NYCSHS Modelers Committee NYCS Modeling Photos

Below you will find photos  from members of the NYCSHS Modelers Committee sharing their NYCS modeling.

Dave Mackay Models in HO-Scale.

This photo is a rendition of the passenger layover yard that was in Dumont, NJ on the River division of Dave’s layout.

This little switcher is Dave’s scratch-built model of a GE 70 ton Diesel Electric Switcher, Class DES-1. It is built on a Bachmann GE 44 tonner drive.

 Rich Stoving’s HO-Scale Layout

 

The prototype photo (left), NYCS neg. 6357-2 was published as the cover on the 1st Quarter 1990 issue of Central Headlight. It was used as the basis for the model in the right photo, which is on Rich’s HO-scale layout. Paul Stoving did the rock carving. The model photo was very difficult to take because of the delicate two-track telltale right where the camera needed to be. The K-3q is lettered for K-3q 4683, the prototype of which was an old favorite of Rich’s. It is an old Alco Products model that he acquired in 1976. Rich rebuilt the mechanism (which he says was awful), replaced the drivers (which were even worse), and superdetailed it. He finished it and put it in service by 1979, and a photo of it running on his old layout is on page 13 of the 3rd Quarter 1980 issue of Central Headlight. So it has been running for over 35 years. The “consist” is just three stock cars that happened to be handy and were shoved up behind the loco with his “0-5-0 switcher” for the photo.

The caboose is a Max Gray HO one and Rich’s wife, Nancy, gave it to him for their first Christmas after they married, December 25, 1959. It was this caboose that got him started modeling NYC exclusively, 55 years ago. Before that, he had his own generic model railroad, the Niagara & Western. Yes, he lived on Niagara Street in Dumont before they were married. The train is on track 3, westbound into Breakneck Ridge Tunnel, west of Cold Spring, NY on the Hudson Division on Rich’s HO-scale layout.

Noel Widdifield’s 1/29-Large Scale Layout

A pair of NW-2s await switching assignments as one of the remaining 0-6-0s with a wooden caboose drops a boxcar and cattle car into the yard at Anderson, IN on Noel’s Big Four NYCS Large scale layout.

Noel shows his layout to a couple of the local USPS employees as one of their daughters takes a look at the interior detail in his scratch built roundhouse. 

Ron Parisi’s HO-Scale Modeling

 

This is Ron’s model of the famous meat packer’s building with direct access to the NYC Line. We all probably have one of their familiar reefer orange cars on our roster. This is a scratch built building using the scratch and scribe method of styrene building. It was skinned with H&R embossed brick sheet. Grandt Line windows and doors were used with custom doors on the loading dock. The dock features the scratch built meat rail system and numerous details. A vintage scratch built cooling tower on the roof reflects an era before mechanical refrigeration, as do the ice-bunkered reefers that delivered the merchandise. 

This view on the Line shows a meat processor’s building such as the Armour or Swift & Company that might have had.  Note its long unloading platform, meat rail system, and elevator in evidence. This is another of Ron’s scratchbuilt buildings.

Manuel Duran-Duran’s HO-Scale Modeling

Manuel is our editor of the “From the New York Central Engineering Department” series in the NYCentral Modeler. His engineering and drawing skills have made this feature an acclaimed addition to the magazine.  Teamed with Larry Faulkner, he has provide us with many fine 3-D drawings and final models for modelers to enjoy and replicate. His job keeps him many miles away from his home and prevents him from doing the construction of the detailed models he loves. Like some of our other young members, the job makes modeling take a backseat, but his drawings provide the ability to model by a different means.

  These are two samples of some of Manuel’s work for the magazine.  His illustrations include step-by-step drawings of the structures and provide an excellent basis for building the model for the reader.

 Even if Manuel didn’t actual build models these excellent drawings are yet another way of enjoying model railroading. This drawing of a NYC stockyard was developed from the engineering drawings available from the NYCSHS “NYCS Structures DVD” available in the Collinwood Shop.

Two more examples of Manuel’s drawing skills are shown in these to photos of the NYC &HRRR Electric Zone Standards Sub-Station drawing by Manuel for a model constructed by Larry for the 4th Qtr. 2014 NYCentral Modeler.

