On Track, with Deano

[UP SD40-2]

Well, i NEVER thought I'd start another thread , but after working a couple months of 10hour+ days, i have finally went down in hours, but have found myself in a modeling lul , hopefully starting a thread will help me get back into the swing of things.

Like the last two large threads i did, this one will follow along the same lines, look forward to some modeling progress, engine pics, railfan trips & pics, my thoughts on MANY aspects of train related topics, and i have a few more tricks up my sleeve in store for this thread too.

For those of you that don't know me, I'm Deano(UP SD40-2), 42yrs old and a HUGE Union Pacific fan , but i also have interest in:
CNW
The Milwaukee Road
Rio Grande
Illinois Terminal
GBW
Metra(Harvard line)
IC&E
WSOR

MY INTERESTS:
-i railfan the Union Pacific and the Wisconsin Southern
-i love rail road history and facts
-i like ALL makes of US & Canadian Diesel engines(old/new)
-i really like big steam engines, especially articulated's
-my dad has been a model railroader since 1964, so i grew up with the hobby and have been modeling for about 12yrs off and on, though i have been full into it for the last 7yrs.
-i collect HO engines
-i was into N scale for about 2.5yrs, but found i wanted to go back to HO...and did.
-i enjoy weathering, but DO NOT claim to be great at it, i just enjoy doing it.
-i swear by DCC, and am really into sound..."if your going to put a decoder in an engine, put a sound decoder in it."
-all my layouts(past/present) are based on a fictitious Union Pacific sub: "the Rock Valley Sub", set in Southern WI. though the layout is fictitious, it has prototypical aspirations.

Well, that sums up what i like/am into. i hope to bring some interesting train/modeling topics and TONS OF PICS, so PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CHIME IN with YOUR thoughts on anything i post here.
Till next time...stay on track!
:deano: -Deano


**THIS THREAD will be SLAM PACKED with pictures , ALL PICTURES I POST IN THIS THREAD WERE TAKEN BY ME & MY CAMERA , well...except for the picture above , it was taken by my dad with MY camera .
:deano: -Deano

[cnw1961]

Hey Deano, absolutely fantastic idea to start a new thread . Your previous two threads were among the best and most interesting here on the Gauge and another good reason to stop by every day and see what happened. So, go ahead, my friend .

[slekjr]

Deano,
I'm looking forward to this one.
Charlie

[Nazgul]

Great idea Deano!

I agree with Kurt...your other threads were always my favorites

Question: Any idea who the Hobo is in the pic?

[steamhead]

WoW...!!! Great to see you back Deano....!! I'm sure this thread will a huge hit..!!

That's an AWESOME engine the hobo picked to get his picture taken....What is it..?

[brakie]

Deano,I will be following your new thread..

Well,I knew you was a good guy that likes short lines.

I really like WSOR's paint scheme.

[thumsup]

Yes, I'm got sort of infected. Went to the LHS to LOOK around, came home with a Engine. Not just any engine a Kato F3A. Yep, you guess it, UP. Now I understand "what's UP" . Now the kicker, I don't currently have a layout, but, and again because of Deano one has been start. So, THANKS Deano I needed a kick in the seat of the pants.

Oh, and I too am looking forward to this thread. Glad to see ya back.

Joe

[slekjr]

Deano,
As a railfan of the WSOR do you have any photos of the 752 in original WSOR?
Charlie

[zachary]

looking forward to this thread i know it will be as good as your other ones

[chessie4155]

Hey Deano:
Glad to see your back..Looking forward to your new thread..
Mark

[Triplex]

Well, since you like UP history...

I know Big Boys were last used in July '59 as the last steam on UP. I thought the Challngers last ran in '58, but I found one mention of them in June '59. Did any FEFs make it to the last summer?

