Photos ...

Or steam?

More my flavor for mid-50's...  But I hate to put a bunch of quality steamers on the rust line.

Cap the stacks

If you are storing the engines long term, put a cap over the exhaust stacks so rainwater doesn't collect in the engines.  It can be canvas or sheet metal.

For the really old stuff that is permanently struck off the roster, "white line" it.  Draw a line through the number of initials.  

I have thought about it.

I tossed around the idea of modeling a locomotive repair shop with a wrecked and deadline that would be used for parts. My plan was to hit the units so a shop switcher could move them around to be “repaired” as part of the switching duties. I also would include flats with parts coming in or going out, as of right now there are no plans to build it but maybe someday. 

I have also seen units wrapped in tarps as stored serviceable the SP did this when the economy took a dump in the 1980’s but they had a bunch of new units. 

If you are going to commit to these units being “retired” I think opening some doors or removing some parts would add to their story. I have also seen that the stacks would be capped to keep snow and rain from getting into them. 

Cannibalization

Would the Engine Shop have salvaged the rotating beacons from the two F7's for use elsewhere? I don't see any horns, so I assume those were salvaged or stolen already.

Coaling the Fleet

So how are you gonna coal the steamers now, Mike? 

Dave already said it, but I

Dave already said it, but I would suggest adding some "Florida Roofing Material" Blue Tarps to at least the S-2. If you wanted to get really adventurous then I would start cutting up the unit, maybe remove some of the engine cowling to expose the guts!!!

Great work Mike

Outstanding scene as usual Mike. 

I'm amassing a similar dead line, since the IAIS was in the process of selling off its remaining MLWs and high-hood Geeps, as well as the majority of its Paducah rebuilds in my era.  However, yours looks much more the part than mine.  I'm looking forward to giving my castoffs some proper weathering in the coming months.

Here's an Erik Rasmussen prototype view of the Council Bluffs dead line (left) from April 2005, just before the first few Paducahs had been patched and restenciled for new owner Power Source Supply (PWSX).  To the right is one of the 22 700-series IAIS GP38-2s that displaced the 400s.

And a layout scene set in May of that year.  The blue LLPX SD38-2s arrived at about the same time as the 700s.

Here's the look I'll be shooting for when I get to the point of griming up the former IAIS 401 and 413, shot May 11, 2005 with "IOWA INTERSTATE" patched out and PWSX marks applied.  These units departed the property during the month I model (May 27, to be specific), so they'll be treated like any other revenue movement on the layout and pulled across town to the UP interchange when that day comes. 

The models of these units (first two in the photo above) started life as Intermountain products, but like all my dead line units, have had their motor and gears removed.  In my case, since the dead line was such key part of my prototype and its operations, I felt like it was worth the investment in this expensive "rolling stock" in order to accurately model these units.

Finally, here's how I plan to model the 405, shot May 18, 2005:

My model of the 405 (furthest from the camera in the layout photo above) was kitbashed from P2K components by my friend and fellow IAIS modeler Ole Pade and sold to me a few months ago.  Since the prototype kept its IAIS lettering through most of May 2005 and didn't move to its new owner until early the following month, I thought the in-process patch would be a fun way to tell the story of the IAIS's changing of the guard.

As you can see, the prototype gives us lots of options for how we can depict dead line units, from those expected to return to service to units that are awaiting new homes...or nearly on their way out the door.

Space,

Dead lines take up real estate, plus, the engines have to be useless. The track is usually an unused siding, weeds start taking over, they'd be brown in your season. Usually, if they're in a dead line, no one goes near them, if the engine has totally failed, they won't cover it, it's there till scrap prices are good, or someone wants it to cannibalize.

Here in Binghamton, the NYS&W leaves units parked on unused sidings for months.mh

Great idea

Hmm....now you have the wheels turning in my head. I was just about ready to turn one of the tracks on the other side of my engine terminal to a storage track that looked pretty run down and rarely used. Now I have an excuse to store my original Seaboard Central unit. The one I painted and decaled 25 years ago right after high school. It's going to need a lot of work but it will be a fun challenge. Parking it along with some other older MW cars that no longer are needed will create an interesting scene and provide some history. Thanks for the idea Mike.

Really Cool!

I like the idea!  Any running locomotive woud be put on Ebay to replenish the hobby fund.

