PREPARING THE 1950S LOCO FLEET – 2

As I developed my 1950s locomotive fleet, I concentrated first on the road freight power.  My study of SP locomotive assignments in the 1950s plus text in books on the Shasta-Cascade Route by Signor and Austin and Dill points to a heavy concentration of F7s in that service.  Other than the roughly half of the DF-120 class of SD9s initially assigned to the Portland Division, the road freight power was all F7s.  The development of a Shasta Route locomotive pool in 1957 and then  the Northern Road Freight Pool in 1958 based in Roseville eventually provided more SD9s to Oregon.

 

Many of us remember Oregon as SD9 territory.  While that became true in the 1960s and beyond as more powerful locomotives bumped the SD9s from Southern California mountain grades, the initial uses of SD9s in Oregon were more limited.  The DF-120 class were “lightweights”—not ballasted as heavily as succeeding classes of SD9s.  Indeed, they were direct descendants of the last order of SD7s which had gone to the Northwestern Pacific.  They had steam boilers and large barrel oscillating headlights.  Walthers did a fine production run of these in their Proto-2000 series (purchased from Life-Like) and I have had a pair of these in anachronistic service on my railroad complete with Black Widow paint in spite of the otherwise 1984 equipment around them.  

 

With the SD9s largely dismissed from road freight service, my attention turned to my many F7 models.  I have SP Black Widow F7s from a variety of manufacturers.  Ironically, the Stewart models I expected to be the core of my fleet will have to wait for higher priority projects to clear through the workbench.  The Stewart models require hardwiring—the reason I did not equip my railroad with 1950s equipment as I started operations in 2015.  That still left many F7 models manufactured in more recent years with relatively straight-forward conversion to DCC operation. 

 

My first blog post on this topic (https://espeecascades.blogspot.com/2026/04/preparing-1950s-loco-fleet-1.html) described my efforts with Walthers Proto F7 models.  Those eighteen units form the core of my road freight fleet, hitting all the right details for one of two production classes that formed the core of the Portland Division and later Shasta and Roseville-Northern freight pools.  Walthers produced only three unique locomotive numbers for these models, so renumbering was required.

 

The photo illustrations describing my process use Athearn Genesis units, but the process has been the same regardless of manufacturer.  The first step was removal of the factory applied number.  Such numbers are pad printed and proved relatively easy to remove using a paint stripper.  Some time ago I picked up a bottle of Deluxe Materials “Strip Magic” at one of the Portland area hobby shops, as seen in the photos.  I applied this fluid to the number area with a cotton-tipped swab and let it sit for a couple of minutes.  I then scrubbed the numbers with the swab, removing the numbers.  I blotted the bulk of the fluid off the model with a paper towel and then applied rubbing alcohol per the instructions.  This neutralizes the remaining striper fluid.  I blotted that initial alcohol application off the model and then applied a fresh coat of alcohol, letting it air dry.  

 

Paint stripper applied to locomotive numbers.

 

Final result of paint stripping of locomotive numbers.  The black acrylic paint pen at the top was used on some models where the base black paint came off as well as the numbers.

 

As noted in the photo caption, sometimes I stripped off base black paint as well as the lettering gray numbers.  This was fixed easily with an acrylic paint pen, seen at the top of the photos.  In a few cases I created a mess too close to the handrails which I repaired using a fine-tip Sharpie ™.  The finish coat over the subsequent decals and a bit of weathering removed any visual differences from the different paint or ink applicators.  

 

Number decals came from Micro Scale decal set 87-201, the Southern Pacific Black Widow locomotive decal set.  I had to use a portion of one of the orange wing sets to repair a wing that was damaged by too much paint stripper left too long on a nearby number (the front nose numbers).  I note this to show (a) I make mistakes, but (b) there often are relatively simple fixes available.  

 

Masking applied to locomotives after decal application but prior to finish coat and weathering applications.

