OScale Trains Mar/Apr 2004

Transcription

O
Scale
Trains
Modeling
for the
O Scale
Craftsman
Mar/Apr
Mar/Apr 2004
2004 IIssue
ssue #13
#13 $5.95
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586-296-6116
Open Mon-Fri 10-8,
Sat 10-6, Sun 12-5
Fax: 586-296-5642
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Power or
or Repower
Repower Kits
Kits for
for Red
Red Caboose
Caboose GPs
GPs
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PDP2201K-Repower Kit, Red Caboose GP9 with P&D brass
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PDP2200K-Repower Kit, Red Caboose GP9 with plastic Blomberg
trucks...$160.00
The P&D TWIN TOWER
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GP body kit is functionally
equivalent to the P&D
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GPs, RSDs, and the Weaver
FAs, FBs, RS-3s and GP-38s.
The Red Caboose power
kits provide only the necessary power related parts to
supplement the Red
Caboose GP body kit.
These power kits fully utilize the underframe (platform), deck, air tanks, fuel
tanks, motor mounts and
screws that are furnished in
the Red Caboose body kit.
These P&D Twin Tower
Drive kits can also be used
to repower existing Red
Caboose GPs. Two kits are
offered: #PDP2200K has
plastic Blomberg trucks,
while #PDP2201K features
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trucks, which are truly
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the market. Each kit also
includes a powerful
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necessary parts to complete the installation.
Detailed instructions are
included.
Modeling
for the
O Scale
Craftsman
Issue #13
Mar/Apr 2004
Vol. 3, No. 2
Editor/Publisher
Joe Giannovario
Art Director
Jaini Simon
Associate Editor
Brian Scace
Contributors
Ted Byrne
Gene Deimling
Bobber Gibbs
Carey Hinch
Hobo D. Hirailer
Roger Jenkins
Jace Kahn
Jeb Kriigel
Neville Rossiter
John C. Smith
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O Scale Trains ISSN 1536-9528
www.oscalemag.com
Published bimonthly (6 times a year) by
O Scale Trains Magazine,
PO Box 238, Lionville PA 19353-0238
© 2004 OST All Rights Reserved
Printed in the U.S.A.
Contributors: O Scale Trains
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Cover: Taddy Scace is appalled at what we did to
his cake and his locomotive, but, hey, it was for
a good cause. Staff photo.
Centerspread: A Williams N&W J rolls along the
lower level of the Southern with a Powhatan
Arrow consist. Meanwhile, a Max Gray N&W
Y6b is assigned to pusher service on “Heartbreak Hill”. Photo by Stuart Ramsey.
OST is a proud Member of the
Model Railroad Industry Association
O
Features
Scale
Trains
4
The Southern
8
A Chicago Great Western Caboose
Stuart Ramsey’s layout blends the best of the Pocahontas Roads.
A drawing of a unique prototype in a hobby magazine led Al Krol to
build this unique model.
11
12
16
20
23
30
34
46
55
59
Bright Headlights
Stuart Ramsey brings into focus how to make headlight reflectors.
Bitten by the Bug...
...the narrow gauge bug that is. Carey Hinch took a trackplan for an
HO layout and adapted it for On30.
A Sector Plate for the Harmony Creek & Southern
Squeezed for space? Here’s a neat solution by Ron Gribler.
O Scale National 2004
This issue we offer photos of half a dozen layouts you can visit during
the convention.
Just Another Plain Switcher
It’s anything but... Roland Marx shares his conversion of a Gilmaur
SW1500 into a CP MP15.
Building 69" Drivers for a Burlington 2-6-2 Prairie
Tom Mix makes it sound easy with the right tools.
Working Lighted Switch Stands
If you use working ground throws to operate your switches, Charlie
Morrill shows how you can make them indicate the route with lights.
WM Boxcar Conversion
A generic Weaver boxcar makes a fine Western Maryland Class B-3 as
shown by Don McFall.
Locomotive Wheel Cleaner
A chore is made easier with this setup described by David Stewart.
OST Builds A Layout
Departments
14
19
22
26
28
37
38
42
50
53
56
58
59
60
61
62
Traction Action – Roger Jenkins
Easements for the Learning Curve – Brian Scace
The Good Old Days - Jace Kahn
The Workshop - Neville Rossiter
Crapola From The Cupola – John C. Smith
Confessions of a HiRailer – Hobo D. Hirailer
Reader Feedback – Letters to the Editor
Product News & Reviews
Narrow Minded – Bobber Gibbs
Proto48 – Gene Deimling
O Scale DCC - Ted Byrne
Buy-Sell-Trade Ads
Advertiser Index
Events Listing
OST Dealer List
Observations – Joe Giannovario
Mar/Apr’ 04 - O Scale Trains • 3
The Southern
Stuart Ramsey
Ever since I can remember
I have liked trains, trains of
all kinds. Maybe it is because
my grandfather worked in
management for the Southern Railway in Atlanta, Georgia. Thanks to him and the
passes my family received,
we traveled by rail a lot,
mainly up and down the east
coast. I remember standing
on the open platform of an observation car watching the conductor dropping fusees onto
the ties to let the next train
know we were ahead of them. I
think that the smell of coal
smoke from the steam engine
and the noise and motion of
the train got into my blood as it
surrounded us on the open rear
deck. I still loved riding the
trains even after the engines
became diesels and the observation car was enclosed. Riding on the French TGV at 185
mph is the only thing that came
close to the thrill of yesteryear.
I have had some form of
model railroad for most of my
life starting with American
4 • O Scale Trains - Mar/Apr’ 04
Flyer. I guess that is why I am a 2 rail fan. For many years I was
into HO and really enjoyed working with that scale. Then one
day, 20 years ago, I saw a 2 rail O Scale layout and WOW, I
was hooked. Everything just seemed more realistic and sounded that way, too. I found a dry basement here in Florida and it
had a house on top of it. I was happy. As with most model railroads it started off small and grew and grew, just like the real
railroads did.
My railroad, the SOUTHERN, is a fictitious connecting railroad consisting of my favorite railroads. Naturally, the Southern Railway is my favorite. The other roads are N&W, C&O,
ACL, SCL, and the FEC.
Being a connecting railroad makes it possible to have all sorts of different equipment.
Both steam and diesel fit in the period and
give a contrast to the changing times. I have
yet to go modern, but it has been tempting to
buy some of the neat cars I see running up
and down the FEC as I travel around town.
Most of my 1000 feet of track work is Atlas
flex and the 80-plus switches are from Old
Pullman with Switchmaster motors. I have
made quite a few sidings for local switching
work, which is one of my favorite things to
do. I have a large double stub ended yard for
my main freight yard and a smaller yard on
the upper level where the locals pick up their
orders.
Another operation I like to do is a
looooong train with upwards of 80 freight
cars and helpers in the rear. I like to video
these trains because on the tape they seem
and sound quite real. There’s nothing like a
C&O H-8 slowly grinding up a 2% grade with
a heavy load or a N&W Y6b with a long load
of hoppers. I remember seeing the Y6b’s
going only 15 mph with car after car of coal
slowly following them. Them were the days!
Dirty ones, too!
The SOUTHERN has 5 passenger trains
that have to share the mainline and, just like
the good ole days, they take the right of way.
The main freight yard is choked with about
200 cars and I am in the process of down-
sizing so that I can do more switching.
The infrastructure of the SOUTHERN isn’t
modern. The power for the engines is from two
home-built 18 volt, 12 amp, power packs and 3
Dallee Yardmasters for moving around the layout while doing switching chores. I am considering switching over to a DCC or TMCC system,
but with 30 diesels and 29 steam engines on the
roster I think I will wait awhile and see how all
the new systems work. I am also afraid of having “cornfield” meets and, with trains pulling up
to 80 lbs of cars, a mistake could be costly. I have 3 cabs and
that keeps the CEO, engineer, and dispatcher quite busy now.
The latest addition to the SOUTHERN is a wharf scene. A
friend of mine bought a Lionel tugboat. It is a little smaller than
O Scale, but not that noticeable. I had to have one! Then I had
to have a place to put it. I made a module that butts up against
the major freight yard. Since I like switching, there are four
industries plus a future tramp
freighter to be served at this
wharf and docking area.
The future growth of the
SOUTHERN will be slowing
due to the walls moving in. I
do have another 1600 sq. ft.
under the main part of the
house to go into. Nah!! No
way. Model railroading is supposed to be fun, not a lot of
work.
◆
The Details on the SOUTHERN
Locale: Mason-Dixon line
south and the Alleghenies east.
Period: 50-60’s, but newer stuff,
usually brought over by other RR
CEO’s, can be seen here and there.
Bench work: Open frame with
plywood and homosote in the
yards and some other flat areas,
like the upper area. The base
height is 48" over most of the layout, with the upper level at 55".
Trackage: The roadbed is 3/4" Agrade plywood with homosote
subbase and cork on top. This
layout illustration by Carey Hinch
allows for quiet operation. Ballast for the mainline is
roofing granules that I have sifted through a window
screen and dyed with thinned RIT dye. The granules
come in a 50 lb. can for about $20 at a roofing supply
house. The yards are covered with fine sand dyed to
dark grey with RIT black dye. I use wall paper paste
diluted 4-1 for the glue to hold down the material. The
paste workes just as well as white glue, but if it has to be
removed to change switches, etc., just a spray of water
with a little soap and the material loosens easily. Track is
Atlas code 148 flex. All switches are from Old Pullman
with Switchmaster motors.
Curves: Min. radius on the mainline is 70", max is
87". Min. radius is 35" in the yards and sidings at factories.
Grade: There is a long 2% grade on “Heart Break
Hill” westbound. It takes a good engineer to get a 70+
car train up there without losing it. The C&O H-8 at
23lbs makes putty out of it even with stopping and starting again.
Scenery: Plaster over screen, painted with all kinds of
materials to cover it. There is close to 75 lbs. of lichen for
the forest. I got a permit for $25 from the National Forest
near me here in Florida to take out 100lbs. I cleaned it,
washed it, and dyed it different shades of green with RIT
dye.
SOUTHERN roster:
47 passenger cars
270+ freight cars
Diesel engines: 38
2 SS FM Trainmasters 1 N&W 1 SP
2 C&LS RS-11s N&W
1 C&LS RSD-12 Southern
1 Overland E-7A/B Southern
1 Overland SD-9 Southern
2 MG GP-7s Southern
1 AN F-3 ABA FEC
1 AN F-3 ABB SCL
1 AN F-3 AB SCL
1 AN NW2 FEC
1 Atlas SW9 ACL
2 Atlas SD-35 N&W
2 Weaver GP-38 FEC
1 Weaver FA FB FA Southern
5 Weaver RS-3 3 N&W 2 Southern
1 Weaver GP-38 Hi Hood N&W
1 Atlas (old edition) F-9 ABA N&W
1 Williams E-7 AA ACL
Steam engines: 21
1 MG Y6b (Klienschmidt drive) 2-8-8-2
N&W
1MG H-8 2-6-6-6 C&O
1 MG 4-6-4 Hudson NYC
1 SS T-1 2-10-4 C&O
2 SS (older) 2-8-2 Mikes Southern
2 SS ex SF 2-8-0 (converted to coal)
Southern
1 Williams 4-8-4 J N&W
1 Williams 2-6-6-4 A (regeared) N&W
1 Williams 4-6-2 Southern
1 CLW (custom built/painted) 4-6-2 PS-4
Southern
1 SS 2-10-0 Southern
2 MG 0-8-0 USRA switchers Southern
1 MG 2-8-4 Berkshire Nickel Plate
1 Toby (PFM) USRA 4-8-2 Southern
1 USH 4-8-2 L2 Mohawk NYC
1 Scale Craft 4-8-2 Southern
1 Kemtron 2-6-0 Mogul Southern
1 SS 0-4-0T B&O
Chicago Great Western
Wooden Caboose # 401
Al Krol
Like most model railroaders, I received
my first train set for Christmas at about 8
years of age. Again, like most model railroaders, it was a Lionel set. It has been a lot
of years since then, but I am still interested
in model railroading. I have built in just
about every scale there is except “N”. A
great deal of my building experience was in
narrow gauge. But by the late 1990’s I was
tiring of all the scratchbuilding
and hand-laying of track. I
was impressed by the
variety of rolling stock
kits and ready to run
cars available in “O”
scale. I was no longer
interested in being
another minority scale
enthusiast. I had been
in 1⁄24 scale with 11⁄4"
gauge track (true 3ft
gauge for that scale)
and I did not want to
again be the only person modeling a particular scale in the Western
Hemisphere! Further, my
grandson was interested in working
with me to build a layout so that he can run
trains at his house and at mine. So in late
1999 I began selling off the large-scale stuff
and began looking into “O” scale.
I was not sure what road I wanted to
model. I considered the ATSF because I
have always had a fondness for it. Then,
one day, I had some kind of flashback experience and I remembered driving up Spring
Road in Elmhurst, Il, about dusk over 35
years ago. In a congested business area
along the road, I came upon a railroad
crossing that I did not realize was even
there because I had never seen a train on it.
But this particular evening there was a train
and the locomotive was stopped right in the
middle of the crossing blocking the road.
Seeing it in the light of my car headlights, I
vaguely recalled it being a reddish or
maroon color “F” unit and having some lettering “Great Western”. And now, 35 years
later, I began to wonder what was that
“Great Western” that I had seen so long ago
and I decided to do some research. What I
discovered was a wonderful (for modeling
purposes) standard gauge railroad, the
Chicago Great Western, not unlike my
favorite narrow gauge Rio Grande Southern. They both experienced similar trials,
tribulations, takeovers, booms, busts, and
an eventual demise. I realize now that,
when I encountered it 35 years ago, the
CGW would cease to exist in just a matter
of months.
I researched the Kalmbach Publishing
and Railroad Model Craftsman web sites for
anything with CGW information. I found
back issues and article reprints available
and ordered a bunch of them. One of the
article reprints was a single page drawing
from the January 1990, issue of Model Railroader. It was a
drawing of
a rather unique CGW
wooden caboose. The caboose
appears to be an early attempt at a wide
vision caboose with the cupola extended
over each side. But what really caught my
attention was the closed vestibule type of
ends on the car. I eventually found out that
the CGW was quite an innovative company. But a wide vision wooden caboose! I
know I said that I really did not want to
scratch-build anything any more. But as the
saying goes, “I just had to have one of
those!”
I started by making a 1⁄4" scale drawing of
the underbody of the car. I covered this
drawing with wax paper so that I could
build the frame in place right over the
drawing. Having previously done a lot of
scratchbuilding, I was not against using a
mix of materials. So the floor, side beams,
intermediate beams, center beams, end
beams, needle beams, interior walls, end
floor, and car roof are made of wood. The
exterior car body sides and ends are Evergreen scribed styrene glued over the wooden interior walls. The vestibule ends and the
cupola sides, ends, and roof are Evergreen
scribed styrene without the inner wooden
wall. The windows, doors, steps, and
nut/bolt/washer castings are Grandt Line
products. The small window on one side of
the car body is actually a Grandt Line HO
scale window. The underbody details,
smoke stack, end ladders, grab irons, and
brake wheels are from Precision Scale
Company. The caboose rides on metal
wheels from Intermountain and the couplers are from Kadee. The decals are from
Oddballs Decals and they are excellent.
The floor and sills were assembled first.
Then the car body side and end walls were
built of 1⁄8” basswood and assembled on,
but not attached to, the frame and floor.
The scribed styrene exterior was applied to
the walls with epoxy. From the onset of this
project, I was con-
cerned about
how to structure the various components so
that I could glaze the windows, and then
detail and/or light the interior at a later date
if I ever chose to do so (I have not done
either yet). I wanted to do any of this future
work without having to undo glue joints,
etc. As a result of that concern, I built the
caboose so that the car body and its roof,
the cupola and its roof, and the vestibule
ends with the ladders and brake details are
a single unit. This whole assembly lifts off
completely leaving a “flat car”.
The caboose was air brushed with Scalecoat Boxcar Red. The car and cupola roofs
were painted with Floquil Grimy Black.
After the decals were applied, the entire car
was air brushed with Scale Coat Flat and
weathered slightly with chalks.
While I thoroughly enjoyed the research
and planning needed to do such a project, I
am happy that the bulk of my rolling stock
can be bought in kit form or ready to run.
This leaves me time to scratch-build the
really unique CGW items. The CGW is
making a comeback, if only in model form.
I hope to have more CGW stuff to share at a
later date.
◆
BOSTON & MAINE R-1A 4-8-2
BALTIMORE & OHIO T-4 4-8-2
PHOTO COURTESY OF HAROLD VOLRATH
T
he designers at Baldwin Locomotive Works Eddystone created the R Class, the
“Heaviest Mountains Ever Built in the United States” for the Boston & Maine.
The dual purpose R Class locomotives were at home on hot shot freight or passenger runs. In 1947 they were sold to the B&O and christened T-4.
A must for any collector or operator.
Sunset Models is bringing both versions of the B&M R1a and B&O T-4 to you in
stunning brass detail and in very limited quantities . This mountain comes complete
with, directional lighting, lighted markers and classification lamps, 9000 series
Pittman motor with coasting flywheel, sprung drivers with carbon steel tires, ball
bearing gearbox, fully detailed backhead with painted handles and dials.
Designed to operate on 56” Radius O Scale track or larger this model will be an
excellent addition to your roster.
Call your dealer or 408-866-1727 today! Coming Late 2004, MSRP $999.95!
SUNSET MODELS INC.
37 South Fourth Street · Campbell, CA 95008 · 408-866-1727 · fax to 408-866-5674 · www.3rdrail.com
The 1.5 volt bulbs we
use for our constant
intensity headlights in our
locomotives make it
more realistic with the
lights on all the time, but
they usually are not very
bright.
By using a solid aluminum rod and a little
ingenuity you can fashion
a
realistic
headlight
reflector that can really
make a bright light!
The pictures of the Ps-4
show that the brilliance
has increased quite a
lot. It’s the same for the
E-7 which has both a
headlight and a Mars
Light. With the 2 bulbs
in the Mars Light the
reflector really makes
the lights appear to
The first thing you want to do is
find the center of the rod. I used a
centering tool to do that. You can
find one of those in a hardware store
or a machine tool shop.
Next turn down the outside of the
rod so that it will fit into your
engine’s headlight. Then drill a hole
for the headlight. The next step is to
use a metal countersink
and drill out the reflector. Use some oil so that
the countersink doesn’t
chatter. Then cut off the
rod to the length you
need.
When inserting the
light bulb into the reflector I use a little glue to
hold it in place. I have the light on so that I can move the bulb
in and out to get the brightest adjustment. Then I hold it there
until the glue dries.
I think you will like the “bright” results.
◆
rotate back and forth, not
just blink on and off. There
are two ways of making
the reflectors. The first is
with a lathe, but a lot of us
don’t have one so using a
regular drill or drill press
we can turn down a metal
rod with a file.
Bitten by the Bug
Carey Hinch
On30 in 4x8 Feet -How I used an HO plan for On30
How do you know when the narrow
gauge bug has bitten? For me it wasn’t the
first time I saw a Rio Grande steamer
winding around a narrow ledge of a
mountain. It wasn’t the many model kits
that are available for On3. It was the 2 rail
big O bug that did it.
I was in HO for 16 years. I had had
two 4' x 8' layouts and a 14' x 22' room
that neared completion, and then I realized I wanted more detail.
A good friend of mine, Gene Clements,
was in 2 rail O Scale from Day One. He
had moved to HO from O and reconstructed a 30' x 30' basement to do it! He
was trying HO at the same time I was
building the 14' x 22' room. It worked
need space to get that kind of feeling, or
else a long train will soon be coming
around again and again. What would
interest someone from HO to start in O if it
takes so much space? And, what about the
cost to get started in another scale? Enter
O narrow gauge, or On30 for me.
