Progress On My Sun Porch HO Layout

Years in the making, I am nearing completion of my HO layout on my sun porch. I just completed putting together my New York Central passenger train. It is 14 cars long pulled by PA-PB-PA locomotives.

I have also completed my Ann Arbor freight train. I only have to take one of my GP38's in for repair of the railings on the locomotive. There are 3 GP38's pulling the freight train followed by 23 assorted freight cars and a caboose.

And Finally I am working on completing my C&O Pere Marquette passenger train. I have yet to obtain a E7A locomotive to complete this effort. it is on hold at Mountain Town Hobbies waiting for me to pay for it and take it home to add to the consists of this train. When complete there will be 2 E7A locomotives pulling 14 passenger cars.

the landscaping still needs to be completed but there is not that much more to do 90% is already done. Also I have a Tuscola and Saginaw Bay freight train on the layout that is complete. However it is not powered, but is operational.

Getting CloserTo Completing The Pere Marquette Passenger Train

I am now 1 Locomotive away from completing my C&O Pere Marquette passenger train. I have beeen working on it since 2013. The locomotive is road number 103 and is on hold at Mountain Town Hobbies for 2 years. Once I have paid for this my effort will be complete.

2 More Things Needed To Complete The Pere Marquette Passenger Train

The only items I still need to complete my Pere Marquette Passenger Train are the 52 seat Coach car and the E7A locomotive road number 103 then my effort will be finished. Both items are waiting for me to pay for them at Mountain Town Hobbies in Mt. Pleasant Michigan.

My Pere Marquette Passenger Train

The consists of my Pere Marquette Passenger Train produced by Walthers in 2013 as their named train for that year.

EMD E7A I have 2 of These road Numbers 103 and 105

RPO (Railway Post Office) road number 60

Railway Express Mail Car road number 367

2 Baggage Cars road numbers 50 & 51

52 seat Coach Car road number 1614

52 seat Coach Car road number 1618

52 seat Coach Car road number 1621

Standard Diner Coach Car road number 1610

Standard Lunch Counter Buffet Lounge Car road number 1903

10-6 Sleeper car road number 2636 City of Grand Rapids

10-6 Sleeper car road number 2640 City of Saginaw

10-6 Sleeper car road number 2645 City of Midland

My HO Layout In The 3 Season Sun Room

The weather is finally nice enough for me to run my HO layout in the 3 season sun room. I model a New York Central Heavy Weight Passenger Train and a modern Ann Arbor Freight Train and a Pere Marquette Passenger Train set in a representation of the city of Shepherd Michigan.

The New York Central Passenger Train is pulled by Alco PA-PB units the configuration is PA-PB-PA Followed by an RPO (Railway Post Office), an Express Mail Car, a Baggage Car, 2 Paired Window Coach Cars, A Lounge Car, a Dinning Car, a Lounge Observation Car, 2 Sleeper Cars, and an Observation Car. The Passenger cars were manufactured by Walthers.

The Ann Arbor Freight Train is pulled by 3 EMD GP38's followed by 4 Box Cars, 2 Tank Cars, 2 Three Bay Covered Hoppers, 2 Three bay Centerflow Covered Hoppers, 4 Two Bay Covered Hoppers, 4 Coal Cars, a Gondola, and a Caboose.

The Pere Marquette Passenger Train is pulled by 2 EMD E7's, followed by an RPO (Railway Post Office), a Express Mail Car, 3 Coach Cars, A Coach Dinning Car, a Lunch Counter Lounge Car, and 3 10-6 Sleeper Cars. This train was the 2013 Walthers Name Train.

Pere Marquette Locomotives

After 2 years of collecting bottles and cans I was finally able to pay off one of the two locomotives I had on hold at Mountain Town Hobbies in Mt Pleasant Michigan. This puts a locomotive with the Walthers Pere Marquette named passenger train They produced for 2013. I had previously collected all of the passenger cars and was just waiting to pay off the locomotives. Only one more locomotive to go and the train will be complete. The locomotive I got was an EMD E7A unit road number 105. The remaining locomotive also an EMD E7A unit road number 103 is waiting for me to collect a lot more pop cans.

