Calling UP fans and gurus…
I haven’t been able to track down what UP used for road switchers (past and present) and I was wondering if they used the Alco RS series? [:)]
Kozzie
Yep - RS-1’s and RS-3’s, plus the Bamberger Railroad stuff they assumed in Idaho.
Thnaks Mudchicken. [;)] [:D]
I recently attended our annual miniature train show here in Brisbane, and I had picked up those Rivarossi 60 ft coaches in UP livery.
Apparently they were used for the shorter services…and was wondering if an RS-3 in front of those would have been prototypical for UP…??
(On a previous thread, a few of the Forum Folk mentioned that the RS series did pull a few freight cars with passenger cars behind - Thankfully there aren’t too many foaming rivet counters around to bail me up heh heh)
What do you reckon? [;)]
Dave
(Kozzie)
Dave,
There’s a photo of an early Alco road switcher in UP colours in Louis Marre’s “The First Fifty Years” and “The Second Diesel Spotters Guide”. I can’t remember which type it was, but it may have been an RSD-4. In fact the two books have nearly identical photos of different locomotives. One has a taller stack than the other.
Peter
Thanks Peter [;)]
You know how I have this Queensland thing about liking mixed trains…so…heh heh…
Those photos you mention of UP switchers…does it show any cars behind or just light engine?
Dave
(Kozzie)
Do it, Kozzie. You know you’re going to, anyway![:-,]
Hey drephpe [:D] I’ve already done it! [:D][:D]
I was running the four Rivarossi 60 foot UP coaches behind a couple of boxcars and a UP Consolidation at our annual miniature train exhibition last weekend, and the crowd really liked it! [:)][:)]
Didn’t get any snarls from the rivet counters - but I would have just ignored them anyway heh heh.
Dave
See. I told you so. Next time hang one or two of them cabeese in there and tell the rivet counters they’re dome cars specially built for mixed train service. A real crowd pleaser. Domeliner City of Portacan.[bow][bow][bow]
drephpe [:0] I have a confession to make…[:0][:0]
I couldn’t see any RS-3s in UP livery at the trader’s stands at the show to pull the 60 foot UP coaches. I only had one in Seaboard Coast LIne livery and one in Cotton Belt livery. hmmmm…they looked good…what the heck…ran 'em anyway. [:0]…crowd loved it…and no rivet counters in sight [:D] hee hee
Dave
so it was a TRULY mixed train (hee hee)
Aaaahhhhh! [^] A kindred spirit! [:p] [^] Long live Cabeese! [:-,][(-D][(-D][swg]
hey drephpe - any chance you cloud drop down under to me your email add? Mine is on my profile if you want to drop a line…
Dave
In the western US, mixed trains on branchlines was horribly common, well into the 1960’s…Whatever was second rate, lighter power on the mainlines would find itself in pairs out on the branchlines…and then there was Rock Island commuter service around Chicago where they had a “Noah’s Ark” motive power theory and if it ran - you used it until it failed…
Ahhh! Now that’s the sort fo stuff I like to read! [:D]
Thanks mudchicken [;)] Can I quote you about mixed trains on branchlines ? Good stuff! [;)]
I’ve another model rail show to attend with the club exhibition layout in six weeks - much smaller than last weekend, (we got about 12,000 people through in 3 days) but still great fun - and I sure will be running mixed trains! heh heh![:D] Look out rivet counters! [:0]
Dave [:)]
Dave,
The UP locomotives pictured as described above were actually RSC-2 units, with A1A trucks, specially designed for branchline service. These were numbered 1191 to 1190, later 1281 to 1290. There were also five RS-2s, 1291 to 1295. The pictures were in locomotive terminals, but there can be no doubt that the RSC-2s were branch line locomotives.
I don’t have much UP-specific data, but two books I’d recommend about Santa Fe branch lines are “Coach Cabbage and Caboose” and “Doodlebugs”, both by John McCall. I’ve been collecting railcars, branchline locomotives and combines to match those in the books. All Santa Fe, and where possible, the locomotives in black and silver from the 1940s and 1950s.
Peter
Peter,thatks for the info. [:)] Sounds like the old Santa Fe is your area of interest? [;)]
Are your railcar and loco models in HO?
Dave
Yes,
All the US models are HO (Except for a Lionel NYC Hudson and Scale PRR Turbine in O gauge!)
Peter
Peter
I realise this is sliding off topic but…
Do you have layouts for the HO or O?
Dave
The quick answer is not for O, that’s too hard. For HO, it is still “not yet”, I’m not yet that organised. The books and magazines and photographs occupy too many of the possible locations - or something like that.
I am too busy writing articles and so on. Besides, somone might ask how many model locomotives I own, and I’d have to count them!
Peter
Dave
I forgot to add, at lunch, after photographing X52 and X51, I checked out Fisher’s stock of RS-2s, and they didn’t have any in UP colours.
Peter