I wanted to get a layout finished. The
big layout was progressing but not at the
pace I wanted. I looked to O narrow
gauge. It was O Scale just running on
HO gauge track. WOW! As soon as I
had chosen On30 for a small layout,
Bachmann announced their On30 Shay
locomotive. I thought it was a good reason to start a small On30 layout. It
would be large railroading in a small
space. Now the O narrow gauge bug
was biting! I checked the NMRA Standards online at www.nmra.com and
required over the main lines, in the same
distance, looks very realistic for a mountain hauling narrow gauge line. I actually
never tested the grades. It just looked
good and I was running trains!
I used Peco On30 track, turnouts, and
regular HO cork for the roadbed. I even
purchased the Atlas turntable suggested in
the original HO plan. It looked good and
fit nicely into the narrow gauge theme.
Installing Peco track was new to me. I had
been an Atlas and Walthers user for all my
previous projects. Peco turnouts with
Electrofrogs require a different wiring
scheme than I was accustomed to. In fact,
I had completely finished the track laying
and started traditional wiring and nothing
worked!
So I read the instructions that came
with the turnouts. Oops! Peco turnouts
Taylor’s Ferry & Savannah
River R.R.
TYPE: Narrow Gauge On30 Logging and
Coal Mining
LOCATION: North-West
TRACK: Peco ON30
MIN. RADIUS: 18”
MAX GRADE: 5.5%
BENCH WORK: Open Grid
SCENERY: Sculp-A-Mold over
paper bags and cardboard strips
This is a satellite view of the railroad.
Missing is the center HO scale bridge
from Walthers. From right to left you can
see the scenery progress. The lower right
corner will be the river. The short leg of
the wye leads to the logging camp module
via a bridge that also serves as a switch
lead on the 4' x 8'. The mine lead to the
lower left could go to future expansion.
good for us - same equipment, same
ideas, and the promise of more railroading but in smaller spaces. After a decent
investment in time, equipment, track,
switches, etc., something was still missing.
I have been building a large (relatively
speaking), 2 rail O Scale layout for about a
year now. Off and on, I wish it was smaller
so I could get more done. On the other
hand, I wish it was bigger so I would never
be done! I love watching O trains roll on
the mainline around my layout. Staying in
one spot and catching train cars roll by is
like being trackside of a CSX or Norfolk
Southern mainline (I’m from the South).
Trains in O Scale just keep going and
going. They are big, sound real, and operate like any other model train. But you
found On30 is adaptable to
HO plans. I started searching for a track
plan that would be manageable and
friendly. The 4' x 8' HO track plan I
chose is an oldie but goodie. It comes
from an Atlas track plan book. It captures
the feeling of tight curves and mountains. I worked timber and coal mine
railroading onto one board!
I purchased a Bachmann 0-4-0 Porter,
then an 0-4-2. I got a few log cars and a
bobber caboose. In two months I had
benchwork completed and used two saw
horses to support the frame. Simple
cookie-cutter techniques were used to
form the elevations. The one problem I
ran into was clearances. Using an NMRA
standards gage for O Scale, I had to double the clearances from the HO recommendations. In the end, the extra height
Fig. 1
require power through the frog from the
diverging route side and should be insulated on the approach side. It’s easy to
do, but I should have started with the
directions. When I realized the special
wiring required for the turnouts, a shudder ran through my bones because I had
to wire for a wye! Now having read the
proper method of powering Electrofrog
turnouts, I felt ready. A little rewiring
later, the wye was working flawlessly.
Using the turnouts was the easy way to
lay track. You could hand lay your own
or select turnouts from other manufacturers. I wanted easy and quick.
I was railroading and doing scenery.
Mountains were popping up where there
was once bare wood. Track had purpose
and trains had schedules. This is great! I
enjoyed the experience and liked the big
trains in small spaces. It didn’t take long
to get going. Some basic benchwork was
more than adequate for the support. Old
style cookie cutter techniques were used
for the top. Cardboard strips were
attached with hot glue then covered with
brown paper bags for scenery structure. I
used plaster cloth for the base then
Sculpt-a-mold for the finished layer.
The bridges came from ingenuity. I
liked the look of the Walthers wooden
span HO bridge. Since it wasn’t offered
in O Scale I would have to fill under the
supports with 1" x 4" blocks to raise the
bridge to the proper height. The look was
perfect and the supports could be built to
allow for the clearance of the O trains. I
painted them a concrete color because
they were smooth and the look was great.
The other bridge (Fig.1) on the upper
branch line was made from 2" foam insulation. I first drew a paper pattern, cut it
out and pinned it to the foam, then cut
the foam to match. I made the supports
long so I could trim to fit. Next I covered
the bridge with a quarter inch layer of
drywall compound. It worked really well.
The foam doesn’t soak up moisture so the
drywall compound didn’t crack. I used a
wet sponge to smooth the rough spots
that were left after spreading the compound. In two days I had a poured-inplace concrete bridge.
Would someone just getting into the
hobby know about On30? Probably not.
The current World’s Greatest Hobby
campaign has done much to promote
railroading in general. People will find
their niche. Some will find narrow gauge,
and narrow gauge is in every scale (even
Nn3 - N scale trains on Z gauge track!
What power of magnifier do you need to
spike that rail?). The new train enthusiast
will probably start with the basic 4' x 8'
layout for a first project. It is no more
expensive to build a first 4' x 8' in On30
rather than in HO. People may believe
bigger trains means more money. Maybe,
but with the swing toward greater realism
and detail in every scale these days, cost
is going up in all scales. The point is,
even in 4' x 8' spaces there is big potential for O size railroading.
On30 track factoids: Bachmann On30 sets actually come with HO scale HO gauge track. The ties
are spaced incorrectly and are too short, but they’ll
do in a pinch to get started. Peco’s On30 track and
switches should not be mistaken for HO Scale
track. Peco’s products are truly O Scale narrow
gauge (16.5mm) with properly spaced and sized O
Scale ties. Finally, On30 track isn’t a scale 30 inches
wide. It’s actually closer to 31.2 scale inches. It is
called On30 as a convenience.
◆
NORM’S
O SCALE
Trains & More
Buy, Sell, Trade!
www.normsoscale.com
info@normsoscale.com
41 Roosevelt Trail, Route
302. S. Casco, ME 04077
Ph: 207-655-2550
T-BONE MODELS
Now Available in
O Scale
620 Wright Loop Williamstown, N.J. 08094 — 2-RAIL
SS PRR I-1
2-10-0
Original Unpainted ( SHORT TDR. ) $1,120
SS PRR Q-2 4-4-6-4
F⁄P
$1,480
SS PRR S-1 6-4-4-6
F⁄P Shrouded ⁄ Unshrouded
$1500 each
SS PRR P5a
F⁄P BOXCAB
$800
SS PRR FF2
F⁄P
$850
SS PRR P5a
F⁄P MODIFIED (baby GG1)
$750
SS PRR B-1
F⁄P
$750
SS PRR E-6
4-4-2
Original U⁄P
SS PRR N-1
2-10-2
F⁄p
SS B&O
F⁄P
$750
F⁄P
$1,275
SS PRR HH1 2-8-8-2
F⁄P
$1,650
SS PRR G-5
U⁄P
$850
SS PRR J1
2-8-0
$725
$1,150
2-10-4
4-6-0
CB PRR T-1 4-4-4-4-
C⁄P Light. weathering
$3,500
WSM PRR J1 2-10-4
C⁄P Light weathering
$1,750
WSM PRR Q-2 4-4-6-4
U⁄P
$2,500
WSM PRR M1 4-8-2
U⁄P Cab detail (NOB)
$1,380
USH PRR M1a 4-8-2
C⁄P extra detail, by H. Hieke
$1,500
OMI PRR M1a 4-8-2
U⁄P Mint
$2,300
OMI UP
EX N&W Y3
$2,550
2-8-8-2
ALC PRR K-4 4-6-2
U⁄P Broadway Limited Streamlined $1,400
WIL PRR T-1 4-4-4-4
U⁄P 2 Railed by Trackside
WIL PRR L-1
2 Railed by Trackside
2-8-2
Call 856-629-9702
$1,100
$750
Between 6 and 10 PM EST
“O”
Scale
CUSTOM PAINTING & REPAIR
Dealer for Pacific Limited
Sunset & Weaver
T-Bone Models
James Christensen
32264 Cleveland
Cottage Grove, OR 97424-9381
email tbone@epud.net
541-942-5237
Send SASE for information
O Scale
Realty
Realistic
Weathered
Structures in
O Scale
Scratchbuilt
From Your
Photos,
Plans or
Ideas!
(Will also build & weather your kits)
Reed Artim
3-rail and 2-rail
Colorado & Southern
40' steel boxcars
4 road numbers available
$40.00 with $10.00
S&H
Die-cast sprung trucks
available $10.00/car
available from:
Joint Line Reproductions
P.O. Box 906
Littleton, CO 80160
Ph: 973-472-7456
75 Woodridge Rd, Clifton NJ 07012
t
c
i
a
on
r
T
A c t io n
Roger Jenkins
This month we are looking at
complicated wire construction over
the lead tracks into the carbarn that
houses the Los Angeles Railway cars
at the Orange Empire Railway Museum in Perris, California. The L.A.
Railway was a 3'6" operation in Los
Angeles that was constructed with
this gauge to prevent standard gauge
steam engines from entering the city
on the streets.
From the first frog in the overhead, the wire branches out to serve
the four-track barn. Using Rivers B640 frogs and B-615 hangers, this
can be a simple project to do. Span
wires are run from the wooden poles
to the hangers and across to the next
hanger in line, ending at the opposite support pole.
Span wires are run parallel to the
running wire to support the inbetween hangers that are over the
track. Don’t forget to use the reverse
tweezers to hold the hangers in
place while soldering them to the
running wire.
Next the pull-off wires are strung
from the hanger to the span wire to
hold everything up. Start on the outside of the curve on the outside track
and proceed toward the inside track
on the right, after first stringing the
running wire starting at the first frog.
Then, proceed to the next frog along
the outside track.
The next step is to do the succeeding tracks across the throat until all
frogs and hangers are in place. A test
car can determine the placement of
the frog, which is usually placed half
way between where the points and
track frog are. A little adjusting may
be necessary to get the right placement.
rogertrolley.1@juno.com
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Others claim higher outputs but
ours is sustained which leads to:
Double or triple heading
locomotives - no problem
Pulling long trains with metal
wheels - with ease
Long grades - with power to
spare
Indoor or outdoor* layouts, this pack
has the power to run any size "G" or
"O" scale layout
●
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Power G...large scale power
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MODEL RECTIFIER CORPORATION
Tel. 732.225.6360
www.modelrectifier.com
*not to be used or left outside in the elements
Now Available From O Scale Trains Magazine
A Guide To Modern O Scale
by Brian Scace
O Sca
le Tra
ins M
a
A Gu presents gazine
ide To
M
O Sca odern
le
by Br
ian S
cace
For the first time, here is a guide to O
Scale two rail. This book was written
by O Scale modelers with years of
experience in the hobby and they share
that experience with wit and wisdom.
We’ll show you how to get started in
two rail O Scale, what you need and
where to get it.
Here’s a peek at the Table of Contents:
Of particular use is the list of
Resources at the end of each chapter.
8.
Get your copy today from your local O
Scale hobby shop or direct from O
Scale Trains, just $14.95 plus $3 s&h.
VISA & Mastercard Accepted.
OTSrcaainle
s
These ain’t yer Daddy’s trains!
O Scale Trains
PO Box 238
Lionville PA 19353-0238
610-363-7117
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
Welcome, and a little History
Concept of Operation
Locomotives
Rolling Stock and Couplers
Space Prep and Benchwork
Track and Track Plans
with Joe Giannovario
Structures and Scenery
with Neville Rossiter
Wiring and Control Systems
with Ted Byrne
Narrow Gauge
with Bobber Gibbs
Consider Traction
Proto 48
with Gene Deimling
Tools
with Neville Rossiter
Useful Tables, Tips,
and Short Notes
Sources, Conventions,
and Meets
Glossary of Terms
A Sector Plate for the Harmony Creek & Southern
Ron Gribler
The hidden three-track staging yard at
the end of the Harmony Creek & Southern Branch at the Cincinnati Model Railway Club required a method for a loco to
run around an inboard train. Installing
turnouts or a turntable would significantly reduce the track length. A manually
operated sector plate became the obvious
choice.
then mounted to the layout joists using
spacers to assure it was level.
Sector Plate
The sector plate is a 4" by 321⁄4" piece
of 1⁄4" plywood. The corners on the pivot
end were beveled. The pivot hole is a 1⁄4"
diameter hole drilled on the centerline.
The sliding end was cut to a 32" radius
from the pivot hole.
Two 1⁄8" diameter holes were drilled near
each end on the same centerline as the
pivot hole. These holes are countersunk
on the topside.
Sliding End
Two 1⁄4" high nylon chair leg gliders
support the free end by sliding on the
support base. Thus the 1⁄4" plate’s track
will be equal in height to the yard tracks
which are mounted on 1⁄4" Upsom board
glued to a 1⁄4" plywood base. The gliders
have integral nails and were tapped into
two small holes drilled near the corners
of the plate.
Handle and Lock
A golf tee is used as both a handle to
slide the plate and the lock to hold the
sector plate track in alignment with any
of the yard tracks. A 5⁄16" hole was drilled
near the sliding end. The golf tee slides
freely in this hole. A plastic shaft retainer
nut was found that gripped the tee just
enough to hold it from sliding. It was
cemented in place with ACC. After the
sector plate was installed, the plate’s
track was aligned with each of the yard
tracks and a matching 5⁄16" hole was
drilled for each track location. In use, the
pointed end of the tee makes it a lot easier to find the locking holes. Pushing
down the tee locks the plate in location.
Figure 1 - Overhead view of sector plate installation
The mainline of the branch crossed
over the available area for the sector
plate with only 3 inches of overhead
clearance. This established where the
sliding end of the sector plate track could
be. Since only four-axle diesels or short
steam locomotives will run on the
branch, the track length was established
at 18 inches. It was decided to extend the
plate under the main line with the pivot
point at the edge of the layout. The available length for the plate from its pivot
point to the track ends is 32 inches.
Support Base
Creating the support base for the sector plate was the first step of construction.
A line was projected from the centerline
of the middle track to the end joist of the
benchwork. From that point, a 32" radius
was drawn on the yard roadbed. The
roadbed and the plywood base were then
cut to this radius. A piece of 1⁄4" plywood
for the support base was cut to width and
length. It was mounted directly to the
bottom of the yard’s plywood base. It was
Figure 2 – Completed sector plate
Pivot
The pivot block is a 1⁄4" X 1 1⁄4" X 6 1⁄4"
piece of hardwood. A 5⁄16" diameter hole
was drilled on the centerline, 3⁄8" from
one side. The hole was counter-bored to
a 1" diameter x 1⁄16" deep. A 1⁄4-20 Tee nut
was pressed into the counter-bore. The
pivot is a 1 1⁄4" long, 1⁄4-20 hex-head bolt.
A flat washer is used under the bolt head
and a thin flat washer is installed
between the plate and the pivot block.
The bolt was tightened enough to allow
turning without binding. A few drops of
thin ACC were put on the threads to lock
them. The lower side of the block was
sanded on a belt sander to assure the nut
and bolt end were flush with the block.
Figure 3 – Pivot block
Track and Bumper:
A section of flex track was cut to
length. A rail joiner was installed and soldered to each rail. An AWG 22 insulated
wire was soldered to each joiner. Holes
were drilled next to each joiner for the
wires. The track was installed using small
nails through the holes in the ties. Rails
on the sliding end extend 1⁄4" past the
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Figure 4 - Sliders
Figure 8 – Terminal strip at pivot end
Figure 5 –Sliding end and handle/lock
Figure 6 – Track and Bumper
Figure 7 – Track Wiring
plate. A bumper was cut from a piece of
milled wood that was a pencil tray in a
desk drawer. It was attached to the sector
plate with glue and
nails. A piece of foam
was glued to the
bumper.
Wiring:
The wires were
twisted together with a
low speed hand drill.
The free ends were
inserted through a hole
near the pivot. Several
short lengths of masking tape secure the
wires to the plate.
A two terminal barrier strip was mounted
near the pivot bolt with
four #4 wood screws.
The wires were stripped
and soldered to ring terminals.
Installation:
The sector plate was
installed using two drywall screws through the
holes in the pivot block.
When track power feeders are connected to the
terminal strip, the plate
will be ready for use.
C e n t r a l ’s L a t e s t R e l e a s e s
GP38-2, GP40-2, SD40-2, SD40T-2 & SD45T-2
GP40-2
The finest in modern O Scale Brass. 2 or 3 rail operation. Machined
brass frames and fuel tanks, Pittman motor with dual flywheels. Your
choice of gear ratios, wheelsets, detail parts, etc. Custom built to
your specs. Kits $650 - $800. Custom built, painted and lettered
$1100 to $1400.
Central Locomotive Works
17525 Alder St Ste 46 • Hesperia CA 92345
ph 760-244-9222 • fax 760-244-9322
e-mail clw2000@earthlink.net
www.centrallocomotiveworks.com
Stevenson Preservation Lines
O Gauge Kits and Parts from past
Master Modelers
Catalog 2002-1
Price: $1.00
Baldwin Model Locomotive Works
Lobaugh
Adams & Sons
Lenoir
Kansas City Kit
Hines Lines
Alexander
Pearce Tool Co.
Bob Stevenson, 2326 230th St. Boone, IA 50036
◆
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All work guaranteed by a Model Railroad Craftsman!
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Voice: 434-589-2660 • Fax: 434-589-4898 •
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O Scale Signals
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Last time, we painted that car of your
dreams (It’s big! It’s shiny! It’s what America’s all about!), so let’s look at some decal
tips to letter up this puppy. Later on, in
another column, we’ll look at the
nuances of dry transfers, but today we’ll
concern ourselves with the time honored
soak-it-in-a-dish decal.
Decals are merely sheets of lacquer or
lacquer-like film (substrate) sprayed on a
sheet of backing paper. The lettering is
printed on the substrate and the backing
paper has some sort of water-soluble stuff
(hereafter referred to as “water-soluble
stuff”) on it that keeps the film from
adhering permanently to the paper.
When you soak the thing, the decal substrate floats off the paper when the watersoluble stuff dissolves. Then, after you’ve
positioned the decal where you want it
on the car, you apply a decal setting solution. This is really a solvent that softens
the lacquer substrate, which allows the
decal to conform to all the cool detail on
the car side much like a coat of paint,
which is exactly what a decal is, anyway!
Here are some tips.
• Read the instructions with the decals.
They differ from manufacturer to manufacturer. For example, the time honored
Champ decals have a thicker substrate
than Micro-Scale. This means you have to
spend a little more time setting Champ
decals, while you have to be a little gentler in handling Micro-Scale decals.
• Buy a fistful of decals at a show from
the guy who is selling off his scraps and
sets he no longer needs. Bum some scraps
from your friends. Practice on junk cars
with them. Your confidence and competence levels will rise only with experience.
• Get two sets per project. It is money
well spent, because the decal gods will
take great pleasure in curling up the decal
you only have one of. Having a spare for
the one you screwed up takes a lot of the
frustration away.
• Now that the paint on that car is
cured, you’ll probably want to wash the
drool spots off before beginning. Start
with a clean surface. By the way, decals
work best on glossy smooth surfaces.
• Cut out the decal you want as close
to the lettering as possible. I use a pair of
suture scissors for this, but any pair of
sharp small scissors will do.
• If you bought your decals at a show,
or you’ve had them stashed away for a
number of years, the lacquer substrate
may be brittle with age. If you suspect
this, clip off a decal you don’t need for
the project at hand and float it off. If it’s
brittle, it will disintegrate. You can often
save the day by spraying a coat of clear
gloss lacquer, such as Testors’s Glosscote, on the remainder to freshen up the
substrate.
• Positioning the decal on the car is
easier if you have some water on the car
side upon which to slide the decal
around. Use a small brush to dot some
water at the edge of the decal so you can
push it around. Once you are happy with
the position of the lettering, allow the
water to simply dry up. Then set the decal
with your setting solution.
