicana juice train hauled by my modern-day New York Central. The train is 70 cars long now, and after I add my current construction projects, will be over 100 cars. I have been working on this train for 2 years now.

Anyone have any vodka?

NYCS SD70MAC #757, followed by two sisters and a Susquehanna B40-8, pull 70 cars of juice...

http://denverskyscrapers.com/nonweb/Tropicanamodels/images/IMG_4693.jpg

http://denverskyscrapers.com/nonweb/Tropicanamodels/images/IMG_4699.jpg

http://denverskyscrapers.com/nonweb/Tropicanamodels/images/IMG_4700.jpg

http://denverskyscrapers.com/nonweb/Tropicanamodels/images/IMG_4702.jpg

http://denverskyscrapers.com/nonweb/Tropicanamodels/images/IMG_4720.jpg

http://denverskyscrapers.com/nonweb/Tropicanamodels/images/IMG_4726.jpg

http://denverskyscrapers.com/nonweb/Tropicanamodels/images/IMG_4731.jpg

http://denverskyscrapers.com/nonweb/Tropicanamodels/images/IMG_4735.jpg

http://denverskyscrapers.com/nonweb/Tropicanamodels/images/IMG_4737.jpg

http://denverskyscrapers.com/nonweb/Tropicanamodels/images/IMG_4705.jpg

http://denverskyscrapers.com/nonweb/Tropicanamodels/images/IMG_4687.jpg

http://denverskyscrapers.com/nonweb/Tropicanamodels/images/IMG_4676.jpg

http://denverskyscrapers.com/nonweb/Tropicanamodels/images/IMG_3102.jpg

http://denverskyscrapers.com/nonweb/Tropicanamodels/images/IMG_3088.jpg


The train crossing over itself, Tehachapi style...

http://denverskyscrapers.com/nonweb/Tropicanamodels/images/IMG_3092.jpg

http://denverskyscrapers.com/nonweb/Tropicanamodels/pages/IMG_3093.htm

http://denverskyscrapers.com/nonweb/Tropicanamodels/images/IMG_3097.jpg

http://denverskyscrapers.com/nonweb/Tropicanamodels/images/IMG_3071.jpg

http://denverskyscrapers.com/nonweb/Tropicanamodels/images/IMG_3081.jpg

http://denverskyscrapers.com/nonweb/Tropicanamodels/images/IMG_3083.jpg

http://denverskyscrapers.com/nonweb/Tropicanamodels/images/IMG_3060.jpg

http://denverskyscrapers.com/nonweb/Tropicanamodels/images/IMG_3067.jpg

http://denverskyscrapers.com/nonweb/Tropicanamodels/images/IMG_3041.jpg

http://denverskyscrapers.com/nonweb/Tropicanamodels/images/IMG_3028.jpg

http://denverskyscrapers.com/nonweb/Tropicanamodels/images/IMG_3038.jpg

http://denverskyscrapers.com/nonweb/Tropicanamodels/images/IMG_3012.jpg

http://denverskyscrapers.com/nonweb/Tropicanamodels/images/IMG_3021.jpg

http://denverskyscrapers.com/nonweb/Tropicanamodels/images/IMG_2996.jpg

http://denverskyscrapers.com/nonweb/Tropicanamodels/images/IMG_2935.jpg

http://denverskyscrapers.com/nonweb/Tropicanamodels/images/IMG_2914.jpg


Another look at the front end power:

http://denverskyscrapers.com/nonweb/Tropicanamodels/images/IMG_4724.jpg

http://denverskyscrapers.com/nonweb/Tropicanamodels/images/IMG_4723.jpg

[emt49]

wow :D thats nice

[CSX_road_slug]

**AWESOME!**

What club layout is it running on?

[mtrpls]

Sunrise club in Aurora, CO (suburb of Denver)

[Zephyr]

Nice work, Matt! You take very good photos! ;) And thanks for letting me go past the "members only" points! Looking forward to your current construction projects.

[Zephyr]

Nice work, Matt! You take very good photos! ;) And thanks for letting me go past the "members only" points! Looking forward to your current construction projects.

[rhoward]

Wow! Nice layout. Oh to have a mainline that long.......... I have always liked the NYC colors and it is great to see it still around (if only in museums and clubs and of course those like yourself that model it!)

[Steve B]

Fantastic stuff, that is awsome

[mtrpls]

One important feature of the cars that isn't discernable from the pictures is the varied weathering on each car. While all cars were weathered with black pastel, some cars sport one coat of white (to fade) followed by black, and other cars boast two coats of white (to super-fade) followed by black.

Makes for a very interesting variety when they are all coupled together.

[JAILBREAKER74]

frickin fantastic!

[NWR #200]

Scary thing is, that nearly a prototypical length train :)

[Smoke]

Sunrise club in Aurora, CO (suburb of Denver)

Do they have a website?

[Zephyr]

Nope - the guy who is supposedly in charge of the website I don't think he has actually met a computer before.

[4Starcstms]

Dude that gives me goose pimples looking at those pictures! Thanks for sharing the pictures. Great photography skillz

[walter galuska]

Just saw your photos of your juice train. "FANTASTIC" is the only way to discribe it. I'm putting together a Tropicana facility on my HO layout. It will be considered a "sub-facility". This will be one of my major industries on my layout. I figure it will be roughly 1' x 26'. Right now I have 7 white reefers and 25 orange reefers with 4 more to be decaled.
My overall layout size is 24x42 with a 2nd level around the outside wall.

Walt

[MilesWestern]

Most excelllent train I've seen in awhile! :) I'm glad you went through all that work to create a top-notch train! I do think that you should throw in a SAL "Citrus" SD70M in there somewhere! ;)

[mikeknuckey]

Awesome... How much time did get you (or your group) to weatherer all this convoy???


And thanks for sharing

[mtrpls]

The cars were all Eel River Models kits, the ones that came as flat kits that required the assembly of the sides, ends, floor and roof into an enclosed model. All 60 cars were constructed with weights from Adair Shops, and they are particularly heavy as a result. I built the train assembly-line style, which took a little over 2 years to build. This included building the cars, adding the weights, changing the roadnumber of each car so it was unique, adding underbody details such as refrigeration and mechanical devices, adding metal stirrup steps, metal wheels, and weathering.

In addition to these 60 cars, I have an additional 30 Tropicana cars from various manufacturers.

Thanks for the compliments. I posted this topic a while ago, I'm surprised to see it still going strong!

[NYSW F45]

Im impressed with the locomotives. I had an idea in my head to do NYC SD70Mac's. Did you paint yours or custom order them?

[Maxitrains]

I think that makes you the director and owner of Tropicana, with that long line of box cars :), very nice job and nice layout.

Good job

[jbaakko]

You know, Tropicana is selling those boxcars now.

[mtrpls]

Yeah, I know about them being sold. Tropicana is now using newer, smooth-side mechanical refrigerator cars, custom-built by Millenium Railcar in Kansas. They are white and feature the newer Tropicana logo. However, if you look closely, you will still see some of the old orange cars mixed into the trains.

Since the newer car was custom-designed for Tropicana according to their specifications, it is very highly unlikely that a model manufacturer will come out with an HO scale version. (only a few hundred prototype cars exist, and only for one roadname) I, however, am already in the process of kitbashing these cars and casting a resin mold, so I may make an entire train! I will still keep the older cars in my collection, of course.

[JeffShultz]

I had no idea that there was that much effort put into building that train. That's very impressive.

[dougcnup]

Awesome looking train and engines. Questions about your engines, when you painted them, Did you seat the paint with a clearcoat?

Thanks