However, old or junk locomotives would be a good and “cheap” candidate to model a deadline.

Joe

Plywood windows

Mike what did you use for the plywood covering the windows? Thanks!

Plywood

Hey coal man

Some sort of veneer sheet that I had laying around. It's probably basswood that you can get from one of those wood displays in some hobby/craft store. I've used the same sheet to make plywood sheets to board up section buildings/stations and now this S-2. I hit it with some black oil wash to give it an aged look. 

MC

Update!

Moved the AGR 107 over to North Rumford on the Oxford County shortline. Sister 104 is the shortline's sole power, and I figured the 107 might have gone with the deal as a parts supply. 

Seems to look right at home!

MC

Thank you

Thank you for the info on the plywood!

Also great idea moving the old Alco over to the shortline. Looks great and really adds to the theme!

Engine doors

Mike the scene looks great. I did a few units for the dead line blue masking tape makes for a great tarp over the hood of the units and I've noticed generally when the units are dead lines in specific guilford the hood doors are either removed or opened missing number boards that type of thing 

As others have mentioned, if

As others have mentioned, if you don't have, or don't want to use a working loco for this, it's a great opportunity to use an old/dead unit. Rubberband drives, Pancake motors...it's also a great opportunity to learn to detail engines where there's less of a monetary risk. 

Alas, for the deadline F-units, you'd probably be stuck with some version of the classic Globe/Athearn shell which is not quite correct, but it would be turning something from the junk bin into gold.

Line thru

Hey Mike,

If this unit is gonna be a parts supply for your short line, I would consider adding a black line through the Allagash logo on the side of the unit or something that would suggest this unit had been sold off by the Allagash. I have even seen the word Parts spray painted on the sides of a locomotive that is no longer a viable candidate for rebuild. 

I do agree, it looks right at home on the end of the spur with that old 40’ Box. Speaking of which, since you moved the time frame up have you phased out all the 40’ Boxcars? I would suspect many would be over 40 years old and no longer accepted at interchange by other carriers unless they had a 10 year life extension. I never heard of a 40’ boxcar getting a life extension but I guess anything is possible. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Tim G

Protecting your equipment

With the stored unit and the car used for storage I would make sure to give them some extra protection from rolling out or being hooked into. I would assume that you don't want crews to use the track or if you do you do not want them to hook onto the equipment. This can be accomplished by tagging the switch out of service, the railroad would also place a portable derail if the track does not have a permanent one installed so keep cars from rolling out onto a live track. You may also want to hang a blue flag on the unit and place a few chocks under the wheels.

40' cars

Hey Tim

Yeah Mike Rose suggested a line as well. Not sure if that is a "must do" or a "probably would have been" thing.

Regarding the 40's boxcars, I have a bunch of 8'-door PS-1s still in service, most in captive service shuttling woodpulp from the St. Regis mill at New Portland to the Scott mill at East Dixfield. None of those go off-line. I do have a few 6'-door PS1s in bagged grain service. They load at Blue Seal on the CP at Richford, VT, to AGR feed customers. There was a big pool of 40' cars (mostly CP, but also B&M/CV/EL) that provided bagged grain service to area feed dealers all over New England. Some of the CP cars were in service into the early 90s! In 1984 there were certainly a bunch of these around, but their numbers were declining.

MC

Hey Mike; Great idea.  Who

Hey Mike;

Great idea.  Who would I contact to see about buying the used Alco switch.  My Youngstown and Northern railroad a  US Steel railroad is looking for used Alco's????  Seems like there is still a few good miles left in her.

Thanks,

Joe

put a bucket on her

Bucket/tarp?

Scott

I've got a piece of plate steel covering the stack now. How would you model a bucket...or tarps? Sounds like a good idea but not sure how to pull that off. 

MC

Ex-Allagash?

Hey Mike,

Look what I found today. Maybe it’s one of yours at the end of its third life. Not sure where it’s heading but looks like it has seen a lot and done a lot over the years.

By the way. Very interesting info on the 40 footers. Makes sense to me, especially those in captive service on your line. The grain service cars must have been built later on and went thru a life extension to make it into the 90s. You can bet once the 100 ton high cube 50s started showing up that spelled the end of the 40s since 70 ton 50 footers would have become more readily availabe.

Tim