East Penn Traction Meet

[velotrain]

Thursday I drove from Boston to Allentown, PA, to attend this biennial event - this was a set-up day, so I didn't go to the Lehigh County fairgrounds.  I did spend some time walking around the downtown, and was surprised to learn that this was the third largest city in the state.

 

When I went to the show on Friday, it was very similar to other train shows, with one difference being that all the operating layouts were at one end of the hall and the vendors at the other.  There were three large O-scale layouts, and people were still working on all of them.  One fellow, who seemed to be on his own, didn't start operating until fairly late in the day.  Folks were busy soldering and doing other work on all the layouts.  Someone mentioned to me that most of these modules are only operated at these events every two years - and it showed.  All weekend guys were putting escapist trolley poles back under the wire, and tapping the wire or prodding cars to get them going again.

 

The largest O layout had three legs running off a central station module.  Two of these weren't operating on Saturday, but came online for Sunday.  The two smaller legs would send a car to the loop around the station, and it then returned to that branch, while other cars covered most of the layout.  The fellow who seemed to be their chief electrician was one of the handful of people in the hall who were less than 50 years old.  This layout also had a short stretch of third rail track at a station built over the trolley track.

 

There was a diverse bunch of HO layouts, and two of them used a method of control similar to the O-scale layouts, that allowed up to a half-dozen cars to be running on the same track.  I gather this dates back to Lionel practice almost a century ago, and is only possible due to both rails sharing the same polarity and non-insulated wheelsets.  Essentially, a car will come to a stopping location and transfer power to the section/car ahead of it, and something similar is done to control single-track sections.  Interestingly, the HO trolleys were much better behaved, and these layouts were left unattended for extended periods with no problems.

 

There was a fellow who had an interesting multi-level urban layout with a LRT car running in the street and also a two-level subway section.  I had seen photos of his layout from previous meets, and enjoyed watching the ingenious route the car used to traverse the trackage.

 

A large oval - with a double S-curve section, had a 4-track main line representing the Pennsylvania, Penn-Central and Amtrack.  They had four trains - including two loooooong ones, running continuously, and the rail gap(~3/16-1/4") between their flush connected modules produced a pleasingly authentic sound.

 

Rich Kerr of JNS and Easy Trolley was there with his mostly Unitram layout, with a smattering of Tomix track.  There was also an industrial micro-layout in N scale.

 

I didn't go to any clinics, having realized that while I may enjoy some of it, I'm not really a traction guy, and won't be laying any overhead wire - but still enjoy Japanese trams.

 

Before heading home yesterday I visited Steel Stacks in Bethlehem, which is what remains of the former massive Bethlehem Steel Works five blast furnaces.  An elevated walkway - somewhat in the manner of the High Line park in NYC, has been built to allow closer inspection of this amazing structure.  I had run out of batteries by this time, but a Google image search will show what it looks like, and I strongly recommend it if you're ever in the neighborhood.

 

Photos are at:  https://www.flickr.com/photos/29724621@N03/albums/72157684047871356

 

Charles

 

[cteno4]

Great you got to meet rich k! He's is an excellent chap and mr tomix along with his tram doppelgänger rich k!

 

Dick bell who did the industrial micro layout just got me an article on it, excellent little tray layout. I'll have it up this week on the jrm layout and post an announcement.

 

Jeff

[bill937ca]

Thanks for sharing your photos.  Its certainly an acquired taste. This is the pinnacle of the model traction world in North America..  I consider all Japanese electric trains to be traction of one form or another. Japan today is very similar in scope to what you used to see in traction trade magazines like Electric Railway Journal in the industry's heyday in the 1920s and 1910s.

[serotta1972]

Nice photos velotrain, thanks for sharing.  I'm looking for those Boeing LRV's Muni trains - I believe they were made by AHM back in the late 80's.  I will get some HO PCC's eventually.  

[bill937ca]

Nice photos velotrain, thanks for sharing.  I'm looking for those Boeing LRV's Muni trains - I believe they were made by AHM back in the late 80's.  I will get some HO PCC's eventually.  

 

Actually the Boeing LRVs were made Mehano in Yugoslavia and imported by AHM.

[velotrain]

> I will get some HO PCC's eventually.

 

Junior - from everything I've read, the Bowser model is much more accurate as well as a better runner, although at a substantially higher cost. 

I know the Bachmann N scale Peter Witt is well regarded, so assume that's also true for the HO version.

No doubt you can find reviews online.

[cteno4]

heres a nice little article that Richard Bell wrote on the little mini industrial layout he made in a box that charles saw at the show.

 

very cute and nicely done.

