Model Railroading > IAIS's West End - A tale of two 2809's

Waaaay back in 2006, I finished my first model of LLPX SD38-2 2809.  Fast forward 9 years, and a few days ago, I finished my second.  I thought others here might be interested in the story behind the two.

Photo 1 -   LLPX 2809, v1.0.  Original blue paint was a mix of GN Big Sky Blue and white.
2 - v1.1.  After purchasing Dan Risdon's model of one of 2809's sister units (later to become my LLPX 2805), I felt that the blue Dan used for his model was much more accurate than what I'd mixed, so in 2010 I stripped my 2809 and repainted, decaled, and weathered.
3 - About a year later in early 2011, even though the 2809 was my favorite unit on the IAIS roster, I decided to renumber and redetail my model of it to represent LLPX 2802 in the name of accuracy.  Operational data showed that 2802 and 2805 were the only SD38-2s to visit the West End during my era, while 2809 came out a few months later.  So while the unit is now numbered 2802, for the sake of this exercise, we can refer to it as 2809 v1.2. :-)

Joe Atkinson
Council Bluffs, IA
www.iaisrailfans.org/../Sub4WestEnd



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/10/15 14:54 by iaisfan.

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A year or two ago a friend sold me another undec Kato SD38-2, and the temptation to return my favorite unit to the roster was just too strong.  I completed 2809 v2.0 a few days ago and included a couple photos below.  I'm also including a few family photos of my complete LLPX SD38-2 roster, three of the four such units IAIS leased during my era (and later purchased).  These four soldier on today as IAIS 150-153.

Photos 4 & 5 - Recently completed LLPX 2809 v2.0 
6 - Front to back: LLPX 2802 (the former 2809 v1.1), 2805 (which Dan Risdon build as 2808, and I purchased from him and renumbered, redetailed, and weathered), and 2809 v2.0.  Clear as mud? ;-)

While all three units share the same base components and a family resemblance (front and rear gyralights or associated housings, radio and EOT antenna locations, fixed walkway pilot extensions, etc.), they also have an interesting mix of other details (horn type and location, horn air supply piping on 2805, empty gyralight housings on 2802 and 2805, blue pilots & steps on 2809 vs. black on the other two, spark arrestors on 2805 and 2809, etc.

Joe Atkinson
Council Bluffs, IA
www.iaisrailfans.org/../Sub4WestEnd



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/10/15 14:53 by iaisfan.

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Because of a unique twist in LLPX 2802's history, only two of the three units shown are powered.  The prototype LLPX 2802's only trip to my portion of the IAIS during my May 2005 era occurred after it suffered a broken crankshaft.  It moved west DIT to the Bluffs enginehouse, was prepped for paint, and then moved back east, also DIT, for forwarding to Missouri for crankshaft work and repainting into IAIS colors.  Since it was moving dead in both directions, I decided to remove the motor and gears from the model so it could be operated boxcar-style.  Rather than count 2802 among my locomotive roster now, it's considered a piece of rolling stock, with its own records built into my RailQuik car forwarding system.

With LLPX 2809 now in service, IAIS GP11 485 remains as the very last road unit to build, while GP8 481 is the last remaining yard unit on the workbench.

Joe Atkinson
Council Bluffs, IA
www.iaisrailfans.org/../Sub4WestEnd

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Nice work Joe.

Posted from Android

That sure is dedication, Joe. Once a model leaves my bench I never want to see it torn apart ever again. Usually I'm sick of it by the time it's layout ready. Props to you!

-MB

Thank you both!

mosteam3985 Wrote:
> That sure is dedication, Joe. Once a model leaves my bench I never want to see it torn apart ever again. Usually I'm sick of it by the time it's layout ready. Props to you!

Ha!  Thanks!  That would explain why I'm starting to feel burned out at the workbench right now.  Which is good!  I've been there since about May, so it's time I get back to work on the layout.

Joe Atkinson
Council Bluffs, IA
www.iaisrailfans.org/../Sub4WestEnd

I am tired of your posts Joe. I can't tell if they are shots of models or real locomotives!  It is too confusing and makes the rest of us look bad.  Your lighting is excellent, by the way!

Seriously, what a neat series!  I really appreciate your attention to 'period' modeling, focusing on equipment that was on your railroad at a certain time, and then using that philosophy to guide your projects across the whole spectrum of IAIS.  Bravo, Joe!  Your efforts and your persistence are on my mind when I am working on my projects.  It's recent history, in 1/87 scale.

Thanks for sharing, excited for the next post, whatever it may be!

~RGDave
Modeling Conrail in Central New York in 1994
http://www.onondagacutoff.blogspot.com/

 

Santafes95 wrote:
>I am tired of your posts Joe. I can't tell if they are shots of models or real locomotives!  It is too confusing and makes the rest of us look bad.

Ha!  You crack me up!  And...thank you? ;-)

>Your lighting is excellent, by the way!

Thanks!  Nothing special about it at all.  Just the cheapest 4' twin-tube shop lights I could find.

Dave wrote:
> Seriously, what a neat series!  I really appreciate your attention to 'period' modeling, focusing on equipment that was on your railroad at
> a certain time, and then using that philosophy to guide your projects across the whole spectrum of IAIS.
> ...It's recent history, in 1/87 scale.

Thanks very much Dave!  That's one of the things I find most enjoyable about prototype modeling:  Trying to stay true to exactly how things were in my era, for my prototype.  I've been a little lax in that these last few months, adding the 2809 and the two Alcos, but I'm going to cut myself some slack on both fronts.  Ten years after my era, a lot of that earlier history starts to blur together, so even I have a hard time remembering what happened when...and I gear my whole hobby around that specific month in 2005! :-)

Joe Atkinson
Council Bluffs, IA
www.iaisrailfans.org/../Sub4WestEnd

Joe,  What an enjoyable history around these units both prototypes and what you've accomplished with your extremely accurate models!   Thanks for sharing as always!
 

Mike DeBerg
Bloomington, IL

Thanks very much Mike!  Very kind of you.

Joe Atkinson
Council Bluffs, IA
www.iaisrailfans.org/../Sub4WestEnd

Great work Joe!  All that's left is the 2807 so you can put the 4-pack together...  Gotta go, I think I hear 250's horn!  ;-)

Erik

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Thanks Erik!

>All that's left is the 2807 so you can put the 4-pack together...

Tempting!  Very tempting!  But even having three on the West End is probably overkill. :-)

GREAT photo though!  When and where did you shoot that?  They looked really sharp as a solid consist.  Come to think of it though, I thought they looked great mixed with IAIS power too.  Something about the two paint schemes just looked right together.

Joe Atkinson
Council Bluffs, IA
www.iaisrailfans.org/../Sub4WestEnd

iaisfan Wrote:
> GREAT photo though!  When and where did you shoot that?  They looked really sharp as a solid consist.

They sure did!  I regret not returning when all 4 were painted into IAIS and running together on that job before the ES44AC's showed up.  It was a narrow window and I missed it.  The photo was taken on November 6, 2004 at the Benton-Iowa Rd bridge between Walford and Amana, IA on the Crandic (ex-MILW) with the "CR Turn," CRIC-06.

Erik