VO Series

Discussion in 'Baldwin Locomotive Works' started by paul, Sep 2, 2001.

  1. paul

    paul Guest

    Baldwin VO-1000 SLSF 204 switch engine pulls a string of cars.

    Photograph was taken somewhere in Kansas. Slide is dated June 1967.

    Moderator Notes: The photograph is of a Frisco transfer heading north out of Frisco's 19th Street Yard at Kansas City, MO.
     

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  2. paul

    paul Guest

    Baldwin VO-1000 SLSF 214 switch engine in Mandarin orange and white paint.

    Photo probably taken somewhere in Kansas?

    Slide is dated April 1971.
     

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  3. paul

    paul Guest

    Baldwin VO-1000 switch engine stands by itself. I cannot read the number.

    Note the Union Pacific Geep on the adjacent track. Photograph was probably taken somewhere in Kansas. The slide is not dated.

    Moderator Notes: The photograph was taken at the north end of Rosedale Yard, Kansas City, KS. The UP engine is a transfer from Armourdale Yard.

    Note from klrwhizkid: Chuck Hitchcock, famed model railroader spent a lot of time in his youth in Rosedale.

    Train crews brought their motive power over from the engine facilities and a caboose from 19th Street Yard to Rosedale Yard.

    He states that the Frisco kept a VO at the north end of Rosedale yard to place cabooses on outbound south trains.

    The motive power proceeded to the south end of the yard, backed onto the train and readied for departure.
     

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  4. patrick

    patrick Guest

    Baldwin VO-660 SLSF 600.

    One of 2 660 horsepower units. Number SLSF 600. Blue and white scheme with letters and road number in red Frisco.

    File photograph from the Western Historical Manuscript Collection.
     

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  5. chris

    chris Guest

    VO-1000 SLSF 204.

    June 30, 1944, Lindenwood Yard, St. Louis.

    Published in the Frisco Museum's All Aboard magazine. Posted with permission.

    VO-1000 SLSF 223

    Circa 1960 at West Springfield Diesel Shop.

    Published in the Frisco Museum's All Aboard magazine. Posted with permission.
     

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  6. chris

    chris Guest

    Some paint scheme data on the VO-1000s from a Frisco Museum All Aboard article.

    The original VO-1000 scheme is dark "Zephyr" blue with white-gray stripe; "FRISCO LINES" is in all-caps lettering is red. The engine number is also in red.

    Repaints began around 1947 according to Arthur Johnson photographs. The repaints show the same roman-style lettering, but in black and yellow. Paints were Black Duco #254-2234 and Target Yellow Duco #249-3404. Steps, grab irons and railings were in black. Diagonal stripes were 6" wide and spaced 6" apart. "FRISCO LINES" lettering and number were 12" high.

    A 6/7/1948 Arthur Johnson photograph shows SLSF 206 in same black and yellow with Roman lettering as noted above, but with "FRISCO" lettering only, and with steps, grabs and railings now in yellow. I find the change in handrail paint interesting. I believe Joe Pennington has advised that caboose handrails began to be painted in yellow as well around this same time.

    Circa 1960 scheme, see photograph of SLSF 223,was changed to block-style lettering. Diagonal side stripes are now 12" apart, with front corner stripes reduced to three down from the top, and front railing panel with only 2 stripes.
     
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  7. douglas

    douglas Guest

    Baldwin VO-1000m SLSF 201 and SLSF 203

    Two of the reengined VO-1000ms working Kansas Avenue Yard in Springfield, MO.

    Photograph by a friend of Glenn Young's at one of the model convention tours years ago.
     

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  8. Karl

    Karl 2008 Engineer of the Year Frisco.org Supporter

    Baldwin VO-1000 SLSF 204

    Usually 2 of the re-engined Baldwins handled coal trains to Springfield's James River Power Plant. For some unknown reason SLSF 204 found herself in sole charge of the Kissick turn. That should not have been a problem, but a sander malfunction on the front truck nearly trapped the locomotive on the south end of its train.

    To serve the power plant, trains had to pull south of the turnout, and then shove into the plant. It was down grade southbound for about a half mile past the power plant lead.

    For two old Baldwins it was a piece of cake, but for a single unit with an ailing sander, it would be a challenge.

    After several failed attempts, the fine chat ballast was shoveled onto the rail, SLSF 204 regained her feet, and completed her chores.
     