Repairs Are Coming Along

I will soon have my Ann Arbor GP38, road number 7802, back from repair at Brasseur's Electric Trains in Saginaw Michigan I had the motor replaced. There are 2 others that I need to pay for and pick up. One is a New York Central F3A unit, and the other is a C&O Pere Marquette E7A unit road number 96. There is another New York Central ALCO PA unit, road number 4202, that I had just picked up that still has the same problem with it as when I brought it in for repair the first time. That will most likely need the motor replaced in it as well.
Once I have the Ann Arbor GP38 back on the tracks my Ann Arbor freight train will be complete. Once the New York Central ALCO PA unit is repaired and back on the tracks my New York Central passenger train will be complete. I am saving money to purchase the two Pere Marquette EMD E7A locomotives, road numbers 103 and 105, I have on hold at Mountain Town Hobbies in Mount Pleasant Michigan. I am hoping that I can get one of them for my birthday next month. That will complete the C&O Pere Marquette passenger train sold by Walthers as the 2013 named train. All in all my indoor HO layout in very near completion. I just have some landscaping to do to finish it off.

Express Mail Cars

Last year I ordered 2 express mail cars from Walthers through Mountain Town Hobbies in Mt. Pleasant Michigan. I had forgotten about them until they came in a few months ago. One was a New York Central car that I plan to add to my New York Central passenger train. and the other is a C&O car that I will be adding to my Pere Marquette passenger train. I plan to pick up the C&O car today.

The car is on my layout now as part of the Pere Marquette Passenger train and looks great I have placed it just after the RPO and before the baggage cars. My next goal is to pick up the New York Central Express Mail Car and add it to the New York Central Passenger Train. I can't wait to add it to my layout.

Time Is Not On My Side

Since the holiday season I have been hoping for the resources to pick up the two Pere Marquette locomotives I have put aside for me at Mountain Town Hobbies in Mt Pleasant Michigan. So far I have not been able to do it. Doing so would complete the collection of my Pere Marquette passenger train. I keep hoping I will be able to get them soon. Only time will tell.

Wish me luck Valentines day is coming up fast.

The Pere Marquette Locomotives Are Finally Here

I received a call from Mountain Town Hobbies in Mt. Pleasant Michigan and they informed me that my order of 2 EMD E7A Pere Marquette Locomotives have finally come in. They were originally scheduled to come in in March of 2013. This will complete the Pere Marquette passenger train I have been putting together for over a year. I now have all of the passenger cars and once I pay for the locomotives it will be complete. I will be running an EMD E7A-A configuration.

The cars consist of an RPO (Railway Post Office), baggage car, 3 coach cars, dinning coach car, lunch counter lounge car, 3 10-6 sleeper cars.

Grand Central Station Is Now On My Layout

My birthday is coming up and I got an early gift. Sandy let me order a kit from Walthers and I built Grand Central Station. I can use it for my New York Central passenger train and for my Pere Marquette passenger train. It all depends on the city I am claiming the station is in. New York City for the New York Central train and Chicago for the Pere Marquette train.

As you can see I have a lot of landscaping to do. I need to paint in the streets and put in people and cars but afterall I just built the building.

July 28th has come and gone

Still no word from Walthers about the Pere Marquette EMD E7A Units I ordered. I checked the Walthers web site and aside from raising the prices on the passenger cars. the changed the due date from Expected 28-July-2013 to Just Expected. I don't know what to think now. My gut tells me they will be in soon but if past history is any indication it's anyones guess. I hope I see something soon it's been a long wait with one delay after another.

When they do come in I will be running an E7A-E7A configuration. 

I will have to build another layout table for the Pere Marquette passenger train. It is currently in the design phase of development. My hope is to display multiple Passenger trains designed around Chicago's Union Station. I chose Chicago because it has always been a major hub of train traffic.

Another Delay

On a whim I checked the Walthers site to see if there were any changes in the many times revised delivery date for the EMD E7A locomotives for the Pere Marquette passenger train. I was expecting to have the two I ordered at the end of last month. Once again the expected date had been revised. The date is now shown to be 28-July-2013.

There is nothing I can do about this delay except sit by and wait. Walthers has had one delay after another on this name train. I must admit I am not disappointed with the passenger cars I have received so far. One more month is a small price to pay in order to own such a nicely crafted passenger train.

Info about Pere Marquette Passenger Service

Walthers Published the following regarding its named train release for 2012:

"Speeding travelers from Chicago to Detroit, the Pere Marquette was the pride of C&O postwar streamliner service! Updated with new cars from Pullman-Standard in the 1950s, the trains offered a wide range of comfortable accommodations whether traveling for business or pleasure.

