Indiana & Ohio Fantrip

When I replaced my desktop, I also got a new printer-scanner, since my old one had died a year or so ago. This got me back to scanning old photos. One set I'd put off scanning, since I'd forgotten both the dates and the specific places they were taken. With some web research, I've been able to reconstruct at least part of what was involved.

The now-defunct Three Rivers Narrow Gauge Historical Society covered narrow gauges in the watersheds of the Ohio, Allegheny, and Monongahela Rivers. This included large parts of upstate New York, western Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia. This was a very good group of dedicated, serious, but very friendly people. However, the group stopped holding meetings or publishing its magazine maybe 15 years ago.

The annual get-togethers were in the territory covered, and they were some of the best technical and historical conventions I've ever attended. At the time, I was getting free airline miles from company travel, so it wasn't hard for me to make them.

The photos below are from one of their annual meetings, held along the former narrow gauge Cincinnati, Lebanon, and Northern Railroad, which was standard gauged in 1891 and taken over by the PRR. With Conrail, the remaining lines under Penn Central were variously abandoned and parceled out. The line from Lebanon to Mason and Monroe went to the Indiana & Ohio in the 1990s, but a short segment of line was owned by the Town of Lebanon, but beginning in 1988, the Indiana & Ohio operated a tourist train over that segment.

At the time I rode, the loco was still lettered for the Indiana & Ohio, but I think operation of the line had already been spun off to a different operator. The GP7 I shot then still operates on this train, but it's been repainted for the Lebanon, Mason, & Monroe tourist operator.

The coaches are former DL&W electric trailers. It would not surprise me if I'd ridden on the exact cars when I was a kid growing up in Chatham.

The trip covered the whole length of the line operated for freight (and still operated by I&O under GWI). The tourist operation does not normally run the whole length. The infrastructure is something remarkable in this day and age. This is what well-maintained secondary track looked like under PRR and PC.

This is the back of an original standard PRR crossbuck.

I don't know the exact date or year of this trip. If any visitor can help, please let me know! I think it may have been in the early 2000s.

Post-2000 Refrigerator Cars -- The CRYX Cars

Unlike BNSF and UP, which built their post-2000 fleet in a few small batches, CRYX has continued to build cars. Information on the web is incomplete, but here's what I've ben able to come up with as a preliminary sketch of the fleet. Photos exist, including some I've taken, that are in number series that aren't listed below. I'm continuing to update my information, but this is what I have as of now.

CRYX series 1003-1132, from ATSF series 620300-620599 built by ATSF Shops, Job ___, class BX-132, ___-68. Rebuilt by CEECO in 1987 for CRYX.
CRYX series 1151-1199, from ATSF series 620300-620599 built by ATSF Shops, Job ___, class BX-132, ___-68. Rebuilt by CEECO in 1989 for CRYX.

CRYX 1100 was the original cryogenic reefer

CRYX series 1223-1272 was built by Gunderson, Lot 19225, Sep-90.
CRYX series 1273-1342 was built by Gunderson, Lot 19370, Apr-May 1991.

These two lots were originally CO2-based cars that were the prototype for the Walthers 1990s kits. These cars were reissued in ready-to-run in 2013. An MR review of the reissued cars is here. I don't have any of the Walthers cars lettered for CRYX, but I do have this one lettered for JRSX, which other than the reporting mark is identical to the CRYX cars:

The CO2 cars didn't last long in this form and were rebuit with mechanical units similar to those on ARMN and BNSF cars. The Walthers cars do not have the later mechanical detail, and it would be a fairly major job to add it to the Walthers kits.

The rebuilt carrs are in CRYX series 3000-3263, from CRYX series 1223-1272 and CRYX series 1273-1342. They were rebuilt starting in 2000 and renumbered to the 3000-series as shown below. They are the most common CRYX car types I see in California.