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  9. yardmaster

    yardmaster Administrator Staff Member Administrator Frisco.org Supporter

    Thanks for the photograph Karl.

    The situations that would arise but that are not covered in Rules of the Transportation Department Special Instructions, etc. amaze me.

    Talk about keeping a crew on its toes!

    I have heard of modelers using "situation cards" in their operating sessions to jazz things up.

    Here is one more scenario I can add to my list of unexpected and unfortunate events.
     
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  10. JamesT

    JamesT Member

    Regarding the Stewart HO scale VO-1000, mine is numbered SLSF 224 and I need to get it done and into service!

    I do not yet have any Frisco "color" books so I am unsure of what exhaust stacks to use.

    I am modeling the 1964-1966 time period before what I have gathered here they were repowered.

    A good pointer or photograph would do me a great service!

    I did refer to Elwood's Fallen Flags website but did not really see an answer.

    Thanks :D

    James Taylor
     
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  11. gna

    gna Member Frisco.org Supporter

    I checked Frisco in Color, and there are no pictures of SLSF 224.

    SLSF 224 was not repowered by EMD. Only SLSF 200-206, 210, and 215 were.

    For what it is worth, SLSF 222 has a single stack, SLSF 228 has dual stacks, and SLSF 236 has four stacks.

    I would guess SLSF 224 had a single stack, but I will keep looking for a picture.
     
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  12. meteor910

    meteor910 2009 Engineer of the Year Staff Member Frisco.org Supporter

    VO 1000 SLSF 224 was delivered by Baldwin Locomotive Works (BLW) to the Frisco in 3/1945.

    It was a four-stacker. It was never repowered by EMD, so it would appear it ran with the four stacks until it was retired and traded into EMD in 4/1972.

    Use the low stacks supplied in the Stewart kit, not the tall ones.

    SLSF had one, two and four-stack VO-1000s. Most were one-stackers, in particular the early units, but several later units were four-stackers. The two-stackers were few in number, but they were there. SLSF 226 and SLSF 228 are pictured in the Marre book clearly showing the two stacks.

    I have no doubt, however, that SLSF 224 was a four-stacker.

    Ken
     
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  13. gna

    gna Member Frisco.org Supporter

    Hmmm.

    I cannot find a picture of SLSF 224.

    On Mike Condren's website, I found a picture of SLSF 225, I think; it could be SLSF 226, in Mandarin orange and white so bright it hurts my eyes.

    http://www.cbu.edu/~mcondren/Frisco Catalog/BLW-switchers.htm

    It is a two-stacker. As the closest number, I would guess that SLSF 224 was similar, but you never know.

    I am puzzled that they would have two-stackers around 4-stackers.

    Another Frisco mystery.
     
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  14. meteor910

    meteor910 2009 Engineer of the Year Staff Member Frisco.org Supporter

    There was no apparent logic to the number of stacks on the Frisco's VO-1000s.

    For example, SLSF 207 was a four-stacker, while the other early units were one-stackers.

    The two-stackers were mixed in with a bunch of four-stackers.

    Who knows why?

    SLSF 224 carried four stacks.

    Ken
     
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  15. JamesT

    JamesT Member

    Thanks to both of you Gary & Ken!

    Wow, I has no idea there was such a wide variety of VO units on the roster. But looking at my own company's drilling rigs and the wide changes made to 3 identical models it reminds me that all mechanics are fickle.

    I am going with the 4 short stacks. It appears by the photographs both at the website posted and the article in Model Railroader Planning issue that they were allowed to get fairly dirty, not grim covered and looking like Southern Pacific's (SP) last 5 years of existence.

    On another note I put an NCE decoder in the Stewart unit and it is the first one that did not Hum so loud as to annoy. Ran quiet and smooth. It is a big thing with me has I only use one engine at a time on my small layout.

    Now for a sound chip?

    Thanks to both you again for time and effort.

    It means a lot to me.

    James Taylor:cool:
     
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  16. gna

    gna Member Frisco.org Supporter

    Glad it runs well for you.

    My VO-1000, SLSF 213, has a wobble at a certain low speed. My VO-660 runs flawlessly.

    As far as sound, I have seen pictures of a sound install in a Stewart Baldwin, but it may require surgery, removal of some of the front weight.

    http://forum.atlasrr.com/discussion/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=36022&SearchTerms=sound,baldwin

    Apparently Loksound makes a correct Baldwin sound decoder.

