Bachmann's 19th century 4-4-0s are actually based on Virginia & Truckee prototypes.  Several of those engines have been used in movie work over the years, including, if I remember right, No. 22, which portrayed the Texas in "The Great Locomotive Chase."

And one of Bachmann's offerings for this American is as lettered for Western & Atlantic!

I'm surprised nobody here has yet mentioned Disney's "The Great Locomotive Chase:"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epp9r-JjYvs

Location work was on the now long-abandoned Tallulah Falls Railway:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Akc_bq8BIm4

Scout, you're not alone. . .you might like this photo album as an inspiration:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/44268069@N00/

And a group modeling the same (though it may be more strongly O scale):

http://www.nycmodeltransit.org/

A big problem, besides equipment, is the whole infrastructure.  What are you planning to use for the bridgework and third rail gear?  And then there are those switches and even the counterparts of grand union junctions in street railways, all on bridges, all open type construction (which means you see through the track?

It's an ambitious project, but it certainly won't be like much else out there!

And just for fun, an image from the Smithsonian of a non-operating diorama of the New York City el--before third rail.

I've been looking at this thread, and am glad you--and the rest of us!--are enjoying it as much as we all are.

One of the interesting things is recognizing some of the structure kits.  Among the ones you have is a one-story industrial building visible behind a silver or grey Virginian hopper in one photo.  I don't know who currently offers it, but it's original offering, based on ads in a bunch of old Model Railroaders I have, was by Ulrich back in the 1950s. 

It's amazing how many old structure models like that are still around, reissued or still in production by other firms who bought the tooling.

A lot are still useful, too, either as kitbashing fodder, or even just dressed up with something as simple as a good paint job and window glazing.  I did that with my own version of the "Ulrich" factory, and I'm pleased with the result--red bricks and antique white or aged concrete mortar lines and "stonework."

Occasionally you'll even come across something like your corner diner--I think yours is Tyco, while one I have is, I think, AHM--which has interior detail!  Oh my, the fun you can have with paint on that one--including figuring out what colors you want to use!!

(Darn, I STILL miss Floquil paints and Champion and Walthers decals!)

Quote from: Len on January 23, 2018, 10:10:16 AM
I'd like to see Amtrak put one in a "Heritage" GG-1 tuscan 5-stripe paint job. Just because.

Len

Would you take a New York Central Photoshop job?



Source:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=686854248088079&set=gm.10152618438868751&type=3&theater

Was looking more closely at the product photos with the listings, and one thing that seems different in "new tooling" is that like the steam engines, the detail has been simplified.  What used to be free-standing wire grabs have been replaced by molded on ridges, something we wanted to get away from.

I can't say for certain if the paint colors will be a perfect match; it's possible something might be a bit different.

I wouldn't worry too much about that, though, as long as the colors were close.  It would not be unusual to see different shades in the real world, even in the old days, due to differences in weathering, age or fading, and even paint batches.  For some reason this seems to have been more noticeable on the PRR to boot!

So, to repeat, I wouldn't worry too much about it.

http://bcoolidge.com/ANG%20Pix/ANG-PRR-Sleeper-Mineral-Brook_11_28_64edited.jpg

http://bcoolidge.com/ANG%20Pix/ANG-PRR-Sleeper-Lancaster-County-Lightweight-Diner_11_28_64.jpg

Check out in particular the differences between the B-unit in the foreground and the two passenger cars behind it!

http://www.railpictures.net/photo/574755/

http://www.railpictures.net/photo/424402/

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/09/7a/66/097a665ba12c08d6af89211da8b61135--train-room-pennsylvania-railroad.jpg

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/locoPicture.aspx?id=40134

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/locoPicture.aspx?id=40134&Page=2

No date or photographer data, but no doubt about the location.

https://www.american-rails.com/images/FrontRoyal722.jpg

Just some other pix:

https://www.walthers.com/baldwin-2-8-0-consolidation-w-dcc-southern-railway-722-green

https://hattonsimages.blob.core.windows.net/products/83603_2.JPG

http://www.railpictures.net/photo/391217/

http://www.railpictures.net/photo/47003/

http://locomotive.wikia.com/wiki/Southern_Railway_722

http://locomotive.wikia.com/wiki/Southern_Railway_722?file=SRR_722_1952.jpg

http://locomotive.wikia.com/wiki/Southern_Railway_722?file=Southern_722_in_the_late_1940s.jpg

http://locomotive.wikia.com/wiki/Southern_Railway_722?file=ET&WNC_208_12:3:1964.jpeg

Quote from: ebtnut on January 09, 2018, 11:52:01 AM
J3a - That Flicker shot looks like it might have been taken at Warrenton, VA back when we ran steam trips out of Alexandria back in the day.  Any data on the date and location?

