Traction Models Displayed at two California Great American Train Shows

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            Californians got to see some operating traction models at Great American Train Shows in Del Car, CA (just north of San Diego) on December 7 & 8 and in Fresno on December 21& 22. The public continues to be amazed that the cars can be made to operate from love overhead wire. This can be considered a "hint" to the other clubs who would like to increase public interest in their operating layouts.

            The SCTC began the last month of  2002 with the Del Mar Fair appearance. As the club begins to ready its display for the Model Train Expo to be held at the Fairplex in Pomona in March 2003. This was the time to operate on track that had not seen a rotating wheel in months or even years.

Shown above are five Philadelphia cars, left to right, PTC 2168, PTC 2223, 2277, 2190 and SEPTA 9038.

            The club had a small display at the Fresno Great American Train Show later in December with four modules with operation on one of them.

In the photo above, the traffic officer will have to dodge PTC 5322 shortly.

            Meanwhile the Southern California Traction Club has scheduled their 2003 appearances as follows:

Great American Train Show [Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, CA] – January 4-5; Train Expo [Fairplex, Pomona, CA] – March 1-2; Great American Train Show [National Orange Show Events Center, San Bernardino, CA] – August 2-3; Great American Train Show [Ventura County Fairgrounds/Seaside Park, Ventura, CA] – August 23-24; NMRA LA Division Annual Show [LA County Arboretum, Arcadia, CA] – November 1-2 and Great American Train Show [Del Mar Fair, Del Mar, CA] – December 6-7. There may be some additional appearances at the Orange Empire Railway Museum and Descanso Gardens, but dates are not yet set. See later editions of the Trolleyville Times for updates.

Trolleyville Visits Proto Power West / A-line

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                When Joe D'Elia of Proto Power West/A-line developed the A-line retro flywheel kit for the 1999 Bowser traction power unit, Joe D'Elia mentioned to Custom Traxx (George Huckaby) that he was especially interested in developing methods for repowering model trains. At that time, the discussion centered on the brass traction models imported between 1950 and 1980 most of which have nicely detailed solid brass bodies but sometimes terrible drives and power hungry, hard to control open frame motors. The Southern California Traction Club began to participate in developing methods to repower and eventually operate some of these models. (See the appropriate lesson on repowering using A-line components in the Trolleyville Schoolhouse) When Joe developed the #20040 Bowser Trolley Flywheel kit practically overnight between two days of the January 2000 Great American Train Show in Anaheim, CA, he invited Custom Traxx to spend some time in his workshop to discuss some common traction repowering problems.

                Now resigned from his position of five years with the Great American Train Shows, some time finally emerged for George Huckaby to make this visit, which took place between the two days of the 2002 Del Mar, CA Great American Train Show. The session went way into the evening and the items learned from this visit may be great Trolleyville Schoolhouse lessons later but the items discussed were HO scale models of Suydam PERy 1624 Steeple Cabs, Suydam ITS Class B locomotives, Ken Kidder CSS&SB steeple cabs, Soho CNS&M and Portland Traction Steeple Cabs, Electroliners, MTS Nearside cars.  We even discussed briefly repowering an old 1950s era Model Tramway System model of a Connecticut 1900 series streetcar with an Andeco Drive.

Most items had apparent solutions that were demonstrated that evening. Others are still pending. Shown below is Joe testing one of the repowered chassis.

                Joe's production facility is an extremely no-nonsense, clean and neatly arranged for maximum production at minimum waste. Items have been arranged for rapid response to customer needs.

                The meeting proved to us that most HO scale model traction vehicles could be repowered using A-line components. We will keep trying to get Joe to share some of his secrets with the rest of us with a lesson in the Trolleyville Schoolhouse.