Very interesting to follow the work day of a railroad crew, & the spotting & pulling of cars in the consist. Thanks so much, it was an enjoyable viewing for me !
Incredible . Never been to Oklahoma. What a beautiful state. Particularly loved watching the Turn, with those GP38's - to me, the most versatile, beautiful locomotives built ( besides EMD cab units).
Tommy Thomason Thank you for your kind words! I think every state in the US has pretty areas and the KCS runs through the eastern edge of Oklahoma, in the Ozarks. I find it to be a very scenic line. I like the GPs too. I'm modeling 1982 and this is what they ran. Perhaps you'll come out and operate with us some day!
Hey, Steve. I'd love that! But, I'm on a small, fixed income and got no transpo. If I did come, I'd take "The Hound" (Greyhound.) No flying for me. I had a free-lanced N-scale empire back in the late 80's/early 90's - The sky blue, sunset yellow and black Texas Central and Pacific Railroad. So, so much fun. Can't do that now. Don't have that kind of money or room anymore, but looking at these video's is almost as much fun as having a layout again.
Your welcome Steve. I've been following some of the tutorials and clips for awhile. The layout operations is very interesting and I would like to discuss further outside of this format. Do you have an email contact address?
Steve good to hear from you. I've sent a couple of emails to you in recent weeks. Should be in your email system. In particular I sent one yesterday. Cheers Duncan
Bill Day Yes, using almost 100% Kadee 'whisker' couplers. They don't work every time but work more often than not. We are fastidious about coupler centering, mounts and height. I use magnets in the yard, simple wooden picks (like you'd use for a Shish-Kabob) everywhere else. No matter how "good" the couplers are that come with the locos and rolling stock, I pull 'em out and replace with Kadees if that's not what they have. Also no plastic wheels - metal only (which reduces wear and doesn't result in plastic residue on the rails). For block detection, all cars are equipped with resistive wheels.
Ron, to “block” a train means to assemble it so that all cars going to a given destination are together, e.g. “In a block.” If they are “shotgunned” (the opposite of “blocked”) they are spread randomly throughout the train. If a train is going to work directly off the main, as many of our dodgers do, it will tie up traffic on the main line much longer if the train isn’t “blocked.” Thanks for viewing and for your comment.
Thanks for viewing and your kind comment Karden! Most of the searchlight signals I have on the layout are the BLMA models. BLMA no longer exists, I believe the company was purchased by Atlas. Also some (such as the ones at Spiro near Ft. Smith) are homemade, using a piece of pipe, boxcar or hopper ladder and a washer painted black.
nice layout, but neither Stilwell or Westville look like this lol, the only 2 things that were right in Westville was the feed mill on the left, and the old water tower on the right. but still nice layout, not many model the KCS...I love the ones that do, makes me think back to the mid 80s growing up just a block away from the main. getting cab rides was the best thing in the world. it got to be a normal thing, and from time to time, the engineer would let me pull the 2 gp 30s out of the siding on to the main and bringing them to a stop. nothing like pulling the throttle and feeling that 2200hp rumble to life.....good times.
arkie74 You lived there in the ‘80’s? That’s great! I’ve tried hard to model it correctly but I’ve had trouble getting images from that era. All of the industries are correct - I got the names and types of industries, and number of spots, from a 1982 KCS track chart. I’d love to get closer to the real look though. Do you have any photos or anything I might use to get my model closer to the prototype? It would really help. Thanks for watching and for the comment.
Thanks!! Actually, the KCS was unusual as a class 1 still running F units in 1982. But for the most part the cabs were decommissioned, and many were merely “slugs” (units with traction motors but no engine/generator. In the 1960’s they would have been proudly in the lead. 👍
Hello, Tom from Traintraxx We would like to know if your train club would be interested in our products and services we provide for the model railroader community. This is an awesome layout you guys have and we would like to talk to you about using RFID (like AEI Tags) tags for inventory control and operations platform. Thanks, Tom.
I’m not a club, just an individual. I already use RFID and hav a video on it. However I’m interested in what you might have to offer. Do you have a web site?
The dragging equipment counts the number of axles not the number of trucks, like the prototype does. I understand your point though: with 6 axle locos it can be hard to determine the number of cars in a train. I've listened to the real detectors and have that same problem. It takes a little guesswork.
I actually do have some E8's in that paint scheme. I need to show those in a video - the pull the Officers' Special. I LOVE the new Southern Belle scheme the KCS uses now. Unfortunately I'm modeling 1982 and the locomotives were all white then. They hadn't yet come out with the gray paint scheme. There may have still been some red ones around - I'm trying to figure out if that was the case.
Randy Funk Actually I have one - on the Officers Special. I’ll make sure to capture it in a video. I do love the return to the Southern Belle scheme on the modern-day KCS. Gorgeous paint scheme! I’m modeling 1982 and back then the only train with that had those colors was the Officer’s Special.
your train speed is way too fast for scale.. Your trackage turns are more like sidings and in real life would have a 15 MPH speed limit yet you are running your train at about 40 to 45 MPH ... it looks silly... Just my opinion... The layout itself is great though! Just the train speed is a little off... Remember... Main lines are always raised high with lots of ballast and the curves or turns are always elevated and gradual, not sharp.. I know it is hard to do prototypical curves sometimes with limited space.... Just saying...