Took a while to find the Flickr shot, but the caption says Front Royal, Va. 1979.

The engine still has plain bearing tender trucks; would it have still had them that late?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/28053622@N05/7978045773

Southern did paint at least 722 green--but that was for excursion service.  She wouldn't have worn that in her regular service days.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8303/7978045773_f1c3468244_b.jpg

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=47003

Glad to see her done; I may try to scrounge a motor and battery and such to do the same with my own sitting in its box!   

What do you plan to use for a tender or B-unit?  An oil tender would be PERFECT!!

Or, as Doctor Beaker used to say on the old Jerry Anderson animated puppet sci-fi kids' show "Supercar," "Satisfactory.  Most satisfactory!"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supercar_(TV_series)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054567/

A bit--no, wildly--off topic, but how many of you remember this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTW3sEOaPqU

Actually, even the B-unit can be a dummy.  It powers the plow, but doesn't move itself.  Movement comes from locomotives pushing, just as in steam days.  The rotaries that still operate today have a control stand in them to operate the locomotives behind them.

Said B-unit might be painted like the plow (in other words, it might be in a maintenance of way scheme), or it still be in road colors (this was common earlier, the B-unit getting its motors installed again and going back to helping pull trains after the snow season).  This suggests some fun with sound decoders if you want to spend the dough--nah, let the club guys do that!!

Modern rotary footage from the beginning of this year.  Note that the old SP plow here still has steam from a steam generator (such as used in a passenger diesel).  That steam is useful for heating for the crew and thawing out frozen equipment and melting ice buildup--and in the past at least, still was used to blow a real steam whistle.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjBQ3MaBYiU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNOfnBqhEdQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYerlBZNBBI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTpKizlTO6A

And here's your fictional history. . .this rotary is the last Lima plow, the one that was supposed to have been built for stock and cancelled!!

Have fun!

You're right, Jonathan, you have an Athearn rotary plow.  

The prototype was built very late in the history of the Lima Locomotive Works under license from Alco (which held the Leslie rotary plow patents).  They used Shay engines to power the wheel, a very different arrangement than normally used on a rotary.  They were built as steam plows meant to live in a diesel world and were oil fired, with fuel and water from a tender supplied by the railroad.  Boiler orientation was reversed from normal because of this (normally the firebox was at the rear, like a locomotive, which made sense when plows, like locomotives, were coal burners).

Four were built (two for Union Pacific, and one each for Soo and Rock Island).  I believe both UP plows have been preserved, surviving to the end of service with steam power.  Most if not all other surviving rotaries had the steam equipment replaced with electric motors, their power coming from a B-unit that had its motors removed and wiring altered to supply the plow.

http://tycotrain.tripod.com/athearn-rollingstock-resource/id147.html

http://limalocomotiveworks.com/rotary_snow_plows.html

http://www.tycoforums.com/tyco/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=11735

Check out the former C&O tender from a 2-8-8-2 with this UP plow.

https://donstrack.smugmug.com/UtahRails/Union-Pacific/UP-Snow-Plows/i-RFXK2zh

https://donstrack.smugmug.com/UtahRails/Union-Pacific/UP-Snow-Plows/

http://www.trainweb.org/highdesertrails/up/UPRotary.jpg

In action a steam rotary sounded like a locomotive, in particular a geared engine:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtiCOBfvc-I

If B&O didn't have rotaries, they should have.  Other eastern roads did.

http://www.trainsarefun.com/lirr/mow/193%20RotaryMorris%20Park5-1963JimGillin.jpg

Have fun!

I wouldn't know without looking at your power supply.  Most don't come with a spade connector, but have screw terminals.  I forget what the size is, but it's a common one, and typically you'll wind up with a terminal strip that uses the same size--in fact, it's a good idea to deliberately get them to use the same size, cuts down on all the different stuff to keep track of (and lose, eventually!!  )

I would take your power supply to whomever you're getting your wire and other things from to match up the size.  Most model railroad power supplies use the same size.

Typically what you'll be looking for is what's called a fork connector, which looks like this. . .

https://media.distributordatasolutions.com/panduit/2017q1/189fb75a07adf1c9f8ab5634d0a1d2788aad4294.png

Of course, you may have something different.  Do you have a brand name or a photograph available of what you're using?