1981 Eastbound TOFC led by SD26 4602

1981 Santa Fe Eastbound TOFC.

This train was the first TOFC I put together way back when, before MicroTrains released their 89' flat cars.  The first 10 cars feature Rapido flats manufactured by them in 1970's, representing the 85' cars in use at the time.  The cars were not painted very well, and some were even frames for 86' single door auto parts cars.  I did what I could with them, and they actually did not turn out so bad.

SD26 is an Atlas product done with some very fine detail work.  The prototype was an EMD SD24 on  which Santa Fe began a major rebuildng in 1973.  Locomotive technology had greatly inmproved since these units were built, and this major upgrade resulted in a boost of horsepower from 2400 to 2625 h.p.  They remained in service into the 1980's.



Close up of weathering on 4602.  The SD24's after remanufacturing by Santa Fe were on the books as SD26's.

EMD GP35 3445, weathered.  This loco is still in its as delivered paint scheme.  It was most assuredly repainted somewhere along the line, as these diesels were delivered betweem 1964-69.  This class of diesel was the last to be fully repainted into the Yellow Warbonnet paint scheme.

The GP30's had a unique look, with the dynamic brake sructure flowing into the top of the cab.  Only class with this type of roofline.  Custom painted, medium weathering, with side mounted air horns, roof antennae, and rotating beacon.

Matson container shipped and already mounted on a container chassis. The CNW trailer is a Micro Trains 40 footer.  This is the first of the Rapido cars I painted, decaled, with  added trailer ramps at both ends.  The trailer ramps were at each end of the car, and dropped when unloading trailers.  A small truck would back up on the trailers, hook up, and drive the trailers off the flat car.  Over time, giant cranes would lift the trailers off.

"K" Line container on chassis, and custom painted Con Cor 40' trailer, with MT wheelsets added.  The Rapido flats were all metal, very heavy, and combined with Micro Trains roller bearing trucks, roll considerably true thru all turnouts and superelevated curves.



Some very old trailers, custom painted and decaled.  Nearly all of the trailers were modified with Micro Trains wheelsets.



Another Rapido flat with custom trailers.

And another.

Still another, this time an ATSF flat, with MT trailers.

Two more very early trailers, custom painted, decaled and weathered.

Mitsui OSK Lines container on chassis, and an old Con Cor 40' trailer heavily modified with aforementioned modifications.

Con Cor 40' trailers heavily modified as above.

Last Rapido flat, with MT Santa Fe trailer and ConCor Santa Fe trailer, both customs.

Something different! Two MT trailers, but we have a first sighting of  BLMA models of the F89-J trailers, delivered in Trailer Train yellow and black.

These are beautiful models, whether in TTX brown or TTX yellow and black.  I reviewed their recent released in a previous blog.  Featured on this flat are Trainworx (TWX) PRR trailers.

 Athearn forty footer and TWX "Piggy Back Service" trailer (with side door) on F89-J 89 foot trailer.

Athearn BAR trailer, and TWX Rio Grande 40' trailer.

Beautiful Centraila ATSF Caboose 999435.

You can find a video of this train on YouTube at:

http://youtu.be/sHFsGhMBWfI



Thanks for checking out my blog!

1981Eastbound Manifest Freight led by B23-7 6374

1981 B23-7 Manifest Freight

B23-7 6374, cutom painted and weathered.  I have three B23-7's on my roster, but I wanted one to have AAR type "B" trucks, recovered from U25B trade-ins to GE.  Atlas supplied these models in an unpainted version.

Close up of AAR Type "B" trucks and weathering applied to this unit. These units featured a 12 cylinder diesel engine producing 2250 horsepower.

GP38 3501, mildly weathered, with rotary beacon and can antenna installed on the cab roof.  Typical weathering of the walkways.  The prototype featured a non-turbocharged 12 cylinder 2000 h.p. engine, ideal for locals or secondary service.  That never stopped the Santa Fe from using them in Class 1 mainline service!

SD40 5013, part of original delivery of 20 SD40's in 1966, with 3000 hp from EMD's model 645, 16 cylinder turbocharged engine.  This engine is weathered, with air conditioning unit, rotary beacon, can antennae, and raised air horns.  The SD40's were not to be confused with the SD40-2's, which had much more computer related equipment and a different frame (same as the SD45's), which resulted in the "porches" on the front and rear of those locomotives.  (See my 4/29/13 blog.)

Micro Trains CN 50' plug door box

MT 50' double plug door boxcar.  Part of the first run of Western Roads 5 pack featuring Santa Fe Shock Control cars.

Micro Trains 50'boxcar.  The yellow DF emblem represents an original Santa Fe "Damage Free" car, first built in the 1950's.  It has a 8' Superior door and still maintains it's original Betterndorf trucks.  Heavily weathered after years of service, with it's mineral brown hidden under layers of soot and dirt.



