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Hi, Ed. Most of those cars are from the World War II era I think, but they are restored and kept freshened for these excursions. They sure do look nice though. I actually chose the side of the tracks I was on more for the ground there than the side of the train. But you are right that I should have considered it and chosen the right side of the train for the engineers. Without thinking about that, I got lucky both with the Big Boy and the Empress last may on that. I did not know exactly when the train would pass by and, as usual with many train schedules, it was late. UP published a very good schedule for where the train would be on display, which happened to include Hempstead for a 30 minute display beginning at 12:15. I wanted to catch it in motion so I backed up the track about a mile, figuring it would be going slow enough by then to get a good video of it. It got delayed enroute to us twice, with the second one being at the crossing just up the road. That is why there is so much dead time at the beginning, with just the smoke being visible or stepping over towards the track to see the headlight of the stopped train. My position was taken as behind the crossing arm when it dropped, so i knew I would be a safe distance from the tracks. Part of the delay above us was too many people standing too close to the tracks for the comfort of the engineers and crew. In the notices for the train coming, UP says to stay at least 25 feet from the track, which is the limit of their right of way ownership, pointing out that closer is legally trespassing. I was more concerned (and I think UP was too) with safety than the law, but it is something to remember when you get near the tracks.

Yep, it sure does. That was a great place to see it too.

Thanks. It is a very impressive piece of machinery.

I have not yet noticed that happening, but I will keep an eye out for it and let you know.

@@Rothstein_Model_Trains Thanks! I like your videos.

I know that feeling. I had to burn a vacation day.

I am happy to be of service. We had actually looked at the Bachmann version before we decided to try this one.

Thanks, Ed. I can see doing that and it might be interesting. For my collection, Big Boy would be the second biggest though. The Big Blow turbine would be the longest, I think. It has two fairly large locomotive units plus the fuel tender. Might have to try sorting them by prototype age to show how they get longer over time, until a technology change starts the cycle over again.

Hi Ed. I have had a couple other problems but I usually don't see them that quickly. A very common warranty is one year against manufacturing defects. My experience with this is fairly limited since I mostly take them back to the hobby shop and let them handle the interactions with the company. Mike is pretty good at fixing little things like this and has a very good working relationship with most manufacturers they sell for. He has had to ship some back to Broadway Limited for me and they gave great service replacing or repairing things. I know he diagnosed one for me from Bowser and they sent him the parts to fix it. Scaletrains (I mail order direct from them) gave me great service, replacing a coupler under warranty even after I told them I broke it in a minor collision. My Kato Big Boy is down right now with a bad motor. Mike has already called Kato and it is so new they don't have the spare parts yet. That is the first significant problem I have had with a Kato product. I hope they can get caught up on the parts fairly quickly (the strike at our ports might be a real problem for that one though). BTW, I was shocked to hear about Allen. We are too young to think about that happening to our age group yet. He was a good man and a good friend.

@@Rothstein_Model_Trains No kidding about Allen. I added him to the Deceased Classmates section of our class website and so far 10 classmates have left a comment about Allen. I was looking forward to seeing him at the 50-year reunion, but, alas, it was not meant to be.

Thanks for that. I haven't had anything where I felt the need to test its pulling power that much at the beginning. The few I have tested was to see if they were stronger than most of my other locos. I will keep it updated, sounds like a good video - comparison testing of some of the common locomotives from different companies.

Thanks. I have had very good luck with most of the BLI equipment I have bought. The two where I had a problem, the hobby shop worked with BLI to repair or replace them. I don't mind an occasional problem (everyone has a bad day sometime) as long as they stand behind it and fix it.

Glad you liked it!

Gracias. En total, el Big Boy, los 2 tenders, el auxiliar diésel y el equipo de excursión ascendieron probablemente a 1.400 dólares. Sentí que valía la pena el dinero. Pido disculpas por cualquier error gramatical. Estoy usando Google Translate porque mi español de secundaria fue hace más de 50 años y no lo recuerdo muy bien.

@@Rothstein_Model_Trains Sin duda vale la pena, creo que es un tren magnífico. Felicidades.

