While on the Katy, in KS, here is some additional vehicle inspiration: Council Grove, KS, 1924. Details at: https://www.kansasmemory.org/item/display.php?item_id=316060&f= Kansas Memory Web Site Kansas Historical Society
At a blazing 21 mph they’ll make their connection at Brownwood in no time. Then they should get to Cape and checked in at the Riverview Hotel by supper. The depot is right across the street from the hotel which was handy. Steamboat leaves in the morning from the riverfront. At least that’s how it goes in my model world.
Thanks Jim. Like you I can fool people too. That is BACHMANN EZ TRACK!! The whole layout doesn’t use it but I used it in a misguided effort to have an operating layout ASAP after 41 years away from model railroading. Long story there. And I operated within a week of putting up my “bench work” which is yet another story. I didn’t realize the track looked as horrible as it did till I took some photos. So I mixed up a couple of N scale ballasts to make pea gravel like was used down here in Louisiana, and after painting the rail with a rust marker buried the track in a sloppy overballasting like short lines often did. I still crave code 83 rail with staggered spaced ties like yours but my layout operates well and I ain’t tearing it up now. I might do a couple of visible up front spurs like you did though. I just discovered this thread today. I have read it all end to end. This is very much my kind of railroad 20 years earlier! Lots of good ideas I’m going to use!
Looking closely, your combine has slightly different windows than mine. And the roof is different. But that’s because mine is a rescue dog that was saved from a trash can at a club and had a roof that really didn’t fit right that came from some other unknown and unrelated car. So I don’t know what if any pedigree my car has . It had some horrible secret life before me. It came in some gawd-awful red circus paint scheme but Floquil Pullman Green did wonders. I made new end handrails and truss rods from an old guitar string, keeping the queen posts while trimming out the 6” dia. truss rods. I like your handrails at the baggage doors and want to add them to mine along with a long step below and curved caboose handrails. For basically a toy train car, this little combine has nice crisp molding , even including marker lamp brackets, and is a nice candidate for improvements by a ham handed modeler like me.
I hear you, man. I’ve probably had this Bachman for 30 years or more. It was also red. Airbrushed it with Pullman green and added baggage door grabs. I’ve always intended to add marker lamps (have them in sitting on the bench) and some aftermarket trucks but alas, here she sits. A nice laser kit for this car would be nice to have.
As I'm sure you both know, Bachmann, AHM, and Mantua are about our only options for "old time" psgr cars. All of the little psgr cars were produced for toy train sets, so yup, some work is in order but as you two illustrate, very decent "good e'nuf" models can be the result. I have several waiting for their turn to pass through the chop shop. Still been in a diesel mode, but I did break down and order one of Athearn's newly released Old Timer 2-8-0's with DCC and Econami sound. According to the tracking #, the little engine is supposed to arrive Thursday.
I have some old time passenger cars, including two different combines. One is Bachmann and the other is a Pocher, though it came in a AHM box. Originally these were for my daughter, but she's completely lost interest so I can do what I want with them...I'm getting some good ideas for quick upgrades I could make to them here.
So, keeping in the spirit of the title of this ancient thread, the Zalma Branch is taking a new direction. I’ll keep this short. I got so bored with the “layout” that I let it gather dust despite several forum induced attempts to rekindle the motivation. Wasn’t going to happen. It was built for operation (such as it was) but I don’t care for operations. Go figure. I miss the continuous loop watching and listening to the train go by. And scenery that I actually want to complete. So I’m downsizing/reverting once more to a small roundabout layout and backdating to the 1887-1900 ish era. Then I can sit back and watch the local chase it’s tail through finished scenery. Of course photos will accompany the destruction and construction phases.
