BLW/ZT Passenger Pack for Paul Charland's Conn River route - Progress Thread

[rfranzosa]

Hi All,

I am happy to announce my first 'post retirement' set, a large passenger pack for Paul Charland's Conn River route. I will attempt to create all of the passenger trains that traveled the route between Brattleboro, VT, Bellows Falls and White River Junction, VT in the summer of July 1956 timetable.

Using information from PRR, New Haven, Boston & Maine, Central Vermont and Canadian Pacific historical societies, the pack will have as accurate a set of consists as I can make for:

Northbound:
#73 "Dartmouth"
#7051
#77 "Day White Mountains"/"North Wind"
#717/7055 "Ascutney"
#5507/5509/5555 "Cheshire"
#727 "Valley Express"
#79/7059 "Connecticut Yankee"
#733 "Montrealer"
#71 "Night White Mountains"

Southbound:
#732 "Washintonian"
#78/708
#5506/5556 "Cheshire"
#73/702 "Day White Mountains"
#74 "Connecticut Yankee"/"North Wind"
#728/760 "Overnighter"
#76 "Night White Mountains"

This pack includes passenger equipment (heavy weight and lightweight) from PRR, NYC, CN, B&M, CV, CP, New Haven and Pullman, most not offered in previous packs.

I can't predict when this will be completed, but I'll keep you posted!

Thanks!

Rick

[michelouim]

That is a great news...I will be looking for those cars to move around other routes, not just Conn River, as the Montrealer/Washingtonian is also running on the corridor from New York to Washington DC.

Michel

[rfranzosa]

That is a great news...I will be looking for those cars to move around other routes, not just Conn River, as the Montrealer/Washingtonian is also running on the corridor from New York to Washington DC.

Michel

Good point!


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[rfranzosa]

First train to display - Train #77 "Day White Mountains" Departing Grand Central Terminal in NYC as New Haven trains #66 at 9:30 AM, handed over to the B&M at Springfield, MA, arriving at White River Junction, VT at 4:20 PM


B&M E7 3819 leading train 77 the "Day White Mountains" north from Bellows Falls on Paul Charland's Conn River route.



B&M baggage car 3293 converted from a Pullman sleeper in 1954



New Haven Buffet/Lounge "Fairfield County", one of two assigned to Conn River trains between NYC and northern New England



New Haven lightweight coach/smoker #8505 (aka American Flyer). The smokers were built in 1938, identified externally as smokers by the NYNH&H logos over the trucks.



New Haven stainless steel coach smoker #8607


More to come!

[rfranzosa]

Hi All, Happy Memorial Day to those that celebrate.

Here are some statistics for this upcoming set.

The Conn River route of the B&M/CV in the mid 1950's was unique, as the B&M was rapidly transitioning from locomotive-hauled passenger trains to their fleet of Budd RDCs, so the long distance trains between Washington DC/New York and northern New England/Canada were equipped with foreign road rolling stock. In the case of this set, there are 36 individual STYLES of passenger equipment used to represent the Conn River passenger trains of the early to mid 1950s, and with duplicates, this set will likely be close to 60 pieces of equipment, not including locomotives. Only THREE of these car types are carryovers from previous sets (CN coach, CV Baggage and CV RPO).

Nineteen new cars have been sent on for testing, to ensure they run in both MSTS and Openrails. all include detailed interiors as appropriate:

B&M 4400 HW Coach
B&M 4500 'American Flyer' Osgood-Bradley Coach
B&M double door troop sleeper express car
B&M Single door troop sleeper express car
B&M Stainless Steel Osgood-Bradley Combine
B&M troop sleeper RPO/express car
B&M 3151 RPO
B&M converted Pullman Sleeper mail/express car
NH 6105 Combine
NH troop sleeper express car
NH 'American Flyer' 11 window Osgood-Bradley Coach
NH 'American Flyer' 10 window Osgood-Bradley Coach
NH 'American Flyer' 10 window Osgood-Bradley Coach/Smoker
NH 8600 Stainless Steel Osgood-Bradley Coach
PRR 5106 Combine
Pullman 12 section 1 double bedroom HW sleeper
Pullman 12 section 2 double bedroom HW sleeper
Pullman 8 section 1 drawing room 2 compartment HW sleeper
Pullman 8 section 5 double bedroom HW sleeper

Ten additional car types are awaiting details and interiors

CN "Green", NH "Beach" series 6 section-4 double bedroom-6 roomette sleepers
CP 2100 series Coach
CP "Cape" series 4 section-1 double bedroom Solarium/Buffet/Lounge/sleeper
CP "Lake" series 5 Compartment/Buffet/Lounge/sleeper
NH 'County' Series baggage/buffet/lounge/parlor
NH 'Point series' 14 roomette-4 bedroom sleeper
NYC Club series 8 section/buffet/sleeper
Pullman 6 bedroom/lounge/sleeper
Pullman 6 section - 6 double bedroom sleeper
Pullman 8 section - 4 double bedroom sleeper

And there are four car types remaining to be built

NH Baggage Express car
PRR Baggage Express car (B60B)
PRR P70gsR Coach
Milk cars

Making good progress, more screenshots to come. Thanks again to Paul Charland for the excellent home for these cars!