 

The photo on the left is the unfinished scene of the 125th Street Station area on Park Avenue in New York City. His viaduct structure is almost complete. The one on the right is Manuel’s almost finished facade of Grand Central Terminal with some incomplete building models and some paper mockups from his 3-D drawing products.

Kyle Coble’s HO-Scale Modeling

Kyle models in HO scale a part of the Michigan Division of the Cleveland Cincinnati Chicago & St. Louis (Big Four) railroad in 1904 – 1905. His layout (obviously in progress) mainly depicts the station, shops and yard of the Big Four at Wabash IN. This photo depicts the handlaid Code  55 and Code 40 rail around the paper mock-up of the Wabash station.

Kyle uses paper models of the structures he is going to place on the layout to assure proper dimension and fit. This is a ground level view of the paper station model (left) on his layout and a postcard of the real one (right) at Wabash.

 

Remember that Kyle has written a couple of articles about 3-D printing for modeling and has shared many photos of his Big Four boxcars and cabooses with us. This is another example of his 3-D printing of a Big Four bobber caboose.  He has also assumed the role of editor of the new feature in the  NYCentral Modeler called “The Early Car Shop.”

 

Finally, this is a shot of some of the 3-D printed “wooden” locomotive pilots that he printed for NYCSHS member, Tom Bailey.

Dan Seligmann’s N-Scale Modeling

Dan doesn’t have a current layout but has built several N-scale layouts in the past and always wanted to model the upper Harlem between Millerton and Chatham.  That is in his future so for now he is constructing some structures for his later layout. His “Notes From the Harlem Line” will be an occasional feature in the NYCentral Modeler.

The photo shows the mockup that Dan has created for his Tower 65 at Chatham, NY and will be the subject for his article in the 2nd Quarter 2015 NYCentral Modeler.

Here we see another shot of the paper mockup of Tower 65.  More and more, modelers are using paper mockups to be sure the get the dimensions and fit correct before proceeding with scratchbuilding the actual model.

Here we see a postcard of the actual Tower 65 at Chatham and it looks like Dan has gotten it right.

Seth Lakin’s HO-Scale Modeling

Seth’s club has not had a scenery on a layout for 12 years. At that time he was an early Conrail modeler (and still is to some extent). So here are some of the black and blue locos with a little splash of other color that he has. He also has included some locomotives from the club’s freelanced railroad, the Empire Valley & Western, and photos of the cabooses and 858-B models he has built and detailed.. Seth continues to contribute articles to the NYCentral Modeler.

These two photos are of Seth’s Club layout with locos lettered for Conrail and the Empire Valley & Western.

Here are shots of two of the models Seth built and kitbashed for the articles in the NYCentral Modeler.  The boxcar is a Lot 858-B NYC car and the caboose is an American Model Builders 19000 NYC scribed side model.

Larry Faulkner’s HO-Scale Modeling

 

Larry is the editor of “The Harmon Files” in the NYCentral Modeler and is a very professional and prolific modeler.  He does not currently have a layout, but continues to build many excellent models of structures for the Electric Division.

 

These photos are of Larry’s current project, the NYC Harmon Shops Coal Chute that are being built using the 3-D drawings done by Manuel Duran-Duran.  This is a very big project and represents a very large structure. In fact, Larry really has no place to put this when he finishes.  He says he will just store it with some of his other models until he has an area to start his layout.   Look for the finished model in a future NYCentral Modeler.

 

Here are two of Larry’s detailed models.  The model on the left is a NYC Standard Switch or Flag Cabin built from kits but greatly improved and detailed.  The one on the right is the NYC’s Harmon Substation 6A built from the drawings from Manuel. These two models present the wide range of modeling skills that Larry brings to the NYCSHS.  Look for many more excellent models from Larry and regular coverage in “The Harmon Files”.

Brian Marotta’s N-Scale Modeling

Brian wrote an article for our very first NYCentral Modeler telling us how he painted some EMD E7 A/Bs and Alco FA-1/FB-1s in the early versions of Lightning Stripes.  His layout is not complete but he shares some photos of some of his loco painting in a portion of his layout that is complete.

Brian’s E-7 A/B rounds the bend by the creek on his N-scale layout.  Looks like a mixed consist of passenger cars.