Here is a shot of CRYX 3063 from this rebuilt series:

CRYX series 3231-3263, renumbered in reverse order from SOO series 288000-288032, originally from CRYX series 2000-2149 built by Gunderson, Lot ___, Jun-Jul 1996. To SOO in 2003; to CRYX 3231-series in 2005. A photo of a SOO car can be found here. It is lettered like any CRYX car, but with SOO reporting marks.

Below is CRYX 3253 from this series:

CRYX series 4000-4099 built by Greenbrier (Gunderson), Job ___ Dec-02 to Apr-03. Here is a shot of CRYX 4099 from this series:

CRYX series 5000-5428 built by Greenbrier (Gunderson), Job ____, Jun-06 to Jan-07. These have 72' interior length with 7765 cu. ft. capacity, highest in the industry per Cryo-Trans press release. Equipped with GPS and remote operation and monitoring of the Carrier-supplied refrigeration units.

CRYX series 5500-5598 built by Greenbrier (Gunderson), Job __, Dec-09 to Mar-10.

CRYX series 5700-5799 built by Greenbrier (Gunderson), Job ____, Aug-Oct 2012.

CRYX series 5800-5849 built by Greenbrier (Gunderson plant), Job ____, Feb-13. Here is a shot of CRYX 5884, which is apparently from a later series not on the list I have here:

CRYX series 5900-5949 built by Greenbrier (Gunderson plant), Job ____, Feb-15

It appears that CRYX 8000 and higher are insulated box cars with no refrigeration equipment.

CRYX series 8001-8100 built by Greenbrier (Gunderson plant), Job ____, ___-16 to ___-17. Here is a shot of CRYX 8093 from this series:

CRYX series 8101-8200. Here is a shot of CRYX 8133 from this series:

Here is a shot of CRYX 8303 from a later series not on the list I have here:

For modeling, Microscale makes a set 87-1437 that covers most CRYX reefers. The Walthers cars can represent CRYX cars of the 1990s out of the box, but for rebuilt cars, it would be necessary to find a way to add the end details for the steps and fuel tank apparatus, as well as the Carrier-type refrigeration units on the more recent mechanical cars. The Walthers kits can be found on eBay at moderate prices, and they could potentially be used to kitbash later cars.

Post-2000 Refrigerator Cars -- The BNSF And ARMN Cars

As I noted in my last post and in the comments, there's not much information on the post-2000 US refrigerator car fleet. Some poking around the web has brought out some worthwhile information. If anyone can point me to more complete information on such cars, or expand on what I can publish here, I'll greatly appreciate it. Formerly, publications like RailModel Journal and Mainline Modeler kept the community fairly current, but clear and well-organized information like what those magazines used to provide doesn't seem to be available any longer.

This article discusses the BNSF fleet, an order placed with Trinity in late 2000 for 700 cars. This was the first large order of reefer cars built in the past 35 years.

The new cars are about as big as a boxcar can possibly be, Wood says. They are 82 ft 2 in long between the coupler faces and 76 ft 9 in between the end sills. They are as wide as physically possible and 16 ft 11⅞ in exterior height. Inside, the cars are 72 ft 3 in long, 9 ft 2 in wide, and 12½ in high. The plug doors — what would be called a sliding pop-out door by a truck body builder — are 12 ft wide and 11 ft 3½ in high. Estimated tare weight is 105,000 pounds, which provides a payload of 181,000 lb based on a gross rail load of 286,000 lb.

BNSF series 793000-793809 was built by Trinity, Feb-01 to Sep-02. Here is a car from this order, BNSF 793683:

Notice that the paint scheme includes frosty decorative trim along the roofline. BNSF 793810-794699 were built by TrinityRail, Jun-Oct 2004.

The details of the higher-numbered cars appear to be similar, but they lack the frosty paint decoration on the roofline. Both series carry the early BNSF logo.