 

Two of the four locomotives that got train numbers in their number boards rather than the common display of the locomotive number as an extra.  The units shown are Walthers Proto F7s, fully “tricked out” with lots of fine detail not seen on any of the other manufacturer’s production runs.

 

With renumbering accomplished followed by finish and weathering, I now have the bulk of my desired F7 road freight fleet ready for service.  I got a bit heavy-handed with my airbrush on a few of the units, but that simply reflects the hard service in the tunnels and rock sheds of the Cascade Line these units experience.  All of the units have passed through my programming track to standardize their decoder settings.  This includes modest sound levels and use of the F5 throttle button to activate the nose Mars light (upper headlight).  I currently have 35 of my planned 50 units ready for service.  The remaining units await parts—decoders and speakers.  Still, the 35 units now ready will more than suffice for start-up operations in the older era.  

 

The initial SP Black Widow F7 fleet.  Left to right: Athearn Genesis, Walthers Proto (three tracks), InterMountain (depot track) and Walthers Mainline (depot house track behind the depot).

THE END OF AN ERA

The time has come for me to shift the operating era of my SP Cascade Line back into the 1950s.  Such an era shift was always part of my plan for the railroad as I had interests and equipment in both the 1980s and 1950s.  The 1980s interest reflected my extensive railfan photography period when I had returned to the West Coast following schooling and Army service on the East Coast.  The 1950s formed my earliest memories of railroading.  

 

As I noted in a previous blog post, the choice of operating era and equipment for my railroad was initially driven by ease of equipping the locomotives for Digital Command Control (DCC) compounded by an abundance of new, highly detailed rolling stock.  My 1950s locomotives were mostly DC-analog for control and required hard-wiring of decoders in many cases.  While I had a fair selection of rolling stock for the era, especially the passenger trains, the freight car fleet would need significant enlargement for my new basement-filling railroad.  Since the railroad became active in 2015, I have acquired additional 1950s locomotives—many with decoders already installed and others with easy installation paths.  Similarly—and quite surprisingly—several key building blocks of the 1950s freight car fleet have been produced in recent years.

 

With my usual two-month break in my operating schedule centered around a non-railroad activity weekend around July 4, I spotted a great time to make the major equipment swap.  That led to declaring my June 6 (D-Day!) operating session to be the last of the 1984 operation.

 

A proper celebration for the change of operating eras was called for!

 

My regular operating crew was alerted throughout the Spring of the impending event and was eager to participate.  The June 6, session was the 96^th on the full mainline and Number One Hundred when I count the several partial railroad operating sessions conducted starting in 2014 as the railroad was under construction.  Three of the four operators of the very first such session were present for this “End of Era” session, with the fourth operator called away on granddad duty.  

 

Follow along in photos and captions as we tour the railroad one last time with gray and scarlet SP locos.

 

Eugene Arrival-Departure Yard Switcher Randall P. controls his switcher deep into one of the reverse loop tracks that form this yard while Yardmaster Vic N. watches.

 

Eugene Yardmaster Pat L. (right) watches as West Switcher Rick A. (center) classifies cars in the yard.  In the distance, Mike L. (center, rear) reaches to uncouple a car at the Eugene Planing Mill.  A Springfield area local freight crew is on the other side of the aisle working the RR-East end of Springfield.

 

Engineer Loren M. and Conductor Mike L. work the Springfield-B job which switches industries on the aisle side of the mainline in Springfield.

 

Later on, the Springfield-B crew must wait as a through freight passes on the mainline, crewed by Jim L. (black shirt, left).   Note that the aisle is wide enough to permit a lot of operators to be near their trains in spite of the heavy switching taking place on both sides of the aisle.

 

On the other side of the Springfield track lobe is the Marcola Branch area and in the distance, Westfir.  Engineer Greg P. (seated on a stool in deference to joint issues) guides his RR-Eastbound train past Westfir and around the Marcola area as he heads toward Springfield.

