Backdrop Completed | 15 Comments - Click Here :

    Darel Leedy -  Over the course of the last couple of months, my friend Don Peterson and I spent a few Friday nights working to complete the backdrop which surrounds Dickey. I'll let the pictures do the talking (those of you who read via email will have to bring up the blog to read the captions):

Looking north (westward by timetable).

Looking south (eastward by timetable).

Before Don arrived, my first step was to project the photos I had taken in December of 2012, when the drought level
of Dillon Reservoir had receded enough to expose Dickey.

I also projected an image I had made from Google Earth. I was amazed at how closely the two images compared!
I then traced the images onto the entire backdrop.

Don then worked his magic paint brushes, and the results make it feel like standing in Dickey a hundred years ago.

Here, Don does his most favorite thing in the world, Lol. We took the suggestion of Mike Danneman, and started
by painting the backdrop the same color as used for the scenic base.

The same procedure of projecting slides was used for the entire backdrop.

The completed south end of Dickey.

With the backdrop finished, its time to get this train rolling, and start on some real scenery.

 A huge thank you to Don for his time and talent. Even if it will cost me some DCC installs. Thanks buddy!

Darel Leedy

"Along the Blue" #29 | 0 Comments - Click Here :

John Templeton Collection.

The "Files" Section | 1 Comments - Click Here :

    Darel Leedy - As a reminder, be sure to check out the "Files" tab under the main header. Many a wonderful high resolution document have been posted here. A big thank you to all who have shared their information! If you have something you'd like to share, send me an email by clicking on the Moderator's profile, and I will provide the necessary procedure.

"Along the Blue" #28 | 2 Comments - Click Here :

John Templeton Collection.

"Along the Blue" #27 | 0 Comments - Click Here :

Denver Public Library

John Templeton Collection.

Roper's Snapshot Saturday No.47 | 0 Comments - Click Here :

The Railroads of Leadville | 1 Comments - Click Here :

http://www.silverrailsleadville.com/

Overland Passenger Car Modifications - Part 3 | 1 Comments - Click Here :

Equalizer Bars:

Keith Hayes - While the PBL trucks result in a free-rolling passenger car, the C&S truck sideframe has a continuous piece of steel that extends from brake beam to brake beam under the lower equalizer beam. This gives the C&S cars a delicate look that the D&RGW trucks lack. Both railroads used a Master Car Builders (MCB) design, which was widely used under wood passenger cars in the 19^th and early 20^th centuries.

So I picked up some 1/64 x 1/16 K&S bar at Caboose  (it was the smallest they had--I got lucky as it is just right).

Cut four pieces about 7/8" long, and clean the ends up with a file. Bend one end up a bit to match the equalizer bar. Then place the brass piece on the truck and scribe a line at the opposite end where the equalizer bar turns up.

This is the bend point at the opposite end. Be sure to bend the bar perpendicular to the length. Cut the bar to match the opposite end. File the cut face flat and parallel with the bottom portion to provide a larger gluing surface. Don’t add too much bend, the bar should be just below the lower portion of the sideframe.

Measure three times and do as much test fitting as you can stand. This bar fits between the two inboard bolts holding the journal boxes in place.  There is a great image of a truck on Hayes Hendricks' C&S passenger car sit under car 70.

Mix some epoxy and place a small dab inside the cast in bolt. Then place the bar flush with the outside face of the casting and wait to dry.

Don't get too carried away with the bend or you will have a truck that looks more like a pickup for third rail power.

Got a mail car model—you can use the same PBL trucks with some modifications. The PBL trucks model a composite wood and steel MCB truck. In the early 20^th century, several companies offered an all-steel version of the truck with the brake shoes suspended inside, rather that at the end beams. You can approximate the steel trucks by removing the brake beams from the PBL truck and shaving off the two pairs of bolts in te top beam of the side frame. Also, remove the hanging links between the coil springs and the spring plank. If you really strive for a closer match, use CA to glue a small piece of styrene along the bottom edge of the lower equalizer to simulate the flange on the cast part.

Thanks to Chris Walker for providing the prototype examples from the DPL Western History Collection.

Keith Hayes

Modeling Leadville in Sn3

Overland Passenger Car Modifications - Part 2 | 0 Comments - Click Here :

Trucks: 

    Keith Hayes - Once in a while I must bow and listen to Derrell say, "I told you so!" Today is the day.

    I bought an Overland passenger car a few years back and sent it to 7th Street for a paint job. The 7^th Street Super suggested I trade out the troublesome brass trucks with some from PBL. I said no, and the car came out of the shop looking good, but with finicky brass trucks and brake shoes that like to short out on the metal wheelsets..

    With all the talk of sound cars, passenger cars are a great candidate too. But, you have to get power to the car. PBL trucks have this figured out. Jim suggested I take the dive, and I got some trucks from PBL.