• Long decals, such as stripes on passenger cars, can be hard to position without little waves in them. Road names on
locomotive tenders and passenger car letter boards are prone to sloping up or
down, especially when under the influence of strong drink. Some folks use a surface plate and height gage to position
decals. I find the best method for me is to
sight down the car from one end. The
waves and slopes are very apparent while
sighting down the end of the decal. Wet
the wavy parts of the decal with some
water and push it in place.
• Don’t go crazy with the setting solution. Since it is a solvent, big puddles of
decal setting solution can attack the
paint, especially if you didn’t follow my
council about letting the paint cure completely before lettering the car. Several
less-liberal applications are better than
hosing the d#@n thing down with decal
setting solution.
• Once you’ve put the setting solution
on, resist temptation and no matter how
crinkled the decal becomes, leave it
alone. Once it dries, the crinkles go away.
That’s normal! Go mix yourself another
cocktail and wait for the decal to dry
completely before panicking!
• A sharp sewing needle is your friend.
When the first iteration with the setting
solution is completely dry, you may see a
haze, bubbles, or silvery places where the
decal has not settled over some rivets as
you dreamed it should. The haze is some
of the water-soluble stuff from the paper
that didn’t get washed off the back of the
decal because you were in a hurry and
slid the decal off the paper rather than
waiting until it floated off. Don’t worry,
though. Merely prick the decal substrate
and touch the hole with your 00 brush
and some setting solvent. The solvent will
leach under the decal and the haze will
disappear. Do the same for air bubbles
and rivet strips. Another cocktail is then
called for as you leave it alone again.
• Once the decals are nestled down
nice and tight as you dreamed they should
be, you’ll need to seal them with a clear
coat of some sort. Wash the car gently to
get all the water spots off before shooting
the clear coat of choice. Most folks I know
use a flat finish, like Testors’s Dull-cote,
over their decals because they like the dull
weathered look. I have to be different, of
course. I seal my decals with a clear gloss
finish for two reasons. Since glosses are a
little thicker than flat coats, they tend to fillet the edges of the decal and hide them
better. Second, I can then weather the
glossy car with flat finishes to get a variety
of sheen. Real cars start glossy when new,
and so do mine. What a neurotic!
These tips are not necessarily how
everyone throws decals. There are many
different techniques out there that work
for folks. These work for me, and may
work for you, too. Quiz your friends and
try this out. With practice, you’ll find a
decal method you like. Once you do,
stick with it.
◆
Let’s go Exploring!
(Scace’s Mea Culpa: In the new “Guide
to Modern O Scale”, there are a couple
photos (pg. 27, 33, and 82) from my
archives which were taken by the very talented Doug Jones. By a lamentable oversight on my part, the photo credits don’t
reflect his efforts. My apologies to Doug. )
Here’s a sample of the great layouts you’ll be
able to visit during this year’s O Scale National
in Washington, D.C.
All photos by Doug Jones
An
An Overview
Overview of
of SONC
SONC 2004
2004
Featured in the March 2000 issue of Model Railroader, Ed
Rappe’s model of the PRR mainline achieves a level of completeness rarely seen in O Scale. Visitors will be able to follow the
Pennsy mainline from Huntington, through Altoona and up
Horseshoe Curve to the summit at Gallitzin. Along the way, there
are many highly detailed vignettes demonstrating Ed’s modeling
ability. His layout is point to point with staging tracks at each end
that provide for the heavy traffic for which the PRR was noted.
Bob Guilette’s New Haven Railroad is a layout which has been built in a
limited space. He has an excellent track plan that incorporates the passenger
service that the New Haven was noted for. His layout also has heavy freight
traffic with a large staging yard at one end. It is set up so that the line, while
single track, appears to be double track most of the time. The period modeled
is late steam and early diesel which allows Bob to display the many paint
schemes that the New Haven used at that time.
Pat Mitchell’s layout is done in Proto 48 and is based on the famous
Black Fork grade on the Western Maryland. The line extends from
Elkins to Thomas with a large mine complex near the summit. The
ends of the layout are connected off-stage with a room sized helix.
Pat’s curves are sharp and the grades are steep, a la the prototype, and
motive power is primarily Western Maryland’s large Consolidations.
Nick Powell, who is a B&O engineer (Don’t say CSX!), has a rendition of the
Best & Only featuring a John Armstrong designed trackplan. His incredible
collection of B&O engines may be unmatched anywhere and include must
see pieces by Ken Henry, Mel Thornburgh, plus many of Nick’s own pieces
including a MR “Model of the Month” set of F-7s. Nick has built a very versatile layout that has both mainline and branch line operation. He runs heavy
freights as well as passenger trains. It is a great layout to see the EM-1’s highballing the freight.
Wes Morgenstern’s layout models the Western Maryland
Railway between Westminster and Highfield, Maryland, and also
serves a large cement plant at Union Bridge,which is on the line
between those two places. It is set in the late steam, early diesel
era. It is a single track layout with a great operating scheme.
Dave Vaughn’s layout is based on the high speed route of the Nickel Plate. It
features a double track mainline with heavy bridge traffic keeping the operators busy. It also incorporates a great deal of switching activity for way
freights. The layout provides quite a nice sized run on the mainline and
moves between two rooms. Dave’s layout has also imaginatively incorporated some components of Ted Stepek’s layout, which was well known in the
Washington area.
2004
For more information:
‘ ’
0 Scale National
Convention
Washington, DC
Thursday, July 22 through
Sunday, July 25
Hyatt Regency, Crystal City
at Reagan National Airport*
T
Lin
k
lers
de
he Capital Area ‘0’ Scalers cordially invite you and your family to join
us in Washington, DC, for the 2004
‘0’ Scale National Convention. The
White House, the Capitol, and many world
class museums and monuments can be seen
in this beautiful, attraction-rich city. The
2004 ‘0’ Scale National Convention hotel is
conveniently located for access to all of the
most popular sites.
A host of activities are planned for your
enjoyment. The Convention features more
than twenty ‘0’ scale layouts including John
Armstrong’s Canandaigua Southern, Ed
Rappé’s spectacular Pennsylvania RR, and
Tony Lash’s hi-rail empire. There
/4” Scale M
will be a fantastic trade
g1
o
in
show for buying, selling
and swapping; clinics;
2004
S O NC
and model and switchapital Area
C
ing contests. Numerous
S C A0 R S
LE
railfanning opportunities and
good times with new and old friends are certain to top off your convention experience.
Tours: Separate Tours of Union Station
(Wed. PM 7/21), DC Metro Shops (Fri. PM
7/23), and The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
Museum (Sat. AM 7/24), are tentatively
planned for the convention. Registration for
tours will be handled at the convention site
and are independent of convention registration. Space will be limited so plan on coming
early. Look for more information to come on
our web site, www.2004onational.com.
Advance Registration Form
(clip out or photocopy)
Name ____________________________________________________________
Dealership Name (if applicable) _________________________________________
Address___________________________________________________________
City ______________________________________________________________
)
State_______ Zip __________________ Telephone (______________________
Spouse/Children Names ______________________________________________
Price
Options
Each Quantity
Total
Full Fare (Spouse and children under 16 free)
$45 x
=
One Day Fare (check one) ❏ Thursday ❏ Friday ❏ Saturday $25 x
=
Sale Tables
$45 x
=
Electrical Drop for Sale Tables
$45 x
=
$39.95 x
=
Atlas 40’ USRA outside-braced box car lettered “RF&P”
Exclusive run. Boxcar red. 2 numbers available
$56.95 x
=
Red Caboose 40’ Fruit Growers Express reefer Exclusive run.
4 color paint with silver roofs. 6 numbers available.
$52.95 x
=
Banquet–Saturday evening, July 24.
One full course dinner choice of beef or salmon entrée per banquet ticket.
Total # of beef entrées ____
Total # of salmon entrées ____
Show Car Advance Reservation
Available Now! Limited Number. First reserved, first served.
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Total payment $
Make checks payable to
Capital Area ‘O’ Scalers.
Convention Hotel
*
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at Reagan National Airport
Please reserve rooms directly with the
official convention hotel by calling
1-800-233-1234 and be sure to mention
2004 ‘0’ Scale National Convention.
Room rates $139 single/double.
• Visit us on the web at
www.2004onational.com
• E-mail us at sonc2004@hotmail.com.
• Look for articles to be included in future
issues of your favorite magazines.
• Visit our display at shows.
• Write to:
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inimiz
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Mail this form and payment to:
Capital Area ‘O’ Scalers
P.O. Box 42563
Washington, D.C. 20015
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We appreciate Your support!
Anyone who is on the Yahoo O scale
discussion list
[http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Otrains/]
(and if you are reading OST but aren’t on
the list, you are missing out on some
good stuff) probably has noticed that I
tend to get interested in older O scale,
usually because I’ve acquired a junker
and have to decide how much to restore
and how much to upgrade to 2003 standards (or at least 1993 standards). Or, I
hope to find an even bigger sucker to
take it off my hands at the next show. As
it happens, Joe G., our founder and proprietor, also thinks that some acquaintance with our scale’s history is an
important part of enjoying it. Since he
has so far had no success in persuading
better-qualified folk to take responsibility
for a column dealing with where O Scale
has been over the last sixty or seventy
years, I agreed (with surprisingly little
arm-twisting, as he caught me in a vulnerable area—my vanity).
What are my limited qualifications?
Well, I’ve been a scale model railroader
off and on for over fifty years (I was a
child bridegroom) and an O scaler for
over twenty-five. Although I coveted all
the elaborate and expensive tinplate in
the stores at Christmas and actually
received a Lionel starter set—to be shared
with my brother—one December, the toy
end of it never quite caught my interest,
as the resemblance to the real thing was
too strained for me. The first bite was a
dusty Megow CCC&StL hopper car kit
that was already long past its sell-by date
when I found it for seventy-five cents in
the modest hobby section of the hardware
store in the nearest large town (not so trifling a sum as it must seem to younger
people, as my allowance was twenty-five
cents a week back then in the early
1950’s). It would be nice to say that I still
have it, but I traded it off many years ago
when I made an excursion into TT, and I
probably am just as happy not to be
reminded of my very rudimentary skills
back then. I sometimes think it is too bad
that it was a hopper instead of a refrigerator car, because then I could say that I
became addicted through reefer madness.
I have a pretty complete run of Model
Railroader back through 1940 with a few
issues before then. I also have almost as
complete a collection of Railroad Model
Craftsman and it predecessors, as well as
some of the shorter-run periodicals which
dealt with model railroading, particularly
our scale, such as Lionel’s Model Builder,
something called the Whistle Stop, and
several more. These are indispensable for
dating O Scale from product reviews,
advertising, and chatty news about some
of the pioneers of the hobby. Sorting out
the older magazines is itself a project for
an aspiring historian. I have some classic
catalogues from both manufacturers and
hobby shops and some instruction sheets,
although I pick these up only when I find
them reasonably-priced, and there seem
to be quite a few collectors who are willing to pay more than I am for them. Mostly, I have a retentive memory (somewhat
compromised by the aging process) and
tend to remember what I’ve heard or read
over the years. And I share bed and board
when I am home in Fairbanks, Alaska,
with a real historian (good Ph.D., publications, tenured full professor) who keeps
me honest about research techniques.
What I am NOT, I think, is just as
important for this column as what I have
just listed. I do not claim to be an expert
about very much, and certainly not
about O Scale or model railroading. I
have an interest in and some familiarity
with the topic, and I am more than
happy to give credit where credit is due
for information from those more-knowledgeable than I. I hope this column can
become a forum for discussion of themes
and topics and items relating to O Scale
before 1960 (although I expect that cutoff date will end up being a bit elastic),
and that I can best serve as an honest
broker in sorting out the questions and
answers, organizing them in a coherent
fashion for a regular appearance here in
OST, and reporting what some want to
know or what others can tell them.
A fond look back is nothing new; the
amiable founder of 48/Ft, Dan Henon,
had a strong affection for O Scale artifacts
from the dark ages, and the journal under
his editorship often had views and articles
about them. Railroad Model Craftsman
had a long-running column (“Collectors
Corner”?) in the 1980’s about ancient
model railroad lines, many of them O
Scale (for the obvious reason that much of
the earliest indoor scale model railroad
modeling was in our scale—the smallest
commercially-viable size for which
motors could be fitted). It is likely that I or
other readers will dig out those files and
check such references as questions arise,
but if the data found in such resources
were current and widely-known, there
would be no need to revisit them.
Enough generalities. I have used my
allotted space this time to suggest some
ground-rules; I hope from now on we
can talk more in specifics. I am already
thinking about introducing a discussion
of Hawk Models of Chicago next issue
(information to be shared very welcome),
and an early column about some of the
pioneer hobby shops that sold O Scale
when the world was young.
Feel free to contact me through the
magazine or by email at [jacekahn@hotmail.com].
◆
I was still working on two Gilmaur
EMD SW1500 brass Diesel kits when I
got a third one. My intention this time
was to convert it into a EMD MP15DC.
For those not familiar with Diesel locomotives, the major visible differences
between the MP15 and a SW1500 are
the MP15 is two feet longer and rides on
Blomberg trucks instead of the Flexicoil
or AAR trucks.
The first step for me in building a
model is looking for a specific prototype
and collecting information about it.
Searching through the Internet I found a
message that CP Rail has five MP15DC’s
(No. 1440 – 1444) in their fleet on a long
term lease since January 2003. So, I figured why not build one of those photogenic red units? I was unsuccessful
looking for prototype pictures of these
new units. The only information I found
about the locomotives is the lessor is
Trinity Leasing, but nothing about how
they look or which paint scheme they
wear. Here the Internet helped again. I
sent an email to Trinity Leasing where I
told them about my modeling project
and asked for more information and
some photos. A day later, I received a
reply telling me these units were rebuild
by Talgo-LRC, a Diesel rebuilder, together with an email address for further questions.
So I sent an email to Talgo together
with some pictures of my past modeling
projects and told them my wishes. A few
hours later, I received a friendly response
with some pictures of two different locomotives, and while they were not made
for the specific needs of model railroaders, they did show all the major features.
I was happy; what great support!
These CP MP15’s were former USS
MinnTac MP15’s (a subsidiary of U.S.
Steel) and are very unusual looking.
These were hard working locomotives at
a busy industrial plant. To limit the possibility of foreign objects, like stones and
taconite pellets, entering the engine
through the screens, these MP15’s had a
protective screened cage on the long
hood. So, some modifications of the
upper screens are necessary. When this
cage is removed you might think, at a
glance, you have a MP15AC in front of
you. Some of these units had a very
seedy look and I was sure they found the
shortest route to the scrap yard. I was
amazed they were reworked. You can
find them now in the fleets of several
lessors.
After I chose a specific road number,
the conversion could be started. The
major new parts I needed were the top
screens and the extensions for the long
hood in front of the cab. I decided to
make these parts by photoetching. With
the help of a computer drawing program,
I made the necessary drawings which I
then gave to a local printer to make negatives for me. Since etching is a complex
chemical process, I gave the negatives to
another model railroader who had both
the experience and the equipment to
accomplish my goals. In a few weeks I
Before: This unit will become CP 1443
After reworking by TALGO
(photo from Mark Peterson)
(photo from Scott Toombs/TALGO)
The extension between stack and cab, still riding on CLW trucks.
together and that was a challenge. Overdone, you say? Yes,
sadly, the details are not visible behind the screen.
The frame was built similarly to the MP15 I described in
OST#6 (Jan/Feb 2003) using the same brass castings. Another
fuel tank was necessary, too. The CP unit has a very unusual
small, square fuel tank which I recognized as the 600 gal. standard tank for SW1500’s.
A cab with many wide and large windows like this just cries
out for an interior. This work was done quickly the help of a
few Precision Scale castings and two K-Line figures. I spent a
lot of time to give the assembled parts a nice looking finish
with the final paint work.
As the kit is made from brass I wanted a pair of brass
Blomberg trucks too, and my choice are the black factory
painted trucks from P&D Hobby Shop. These are very nice fine
castings and fully equalized. Adding P&D’s chain driven gearboxes, upgraded with NWSL wheelsets, it is a pleasure to see
A few parts are still missing.
had the finished parts in my hands; a precise copy of my drawings now made of metal. My choice for the thin screens was
nickel silver, for more durability. I chose brass for the side-wall
hood extensions. Everything fit and the first big step was done!
The next big step was cutting off the rear part of the long
hood between the rear stack and the cab from the original
Gilmaur SW1500 and replacing it with the new longer etched
parts together with an air filter box at the top. I used Precision
Scale Co. castings of the door latches as it was not feasible to
design the fine structures of these important little details with
my drawing program.
The modification at the top front of the hood for the new
upper screens was a little bit tricky. Fixing and soldering all the
small and thin parts in place wasn’t a simple task. I had to avoid
any twisting of the thin brass. To hold all the thin parts in place I
use my favorite jeweler’s clay and alligator clamps. Using a low
melting point solder was the secret to this successful work. For
the interested reader, most of the soldering was done with a
torch, but I used a 40 Watt iron for the stanchions.
It was also necessary to replace the front radiator screen as
the prototype’s is different from a stock SW1500. The new
intake was built from milled brass "Z" channel and a cut-down
Gilmaur screen. I even went so far as to build all the baffle
plates behind the intake screen. It was 15 parts to be soldered
He doesn’t like photographers.
The new etched top screens and the new radiator,
still riding on CLW trucks.
the little journals in motion while rumpling over the track.
I wanted a model which looks like it just came out of the
paint shop, as shown in the photo from Talgo. An important
step is preparing the brass with a pickling solution for a clean,
oil-free surface without tarnish. I then applied a light grey automotive primer from a spray can as a base for the bright red final
color. I airbrushed Badger’s MODELflex Soo Line Red for the
cab and long hood and Engine Black for the frame. The final
coat with Tamiya clear acrylic gloss coat gave the model the
look I wanted. I can say the model runs as it looks—brilliant.
Modeling a specific prototype locomotive is a real challenge. Even if you have drawings, are you sure they are correct?
Collecting photos may be easier but some details may not be
visible. Maybe my model isn’t a flawless copy, but it’s a good
looking model with it’s own history.
◆
Resources:
Gilmaur,
8 Old Rectory Gardens,
Thurlestone, Devon TQ7 3PD,
England,
www.mike.calvert.btinternet.co.uk
P&D Hobby Shop,
31280 Groesbeck,
Fraser MI 48026, 586-296-6116,
www.pdhobby.com
Precision Scale Co.,
PO Box 278,
Stevensville MT 59870
K-Line,
PO Box 2831,
Chapel Hill NC 27515
Badger MODELflex paint,
#16-57 Soo Line Red,
#16-01 Engine Black
Ever try to carve cobblestones in plaster for that
“different” look on your traction or street railway
and give up after a couple of inches, mumbling to
yourself while trying to convince your mates that
concrete would look better? Well, help is at hand!
Buy two or three packets of Wills (English brand)
Granite sets (p/n WSSMP204), and start laying those
beautiful O Scale cobblestones. The packet says
00/HO but for O Scale cobblestones they are ideal
and they are available in the U.S. at the larger
hobby stores.
The sheets come four to a set and are made of
styrene so they are easy to cut and glue. The photos
tell the story. Note in one photo I am sanding an
edge using sandpaper tacked to the bench top and a
large fine file clamped to the edge. This is the
method I use for sanding all my styrene sheets no
matter what I am building. The surface that I am
gluing to in the photos is wood and I am
using quick drying white glue with very
◆
heavy weights till it dries. It works.
Resources:
International Hobbies,
10556 Combie Rd, Auburn, CA, Phone
530-268-715, agents for “Wills” in the
U.S.
Another Diesel
masterpiece from
Roland Marx. This
GATX unit is built
from a Gilmaur kit.
PACIFIC BELT LINE
UNION TERMINAL
ROGUE RIVER
Kerry R. Jones
Northbound manifest leaving Barkly
Mills, Calif., with borrowed ATSF
(now BNSF) power headed for
Klamath Falls, Ore.
Second northbound manifest of the
day starts its long uphill climb
towards Klamath Falls, Ore., from
Barkly Mills, Calif.
Lineup of power for morning
departures southbound from Barkly
Mills, Calif., after crews’ rest.