 

Early in the session, Engineer Mark K. and Conductor Jim M. worked the Western Lumber complex at Westfir.  Engineer Greg P. (back showing) is behind them controlling his train at Wicopee, the mid-point siding on the mountain climb.

 

Just past Westfir, the Oakridge Turn crew switches tank cars for the helper engine facilities located in Oakridge.  Helper Engineer Rodger C. (blue denim shirt, center) watches their efforts.  In the background, Craig P. watches from the Cascade Summit platform as his train works upgrade through tunnels toward the summit.

 

Helper Engineers Rodger C. (blue denim shirt) and John B. (green shirt) work their light helpers back down grade around an uphill (RR-West) train at Wicopee.  Noisy Creek Trestle is in the corner in the background and Cruzatte is above us to the left.

 

Engineer Greg P. has been holding at Wicopee for the light helper move.

 

A RR-East train drifts down-grade over the Salt Creek Trestle, a signature element of the Cascade Line.

 

A RR-West train exits Tunnel 5 and its rock shed on the climb to the summit.

 

Helper Engineer Rodger C. uncouples his locomotives from the midst of Jim L’s. train upon arrival at Cascade Summit.

 

Managing all the traffic on the railroad was Dispatcher Dave H., one of the regular Dispatchers for the railroad.

 

I was surprised by a framed certificate signed by the crew for this final 1984 operation on my SP Cascade Line.  Thanks Guys!

OPERATING SESSION 96

It seems a bit hard to believe, but I am closing in on hosting a hundred operating sessions on my railroad.  As I do so, the itch to change eras has gotten very strong.  As seen in a couple of the preceding blogposts this year, I have been making moves toward a major back-date of the equipment on the railroad.  With my usual July break in operations coming, the time to end the current operating era is almost here.  

 

Operating Session 96 was conducted this weekend.  It will be one of the last in gray and scarlet locomotive paint, at least for some time.  Two of my close friends from my Californian days elected to drive up to participate in this session.  Wayne C. has operated a couple of times.  Dave S. was new to the railroad.  Indeed, it has been a long time since I last saw him, but I was delighted he made the effort to see and participate in what I have assembled and participate in a regular operating session.

 

This session began, as usual, where the previous session left off.  We had four road freights out on the line and the Oakridge Turn finishing up work in Oakridge before returning to Eugene via Westfir.  Follow along with the photos to get a bit of the flavor of a typical operating session as they have been for the past eleven years.

 

The session began with trains at Wicopee and Cruzatte plus Oakridge.  Here, Dave S. (right) serves as engineer on the RR-West train that began in Wicopee (lower level) and is now climbing into Cruzatte as it crosses Nosis Creek Trestle and traverses Tunnel 10.  Rodger C. (center serves as Dave’s conductor and local mentor.  Pat L. (left) watches the train cross Noisy Creek Trestle as he controls the mid-train helper.

 

Wayne C. is seen at Montieth (aka, Rooster) Rock with his RR-East train drifting downhill.

 

Pete H. (center) and Jeroen G. (right)discuss switching strategy as they work with the Marcola Turn.   While the transfer of a long cut of cars to Weyerhaueser is relatively easy, the other switching, such as Neste Resins (left) requires some strategy.  In the background we see Wayne C. with his RR-East train rounding the curve at Westfir.  Above, to the right, Mike W. brings his RR-West train into Wicopee.

 

Earlier, Mike W. (left) was down in McCredie Springs with his helper engineer Mike L. watching their train climb through this first siding (on the modeled RR) above Oakridge.

 

Jeff S. (right) and Rob S. (center) worked the Oakridge Turn.  Here they are switching the Western Lumber mill at Westfir on their way back to Eugene.  Their SD9 locomotives are the only motive power currently on the railroad that will survive the era shift back into the 1950s.  They have been a paint and detail anachronism for 1984, but they will be right at home in 1958.