    Checking the height, and the PBL trucks are a very close match. The issue is the outside bearing equalizer casting, which the C&S car lacks. PBL seems to have anticipated this issue. The equalizer screws to the frame and secures the wipers. Sweet!

    Remove the screws and flip the casting over. Even better there are centering ribs to mark where to saw the casting.

Saw at the end of the ribs, file down the top some,  and clean up the works.

Screw the truck back together, and install the bolster screw, also a perfect fit!

    This is a great project that took less than 15 minutes and greatly improved the rolling quality of this car. I still need to add a brass strip under the lower equalizer bar on each side to more closely replicate the C&S truck, and they need to go to the paint shop for a coat of black paint. But, the car is now ready for a Sound Car install. Thanks Derrell and Jim!

Keith Hayes
Modeling Leadville in Sn3

Overland Sn3 Passenger Car Modifications - Part 1 | 2 Comments - Click Here :

    Jim Courtney and Keith Hayes - The Colorado & Southern inherited most passenger cars from predecessor railroads. Passenger cars were numbered by type (baggage, combination and coach in ascending order) and age. You can find the complete roster, photographs and other resources at Hayes Hendricks’ website, Passenger Cars of the South Park: http://www.midcontinent.org/rollingstock/CandS/dsp-passenger/index.htm. Four passenger cars (and some fragments) have survived, notably RPO 13, coaches 70 and 76 and business car 911.
    Overland Models imported Sn3 brass models of the 13, 70 and 76 a while back. Note that while 70 is representative of cars 70-73, and 76 likewise is considered typical of 74-76, there are subtle differences among the cars. For example the letter board on 70 continues level under the roof extension at the platform whereas it dips down on the other cars. These are generally fine brass models, but can use some improvements before operation. This is the first of a three part series on modifying these models for more reliable operation.

Couplers:

    The issue with closer coupling of the Overland C&S coaches is not so much the length of the coupler shank, as it is the draft gear box used and how it is mounted.

    Overland has drilled and tapped 3 holes on the coupler pad below each platform.  You used the two paired holes to mount the standard Kadee draft gear box, the one with two little "ears" with holes.  Unfortunately Anjin located these pretty far out, next to the end beam.  The result is that the end of the draft gear box protrudes well out beyond the end beam.  No matter what shank length is used, close coupling isn't likely.

    In a fit of inspiration, I decided to try the "Darwin" universal coupler pocket, marketed by The Coach Yard at $4.95 per package of six boxes (enough for 3 cars).  The Darwin is an adjustable gear box, designed for HO passenger cars with such Kadee mounting screws.  Instead of 2 fixed "ears" there are two open slots, to allow the mounted coupler to be adjusted closer or further away from the end beam.

    Didn't work, foiled again by Anjin!  The two tapped mounting holes are to allow for small diameter screws (? 0/80).  The holes in the Kadee "ears" are much larger in diameter.  Thus, Anjin spaced the holes a bit further apart, to allow the heads of the screw to trap the outside edge of the Kadee "ears" to secure the box to the car.  The "Darwin" boxes have slots that are closer together, thus the holes on the Overland cars won't accept the "Darwin" adjustable feature.

But wait, there's more!  

    By chance, the third hole in the Overland mounting pad is perfectly located so if you mount the "Darwin" box using its center hole, the box mounts way back under the platform.  A standard shank length Kadee "whisker" coupler (either standard or "scale" head) seems to mount perfectly with the back edge of the coupler head as close to the coach end beam as possible.  In the photos, these are HO "scale head" couplers--I still think they look a bit small:

    Note that the two Overland mounting holes are hidden under the top edge of the slot flange, as it rejoins the draft gear box.  The Darwin box is also thinner than the Kadee draft gear, so the coupler is mounted at the correct height relative to the rail, not too low.  As a result, this is the closest coupling I can come up with for the Overland cars, 19 to 23 scale inches between the outside faces of the end beams, depending on the car.  

    I have tested the coupled cars on 28" radius curves, both pushed and pulled, and they do not derail coupled this closely.  The use of the PBL plastic trucks also prevents the possibility of shorts between the brass cars with this tight of coupling, as the car bodies are insulated from the rails.  I don't know whether the couplers will center adequately on this tight of a curve to allow switching of the cars on a curve.  In my operational plans, the cars will stay coupled in their respective passenger trains (the Leadville passenger and the Fish Train) anyway, so it is not an issue. I will leave the Kadee pins on to allow magnetic uncoupling in my staging yard's tracks.

    Also, note that I have removed the brass Overland air and signal hoses, as I'm pretty sure that they will foul on curves with the cars coupled this close together.  After painting and finishing the cars, I plan to install Jimmy Booth's Sn3 rubber air hoses for flexibility.  I have also removed the stock Overland safety hooks and chain and will replace them with chain of longer links and use Precision "small hooks", a brass casting.

Anyways, that's how I did it.