C&O's Pere Marquette had the distinction of being the first all-new American streamliner to enter service in 1946, running between Grand Rapids, and Detroit, Michigan. Based on its initial success, service was soon extended to Chicago. A variety of new Pullman-Standard cars were assigned in the 1950s, as the trains were kept fresh and modern to attract riders. Providing convenient service for business travelers and tourists, the trains also handled large volumes of mail into the 1960s. While the C&O had opted to join Amtrak, the Pere Marquette was one of many smaller trains that faded in history on May 1, 1971.

The C&O Pere Marquette service operated between Chicago and Detroit carrying passengers through the hub of Grand Rapids. While through-service tickets were sold, the route was handled with two separate trains, meaning through-service passengers changed trains in Grand Rapids.

Actual consists varied as demand changed but C&O usually ran a minimum of two and regularly up to four Pullman-Standard 52-Seat Coaches per train. Originally put into service with side skirts attached, as maintenance was required skirts were removed and one could often see both versions of the car operating on the same train.

Between Chicago and Grand Rapids the 85' P-S Diner Coach was employed for food service, while the Lunch Counter Lounge served patrons traveling from Grand Rapids to Detroit. The remainder of the consist typically included one of each ACF RPO-Baggage Car, P-S Baggage Car, and P-S 10-6 Sleeper, all pulled by an EMD E7A."

I currently have collected all of the cars produced by Walthers but I am still waiting for the two EMD E7A locomotives they are producing for this set. The consists for my train are as follows:

• 85' ACF RPO-Baggage #60
• 72' P-S Baggage #50
• 72' P-S Baggage #51
• 85' P-S 52-Seat Coach #1614
• 85' P-S 52-Seat Coach #1618
• 85' P-S 52-Seat Coach #1621
• 85' P-S Diner Coach #1610
• 85' P-S Lunch Counter Lounge #1903
• 85' P-S 10-6 Sleeper Plan 4167 #2645 "City of Midland"
• 85' P-S 10-6 Sleeper Plan 4167 #2640 "City of Saginaw"
• 85' P-S 10-6 Sleeper Plan 4167 #2636 "City of Grand Rapids"

As I stated above I am still waiting for the two EMD E7A locomotives they are due to arrive Jun 28th 2013. Numbers 103 and 105.

Mid May 2013 and Still No Pere Marquette EMD E7A Locomotives

The Pere Marquette named train offered by Walthers has been met with one delay after another. I finally received all the passenger cars, but now the locomotives are not expected until 28-Jun-2013. They were supposed to be here the end of March then later projected for the end of April. It seems to have been one thing after another. I can't wait. That will complete the set when locomotives number #103 and #105 come in.

Pere Marquette Passenger Train Almost Complete

As of today I have all of the cars for the completed passenger train with the exception of a 52 seat Coach Car and a 10-6 Sleeper Car and 2 EMD E7A  Locomotives. I had to loose a lot of weight in order to put this train together. I still need to loose 10 lbs to complete the task.

52 Seat Coach

Standard 10-6 Sleeper Car

EMD E7A Locomotives nos 103 and 105

This will compete the set

The Train will consist of 2 EMD E7A Locomotives followed by an RPO Baggage Car, then 2 Standard Baggage Cars, 3 52 Seat Coach Cars, then a Diner Coach Car, and a Lunch Counter/Lounge Car, then finally 3 10-6 Sleeper cars.

Weight Loss Spurt gives me the Lunch Counter / Lounge

I guess I just lost another 5 lbs so the lunch counter lounge car is now part of my passenger train. Little by little I am getting the train together.

One more and then I start filling in the extra cars. Like the 2 coach cars and the 2 extra sleeper cars.

The Dining Car is Mine Now

Well another 5 lbs down and I was able to add the dining car to my Pere Marquette passenger train. My next goal is the lunch counter lounge car. once I get it there will only be one more car to complete the set and that is the 10-6 sleeper car. After that I will be filling in with 2 more 52 seat coach cars and 2 more 10-6 sleepers.

10-6 sleeper car

Lunch counter / lounge car

All The Passenger Cars Are In

All of the passenger cars are in stock at Mountain Town Hobbies in Mt. Pleasant Michigan for the Pere Marquette Passenger Train. The next car I will be working on is the Dining Car # 1610. Originally, the real train had a few of the Coach cars were converted to Dining cars. I can't wait to add it to my model Passenger train.

5 more pounds

I did it - YEA - I've reached the third milestone in my weight loss effort. This makes 15 lbs so far my ultimate goal is another 35 lbs wish me luck. now I get the 52 seat coach car for the Pere Marquette passenger train.

If I keep this up I will get all the cars before spring. I must admit however, this is not getting any easier.