Well, I went out and did it–my LHS in Roseville just happened to get in a brand, spanking new PSC brass model of a Rio Grande F-81 2-10-2. Saw it in the case last week and after reviving myself and cleaning up the drool, I decided to go for broke and spend the money for it. Always wanted an F-81 for my Yuba Sub, even kit-bashed an old PFM Santa Fe junker to ‘sort-of’ resemble one. Now here was the Authentic Article. But how to pay for it? (I’m not telling how much it cost, I don’t want to duck any flamers who think I lost my mind).
Lo and Behold, here comes my Federal Income Tax Refund. I phoned the store yesterday, it was still there, I was there a half-hour later, and a half-hour later after that, it was trundling over my Yuba River Sub, looking as if it owned the place.
Runs like a Swiss Watch, has head, marker and cab lights, pulls like a mule, will crawl at 2 scale miles and hour–it’s just WONDERMOUS!!
Here’s some shots of it.
Full shot on Dark Canyon bridge
Comin’ at ya at about 10 MPH.
Catch that cute little ‘shorty’ Vanderbilt tender–This is the way they arrived from ALCO in 1917, most acquired used N&W tenders during WWII–#1408 kept her original.
An income tax refund is the pay-back of an interest free loan you made to the govt that you couldn’t access until you filled out a pack of diabolically complicated paperwork.
No, no sound–that’s about the ONLY thing it doesn’t have. I don’t know if it’s DCC ready–haven’t looked inside, but since I’m strictly DC, it’s okay by me. But I do have the under-table Soundtraxx “Heartland Steam” that I can flip on for my non-sound locos.
Okay, it cost me $1399. I’ve NEVER paid that much for a brass loco before–usually get them on consignment or swap meet sales. Requires a 30" minimum radius (my minimum is 34"), and it HAS discovered one little joint in my tracks that is going to force me to do a little re-laying (but after looking at the joint, I’m surprised that my other locos don’t have a problem. One of the fun things about an uninsulated garage railroad), but it’s nothing really serious. I’m going to use it on drag freights and coal trains just like the Rio Grande did over Soldier Summit.
I LIIIIIIIIKE it!
Tom[:p]
Believe me, guys–been there and done that. I wouldn’t have gone so beserk if my family weren’t grown and out of the house and I wasn’t kind of semi-retired. Actually, the refund was supposed to send me to Colorado this summer to ride the Durango and Silverton, but–oh, well–LOL!
Tom [:D]
That is outstanding! Unfortunately no refund for me this year AND I doubt if the chief financial officer would allow me to spend all of one on a new locomotive anyway!
At least yours is more useful than mine. I bought something shiny, glittery and very expensive with mine. All I get out of it is now is to call my girlfriend a funny french word, and plan a super expensive party for a bunch of people I hardly know. Seems like a fair trade right? At least I got the new “VP of Motive Power” was cool enough to procure some SD35s for the road
This piece will sure keep you grinning for some time to come. Best part is it kept it’s vandy for you to run it prototypically to the end.
Great choice. Keep grinning…
Bob K.
