TCA Eastern Division York Train Meet – April 2024

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Today, I attended my third TCA Eastern Division York Train Meet (aka York). Do these shows hold much interest for a Proto48’er? More than I use to think. The image above shows one of the five halls. While there are very few 2 rail O Scale models on the tables, there are some. Here is a USH PRR I1 with a price of $450 on it.

Having come from the Chicago March Meet which had just over 300 tables of 2 rail O Scale and the Strasburg O Scale 2 Rail Meet with over 90 tables of 2 rail O Scale. This show is massive. They even have a shuttle bus for getting between the Halls.

The show had newly released Atlas-O models. The Atlas site had indicated that the non-powered units did not ship with last month’s powered unit shipping. But there was one of the new unpowered Reading F7’s on the tables. I will post more about these in a couple of weeks.

There were guys selling custom weathered cars at the show. This example of an Atlas-O Trainman 70 ton triple hopper wearing the as-built 1956 paint. This weathering is heavier than I prefer, YMMV.

There are a number of tables of vendors selling trucks and automobiles. These models don’t care how many or how far apart your rails are.

I saw an interesting pairing on a table a CNJ Trainmaster and a CNJ Heritage unit. Kind of a sharp contrast. I have to say that I saw examples of the later Trainmasters from Lionel and MTH which both looked very nice.

The 3 rail Trainmasters almost looks like a better starting point than a Sunset brass model. Both were nicely painted, just have to fix the pilots and convert them. Not sure I really want to add another project to the list for models out of my era.

This was an interesting car on a table. Way too modern for me, but it is amazing what they are producing in the 3 rail world.

This was my third time attending a York show. I had dismissed this show in the past. Now I look forward to it. I didn’t buy a lot, couple of freight cars, a couple of automobiles, and some tools. It was a great day not to be at work and see some friends in the halls.

Strasburg O Scale Show – April 2024

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Today, was the April 2024 Strasburg O Scale Show. As always there were lots of buying and selling going on as well as a lot of stories being shared. Sometimes I think these events are really an excuse to hang out with some friends for a few hours on a Saturday and enjoy some models as well tell some stories.

I didn’t get as much of a chance to get around to all the tables. I was covering a table selling off some of John Dunn’s collection. I was helping finding new homes for some nicely built kits and Kit-bashes that John had collected.

Ken Kime did a demonstration on using a static grass applicator to flock the trees and ground cover.

John Wubble, owner of The All Nation Line had an interesting drive on his table. It was an underbody for a Gas Car. He also had a bunch of drive component part available. Glad to see the line growing since they bought it.

Finally, I wanted to end with an image that makes me laugh. Atlas O just announced re-releasing the old Weaver 2-8-0 Baldwin consolidation. There was a lot of talk online about how wonderful this is with a release price of $799.99. I wonder how well they willl do against the Weaver models that regularly show up at the shows?

Chicago Show 2024 – On the Tables

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The show always starts with high hopes. We all have things on our “Have-to-Have” and “Want-to-Have” lists. We always hope one of those models turns up on a table for us to buy.

I have a number of those models that I’m on the look out for, this show did not have any of my “Have-to-Have” models, but it did have a lot of really nice models available. I thought I’d share a few that that I saw at the show.

Bill Yancey had this nicely built SC&F kit built up on his table for sale with Protocraft Proto48 trucks for less than the kit originally cost. That one came home with me.

Bill also had some really nice structures on his table.

Not my era for modeling but this was on Bill Davis’ tables.

The Pacific Limited 1932 Seaboard car was also on Bill’s tables. There were three additional examples of this model on other tables at the show.

I’m not a big fan of the cement canister cars, most were in dedicated service and would not be seen on other roads. Bill Davis had this pair of Parri built cars. They were not the only example of the Parri built cars at the show. They did look nice.

Jim Canter had another example of a the cars this one imported by RY Models.

Greg Stone had some nice cars on his table also.

Tom Mapes had two sets of Key PRR models. An AA set of E8’s and an ABA set of E7’s. Those models made it all the way to late Sunday morning. While I was talking to Tom around the end of the show, the E8’s went to a new home.

There were a number of models in the show for us East Coast modelers. This example of the Golden Gate B&O Columbian set for example. A few years ago, when I was considering modeling the Reading line in NJ, I would have gone after this set.

Dan Mason had a nice OMI CNJ caboose on his table.

There were a total of three Westside PRR H6sb’s in the room. This one was the cleanest one, a little tarnished. I had one of these but sold it back at the O Scale National in NJ. They are a really nice model.

There were a pair of Pecos River Brass Contrail GP-15’s on Dave Vaughn’s tables.

There were even some Reading models in the room.

The nice thing about the show is there is always more stuff to look at than you can imagine.

Chicago Show 2024 – New Models

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Just returned from the 2024 Chicago O Scale Show. Another great show!