 

At a different time in the session, regular crew member (one of the original operators on the railroad) Mike B. works his RR-East train past Westfir.  Pat L, working as a helper engineer is in the background, likely with his power either helping uphill or drifting back to Oakridge on the mountain grade part of the railroad.

 

Keith K. (center-right) worked as the East Switcher for the Eugene Yard.  Mike L. (green shirt, center) took his usual position as the Eugene City Switcher, seen here working the industry spurs in the pass-through area between the Eugene Yard and depot and the Arrival-Departure Yard in the back room.  Mark K. (black shirt, left) served as the switcher for the Arrival-Departure Yard.

 

Early in the session, A-D Yardmaster Randall P. (left) and A-D Switcher Mark K (right—looking at something overhead in Crescent Lake at the top of the modeled railroad) are sorting through the work in the Arrival-Departure Yard.

 

Loren M. served as Dispatcher for the session.  He filled the Dispatcher’s Block Authority Sheet over the course of the session.  He kept the traffic moving and all trains moved that were on the line-up—a major success!

 

Although a few minor glitches show up—they always seem to—the railroad ran well.  The experienced crew moved the traffic and completed a twelve fast-hour line-up.  I am happy to be closing out this part of the life of my railroad with a mature operating scheme and mostly cooperative equipment.  The planned era and equipment shift will introduce all sorts of chaos, but resolving that chaos will be a fun challenge. 

PREPARING THE 1950s LOCO FLEET - 1

When I originally brought my railroad into operating service in 2015, I had to make an era choice.  Although I had considerable 1950s equipment, almost all of it was DC-analog.  Further, much of the 1950s locomotive fleet would require hard-wiring of decoders.  Time use was critical.  Contrasting to the 1950s fleet was the 1980s fleet which benefitted from waves of then-recent Athearn six-axle EMD locomotives which were “DCC Ready.”  They had “mother boards” that allowed a quick installation of a nine-pin DCC decoder.  Combined with lots of 1980s era-supporting rolling stock, the decision was easy to go with the more modern era.

 

Now that I have a decade of operations and nearly one hundred operating sessions under my belt, I decided the time had arrived to fulfill the dream of 1950s operations.  Aiding that back-dating choice has been further development of the required locomotive fleet including models of locomotive classes found in abundance on the Cascade Line.  

 

In the 1950s, the Northern District of the Southern Pacific utilized lots of EMD F7 locomotives.  This familiar “covered wagon” of the early diesel era was well-suited to operations on the mountain grades and winter climates found on the Northern District--the Donner and Shasta-Cascade Routes.  My study of 1950s SP Operating Division locomotive assignments affirms the F7 assignments.  Per Joe Strapac’s Southern Pacific Historic Diesels Volume 10 (SPHD Vol.10), SP’s massive F7 fleet came in several flavors.  The casual observer may dismiss them as all looking the same, but that Strapac volume provides quite a bit of detail describing visual changes that occurred over time in the various production orders.  

 

Personally, with a mis-read/misinterpreted “factoid” concerning specific production classes of SP’s F7s, I found myself stalled as I chased after what I thought were the spotting features of two classes (production orders) that dominated the Northern District locomotive assignments—the DF-6 and DF-7 classes.  Fortunately, I spotted a clearance sale by Walthers of a run of Proto F7s and decided to make a fleet purchase.  As I began digging into details and loco numbers, I finally recognized that my fleet purchase was exactly what was needed—those Walthers Proto F7 models were exactly configured as DF-6 and DF-7 class units.  The major spotting features were: 36-inch dynamic brake fan, early slatted-style side intake grill, “widow’s peak” roof overhang on unit rear ends, curved door corners for the cab doors on the sides, and pilot plows.  The eighteen units I purchased will become six three-unit locomotives—the most common locomotive lash-up of the mid-to-late 1950s.  These units will be the core of my road freight fleet.  