Union Pacific also started a project to upgrade its older mechanical reefers and acquire new cars in 2000-2001. It upgraded former Pacific Fruit Express cars, acquired other used cars from Fruit Growers Express, and ordered new cars from Trinity. UP changed the reporting mark for its refrigerator car fleet to ARMN, which was a former Missouri Pacific-American Refrigerator Transit reporting mark. It changed the color to white, which had been used late in SPFE, but had been yellow under UPFE and FGE.

The ARMN 760000 series was used for rebuilt former UPFE cars, which carry the same final five digits as their last UPFE number--some of which were previously SPFE cars. that had gone into the UP in 1996. These had their previous mechanical refrigeration units replaced with Carrier trailer-style units that are the same as those used on refrigerated trailers. Here is a view of the replacement Carrier unit mounted in the space of the former PFE mechanical equipment:

Here is an overall view of these cars:

Although Athearn has a well-known bluebox model dating from the 1970s of the original PFE style cars, it has not done a model of the upgraded PFE cars. However, it has done a Genesis model of others in the 900000 series, discussed below. However, it's possible to use an undecorated Athearn PFE style bluebox model, remove the end roof panel, add a new styrene interior end, and install a Carrier #4555 unit from BLMA. This can then be painted and lettered with MicroScale set 87-1354. BLMA made both a #4554 Thermo-King and #4555 Carrier unit in HO that could be used to model modern reefer cars, but it appears that these are no longer available since the Atlas takeover of BLMA.

The ARMN 900000 series cars is made up of former FGE, WC, and BNSF cars branded "Chilled Express".

Only cars in this series have the Chilled Express brand applied. Because they came from several different sources, they vary in detail and general appearance.

Note that 933907 has a different sill shape from 912139. Also note that a box of some sort appears on the roof of 933907, which seems common to all or most cars in the 900000 series. These cars also have Carrier refrigeration units replacing the originals in a compartment with the roof panel removed:

Athearn has done models of a version of these cars in N and HO that appears to be accurate, but again, the 900000 series cars have detail differences. I believe it may be possible to track down budget models of FGE mechanical reefers from one of the Chinese or Yugoslav makers that might also be used to convert into an ARMN car, but I'm not familiar with these.

In 2002, the same period when BNSF was upgrading its refrigerator car fleet, Union Pacific ordered new cars from Trinity in the ARMN 110000 series. ARMN 110000-110499 were built by Trinity, Sep-03 to May-04. ARMN 110500-110999 built by TrinityRail, Nov-04 to May-05. ARMN series 111000-111499 built by TrinityRail, Jun-Dec 2005. These are described as nominal 64-foot cars, which I think refers to interior length. These are shorter than the BNSF nominal 72-foot cars. Reviews in the model press describe "phases" of these cars, referring mainly to whether grab irons or ladders are used on the B end sides.

Here's a photo of a car in the 110000 series:

Models of these cars have been made by BLMA and ExactRail. Here is an MR review of the BLMA car, and here is an MR review of the ExactRail car. However, it's important to note that the ARMN cars on which these models are based are nominal 64 foot length, while the BNSF and other similar cars are nominal 72 foot length. Thus simple repaints of ARMN style cars will just be stand-ins.

However, UP moved after these cars to new ones of the now-standard 72-foot length. ARMN series 170000-170224 was built by Greenbrier in January 2013. So far, I've been able to photograph just one of these cars:

Although the length is now the same as BNSF cars, detail differences would make a BNSF car repainted for ARMN just a stand-in, and vice versa. However, as far as I'm aware, there are no commercial models of post-2000 nominal 72-foot cars.

I'll discuss other post-2000 cars, definitely TILX and CRYX, in a subsequent post.

Train Watching Trip

It's been several months since I've visited one of my favorite railfan locations, the Pepper Avenue overpass in Colton, CA, which overlooks the west end of the UP's West Colton departure yard. For a lot of last year, things seemed to be same old-same old, so I gave it a rest to see if anything new turned up.