    I am curious if you or Ken can help me with the horn placement. SLSF 213 horn looks like it is offset from center, towards the engineer.

    That is where I put mine, but one of my friends thinks I got it in the wrong spot.
     
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  17. meteor910

    meteor910 2009 Engineer of the Year Staff Member Frisco.org Supporter

    Gary,

    Good observation, sharp eyes!

    The picture of SLSF 213 in Marre/Sommers Frisco Diesel Power, page 19, from 9/1961, and the Mike Condren picture of SLSF 213 from 4/1962, both show the horn mounted on the hood in front of the cab It is somewhat offset to the right engineer's side from the hood centerline.

    In the Condren picture in his SLSF diesel switcher guide, the horn is clearly offset to the right. In this picture, the SLSF 213 has a cab roof mounted firecracker antenna on the center-line, and the horn is clearly to the right of that.

    There is a later Don Ross picture, 3/1970, of SLSF 213, in Mandarin orange and white paint, showing the horn mounted on the cab roof. It is a smaller horn, likely a Nathan. It is hard to tell, but the horn looks like it is mounted along-side the antenna, so it could still be off the center line to the engineer's side.

    Interestingly, the 3/1970 Ross picture shows SLSF 213 coupled to another switcher. Looks to me like an ALCo S-2 from the cab appearance, that has the horn mounted on the roof, but canted at an angle pointing to the engineer's side. The Frisco always gives us these mysteries!

    Now I have to change the horn on my Stewart SLSF 213! :(

    By the way, the horn on SLSF 213 in the two earlier pictures looks to be thicker than the Stewart horn, so I may change it to another detail part. Do not know what yet. I will have to look through my horn detail parts "collection".

    Thanks!

    Ken
     
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  18. gna

    gna Member Frisco.org Supporter

    Thanks Ken.

    I actually held the model up to the book, at a similar angle, and tried to figure out where to put the horn.

    After I finished the job, I showed it to my friend. My friend, who worked for a railroad, did not think they would put the horn in front of the engineer and said he thought it was in the wrong spot.

    I have been trying to find more pictures since, but it is hard to tell. I may have gone too far in front of the window, but I will probably call it good at this point, as pretty much every switcher seems to have roving horn mountings! Drives me crazy!

    I am a little weak on horns, so I did not notice the Stewart one was wrong. I knew the stack had been shortened, but I just ran with the tall one. I may change mine so it looks more correct, and shorten the stack, too.

    BTW, you posted a picture of your SLSF 213 in a different thread.

    Where did you get the coonskin on the nose?
     
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  19. meteor910

    meteor910 2009 Engineer of the Year Staff Member Frisco.org Supporter

    Gary,

    I think the short "pipe" stack, not the short tapered one supplied by Stewart for the VOs, is fine for SLSF 213, at least that is what I used. Looks OK to me.

    The "coonskin" on the nose is from a Precision Scale 31608 plastic steam locomotive headlight bracket. Remove the bracket from the back of the coonskin plate, sand the plate as thin as you can get it from the back side, paint black, outline the coonskin border in yellow, mount, and decal the numbers in.

    I had no success finding numbers that small in the correct Frisco diesel type face or font, so I used ones from my decal scrap box that were reasonably close. I about went blind trying to get the numbers in that coonskin correctly, and get them to set in place!

    One other little detail most modelers, including Stewart, forget on the VOs. Add a small round disc to the top of, and right behind, the headlight housing to represent the radiator cap. I add these to all of my Baldwins. It adds a nice touch. See pictures of Baldwin VOs or DSs to get the correct location. I mount these just behind the front edge of the radiator manifold that is on top of the hood, but on the headlight fairing.

    BTW, all of my Stewart Baldwins run really well, smooth and quiet. I have six of them. Baldwins have always been my favorite type of switcher. I have the VO-660, VO-1000, and DS-4-4-1000 in SLSF (4) and TRRA (2). I also had two Pennsylvania Railroad units, a S-12 and a S-8, but sold them. Enough is enough!

    The two TRRA's are really neat.

    Ken
     
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  20. gna

    gna Member Frisco.org Supporter

    Thanks Ken.

    Here is your SLSF 213.

    I see what you mean about the numbers, but it looks cool, so now I have to do it.

    I circled the spot that must be the radiator cap, is that it?
     

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