[dcarleton]

For the Passenger Train enthusiasts and historians on this board, these works-in-progress represent a huge chunk of our wish lists.
Much appreciated, will fill a large gap in our libraries.

[rfranzosa]

Thanks, David!


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[rfranzosa]

Early morning consist... NH train #56 / B&M train #73 "Dartmouth" Leaves Grand Central Terminal at 12:15 AM, arrives at White River Junction, VT at 9:40AM

1956 consist:

Dartmouth 1.jpg
B&M RS3 #1505 - Picked up the train in Springfield, MA from the New Haven

Dartmouth 2.jpg New Haven express car #3753 converted from a troop sleeper

Dartmouth 3.jpg Pullman 8 section / 4 double bedroom sleeper "Emerald Hill" assigned to the New Haven railroad

Dartmouth 4.jpg New Haven Osgood-Bradley Streamlined Coach #8290 (aka American Flyer)

Dartmouth 5.jpg
B&M standard coach #4405

Dartmouth 6.jpg
B&M Osgood-Bradley Streamlined Coach #4590 (aka American Flyer)

more to come!

[rfranzosa]

Finished one car that spawned three other versions!

The New Haven Railroad ordered 6 section, 4 double bedroom, 6 roomette sleepers from Osgood Bradley delivered in 1954. This was part of Lot 6942, which included 11 sleepers for the New Haven ("Beach" series), 4 for the Boston and Maine ("Beach" series) and 2 for Bangor and Aroostook ("Lake" series). Canadian National also order 6-4-6 sleepers from Pullman at roughly the same time (Green Series).
These sleepers were assigned to

• The "Owl" (3 NH cars - Boston-GCT),
• The "State of Maine" (1 NH, 3 B&M - Concord/Portland-GCT),
• The "Montrealer/Washingtonian (3NH, 3CN - Montreal-DC),
• The "Federal/Pilgrim" (4 NH - Washington - Boston/Springfield),
• The "Gull" (B&M, BAR) - Boston-Van Buren, ME).

The New Haven sleepers continued on under new ownership following the Penn Central takeover (4 to PC, 7 to LIRR), the B&M and BAR sleepers were purchased by the Canadian National.

Triplets.jpg BAR.jpg

[rfranzosa]

Continuing with additional sleepers, here is 14 roomette, 4 bedroom 'ALLYNS POINT' as it appeared in 1956. The New Haven had twenty-seven of the 14-4s built in 1949-50. In the late 1950's/early 1960's this car was damaged, and when returned to service, the logo plates over the trucks had been repainted with black letters on a red orange background


Allyns Point.jpg

[jbtower]

Some of your best work yet Rick

[CSRX]

North Twin Lakes caught my attention, Rick!
I go by that section of line at work every Friday and sometimes Sunday if we run. It is amazing how many camps are scattered through there now between Route 11, and Norcross, just shy of the old "North Twin Lake" section.

[rfranzosa]

Thanks, Shawn!

since that screen shot was taken, I corrected the name to “North Twin Lake”

[rfranzosa]

Thanks, Kevin!

[rfranzosa]

July 1951, CP #332 / B&M #74 the southbound "Connecticut Yankee", departed Wells River, VT at 1:55 PM, stopping at Bellows Falls at 4:05 PM, due at GCT at 9:27 PM as NHRR train #85

CY_E8.jpg Head end today is CP E8A #1801, one of only three E8s on the Canadian Pacific, purchased specifically for New England service

CY_RPO.jpg
Next, venerable B&M Baggage/RPO #3151, well traveled on the Conn River line, followed by B&M baggage car #3293 one of ~30 baggage cars converted from Pullman sleepers in the early 1950's, replacing aging wooden baggage cars.

CY_BM_Coach.jpg Next in line, B&M steel coach #4405

CY_CP_Coach.jpg CY_CP_Inside.jpg
Followed by CP 2100 series coach / smoker

CY_NH_Coach.jpg CY_NH_Inside.jpg
Last coach is a New Haven Osgood-Bradley "American Flyer" coach in the original Hunter green paint
CY_BUTLER.jpg

CY_Butler_Inside.jpg
First of two sleepers, Pullman 12 -2 (12 section-2 double bedroom) 'BUTLER UNIVERSITY'

CY_Huron.jpg CY_Lounge1.jpg
Finally, Canadian Pacific 5 compartment/buffet lounge "Lake Huron"

I have a couple more challenging interiors to complete ( CP 4 -1 buffet lounge solarium 'CAPE GEORGE' and NYC/Pullman 8 section buffet lounge solarium 'ALGONQUIN CLUB', then a bunch of simpler cars. I do believe this set (or sets) will be released this year!