Well, sort of. There is no definitive answer because each layout and locomotive is different. I could run 17 on my layout with the Zephyr if I was careful which locomotives I chose. And I did find out that the Digitrax Evox command stations run a much larger number of locomotives at one time. With the Evox system, the question is no longer what the system will run, but how many I can control at one time before they crash because my reflexes/responses are too slow.

I agree, it is a beautiful train. But you are never too late for our party. We keep these up forever (or at least as long as RUclips lets us).

I have no experience with the NCE, but I still use the Zephyr on one of my layouts. It works well, especially with a remote throttle plugged in to make it easier to run multiple trains.

It is beautiful. Expensive is a personal judgment question based on value. With all 3 engines set up for DCC and lights for the passenger cars, it could cost $1,000 or more, but you can lower that cost significantly if you use analog DC instead of DCC, leave the cars unlighted, or not use as many locomotives or the expansion set of cars. With a couple hundred hours of use out of it, the cost drops to only a few dollars per hour, so not expensive to me. Now, my wife on the other hand...

Glad I could bring up some good memories for you. I got the trolleys for my nostalgia of riding the Cream/Green PTC trolleys as a kid in Philadelphia. I agree, one bus token with a few transfers each way let me explore a fantastic city as a kid.

@@jamesdenny4734 I was very impressed by it. I guess the two motor design worked well for them.

Sorry, you are right that you don't get a good view of the whole thing. The one minute limit on shorts cut it off. But you can see a quick shot of the whole train just before it jumps to the leading locomotives at the end.

The basic principles will be the same. The command station only puts out so many amps and each locomotive will draw so much. At some point you will run out of power and need boosters. The big difference will be how many locos you can run, since HO scale will take more power per loco, but the HO setting on the command station may put out more amperage than the N scale setting. And in both cases, getting enough feeders properly spaced around the track will make a big difference to how well the trains run.

I agree that the dual motors is a big factor in the Kato Big boy pulling power. I was pleasantly surprised by how much it would pull. And I agree that the smoking part is a strong plus for the BLI version. I don't think any of the three are a really bad choice though. I know it is an expense, but if you get a small used laptop, you can run JMRI decoder pro. You would also need an upgrade to your command station to accept the USB input, but that lets you turn the momentum on or off. You can even adjust it so you can stop suddenly but start slowly or vice versa. I might have a used Zephyr command station soon, if you want it. We currently use it for my son's HO layout, but I am thinking of upgrading it to a better station anyway. It won't be before September at the earliest, but I can let you have it if/when I do the upgrade.

I agree. The packaging is really good for shipping, but not for storage use when you use them.

While I will freely grant you permission to use this video, I think you will find it is not historical at all. The paint scheme is a fantasy paint scheme created by Broadway Limited Imports for this model. The real Big Boy was never run in the greyhound paint scheme. Their 4-8-4 Northern, number 844 was used in that paint and it was liked by modelers, so BLI made their model in this scheme.

@@Rothstein_Model_Trains By historicle I mean 4022 itself & thx.

Thanks. I agree that BLI did a great job with this model. I also think the Greyhound scheme looks better than the all black versions.

Thanks, I agree that it is beautiful.

Tbh no one cares I feel it would be a beauty to pull passenger trains

Thanks for the correction. You are correct that I have do not know. I have only been into railroad modelling for a few years and these locomotives were out of production before I was born, so I have no firsthand knowledge. I look things up on the internet before I make the video and had found a source that said they had been intended for passengers first so I said it. I know that not everything I see on the internet is correct, but it is the best I have to go on.

Thanks. I agree that I would like to see them pulling passenger trains. They might on my son's layout since we go by the concept of his railroad, his rules.

I also have no idea as I wasn't alive when the Sharknose locos swam the rails, but it was my first HO scale engine at the age of 5 in the late 1970s so I have always had a soft spot for the old Baldwins whether they are pulling freight or passengers. Funny enough there are plenty of pictures online of RF-16s pulling passenger cars; perhaps these photos are just elaborate hoaxes intended to fool future generations of model railroaders ;-) Really love these videos and definitely makes me start scheming as my future retirement hobby!

Thanks. I am looking to get much more into this hobby when I retire in two years (well, 758 days but who's counting).