It has. Several years ago, the SD60s and SD60Ms mostly went into storage, especially in California. I wondered if we'd seen the last of them. But as of this week, they were back big time -- and not just on locals and hauler trains. Here's one in a DPU set on a manifest arriving from Texas:

Here's another change. For at least the last ten years, the West Colton bowl trimmers -- switchers that pull the bowl tracks in the hump yard and make up the trains in the departure yard -- have been sets of three SD40-2s. Now they seem to have expanded into sets of four:

The lighting was kinda funky when I was there due to smoke from wildfires in the mountains farther south. You can see how smoky the view is in the photo below of a light power move.

It was headed west, I assume to rescue a train coming up from the harbor area.

Here's something that puts me in mind of stuff I used to do when I was in my early teens. At the time, I would see interesting equipment in my very young days as a railfan and try to make models from cardboard baed on my best estimate of dimensions. I actually learned how to use a slide rule (no pocket calculators or i-phones back then) trying to calculate dimensions from photos. (My parents, though, thought the hobby was a big waste of my time.) Here's something I'm tempted to try to mock up in cardboard the same way:

Model manufacturers have been slow on the uptake on the post-2000 generation of refrigerator cars. I found a near-broadside photo of one of these TILX cars -- which don't seem to be the same as other types -- on the web, and I also found some basic dimensions. I'm thinking about roughing something up from cardboard, in part just to revisit how I did things when I was 14. I'll see how things go and post on it if it turns out well.

Scenery Work At Malabar

It took me a couple of weeks to get my new computer, download my files, and get the other software re-installed. But now that that's done, I can get caught up on the work I was doing at Malabar.

The big part of the project was to create a hillside into which the tunnel portal could be installed. I used white foam to make the basic shape. I used Liquid Nails for Projects to attach it to the shelf and the wall behind it.

I then used a flexible metal grating material called Dragon Skin to shape the foam more closely to what I wanted. This makes a mess, but a shop vac cleans it up pretty well.

Then I covered the basic form with plaster cloth and installed the tunnel portal.

Then I applied the basic ground coat with Sculptamold mixed with craft paint. I used to be able to find Sculptamold at places like Michaels, but it seems as if Sculptamold is now seen as mainly a model railroad product, and if you can't get it at a train store, you have to get it off the web. Oh, well.

I use the dragon skin and coarse sandpaper to smooth the surface of the Sculptamold after it dries.

You can also see that I built up a road form with Sculptamold, with the crossing by Blair Line. In the photo below, you can see I've begun to add final ground cover. This is done with paving sand. We had a patio installed several years ago, and the masons left a big pile of paving sand, which I was able to use to make a supply for model work before they cleaned it up. After I spread it out, I soak it with wet water and drizzle white glue over it. I also applied Woodland Scenics Burnt Grass fine turf over the paving sand while it was still wet.

I also used Sculptamold mixed with craft paint between the sections of Unitrack in the yard. The surface was covered with paving sand and Burnt Grass fine turf in the same way. The area will be touched up and get more detail later.

The view below shows the Sculptamold areas between the Unitrack sections before the surface is covered with paving sand. Looking at what some guys have done with Unitrack on YouTube, it's clear that this product has a lot more potential for scenery than people might think.

Again, the building flats are temporary to help me envision how things will eventually turn out. The grain elevator will stay, though.

Bachmann Work Sheds

Not long ago I ran into a Bachmann kit I hadn't seen before, an HO kit of two boxcar sheds. The price on the Bachmann site is pretty high, but I got it for roughly half that at an on line retailer. I assembled both of mine but painted them differently:

I'll need to weather the red one a little more, but the buff one is in place where it will go on the Malabar extension. The kits have various other detail parts, but I think those are a little klunky, and I'll eventually replace them with better details from other sources.

I think these are nice kits in the spirit of the Revell plastic structures from the 1950s.