Micro Mark Track Cleaner On A Stick

I recentlyh discovered this Micro Mark tool, a track cleaner on a stick. My layout has a number of hard-to-reach areas for track cleaning, whether it's distance from the layout edge, structures, bridges, or tunnels. This is reasonably priced in the $20 range (currently on sale). It consists of three threaded rods that can extend to 30 inches, plus a cleaning head.

The cleaning head is pretty effective at polishing away stubborn spots of oxidation and dirt. This seems to be less expensive but with greater reach than the Woodland Scenics Rail Tracker cleaning kit, which is a similar idea, but the Rail Tracker looks a lot more complicated.

Recent Post-2000 Refrigerator Car Model Announcements

I've been interested in the post-2000 refrigerator car fleet for some years. I posted on BNSF and Union Pacific/ARMN cars here, and on CRYX cars here. Up to now, the only models of these have been Walthers kit and ready-to-run models of CO2-based cars from the 1990s that barely lasted into the 2000s, plus high-end models of Union Pacific/ARMN cars from BLMA, subsequently Atlas, and ExactRail, now ScaleTrains.

About a week ago, Walthers announced on its New Product Express YouTube channel that it would be running models in its mid-level Mainline range of what appear to be the same prototypes as the BLMA/Atlas and ExactRail/ScaleTrains cars.

The modern reefer announcement starts at about 14:10. Exactly which prototype these are is a little confusing. Walthers calls them 72-foot cars, but it isn't clear whether this is 72 feet inside length, which would be BNSF, TILX, and late UP cars, or 72 feet over sills, which would be 64 feet inside length, which would be the already-modeled UP/ARMN cars in the 110000 and higher number series. Illustrations off the Walthers site, as well as the YouTube announcement, indicate the cars will be lettered for BNSF, ARMN, CEFX, TILX, and CGFX, but the description on the video says they are "based on a reefer introduced in 2019 and now in service nationwide."

However, the BNSF and ARMN cars in the paint schemes shown in the video date from 2000-2002. CRYX has somewhat later cars, but from information I've seen on Facebook, CRYX will not license its artwork for use on models, so no CRYX cars will be in the Walthers run. I'm not sure what Walthers means when they say their prototype was introduced in 2019.

In any case, I'm left a little puzzled about just which prototypes are closest to the Walthers Mainline cars. Here are two illustrations from the Walthers site:

The UP/ARMN prototype is 64 feet inside length, while the BNSF prototype is 72 feet inside length. This means that one model should theoretically be longer than the other.

However, they are pretty clearly the same length in proportion in the photos. My guesstimate based on overall proportion is that the models are both based on the UP/ARMN cars. Although these have already been run from two makers commercially, the Walthers versions will be more in a mid-range price, and they'll have additional paint variations. So it looks like BNSF modelers will have a car lettered for BNSF, but it won't be as prototypical.

But ScaleTrains also announced a BNSF modern reefer this past April, which should arrive December 31. The photo below is from their site:

This means that BNSF modelers will have more accurate cars with this run, but so far, only the earlier paint scheme shown in the photo has been announced, but not BNSF 793810-794699, which were built by TrinityRail, Jun-Oct 2004, like the photo below:

These have different side sills and lack the frosty paint decoration at the roof. The ScaleTrains BNSF cars will be high-end models available with sound and lighted control panel, or without.

Track And Clearance Work At CP Drains

I've been doing some track cleaning, electrical and mechanical troublshooting, and clearance work around my main line. In particular, I worked on a problem I'd discovered whereby my recent GE locos were derailing on the superelevated curve at CP Drains. I looked at the curve carefully and saw that the superelevation wasn't consistent. It was a pretty easy fix, I jacked up the low spots with a screwdriver and shoved in some cardboard shims to make the level consistent.

I refreshed the ballast with some Arizona Rock & Mineral ballast I had on hand. This covered up the original Woodland Scenics ballast, which after 25 years or so had changed color. It was a big improvement.

The rock castings will also meed to be touched up, and the whole area needs more vegetation.

I ran a 3-unit test consist, including two Walthers Mainline ES44ACs, back and forth through the area to be sure the problems were solved. There was also a slight clearance problem with the tunnel portal on the curve. I widened the far edge of the portal with my Dremel and touched up the paint with aged concrete. I've seen a number of videos showing prototype portals like these, and they often aren't symmetrical.

Here's the test consist rounding the curve the rest of the way. The vegetation here was recently applied, and I need to clean it up where it impinges on the far track.

The scenery below the track needds to be replaced and refreshed here, too. But it feels good to have the trackwork back up to snuff.

A Couple More Superliners

I've had a number of HO Superliners in my backlog, especially some Walthers Phase IV Superliner IIs from their original run in, I think, the late 1990s. The work has involved applying the car number and name decals where applicable, converting the couplers to Kadees, in some cases adding grab irons, and painting the truck sideframes. The one below is (I think) the only sleeper I have, the 32081 Illinois. Not all the Superliner IIs that were assigned state names had them applied. However, I rode the Illinois to Chicago in 2008 on the Southwest Chief, and it had its name applied and was still in Phase IV paint at the time.

Amtrak 34951, the Redwood Grove, was rebuilt by Amtrak in 2009 with funds from the State of California and painted in Pacific Surfliner colors. I got this in anticipation that Athearn Surfliner cars would arrive fairly soon, but as of now, they're at least a year overdue. Ordinary Superliner coaches in Amtrak Phase IV-IVb have also been used on the Pacific Surfliners from the start. These were originally from a series specifically equipped for push-pull service, but as I understand this, Superliner coaches have gradually had push-pull wiring installed overall.

Amtrak 470 is an original run Athearn RTR F59PHI I think from the early 2000s. This didn't have a DCC socket, but I did a hard-wire conversion with a Digitrax DH126P. I believe that for a time, Amtrak operated Cascades with Superliner coaches and sightseer lounges between the time the F59PHIs were delivered in 1994 and the Talgo Cascade sets arrived in 1996. Cascade-painted F59PHIs have sometimes wandered out of Cascade territory as well.

With the HO Superliners I have, three Phase IV coaches, two Phase III coaches, and a Phase IV sightseer lounge, plus the one sleeper, I'm best equipped to run certain Michigan and Illinois service trains that have periodically used Superliners, or a 1994-1996 Cascade.. This is in many ways just as well, since a full Amtrak long distance Superliner train of baggage, three sleepers (one transition), diner, sightseer lounge, and three coaches, nine cars total, takes up quite a bit of layout.