PCCM 54 LF&NW Mail and Express Part 3 Conclusion

This turns out to be my first test of a mail and express train running from Manhattan Transfer to Zenith. I learned quite a bit from it. With the train made up, I added the loco, CB&Q E7 9916A.

As the train pulls out of Manhattan Transfer, I'll identify some of the cars in it. Below is a Walthers ex-Train Miniature X29 that they issued as a set of three painted for Railway Express about 2000.

Below is an Athearn RTR car that used the bluebox tooling, painted as a Texas and Pacific mail storage car.

Below is a Walthers express reefer that came with grabs that had to be user installed. I added these.

In the 1990s, Roundhouse issued a number of baggage-express schemes on its old boxcar tooling. Here's a CB&Q from the World War II period.

Here's an Athearn SE Rock Island car that came in a set of three with variations in the paint on each car.

A Walthers PRR B60 in the 1960s scheme.

Another Roundhouse car. This scheme was done as an Illinois Central Technical Society special run.

An Atlas Burlington heavyweight coach. I ran this one without the tweaks I normally do, and it showed -- the Accumate couplers need replacement with Kadees, and truck screw play needs to be tuned.

The train moves onto the drawbridge over the aisle between West Egg and Bay City.

Here it is running through Woollett.

Leaving Tunnel 1:

At Zenith:

CB&Q 9916A uncouples from the train and will turn on the reverse loop for the return to Manhattan Transfer.

This was the first real run over the layout for most of the cars in the train, and the first run for the Bachmann E7 with a train. Sound equipped, it screamed in Run 8 with 13 cars on a 1.5% grade, not bad. However, all sound equipped locos require very clean track, and the loco had some problems with this. It's probably better to run two units on most trains to avoid current problems with dirty spots.