 

Another Micro Layout in a Box

 

jeff

[Kb4iuj]

Glad to see somebody went to this event. Had I'd known that you were going. I would of asked if you could have sourced who is making some Brill trucks for O scale. Like what's on the St. Charles Streetcars.

 

Which I might add - I'm there right now. Since my previous visit in April. Well, I didn't bring a decent camera to shoot some decent photo's of the place. When Memphis starts theirs back up this summer along with the "Delmar Loop" up in St. Louis. Well, I'd like to say it'll be cooler out but it won't be til winter and I'll bet one of these days the St. Charles Streetcar route just may someday be all concreted. From a safety perspective. Just know - if you come to New Orleans and your wheel chair or scooter driver, well you'll be well screwed as the sidewalks are a mess with the roots of trees lifting the concrete. Hence, I'll bet walking at night can be a challenge.

Just know, in the last few minutes of me writing this atleast 6-8 have gone by.

Something about a N scale streetcar doesn't turn me on, but in O gauge? I'm just surprised Greenmax doesn't make them.

Also, the St. Charles route I believe ran just about all night long. Hence, when I woke up last night around 3am they were still hauling folks. Now ponder this for a second - their doing some road construction on about a block of Bourbon Street. Thus, the place must be quite packed at night. Just know if you come New Orleans is more than what's on Bourbon Street. Just got in yesterday evening and thankful CN wasn't doing much track work. Never the less I was tired when I got here.

 

So if anybody needs any BS trip stuff (touristy beads, refrigerator magnets holders, key chains, etc...). Give me a holler. Or maybe some "Hot Sauce or Post Cards", which New Orleans is famous for.

Edited May 25, 2017 by Kb4iuj

[bill937ca]

More East Penn Traction Meet photos;

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/transitmodeler/sets/72157680976491604/

[serotta1972]

> I will get some HO PCC's eventually.

 

Junior - from everything I've read, the Bowser model is much more accurate as well as a better runner, although at a substantially higher cost. 

I know the Bachmann N scale Peter Witt is well regarded, so assume that's also true for the HO version.

No doubt you can find reviews online.

Yes, I have my eyes on the Bowser and Bachmann trolleys.  Let me know if you ever see a good deal on them, I'm specifically looking at the Pacific Electric and Toronto ones.

 

-Junior

[Nick_Burman]

As far as HO scale OHW is concerned, I'm partial to the Japanese approach - put poles up, no wires and dummy poles/pantographs. Working OHW is better from O scale up.

 

Cheers NB

[velotrain]

Actually, the HO layouts with OHW were operationally far more reliable than the O scale layouts at the show, but there could be any number of reasons for this.  The fellow with the urban LRV/subway layout had installed all copper simulated OHW on the street portions of his layout, but it stopped at the entrance to the tunnel where the cars enter the ramp to the lower level.  I have no doubt that functional OHW is much easier to install in O scale than for HO scale.

[marknewton]

Yes, I have my eyes on the Bowser and Bachmann trolleys.  Let me know if you ever see a good deal on them, I'm specifically looking at the Pacific Electric and Toronto ones.

Junior,

 

I have a couple of the Bowser PCC cars, they are very good models in every respect. Detail, finish and running qualities are all superb, easily as good as the best of my Japanese trams and interurbans. You can see one of them peeking out of the depot in these photos:

 

 

 

The Peter Witt and Birney cars are by Bachmann, they're also very good models.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark.

[velotrain]

The Japanese tram almost looks like it's O-scale - compared to the American and European models.

[miyakoji]

You can see one of them peeking out of the depot in these photos:

Mark, is that Philadelphia Transportation Company's livery?

[bill937ca]

Mark, is that Philadelphia Transportation Company's livery?

 

It has a front trolley pole so I suspect its a San Francisco Municipal Railway heritage fleet rendering of the Philadelphia Transportation Company livery.

 

https://www.streetcar.org/streetcars/1055-1055-philadelphia-ptc/

 

I was in Philadelphia in 1964 and 1965 during the waning days of the Philadelphia Transportation Company and its a good rendition. Although a real PTC trolley probably needs some dents.  :)  But the real kicker would be the car number.

Edited May 28, 2017 by bill937ca

[serotta1972]

All this trolley talk and after visiting the Western Railway Museum and this is what happens! 

 

 

Brought out the Tomix 510's for comparison.

 

 

Oh man, I think I found a new poison.  :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Kiha66]

Beautiful models Junior, I especially love that PCC in PE paint. 

[serotta1972]

I've heard many good things about them and highly endorsed but never seen one in person until now and it looks awesome.  It lacks interior details that we are so used to with Japanese trains but i can overlook that because everything else about it is great.  Looking to get more in the near future.