Rob,Thank you for viewing the video. I agree it is sometimes tough to get operators to run at prototypical speed. Some do though - you might want to watch some of our other videos.I have the main lines on a higher roadbed than the sidings (roughly double height) and different ballast. Track speed on the KCS 3rd sub mainline was 50 MPH but most of the freights ran at 35-40 - you are correct. Turnout speed on most of these is 25 MPH. The Quarry Branch speed limit is 10 MPH. I do have a detector that reports train speed as trains pass it and some heed that and slow down if they are going too fast.Track curves on the main are 36" minimum radius, #8 turnouts (frog size) so pretty broad. Sometimes camera zoom lenses make them look sharper than they are.Your comments are valid ones and show that you are the kind of operator I like to have on my RR - someone who wants to run trains like the prototype does!
Very interesting to follow the work day of a railroad crew, & the spotting
& pulling of cars in the consist. Thanks so much, it was an enjoyable viewing for me !
Nicely done layout. It represents the area very nicely. I grew up and still live in Bunch.
Thank you - Bunch is a pretty area. Sorry it took me so long to respond: somehow I just now saw this.
Very Good Video. Like you screen explanations. It's nice to have the "Turn" explained. Thanks.
Anthony McMillan Thank you for your comment, and for watching!
Anthony McMillan Thanks!
Incredible . Never been to Oklahoma. What a beautiful state. Particularly loved watching the Turn, with those GP38's - to me, the most versatile, beautiful locomotives built ( besides EMD cab units).
Tommy Thomason Thank you for your kind words! I think every state in the US has pretty areas and the KCS runs through the eastern edge of Oklahoma, in the Ozarks. I find it to be a very scenic line.
I like the GPs too. I'm modeling 1982 and this is what they ran.
Perhaps you'll come out and operate with us some day!
Hey, Steve. I'd love that! But, I'm on a small, fixed income and got no transpo. If I did come, I'd take "The Hound" (Greyhound.) No flying for me. I had a free-lanced N-scale empire back in the late 80's/early 90's - The sky blue, sunset yellow and black Texas Central and Pacific Railroad. So, so much fun. Can't do that now. Don't have that kind of money or room anymore, but looking at these video's is almost as much fun as having a layout again.
Tommy Thomason So roughly how far away are you?
Atlanta, GA.
SUPERB opps video! What a great pike! Please keep sharing these videos with us! Thanks!
theubaum Thank you for watching and for your kind words!
theubaum Thank you for watching!
Nice Ops session. Good looking layout as well.
Great layout and a well edited clip of the layout. Well done to all concerned.
Duncan Cabassi Thank you for your kind words!
Your welcome Steve. I've been following some of the tutorials and clips for awhile. The layout operations is very interesting and I would like to discuss further outside of this format. Do you have an email contact address?
Duncan Cabassi Yes I do. Email me at SteveDavis@skylinecomputing.com
Steve good to hear from you. I've sent a couple of emails to you in recent weeks. Should be in your email system. In particular I sent one yesterday. Cheers Duncan
Great video,love all the trains.
Thank you for watching and leaving a comment!
Nice. Appreciate you for sharing. Very impressive!
Love this layout! What's the dealio with coupling though? Is it magnetic coupling? Seems that the locos and cars connect with no trouble whatsoever.
Bill Day Yes, using almost 100% Kadee 'whisker' couplers. They don't work every time but work more often than not. We are fastidious about coupler centering, mounts and height. I use magnets in the yard, simple wooden picks (like you'd use for a Shish-Kabob) everywhere else.
No matter how "good" the couplers are that come with the locos and rolling stock, I pull 'em out and replace with Kadees if that's not what they have.
Also no plastic wheels - metal only (which reduces wear and doesn't result in plastic residue on the rails). For block detection, all cars are equipped with resistive wheels.
I love this layout
Thank you so much!
Nice Layout looks big
Thomas Nativo it’s in a steel building 45’ x 60’
I was planning on the CSX river line Layout to Selkirk yard and Selkirk branch and Boston line
You have listed on your manifest to block certain cars for different towns. What is meant by the word block ?
Ron, to “block” a train means to assemble it so that all cars going to a given destination are together, e.g. “In a block.” If they are “shotgunned” (the opposite of “blocked”) they are spread randomly throughout the train. If a train is going to work directly off the main, as many of our dodgers do, it will tie up traffic on the main line much longer if the train isn’t “blocked.” Thanks for viewing and for your comment.
Incredible!
I always loved the white Ghost paint scheme.
Were Kansas City Southern F units like this one in the clip, powered, or were they slugs?
They were powered even in 1982. They used to run one on the Waldron Dodger for a while which seemed really strange on a local!