 

I purchased the Walthers F7s as DCC-ready.  Walthers equipped DCC units with ESU Loksound decoders.  My standard uses SoundTraxx sound decoders rather than ESU.  Fortunately, once one removes the shell on the Walthers models, one has a very easy installation of a SoundTraxx 21-pin decoder.  My choice has been Economi decoders for fleet use with Scale Sound Systems speaker/enclosures.  This is a relatively economical combination that sounds great! 

 

Sound decoder installation in Walthers Proto F7A chassis.  The foreground is the DCC-ready chassis.  The rear unit has a SoundTraxx Economi decoder plugged into the mother board and a Scale Sound Systems speaker replacing the original speaker enclosure (weight) seen to the right.  Scale Sound Systems also supplied the two-wire harness and plug that allowed a direct plug-in connection of the speaker into a receptacle on the mother board.

 

The most difficult part of the decoder installation has been removing the shell from the chassis of the F7A units.  The shells for the F7B boosters have slipped right off, but the A-units have been a challenge.  I think one can safely call this challenge a “Chinese puzzle.”  

 

Working to remove the shell from the chassis of an F7A locomotive.  The white styrene strips are holding the shell latches away from the chassis notches.  The Xacto chisel blade at the rear is ensuring rear-of-shell clearance.

 

Shell removal actually begins with coupler removal.  That is quite common for locomotive models.  It also sets me up for replacing couplers with real Kadee couplers.  I have used Kadee couplers for my entire “serious” time in the model railroad hobby—since my teen years.  Besides supporting a good Oregon company, I found as many others have that Kadee couplers just work.  I replace the front coupler on the A-units with a Kadee 148 “whisker” coupler, my defacto standard.  The rear couplers, including both ends of the B-units, call for short-shank couplers—a Kadee 143 coupler.  I found I needed to trim the rear of the draft gear box to clear the locomotive trucks.  A good flush-cutting nipper made short work of the required shortening.  I also found I needed to run a rattail file through the coupler shank hole and polish the top of the shank with a flat file.  A production line makes short work of this.

 

Trimming KD-143 draft gear box rears and assembling couplers for F-unit installation.

 

I found setting up the Economi decoders to be very simple.  Indeed, rather than using DecoderPro (a computer program that makes many decoder settings easy), I could make just a few decoder configuration variable settings to make the Economi decoders “sing” to my tune.  Most of the default settings of an Economi diesel sound decoder are for an EMD F-unit.  Besides setting the four-digit loco address, the two most important settings are a low master volume setting and settings for the Mars light (the upper headlight housing on an SP F-unit).  I spend far more time trying to break into an F7A unit (remove the shell) than it takes me to do the decoder settings!

 

As I develop this F7 fleet, I will renumber most of the units for unique locomotive numbers.  Several of the F7A-units will get train numbers in the number boards rather than the (extra) locomotive number.  That will be another visual reminder, that my era shift will also bring a traffic management shift, as well—back to Time-Table and Train Order operations!  

 

In spite of frustrations with breaking into the F7A units for decoder and speaker installation, this is an exciting time for me and my railroad.

SOUNDRAIL 2026

One of the major West Coast regional operating events is the biannual SoundRail event held in March in the Puget Sound region of Western Washington state.  Operating layouts from Olympia north to the Canadian border are featured during the three-day event.  This year, we mixed with operators from all over the country with a number of prominent folk in the model RR operations interest area present.  I had a chance to touch base with my former San Francisco Bay Area colleagues plus others I have met online from across the country.  That “people” aspect is an important part of these events in addition to operating on some superb model railroads.  In many ways this was a preview to the operations that will take place alongside the NMRA National Convention to be held in Tacoma in August, 2027.

