Operating “high-wide” loads

Prototype railroads operate special trains for loads that are very wide or very high or very heavy, compared to conventional equipment, though of course such loads must still pass under all bridges and within the width of tunnels. Particularly when these are very heavy loads, they usually ride on special railroad cars. And as a possibly interesting complication to layout operation, they usually run at considerably reduced speed.

I have wanted to try and add such trains to my operating sessions occasionally. For this purpose, I have already created a few loads that would qualify. One of them merely comprised assembling a Class One Model Works load, which I described in a post last year (you can find it here: https://modelingthesp.blogspot.com/2024/05/building-classone-model-works-car-load.html ). The load was then placed on a Class One flat car. I repeat a photo from that post below.

A second example is a truly large crosshead for a hydraulic press. I described preparing this load for service in a post awhile back (see the post at: https://modelingthesp.blogspot.com/2020/06/blocking-for-big-loads.html ). It’s shown below riding on one of Southern Pacific’s 200-ton flat cars, a Funaro & Camerlengo model; construction was described in a series of posts (the concluding one is here: https://modelingthesp.blogspot.com/2020/05/sp-200-ton-flat-cars-part-5.html ).

Another example is a 3D-printed heat-exchanger vessel I purchased from Dimensional Modeling Concepts, as I related in a previous post (see it at: https://modelingthesp.blogspot.com/2020/07/another-impressive-load.html ). This can be carried on a suitable 70-ton car. For example, I have loaded into a 65-foot mill gondola. The gondola is a Precision Scale brass model, with some added detail and weathering by Richard Hendrickson. Here Consolidation 2575 powers the one-car train leaving Shumala westward.

A rather long-term project, on which I’ve slowly advanced for a number of years, was stimulated by finding at a train show (and purchasing on impulse), a very old Fleischmann 16-wheel heavy-duty flat car. This model had been modified to accept horn-hook couplers, but was otherwise stock, including typical European end buffers. My first job was to remove the couplers and their complex mounting, and to saw off the buffers. I could then insert Kadee no. 158 whisker couplers in their own boxes.

Next I needed to letter the car. Since it isn’t actually a U.S. prototype as far as I know, I had some freedom in doing this. I used some large-capacity data from an SP heavy-duty flat car decal set, and gave it reporting marks for General Electric (GEX), though not a number of an actual GEX car.

One version of the model as sold by Fleischmann had a large turbine included as a load. That was the version I acquired. The timber cradle for the load is visible above. I did want to change the label on the turbine, which originally read “Brown Boveri,” a perfectly appropriate European name, but not what I wanted. I needed to replace that sign.

A major American manufacturer of turbines for many years has been General Electric; their classic logo is readily found by Googling it. Signs were made and then applied to each side of the turbine. And speaking of signs, “DO NOT HUMP” signs were obtained from a Jaeger HO Products placard set and applied to the car at all four corners of the car.

From what I have read, equipment like this turbine could be bolted to the railcar using the attachment points that would be used when the turbine was installed for service. Accordingly, no hold-down straps or extra blocking was used, beyond the side support timbers. With all work completed on both car and load, here is the car in action on my SP main line. (You can click on the image to enlarge it if you wish.)

In the photo above, the car is being operated as a “high-wide special,” with the load being wider than the railcar, though not especially tall. In the view below, the power is Baldwin DR-6-6-1500 no. 5212, a re-detailed and custom painted Stewart model with aftermarket decoder and sound, shown passing the engine terminal in my town of Shumala.

As a contrast to other mainline trains, a “high-wide” special occasionally makes a contrast in an operating session. I expect to continue to operate them.

Tony Thompson

Reprise on model photography

I recently received an interesting question by email, asking about the model photographs I include in my blog posts and in my articles for the “Getting Real” column in Model Railroad Hobbyist. I replied to the questioner with links to some of my past blog posts on the subject, but thought it might be useful to add the same links and a few comments here.  

Back in 2015, I posted a series of short articles about model photography. My introduction was a general description about the problems of photographing anything that is small, emphasizing that it is essential to understand how your camera works. The basic principles are these: minimum lens aperture; solid (usually tripod) support for the camera; and good lighting. (To see that post, you can go to: http://modelingthesp.blogspot.com/2015/02/photographing-railroad-models.html .) 

I continued with further comments of the same kind, including numerous recommendations of published books and articles that are helpful. Among these is a link to a still-available super on-line article, actually from the FineScale Modeler magazine. That post can be found here: https://modelingthesp.blogspot.com/2015/02/photographing-railroad-models-part-2.html ). 

Part 3 was about what is called “table-top photography,” usually close-ups of individual models, parts,  or components (that post is at this link: https://modelingthesp.blogspot.com/2015/03/photographing-railroad-models-part-3.html ). I showed my usual set-up at the time for photography of my own models in this mode. Using outdoor sunlight, one can get good results with a hand-held digital SLR. Ample light means high shutter speeds, which minimizes the need for a tripod.

Today, I still do much the same, but for support, often use a chair that’s handy instead of the portable table, shown above, that I originally used. And solid color art paper, available at any art store, helps to vary the background look of the individual photos. This is a case where the depth of field of the SLR is really valuable.

A little later, I added a Part 4, to show how I then did photography on my layout, using my digital SLR, tripod, and floodlights. It’s somewhat old-school, but certainly can give excellent results, once you learn the drill. Here’s a link to that post: https://modelingthesp.blogspot.com/2016/04/photographing-railroad-models-part-4.html . I rarely do this any more, though the SLR does offer really excellent depth of field at minimum lens aperture. It’s still a good way to manage photography of scenes with appreciable depth.

Like most people, I find myself relying more and more on the camera in my cell phone for all kinds of photography. Because I had seen what excellent model photos others had taken with their phones, I set out to see what I could accomplish, and wrote a summary of it. (You can see that post at: https://modelingthesp.blogspot.com/2021/03/layout-photography-with-cell-phone.html ). 

I later followed up with additional experiments of the same kind, as shown here: https://modelingthesp.blogspot.com/2022/02/experiments-in-layout-photography.html . Today, I often use the cell phone for all kinds of layout photos, usually hand-held, but helping layout illumination with a 500-watt flood on a stand. That way, the location and direction of shadows can be controlled. The phone can be hand-held in nearly all cases.

[Some readers will note that I have not mentioned image-stacking software. I feel like that’s a separate subject, and will turn to it in a later post.]

So I continue to rely on my SLR for many photos, but don’t hesitate to use the cell phone where it can do the job. But the fundamental requirements (adequate and uniform illumination, as much depth of field as possible, careful composition) are as essential as ever.

Tony Thompson