Thanks. I had not noticed their antennae. While I do like the details, I am not really into it enough to know the differences in antennae like that. I prefer the Tuscan red paint jobs, but my son prefers the DGLE so the HO we have are almost all DGLE. My N scale are almost all Tuscan red.

@@Rothstein_Model_Trains I’m curious to ask what does DGLE stand for? Is that a special initial for the type of green paint they’re wearing I always thought that Brunswick Green was the preferred Green paint on the PRR two locomotives the examples that were Brunswick Green include the famous GG1 electric locomotives and the largest rigid frame locomotive the T1 duplex soon to return from the ashes exciting news from the T1 trust the locomotive frame is already started it was on display with four of the eight driving wheels installed on it but not permanently connected

When I first got into modeling, I thought Brunswick Green was the correct color also. I was corrected that PRR called it Dark Green Locomotive Enamel, DGLE. When I saw the GG1 in the museum in PA, I saw why it is not truly Brunswick green. The paint was so dark, it looked black until you got close enough to see there was a green tint to it. I like the green used in the models, but the few I have seen in museums were all that dark green that almost looks black or the Tuscan red..

@@Rothstein_Model_Trains I like both Tuscan red and Brunswick green Brunswick green looks good on the T1 duplex locomotives and here’s a fact it was Raymond Lowe’s favorite color he actually designed the T1 it’s design was designed by famous industrial designer Raymond Louie he also designed the GG1 and the streamlining for the K4 Pacific which was called the torpedo

Thanks. I like it a lot.

Thanks for the tip on double heading them. I use my speedometer and JMRI to synchronize the speed and usually can get them close enough to avoid problems. JMRI also lets me adjust the sound levels to match. When I do run them as a consist, I cheat and use the same DCC ID for both. That lets them both get the same signals for sound and helps too. I do use a syringe with a fine needle point to fuel the smoker. But this one did not smoke at all, even when it was new from the box. BLI usually ships it with a little smoke fluid in it to start with to avoid that issue. My son will probably run it down to the hobby shop this weekend while I am stuck at work. They will be able to tell me what is wrong, and they have a great working relationship with BLI for repairs if necessary.

The only thing I use to control DCC and Sound equipped locomotives is the Bachmann EZ Command Control Center. It unfortunately has no CV changes. But it was worth trying.

It never hurts to try. That is one advantage I have though, a proper (sort of) DCC command station. I started with DC, then moved to DCC using the Digitrax Zephyr command station. I did not care for it too much because of the way the throttle acts when you switch trains ( a regular hard wired throttle so the new train gets the throttle setting from the train you were using). I upgraded to one of their mid range command stations where I had to buy hand throttles and we now use the Zephyr for my son's HO layout. He keeps a hand throttle plugged in so he doesn't have the same problem and uses the Zephyr only for a third train.

Thanks for correcting the history part. I always appreciate someone posting when I get the facts wrong. My preference for the 2012 was the one I got. I will admit I did not pay enough attention to the pictures BLI put up, which show the Blue Mountain and Northern lettering, but they did list it as the RBMN in the description. I tend to go with the description more than the pictures. While I can see Reading working, if it is not 100% correct, either one would work well enough. And thanks, I did not know they had AFT #1 in the B&O museum. Is it restored to the Freedom Train paint scheme? And I am glad to hear they are restoring 2100. We need to do more to keep the classics alive and running.

2101 is painted as AFT #1 at the B&O railroad museum. 2124 is on display at the Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton PA. 2100 truly is undergoing restoration. Someday it will be fully operational. It will burn recycled vegetable oil. And even better, it will be painted in the AFT colors like 2121 to celebrate Americas 250th starting in 2026. I hope SP GS-4 4449 will also join the 250 AFT tour painted in her beautiful AFT colors as well.

I would love to see all three locomotives that pulled the AFT restored to its colors and running. Let's not forget the T&P #610 that pulled it in Texas. Of course, I don't know if #610 is still available for restoration.

Yes. T&P 610 did pull the AFT only on the Texas portion of the tour. But yes, no one knows if there’s a green light to restore T&P 610 back to operational condition. I predict the next 3 locomotives to pull the AFT will be T1 2100, SP GS-4 4449 and N&W J class 611.