 

I drew three wonderful layouts for my operations.  The first was on Chuck Lee’s Colorado Front Range railroad.  Chuck fills his basement with operations out of Denver with a major branch line west to Golden, CO.  The layout is double decked and has fairly complete scenery—all done by Chuck in eleven years while working.  His “youthful” (compared to me—wink) energy shows with a far more finished railroad than mine in a similar time-frame.  In addition to the railroad physical plant, Chuck has a working CTC (Centralized Traffic Control) system.

 

I drew the Golden Turn, a train that runs from Denver to Golden, switching along the way and delivering traffic to Golden which then forwards much of that traffic to the large Coors brewery operation.  This was a plumb assignment.  My train effectively began the session and ended it with me working continuously.  In addition to switching cars at industry spurs along the way, I needed to sort and block cars for the final run up to Golden which had limited space and appreciated the two car blocks (Golden and Coors) I delivered there.  

 

Denver North Yard below and Golden above.

 

Commerce City below and Arvada above.  My train switched Arvada on its way back to Denver from Golden.

 

As a local freight, I needed track and time from the Dispatcher while clearing up for other trains.  The Dispatcher was able to release switches to my control and then would signal me to contact him by lighting up the call light on top of the signal shelters at either end of the siding I was working at.

 

My second layout operation was on Burr Stewart’s Burrlington Northern – Seattle Region layout, marking my second time operating there.  Yes, Burr spells that first word that way as a play on his name.  My first time was almost a decade ago.  Burr’s layout features operations among the many yards in the region inherited by the BN merger of 1970.  Locomotives and rolling stock represent the “rainbow era” of early BN operations with equipment painted in all four of the original BN component railroads’ colors plus early BN paint.  Each of the yards also had local area switching to perform.

 

Burr took advantage of my height to assign me to the Burlington, WA, yard in the north part of the region, with switching there and in Anacortes.  This yard was on the upper deck of the double-decked layout.

 

Burr Stewart briefs the crew at the beginning of the session.

 

The aisle I worked in with “my” Burlington Yard on the upper left and the South Seattle Stacy Street Yard below.  The Everett Bayside Yard is on the right.  A lot of action is represented here, as with the rest of the layout.  The Dispatcher’s desk has the TV monitor in the bottom left corner.

 

Typical of this sort of model railroad operation, we crewmembers spent an hour or so getting acquainted with our yards and the operations required.  Around the time of our lunch break we all noted we were just beginning to understand what was needed and how to accomplish that.  

 

My third day was spent on Tyler Whitcomb’s Tenino Western, a magnificent N-scale layout featured in a number of articles in the national model RR press.  Although I have found difficulties with N-scale for my older, weaker eyes and untrained fingers (for rerailing), Tyler’s operation was wonderful!!!  

 

Tenino Yard, one end of the railroad.  I ran transfer runs between here and the mid-point Lake Yard.

My train departing Tenino on its way through South Union and Tumwater on its way to Lake Yard.  The railroad is effectively “finished.” In detail.  Amazing!

 

Continuing on toward Tumwater and then around on a peninsula just out of view on the right and then into Lake Yard.

 

Lake Yard.

 

Tyler Whitcomb’s operation is well thought-out and a joy to operate.  Running through finished scenes inspires me to keep working toward that same goal on my own railroad.

 

SoundRail is a major event with many superb operating model railroads.  National visitors are in for a treat at next year’s NMRA National in Tacoma!

SWAP MEET FINDS

 At the end of February, the Willamette Model Railroad Club held their annual swap meet in Portland.  Half of my regular operating crew are members of that club, so I chose to partake of the meet mostly as gesture of support.  I went with very low expectations as my purchases have become very focused on the railroad I have built.  

 I refrain from talking about purchases in this blog other than particular products that have a material impact on my railroad or its operations.  That all changed with this swap meet as I scored not one, but ultimately three significant swap meet finds that directly contribute to the “next chapter” of my railroad.  This was an extremely rare event!