Here we get a better view of some of the scenery on Brian’s layout and a great shot of the L4b Mohawk crossing the creek with a long train of freight cars. This is Annsville Creek, just north of Peekskill, NY on Brian’s NYC.

In this shot we see another example of Brian’s expert locomotive painting as his RS-3 follows the earlier E-7s along this stretch of his layout.  This time it looks like the cars are all heavyweights, with a baggage car up front.

Paul Pickard’s Multi-Scale Modeling

Like many of our younger members, Paul has little time for modeling with the demands of work and family. He collects N-scale “models in boxes” as he says.  He wrote an article about his father’s TT-scale modeling in the 4th Qtr 2012 edition of the NYCentral Modeler, giving us an understanding for the size of TT-scale.  He also has experimented with some 3-D drawing and has several projects on his “to do” list.

Here we see some of Paul’s father’s TT-scale collection that Paul has carefully preserved.  In the photo on the left, we see that  the TT- loco is considerably larger than the N-scale locomotive.  Paul loves the fact that these fine models are still in good condition.  TT-scale has all but disappeared.

 

Paul has played with 3-D drawing for his modeling, but says that he worked up this drawing of a caboose, but never got to the stage of actually building it.

 

Here is a shot of the 1″ scale K3p pacific his dad built on its maiden run at the Pioneer Valley Live Steamers track in 1972 with his dad at the throttle. The tender at that time was a temporary plywood one. He has this engine now but it is in need of a full rebuild including boiler… He says “….some day….”

 Ralph Schiring’s HO-Scale Layout

Four track helix on Ralph’s HO-scale NYC/Erie paired track layout for access to a future upper deck – empties into Cleveland staging below.

Layout Description:  The city of Marion meant different things to the four railroads serving Ohio’s eighth largest city. Single Erie and New York Central mains paralleled each other in an east – west transit of downtown. Erie dispatched both lines as if there were a double track railroad running west from Galion, 23 miles to the east. This section was part of NYC’s Cleveland to St. Louis line with plenty of freight and passenger action. These same tracks supported all of Erie’s Jersey City to Chicago action; hence, the pace was fast a furious. In this “paired track” arrangement, each road retained exclusive access to “their” customers and interchanges. Meanwhile, the two east west roads crossed the C&O’s double track main to Toledo and the Pennsy’s single track coal line to Sandusky all within an interlocking the size of a football field. In fact, Marion promoted itself as the “Train Watching Capital of Ohio.

The model faithfully duplicates AC interlocking and the Erie and NYC industries to the east. Being a new OS Omaha entry, scenery is sketchy, and 2015’s participants will be among the railroad’s first operators.

Basically, two folks will run main line Erie and NYC trains while two others perform local switching at the whim of the AC tower operator. And nothing can go wrong, go wrong, go wrong, go wrong!

 Motive Power:  Steam and diesels co-exist with plenty of variety from diamonds to lightening stripes.

 Control System:  Lenz hand helds

Car Forwarding:  Car Cards & Waybills for local cars. Mainline trains run per management’s instructions.

Dispatching:  Direction of Traffic [Westbound on the Erie, East on the NYC] & Verbal Authority from AC Tower

Operators:  4 to 5 – (1) tower operator (uses two boards) (2) road crews – one NYC and one Erie   (1or 2) local crews

Accessibility:   Basement stairs, walk-out blocked by the railroad. Facilities on same level.

 East staging – 10 tracks between 16 and 21 feet in length.

   

(Left Photo) Future Marion Union Station site – NYC & Erie Mains head toward the horizon while crossing the Pennsy (near camera) and C&O (Two tracks in distance). (Right Photo) Marion’s C&O Coal Company at the end of “muckraker” siding.

(Left Photo) Leader Street underpass. (Right Photo) Marion’s Huber Tractor Works Buildings 3 and 4.

 

(Left Photo) East Marion Tower control panel – LED’s display switch position and track occupancy.  (Right Photo) Marion Army Engineering Corps’ warehouse depot under development.

Main lines passing Engineer’s depot and Scioto Ordnance Plant east of Marion.

Continue to watch for updates to Ralph’s layout and he works to complete his dream railroad.

To have us include some photos of your NYCS layout contact Noel Widdifield at: nfwiddifield@nycshs.org