Time for me to show off!


DakotaLove39

Always Improvising
Find my YouTube channel here!: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwllFEdg1-mZlU5YgLpsSyg

Wow, It's been 10 years since I started my account on this message board, and I've come quite a long way. I'm now on my third HO-scale phase and it seems to be sticking hard. My collection has grown to something like 14 locomotives, and to think when I joined here I had just gotten my first 'nice' model, a P2K GP38-2 (now awaiting rebuilding due to zinc pest in the frame!)

Still no home layout yet, and that probably won't change for a while, but to get over it I've joined a nearby club; the Hennepin Overland Railway Historical Society, which operates a truly spectacular and large layout that is open to the public for viewing on weekends.

Somewhere around 2010 I learned about Milwaukee Road S3 4-8-4 #261, which is actually pretty sad since she 'lives' basically in my backyard. 261 almost instantly became my favorite preserved steam loco, and I had to have a model of her. She is the undisputed queen of my collection thus far, and her rake of Walthers Hiawatha cars is just icing on the cake. This is the Broadway Limited offering, and I am pretty happy with it although the sound is a little "meh" in my opinion.

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Yes, the grabs need to be installed, and this Skytop Obs needs its mars lamp (and the Cedar Rapids name). I have EIGHT of these things out of nothing but luck!

I also just got ahold of these two Walthers Proto 2000 E7's. This was a lucky deal on eBay and I basically got two for the price of one. #18A seems to have some frame issues, though. I still havent decided what to do with it. Pilots were included, of course, I just had them out for a test run and didn't want to bother with installing those yet. The obvious benefit here is that my Hiawatha fleet can now pose as a Twin Cities Hiawatha train instead of just being an excursion fleet.
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I've also got myself a UP 1943. Could not resist due to my interest in military stuff. Plain DCC, no sound. Also have the gorgeous UP 1989 just because I love the paintjob.
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And along the same lines as #1943 I came across this boxcar on eBay and just had to have it. There seems to have been a set of these, but I was only able to find one other.
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And to pair up with 1943 and 1989 I have this Walthers Mainline ES44AH, which I got for a steal of a price at a train show in Eau Claire. $95 with Econami sound! All the grates are begging for weathering, I'm just waiting for a good day to get the Dullcote out.
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I landed this BNSF Pumpkin for a pretty good price also. Older Athearn Genesis with basic DCC. Photo from its test-run the night of acquiring. Snowplow snapped off somewhere and has since been fixed.
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And then to go with my desire for Minnesota stuff, I put together a Northstar commuter train. I realize that Athearn was lazy and just painted up an F59PHI (Northstar uses MP36PH-3C's) But for its price I will not complain, and it looks pretty sharp anyway. This one came with Tsunami 2 Sound. The Bombardier cars can be finicky sometimes but since I always run pull mode they don't fight very often, and they look great at speed.
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And of course I cannot forget my only working road-switcher at the moment, my ATSF GP60M. This thing acts kind of weird but after a brief warm-up, he settles into work. I believe a motor upgrade is in order for it, as well as detailing, ditch lights and some BNSF decals.
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I have also since acquired a slew of new and used freight cars, among them are three ScaleTrains Operator Trinity tank cars in black & white scheme. I should have bought more. I got a couple of ScaleTrains Operator Gunderson hoppers (KCS 'Belle' cannot be ignored!) and a mix of others. Too much for me to remember at the moment!
 
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Also on the stove is a rather ambitious model-bashing job, using this Bachmann Consolidation and this P2K Heritage 0-8-0 to make my own model of Duluth & Northeastern #28. Right now the 0-8-0 suffers from cracked drive gears. I have been so busy trying to get ready to operate on my club layout that I haven't had much time to get back to it, but I am collecting cars for it to haul.

It won't be exact, but it will be hecking close.

Here is hoping that my next "Showin Off" shots are from the Hennepin Overland layout. Sunday is my first operating day starting out on the branch line and my little GP60M will be a busy guy. I may also have a Blue Box DCC converted SD9, if I can get the work done in time. Incidentally it's the same SD9 I bought from a member here!
 