Thanks for insulting "old people". There are plenty of "young people" like you with not a clue. Have you ever made a mistake?

Thanks

Hi, Ed. Sorry to not answer right away, but this hello is from Charlotte, North Carolina. Flew in yesterday for the conference and I am catching up on emails and things now. Yeah, the HO big boy is a humongous model. Not quite yardstick long (that is the O scale version), but pretty big. And if you think Amtrak needs Big Boy's help, let the UP know. Here is an article about the Big Boy excursion train pushing a manifest freight train that had gotten stalled on a hill: cowboystatedaily.com/2023/07/10/wyomings-big-boy-4014-locomotive-rescues-freight-train-stuck-in-nebraska/. Never even disconnected from the excursion cars, so it was pulling its assigned weight as well as giving enough force to push a heavily loaded freight over the top of the hill. It would make short work of assisting or pulling any modern Amtrak train. Have fun at the reunion. I really had wished I could be there, but oh well. Maybe next year for a mini reunion as close to June 17 as we can make it.

@@Rothstein_Model_Trains I still have you on the list to receive a Zoom invitation so maybe you can see our streaming feed from afar. Don't worry, though, we should have plenty of photos and video for your perusal following the reunion!

That is an interesting point about the ash pan. You are correct that it is obviously not needed now and I should have caught that and mentioned it. I do not know if it is just the extra traction tires or if it has something to do with the dual motor design (that I have heard was part of the problem getting the DCC/Sound version shipped), but what ever it was worked. My son posted a short video of the Kato pulling every Kato freight car we own (total of 59 cars) with no problems. I am picking up one of the new Athearn Challengers when I get back from a business trip next week, and I have one of the BLI Challengers ordered too. And, by sheer chance, when I picked up the Big Boy, I also got in two of the BLI Reading T-1s. I had told the guys at Dibble's (my favorite hobby shop) that I could not decide between the 2102 RBMN version to match my 425 model, or the Chessie version 2101 (I have liked the Chessie livery since I was a little kid and saw them in the area). They ordered one of each, figuring that it would not be hard to sell the one I did not choose. Or maybe they just knew that once both were in the store, I would take them both, which I did. I should get a new video out with the two of them running around April 13th or so. And I use the Marklin smoke fluid for my BLI N scale smoke units. Works very well for their Big Boy.

Yea. Broadway made 2 versions of Reading T1 Northern 2102. Either the regular Reading version or Blue Mountain and Reading. I know in reality since 2102 has recently been restored it now has “Reading and Northern” written on the tender. But I’m ok with just the word “Reading” on mine. I also have a feeling Broadway might re release the N scale T1s and might have a 2102 with Reading and Northern on the tender (Post Restoration). I recently did a great review of mine. And did a doubleheader with my 425 model. Wile both cooperated well I noticed 2 weird things. 1 425 was much louder. 2 425 looked a little faster than 2102. I think the reason why 425 was louder is because it has a plastic shell. 2102 and the other N scale T1s are a diecast metal. I honestly like diecast metal better because it’s more sturdy and durable. So when double heading 2102 and 425 you might need to program speed steps. And get a microphone to hear the bells and whistles from 2102 better. Or maybe it might have CV changes where you can make the bells and whistles louder. However I control all my DCC and Sound equipped locomotives with the Bachmann EZ Command Control Center. It may not include CV changes, but it’s my most comfortable and easy to use transformer. I also came across another RUclips user who posted a video about the N scale T1s. He said it can use either Marklin or JT Megasteam smoke fluids. I might use the JT Megasteam. It ships faster.

I had originally bought the FEF-3 #844 to run as a double header with the Big Boy also. It worked well when I used it with the Athearn 4014, but in the meantime I have gotten used to running it on its own. I might try it again now that the Kato Big Boy matches it.

Please do. I have yet to review my Kato N scale Big Boy 4014 model. But I kept it on the back burner because I feel DCC and Sound equipped locomotives are a much popular RUclips content. But I’ll get to it soon. And I should do another review of the Kato Amtrak ALC 42 chargers. I did one before, but I didn’t like it. So now that I have more ALC 42s, it’ll be a more interesting video. I also like how the DC analog version can have a lit engine component that’s lit using an 11-211 or 11-212 interior lighting kit.

