The "new" JJJ&E In N Scale

[Powersteamguy1790]

The San Marino Stock Yard (N Scale Architect) is adjacent to the Meat Packing Plant (Building with four turrets) also by N Scale Architect is on the mainline track on the eastern edge of San Marino. The San Marino Switching Yard is in the background.



Stay cool and run steam...........

[Powersteamguy1790]

An old color photo of an ATSF articulated 2-8-8-2 pulling a long freight consist on the inner mainline track leaving the town of San Marino.  The Southern boxcar is actually "a helper and is completely motorized. I took the chassis and frame from a Life Like GP-20 and decoderized the chassis of the GP-20 and placed a 50 foot boxcar shell on top of the chassis. I installed Micro Trains Z scale couplers on both ends of the Southern "helper" which aids steam locomotives negotiating long grades. I used these helpers extensively on the "Original JJJ&E" where the entire mainline (120') was graded.




Stay cool and run steam........

[postalkarl]

Hi Bob:

Great looking layout. You have a great deal of patience and do nice work.

Karl

[PRR Modeler]

Excellent work and I think very ingenious making the box car a helper engine.

[Powersteamguy1790]

Hi Bob:

Great looking layout. You have a great deal of patience and do nice work.

Karl

Thanks Karl. Welcome to my layout tour. Glad you enjoyed all the photo's.

Stay cool and run steam.......

[Powersteamguy1790]

Excellent work and I think very ingenious making the box car a helper engine.

Thanks Curt. That boxcar is called a "Cheater Boxcar". Putting this "cheater Boxcar" in a consist with a steam locomotive or diesel will help the locomotive in the consist pull long strings of cars up long grades. The "Cheater Boxcar" is actually a GP-20 in disguise.

Stay cool and run steam...........

[Powersteamguy1790]

Cheater" Boxcars are a great addition to N scale railroading . This type of boxcar is powered and aids N scale locomotives especially steam locomotives to negotiate grades of 2% or greater, that many steam locomotives couldn't handle without help.

The "Cheater" boxcars are easy to make and work well on layouts with DCC. In 2004, one of the large hobby shops in Ft. Lauderdale Florida had a "blowout special" on Life Like  UP GP-20's for $16. Needless to say there was a large "run" on these sale price GP-20's. I bought eight of the LL GP-20's which I intended to use for "Cheater" Boxcars or "Helpers" for many of my steam locomotives as the "Original" JJJ&E had a completely graded 120 foot mainline  ( 2% ).

I used the frame of the LL GP-20 as the main component to build the "Cheater" boxcar. I was able to hard wire a Lenz 0521W decoder to the diesel frame and motor.  The orange and gray wires of the decoder are soldered to the motor tabs. The red and black wires of the decoder are soldered to the original light board. The led is cut off from the light board and the rear light board is removed from the frame. The decoder is taped to the frame where the rear light board was positioned with Kapton tape. This  Life Like GP-20 wasn't DCC friendly. Front and back lights weren't necessary as the frame was completely covered by a 50 foot boxcar shell. At the time I had some MRC 50 foot boxcar shells that I used for my new motorized "Cheater" boxcars. I was able to install MT N scale couplers at each end of the GP-20 frame.

Now I consisted the "Cheater" boxcar to a steam locomotive that needed extra power. The "Cheater" boxcar provided ample pulling power to aid the steam locomotives, I consisted these to. The Life Like GP-20  is very powerful  in its own right and this Gp-20 can easily pull 20 cars on level track.

I used two 'Cheater" boxcars on the "Original" JJJ&E and they have a presence on the "New" JJJ&E .

I gave several of the other Life Like GP-20's that I didn't use to friends who wanted to make "Cheater" boxcars or "Helpers" for their own layouts.

A Completely weathered Southern "Cheater" Boxcar on the mainline east of San Marino with the Monterrey Mountains in the background. The weathering of the "Cheater" Boxcar was completed using the Bragdon Weathering Powders.





Stay cool and run steam...............

[PRR Modeler]

You can tell what it is in the closeup, but otherwise it is easy to overlook the diesel frame.

[Powersteamguy1790]

You can tell what it is in the closeup, but otherwise it is easy to overlook the diesel frame.

Curt:

The closeup photo is the giveaway Curt. Most N Scalers can tell immediately from the first photo. However this "Cheater" Boxcar does the job on grades. By itself the GP -20 will pull about 20 cars on level track. I used the two "Cheater" boxcars on the "Original" JJJ&E as the entire mainline was graded. On the "new" JJJ&E, there is one 1 1/2% grade that runs about 40 feet. Most of my steamers can negotiate that grade.

Stay cool and run steam........

[Powersteamguy1790]

A Completely weathered Western Pacific  "Cheater" Boxcar on the mainline east of San Marino with the Monterrey Mountains in the background.



Stay cool and run steam........

[ACL1504]

Bob,

A "Cheater" boxcar! Who would of thunk it! Besides you of course, cool idea.

Tom

[Powersteamguy1790]

Bob,

A "Cheater" boxcar! Who would of thunk it! Besides you of course, cool idea.

Tom

Thanks Tom. You can easily make a "Cheater" boxcar in HO scale using an appropriate diesel locomotive chassis and a 50' boxcar.

Stay cool and run steam...............

[Powersteamguy1790]

The Second "Cheater" Boxcar On The "New" JJJ&E.

The WP "Cheater" boxcar in a consist with a ATSF 2-8-8-2 articulated steamer on the mainline in San Marino. The WP "Cheater" boxcar was weathered using Bragdon Weathering Powders.



Stay cool and run steam..........

[ACL1504]

Bob,

A "Cheater" boxcar! Who would of thunk it! Besides you of course, cool idea.

Tom

Thanks Tom. You can easily make a "Cheater" boxcar in HO scale using an appropriate diesel locomotive chassis and a 50' boxcar.

Stay cool and run steam...............

Bob,

I'm certainly going to try after the July NMRA convention. I will come in handy going up the ovalix.

Tom

[PRR Modeler]

That helix I mean oval in is massive! Well done.