Lumber loads await pick up from the yards. The backdrop was
painted by my mother-in-law for me. Unfortunately, when I
moved the layout to my present location, I was unable to use
this backdrop set.
Crapola
from the
Cupola
John C. Smith
Pecos River Brass
Chapter XIII
All was not perfect, but if I stuck to
the things I knew best and the Santa Fe,
where my market was, I saw myself moving Pecos River Brass along where I
wanted it to be. I was doing fine with
one builder (Gang San Models) and I
was getting letters all the time from other
builders wanting work, so I figured let’s
add builders and get into the “big time”.
This may come as a surprise to most
of you, but it’s really hard to get rich in
the importing business. The stereotype is
that if you can do a $20K project every
two months and sell it for $40K, you can
make a six-figure salary every year. Get
those numbers up there and this is a big
money business. Well, it is a big money
business, but those are only on ideal
terms.
Most importers have very successful
first and second projects. Then something happens. The third (or fourth, or
fifth) project is a bust. Maybe it was the
best thing you ever did. Maybe it was the
best quality ever built. But, nobody
wanted to buy it. So, instead of making
yourself another $20K for 4-6 months
work, you didn’t sell enough to even pay
for the shipment. Time to borrow money
from the bank. Now, what do you think a
bank president says to you when you
bring in a toy train, set it on his desk, tell
him this is what you do for a living and
people spend $1000 each for one. Right,
you get “the look.” “Do you think I’m a
@*&$#_)*% idiot? Who buys these toys?
You want how much money?” Even if
you do get the money, you end up giving
your monthly salary to the bank in interest payments.
The fact is the only way to make
money in the brass business is to sell out
every single project you do. Sell out
immediately and you gross $20K. Now,
take away your expenses for a couple of
months, rent, utilities, customs, broker,
advertising, salaries, accounting, copy
machines, fax machines, computers,
scanners, printers, maintenance, paper,
invoices, shipping labels, post-it notes,
pens, show expenses, research materials,
draftsman’s drawings, photos, mileage,
taking guests to lunch, company shirts
and you might have made a pittance
profit for that project. Very little ever sells
out that fast. Now you need storage
space, more advertising, promotion,
shows, literature, etc.
You ask yourself, if you could only
sell 100, why did you do 200? The price
is determined by quantity. You tell the
builder you want to do XYZ steam loco.
How much? They tell you they can do
300 pieces for $1000 each. But if you
only want 100 pieces, they will cost
$1500 each. However, if you do 500
locos, they can be done for $700 each.
You do the math. It’s now a choice
between $150K, $300K or a $350K project. You can buy almost twice the
amount of models for about 20% more
money. But you only have 75 reservations and that 100 quantity looks really
good. However, as soon as you lock
yourself into that price, half of the reservations drop out because the retail price
went from $1500 to $3000. So you
think, “Well if I do 300 models, I keep
most of my reservations and keep the
price down,” but then you’ll sit on 200
models for years. Or you could listen to
consumers in the magazines, on the
internet, at train shows, and do 500
models, make them cheap so more people can afford them... and have 400 for
your grandchildren to sell.
After 22 years in the business, I can
honestly tell you the retail price has very
little to do with the consumer in the
brass market. You either want it or not.
You either have the money or not. You
either model the Missouri Pacific or not.
I have seen models that ran perfectly,
were painted very well, and were very
reasonably priced just sit there on the
shelf. Yet, a model that cost $30004$000 with a little more detail, but in
many cases didn’t run at all, sold out in
minutes. Perception is everything. When
the price is low, discriminating modelers
wonder what is wrong with it. If you
price it outrageously high, the big
spenders come out of the closet. And in
addition (I’m really sorry to tell you this),
the brass business has NEVER been an
inexpensive hobby. It has never been a
purchase for the low budget buyer.
One last thing, one last trade secret. I
cannot speak for any other importer of
model trains, but this is the PRB formula.
Before the early 1970s, and fair trade
laws, the markup from builder’s price to
dealer net was 50%, and then 40% more
to retail. An HO brass steamer in late
60’s and early 70s would cost the
importer $40 in Korea, in quantities of
about 500. The dealer net would be $80.
The retail price would be somewhere in
the $130 range. Everyone sold for retail
and everyone made money... good
money. There was little used market, so
everything sold. Nobody asked for a deal
and nobody got a deal. There was a
value to everything. Importers would
bring in 500 models and have 1000
reservations. Hobby shops got cut back
on every order they placed. If you were
caught selling for less than retail, you
were cut off by the importer. Things
changed with fair trade laws (I think not
for the better, but that is an argument for
another time). By the mid 70s, there was
a used brass market starting to develop,
and dealers were discounting. Nothing
had value anymore. My Santa Fe 2-8-0
retailed for $130, $140, $150, $160
depending on who you bought it from
and nobody knew what the real value
was.
As prices started to get higher, as
quantities started to get lower, as the
number of dealers started to lessen, as all
kinds of change happened to our market,
the price structure changed but the basic
markups for PRB were 33% and 30%. It
would have been a great profit, even
after expenses, if everything sold out
instantly. But it never did, NEVER.
I finally decided that I could produce
the best product on the market, but had
no talent whatsoever at selling it. I suppose that it is a personality thing. I’m
proud of my models, and loved doing
what I did. I had a very faithful following
of customers, just not enough of them. I
just wish I had had a clue as to how to
sell to them.
(Editor’s Note: After 22 years in business Pecos River Brass has closed it’s
doors. John has put everything up for
sale including the store and the layout
above the store. PRB still has stock at
closeout prices in both 2 and 3 rail. Visit
www.pecosriverbrass.com to see what is
available.)
◆
Licensed product of CSX Transportation
CSX “AC44CW”
F a c t o r y p a i n t e d B l u e / Ye l l o w / G o l d
OMI #048010003.1
Prototype photo by Don Zimmerman
Licensed product of Union Pacific Railroad
UP “AC44CTE”
F a c t o r y p a i n t e d Ye l l o w / G r a y w i t h F l a g
OMI #048010004.1
Prototype courtesy Withers Publishing
Licensed product of Union Pacific Railroad
Motive Power
Prototype photo by Overland Models Team
SP “AC44CW”
Fa c t o r y p a i n t e d D a r k G r a y / S c a r l e t
OMI #048010007.1
Features:
• Crisp factory paint and lettering
• Powerful Pittman can motor
• Operating ditch lights
• Directional lighting
• DCC equipped
Other variations not pictured:
• BNSF “AC44CW” Nos. 5603 and 5609
• CP “AC44CW” Nos. 9592 and 9600
• CSX “C60AC” Nos. 5002 and 5016
• UP “C60AC” Nos. 7567 and 7579
Take Your Model Railroad To The Next Level . . . Experience An Overland Model
Available Only At The Finest Hobby Retailers Worldwide
Visit www.overlandmodels.com To See A List Of Dealers
O
VERLAND
MODELS INCORPORATED
www.overlandmodels.com
Telephone: (765) 289-4257
3808 W. Kilgore Ave. · Muncie, IN 47304 · U.S.A
info@overlandmodels.com
Fax: (765) 289-6013
Building 69" drivers for a Burlington 2-6-2 Prairie,
and the lead and trailing trucks too!
Tom Mix
Scratchbuilders are blessed with a
great amount of parts and castings for
steam engines available from a variety of
sources. But the one essential item that is
not readily available is drivers. And for
those of us working in Proto 48, if we can
get our hands on a set, they are almost
always 5 foot gauge meaning it will take
some machining effort to convert them to
our standards. Further, the diameter may
not be what you need for that engine on
your dream list; the one you have hankered to build for a long time.
Back in the 1980’s Precision Scale Co.,
had some extra 63" drivers that were made
for their SP cab forward. I bought enough
to scratchbuild a CB&Q 2-8-2 and a 2-104. To convert them to P:48 required the
axles be disassembled, tires removed, (the
tires were plated brass, not steel), then the
wheel thinned by machining to prototype
thickness. I machined new tires from stainless steel, insulated half with .005" styrene,
reassembled with NWSL gear boxes, using
a quartering tool I had built. The drivers
for the 2-10-4 had to have new counterweights and centers to match the prototype. These were cut from brass and
soldered on before assembly.
This effort was my introduction to
rebuilding drivers. That experience really
helped when I began to think about
building drivers completely from scratch.
I had some projects that I very much
wanted to build, like a Burlington 4-8-2
and a 2-6-2. The 74" and 69" drivers
needed were not available on the market.
Louis Bartig is a modeler from the St.
Louis area that I have admired for many
years. He has been a real inspiration to
build accurate models with fine detail.
Louis builds his own drivers. That really
got me fired up to try it, too.
I first built a set of 74" drivers for the
B-1 Mountain and they turned out pretty
well. Those were a real trial and error in
what works and what doesn’t. The next
set, the 69", is described here.
A big help were the pages of driver
drawings in the 1906 Locomotive Dictionary reprinted by Newton Gregg in 1972.
Also, I use a pair of the old PFM “O” scale
calipers to measure with, so some of the
following measurements are to scale.
First, brass outer rims were machined
to the diameter of the driver wheel,
which in this case was 66 inches, two
scale inches thick and 4 scale inches
wide (Fig. 1). Remember this is to prototype so it sounds kind of thin! “Square”
Fig. 1
counter weights (they are not square but
a curved rectangular shape) to fit inside
the wheel rim were machined from brass.
Center crank hubs were made with an
axle hole smaller than what the finished
size would be. The crank pin portion of
the center piece would be an even smaller hole 14 scale inches from the center.
The cylinder stroke was 28" long so the
crank pin distance from the axle center
would be half that.
The spokes were cut from 1⁄32" x 1⁄8"
brass flat bars (Fig. 2). One edge of a
length of the flat bar was rounded with a
Fig. 2
file and smoothed with #600 grit carbon
sandpaper. Every paint store has this sand
paper.
The spokes are tapered so another jig
is required to measure each cut spoke to
the proper length and taper. Note in Fig.
3 that the section of brass sheet has the
correct spoke pattern cut out. The spoke
piece is cut and filed to fit the pattern,
then set into the cutout rounded side
down. The jig section sheet is thinner
than the spoke so when the jig with
spoke is placed into a vise and tightened
the portion of the spoke sticking up can
be milled off giving that taper. Hope this
Fig. 3
is clear by studying Fig. 3.
A section of aluminum bar, 1.5 inches
in diameter and about 1 inch long was
cut (Fig. 4). Then one end was machined
to fit just inside the brass wheel rims. This
raised section was then slotted using a
.032" slitting saw. These drivers had 15
spokes which was divisible by my Emco
dividing attachment, so 15 slots were cut
to hold individual spokes. Note that on
this engine the drivers had one spoke
Fig. 4
directly in line with the crank pin.
The aluminum jig with slots then had
sections milled out so the hub centers
and counter weights would fit down to
the bottom of the slots. Also, some individual spokes will be shorter from the
center hub to counterweight and progressively from the rim to center crank. After
all spokes are in place, flux is applied to
each part that will be soldered. The jig is
placed in a vise and heated with a torch.
When hot enough solder is touched to
each spoke end where it touches the rim,
counter weight, and center hub. Go easy
with the solder! You want just enough of
a fillet to give the appearance of a casting. In this case, six wheels were made,
four with small counterweights and two
with heavy counterweights.
A section of brass bar was machined
to exactly fit the steel tire tread (Fig. 5).
Three 2-56 screws are used to hold each
tire to machine out the inside circumference to fit the wheel. Note, once the fit is
machined you cannot remove the bar
Fig. 5
section from the lathe chuck as then it
will no longer be running true.
After tires are machined with the correct inside circumference to a snug, but
sliding, fit over the wheel center, the two
are secured with LocTite. Note: three of
the wheels will have a strip of .005"
styrene fastened to the rim using epoxy.
The steel tire inside diameter will be
machined to fit the insulated side. The
joining of the three insulated centers to
the tires is the same as the others. After
the epoxy is dry, the tire and wheel is
secured with LocTite. After the epoxy and
LocTite cure overnight, check the insulated drivers with an ohmmeter to ensure
they are, in fact, insulated.
Using the same brass bar tire jig (you
didn’t remove it from the lathe chuck did
you?) the completed driver is set into the
jig to machine out the axle hole (Fig. 6).
This cannot be done with a drill. (Drills
bend) You must use a small boring bar.
The intent here is to true the axle hole
with the tire. I used 5mm axle stock from
NWSL. This part must be done very carefully. If the hole is bored too large you are
in trouble! Take a 5mm rod stub that has
had the end polished with #400 sandpaper (to make it just a tiny bit smaller) and
use that as a check gage as you bore the
hole. The idea here is to make a snug, but
sliding, fit on the axle. When you come
to the right size, do not move the boring
bar and do each wheel center with the
same settings. I learned a long time ago
that to press fit a driver to an axle often
results in a crooked driver on the axle.
After the six driver wheels and tires are
assembled and tested again for continuFig. 6
ity, they are ready to be made into locomotive drivers. Take a piece of brass or
steel bar stock that will slide easily into
the axle holes of a driver pair. Set the
wheel pair a scale 53” apart measured
from the inside of the tires. Then measure
with calipers the outside distance at the
center hubs. This will be the length of the
axles. Machine three axles and press on
the NWSL gear + gear box bearings. (I
forgot those bearings once!) I use 5mm
bronze journals from Precision Scale.
Using LocTite, press on three drivers for
one side making sure you distinguis the
three insulated drivers from the uninsulated. LocTite sets up pretty fast, so within a
half hour or so it is cured enough to continue. It fully cures in 24 hours.
Now comes the critical procedure...
pressing on the next three centers at 90
degrees to the first set. I made up a quartering tool years ago (Fig. 7) just for this
purpose. Make sure to match the heavy
and light counter weights, ensure the
gear box bearings and journals are in
Fig. 7
place, then using a drop of LocTite, press
on the driver at 90 degrees by putting the
quartering tool in a vise. Don’t use too
much LocTite. If it seeps into the journal
it will seize! Prototype drivers were quartered at 90 degrees, right side leading
(except for the Pennsy. They used left
hand lead). If you do not get the drivers at
exactly 90 degrees it doesn’t matter as
long as all the drivers are quartered the
same. If they come out at 85 degrees, or
whatever, they will
work just fine. You
can’t tell it anyway
when
they
are
assembled.
The lead and
trailing truck tires
and wheels are
machined and
assembled very
much the same
way. I insulate both
wheels at the axle.
Tires are turned
from steel bar stock.
Precision
Scale
spoked wheel castings of the proper size
are used and another brass bar jig is used
Fig. 8
to ensure the wheels run true when boring the axle hole.
Fig. 8 is a close up of the scratch built
lead truck with the Precision Scale 36"
spoked wheel castings. The rear truck
wheels are also PSC castings and they are
machined with 42" steel tires. I machined
tires for most of my drivers but for the 74"
and 69" Pat Mitchell did those. I did the
small ones.
Some may ask why not make one or
two patterns and have them cast? Actually, I did try that. I sent one pattern off to a
company that casts for model railroaders.
He said the spokes were too thin and
may not fill properly. So I sent the same
pattern off to another. No response. Sent
a letter “what about my pattern?” No
response. That ended that.
I am not a trained machinist. I am selftaught. I bought a little Unimat SL back in
the 50’s. Many mistakes were made but I
gained experience over time. Later I
bought a Unimat 3, and progressed to an
Emco Compact 5 lathe. Also I own a
milling machine. The thing is, anyone
can learn this stuff. You just have to try.
This article is more of a demonstration
than a detailed step-by-step process. If
you have questions I would be more than
happy to give a better explanation.
Please e-mail me with your questions.
[tamix@earthlink.net]
◆
Working Lighted Switch Stands
Charlie Morrill
Having switch stands on your layout
that actually rotate to indicate the position of the track switch is not only useful
in running trains, but is also visually
interesting. Even more visual interest is
gained when the switch lamps are actually lighted. I model the late steam era
Southern Pacific. Although the switch
stands and railroad practice that I’m
describing in this article are specific to
the SP, the parts and construction
method can be applied to other railroads. The SP used the Star-type switch
stand mounted on a single 12-inch wide
head block (the long tie). Many other
railroads also used this stand, but mounted the stand across the ends of a double
head block (two long ties). San Juan Car
Company makes these stands in O Scale
and that’s what I’m going to modify.
Crank
Since I use switch machines to operate my track switches, the throw of the
points must cause the switch stand to
rotate 90 degrees instead of the other
way around. The first step is to accurately measure the distance the points move.
This measurement is used to calculate
the dimension for the distance between
the two holes in the crank (Figure 1). The
recommended point gap on an O gauge
NMRA track gage is 0.112", which scales
to 53⁄8 inches. Prototype switches have a
throw of about five inches. To save you
having to look up your old high school
trig: using the 0.112" dimension, the
spacing of the crank holes is calculated
by 0.707(0.112 - 0.010) = 0.072". The
0.010" factor accounts for the clearance
in the connecting rod holes. Make the
crank from the 1⁄16" by 1⁄32" brass flat bar.
Drill two #63 (0.037" diameter) holes at
the required spacing. Round off one end
as shown in Figure 1.
See text
Figure 1
Target Rod
The switch stand staff or target rod is
made from 1⁄32" diameter tubing. Cut a
length of tubing 113⁄16" long for the high
stand or 1" long for the low stand. As the
wire is a tight fit in the tubing, it is a good
idea to push a 0.019" diameter brass rod
(available from Detail Associates) through
the tubing first to clear burrs or other
obstructions.
13⁄4
low Solder
19⁄16
high
Figure 2
To make assembly easier, drill a #67
(0.032" diameter) vertical hole in a wood
block about 5⁄16" deep with a drill press.
Push the tubing into the hole so that the
height of the exposed tubing is equal to
the dimension from the crank to the top
of the tubing (Figure 2). Slide the crank
over the tubing down to the wood block
with the rounded end away from the tubing. After soldering the two parts together, pull the assembly out of the wood
block.
Switch Stand Assembly
The plastic-to-plastic joints were glued
with small amounts of Testors thin plastic
cement applied with a very small brush.
Drill a spike hole with a #67 drill in the
center at each end of the San Juan switch
stand base (there is a small cast-in bolt
head marking the location). Cement the
two guards into the holes on one side of
the base per the San Juan instruction
sheet. Note that, contrary to the instruction sheet, the table slots and lever will
go on the side opposite the guards. Place
the base over the hole in the wood block
and reinsert the brass tube and crank.
Check the rotation clearance of the crank
under the guards by rotating the base.
The crank must be able to rotate a full 90
degrees between the guards. If okay, glue
the table and legs to the base with the
slots pointing away from the guards.
The lever and yoke parts are best
done as a subassembly. Leave the yoke
on the casting sprue tree when attaching
the lever, pin, and lock. To make the pin
easier to install, ream out the hole with a
#78 drill after inserting the lever into the
yoke. Also, the piece of sprue attached to
the lock makes a good handle for inserting the lock into the hasp. Once the subassembly is dry, remove the sprues and
slide the yoke and lever assembly over
the brass tube and insert the lever into
one of the slots. Use a very small amount
of cement at the slot. Be careful not to
glue the brass tube to the plastic.
Lights
Soldering the small wires for the light is
best done with a 25-watt or 40-watt pencil soldering iron with a pencil point. Use
a no-corrode rosin flux and rosin core solder. Wrap one light bulb lead around the
end of the brass tube as shown in Figure
3. Leave about 1⁄16" of wire between the
bulb and the end of the tube. Solder a
length of 30 AWG wire on the outside of
the other end of the tube and below the
stand base for the ground wire.
If using the 30 AWG insulated wire,
cut the end of the wire to be pushed up
through the brass tube at a 45-degree
angle to make it easier to start. I have
also used 32 AWG magnet wire, which
is a much easier installation, however,
the enamel coating is very easy to nick,
Cut off
excess wire
Solder
Figure 3
which then causes a short. Push the wire
past the bulb and strip off about 1⁄16" of
insulation and then pull the wire back so
that the bare wire is next to the upper
end of the bulb as in Figure 3. Wrap the
upper bulb lead around the end of the
wire and solder. Trim off all excess wire.
