I found the two articles by Paul Dokos that I was searching for. The layout article was in the 2008MRP. The fan trip article was in the Spring 2009 Classic Trains. Glenn
Huh? What? Baldwins? Action? What articles are you talking about? Frisco items therein? Enquiring minds (nosey people) want to know! Andre
I know the article in question- it's about the Clinton Subdivision, and the local that ran between KC and Clinton, MO. Used a BAldwin switcher for road power, and on occasion an old baggage car for express traffic. IIRC, passengers could also ride the caboose.
I took a gander at that article just yesterday. He includes a nice bedroom-sized layout with Clinton and Harrisonville as the focal points. I, for one, would like to see other thoughts from other Frisco folk on branch lines that would make for a good bedroom or garage layout. Sounds like a good running feature for The Meteor e-zine! Best Regards,
Well, I recieved my Loc Sound decoder for the VO-1000 yesterday. Everything was fine until I put the long hood on. Ol' mister ten-thumbs struck again! I evidently shorted out the speaker...decoder works fine but no wonderful noise! Now, in light of my self-disclosed ham-handedness...I'm thinking about getting one of the AMB caboose kits. Doug Hughes, I know you've built at least one. Do you (or anyone else with experience) have any suggestions? Glenn in Tulsa
Branchline ideas, Chris. How 'bout modeling Brownwood. It has the 8 mile branch north to Zalma and another branch about 10 miles south to Aquilla. It's era would be restricted to 1887 to 1934 but lots of wood product revenue and neat little mixed daily trains to Cape Girardeau and or Chaffee and beyond. Just a thought. Jim
Superb idea, Jim! The whole maze of pre-1934 branchlines across Southeast Missouri are, in my opinion, the modeler's dream! Especially for those without a lot of time, money or real estate.
I think Louis Houck was a model railroader at heart but just didn't have the time to "play" with trains - he was too busy trying to make money. Chris you are right - there are a lot of different directions one could head with any of the Houck lines (pun intended), and most lasted into the middle of the twentieth century!
Keith, there is a fairly new book about Louis Houck's railroading career at the University Bookstore at Southest Missouri State University and I'm going to buy it after work today. It's $39.95. I'll give a report on it later. I'm hoping it's full of photos.
Glenn, I built five. You'll need extreme patience. Paint as you go. The cupola roof handrails are really hard. Use lift-ring castings and buy extras. I got queries at a local NMRA monthly when I took all my cabooses. Someone immediately noticed those roof handrails. The new MR article about Rich Dowling's old Frisco HO layout in Chicago show photos of several he built. I wonder why Rich has never participated with us here or in the old FMIG. I wrote him several times. Ladders are also tricky. Fabricate them from brass rather than wood if you can. I tried styrene and gave up. I couldn't find a casting for the little whistles that were on the end platforms. Perhaps an N-scale locomotive whistle casting would do, but I am not sure they are available. I remember the conductor using that whistle when the local (train No. 44) was departing Dixon back in the 50's when I tried to watch it every day it switched there. Always with a GP-7. Well, almost. One day they had an Alco RS-1 or -2. I didn't know the spotting differences back then, but I surely noted the differerence in sound. I found the Walthers cabooses pretty close and have two. Other modelable branches are Salem and Ft. Wood. The track plans at both Salem and Ft. Wood make for interesting switching moves. I used Salem's for Hancock on my old DJ&H trackplan. I also had Ft. Wood's on that plan - over by the hot water heater - neither got built. Doug
I have read the book you mentioned. It is a good biography of Louis Houck and belongs on the book shelf of any one interested in the railroads of S.E. Mo. The book has few pictures but the ones in the book are ones I had never seen before. The book is more of a finanical history than R.R. history. I never knew his first (?) railroad ran from East Cape Girardeau to the I.C. at Gorham. The railroad ferry operation at cape would be a nice model. Maybe we can get him to do a picture thpe history of the Houck Lines. Last I knew he taught at SEMO. RHT|-|
Thanks for the response Doug. Maybe I should stick to the Walther's, if they are still available. I never was a stickler for "High Fidelity" in my modeling. Ordered an H-10-44 today. Black and Yellow of course. Glenn in Tulsa
Glenn said: "Black and Yellow of course." But of course! Good to see you posting here, Glenn. Do you still have some of my Frisco stuff I sold to you eons ago? BTW, are you going to Pittsburg next week? If so, look me up. I'll bet I need to wear a name tag... I've changed a bit in the 15 years or so since some of you have seen me. Andre
FYI, I took another look at this MRP article this AM. It looks like #236 was the "regularly" assigned power. Paul Dolkos has two pictures of it working the line in 1964 and 1965. Best Regards,
May I humbly suggest the Miami Branch of the Afton Sub. Formerly the Northeast Oklahoma RR, its major customer was the B.F. Goodrich tire plant in Miami. For motive power, you could have an NEO-painted Alco switcher up to a GP7 (very first Frisco pics I ever took was of the 518 in B/Y on the Miami Branch.) The tire plant is history, and IIRC BlitzUSA is the only customer left. The track is largely intact in Miami up to the North Miami town limits. It would make a nice room-size layout- in fact, I loosely modeled that line when I lived in Paris, TX in the 1990s.
Andre, I have only one of the b/y GP-7s...#598. It now has a Soundtrax decoder in it. I planning on driving up to Pittsburg for the day on Saturday and look forward to meeting people and putting faces to names. Of course you are the only one of us to change appearence in the last 10-15 years! Glenn in Tulsa