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Good to see your equipment roster growing, a word of warning though about carpet fibers getting up into the mechanisms.
"Also on the stove is a rather ambitious model-bashing job" You'll have to tell us about this hitherto, unknown method :eek:
 
Good to see your equipment roster growing, a word of warning though about carpet fibers getting up into the mechanisms.
I don't run my trains much on the floor, only once in a great while, and I am very diligent about cleaning them (especially the queen!).
You'll have to tell us about this hitherto, unknown method
Well it involves a lot of shaving plastic, fitting, gluing, cursing and finally painting. ;)
 
I realize that Athearn was lazy and just painted up an F59PHI (Northstar uses MP36PH-3C's) But for its price I will not complain, and it looks pretty sharp anyway.
i find it really strange that to this day there is no MP36 offered by any manufacturer. i remember hearing abot true line trains few years back but it seems it went nowhere.
 
i find it really strange that to this day there is no MP36 offered by any manufacturer. i remember hearing abot true line trains few years back but it seems it went nowhere.
They were produced, but they were expensive at the time and are even more expensive now. I lucked out on my F59PHI, DCC and Sound installed for $150 on eBay.


AND a good "showing off" if I may say so!
Anxious to see more - hopefully not 10 years again - I might not make it! :p
I mostly frequent a group on Facebook for all of my scale model talk (the largest HO scale group on Facebook), but sometimes help there can be very minimal so I had to return here just in case.

With my new club membership rolling I'm sure I'll be back here frequently to post photos from the layout.
 
With some encouragement from my cousin who models Wisconsin Central, I've decided that I won't be buying modern locomotives or equipment in the future (excluding special things like the UP Heritage locos or UP 1943). I'm sticking with 1970's Milwaukee Road from here on.

My first loco purchase with that in mind is this guy, Baldwin AS616 #567. This is a Bowser Executive model (honestly my first ever Bowser) and I'm pretty happy with it. I'm disappointed that only four axles actually grab power, though, but that can be changed.

These diesels may have been built in the early 50's, but according to what I have read the MILW kept theirs until at least 1973.
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With some encouragement from my cousin who models Wisconsin Central, I've decided that I won't be buying modern locomotives or equipment in the future (excluding special things like the UP Heritage locos or UP 1943). I'm sticking with 1970's Milwaukee Road from here on.

My first loco purchase with that in mind is this guy, Baldwin AS616 #567. This is a Bowser Executive model (honestly my first ever Bowser) and I'm pretty happy with it. I'm disappointed that only four axles actually grab power, though, but that can be changed.

These diesels may have been built in the early 50's, but according to what I have read the MILW kept theirs until at least 1973.

I've got this model, and I've not had any problems with power pickup. It's sound equipped too, so I'd know right away if there were any issues!
 
I've gotten a few more second-hand freight cars. I'm waiting on an Athearn 85' Flat (with two 40' Northern Pacific trailers) to show up and I have a UP Tri-Level autorack in the middle of construction. On top of that I've gotten another GP60M to run with my first and I have a new used MILW GP30 to run tandem with my SD40-2. I also got my E7's whipped into shape and today I had to throw out all of my Hiawatha cars behind the E's to see their fullest potential.

My Hiawatha train is still pretty short. I have seven of the Walthers cars, one Fox Valley coach and a single Athearn Blue Box RPO. I need to get a few more, ideally some of the signature cars such as a Tap Lounge or Diner. Definitely need two more 52-seat coaches.

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Going to do any GP60Ms in MILW? Like the lineup photo above, and the scenery looks good too.
I'm very wishy-washy with the idea of fantasy engines. I have a few in mind that I would really like but mostly I'm trying to keep my MILW power prototypical for the 1970's.

That said I really wish I could land a pair of the Intermountain fantasy GEVO's in Hiawatha paint.
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