At this point it would be a good idea to
test the bulb using a flashlight battery. If
the test is good, the assembly can be
painted grimy black.
Switch Lamp
The Grandt lamp casting is made from
clear plastic. This makes it relatively easy
to deepen the lamp cavity a little with a
#55 (0.052" diameter) drill to provide
more room for the end of the bulb without
coming out through the top of the casting.
If you are going to replace the lenses with
colored acetate disks as I have done, drill
out the lenses with a 1⁄16" bit and counter
bore to 0.070". Grandt suggests coloring
the cast lenses with red, green, or yellow
marking pens, however, I was not pleased
with the result from the brand of marking
pens I had on hand, so I opted for the
acetate lenses.
Paint the lamp casting with an opaque
black paint. This may take two coats to
prevent light leakage. I find that pressing
the lamp over the end of a wooden
toothpick makes an excellent holder for
the painting and the attachment of the
lenses. The 0.070" diameter lenses were
made from colored acetate with a punch
and die. A very small amount of Testors
Clear Parts Cement on the rim of the lens
opening secured the lens. Figure 4 shows
the orientation of the lens colors. Green
showing towards an approaching train
indicates that the switch is aligned “nor-
Figure 4
mal”. Red or Yellow lights and target
showing towards an approaching train
indicates that the switch is aligned for
the diverging route (“reverse”).
I should explain here about the reason
for the yellow and red lens and target
colors. Quoting the SP Common Standards drawing: “Switch stands on side
tracks in yards and on other inside tracks
to be equipped with yellow target,
except as follows: Derail switch stands,
switch stands at the siding end of
crossovers leading to main track, switch
stands actuating main line signals, and
switch stands at connections with controlled sidings in C.T.C. territory to be
equipped with red target." Other railroads had similar means for differentiating switches that affected main line
traffic from those on secondary tracks.
Target and Lamp Assembly
I dab a small amount of white glue on
the bottom of the lamp and the top of the
brass tube before I push the lamp over the
bulb. The use of white glue makes
removal easier if necessary. With the
crank in the “switch normal" position, line
up the green lenses to be parallel to the
track. The small round target included in
the San Juan kit is correct for the low
switch stand scale 10" diameter target. For
the high switch stand, a scale 18" diameter target is needed. I punched these out
of 0.015" thick styrene sheet. After painting the target, epoxy it to the side of the
brass tube parallel to the track with the
switch in the “normal” position. The cen-
ter of the target on the tall stand should be
19⁄32" above the bottom of the switch stand
base. The small target on the short stand is
just above the top of the yoke.
Installing
Measure a point on the head block 13⁄4"
from the rail and 3⁄32" from the throw bar
1
16"
⁄
1
32"
⁄
1
8"
1
16"
⁄
⁄
Figure 5
side of the tie. Drill a 1⁄16" hole through the
tie and roadbed for the bottom of the tube
and wires. Drill a #63 hole in the end of
the switch throw bar. Bend a connecting
rod per the sketch (Figure 5) from 1⁄32"
diameter brass rod. Note that the connecting rod is made either left or right hand.
The length of the connecting rod should
be measured from the throw bar hole to
the switch stand center with the track
switch in mid position. Place the switch
stand on the head block and install the
connecting rod. Check that the stand
rotates the full 90 degrees from target parallel to the track to target perpendicular to
track. Fasten the switch stand down with
The short stand ready for final assembly
two track spikes. Connect the two wires to
a 1-1⁄2 volt maximum power source. Leave
a little slack in the wires for rotation.
Testing the lamp bulb with a battery
A tall stand used on the mainline
The short stand used in an industrial yard
You now have a switch stand that will inform your operating crews of
the switch alignment even when the switch points are not easily visible.
A SUGGESTED POWER SOURCE
The 1.25 volt supply circuit shown right will provide enough power to
light many switch stands. The voltage regulator needs to be mounted on a
heat sink. Parts: LM 317T Adjustable Voltage Regulator, Heat Sink for TO220, “C" is 4.7 mfd, 50 volt capacitor, “R” is 270 ohm, 1⁄4 watt resistor
“BR" is 11⁄2 amp, 400 piv, bridge rectifier The bridge rectifier allows use of
AC for the voltage regulator circuit. This circuit can also be used for light◆
ing passenger cars or cabooses.
Resources, Materials and Parts List:
San Juan Car Co., PO Box 1028 Durango, Colorado 81302, 970-385-5256, #5002
Star Switch Stands, set of one tall and one short stand.
Grandt Line, 1040 B Shary Court, Concord, CA 94518, 925-671-0143. www.grandtline.com, #149 Marker Lamps, two per package
Miniatronics Corp., 561-K Acord Street, Deer Park, NY 11729, 800-942-9439, www.miniatronics.com, #18-075-10 Axial 1.5 volt Incandescent
Lamps, .075" diameter, package of ten.
Special Shapes Co., PO Box 7487, Romeoville IL 60046, 800-51-SHAPE, www.specialshapes.com, Stock No. 05035, Brass Tubing 1⁄32"
diameter by .006" wall, Brass flat bar 1⁄16" by 1⁄32", Brass rod 1⁄32" diameter.
Other: Styrene sheet .015" thick; Red, Green, Yellow colored acetate sheets (Craftsman Specialty Supply, 6567 Forty Mile Point, Rogers City,
MI 49779), Alternate: colored marking pens; 30 AWG Insulated Wrapping Wire (Radio Shack #278-502) or 32 AWG plain enamel insulated
magnet wire.
A New Drive By Accurate O Scale
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MAX-M-DRIVE Synchronous Belt
All New Ball Bearing Quiet Drive
Replace Those Tired Worn out Old Technology
Drives With A Pittman Bearing Motor.
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NEW PRODUCTS
• California Roadbed •
• PECO Track & Turnouts •
• Special Shapes Brass •
• NWSL • Keithco Loco-Link •
•Freight Trucks • Kadees •
Accurate O Scale
38623 Orchard St
Cherry Valley CA 92223
A HiRailer in Transition
A HiRailer in transition... that is exactly what I am and this
month I have a great idea for you: a transition car! If you are interested in an idea that will allow you operate closer to scale, this may
be of interest. This car is like crossing an alligator with a crocodile;
it has two business ends and you have to pay attention to both. You
can use a scale car or a HiRail car. The car is simply converted so
that one coupler is 3 rail and the other is 2 rail.(See photo #1)
1
Place this car right behind the tender and it becomes the first
car in your consist. It has a traditional tinplate coupler (just like all
of the ones found on 3 rail rolling stock), kind of big, not very prototypical, but functional. We have tolerated these knuckles for
years. (See photo #2)
2
pulling a complete consist of
scale 2 rail cars. The transition
car does all of the work. Congratulations! You have just
shortened the gap between
HiRail and scale model railroading!
This works best on T-rail
section track such as Atlas.
Those scale wheels roll on that
track just like they were truly
made for each other. You will
be amazed at what a big step you have just taken and will love
the look of those scale cars and couplers. And the best part is that
you didn’t have to spend a lot of money.
The transition car represents a compromise, however, it allows
you as an operator to get extremely close to scale operations.
Even the scale purists: kings, queens, and noblemen will welcome you. You may need to consider purchasing wheelsets, scale
couplers, and even some scale rolling stock. They may welcome
your questions. They will welcome your business! Why, they
won’t even know that you are a
HiRailer! But all of the time the
important thing is that you are
getting more and more scale
(and more fun) in what you do.
The highly detailed scale
rolling stock of today is an investment in your modeling future. All
of these great products can be
easily converted—if and when
you should decide to change
over to scale 2 rail. All of us are
3
on a journey in this
hobby. Each
of us has a
pace of our
own. There
simply is no
right or
wrong in
model railroading.
Each of us
must decide
what course
we will take
to accomplish our goals. Change is inevitable and it is okay. Maybe you are
new to the hobby. Maybe you are a seasoned old timer. Just look
at all of the choices we have today. So, take your time, enjoy your
trains, and stay tuned for more exciting and challenging ideas. ◆
On the other end is a Kadee® coupler: what an improvement!
(See photo #3). I chose to use an Atlas 2 rail car with scale
wheelsets. You could also convert a 3 rail car. Using just scale
couplers will work. Changing to scale trucks and wheelsets will
provide additional scale appreciation.
Now for the fun. On the scale end of your car you can couple
as many Kadee equiped 2 rail scale cars as you wish. This allows
you to use your existing locomotives running on 3 rail track, but
Reader Feedback
New Zealand Source
I have just received the latest issue and
back issues that I ordered, and I wish to
compliment the team at O Scale mag for
the care and attention to detail that has
gone into its production, even to how the
back issues were beautifully packed.
I have only recently decided to take
the plunge and model in O Scale. I have
been keeping an eye on availability of
models, and the ever-expanding range of
good-looking equipment is what encouraged me to change. I am a New Zealander with a passion for the NYC and
scratchbuilding, and O Scale serves me
nicely. I was also lucky enough to
encounter a man with two old AHM kits
for sale here in New Zealand, a CaseyJones and an IHB 0-8-0. (Imagine my joy
when I discovered that the IHB was
owned by the NYC! The Casey-Jones
will never be; it will donate its wheels to
a scratchbuilt NYC K-11)
I would also like to point out a couple
of useful items that are made in New
Zealand for 9mm scale modelers (3’6"
gauge at 9mm/foot=31.5mm Oh Lookee,
near enough to O gauge!) that might be
useful to O Scale non-rivet counters.
There is a loco driver, 27mm dia. X
4.1mm wide, stainless steel tyre on a
nylon moulded centre, approx 1⁄4" crank
throw, NZ$5.70 each wheel last time I
checked. It is not exactly right for 1⁄48th
scale, having only ten spokes, but it is
near enough for me, and you can buy
the stainless steel axles (5mm dia) from
the same maker. They are an interference
fit and so easy to use. A browse through
my Kalmbach Loco Cyclopedia, Vol. 1,
turned up many engines with 51"
wheels, several of which were used by
the NYC, so the hardest part of scratchbuilding these engines is taken care of.
There are also plain, 9 and 8 spoke
wheelsets, about NZ$4 each, 22.5mm
dia x 3.5mm tread- scales out to
42.5inch and 0.135” in O Scale. I have
bought three GP-9 bodies from P&D
Hobbies with a view to scratchbuilding
the drives using these wheels.
I have read letters in magazines from
people complaining how expensive the
hobby is, especially in O Scale, but I
believe that if you are prepared to hunt
around for the bargains and sale items—
part of the fun of the hobby, I might
add—then it doesn’t have to be expensive at all. Knowing where to find what
you need is the key, and that’s where I
owe O Scale Trains Mag a big Thank You.
Regards, Paul Woods
Whangarei, New Zealand
For those wheels, contact Graham
Selman, northyard@xtra.co.nz, PO Box
27-368, Mount Roskill, Auckland, New
Zealand (Ed. Note - a New Zealand dollar is about $US0.68)
A Fallen Warrior
Frank G. ‘Gil’ Stovicek, 1924-2003
A pioneering modeler and tireless
advocate for O Scale was lost to us on
November 26, 2003, with the passing of
Gil Stovicek.
Perhaps best known for his 2 rail O
Scale American Central Railroad1, Gil
was also an award-winning scratchbuilder, having come into the hobby at a
time when modelers had little choice but
to create their own locomotives, rolling
stock, and structures.
Much of his railroad was funded
through custom locomotive building. Gil
would pick a design he liked from drawings in the Locomotive Cyclopedia, then
acquire enough brass tubing, sheet stock,
motors, wheels, and gearboxes to build
three locomotives... one of which he
would keep, and the other two would go
up for sale or trade. In addition to collecting NMRA awards for his work, he
soon established a reputation for building show-quality models that also ran
well out of the box, and kept on running
after years of service to their owners.
When he no longer built locomotives,
he turned his attention to converting
some of the less costly 3 rail brass offerings from Williams and others for 2 rail
operation. Despite periodic downturns
on the business side of O Scale, he never
lost his drive to support the hobby, and
kept encouraging anyone with an interest to start off inexpensively with older
equipment... die-cast locomotives, or car
kits from sale tables at shows.
Favorites? While he respected (and
kidded) the one road/one era purists
among us, his own tastes were eclectic,
and he thought nothing of running a
105-car coal drag behind an N&W Y-6
right next to a double-stack container
train pulled by a BNSF SD-70. He loved
it all, and his enthusiasm was infectious.
To the end, his railroad remained
open on the first and third Wednesdays
of each month, and for special events
(NMRA regional conventions, NYC &
NKP Historical Societies, Boy Scouts), he
would open on weekends. He was a gracious and generous host, and although
he had no children of his own, his joy in
sharing was especially evident when he
would go out of his way to ensure that
youngsters took in all that his basement
empire had to offer, leaving them (and
their parents) with lasting memories of a
special night. He would always thank
everyone for coming to see the layout,
and let them know they were welcome
to come back.
His command post at the control
panel for the American Central was an
engineer’s seat from a scrapped New
York Central Fairbanks-Morse diesel, and
it is tempting to think that he is now
occupying a similar chair in the sky, with
the armrests flipped down and a newly
fired-up cigar clenched in his teeth.
Roll ’em, Gil.
(For those interested, The American
Central was the cover story feature in the
February 1972 Model Railroader. Excellent writing, photography, and graphics
by Bob Hegge and the MR staff.)
Bob rothrock (via email)
Ed. note: We also received several
other emails and a letter from Gil’s sonin-law, Scott Lavelle.
Seeking Advice
I want to build a Milwaukee SDL39. I
think I can use the Atlas GP35 (I am not
a rivet counter) but the wheel sets are
what are driving me nuts. Weaver has a
3 axle set in Alco but that isn’t EMD. Tell
me what to look for in axle sets, please.
Dick Donaway
CBQer@aol.com
Joe replies: I went to my “go to” person for Diesel info, Beth Marshall of the
Public Delivery Track. Here’s what Beth
had to say:
I went on an expedition thru back
issue of Diesel “techy” mags. The only
thing missing was the “Jack Benny going
into his safe” sound.
I found a copy of Diesel Era mag from
1998 with an SDL-39 article.
Only 10 SDL-39’s were ever built,
MILW 581-585 Built in 1969, and 586590, built in 1972. All but 581 (wrecked)
were conveyed to the SOO line when
SOO bought the Milwaukee Road, (none
were ever painted in SOO colors) and
then were conveyed to Wisconsin Central, when it was spun off from SOO.
When CN bought WC in 2002, all were
retired and sold to South America,
according to web data.
These 10 engines were ordered by the
Milwaukee to replace SW-1’s and RSC2’s that were used on light rail branch
lines, especially in the Dakotas. There
are still parts out these branch lines in
service today, still using 100+ year old
60 lb. rail. Most of it is operated by
shortlines or regional railroads today.
The SDL-39’s were 4 feet shorter than
a GP-38 or GP-39, and about 1 foot
shorter than a GP-35, and ran on specially built short wheelbase EMD 6 wheel
flexicoil trucks. Typical EMD 6 wheel
flexicoil trucks, as used on SD-39’s, SD35’s and SD-40’s, are symmetrical and
have a distance between axles of about 6
ft 9 in. The SDL-39 truck has axle spacing of 5 ft 6 in from outer axle to center,
and 6 ft 8 in from center to inner axle.
Relating this to O scale, the SDL-39 is
about 1⁄4 inch shorter than a GP-35, and
has asymmetrical 6 wheel flexicoil trucks
about 3⁄8 in shorter than those used on the
Atlas SD-35.
If you can overlook these differences,
you might be able to mount Atlas SD-35
trucks (standard 6 wheel Flexicoil trucks)
on an Atlas GP-35 to make an SDL-39,
as long as both the 4 wheel and 6 wheel
trucks have the same mounting position,
relative to the outer end of the truck.
If both trucks mount exactly over center, for example, you’ll have problems
because the 6 wheel truck will extend
into the pilot and steps, as well as toward
the fuel tank. If the extra length of the 6
wheel truck extends only toward the fuel
tank, you’re in business, because the fuel
tank can always be cut shorter to make
room for the trucks. As it turns out, the
SDL-39’s had a small 1700 gal. fuel tank,
as compared to the 2600 gal fuel tank on
a typical GP-35.
Unfortunately, I haven’t had a chance
to pull apart an Atlas GP-35 to see how
the trucks are mounted.
Another thing you’ll want to consider
is the SDL-39’s lack of dynamic brakes.
D/B’s have always been an option on
EMD locos, and the ’flat’ railroads have
often opted to save money and get
engines without D/B’s.
The only Atlas GP-35 without dynamic brakes (as far as I know) was the New
York Central. This, of course, if probably
the hardest one to find in 2 rail. Atlas
may have made the D/B an option on the
undec version; you’d have to check with
them.
At any rate... good luck.
For your next project, I’d like to see a
model of the MILW RSC-2 that was
rebuilt by Alco with an RS-32 nose.
Beth
A Correction
Upon rereading my article on the
Babbitt small tender on page 22, right
hand column near the bottom I mentioned that North West Shortline’s Sensipress could also be used to punch rivets.
I guess in the editorial review someone
added “(photo2)” where my “Chief Engineer” is checking the tooling. In fact the
rivet press shown was manufactured by
Precision Manufacturing Co. in Texas
and is not the NWSL Sensipress. Just a
note to avoid confusion.
Bob Garrelts, Tarpon Springs, Florida
(via email)
Power Supplies, Scale Plans & The Internet
It’s getting so the first thing I do is
scan the editorials, then on to the
comics, and then maybe the front page! I
was enjoying your editorials, and found
my name mentioned by fellow modeler
Carl Phillips. Carl does good work. You
answered him quite well, but I thought a
few additional comments might help. An
auto transformer is simply a variable
transformer, and has endured trade
names such as Variac, among others I
have forgotten. The big advantage of the
auto transformer is that the output varies
smoothly from, in most cases, 0 to 120
Volts, and there are only losses associated with transformers. Usually there is a 0
- 132 Volt output, which helps when you
cannot find a good 24 Volt stepdown
transformer. Modern power packs use
solid state throttles to vary voltage, but I
am old-fashioned. Give me a Variac or
an auto-transformer, a good stepdown
transformer, and a cheap bridge rectifier
any day to power the necessary 8x24
Pittman. For me, nothing else will do.
Nothing. Unless it is by Pratt & Whitney!
My original reason to write was the
query on how we find dimensions, etc.,
by Marty Iftody. Marty identified a real
problem. My first impulse is to say be
careful, because often drawings in the
hobby press are not 100 percent accurate. For instance, Model Railroader misled US Hobbies on the PRR K-4 boiler
contours, and Mainline Modeler misled
PSC on Pullman roof contours. However,
on the whole, MR and MM are excellent
sources, and can be pretty much
depended on. In fact, MM has been
known to print a drawing a second time
for even minor discrepancies, for example, see their treatment of the UP FEF
series. My MM drawings are my most
valuable for scratch-building. But the
real problem is when no drawings exist.
Try, for instance, the C & O Greenbrier!
My biggest challenge was the Baldwin
#60000—that three-cylinder monster
that is preserved in the Franklin Institute
in Philadelphia. What a beauty! My
model was done with only scaled xeroxes of very grainy photos. No one—not
even the museum—had even the most
rudimentary of dimensions or data. My
model turned out well; after all these
years, the only large error I have discovered is in the boiler taper section, and
the casual observer will never notice!
As a final note, let me state that I was
a computer engineer prior to my airline
career, and I resisted the Internet. Didn’t
want to waste my time! My wife bought
the computer, and while I don’t spend a
great deal of time at it, I now type as fast
as I print, and can find obscure stuff
about trains, airplanes, and the law so
fast it makes my head swim. I don’t
understand how Google can find
800,000 references to something so
obscure as Cab Forward in 6.3 microseconds, but I just shake my head and wind
up with more information than I can possibly digest in a lifetime! Nobody can
function well in today’s society without
some access to the Internet, and I can no
longer write a letter in longhand! I print
the important ones and stick them in the
snail mail. Resisting the computer revolution is, in my opinion, a mistake. But it
is a mistake with only one victim, so
don’t feel guilty about it.
