I’ve enjoying running electric freight locomotives on my current layout project – an S scale representation of the Niagara St. Catharines & Toronto Railway car barn on Welland Avenue in St. Catharines, Ontario. And I thought I’d share:
The layout is far from finished but already providing lots of joy.
As the video makes clear, the layout is still very much a work in progress. The car barn and sand house are mocked up in cardboard, some simple brass tubes represent the future locations of poles to support the overhead wire, an scenery is non-existent.
But already, the layout is providing me with lots of joy.
The Model Railway Show 
Great! Always good to make sure you’re having fun.
I will say the freight motors are noisier than I thought they would be. Of course, I realize those bells are a necessity in the yard limits.
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Thanks. And yes – noisier than one would expect. I grew up around streetcars and they actually make a fair bit of noise. There are hums and compressors and other machinery. Plus, there’s a lot of flange squeal. (Steam and diesel power produces flange squeal too, but it tends to get drowned out by, well, steam and diesel noises.) Also, the camera did a good job of capturing the sound – perhaps, too good a job. At a normal viewing distance in my layout room, the sounds are not as loud.
I rang the bells longer than I would normally. I blame trying to control two locomotives at once without crashing…
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Yep, I grew up in the streetcar era in Dallas, TX and we still have them now, though reduced to more of a tourist attraction with the McKinney Avenue Trolley or M-Line. Refurbished streetcars travel a regular route from Mckinney Avenue to the Arts District in downtown Dallas.
And, yes, I’ve ridden them, and they do hum and squeal and jerk hard on those sharp points and curves but it’s still great fun. The line is basically free to ride, though it’s polite to place a few dollars in the fare box.
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That sounds wonderful!
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I am so happy to see trains moving on the new layout, and even happier to hear it is still making you happy. I can’t wait to continue to see it grow and more permanent scenery and structures appear.
Stephen
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Wonderful to see action!
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Looks good! Sounds loud.
Just a comment: your wheel weathering looks like you didn’t rotate them while spraying them with white/gray paint, and my eyes are constantly drawn to the uneven paint on them as they turn. It might be prototypical, but I think you might want to quickly paint the wheels all the way around.
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Thanks. It is loud – but that’s because the camera is close up and picking up sound really well. It’s less loud in person. And yes – I just haven’t gotten to the wheels yet. It’ll happen.
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Trevor;
I’m a Melbourne (in Victoria, not Florida) tram driver, so I hear these sounds every day at work. Flange squeal, air pumping sounds on our iconic W class to work the airbrakes, the hum of rectifiers make the job more interesting. Electric traction is as much about the sounds as it is the movement and driving.
What I love most is that you are enjoying operating the layout as you build it. That s the sign of a successful layout design.
If you visit https://martinfamilyweb.wordpress.com/andrew/images/trams/melbourne-victoria/ you can find the links to all of the trams I drive if interested. Thanks for sharing your journey and for inspiring me to complete my own layout projects.
Andrew
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Hi Andrew:
Thanks for the comment and the observations from the motorman’s seat. Thanks also for the link. Those modern articulated trams look a lot like the ones that now run in Toronto, Canada. As a driver, they certainly took some getting used to when trying to pass them.
Cheers!
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Lovely work, Trevor, and delighted with your new enterprise. Question: Does the wheel squeal (love it) come with the decoder? If so, what brand? Happy Holidays!!!
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Hi Michael:
Thanks – and yes it does! I’m using LokSound V5 decoders. The squeal can be activated by a function but in my case I programmed the squeal to engage whenever the unit is moving. Turning the squeal volume down means it’s not oppressive.
Happy holidays to you and Elsa as well!
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Thanks, Trevor, and wishing you a great holiday out on the prairie!
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