It was slow day at work an rather than just stare into space> I staired into space and thought about trains and my layout. Stupid questions first.
First came steam power, than electric followed by diesel. Somewhere in there were steam turbins. I know that modern diesels use the diesel engines to generate electricity which powers motors that drive the wheels. Did anyone use steam to generate electricity to power electric motors to drive the wheels?
1a. Did the early diesels use a transmission and drive train to drive the wheels?
I am no where near a real comuter train and was wondering if they have a dinner car and has anyone besides the railroad ever operated a dinner on a train? Starbucks, Tim Horton?
AggroJones trees are the greates but they just don’t have a Midwest feel. anybody have any information on making decidouis trees? My layout is getting close to needing a lot of them.
You could expand # 2 to a commuter bar car that was before the days of
regional public transit districts.
I think the old CNW operated one on their Northern Division for the well to do bunch,
Highland Park, Lake Forest, Lake Bluff.
The Chicago & Northwestern had tavern cars in the 70’s but they didn’t last long. (I’m not sure why though. Perhaps the cars were too old to be replaced?) Perhaps wife’s didn’t like hubby coming home already half baked before dinner!) ;>
Some early diesels did use geared mechanisms. I don’t think they were too successful, that’s why diesel electric is so popular! :>
Yeah, I remember bar cars. I think they ran them on the Long Island Railroad (New York City commuter line out to the burbs of Long Island.) Trouble is, I was like 10 years old, which puts these things back in the 50’s and 60’s. The long hauls out to the end of the fi***ails (look at a map of Long Island, and you’ll see what I mean) were about an hour and a half to 2 hours, so you had plenty of time to sober up before meeting wifey.
I know little or nothing about steam. I know little or nothing about diesel. I rode Amtark to Chicago a few months ago, and brought my own food because I hear the stuff in the dining car is lousy.
I did my trees using Super tree’s by scenic express. I hoped to capture Michigan in the early fall. (see picture)
Did anyone use steam to generate electricity to power electric motors to drive the wheels?
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Yes the N&W Jawn Henry and C&O engine were a steam turbines. The UP’s were gas turbines and the PRR’s was direct drive.
1a. Did the early diesels use a transmission and drive train to drive the wheels?
There were some (McKean motor cars) and some early homemade versions as well as a few deisel hydraulic imports from Europe, but no major engines produced in the US.
I am no where near a real comuter train and was wondering if they have a dinner car and has anyone besides the railroad ever operated a dinner on a train?
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There have been several cafe lounges or bar cars on commuters (I remember having donuts on the RDG Wall Street RDC diner.
AggroJones trees are the greates but they just don’t have a Midwest feel. anybody have any information on making decidouis trees? My layout is getting close to needing a lot of them.
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For forests get polyfill pillow stuffing. Pull it out into a thin layer or large rough clumps that have been stretched until they are see through. Use spray paint to color them green. Then give them a second coat of green paint and dust with ground foam.
Another way is to wait until fall and gather dried goldenrod plants, tim to look like trees. Spray with green paint, then dust with ground foam.
Budd RDC’s have transmissions and drive shafts along with a differential,but the system isn’t really strong enough to power anything but the RDC itself,which is why you rarely see (or saw) a trailer car with one. They were usually MU’d together.Steam turbines are great for ships or stationary plants but one in a locomotive with varying speed and horsepower requirements just didn’t work.Shame,too,cuz they were mighty impressive machines.
The polyfill is something I had’t thought of. I will add the goldenrod to the short list of plants I am going to try for trees. So far thinking of Dill, butterfly bush, grape stems, and thistle to model Eastern Juniper.
Yes, a steam turbine is essentiallly a steam electric locomotive, more specifically a STEL (Steam-Turbine-Electric-Locomotive). General Electric put this into development in 1938 with the Steamotive, UP numbers 1 and 2. The steam spun the turbine, which after being reduced, spun a generator, which powered the axle motors. This was then applied again by Baldwin for the C & O with the M1, #500-502 (1946-47), and later by Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton for the NW with the Jawn Henry (1954), as said earlier by dehusman.
And 1a…
Some diesels did, Krauss-Maffai built the ML-4000 for Southern Pacific and the Rio Grande, which was a diesel hydraulic locomotive. ALCo also attempted this with a member of the Century class, but it proved to be unsuccessful.
I’ve been using that poly foam method for my back ground trees.I just cut some dead branches off trees to use for the trunks. (no painting required) I just dull coat them with some Krylon satin spray to seal them. They look great! You can make a few hundred trees for about $20.
I know the C&NW taverns were owned by the railroad. I think they only ran from 1974-1976. My dad rode the train everyday for work. He said he would have loved to have a drink in one of those cars but the smoke was so thick that it made the drink more work than he wanted. (They still allowed smoking in certain cars back then.) I went in one once, once. Same thing happened to me, got met with a wall of smoke and a nasty conductor telling me to get the heck out of there! I was still underage back then. Perhaps liability issues killed this service too? That’s about the time people really started getting sue happy in this country.
When the Chgo Rock Island & Pacific RR was reducing service out of Chgo’s LaSalle St. Station(70’s)
the ex- dining crew operated a dining car resturant on track one, called “TRACK ONE”.
I believe that using an RDC to pull a trailer would violate Budd’s warranty. I seem to remember that the CNJ was warned of such by Budd when CNJ used RDC’s to pull trailers.
bukwrm,
Judging by the number of replies to your post and the amount of information posted in response, it appears that your questions weren’t stupid after all! Keep asking away - it seems that no matter how “stupid” a question might appear, I always seem to learn something from the responses.
The TRE has the McDonalds across the street at South Irving Station:) That’s about it. Our small commuter train usually has 3 or 4 bilevel cars or a couple of RDC’s. Still the best way between Dallas and Ft. Worth. I’ve only rode Amtrak long distances trains and the food has been great. Even the Heartland flyer had a good snack bar last time I rode it.
believe it or not electric predates diesels. Interurbans were prolific around 1900, New Haven, Virginian and Norfolk and Western all had electrified lines in the 20’s. The epitome of a long line of PRR electrics the GG1 dates back to the 1930’s long before diesels.