I believe that it has the yellow/amber headlight LED but I am not sure right now. I dropped it back off at the hobby shop for them to install the DCC sound card in it. Chris can do the install itself for us, but we have no way to mill out the frame for the speaker, which is a requirement to get it in. I will try to remember to come back to this when we get it back and confirm exactly what it has.

I agree, they did get that color right, which is hard.

Thanks. Kato did a good job with this one.

I think it could be done, but from what I have seen on the internet, it is not a good idea right now. The main body parts of the engine are plastic and the heat of a smoke unit can damage them. A better idea is to let Broadway Limited Imports know that you are interested in a steam version, after they have redesigned the locomotive for it. The redesign involves replacing the plastic parts that are near the smoke unit with metal body parts that the heat will not damage. BLI is creating more smoke-unit equipped N scale locomotives, but it is a long process when they have as large a lineup as they do.

@@Rothstein_Model_Trains Oh.Ok then.

I just checked out another sight that showed film of those Toronto streetcars. The ones in the film from 1965 had windows in the bottoms of the rear doors, I don’t know when these were installed. They did originally didn’t have them, they were modified for safety reasons.

That is good information to know. I do remember them having windows in the bottom sections of the doors, but never noticed when that started.

Glad to help bring back memories. I got the trolleys because I loved riding them in Philly as a kid, and could not resist the memories myself.

Hi, Ed. Yeah, they are kind of boxy, aren't they? The problem with the one starting more slowly and the other catching up is just the programming in them.You can switch them to wait for the startup sequence to complete or start moving before that. You can also program the speed curve, which is how much power to give it at a set throttle setting. I usually try to keep it a straight line, which is not nearly as realistic as the prototypes are. They usually start very slowly and then the acceleration rate goes up as they get moving faster. That can be the torque and horsepower curves for the engines or it can be the result of having the loaded train holding them back. it takes a lot of power to get the heavy load moving. With syncing the locomotives in my model correctly, you can have one pulling or pushing the other faster than its own motor will go. If they are fairly closely synced, this is not a problem but it can cause real problems if they are far apart on speed at the same throttle setting. Chris bought the LED strips and put them in. They do help if I want a twilight scene (leave them on and turn off the main lights) or evening scene (they switch colors so setting them to blue looks really cool).

Thanks. I appreciate the support.

Hi, Ed. it takes a little while to get all those cars on, but not too long. I use a re-railer which is a small ramp that you can put the car on and it rolls down. The ramp has groves in it that are pretty wide at the top and narrow down as it gets to the rails, so it forces the wheels of the train into position on the rails. As long as you have enough straight track room, you can do this and just roll them down and into each other to couple. It doesn't require a lot of straight track since the front of the cars can roll forward as needed, even around the curves. The 32 coal cars in that consist cannot take more than about 5 minutes to get in place. It just seems longer when you are doing it. And the new cars I show in the beginning are supposedly marked as the current Amtrak fleet are. I did not notice any major inconsistencies with what I see in my area, other than I only have one locomotive to use. What other decals do you think it needs? I am also looking forward to the reunion, seeing you and a couple other old friends again. I currently plan on being there, but I am not sure yet that things will come together for it. I have to go to a conference in North Carolina about two weeks before the reunion and I am not sure I will get my reimbursement from the office in time for the second trip. But I am certainly hoping I can work it out. Take care, Steve

They are good people there, very helpful and friendly.

I apologize for taking so long to answer you, I have had a bad couple days. Thank you for your corrections. I used the trolleys as a passenger around 50 years ago or so, and I do not remember all of the correct terms, if I even knew them back then.

Hi, Ed. It is a nice train. They generally hold the track well at speed. Most derailments in models are caused by defects in the track (I think) more than speed. And yeah, I plan to keep adding to my collection. I have some interesting locomotives on order, like a third N Scale Big Boy (this one from Kato) and the Blue Goose and a Reading T-1 from Broadway Limited Imports.

Glad you also had a very silver Christmas. It is a cool train.