Regards - Bob Turner (via email)
Weighing In On GP-9s
Enjoying your magazine very much.
The GP-9 article was well written and
informative. To add more weight try
BADA (passenger automotive weights)
Tape-a-weight #7025, 0.25 oz).They can
be inserted between the fuel tank and the
frame. Take a strip of 7 weights and peel
all the adhesive off. Then take another set
of 7 with adhesive strip still intact and
stick them together. Paint them black.
They will snugly slide in between the fuel
tank and frame. Do both sides and you
will add 7 oz. to your engine!
These drives will tend to worm jam
when 2 or more engines run together on
a grade. We have found that if only one
unit has a flywheel you can run as many
as 3 more non fly wheeled units with the
one with flywheels and your problem is
eliminated.
I hope this will be a help to someone.
Sincerely Yours
Robert L (Bob) Youngblood
Trinity NC (via email)
Level Of Detail
As always, another excellent issue.
Normally the first thing I turn to in the
magazine is the back page with your
comments. This latest issue, however,
found me on the Reader’s Feedback page
quite accidentally when I noticed the letter from Ron Morse. The first things I
thought after reading his letter were
some observations I have been making
lately in the ”real world” and how they
applied to modeling.
While sitting at a traffic light in
Lebanon, Pa., where I now live, I
observed a very nice brick building
directly (almost) across from my location. Noting that it was only about 100
feet or less from me, I also noted that I
could not make out any detail as far as
the bricks, mortar, etc., even though I
knew it was all there. Now to apply that
to O scale, how close would a person
have to be to a model brick building to
get this same effect? I could do the math
but won’t. I came to the conclusion that
we’re taking the level of detail way too
far... of course I’m currently not modeling due to my “circumstances” so I guess
I should just shut up.
One other thing. What happened to
Scace’s head?
Sincerely, Don Dissinger (via email)
Joe replies: You’re right, Don, we
probably do apply too much detail to
our models, but that’s part of the “art” of
model-building. A perfectly scaled
model will probably not look “right” to
most people, so we need to emphasize
some detail and minimize others until it
“feels” right. As for Brian’s head, it’s not
nice to upset Mother Nature or the Art
Director. But don’t feel too badly for
Brian. He gets his turn in this issue. See if
you can find his “retort”.
A Potpourri Of Commentary
My compliments to Rich Godfrey’s
fine review of Sunset’s new B&M Berkshire in issue #12. I appreciate the thoroughness and the extra effort made (by
both Rich and John Sauers) to provide
performance information in the form of
scale speed and current draw. I also liked
Rich’s method of adjusting the yoke on
the Berk’s lead truck.
To supplement Rich’s comments, I
respectfully offer the following: I’ve
noted that a number of models have
inadequate vertical movement of the
yokes of both leading and trailing trucks-a cause of derailment on vertical curves
as Rich found. The reason is that the
shouldered portions of the truck mounting screws, or the screws in their entirety,
are too short.
I have “extended” the shoulder of the
factory screw. I use a piece of brass tube,
drilled out as necessary, cut to a length of
1
⁄16" or so and fit over the threaded portion
of the factory screw. This does reduce the
actual length of thread holding the truck,
but I’ve had no problem with a screw
working loose. And LocTite or a similar
adhesive can always be applied if desired.
(I’ve made this alteration to both lead and
trailing truck screws on my Berkshire, as
well as other models.)
Another problem with my Berk was
the wire from the motor to the wireless
drawbar was soldered directly to the
front of the drawbar. After a few hours of
operation during a train show, the solder
joint broke. I soldered the wire to a lug
and the other end of the lug has a hole
large enough to clear the drawbar screw,
so the lug does not pivot.
Concerning John Heller’s review of
Sunset’s NP Yellowstone in OST # 9, I
second his comment about Sunset standing behind their products and taking care
of problems to their customers’ satisfaction. That model has a design flaw that
may only become apparent when it is
pulling a heavy load.
Unlike most of Sunset’s locomotives,
the front drawbar pin and rear coupler
are not directly connected to the tender
floor or center sill. These two important
parts are attached to the end sills. The
end sills are “butt-soldered” to the bottom edges of the tender body ends. This
is not a strong mechanical connection.
My NP Z-5 was operating as the lead
engine of a doubleheader. On its second
trip around a friend’s layout, the rear end
sill came off the Z5 tender altogether.
After notifying Scott Mann of the
problem, I shipped the tender back to
Sunset, whose staff repaired it better than
I could have done myself. The repair
included adding splices to connect the
end sills to the tender floor to prevent the
problem recurring. Scott said the model
should not have been made that way in
the first place, and that he would discuss
the problem with the builder.
And before anyone comments that
I’m exaggerating the problem, I wish to
observe that there have been other locos
in the past built similarly to the Z5. If a
loco is not weighted, and not used to
pull heavy trains, an owner may never
experience the problem. However, my
opinion is that this is not the proper way
to design an operating model. I often
operate on friends’ layouts, a couple of
which involve mainline grades of 1.7 to
2%. One fellow likes to run freight trains
of 50-60 cars, and long passenger trains
as well. Pulling model “tonnage” of this
sort requires that locomotives be stoutly
built, designed like their prototypes with
regard to certain mechanical aspects.
Finally, as long as I’m writing, I read
with interest Harry Hieke’s method of
making operating boxcar doors, also in
OST #9. His method seems fairly simple,
and quite satisfactory, if all that’s wanted
is working doors. With all due respect to
Harry, I don’t think it’s realistic. While I
think that Harry’s modeling skills are far
superior to mine, I would note that my
intent was to create a boxcar INTERIOR
appearance to simulate typical prototypes. If one looks through an open car
door to the other side of a real boxcar,
one does not see a big wire spring on the
inside of the opposite door!
I do appreciate Harry’s sharing his
method with us (as well as his other writings). Readers can and should choose for
themselves which method, if either, they
prefer. This is what a good hobby magazine is all about, sharing ideas and building methods with others.
Sincerely, J W (“Woody”) Mathews,
Seattle WA (via email)
Modeling Without Plans
Marty Iftody raised an interesting
question in OST#12 Reader Feedback.
Basically, brass importers and those
who produce the Proto-2000 models use
as much prototype information and plans
as they can find before going into production. But even then errors occur; its
not a perfect world!
Witness Atlas’ old O Scale gondola
with its brake platform on the wrong end
of the car’s underframe. This happened
because prototype plans show a car’s
underside from the top. We modelers
look at it from the bottom, so the brake
system got reversed. Such mistakes can
happen on brass models as well.
Creditable models can be built without
highly detailed plans. In the early issues of
O Scale Trains, there were photos of a few
of my models. All were built without plans
or detailed drawings in the usual sense.
One car used information - a photo
and some measurements - from the 19th
edition of Car Builder’s Cyclopedia, a
railroad industry publication. Another
used a copy of a railroad equipment diagram. These are basically outline drawings of the car or loco. They are not to
scale and have only a few basic dimensions. There was also a camelback steam
locomotive. It was built using just three
photos, knowing only its driver diameter,
cylinder diameter and coupler height.
This does take some background experience. It’s best to start out with something
relatively simple. One of my first scratchbuilt models built without detailed plans
was a Reading Company express reefer I
found on a siding in Bucks County, Pa.,
back in the mid 1960’s.
I dragged a buddy along to help me
measure the car on a bitterly cold winter’s day. I took along a sketch pad, several pencils and a 100’ tape measure. I
didn’t have a camera then but its advisable to get as many photos of your project prototype as you can.
So I made a sketch of it broad side
and from one end. Then we went to
work, taking measurements and putting
dimensions on the sketch as if it were a
scale drawing. Length, width, height,
thickness of the end sill and side sill,
door dimensions, kind of siding and its
width, fascia, hatch dimensions. etc.
Then, the layout of lettering on the car
and a note or two about its paint.
No need to draw in ladders, just make
a note of their width, height and number
of rungs. No real need to dimension the
grab irons either. For the most part these
are standardized safety appliances with
specific locations.
I made a few separate sketches of
unique features on the car, such as curved
ladders in place of grab irons between the
eaves and running board at each corner.
Also that the end doors were framed with
pieces of old rail and how that was done.
A few quick notes were made about
the underframe and brake set up. No
detailed sketches: just notes and marks
on the sketch about the brake cylinder,
air reservoirs, valve and brake lever locations. Before heading back to the car to
get warm, my buddy found a sign on one
of the end doors: SAVE ICE - KEEP DOOR
CLOSED. I made a quick note of it.
Back at the dorm (I was a graduate
student in Philadelphia then) I drew up a
more or less scale plan for the car from
the information I gathered. Four years
later I finally got to build the model. It
even won an award at an O Scale meet a
few years after that.
If you do go out to photograph, sketch
and measure a prototype be sure you
also have the owner’s permission to do
so. For the most part, museums do not
like others climbing on their equipment
because of liability issues. Try to find out
what is fairly standard about the thing.
For example, from door heights in most
buildings you can pretty much deduce
many other dimensions. Ditto for the
heights between floors, etc.
Try something simple first. Don’t try to
make a Smithsonian quality, rivet-counter, nit-picker-proof model. If you attempt
to do so right off, you will quickly
become discouraged and the model will
never be finished. The real fun is satisfaction in modeling something no one else
may have done. Do it to enjoy!
Ed Bommer
Okmulgee Okla. (via email)
Brian Scace adds: Additionally, a couple of thoughts:
• The various railroad historical societies, such as the New York Central System Historical Society, the PRR
Historical Society, et al, are usually listed
annually in Model Railroader, Trains,
Mainline Modeler and the like. These
folks often have obsolete drawings from
the railroad of interest that members can
get copies of. Also, photographs are
often archived by these organizations.
• Get out on the web and search for
info on the intended subject. You’d be
surprised how much is out there, including sources for drawings, dimensions,
books, and the like.
• Join one of the forum sites, such as
the Otrains site on Yahoo. Post the question. You’d again be surprised at how
many folks have this kind of info stashed
away, or can steer you to those who do.
• Something I’ve done more often
than you’d think, is to buy a model in a
different scale and copy it (making
appropriate corrections as warranted).
Meanwhile, I have a method for
measuring photos that I’ll write up for a
coming issue. It’s a little more involved
than we have room for here.
More On Computers and the Internet
In response to recent letters in Reader
Feedback, I wish to add my 2 cents
worth. In response to John Smith and his
comments about computers, with all due
respect, John, you are full of it. Not
everyone has a desire or need for a computer. I am a small manufacturer and
have no website or computer access. I
bang my catalog out on an old-fashioned
typewriter and offer it to anyone for a
self-addressed stamped envelope. I ship
through the post office and have had no
problems with it. Like Phil Shuster, I
resent your use of the term “snail mail”.
As one of the nation’s 225,000 letter
carriers (I can’t make a living in O Scale),
I can say we do the very best job we can.
Anyone who subscribes to a magazine
relies on us to get it. I have yet to see a
computer deliver anything to anyone’s
door. I have no space for a computer or
desire to learn how to use one. As Phil
said, providing a catalog is part of the
cost of doing business.
As far as the post office goes, it costs
me less to ship than with UPS, and no, I
don’t get a discount. The post office even
provides boxes for Priority Mail.
As O Scalers, 2 and 3-rail, we are in a
minority, so let’s quit attacking each
other and face our common enemy, HO.
Seriously, model railroading and manufacturing is supposed to be fun. Let’s
keep it that way. Friendly squabbles are
okay but let’s not get personal. Remember, to err is human, to really screw up
takes a computer.
Now that I have vented my spleen I
can go back to living in the bronze age.
Regards,
Andrew D. Sunderland
East Gary Car Company
Bulged and Distorted
This letter is to bring up two issues
that have been bothering me.
The first relates to the improper use of
an “air eraser” or sand blaster. About fifteen years ago I began to notice that
some of my finished models had tenders
with slightly bulged-out sides and I
wondered why. I speculated that the
sheet brass came in rolls and would tend
to roll up after the model was built. Then
about a year ago or so, a dealer showed
me a tender and said “My God, Bill, how
can I show this to my customer?” The
thing looked like a blimp! The dealer
told me it was caused by the finisher
being too aggressive with the air eraser.
Subsequent discussion with certain finishers verified this, and some will not
sand-blast at all. I’ve been trying to think
of ways to correct models with bulging
sides, such as sand-blasting the inside of
the model or carefully bending by hand.
Any suggestions are welcome.
The other issue is that manufacturers
seem to intentionally distort
the nose contours of “finished” O
Scale
GG-1
models. This
seems to have
started
with
the post-war
toy O gauge
GG-1’s. This
distortion was
done to keep
the classic 5
stripe artwork
on a simple
curve instead
of a compound curve.
On a real GG1 the top two
stripes “roll”
over a softrounded compound curve before turning
downward on the nose. This is obvious
in many books, such as “The Remarkable GG-1” and “Pennsy Power”. Apparently model manufacturers are unable to
apply the 5 stripes to a compound curve,
so they raise and sharpen the nose contours to keep the 5 stripes on a simple
curve. The NJ Custom Brass GG-1, being
unfinished, does not have to be concerned with this issue and has realistic
nose contours.
Bill Buchanan
[bilbilbuchanan@netzero.net]
Scace replies: Using glass or sand as
the media will distort the brass. Using
media softer than brass, like aluminum
oxide, will not cause a problem.
◆
Product News & Reviews
NEWS: C&O Plates
c/o Wilbur Epperly
1115 Main St
Barboursville WV 25504
304-736-7765 (eve)
www.candoplates.com
Wilbur advises us that he now has
etched brass N&W round, oval and rectangular number plates and brass numerals to go with those plates so you can
make up any number you like. He also
has a variety of plates already etched
with numbers. The photo shows 2156
which is the last extant Y6a at the St.
Louis Railway museum. He also has a
B&O Capitol dome, cylinder stars, and
ten different builder’s plates. Visit his
website to see more of his very fine
work.
NEWS: AM Hobbies
6 Delmar Ridge Drive
Wellsboro, PA 16901
(570) 723-1824
amhobbies@yahoo.com
AM Hobbies has just finalized the production of their next exclusive Special
Run Atlas O car, a Lehigh Valley 40’
wood-side reefer. This car will be
released in March 2004 and will be
produced in two road numberss (36150
and 36151). The pre-production artwork is shown in the photo
Their other Atlas Special Run cars (an
Oppenheimer Sausage 36' Reefer, a
Parrot Potatoes 40' Reefer and a
Philadelphia and Reading wood-side
box car) are shown at their Web site
(www.amhobbiesonline.com) under the
Special Run Atlas Cars. The run size for
all special run cars will be limited to a
total of 175 – 200 cars.
Pricing for the Lehigh Valley reefer is as
follows:
3-rail - List Price $62.95; pre-order $59.00
2-rail - List Price $65.95; pre-order $62.00
NEWS: Overland Models, Inc.
3808 W. Kilgore Ave.
Muncie, IN 47304 USA
www.overlandmodels.com
phone: 765.289.4257 ext. 107
fax: 765-289-6013
Brian Marsh tells us that Overland has
announced a revised list of EMD units
for production including: CPR SD402F; FP45 units for Milwaukee Road and
Santa Fe; SD40T-2 units for D&RGW
and SP; and SD45T-2 units for SP, Cotton Belt (Bicentennial), and Union
Pacific. The GE AC44/C60AC production is a go. The hand sample is in production and Ajin has begun casting
production. This will be their first O
Scale Diesel production in a couple of
years. They expect to have the sample
in time for the Chicago March Meet
where they will attend on Friday night
for the Importers Round Table and on
Saturday to display their sample. They
have a small number of Conrail and
Norfolk Southern SD70 units currently
in stock. They also have some new
dozers with the front mounted boom
hook and the depressed center flats that
are made to haul railroad wreck dozers.
NEWS: Bill Lane Jr.
525 Warwick Rd.
Deptford NJ 08096
856-848-5133
billlane@comcast.net
Bill advises that he now offers custom
painting, brass repair, DCC installation,
sound installation, remotoring, lighting
systems, custom parts and brass casting.
Send him an email with what you want
done. Important info to include is what
scale, and if you already have the
decals or dry transfers, or even if they
are available. Do you want weathering?
If it is not a PRR piece, a photo would
be nice to have for quoting. If it is a
locomotive, do you want DCC and
sound? Include any other info that you
feel is important to you in getting the
model finished exactly as you want.
NEWS: Golden West Hobbies
22909 Slough Rd
Edgewood CA 96094
530-938-2915
Golden West Hobbies has commissioned Weaver Models to reissue Yreika
Western 50’ boxcars in four new road
numbers. These cars are ready-to-run.
Retail price is $33.99 each, plus shipping. They are available in 2 or 3 rail
versions from Dunsmuir Hardware,
5836 Dunsmuir Ave, Dunsmuir CA
96025, 530-235-4539.
NEWS: Underground Railway Press
216 S. Broad St., PMB4OS
Brevard, NC 28712-3702
The Underground Railway Press has
released its One-Source Scale Model
Railroad Industry Directory for 2004.
This 17th anniversary edition lists over
950 active manufacturers and publishers in N, HO, S, O and large scales, in
both standard and narrow gauges.
Covered are Canadian and U. S. companies. Each listing contains the name
of the company, mailing address, primary product produced and catalog
requirements.
URP-500 is $9.95 plus $2.50 p&h.
REVIEW: Weaver Baldwin VO1000
PO Box 231, RR1 route 11
Northumberland PA 17857
570-473-9434,
www.weavermodels.com
Reviewed by Beth Marshall of the
Public Delivery Track
There are some things you just never
forget. It was midnight on a Sunday,
upper level 30th Street Station in
Philadelphia. It was dark. It was quiet.
The dull glow of the city provides
enough light to see but not enough to
read. We were waiting for the local
train from Suburban Station to CliftonAldan; ten minutes from home. Coming
up the hill from Center City is the unexpected glow of a Diesel switcher headlight. And then, coming through the all
electric, all MU, always the same upper
level, is a Pennsy Baldwin switcher
trundling along with a single open-end
observation car. It was 1962. I was 10
years old. Now, the question is, If we
wanted to re-create this scene in O
scale, or any scene with a Baldwin
VO1000 switcher on any of 11 other
railroads, would the new Weaver
VO1000 fit the bill?
The Model
Well, it just so happens, I have a new
Weaver VO1000 right here. Just looking
at it, right out of the box, it’s gorgeous.
Louvers are distinct, but not oversized. It
has a fully illuminated cab interior; you
can even see the chair the engineer is
sitting in and the 24L type brake stand.
The cab windows have windshield
wipers, both fore and aft. Metal, separately applied, handrails are properly
located for this model, with flat metal,
wrap-around stanchions. The handrails
are probably a tad too thick, possibly a
compromise for sturdiness. My two
Weaver Baldwin VO1000
favorite details are airhoses with glad
hands and angle cocks at each end by the
couplers, and those small number boards
on each side of the hood, a classic Baldwin switcher feature. Footboards are
about 3⁄16" from top of the rail and the
steps are about 5⁄16" from top of the rail.
While this may be about 1⁄16" too high, it’s
certainly within reason, and looks appropriate. The trucks are diecast (AAR-A as
they should be) and reasonably, but not
overly detailed. Actual VO1000 length
over pilots is 48' 4" and the model is pretty close at 47' 9".
Our test model was in Great Northern livery provided by Weaver but I also have
one in PRR paint numbered 5913. The
paint on both is excellent, especially the
PRR model which is true “Brunswick
Green” (looks black). I hate Pennsy models painted dark green that look green.
As some of you know, the 548 V01000’s
that were built for U.S. railroads were
delivered at different times in three different car body types. To the casual
observer they may look pretty much the
same, but for those of us who have Official Guides, Equipment Registers, and a
stack of X2200 South lying around the
house, there’s a world of difference.
Then, of course, the railroads made
changes to the carbodies along the way.