 

The “next chapter” for my railroad involves a long-planned shift of operating era on the railroad from the current 1984 back into the 1950s.  That plan has been sitting in plain sight in a sidebar to this blog since its beginning.  I chose to commence operations in 2015 with “modern” (for me) SP equipment from the 1980s.  That refined to 1984 in short order based on equipment availability.  Ease of conversion to DCC (decoders into all motive power) drove that choice.  

 

I have a significant investment in DC-analog equipment that I used on the club layout I was part of in my working years in the San Francisco Bay Area.  Unfortunately, most of that equipment requires hard-wiring for decoder installation. For some well-loved equipment it might involve motor replacement as well.

 

With a developed and tested railroad (OK, lots of scenery to go plus “usual” electro-mechanical tweaks still needed), I have been longingly looking at backdating to the “rainbow era” of Southern Pacific operations—Daylight, Two-Tone Gray, Tiger Stripes, and Black Widow paint schemes.  I have been working through my motive power fleet of that earlier era, sorting out what needed to be installed and making decoder choices and purchases.

 

With that backdating goal in mind, I approached the WMRRC Swap Meet focused upon the potential of finding equipment that might fill identified holes or weak spots in my equipment roster.  I eventually made two locomotive purchases at the swap meet and then made second-hand caboose purchases at one of the two principal Portland model railroad shops—a trifecta!

 

Swap Meet finds at Cruzatte.  Two brass caboose models, an SP Black Widow F7 ABBA set, and a PrecisionCraft SP Daylight Alco PABA set will all find important places in my operating fleet as I back-date into the 1950s.

 

My first purchase was a PABA set in full Daylight paint.  The PrecisionCraft (affiliated with Broadway Limited) units are heavy and well detailed, well suiting my personal standards.  These should plug a passenger power fleet hole needing a powerful Alco PA set to pull my Shasta Daylight.  My Shasta Daylight is a brass Coach Yard set with car weights in the 11-12 ounce range and the usual blunt axle ends in coined truck frames (lots of friction).  My Overland PABA set needs a machinery repair in addition to fitting decoders, speakers and electrical wipers for DCC operation.  The PrecisionCraft set has the potential of getting me a working PA set for this train more quickly.

 

An added bonus for the PrecsionCraft PABA set purchase was from whom I got it.  Heather Clark is a custom painter here in the Willamette Valley.  She also is a former SP Brake-person.   I have known her since I arrived back in Oregon.  We have chatted at shows about topics we have in common including loco painting.  It turns out a mutual friend had been an early and long-time customer of hers—Ron Plies.  I knew “Rusty Ron” (as labelled in SP History circles) from my Bay Area days.  Ron and I shared a passion for SP passenger trains in addition to model railroad operation.  Ron passed away this past year and Heather has been handling much of his model RR estate, hence the PABA set.  I get a warm feeling knowing Ron’s PA set now sits in my basement preparing to pull my Shasta Daylight.  

 

As the swap meet ground on past noon, I finally was able to get over to Charlie LeCaine’s Whistle Stop table (one of the two major Portland model RR shops).  Sitting on that table was an Athearn Genesis F7 ABBA set at a decent swap meet price.  DCC decoder equipped and in Black Widow paint, this locomotive set will usefully augment my road freight power pool for the 1950s.  I already have the same set in my collection, but decals will take care of the loco numbers.  I now had two significant swap meet purchases.

 

Finally, while I was in Portland, I visited the other major model railroad shop—HobbySmith.  Sitting in the display case there were several Precision Scale brass SP cabooses, appropriate for the 1950s era.  Once again, these will usefully augment existing cabooses in my fleet—a fleet that needs to expand for my much larger layout.  I acquired C-30-2 and a C-40-1 models.  Yes, they need paint, but that is well within my capabilities.

 

I was very pleasantly surprised to leave Portland on WMRRC Swap Meet day with not just one, but three major additions to my operating fleet.  These purchases will move me much closer and much sooner to my planned era swap.