So one of the features I miss from the older MRR mags is the Aint Prototypical articles. Some may remember them but for those that don’t: basically it was a monthly column that showed things that modelers get picked on for, and that make most folks say “The fullsize guys never did that.” Things like turnouts on bridges, switching puzzles and such.
Well here’s one for those of you using track cleaning cars. Issue 89 of The Railroad Press on page 63 has what looks like a 1:1 scale Aztec track cleaning car, the one with the big roller.
So grab a copy and run your track cleaner during the next operating session…
Yes, I remember those articles, and found them pretty entertaining. My personal experience occurred years ago while driving down Shepard (north Houston) and saw a number of flatbed trucks, in a fenced in lot, with prebuilt track sections stacked on each. It looked like Lionel “super O” track of my youth, and made me laugh.
I later found out that they were there for emergency repairs or runarounds in case of flooding. Not sure if that’s true, but it makes sense.
Yep, many railroads stock “sectional track” used mainly for quick construction of shoofly’s to get around track that has been damaged by derailment or such. I believe they actually call it “panel track” and used to be carried on flatcars as part of wreck trains. IIRC TRP has a picture of that in this issue too.
I have actually watched the “Weary Erie” using sectional track, delivered on flat cars, to quickly repair several hundred yards of track torn up by a derailment.
Panel track is exactly what it’s called. I’ve seen carloads of it coming through Leesville many times. It was also used to extend the length of the sidings in Leesville as it could be quickly put in place and welded together.
I don’t think the column was monthly. It seemed more like something that was put in when they had space and material. I remember one issue had at least three pictures scattered throughout the magazine.
I also remember “It Ain’t Prototype” elicited an angry response from a (then) well-known model railroader (whose name I now forget) who included it in a laundry list of grievances explaining why he wasn’t renewing his subscription.
While he was still at RMC, Tony Koester had an editorial illustrated with similar photos, in which he counseled modelers to avoid modeling too many of railroading’s oddities.
I have a lot of MRR mags from back ten…my favorite was the one that showed multi-coloured hatches on top of covered hoppers…and different ended boxcars…
Just a few things that agitate the, “That Ain’t Prototypical!” reflex of visiting nitpickers:
Six wheel pedestal tenders (look, Ma, no trucks) - JNR C50 and C56 class 2-6-0s.
Three trucks under solid-frame lcomotives (the center truck moves laterally) - JNR DD51 diesel-hydraulics, EF60 and EF65 class 1500VDC catenary motors.
Three trucks under a two-carbody articulated hopper - I thought this was my idea, but one of the Canadian 1:1 scale operators actually beat me to it.
Seven men crewing a skinny-gauge (narrower than narrow) teakettle tank loco. Two of them stand on the pilot beam and sprinkle sand on the rails - Darjeeling-Himalayan Railway.
A real helix! - Ali-shan Forestry Railway, Taiwan.
An inside-the-mountain train elevator (built by Otis) - Kurobe Gorge Railway, Japan.
A 1:1 scale 30 inch (actually 762mm) gauge 5 ton 4-wheel diesel-mechanical `critter’ stuffed like a college prank phone booth - Kiso Forest Railway, September, 1964.
Pick your prototype with care and confound the mundanes!
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - with, eventually, all but one of the above)
I hate to quote myself but anyways…the photo of the multi-coloured textured hatches were on at least 10 hoppers at the time…and the different ended boxcars? A string of them…8 in a row
I thought Bo-Bo-Bo (and maybe Co-Co-Co, not sure of that) wheel arrangements were very common in Japan, if not the default arranagment. Are these models confusing people not familiar w/ Japanese prototypes, or are they different from other Japanese locomotives?
Isn’t that the very essence of articulartion - shared trucks in the middle? It’s certainly the norm in intermodal, and certain passenger rolling stock over the decades. I wouldn’t consider 2 hoppers (such as ore jennies) coupled semi-permanently with a draw-bar, articulated by any means.
When I was a wheel shop forman a flat with four panel tracks was spotted in my wheel car area. Being I was waiting for some power axle cars to be spotted in this area, , I asked the track forman if he could spot them elsewhere, he wanted to get rid of them as he needed his flat for another job, . cost me a cup of coffee for the panels that were added added to the rebuilt power axle storage tracks.
My Supervisor notice this as they setting them in place with the hook, and asked me who authorized the addition to my storage yard, I told him it was one of those need to know projects, and no one seems to know, he just chuckled and walked off.
Another thing that looks a bit weird, is a modified frt car truck under a locomotive so that it can be moved to other areas of a back shop, for frame straighting, modifications, sand blasting and painting. Take care…John
Both the laterally-moving center trucks and the 6-wheel tenders are normal to those familiar with Japanese practice, but sideways to American sensibilities.
The Bo-Bo-Bo arrangement for EF cat motors started in the 1950s - before that, the preferred design was x-Co+Co-x, but the frames were built up and needed a lot of maintenance. There were Co-Co motors, but never any Co-Co-Co motors. Also present in the prototype, but not among my models, is a Bo-1-Bo motor (yup, a single center axle!)
The DD51 class was odd because the center truck was unpowered. Each end was a separate diesel-hydraulic plant, linked only by the throttle connections.
My articulated hoppers are exactly that - articulated. Most have a Buckeye truck amidships. I have sketched a couple of vari