[UP SD40-2]

Kurt , THANK YOU SO MUCH for the kind words . really me starting a NEW thread was kinda Steve's(Nazgul) idea. while we were instant messaging the other night he mentioned me starting a new thread, and since i have been working on a new "write up" to post i thought starting a NEW thread would be a great place to put it in...i should have it finished by early this week

Charlie , THANK YOU! i will be putting TONS of proto pics in here, i hope you like what you see . i am sorry to say i don't have any pics of WSOR's #752 . but i would love to see more pics of how it looks now.

Steve , THANK YOU!!! ...HEY, i wasn't dressed as bad as a hobo! Folks, Steve and i were trying to come up with a name for this thread the other night, some of the names he came up with were some real doozies , lets just say Steve's a train thats went way off the tracks. (I'm still ROFL one the one name Steve)

Gus, THANKS! & GLAD to be back! that AWESOME engine I'm standing in front of is one of UP's Gas Turbines. these engines are TOTALLY HUGE!!! i am 5'11'' and that engine just dwarfs me . i am posting a side shot pic of it below, and the plate that hangs on it. real neat info on it, defiantly worth reading.

Larry , THANK YOU! sure i am first and foremost a UP FANATIC , but like you, i have a soft spot for shortlines too . you like WSOR's paint scheme eh, well i have some pics you'll defiantly like!!!

Joe , YOUR post hit me the most, THANK YOU SO MUCH, I FEEL HONORED . it's posts like yours that really makes it worth doing a thread , again, THANK YOU!
so you got a Kato F3A, thats FANTASTIC! i honestly feel Kato's are some of the BEST engines out there, GREAT CHOICE!!!

Zach , THANK YOU! i sure hope this thread is half as good as the last two.

Mark , THANKS! & GLAD to be back . i don't have much "eastern road" stuff, but i hope you find things of interest here. i know you too like Illinois Terminal, i just picked up one of their gons today!

Triplex , darn good questions! , i know i have the info on it, but i cant find it at the moment... . i do know that # 844 & #3985 NEVER were taken off UP's roster, so they made it past '59 . i plan on doing a "write up" in the near future on UP's steamers, I'll be sure and post your answer in it, if not before then.
************************************************** ************************************************** **********
I'm sure not all topics i touch on will appeal to everyone , but i hope to post a wide variety of stuff so everyone will find something of interest . NEXT POST TONIGHT...
be sure and be sitting down folks, because what you will see in my next post will slap knock your socks off!
:deano: -Deano

[UP SD40-2]

WHAT A DAY....Dad and I went to the hobby shop in Janesville today, i was going to get a UP SD40-T2 with an 123'' hood ...sadly it was sold since i was last there , but i got some other neat stuff anyways. I'll post what i got later this week.

THE BIG NEWS...
as we passed by WSOR's round house, i seen 2 MILWAUKEE ROAD MP15AC's!!! thats right folks, you read it right MILWAUKEE ROAD MP15AC's!!! CRIPES, what a find!!! i couldn't believe it, the Milwaukee Road has been gone since 1984, and to see 2 of there switchers was just like winning the lottery.

Rick at the hobby shop knows the WSOR guys and said they bought 5 of them, 3 were already at WSOR's paint shop in Horicon getting WSOR colors on them, and the 2 we seen was to leave for their new paint soon. WSOR also bought 2 GP38's from NDM? in Mexico, i tell you what these engines looked like total crap . the floors were rotted out of them, all the radio equipment was ripped out of the cab, some controls gone...supposibly the motors in them were in real good shape, and the traction motors were real good too. cripes, they better have been made of gold, you couldn't have gave me those units.

we left Ricks and headed straight back to WSOR's round house so i could get some shots of the Milwaukee Road MP15AC's....when we got there, THEY WERE GONE!!! OH MAN, i was so depressed . we pulled up and i took some pics of the two blue GP38's they got from Mexico(pics 1 & 2), and then i seen an AWESOME FIND, a GP30 leased unit, folks, did you read what i said, A GP30 !!!!(pic 3) folks, its 2008, and to find a running GP30...THATS HUGE!!! i was so happy.