Brought Conrail Quality from the Hobby shop works is from Ho scale and it has working Wipers for the Windows like most trains have
Wow!
Never knew there was a train 10, hmm things you learn when watching videos.
SeaboardSystem ChessieCSX I don't run it every session.
Steve Davis well thank you for putting that up there. I had it as NB 4 on mine, so I changed it.
Who or where did you get the searchlight signals through? Fantastic layout by the way!
Thanks for viewing and your kind comment Karden!
Most of the searchlight signals I have on the layout are the BLMA models. BLMA no longer exists, I believe the company was purchased by Atlas. Also some (such as the ones at Spiro near Ft. Smith) are homemade, using a piece of pipe, boxcar or hopper ladder and a washer painted black.
Nice layout and operations
Thank you for watching!
nice layout, but neither Stilwell or Westville look like this lol,
the only 2 things that were right in Westville was the feed mill on the left,
and the old water tower on the right. but still nice layout, not many model the KCS...I love the ones that do,
makes me think back to the mid 80s growing up just a block away from the main.
getting cab rides was the best thing in the world. it got to be a normal thing, and from time to time,
the engineer would let me pull the 2 gp 30s out of the siding on to the main and bringing them to a stop.
nothing like pulling the throttle and feeling that 2200hp rumble to life.....good times.
arkie74 You lived there in the ‘80’s? That’s great!
I’ve tried hard to model it correctly but I’ve had trouble getting images from that era. All of the industries are correct - I got the names and types of industries, and number of spots, from a 1982 KCS track chart.
I’d love to get closer to the real look though. Do you have any photos or anything I might use to get my model closer to the prototype? It would really help.
Thanks for watching and for the comment.
at 27:00, before and after while switching… why was the switching not paused to let the other Trains leave the station??
nice OPs and great Layout
The f unit being in the middle of the consist drove me nuts it looks so goofy but I love everytbing about this layout
Thanks!! Actually, the KCS was unusual as a class 1 still running F units in 1982. But for the most part the cabs were decommissioned, and many were merely “slugs” (units with traction motors but no engine/generator.
In the 1960’s they would have been proudly in the lead. 👍
Great video.
dubcityalf Thank you!
A little rough on the throttle on the pick up toward the end! Slam!
another great vid Steve keep them coming the layout is looking great....check out my N scale kcs when you have time,,,,Gary
Gary, I checked it out, thanks. Great to see another KCS modeler!
That's probably a lot may take a lot of months but I'll see how well I do
Hello, Tom from Traintraxx
We would like to know if your train club would be interested in our
products and services we provide for the model railroader community.
This is an awesome layout you guys have and we would like to talk to you
about using RFID (like AEI Tags) tags for inventory control and
operations platform. Thanks, Tom.
I’m not a club, just an individual. I already use RFID and hav a video on it. However I’m interested in what you might have to offer. Do you have a web site?
It would be nice to count all the trucks its them that makes a train
The dragging equipment counts the number of axles not the number of trucks, like the prototype does. I understand your point though: with 6 axle locos it can be hard to determine the number of cars in a train. I've listened to the real detectors and have that same problem. It takes a little guesswork.
Movement of each and every car should be done by a simple majority vote. It's the American way!!
Brad Brazil Ha! 😂
Need southern belle units
I actually do have some E8's in that paint scheme. I need to show those in a video - the pull the Officers' Special. I LOVE the new Southern Belle scheme the KCS uses now. Unfortunately I'm modeling 1982 and the locomotives were all white then. They hadn't yet come out with the gray paint scheme. There may have still been some red ones around - I'm trying to figure out if that was the case.
Randy Funk Actually I have one - on the Officers Special. I’ll make sure to capture it in a video.
I do love the return to the Southern Belle scheme on the modern-day KCS. Gorgeous paint scheme! I’m modeling 1982 and back then the only train with that had those colors was the Officer’s Special.
your train speed is way too fast for scale.. Your trackage turns are more like sidings and in real life would have a 15 MPH speed limit yet you are running your train at about 40 to 45 MPH ... it looks silly... Just my opinion... The layout itself is great though! Just the train speed is a little off... Remember... Main lines are always raised high with lots of ballast and the curves or turns are always elevated and gradual, not sharp.. I know it is hard to do prototypical curves sometimes with limited space.... Just saying...
Rob,Thank you for viewing the video. I agree it is sometimes tough to get operators to run at prototypical speed. Some do though - you might want to watch some of our other videos.I have the main lines on a higher roadbed than the sidings (roughly double height) and different ballast. Track speed on the KCS 3rd sub mainline was 50 MPH but most of the freights ran at 35-40 - you are correct. Turnout speed on most of these is 25 MPH. The Quarry Branch speed limit is 10 MPH. I do have a detector that reports train speed as trains pass it and some heed that and slow down if they are going too fast.Track curves on the main are 36" minimum radius, #8 turnouts (frog size) so pretty broad. Sometimes camera zoom lenses make them look sharper than they are.Your comments are valid ones and show that you are the kind of operator I like to have on my RR - someone who wants to run trains like the prototype does!