The Weaver model is basically a Phase 2
body (curved trim at battery box and
step gussets, full front grill and top radiator outlet). The VO1000 roof came in
two versions, the “arch” roof and the
“flat” roof. The model appears to be the
arch roof, but I honestly have trouble
telling them apart in pictures. The distinctive V’d front radiator grill has nice
detail, although it has the single center
vertical support (like a DS 4-4-1000)
rather than the two center vertical supports that I see in most VO1000 photos.
Virtually all Phase 2 VO1000’s were
built with a single barrel exhaust stack.
The one known exception, as far as I can
tell, was Reading #84, which was the
prototype for the 4 small exhaust stack
design. Many of the Phase 2 VO1000’s
were later converted to the 4 stack
design and most of the Phase 3
VO1000’s were built with 2 or 4 exhaust
stacks. PRR 5913, as it turns out, was
delivered as a 1 stack, Phase 2 VO1000,
but was changed to 4 stacks later on. As
for the models, Weaver had them built in
both single stack and 4 stack versions.
The B&O, CNJ, GN, LV, UP, and WM
models have 1 stack, the ATSF, CBQ,
MILW, RDG, NYC and PRR models have
4 stacks. (The ATSF model has 4 tall
stacks instead of 4 short stacks, possibly
a spark arrestor design on the prototype)
The good news is that Weaver has
included extra stacks with each model, if
you want to change your configuration.
It is not a quick change however. You’ll
need glue, a drill, and definitely some
kit-bashing experience. If you want to
check out the VO1000 production for
your own favorite railroad, go to
[http://users.inna.net/~jaydeet/
vo-1000.htm] for a list of all delivered
VO1000’s, with numbering, carbody,
and exhaust stacks, as built.
Operation
This is a good solid model weighing in at
3 lbs, 9 oz. with dual can motors,
diecast frame, and all wheels powered.
Our model has 2-rail Lionel TMCC and
Railsounds, but will also run on straight
DC. It comes ready to run on TMCC, but
changing it to DC is
done simply by
throwing 4 slide
switches on the bottom of the engine.
The switches are
easily accessible,
and no engine disassembly is required.
In TMCC mode, the unit drew approx
0.5 amps at idle, and 4.5 amps with a 14
ounce pull on the drawbar, just prior to
wheel slip. In DC mode, the current
draw is less, with creep speed at about
2.5 volts and wheel slip at about 10
volts. The motion is impressively
smooth, and creep speed is not too bad
for a vertical drive can motor (about 5
mph). I, like everyone else, would like to
see the gearing a bit slower for all
today’s production Diesels, but the current gearing has become the “standard”
for today’s 2-rail and 3-rail Diesel products, at least for now.
Sound
Uhhhhn! This is a sore point. When the
wind is out of the south, I can tell you
whether the CSX train 8 miles from
home, has got GE’s or EMD’s for power.
It’s not rocket science. Two cycle and 4
cycle motors have very different sounds.
It’s the difference between a chain saw
and a lawn tractor. A spokesman at
Weaver models described what happened. Lionel offers Railsounds to contract manufacturers in only 6 different
Diesel versions, Alco PA, ALCO C-420,
GE dash-9, EMD F-3, EMD E-8, and
generic Diesel. Not seeing anything that
said Baldwin, Weaver asked for generic
Diesel. Well... there is no such thing as a
“generic” Diesel. It turns out that Lionel’s
“generic Diesel” is, incredibly, a GP7/GP-9, with the whining generator and
all. And, it’s a really good GP-7, too. I’d
put it in one of my geeps any day. Now,
if you’re modeling the Reading, MKT,
CNW, USN, P&BR, or any other of the
dozen roads that re-engined their Baldwins with EMD 567 prime movers, then
you’re in business. But for the rest of us,
this will hardly do. However, Weaver
said they will change the sound chip in
the VO1000 for anyone who wants a
more Baldwin-like sound. I’m probably
going to go for the ALCO PA. It’s not
exact, but at least it’s a 1940’s, 4 cycle
Diesel sound. The more discriminating
modeler can go to Lionel, or I can recommend Jim Sullivan at the Irondequoit
Car Shops, in Rochester, NY, for a sound
chip change. (phone: 585-482-3734,
[www.Ironcarshops.com]). The installed
GP-7 sound also has a 5 chime horn,
which isn’t appropriate for the single
note “honker” on the VO1000.
All in all, this is a very nice model, and a
switcher line that’s been overlooked in
O Scale up till now. I’ve got two for
myself.
◆
Index for O Scale Trains: Volume 1
By Title
Name
Adding Weights to Cars
Auction Prices: O Scale 2-Rail Models
Bay Ridge Harbour Railroad
Beginner’s Kitbashing
Build a Car Float
Building a PRR B8a 0-6-0
Caboose Conversion
Carmer ’Push-Type’ Uncoupling Levers
Carmer ’Push-Type’ Uncoupling Levers, Pt 2
Central Jersey O Scalers Modular Railroading
Colorado Southern in On30
Construct a Yard Tower
Constructing the Float Bridge on the Bay Ridge
Harbour RR
Crapola from the Cupola (col)
Dealer’s Corner (col)
Dealer/Importer Roundtable
Discussion; Mar 2002
Detailing a Weaver GP 38-2
Door and a Half Boxcar Conversion
Easements for the Learning Curve (col)
Fifty Foot Pfaudler Milk Cars
Fill ’er Up
From Four to Six Axles-Converting an MTH
Diesel to 2-Rail
Great Northern Pacific RR
How I Built My Critter
Improving Weaver’s 53’ Flat Car
Interview: Dealer/Importer
Roundtable Discussion
Interview: Reed Artim of O Scale Realty
Kingsbury Terminal RR
Locomotive Servicing Bay
Louis Ertz’s West Tennessee Central RR
N&W K3 4-8-2 by Sunset Models
3rd Rail Division
Narrow Minded (col)
Narrow Minded (col)
Narrow Minded (col)
Narrow Minded (col)
Narrow Minded (col)
Narrow Minded (col)
O Scale Hall of Fame, Bill Wolfer
O Scale Hall of Fame, Bob Smith
O Scale Hall of Fame, Frank Ellison
O Scale Hall of Fame, Minton Cronkhite
O Scale Hall of Fame, Rollin Lobaugh
O Scale Nat’l Convention: 2002
Contest Photos
O Scale West, History
OBIT - Harry A Hieke Sr 1921 - 2002
Proto 48 Modeling (col)
Review-200 Ton Flatcar Kit by Auel Industries
Review-57’ Mechanical Reefer
by Weaver Models
Review - B&O Class I-12 Wagontop Caboose
by Sunset Models 3rd Rail Division
Review - B&O Wagontop Boxcar
Review - Forty Foot Milk Car
by Rails Unlimited
Issue#, Month
1, March
5, Nov
1, March
3, July
2, May
1, March
2, May
3, July
4, Sept
4, Sept
5, Nov
5, Nov
3, July
5, Nov
Page
pg. 11
pg. 21
pg. 4
pg. 35
pg. 15
pg. 36
pg. 40
pg. 40
pg. 30
pg. 47
pg. 51
pg. 55
pg. 4
pg. 8
1, March
1, March
2, May
3, July
4, Sept
5, Nov
1, March
2, May
pg. 31
pg. 34
pg. 28
pg. 34
pg. 42
pg. 46
pg. 13
pg. 26
3, July
4, Sept
3, July
5, Nov
3, July
5, Nov
pg. 43
pg. 52
pg. 31
pg. 15
pg. 50
pg. 27
2, May
2, May
5, Nov
1, March
pg. 31
pg. 34
pg. 30
pg. 27
3, July
4, Sept
5, Nov
4, Sept
4, Sept
pg. 43
pg.21
pg. 36
pg.13
pg.4
1, March
1, March
1, March
2, May
3, July
4, Sept
5, Nov
2, May
3, July
4, Sept
1, March
5, Nov
pg. 42
pg. 10
pg. 10
pg. 14
pg. 14
pg.14
pg. 17
pg. 23
pg. 17
pg. 40
pg. 12
pg. 44
4, Sept
3, July
5, Nov
4, Sept
5, Nov
4, Sept
pg. 49
pg. 37
pg. 51
pg. 44
pg. 48
pg. 18
4, Sept
pg. 19
2, May
pg. 20
3, July
pg. 16
4, Sept
pg. 17
44 • O Scale Trains - Mar/Apr' 04
Name
Review - Gumbuster Centennial
by F Skidmore Products
Review - Reading Class G3
Pacific & Psgr Cars by SGL Lines
Review - USRA Composite Gondola
by Intermountain
Review- Great Northern Y-1/Pennsy FF-2
Electric by Sunset Models 3rd Rail Division
Steam Locomotive Cab Curtains & Awnings
Superdetailing Intermountain & Other Boxcars
WP/SN Boxcar Kit by San Juan Car Co
Wood Refrigerator Car by Red Caboose
Working Windows & Hatches
By Author
Name/Title
Biangel, Nicholas
Colorado Southern in On30
Blackwood, Bruce
Bommer, Edward F
Improving Weaver’s 53’ Flat Car
B&O Class I-12 Wagontop Caboose by
Sunset Models 3rd Rail Division
Making Carmer ’Push-Type’
Uncoupling Levers
Making Carmer ’Push-Type’
Uncoupling Levers
Brown, Ben
Fifty Foot Pfaudler Milk Cars
Forty Foot Milk Car by Rails Unlimited
Courtney, Bob
O Scale Hall of Fame, Bill Wolfer
Dean, Buck
Wood Refrigerator Car by Red Caboose
Deimling, Gene
Door and a Half Boxcar Conversion
WP/SN Boxcar Kit by San Juan Car Co
Dent, David
Beginner’s Kitbashing
Ertz Jr, A Louis
Louis Ertz’s West Tennessee Central RR
Ferria, Jim
O Scale West
Fryant, John
How I Built My Critter
Giannovario, Joe
O Scale Hall of Fame
Gumbuster Centennial
by F Skidmore Products
N&W K3 4-8-2 by Sunset Models
3rd Rail Division
Dealer/Importer Roundtable
Discussion; Mar 2002
O Scale Nat’l Convention:
2002 Contest Photos
OST Interviews Reed Artim of O Scale Realty
Auction Prices: O Scale 2-Rail Models;
Aug-Sep 2002
Gibbs, Bobber
Narrow Minded (col)
Issue#, Month Page
1, March
pg. 40
4, Sept
pg.16
5, Nov
pg. 24
3, July
5, Nov
5, Nov
5, Nov
3, July
1, March
2, May
3, July
4, Sept
pg. 18
pg. 12
pg. 4
pg. 23
pg. 19
pg. 14
pg. 47
pg. 10
pg. 11
Issue#, Month Page#
3, July
pg. 4
1, March
2, May
pg. 13
pg. 26
1, March
pg. 27
2, May
pg. 20
4, Sept
pg.47
5, Nov
pg. 51
3, July
4, Sept
pg. 50
pg. 17
2, May
pg. 23
3, July
pg. 19
3, July
4, Sept
5, Nov
5, Nov
pg. 31
pg. 44
pg. 48
pg. 23
3, July
pg. 35
4, Sept
pg. 4
3, July
pg. 37
5, Nov
pg. 30
1, March
pg. 12
1, March
pg. 40
1, March
pg. 42
3, July
3, July
4, Sept
pg. 43
pg. 17
pg. 40
4, Sept
4, Sept
pg. 49
pg. 21
5, Nov
5, Nov
pg. 21
pg. 44
1, March
pg. 10
Name/Title
Gibbs, Bobber (cont’d.)
Narrow Minded (col)
Narrow Minded (col)
Narrow Minded (col)
Narrow Minded (col)
Hess, Pete
Central Jersey O Scalers Modular Railroading
Hieke Jr, Harry A
Reading Class G3 Pacific & Psgr Cars
by SGL Lines
Steam Locomotive Cab Curtains & Awnings
Harry A Hieke Sr 1921 - 2002
Losse, George
USRA Composite Gondola by Intermountain
Luczak, Michael
Great Northern Pacific RR
Madonna Jr, Richard A
57’ Mechanical Reefer by Weaver Models
Detailing a Weaver GP 38-2
Marx, Roland
From Four to Six AxlesConverting an MTH Diesel to 2-Rail
Mathews, J W
Letter: ’More Information on Car Weighting’
B&O Wagontop Boxcar
Great Northern Y-1/Pennsy FF-2 Electric
Issue#, Month Page#
2, May
3, July
4, Sept
5, Nov
pg. 14
pg. 14
pg. 14
pg. 17
5, Nov
pg. 55
1, March
2, May
3, July
pg. 14
pg. 47
pg. 10
4, Sept
4, Sept
5, Nov
5, Nov
pg. 16
pg. 11
pg. 12
pg. 51
5, Nov
pg. 24
2, May
pg. 34
4, Sept
4, Sept
pg.19
pg.52
2, May
pg. 31
2, May
pg. 12
3, July
pg. 16
3, July
pg. 18
Name/Title
Mathews, J W (cont’d.)
Superdetailing Intermountain
& Other Boxcars
Miller, J Michael
Fill ’er Up
Rossiter, Neville
Bay Ridge Harbour Railroad
Constructing the Float Bridge on the
Bay Ridge Harbour RR
Build a Car Float
Letter: ’Changes to Bay Ridge Harbour’
Locomotive Servicing Bay
Sauers, John C
Scace, Brian
Easements for the Learning Curve (col)
Smith, John C
Stewart, David
Construct a Yard Tower
Vine, Marshall
200 Ton Flatcar Kit by Auel Industries
Kingsbury Terminal RR
Woodard, Gary
Adding Weights to Cars
Caboose Conversion
Issue#, Month Page#
5, Nov
pg. 4
5, Nov
pg. 27
1, March
pg. 4
1, March
2, May
2, May
4, Sept
pg. 31
pg. 15
pg. 11
pg.13
1, March
2, May
3, July
pg. 36
pg. 40
pg. 40
5, Nov
pg. 15
1, March
2, May
3, July
4, Sept
5, Nov
pg. 34
pg. 28
pg. 34
pg.42
pg. 46
5, Nov
pg. 8
4, Sept
5, Nov
pg.18
pg. 36
1, March
4, Sept
pg. 11
pg.30
Here’s a scene from Paul Templar’s C&T Springs On30 logging layout. Paul will tell OST readers how to build that log trestle in
an upcoming issue. Paul lives in Shropshire, England.
WM Bo
xcar Co
nversio
n
Don McFall
Western Maryland Railway class B-3
boxcars were the railroad’s first group of
all steel single-door cars. They were built
in March 1937 by the Bethlehem Steel
Co., order number DF-8740, and numbered 27001 to 27500. These cars were
40'-7.625" over end sills, had an internal
height of 9'- 3.375", a capacity of 3311
cubic feet, a 6' door and were equipped
with Symington Coil-Elliptic trucks.
In the process of searching for equipment that would be a reasonable representation of the early WM boxcars, a
friend suggested a car that I had previously overlooked; the Weaver steel-sided
boxcar. There was a Weaver car in my
to-be-fixed pile and after a few rough
measurements it seemed like the Weaver
car would work.
The car was placed on the scanner
and brought into Adobe Photoshop at
100 percent, a photo of WM 27018 was
layered on top of the model image at 1⁄4"
scale to compare size and location of
details. The WM car and the Weaver car
were almost a perfect match. All that had
to be done was to strip the paint, remove
all the cast on body and underframe
details and redetail the car.
Cutting all the cast on brake detail off
the underframe came first. Then came
the task of drilling holes through the
frame members for the train line. The
InterMountain underframe detail set was
used for all the brake detail. Of course
the drill bit was too short to reach the
cross members near the center of the car.
A piece of 0.046" brass wire bent at a 90
degree angle. The tip was heated enough
to melt the plastic and then pushed
through the frame members to create the
hole. The train line was cut where it
crosses through the center sill of the car
and then each piece was inserted
through the cross members creating a
train line running the entire length of the
car. The remaining brake system pieces
were placed on the underframe the same
A photo of WM class B-3 boxcar No. 27018 taken in December 1947. The car is probably loaded with bagged flour. (Photographer Unknown; D. McFall Collection)
A view of the underframe showing the train line and placement of the InterMountain brake parts.
as they would be on an InterMountain
car. A 1⁄32" x 5⁄16" notch was cut in each
corner of the underframe to allow clearance for the stirrups that will be attached
to the body.
Now, for the car body. The roofwalk,
ladders, doors and door guides were
removed. This left all the cast on details,
the hand grabs and the worst part, the
hand brake details on the B-end of the
car. The brake detail is quite thick and
must be removed carefully to avoid serious damage to the end of the car. The
The Youngstown door was shortened
about one foot by removing several
“ribs” from the middle section. Not a
perfect solution but one that looks pretty
good. One rib should have been
removed from the bottom section,
instead of taking them all from the middle, to give the door a correct 6-5-6 rib
configuration.
The model was photographed at an angle similar to the prototype car. Then, in Photoshop the
lettering was lifted from the prototype car, reversed (to make the lettering black) and placed on
the photo of the model to check for fit and placement.
The InterMountain parts are clearly visible on the partially redetailed car. The InterMountain
trucks will be replaced with Keil-Line coil-elliptic trucks.
The roofwalk was glued in place without any modification.
A wooden floor was added by using
double-sided tape to secure the IM laser
cut floor to the underframe. The wood
floor was slightly wider than the underframe, and each side was trimmed to fit.
Weights were added and the floor was
reattached to the car body.
Initially, InterMountain trucks were
placed under the car, but were later
replaced with Keil-Line coil-elliptic
trucks, which are not correct but they are
closer to the trucks used on the prototype. The Keil-Line trucks were modified
by adding InterMountain journal covers.
Scalecoat II Oxide Red was used on
the car body and trucks. The underframe
end tack boards were not completely removed, just flattened
and made small enough to be
covered by the InterMountain
boards. With all the details
removed Squadron putty was used
to fill any holes.
The ladders from the InterMountain body detail set have to
be shortened to seven rungs to fit
the 9-foot car height. On the Bend the piece containing the
brake chain and rod was shortened. The rod was cut where it
meets the chain, sized to fit and
re-attached to the chain. This joint
was hidden when the brake platform was installed. The tack
boards, stirrups and grab irons The door must be shortened about 1 foot to fit the Weaver car. I removed two ribs from the middle section. The
were then placed on the car.
correct door can be made by removing the two sections shown in the photo. To make the door slide,
refer to O Scale Trains, Issue 5.
The Public Delivery Track
Locomotives - 2 rail
Photographing the model at a low angle shows how closely the car replicates the original
WM car. (All photos by D. McFall unless otherwise credited.)
Atlas..Dash 8's..$299-$349 GP-35's...$339-$359
RS-1..LIRR, NH, PRR, Rut, NYSW, CNJ, RI..$339-$359
SD-35....B&O, CNJ, CSX, PC, NW, Sou, WM..$299-$349
SW's...RRiv, B&O, LV, Rdg, Susq, RI..$225-$329
Weaver....K-4, L-1, GG-1, C-630, other items...call
VO-1000..B&O,CNJ, GN, LV, MILW, PRR, Rdg, WM..$249
U25's..BN, EL, LV, Rdg, MILW, NYC, PRR...$179-$239
RS-3..Erie, LN, LV, NH, NKP, PRR, Rdg, Rut, Susq..$249
RS-11..BN, CO, CN, CV, CNW, MEC, PRR, SP..$249
GP-38's..C&O, CP, CSX, ICG, L&N, LV, B&M...$249
U25's, RS-3's, GP-38....Non-Powered...$159
Shaft drive RS-3's, GP-38's, FA/FB's..CNJ, D&H, EL
GN, NH, PRR, RDG, RI, SOU, WM, undec..$99-$150
MTH..PRR K-4..$695, Centipede..$895,..WP F-3's..$695
Passenger Sets
was painted Scalecoat Loco Black. Old
Line Graphics decals were used for heralds, car numbers, and for WM specific
car data. Microscale decals were used for
the boxcar dimensional data in the lower
right corner.
The finished product is a unique car
that really stands out among all the 10foot height cars on the railroad.
