OK, I am sorry I havent been keeping up with all the good efforts you folks have been up to around here lately, I have looked when I can, your all doing some great work!
The QA&P picked up the lease on EMDX 5, a GP60 demonstrator. The GP60 series were very good locomotives a few RR's just ran the wheels of these things 500 mile days were not uncommon, and these units did it for months at a time without a single failure. I had 4 of them on a unit auto rack train some 60+ cars and boy did we zip home that night. Just the thing these locomotives were made for. A few of the images on the web showed the brake cylinders all had been changed on this unit, so I paints them in primer, per the images. There were 3 of these particular demonstrators, with the early 60 series dynamic brake blisters and those angle nose and cabs (all were 3D printed and designs of Ryan Harris). Hardest part was getting the glued on Dyn/Cab/Nose off the P2K shell. I added a few details like air dryers/ filters, some piping and fuel tank details. The beacon/ air conditioner and horn were added as well as what I think was EMD's design of a antenna atop the cab on the engineers side. These Demo units had like 4 different types of fuel fillers. I tried to match the paint as best I could, got close enough and the weathering took care of the rest. I tried to keep the weathering down a bit as EMD tended to keep these things looking fairly good. I didnt want it looking like it was headed to scrap LOL.
Anyway a few pics of it here on the ready tracks with a couple "Q" mates waiting on a TOFC shooter, headed to El Paso.
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Thanks for stopping by.
I love the cabooses. Sanding tower near where the caboose's are parked?While there are more prototypicaly correct SL-SF cabooses coming into service on my outfit. This seems to bump the others into scrap, sale or re stenciling to the QA&P.
These cabooses both have the red running lights on either end, adjusted by pushing the "bleed rod" from one side to the other.
This is the Atlas SL-SF wide vision version, turned into a QA&P thru "pool" service caboose. I made the decals, and it rides on those GSC "swing hanger" caboose trucks, known as some of the best riding caboose trucks ever made, although friction bearing, they are high speed trucks.
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Also there is a highly modified Athearn WV caboose, also ex SL-SF re-stenciled into the QA&P, Transcontintal cut-off lettering.
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I worked as a hostler a few years and our brake tests were never that thorough. The pipe fitter would check the sand after leaving the sand towers but that was it. They never checked the sand again, but I can't remember RS3's, E8's or FL9's disturbing sand on an emergency brake application. That must be something that later models had.Thanks guys for the comments.
George these are ready tracks for power. When doing consist air tests you have to see that the sanders work when applied and in emergency. Over time a lot of sand accumulates. When I worked in Alliance NE those ready tracks were like walking on a beach.
I dont even want to think some of the stuff that happened while we were on break.We once went for coffee and left the sander button up somehow.
When we got back yup it was just like a Beach as you said Tom!