Another Year Has Come And Gone.

2024 is just about over.  I for one am glad of that fact.  No need for another year like the one we just finished to come around again. Too much bad blood and too much craziness on all sides for my tastes. That, plus a bad year for personal health issues has left a bad taste in ones mouth.

I'd drink maybe one or two cups of coffee each morning when the year began, and now I'm on my second pot of the day, that is how things are going lately. This year Christmas feels robotic, any joy is M.I.A., or at least being searched for.

Another thing just happened as well; a milestone of sorts has been achieved. Moloco's new waffle side cars hit $67 each plus shipping.  As gorgeous as they are, the inbred frugality in me just won't allow me to spend that much on a freight car.  I'd love a MoPac car and a C.E.I. to keep it company, but that would be close to the price of replacing my busted MRC DCC with a NCE Power Cab system, and that just won't fly. So, that's the name of that tune.

Oh, and since I seldom post here without at least one photo, let me add a picture of a corn oil tank car bought on sale to serve a local commercial bakery on the planned shelf layout. It's a Tangent car, and was only $34 at Lombard's; I like that store.

Well, that's all for now, write back or comment should the mood strike. Happy Holidays!

Best wishes,

John Huey

CEO Arizona Southern RR

New Power Has Arrived.

Early last year in 2023, Athearn announced another run of Genesis GP9E's. Being perfect for branchline work, plus a favorite prototype of yours truly, there was no choice but to add one to the three others on hand at the AZSO. Desiring another model with the Farr rooftop air filter box setup, SP GP9E 3777 was selected.

Well just moments ago, the the folks in brown, delivered said box containing said locomotive model. It looks great too.

It's been a while since I ordered our last GP9E and I note that this box mentions LED's in the model. I'll have to wait to see what the differences might look like; hopefully it will all work out with what's onhand.

Thanks for reading this far, leave a note or make a comment should the mood strike you.

Enjoy your trains,

John Huey 

CEO Arizona Southern RR

A N&W 60' Boxcar Joins the RR

 Greetings from October 2024, where the time goes I have no idea. Just celebrated the first anniversary of the heart event of 2023, and thought something very different from the usual fare to be in order.

The only equipment longer than 54' are the SP 60' flats and bulkheads, the current layout plan just works better with shorter cars, so 40 and 50 footers rule our roster. Every once in a while though, something comes along that causes the rules to be stretched a bit. Tangent recently released a 60' auto parts car in one of my favorite paint schemes, so it just had to head to Arizona.

I'll be removing the 'FORD' service code marking as the car has been put into a more general service by 1976, and that makes it perfect for AZSO. Attached is an image purloined from the TANGENT website, I'm too lazy to get out the camera and set up a background right now.

Just wanted to drop a short note to the list, and this was about all the time and material that I had.

Thanks for reading this far, write back if the mood strikes, we'd enjoy the conversation.

Best wishes,

John Huey

CEO Arizona Southern RR

A.I. may be the end of us all.

A.I. has its good side, and it has a neutral side, but what many miss is its more nefarious side; a side that can lead one into an addiction tailored just for one's own tastes.  Last week, I searched for a Brekina CL-9000 COE to round out the collection that at some point will grace the planned truck stop or back roads of the next layout. I found one that was a bit pricey, but then a discount coupon showed up and the rest is history. Ahh, both the good and the neutral sides of A.I. illustrated.

Next, allow a few days to pass, the shipping minions do their thing, and the new tractor arrives in perfect condition; it looks better in person than the photos indicated. One great tractor model!  But, almost without breaking stride, ad's begin to creep into the old online search results, ads for Brekina while searching for totally unrelated items. That aforementioned nefarious side begins to appear. Not only did the Ford CL-9000's show up, but the Mack RS-700's did as well. Nefarious!

If a second CL-9000 was not bad enough, another Mack RS-700, one in a pleasing paint scheme, showed up with the Ford. Who was I to argue with fate?  One can't have too many good looking truck tractors after all, right? So one more Mack is enroute to join the others already in hand.

Of course, all will need a little bit of help before being placed into service. The Mack might be turned into a shorter single screw, less sleeper, and used in gravel hauling service; only time will tell.

Thanks for reading this far, as always, feel free to write back or comment should that mood strike you. We'd love to hear from you.

Best wishes,

John Huey

CEO Arizona Southern RR