ATSF 14555 represents recently repainted 50' Shock Control car.  The SL emblem at the right of the car indicates this car has special loading devices to protect materials shipped.

Two MT shock Control cars.  the car on the right has a emblem XF, indicating food loading only.  Car on the left appears to have seen a lot of service.

Two stock MT cars, both mildly weathered.  Roofwalk removed from Santa Fe DD boxcar.

MT Southern double door 50'boxcar

One of four cars in the Fallen Flags set #2, from Micro Trains featuring the four great railroads (GN, SP&S, CB&Q, and NP) that formed the Burlington Northern Railroad.  Roofwalk removed and heavily weathered.

Couple of covered hoppers.  The Milwaukee Road car is an ancient Atlas model.  I am not sure of the origin of the WP hopper



MT 50' plug and sliding door box, with Damage Free logo.  Roofwalk removed and slightly weathered.

Two more 50' cars from MT, both with the roofwalks removed. A 50' plug and sliding door box and a PFE mechanical refrigerator.

Again, roofwalks removed per Federal Government safety orders passed in the 1960's.  Over the years, many RR workers lost their lives falling from boxcar rooftops in wet or icy conditions.  Keeping them off the roofs saved lives.

UP 50' flat with load, with cable tie downs

St. Louis South Western covered hopper.  Cottton Belt was the nickname for this railroad, based on dominance of this crop along the railroad.

Medium weathering on MT 50' DD boxcar from the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad.



GN 50' plug and sliding door box, with roofwalk removed and medium weathering

Roofwalk removed on this CNW 50' plug door boxcar.

Custom painted 50'DD box.  Yellow DF logo indicated this car is rated a "Damage Free" car, probably with special loading dividers.

A Centralia ATSF caboose behind a 50' DD box.  The freight car is a MRC boxcar I purchased in the early 80's.  It was stripped of paint ands roofwalk, repainted and decaled.  This was a patchwork paint scheme of the early 70's, with the Santa Fe "Billboard" logo replacing a logo which probably stated "ship and travel Santa Fe.....".  With the dawn of Amtrak, Santa Fe passenger trains faded into history.

 

 

Avideo of this train can be seen on YouTube at:

                                                        http://youtu.be/HYkNdIS4ekI

 

 

Thanks for your interest.

Westbound TOFC led by C30-7 8122

Santa Fe actively promoted their TOFC/COFC trains with potential customers.  There was a heavy volume of this type of traffic all over their system.  It was more than LA or Richmond CA to Chicago. There was an arrangement with Conrail for coast to coast traffic, and TOFC/COFC trains from many major cities to others on the main, and arrangements for transfers to other class one carriers.  Today's train is another typical westbound passing through the Needles Division.

C30-7 8122 leads this TOFC.  This weathered Kato unit has custom paint and decals, raised air horns, an air conditioning unit, rotating beacon, and antennae. 

This custom painted and heavily weathered Kato unit is a SD40-2  It started out as a "snoot" unit, but I removed the long nose and substituted a nose from a SD45, thus making a standard SD40-2.  This is one of three on my layout.

Nicely weathered Kato SD45 with fading blue paint, and the usual rooftop features.

4011 is another custom SD39, made from a Kato SD40.  Please refer to my last post for info on the conversion.

Close up of SD40-2 5029.  Santa Fe did a lot of this "patchwork painting" on their diesels.

Many diesels had this type of weathering along their side sills.

Close up of roof of SD39.  Note external wiring of antennae to cab.  This type of wiring would show up later on "Super Fleet" FP45's,  when the horns were relocated to the middle of the long hood.

Micro Trains custom Preferred 45 and a very old Con Cor(?) trailer decaled AXXA with MT wheelset.

Another Preferred 45 and stock KCS trailer

Weathered WP  45 footer and custom NW 40' trailer

Weathered MT trailers

Custom WE refrigerated trailer; custom SFTT 40 footer

Custom PP 45' MT trailer and Santa Fe 40' Athearn trailer

Custom trailers TexMex and Santa Fe Trailer Transport

Custom trailers Falcon Service (CNW) and Santa Fe

Custom Transamerica and N&W

Custom Soo 45' trailer and stock MT Bicentennial trailer

Weathered Conrail and 40'custom build trailer from a kit of undetermined origin

Wow, a lot of custom built and decaled trailers on this train!

Stock MT trailers

Stock MT MoPac and custom ATSF 40' trailer

Beautiful Think Safety Centralia caboose

You can find a video of this train on YouTube at:

http://youtu.be/4CMPytpMSC4

Thanks for viewing my blog.  More updates to follow.