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A PERSONAL OVERVIEW OF BUILDING A PRR INDUSTRIAL SWITCHING LAYOUT IN P87 |
"Wheels.....track, track......wheels, wheels......track........"
There's more to modelling, says the voice of reason, than an obsession with close to prototype track and wheel standards. For the great majority of modellers of the HO American scene the RP25 wheel profile and NMRA track standards are, and will continue to be all that matters. And rightly so, as they are an excellent compromise between reliability and appearance well suited to the range of modellers' skills. Their use has stood the test of time and has meant reliable running and operation on countless layouts, large and small, world wide.
But for some, the pursuit of finer tolerances can be seen as just one part of an overall picture of what's trying to be achieved. Not the sole purpose but arguably a necessary step towards that elusive goal which finescale modellers might not all be able to share, but which, hopefully, should all be able to recognise........... a layout that exudes atmosphere, realism, reliability and, equally important, is fun to operate.
Although I detect some antagonism in certain quarters towards P87 I don't ever see it as being a rival or a threat to my efforts in standard HO in any way, more an interesting sideline. As already stated, I'm sure this relationship will also prevail in the wider modelling scene as P87 develops over the years. Basically, I wanted to build a small freight yard based on PRR practice and which would be capable of being transported in the family estate car. A standard HO, portable branch terminus is planned for my main layout 'Franklinsburg' but that is a long term project that will probably require a van for transport when it eventually gets built.
What follows is simply a report on approximately twelve months, often frustrating, progress that has now seen P87 emerge, for me, as a viable way forward. Until six months ago no contact has been made with any of the few modellers who are 'pioneering' these standards. Consequently there is no-one else to blame except the sole perpetrator of these notes.
A Locomotive
First things first, I suppose, so no progress was going to made unless a suitable, slow running switcher could be acquired. As a Pennsy modeller (1940s steam only) it was a bit of a blow to admit the first loco was going to have to be a diesel, that is if I wanted something relatively cheap and quick. Wheels that were fairly close but not quite P87 standards were available from NWSL for some Athearn locos and a conversion using these was seen as the most expedient way forward. These wheels have a stub axle and I knew that it would be possible to reprofile them in a lathe, close to the P87 standard. An Athearn Baldwin S-12 was duly ordered from Victors after checking by e-mail..... no Pennsy example was available and the model that arrived was late B & O livery.
Desperately short of prototype info, I e-mailed the PRR-Talk group and some of my friends for help. What a tremendous thing this internet is....... within a couple of days I had virtually everything I needed to know.... my thanks to the guys in the group and especially to Derick Wilcox who sent me six superb jpg's by e-mail.
As most diesel modellers will know, although the Athearn mechanism is sound and reliable, slow running at a crawl is not one of its virtues so an Ernst re-gearing kit was ordered. When this arrived the re-profiled wheels were used in the conversion (see picture1).
Athearn Baldwin S-12 fitted with turned NWSL driving wheels to P87 back to back/flange depth. Ernst re-gearing kit also fitted.
The cosmetic additions and alterations were next tackled and the opportunity taken to add a little extra weight. This resulted in improving the smoothness of the Ernst gears. Unfortunately there is not enough room in the Athearn body as the loco is still, in my opinion, too light to pull an adequate length train if the situation ever were to arise. Fortunately, on my planned layout the loco will not be required to switch more than around half a dozen heavily weighted freight cars (picture2)
Some of the modifications necessary to turn the basic Athearn into a Pennsy BS-12 shown here.
The re-gearing produced the kind of performance I had been looking for in terms of slow-running and sensitivty to the controllers. The loco ran beautifully through the turnout on the test track so was returned to the 'shops' for painting, decals and weathering ( picture 3).
End product. PRR Baldwin BS-12 #8984 in P:87
P87 ON THE INTERNET
PROTO: 87 STORES
Your FIRST STOP when considering Proto: 87 modelling
Andy Reichert is enthusiastically expanding his range of Proto: 87 specific products
Diagrams of P87 wheel and track standards
are on the (mainly European orientated) Proto:87 International Team website at:http://perso.wanadoo.fr/proto87.team/normesp87.html
The Proto:87 SIG
can be found at:The British 1:87 Scale Society
can be found at: