# Union Pacific Playland



## Sasha (Jul 8, 2012)

I'm now thinking of adding more than just the "Big Power" diesels to my roster. I think a GM SD40-2 and a GE U28C would be appropriate for an Armour Yellow and gray layout. Any thoughts?


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## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

Those 2 engines were the staple of most railroads in the 80's and 90's. Including
the UP. I think you should have at least 2 of each, and run the 2 together. I have
mainly UP and MoPac engines. I kinda do the 80's and 90's. My newest 2 engines
are UP C44-9s (early 90's). So I am a little bias on those 2 engines you mentioned.

A little history - when the UP acquired the MoPac I guess in 1983, MoPac 
was a larger railroad than the UP. I just recently learned that.


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## Sasha (Jul 8, 2012)

I just took a look in the mergers chapter of my UP book... the merger all happened by December, 1982 with MoPac. UP acquired 2 other roads at the same time. It didn't say anything about major competition or other roads being larger, but I'll take your word for it. 

I have a Athearn Blue Box GE AC4400 and it runs like a champ. I might just pick up an SD40-2 and a GE U28C. I can't find any U30Cs or C30-7s.

I don't think I'll be getting any GM "GP" models or any GE "B" units. I'm not too big on 4-axel diesels. We'll see how things go.


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## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

Just the other day I saw a couple yellow 4 axle geeps go by.
Don't see many any more.I have got a few GP38s and GP50s.
Canaries and bluebirds.


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## Sasha (Jul 8, 2012)

*LED resistor calculator*

Canaries and bluebirds? I'm afraid I'm not too savvy in the ways of railroading lingo. Did you mean to designate Union Pacific and Missouri Pacific?

Anyways - I was looking around for 2 and 3 millimeter LEDs for a few of my engines. While looking, I also found an online "calculator" for determining what resistor to use with a given voltage and desired LED.

**Here it is**

If you look, there's also a calculator for multiple LED arrays. Has this page been discussed before? Well, either way, it was new to me. I plan to replace several bulbs with LEDs in a few of my engines. I just like the look much better.

What do you all think of this calculator? Is it trustworthy?


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## Sasha (Jul 8, 2012)

*U.P. Three*

*A picture I made with three of my engines on test tracks and a little added scenery, courtesy of Photoshop:*


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## keysha (Feb 3, 2013)

Love the pic, I am learning this hobby with my husband, and he got me addicted.. we are working on our first build with the HO scale, can't wait to share the progress.


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## MacDaddy55 (Aug 19, 2008)

*Nice Shop Job!!*



Sasha said:


> *A picture I made with three of my engines on test tracks and a little added scenery, courtesy of Photoshop:*


Hey Sasha, That is a very good job of photo shopping/cropping and where in the state of Nebraska are there rocky backdrops like that?!!!:laugh::laugh:


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## New Berlin RR (Feb 11, 2012)

looking great with the locos!


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## Sasha (Jul 8, 2012)

*Me & my trains!*

It's a little blurry 'cause I took it with my phone, but Dad said I could post this selfie of my little Union Pacific roster:


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## dannyrandomstate (Jan 1, 2012)

Thanks for posting the link to the calculator. That'll help on future projects. That's an awesome little collection you have. I just picked up a U-50. That thing is sweet!!


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## norgale (Apr 4, 2011)

Very good pictures but they are three times the size of my screen. How come so big? Pete


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## dannyrandomstate (Jan 1, 2012)

The Turbine and DDA40X are big machines!


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## D&J Railroad (Oct 4, 2013)

What happened to the front hand rails on the BNSF? Ya need handrails so the guys comin out the front door of the loco don't fall onto the track.


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## Sasha (Jul 8, 2012)

Pete said:


> Very good pictures but they are three times the size of my screen. How come so big? Pete


I forgot to resize it, sorry.



D&J Railroad said:


> What happened to the front hand rails on the BNSF? Ya need handrails so the guys comin out the front door of the loco don't fall onto the track.


I don't know which engine you're talking about - there are no BNSF trains there, and there are no missing handrails anywhere. I think the picture is just too blurry. Again, sorry about that.


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## D&J Railroad (Oct 4, 2013)

Sasha said:


> I forgot to resize it, sorry.
> 
> 
> I don't know which engine you're talking about - there are no BNSF trains there, and there are no missing handrails anywhere. I think the picture is just too blurry. Again, sorry about that.


Sorry about that. My comment was directed at New Berlin RR.


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## Sasha (Jul 8, 2012)

Ok, I resized the picture:


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## Sasha (Jul 8, 2012)

Here's a couple pictures of the new trains on the dual circle layout, and Sasha modeling the 2 newest locomotives (sorry about the blurry phone pics):


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## norgale (Apr 4, 2011)

Ohhhhh ya! You got the bug alright. As a fortune teller I can see trains all over your home in the near future. Ha! 
Looks like your moving the camera when you click the picture. Try and set the camera down om something stable and push the button slowly. Also have the locos sitting still. Hard to get good pics of a moving engine. Nice fleet there too Sasha. UP has a great color scheme and it's nice to look at. Pete


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## D&J Railroad (Oct 4, 2013)

Nothing wrong with mixing older motive power with the new, state of the art prime movers. I have GPs scattered around the D&J Railroad along with the newer ES44AC and AC6000 power units. I use the older models for local freight moves while the bigger units are found leading long autorack or intermodal trains.


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## cole226 (Feb 8, 2013)

nice looking line up of locos u have there young lady.:thumbsup:
is there a layout in the future, i see u and dads posts once in a while, but ur usually collecting or upgrading ur loco's.:dunno:


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## mikek (Dec 29, 2013)

A really nice set of trains. Maybe someone can give me the correct positive id of the one I'm trying to build. Can't seem to get the right trucks. The frame is supposed to be for a six wheel truck. At the prices for used trucks, I can't afford to buy too many that don't fit. I've got motors coming, hope something fits.


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## Sasha (Jul 8, 2012)

cole226 said:


> nice looking line up of locos u have there young lady.:thumbsup:
> is there a layout in the future, i see u and dads posts once in a while, but ur usually collecting or upgrading ur loco's.:dunno:


There's certainly a layout in the future but we still need to decide where this future layout will be. For the time being though - we are having fun collecting and modifying assorted locomotives from assorted manufacturers. Still looking for something good from Walthers/Life-Like/Proto 2000 and something from Atlas that will fit with the scheme of our roster. I don't think Bowser makes anything for our yard.

- Dad


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## norgale (Apr 4, 2011)

Mike that's the trouble with restoring older locos. You often end up with a higher cost than if you just went and bought one that runs. However there is the satisfaction of rebuilding and having a good running loco that you put together. That's worth something for sure. Pete


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## FRED On Board (Jan 2, 2014)

Yikes, what a roster (befitting your post title) and your daughter is absolutely the prettiest engineer, dispatcher or trainmaster I've ever seen! 

I almost think you need a few Geeps...For nearly 20 years I worked within 100 yards of the very busy UP mainline north out of Houston, and Geeps lashed up with SD's and AC's were ever so common for that entire period.

Thanks for posting the very nice pictures and the link to the time saver app for designing LED circuits!

Bruce /FRED On Board
ATSF, BN, SP, UP


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## rrgrassi (May 3, 2012)

mikek said:


> A really nice set of trains. Maybe someone can give me the correct positive id of the one I'm trying to build. Can't seem to get the right trucks. The frame is supposed to be for a six wheel truck. At the prices for used trucks, I can't afford to buy too many that don't fit. I've got motors coming, hope something fits.



That is an Athearn Blue Box, It would be cheaper if you bought a used one on Fee-Pay that is already complete.


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## norgale (Apr 4, 2011)

When I was trying to resurrect a RDC back aways I ended up spending $30 on parts that didn't work and finally bought a nice one in running condition for $16. However I'd spend more to get the old one running if I could find the right parts. It's all in the love for the hobby. Pete


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## sstlaure (Oct 12, 2010)

I see Geeps being used all the time around here - mainly as yard switchers.


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## Kenjuro4449 (Oct 14, 2013)

Nice lineup of UP locomotives.
I am more into Southern Pacific ( I know they are UP now).
After seeing "Big Boy" 4014 a few weekends ago I am starting to like UP.


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## mikek (Dec 29, 2013)

rrgrassi said:


> That is an Athearn Blue Box, It would be cheaper if you bought a used one on Fee-Pay that is already complete.


Yes, Athearn, but which u-boat, 33 b, c, or what? This u-30 truck did not fit.


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## sstlaure (Oct 12, 2010)

A "B" would be a 4-axle unit and a "C" would be a 6-axle.


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## Sasha (Jul 8, 2012)

I suppose a couple of 4-axel locomotives would be alright, but our scheme originated as the biggest, baddest yellow & gray diesels we could find. The F7 (or F3 or F9) we have was just a shell I got at Arnie's Trains for $3 that I fitted over an Athearn Southern Pacific "Black Widow" Super Power diesel.

I don't know - we're sort of winging it right now. It's been a fun journey so far. No specific destination yet.

- Dad


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## mikek (Dec 29, 2013)

sstlaure said:


> A "B" would be a 4-axle unit and a "C" would be a 6-axle.


Thanks. I have a 'reference' pic file, I'll post some good ones from recent posts.


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## daveh219 (Sep 16, 2012)

Sasha...I've seen your YouTube videos...MY how you've changed. :smilie_daumenpos:

Since you're going "old style"...why not do a "heritage line" of UP. Those combinations are getting real kool...


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## Sasha (Jul 8, 2012)

daveh219 said:


> Sasha...I've seen your YouTube videos...MY how you've changed. :smilie_daumenpos:


Sasha doesn't have any YouTube videos.

- Dad


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## fs2k4pilot (Jan 5, 2013)

Nuts to all these diesels, STEAM motive power is what the UP is famous for!

BTW, if you're still looking, BLI makes a couple of C30-7s in UP colors now.


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## Sasha (Jul 8, 2012)

fs2k4pilot said:


> Nuts to all these diesels, STEAM motive power is what the UP is famous for!


Not for Sasha, they're not.



fs2k4pilot said:


> BTW, if you're still looking, BLI makes a couple of C30-7s in UP colors now.


We already have a BLI we're trying out. The AC6000. I want to try other makers. Thanks, though!

- Dad


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## Sasha (Jul 8, 2012)

*DummyDummy40*

I pulled out an old Athearn DD40 and converted it to a powered dummy. I removed the gears and the burned-out motors, 
wired-in directional lighting with golden-white L.E.D.s, and it looks and rolls great! 
I also had to install my own Kadee couplers. It looks great in various lash-ups I tried, so I can chalk this up as a success. 
I wish I could find a new or hardly-used one of these with a dual motor/dual flywheel configuration. Maybe someday. 

- Dad


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## norgale (Apr 4, 2011)

Ok dad now what will you do with the dummy? Got some pictures? Pete


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## Sasha (Jul 8, 2012)

No pictures yet. Gotta wait until The Kid gets home with her phone - it's got a decent camera built-in.

As for using the DD40 dummy? Just another visual asset for *The Union Pacific Playland.*


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## rrgrassi (May 3, 2012)

Add a Veranda Turbine and a Big Blow Turbine to the mix. The Veranda has four double axle trucks and the Big Blow used six axle trucks.


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## Sasha (Jul 8, 2012)

We have a Veranda Turbine. The 8500 Horsepower Turbines are not available in HO scale other than brass.

- Dad


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## rhfil (Feb 3, 2014)

*Flextrack*

I see that you are using flextrack. I can tell by the large gaps where you join two tracks together. I avoided that spacing by cutting the ends pretty close to the last ties and then cutting the last plastic imitation spikes which hold the track in place. That allowed me to slide track joiners above the ties. The layout I bought, the previous owner had used some kind of clear glue to fill the space in with ties but it looked awful. So I tried my way and it worked beautifully. But then I pulled the entire layout down and will have to rebuild it all.


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## Sasha (Jul 8, 2012)

I have the tracks and the joints staggered. Between the two rails, there aren't any joints in the same place. Since I knew I wouldn't be doing any landscaping on this circle, I didn't worry about how it looked, only house precise it was.

- Dad


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## DDA40Xman (Sep 1, 2013)

*Your fleet*

As you can see from my tag line the DDA40X is my favorite loco of them all. I bought 15-17 Bachmann's, some SoundValue, some DCC only. I also have two Veranda turbines. I likely will upgrade the controllers to Tsunamis in the future. I also bought several of the Athearn SD40-2 Fast Forty's to run with the DDA40X as U.P. used to. Fortunately I have access to a railroad clubs large layout. Also picked up PA's, F7's, SD45'S, E6-9's, very similar to the photo I saw in the thread. Thanks for sharing, I'll check back soon.


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## Sasha (Jul 8, 2012)

I think I have had 7 or 8 of Bachmann's Spectrum DD40AX locomotives. To this day, I don't know why Bachmann refuses to label them properly as DDA40X. Most were used, a couple were new. I wanted a couple of units that actually ran good. I modified the trucks on all the units to have electrical pickup on all 16 wheels, instead of just 8 wheels. The motors Bachmann uses in their Centennials leave a lot to be desired, though. I also replaced all the lamps with golden-white LEDs.

The DDA40X is Sasha's favorite and mine, too. We have one Athearn Genesis model. I have modified it to pull _*much*_ harder than it did when new. It's the strongest locomotive we have here. I also changed out the lighting for LEDs. Looks better now.

Basically for our roster, I really only wanted "one of each" of the big power yellow & grey engines. Now, we might get some of the "smaller" models. Time will tell.

- Dad


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## D&J Railroad (Oct 4, 2013)

Locomotives? I didn't see any locomotives. There were locomotives in the picture?


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

D&J Railroad said:


> Locomotives? I didn't see any locomotives. There were locomotives in the picture?


Don't you know the definition of Locomotive? 



lo·co·mo·tive [loh-kuh-moh-tiv] 
noun
1.
a self-propelled, vehicular engine, powered by steam, a diesel, or electricity, for pulling or, sometimes, pushing a train or individual railroad cars. :smokin:

I saw a lot of Locomotives.


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## DDA40Xman (Sep 1, 2013)

The prize of my fleet right now is an Athearn Genesis DDA40X (they got it right) #6936. But Bachmann put lit number boards on theirs and Athearn didn't. Considering I paid almost $500 with shipping I was extremely dissapointed.

It runs great on the club's big table so I might buy a second one for collection only.


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## Sasha (Jul 8, 2012)

I'm going to light up the number boards on my Athearn myself. I have done it with other models in different places and I think I can do it with the Athearn. With the sheer quality of the Athearn's build and performance, lighted number boards weren't an issue for me.

- Dad


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## DDA40Xman (Sep 1, 2013)

I have to get braver, always worried I'll do more harm than good. I'll watch you.


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## Sasha (Jul 8, 2012)

*Ac6000cw*

The BLI AC6000CW motor arrived today. It literally dropped right into place.
It's a little quieter than the first one, and as I recall, moves a tad faster with the same voltage.
Sasha & I made a short video of the new L.E.D.s we fitted it with:

http://s92251487.onlinehome.us/video/ac6000cw.mp4

- Dad


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## dablaze (Apr 17, 2012)

Sasha, you could single handedly elevate model railroading out of the basement and maybe even out of "geekdom" Very attractive selfie and a very nice roster.

Craig


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## Sasha (Jul 8, 2012)

DDA40Xman said:


> I have to get braver, always worried I'll do more harm than good. I'll watch you.


I checked out the number boards on the Athearn DDA40X - they are opaque;
light doesn't come through, so as far as I can tell, lighting them isn't workable. Bummer.

- Dad


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## DDA40Xman (Sep 1, 2013)

Really. Thanks for trying. I've been busy building or refurbishing a lot of Athearn Blue Box rolling stock and updating my table's landscaping so I haven't fired up my DDA40X'ES in quite some time. Added three Union Pacific F7's (ABA) to my loco inventory. Not sure what DCC controller is in them yet but plan to install Tsunamis. Good luck to you and Sasha.

Bruce

Sent from my GT-N8013 using Tapatalk


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## Sasha (Jul 8, 2012)

We bought another Athearn Genesis DDA40X for the roster. Sasha is still into trains, but we just don't have a good place to set up a layout. A bit frustrating. I guess the new Centennial will just be a shelf queen with the rest of the UP Gals until we can compromise some space here.

- Dad


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## MrMoose (Dec 22, 2014)

Very Nice...oh and your trains too...


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## Sasha (Jul 8, 2012)

Here's me and our new train!


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## 93firebird (Dec 25, 2011)

She's beautiful, the girl is not half bad looking either. ; )

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

I'm a U.P. convert, all of a sudden!


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## 93firebird (Dec 25, 2011)

My boys' bedroom

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk


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## blackz28 (Jan 6, 2013)

You need steam lol


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## Sasha (Jul 8, 2012)

If you're talking to us, niether Sasha or I like the look. I love the era, but we both much prefer the Armour Yellow & Gray.

- Dad


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## blackz28 (Jan 6, 2013)

How can you not like the look of articulated steam


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

That locomotive in her hands, almost looks to be O scale . :thumbsup:


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## Sasha (Jul 8, 2012)

blackz28 said:


> How can you not like the look of articulated steam


Sort of like this > 



big ed said:


> That locomotive in her hands, almost looks to be O scale . :thumbsup:


She's 15, but a bit on the petite side.

We're still deciding whether or not to try and fit a layout in the garage. it's a tough decision because there's not much room in there as it is.

- Dad


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## Rusty (Jun 23, 2011)

Sasha, Did you see model train video forum with new UP sd50?


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

Sasha said:


> Sort of like this >
> 
> 
> She's 15, but a bit on the petite side.
> ...


Well that is a large model locomotive. 
What is the length around 15"/18"?

Hang up the layout in the garage?
Have you seen some of the threads that members have done this?

Just hoist it up to the ceiling?


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

According to my calculations it should only be around 13"?

As the real one is 98 feet, 5 inches long, 17 feet four inches tall, says one site that sells them.
I can't find anywhere where they list the models actual size.

It is big looking, one guy has a review on you tube and was going to try it on a 24" curve. They say it needs a 28".
He was kind of boring, I didn't make it to the actual running to see what happened.


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## cole226 (Feb 8, 2013)

sasha,
did u check out d&j's vid? lots of yellow and gray.

http://www.modeltrainforum.com/showthread.php?t=25316


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## Sasha (Jul 8, 2012)

big ed said:


> Well that is a large model locomotive.
> What is the length around 15"/18"?
> 
> Hang up the layout in the garage?
> ...


It's just a taste under 14"... pretty big locomotive.

I've never tried anything so ambitious as a hanging layout. Seems daunting.



Rusty said:


> Sasha, Did you see model train video forum with new UP sd50?





cole226 said:


> sasha,
> did u check out d&j's vid? lots of yellow and gray.
> 
> http://www.modeltrainforum.com/showthread.php?t=25316


Yeah, we saw it. Love the layout and the SD50 is a nice-looking unit. I like the shiny silver fan just behind the cab.

- Dad


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