I'm closing in on the finish to part one of my layout replan of my replan of my replan (you get the idea). I'm wondering, does anyone have a deadline in their yards? I'm not talking about locomotives that are for some reason broken, I'm talking about stuff that is modeled to be not running. Hulks, retirements, lease return engines, stuff that your miniature N scale shop crews need to repair? If you do, HOW did you get the locomotives? I can't see buying a $100 locomotive to just have it sit, and I can't recall seeing dummy N scale locomotives.... Just to answer the first question some will have, yes, I do have enough space on one end of my yard to put a dead line in.
It may not be as easy as it once was, but Bachmann, Model Power and Atlas used to make some real duds that were very cheap and good for little else then stationary locos. You can still find some of these at swap meets. There are companies that make body shells at reasonable prices (JnJ for instance) which can be detailed as wrecks instead of super detailed runners. There are left-over shells from locos whose mechanisms went into other body shells. And there are those high dollar locos that have had an unfortunate confrontation with a concrete floor.
I have an abandoned spur on my layout with an old gondola weathering away, but a whole section of a yard for a deadline? That's a very interesting idea. I've often seen eBay auctions for 'junk box' items which often included old junked locos (being sold for parts). Larry also had a great idea about body shells. I also supposed those old Readers Digest dummy GP35's could be acquired for a low cost. Many are still kicking around eBay. There's an old service facility in my area that has been chopping up old rail equipment for many years. I've seen many pictures of strings of locos waiting for 'the torch', as well as cannibalized locos stripped of various parts. There's a whole lot you can do with that sort of scene.
I'm just thinking... I'm planning on having a fairly substantial yard, and some nicely sized locomotive facilities. Along with the stuff that is running, a dead-line for junk would be interesting. I think my best bet is going to be to get my hands on some parts and frames and put together my own dummy locomotives. They won't have to be super-detailed, but a nice deadline, maybe a few with hoods removed and prime-movers exposed, or something like that, would just look cool.
Well, I'm not sure buying el-cheapo locos is the answer. I'm assuming you're wanting to model something somewhat realistic and the dead line locos would be just as superdetailed as their running counterparts. I would suggest just watching at shows or on e-bay for non-functioning locos. Like, either the motor burned up, or the owner can't get them to run for whatever reason. I think Kato sells decorated shells and you could buy the shell and trucks and then scratchbuild a frame....but at that point the Kato parts department has soaked you for enough to just buy a loco outright on eBay most likely. One thing, you might just post a Trainstore ad asking for DOA locos. The Yahoo N_Scale group allows you to post WANT ads at any time as well I believe. (For Sale is only allowed 1st/15th.) You might be surprised what you get! I agree though, that would be kinda cool...have some with doors off showing the engine, maybe board up windows in one or two. I've seen the exhaust stacks covered with blue plastic, too. (think, blue tarps)
All great ideas, Doug. I may post an add this week. Looking for DOA locomotives is a good way to do this too. Now I'm excited about this idea, and I'll have to do it. There's too much cool stuff that could get done not to have one.
Just for those who are wondering what I'm talking about... check out these dead lines: http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=617201 http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=60213 http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=708408 http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=399260 And from another source: http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=214026 http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=195326 These kinds of things are my inspiration for this idea.
Some prototype inspiration (from the shop in my area): Billerica Shops 1 Billerica Shops 2 Billerica Shops 3 Billerica Shops 4 Billerica Shops 5 The more I think about it, the more I really like this idea. I also think it would be a great idea for an N-trak module.
I havent even started laying track on my 1st ever layout yet and I already have a loco I dont intend to run. It came to me because I liked the "Disconnect Log Car Set" that Micro Trains had. I bought the set for the cars only and will pull them with an Atlas 2 truck Shay. The Loco I'll put on the Dead Line is a Bachmann Prairie....which I'm told isnt really worthy of a decoder or the time taken to make the conversion to DCC. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
I would also suggest that any unit you do put on your "dead line" that you make sure to remove it from the drive train so that it will free roll. This way you can shuffle around the engines in the shop area occasionally without having to actually pull the units off the track. One thing too is to consider building some shop trucks to move hulks around with as well. These are simply railcar trucks that are put under locomotives while their powered trucks are off for maintenance or repair (or have been donated to other units during the parting-out process).
I'm also looking for some kind of "chopper" to cut apart locomotives that are being scrapped. I can just see gons full of scrapped locomotives. Hey! I made myself another industry, just by looking for something cool to have on the layout!
Note the wonderful thing about this shot... that FM switcher. No, it's not in the deadline; it was running when this shot was taken, though older than at least four of the five derelicts.
I won't play a $100 for an engine just to cut it up, either!! But, I have paid some money for such things. You can get locomotive parts(body shells,trucks,walkways,etc...) from Atlas. OR pick up an old unit from a swapmeet.... I have about a half dozen engines (minus the mechanisms) in parts alone. Not counting the two pictured below....... I allways am looking at swapmeets for future "parts sources" Jerry G.
I like Bruce's idea of getting those reader digest locos. I think putting them on a deadline would be a worthy fate for them. I was thinking of going the Atlas route too. Their shells and such are surprisingly affordable and I wouldn't think you would have as much guilt chopping up one of them as opposed to chopping up a Kato shell. Jerry G, those loco's you have look great. That ex-up unit looks great.
Jerry, This is a great picture. What did you use to model the inside of the conrail unit? Love it. This is the kind of thing I'm looking at doing.... with probably 6-8 locomotives (depending on the length of the locos I wind up with). JKD
It sure is. All well thought out and believable. I have two derelict locomotives, but yours seem to really fit somewhere in the yard for cannibalized parts. I think that mine were just overdone for "scrap".
About five years back, someone unloaded a bunch of old Atlas 4-6-2s and 0-8-0s. I bought about a dozen of them for just this purpose at about $15 each. They still show up on eBay. I will get around to it some day.