There were some new models from various manufacturers at this show, as well as a host of used models. Here are some of the new models I saw at the show.

Twin Star Cars / Modern Era O Scale
Ross Dando had a sample of a Rock Island rebuilt USRA box car. The car looks great and should be released later this year. I’m looking forward to this kit!

Ross also had samples of the car that are available through the other side of his business Modern Era O Scale.

Southern Car & Foundry
Jon Cagle from Southern Car & Foundry had the last of his inventory of previously released models on his table maybe a half dozen kits at the beginning of the show. He also had samples of a possible car to be released later this year. We saw the casting for a Northern Pacific composite box car.

Jon was also showing samples of the masters of two different tank cars. One a two compartment car and the other a single compartment car.

Rails Unlimited
Ted Schnepf had a UP 50 foot composite UP A-40-1 boxcar. While I think this is a great looking car, it was retired by my modeling period.

I was interested in the “PS-0” ends as he labeled them. They are a Pullman Standard end that was used on a few different car. They developed the casting for the CGW kit-bask project car. These were also used on a class of B&O boxcars.

Lambert Locomotive Works
Dylan Lambert had available on Dave Vaughn’s table a couple of recent 3D printed cars. The PRR “Ore Jenny” Class G39 and the modern center beam cars. Dylan really needs be at this show next year if he really wants to produce models for the O Scale market.

Snow Day Today

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With a nor’easter coming into the area dropping snow, our offices were closed today. Almost felt like a little kid again wanting to go sledding.

This morning the workbench is full of models that were sprayed with Dull Coat on Saturday. The weather was nice enough to paint in the garage. Go figure.

I needed to seal the decals on my friend’s H21. I went through on shot gloss coat and dull coat on a few other models, 17 more actually. Most were cars I either picked up recently and updated the weight dates but others were lettered in recent months.

2024 Time to turn the page

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It’s time to turn the page on 2023. Enough of that year. Time to clean off the workbench and start the new year off fresh.

The weather guys on TV have been talking all week about SNOW today. Now they are saying just a dusting. Either way it is a good morning to finish cleaning in the train room and clear off the workbench and jump back into a couple of recent projects.

A PSC Bethlehem 65 ft mill gondola for the CRP and the RY Models PRR H21 in the background being done in a late 50’s paint for a friend. Both models have had a lot of cut and piecing together of the lettering. Both had one side lettered on each of the models. Then the workbench got a little cluttered and these two were on hold since the beginning of the Fall. Now the bench is clear and time to work one them again.

So I’ll finish my coffee in my Chicago mug, look forward to thoughts of the March Show and focus on 2024.

In Memoriam: Bill Losse

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My brother, Bill Losse passed away yesterday. I’m the youngest of six kids and he was number two in birth order. He was responsible for introducing me to most of what I enjoy in life.

He put a camera in my hands when I was five. He let me ride along in the car while he went out to chase trains. He introduced me to a lot of the locations that I would travel to later when I would go out on my own adventures. He encouraged me to build models, first with airplanes and later with trains.

The image I posted is from the early 80’s. We were trackside up on the former NYC along the Hudson River to photograph the Amtrak FL9’s.

This is the memory of my brother I keep going back to today. I will miss him.

In Memoriam: John Dunn

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John Dunn who most know as one of the promoters of the Strasburg O Scale Shows died peacefully at home on Friday Dec 12th after battling several serious health issues over the past month.

I’ve known John for over 20 years, he was a friend. If you ever attended a show or event with John you would have seen, John knew everybody. I was always amazed how many people that knew him and greeted him warmly. Not only did he know them, but he always remembered their names and had stories to tell about them. And John was a very good story teller.

I had the pleasure of driving to the Chicago Show a couple of times with John. He was one of the most upbeat people I’ve ever met. When it came to trains, John liked them all, HO, O Scale, Lionel, and prototype trains. They all brought out the little kid in him.

The above image was taken at Chicago. It was the Saturday late in the afternoon. After a good day of buying and selling, I asked John if he found everything he was hoping to see at the show? John mentioned that he was hoping to see an Overland Ferdinand Magellan Presidential Car. I smiled and told him to turn around, there was one on the table behind us. This was John’s reaction to opening the box to examine the car.

I will miss my friend.

In Memoriam: Dave Richter

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Dave Richter

Sorry to hear of the passing of Dave Richter.

Dave was the promoter of the  “Eastern O Scalers” series of train shows. Under his guidance it expanded from a small show in Easton, PA, to three shows a year, a Spring and Fall show in Wind Gap, PA and the August show in Denver, PA. Dave also was a dealer for Weaver Models, Sunset 3rd Rail and others. In retirement, he moved to Virginia to be near his family.

For those that didn’t know, he was a former long-time member of the Cherry Valley Model RR Club. That was where I met him.