after i took at bunch of pics at the round house, i got thinking, " hey, the yard is less then a half a block away, better check for those Milwaukee units there" , so off we went to the yard. i didn't see the Milwaukee switchers, but a pair of WSOR SD40-2's were just stopping in the yard, and i got GREAT shots of them(pic 7), as i walked back to the car dad said i should ask the engineer about the Milwaukee units, so i went and asked, the engineer said they were in the yard, up by Ash ST. . OH MAN, we were fast on our way. big as heck THERE THEY WERE!!! the 2 Milwaukee Road MP15AC's(pic 4 & 5) were behind 2 of WSOR's GP38's on a train headed to Horicon(pic 6), it was just a miracle that i got to see 'em & got good shots.

INTERESTING FACTS & THOUGHTS...
ONE of the five Milwaukee Road MP15AC's was originally bought by the Milwaukee Road and stationed at the round house and yard in Janesville. it would be AWESOME if that unit was returned to its original home tracks in Janesville. since i got shots of two of the switchers before they had WSOR colors on them, it would be neat to get some shots of them afterwords. for those that don't know, WSOR's round house and yard in Janesville was really owned by the Milwaukee Road, and the tracks they run on in Janesville are part of the old Milwaukee Road line.

i hope you folks enjoyed the parts of history i have shared with you in fact and pics , we'll never see those Milwaukee Road colors on those switchers again.

till next time...STAY ON TRACK!
:deano: -Deano

[doctorwayne]

Geez, Deano, it's really great to see you back. We've missed your pictures and updates, but most of all we've missed your enthusiasm.

I've always liked the looks of the MP15ACs, and had I kept my more modern equipment, would surely have acquired a few of them. The Mexican GP38s look like they split the cost of the fuel tank between them. I wonder if there were many roads that bought these locos with such short-range fuel tanks? And you're right: it is amazing to see a GP30 running in 2008, especially on Alco trucks. Ex GM&O?

While you were busy puttin' in long hours on the job, we've had quite a few new members join, but I bet it won't be long before they're Deano fans, too. Let the fun begin.

Wayne

[UP SD40-2]

Originally Posted by doctorwayne

Geez, Deano, it's really great to see you back. We've missed your pictures and updates, but most of all we've missed your enthusiasm.

I've always liked the looks of the MP15ACs, and had I kept my more modern equipment, would surely have acquired a few of them. The Mexican GP38s look like they split the cost of the fuel tank between them. I wonder if there were many roads that bought these locos with such short-range fuel tanks? And you're right: it is amazing to see a GP30 running in 2008, especially on Alco trucks. Ex GM&O?

While you were busy puttin' in long hours on the job, we've had quite a few new members join, but I bet it won't be long before they're Deano fans, too. Let the fun begin.

Wayne

Wayne , THANK YOU! and i am so glad you popped in .

i was so unimpressed with the GP38's from Mexico , horrible shape and i agree, the tanks are just way to small. we drove right past the GP30 on the way to the Mexican engines and i didn't even notice it, i hardly ever look at leased units, but on the way out i noticed the GP30, cripes, i think i jumped out of the car before dad had even stopped it , i was so excited! i have stated in several posts that in model and real life the GP30 was by far my FAVORITE of ALL the geeps , and low & behold, there was one right before me! (my geep is pictured below ). BTW, GOOD EYE on the trucks , i never noticed they are Alco trucks .

to see those Milwaukee Road engines on their home turf after all these years was just SLAP AMAZING! If it wasn't for dad asking me to ask the engineer about those MP15AC's, we wouldn't have seen the piece of history we did . i forgot to mention all five Milwaukee Road MP15AC's had been sitting in Paduca for the last few years, i don't know on who's line though .

THANKS again for the VERY KIND words Wayne .

:deano: -Deano