◆
Parts List:
Weaver: U3500S Steel-Side Boxcar
Intermountain:
20181 Body Details
20182 Underframe Details
20188 Wood Roofwalk
20186 Youngstown Door
20192 Laser Cut Wood Floor
Keil Line: TK48-295 Trucks, Coil & Elliptic
Springs
Lettering:
Old Line Graphics WM Channel Hopper
Decals
Various Pieces from Microscale Decals
Weaver..80' Streamliners..EL, B&O, others...$275-$395
P-B cars..NH, Rdg, CNJ, LV, others..2/$219, 4/$419
K-line..80' cars..Amtk, DRGW, PRR, NYC$275-$449
Box Cars - 2 rail
Pecos River..NYC, SOU, SP, SF, CBQ, WAB...$35
C&O, B&O, WM, PM, Erie, NKP; UP, SF end door..$45
Atlas..40' Steel...PRR, NYC, CNW, GN, Susq..$48-$52
40' Wood..P&R, CBQ, CNJ, NYC, PRR, SP, more..$47-$52
40' 1970's..Erie, L&N, MEC, PRR, SSW, MILW, B&M..$32
50'..ACL, NH, RG, DH, NYC, MILW, MKT, SAL, SF..$55-$60
53'..Aloha, Purina, B&M, BN, CNW, FEC, UP..$35-$50
60'..DTI, MKT, NS, CSX, B&O, EL, RG, Sou, NW..$35-$50
Weaver..40' & 50'..ACL, ACY, ARR, ATSF, BAR, B&O,
B&M, CBQ, CGW, CIM, CNJ, CN, C&O, CP, CV, CR,
D&H, DTSL, EL, GN, GT, IC, MEC, LV, L&N, MP, NYC,
NH, NP, NYSW, PC, PLE, PRR, Rdg, Rut, SCL, SOU, SP
TPW, UP, WM, WP, CN, Rbox, RI, MRL, more...$20-$30
Refrigerator Cars - 2 rail
Wvr/Crown..PFE, CV, CN, NYC, NP, BAR, REA, Hoods,
Whitehse, Dubuque, Nrn Refrig, Beers, more..$25-$30
57' Mech..PFE, CBQ, UP, SF..15 roads..$29. w/sound..$39
Atlas..36' & 40'..Custom ptd CNJ, 20+ others..$42-$89
Covered Hoppers - 2 rail
Enter the
Narrow Minded
Digital Image
Contest!
Checkout the rules in OST#13 or
online at the OST website
[www.oscalemag.com/contest] and
submit your digital photo of a
narrow gauge subject. Win prizes!
See your photo and name in print!
Most of all, have fun!
Errata
A few mistakes crept into George
Muller’s “Considerations For Laying
Track” in OST#12. Paragraph 1
should call Figure 1 a scene from the
old Connecticut & Ohio layout. Also,
under the Support section, the sentences should read 1" by 4" joists and
runners, not 1' by 4' and “For hills, 1"
by 4" risers from the joists support the
track board.” We apologize for the
errors.
Weaver PS-2.. Bakers, Jack Frost, Wayne Feed, Purina
Revere, Goiden Loaf, BN, CBQ, CNJ, CNW, CP, CR, CSX
DLW, DTI, EL, LV, NH, NYC, PRR, Rdg, WAB, UP..$25-$30
Wvr C'flow or Grain..CR, CP, ONT, LV, NYC, PRR,
Sask, Sunbeam, Amoco, Sclair, Shell, Dupont, Hercules,
Rainbow, WC, MRL, BN, UP, SP, RI, CNW, MNS..$25-$30
Atlas..BN, Ches, NYC, IT, WGrace, GN, WAB..$35-$45
Airslide..LV, D&H, CSX, PRR, UP, Brach, Jfrost..$35-$45
PS-4427..RG, SF, MILW, LV, SOO, Wayne Fd, PRR...$55-$60
Hopper Cars - 2 rail
Atlas..ACL, CNJ, C&O, D&H, LV, NS, Rdg, WM.. $45-$55
Wartime..B&O, C&O, CRR, VGN, PRR, undec.....$47
Ore cars..(Wvr trucks) B&LE, CN, DMIR, UP, undec..$27
Weaver..2, 3, 4-bay and Comp..B&A, BAR, B&M, CBQ
CP, CR,CNJ, C&O, D&H, DLW, Erie, EL, IC, GT, NH, NS
NYC, NKP, NW, PRR, Rdg, SAL, SF, UP, WAB, WM..$25
Tank Cars - 2 rail
Weaver..Jfrost, GULF, BN, Trusweet, Allied, ADM, Army
Ethyl, Diamond, Hooker, DuPont, Sunoco,Bakers..$30
Atlas..60'..Propane, CNTX, Union Tex,Tech Prop..$37-$50
1950's..SHPX. UTLX, Hooker, Gulf, Warren..$55-$60
Flat Cars, Stock Cars, MofW
Atlas..89' flats..$65. Trailers..$25. Auto Carriers..$85
Pulpwood flats..ACL, ATSF, BN, SCL, IC, L&N..$47-$50
Front runners......no trailer..$47;
With trailer........$67
Wvr Flats..SF, Rdg, CN, Erie, LV, BN, TTX, NYC..$25-$30
Stock..BO, CNW, Armour, RG, PRR, Rdg, Erie, etc..$30
MTH..Plows, Cranes, Schnabel, dump cars, etc..call
K-Line Diecast Double-Stack $50. Coil cars..$35-$40
Scale signals..1 and 2 head color, PRR, B&O, dwarf,
semaphore, cantilever, highway flashers, 20+ types..$20-$50
Gondolas - 2 rail
Atlas..CBQ, CNJ, GN, MP, NW, NYC, PRR, Rdg, ..$32
Wvr..Composite..CNJ, PRR, LV, RI, SF, Rdg, UP, NKP..$27
Cabeese - 2 rail, 3 rail scale
Wvr.. BM, NH, NYC, Erie, LHR, LV, DH, more..$20-$35
K-line, MTH..N-8, N5c, NE'rn, bay wind, 15 roads..$35-$60
Atlas..BN, CR, DH, RFP, Rut, GN, Chessie, RG..$50-$67
Wvr diecast tks..$12.50/pr, installed add $8.95
K-line 2-rail freight and Psgr trucks $13-$25
The Public Delivery Track • pdt@gis.net
PO Box 1035 • Drexel Hill, PA 19026
610-259-4945 • VISA•MC•AMEX•Disc
CABIN CREEK
COAL COMPANY
Limited Edition Kit
Precise Laser-Cut
Engineered
for Easy Assembly
50+ Detail Castings
Flexible Positioning
Positionable Doors
& Windows
Master Creations’ O kit #18105 contains the tipple, headhouse, power house, storage shed, retaining
walls, and a ton of character for $549.95! The tipple is approximately 45 x 90 scale feet with the overall
diorama shown being about 24" x 48". Not all details are shown in the photo!
Celebrating over 20 Years of
Service since 1979
P O Box 561
Seffner, FL 33583
Web: www.btsrr.com
www.master-creations.com
E-Mail: bill@btsrr.com
Phone: 813-643-1105
Fax: 813-681-7326
$6.00 s&h on all US orders.
S.A.S.E. for price list.
Full Catalog - $5.00
Narrow
Minded
Bobber Gibbs
We’re Having a Contest!
This Narrow Minded column marks
the beginning of the writer’s third year
with O Scale Trains Magazine and features some interesting digital images of
O Scale narrow gauge models and also
details about an exciting contest with
some very interesting prizes.
As I have stated previously, I believe
that the digital camera, with its immediate image visible on a large computer
screen, is helping to make better modelers out of those who learn to use the
equipment properly. A digital image
allows you to view your image, make
any improvements to your scene while
the camera is still set up, and retake the
image. Photo editing programs allow
you to make simple or startling adjustments to your image.
Now that so many O Scale Trains
Magazine readers are becoming more
comfortable with computers and digital
cameras, I feel (and the Editor agrees)
that it’s time to conduct a NARROW
MINDED DIGITAL IMAGE CONTEST
and see what develops. At the very
least, we should be treated to some
interesting input from other O Scale
narrow gaugers.
Contest Rules
1. Image must include some O Scale
narrow gauge equipment content.
2. Image must include some O Scale
human figure content.
3. Image must be submitted in digital
JPEG format.
4. Image size must be close to 1200 x
900 pixels.
5. Final file size must be between 40 and
60kb.
6. Image must be emailed to:
images@oscalemag.com
7. Details of any image editing must be
disclosed.
8. Submitter agrees that OST may publish the image at its discretion.
9. Images submitted by midnight, March
10 might be published in OST Issue 14.
10. Final deadline is midnight, Monday,
May 10.
11. Any submitted image might be published in OST Issue 15.
12. Winners will be announced and
winning images published in OST Issue .
I expect there may be some radical
examples of digital photography which
will call for several classifications. If
more prizes are donated, more classifications will be added for this contest.
Any party who wishes to donate a
prize should contact the writer at
bobber@sympatico.ca and every prize
will be acknowledged in my column. So
far, Bachmann has donated an On30
Shay. Thank you Bachmann!
The best donated prize will be awarded for the overall favorite image in the
opinion of this writer and will be known
as the “2004 Narrow Minded Award for
Digital Images”.
Hopefully, we will expand this contest
in the near future to include standard
gauge(s) and traction.
◆
Backwoods Miniatures
Davenport Dressup Kit
www.backwoods.dabsol.co.uk
At left, an overview of the engine
servicing facilities on Joe Fiore’s
layout in Vestavia Hills, Alabama.
Ron Gribler built this PRR container car. This
car is fabricated of styrene sheet & shapes. The
floor has individual wood strips. The
containers and side supports are Luminite
castings. The masters for the container sides
and ends were fabricated from styrene. The
roof master was shaped from wood. Each
container's five castings were assembled over
a wooden block. Commercial parts are trucks,
couplers & brake components.
Chris Evers built this beautiful B&O
Pacific. Chris says everything is
scratchbuilt, even the tender trucks.
Fine Quality O Scale Brass Models - richyodermodels.com
GE 45 ton Diesels
GE 45 ton Diesels in Stock "O" On3 and P48.
Features all brass construction, Kadee® couplers.
Models available painted black or brass call for
availability. $335. plus shipping
RY
Models
Instock Models
Baldwin S-8, S-10, S-12 .
GE 45 tonner
C&O Wood Caboose
PRR H21a
USRA Steel Gondolas
Features all brass construction, Kadee®
couplers. Pricing TBD
Upcoming Models
Direct Sales Only
Visa and Master Card Accepted
7 Edgedale Court, Wyomissing, PA 19610 - Phone: 1-610-678-2834
GE44 tonner Ph1
Baldwin S12
WM Fishbelly Twins
CHICAGOLAND’S “O” GAUGE SPECI
THE CLASSIC ARTICULATED RETURNS!
by SUNSET
SUNSET 3RD
3RD RAIL
RAIL
by
IN-STOCK!
PCC
GREEN HORNET CSL
Chicago PCC production model will also
be available with the Kenosha, WI. paint scheme.
55027 Chicago PCC • 55028 Kenosha PCC
“O” GAUGE BRASS
NORTH SHORE
ELECTROLINER
$
5495
AVAILABLE IN 2 RAIL & 3 RAIL
Reg. $68.00
Q CAR TRUCKS $105.00 INSTALLATION AVAILABLE CALL FOR PRICE!
TAKING ORDERS!
LIMITED PRODUCTION
RUN!
GREYHOUND
SCENICRUISER
$
COMING SUMMER 2004!
5995
Reg.
54405 $76.00
IN-STOCK!
AS ALWAYS, WE CARRY FINISHING KITS, PARTS, DECALS,
POWER AND POLES FOR THE MODELS WE OFFER.
WE BUY BOOK AND MODEL COLLECTIONS. CALL US.
PRICE -TBA • $100 DEPOSIT REQUIRED
•POWERED •ALL BRASS
•PAINTED (LATER YEARS SCHEME)
•FULL INTERIOR
•SOUND (3 RAIL ONLY - TMCC)
ALSO AVAILABLE IN THE RED ARROW LINE
“LIBERTY HALL” & “VALLEY FORGE”
WE DISCOUNT ALL NEW PRODUCT RELEASES FROM:
•K-LINE •WEAVER •SUNSET •LIONEL •ATLAS •ATHEARN •MTH •KADEE® •RED CABOOSE •PECOS RIVER •WALTHERS •BACHMANN •INTERMOUNTAIN
CALL FOR SPECIAL PRICES!
Gift Certificates Available
U.P.S. Shipping Available
6017 Northwest Hwy. Chicago, Il. 60631 773•775•4848 Fax 773•775•6398
HOBBY INC.
Just 15 Min. from O'Hare Airport
WE CARRY NEW AND USED TRAINS
WE BUY AND SELL TRAINS
Mon - Thur 11-7, Fri 11-8:30, Sat 10-5, Sun 12-4:30, Closed Sundays May, June, July, August & Sept.
Visit our web site: www. chicagoland-hobby.com
e-mail: chicagolandhobby@aol.com
Jim Hackworth
Buy⁄Sell⁄Trade
MODEL TRAINS
Consignments
(and Subsidiary JH Consulting)
2631 Edgevale Road, Columbus OH 43221-1113
Phone:614-4514517 Fax:6144514557
Email: jhmtrains@msn.com • Web: www.jhmtrains.com
WSM PRR Q2, 4-4-6-4, C/P, OB, Phoenix Sound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$2,250.00
WSM PRR J1a, 2-10-4, C/P, OB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,950.00
USH Erie K5 4-6-2, N/P, Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,875.00
SS C&O J2a, 4-8-2 w/Extra Detail, N/P, OB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,395.00
SS ATSF 2-10-4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,295.00
MG PRR 2-10-2, L/N, N/P, OB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,875.00
USH C&O 2-8-4, C/P, Runs good, OB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,375.00
MG NYC J1e, 4-6-4, Nice, N/P, NOB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,475.00
MG NYC J3a, 4-6-4, Nice, N/P, OB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,475.00
MG N&W Y6b, 2-8-8-2, Can Motor, N/P, OB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$2,475.00
USH PRR M1a, 4-8-2, C/P, OB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,375.00
USH NYC L4b, C/P, Kleinscmidt Dr, OB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$2,195.00
MG B&O 2-8-8-4, C/P, NOB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$2,450.00
USH PRR L1, 2-8-2, C/P w/Sound, OB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,200.00
SS N&W J 4-8-4, Rebuilt w/sound, C/P, OB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,700.00
USH PRR K4 4-6-2, Late Run, C/P, OB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,250.00
MG PRR E6 4-4-2, C/P, NOB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,275.00
MG SP MT4 w/Icken Gears, C/P . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,895.00
USH NYC H10, 2-8-2, Mint, N/P, OB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,575.00
OM NP A5 4-8-4, C/P, Mint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$3,895.00
OM #0166 NP Z Class 4-6-6-4, C/P, Mint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$3,995.00
USH UP FEF-3, C/P Grey, NOB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,395.00
USH UP 4-6-6-4, Can Motor, C/P, NOB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$2,395.00
PSC PRR K4, 4-6-2, Slat Pilot, N/P, OB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,350.00
PSC PRR B-6, 0-6-0 w/Straight Cylinders, LN, OB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,450.00
SS PRR I1 2-10-0, LN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,150.00
OM PRR E8a, C/P Single Stripe, OB, late run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$995.00
Gem PRR, B6sb 0-6-0, N/P, OB, Ex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$575.00
Layaway Available
OM CSX SD70M #700, F/P, OB, LN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,775.00
OM American Hoist Ditcher , LN, N/P, OB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$495.00
Custom Built PRR GG1, Ptd Green, 5-Stripe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$575.00
SS FM Trainmaster, C/P SP Bloody Nose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,295.00
OL GN 2-D-2 #5001/5002 Set, C/P . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$2,495.00
USH SD45, C/P SP, OB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$695.00
USH #401 48' Gondola, N/P, OB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$149.00
USH #305 Single Dome Tank w/Platform, N/P, OB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$149.00
MG #702 3-Bay Hopper, Rnd End, N/P, NOB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$199.00
USH #705 Panel Hopper, N/P, OB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$199.00
USH #402 52' Gondola, N/P, NOB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$149.00
USH #302 D.Dome Tank, N/P, OB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$139.00
PRB 70' Greenville Gon, C/P SP, OB, LN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$289.00
USH #505 2-Bay Composie Hopper, N/P, OB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$149.00
PL#300 PRR R-7 Reefer, C/P . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$295.00
Priester C.Built Morrell Reefers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . each $159.00
MG #120 TT Flats, C/P PRR w/USH RB Tks(25 available) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .each $129.00
PRB 60' Greenville Boxcars, Variour Roads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .each $300.00
PRB 62' PC&F Boxcars, Various Roads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .each $300.00
MG PRR N8 Caboose, N/P, NOB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$250.00
PSC PRR Stock Car, N/P, OB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$250.00
OM#0752 NP Caboose, C/P . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$375.00
Alco PRR N6a, C/P or N/P . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .each $225.00
CB PRR N8 Caboose, N/P, OB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$295.00
PRB 50' Boxcars SD, End Door & DD Kits, Undec . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$37.50
PRB 50' Boxcars, Built, DD, End Door, SD, C&O/B&O/PM/WM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$47.50
(UP & ATSF End Door/ CB&Q & Erie S.Door)
LSASE for Complete List
Shipping 6% - $6.00 Min., $12.00 Max
Ohio Residents Add 6.75% Sales Tax
Estates⁄Liquidations
Collection Reductions
PROTO48 MODELING
GENE DEIMLING
A small supplier that doesn’t get a lot of visibility in the hobby
media is RL Design of 14123 206th St. S.E., Snohomish, WA
98296-3947. RL Design is actually Rick Leach. He has been
doing superb lettering work for many years. The early Chooch
car kits had decals by Leach, as did the first series of Intermountain boxcar kits. Rick strives for accurate fonts rather than using
some stock lettering style contained in a graphics program or
standard type. Railroad lettering styles are truly unique and are
part of a road’s character. Getting it right makes the car look that
much more realistic.
Rick currently offers an extensive line of thin film decals for
a wide range of cars. Each set comes with a useable lettering
guide to aid in placement of the lettering. He included data for
often-missed areas like the air reservoir maintenance stencils.
The latest sets include very accurate decals for the San Juan
Fowler boxcar covering the Rio Grande (2 different schemes)
and Rock Island. The former is much more accurate than the
Microscale set for the Fowler car. Rick has a new set for the
Rock Island Rocket scheme for application to a modified 1937
AAR boxcars (10'6" interior height).
He has also released sets for Southern Pacific cupola
cabooses covering all of the classes ranging from the CA-1, C30-1 to the steel C-40-3. He is preparing a separate set for
T&NO cupola cabooses as well as SP/T&NO bay window
cabooses. Rick will have new sets available for SP gondolas, oil
cars, flats and more boxcars. His previous SP boxcar sets were
for the 1937 AAR car (Intermountain) and the B-50-15 (Chooch
Ultra Scale II). He also sells a wide range of NYC, P&LE and
other schemes for steel boxcars and NP caboose lettering for
wood and steel cars.
Another small supplier of decals is San Juan Car Company
under their San
Juan Decals
product line.
They are now
producing
decals formerly
sold by Jerry
Kitts and are
mostly for narrow gauge.
There are two
sets of note for
standard gauge.
They are producing SP steam
lettering sets in
post-war gray
and pre-war
aluminumbronze. This is a
significant offering since it corrects the color
issues with
Champ and
Microscale offerings. The SP had distinctive colors for lettering
their steam power. You can obtain more information by going
to their new website at [http://www.sanjuancarco.com].
Rumor Control
Speaking of San Juan Car Company, the rumor is that they
are planning a couple new cars for O standard. One is the postwar SP general service gondolas class G-50-23. The other car is
a Rio Grande double-sheathed double door boxcar. My vote
would be for the gondola. I hope that San Juan does the correct
American Steel Foundries A-3 Ride Control truck. This particular truck is the most common design used in the post-1946 era
up until the time of roller bearings taking over. The San Juan 4wheel and 6-wheel passenger car trucks have been delayed
until later in the year.
Winds of Change
The rapid changeover from kit building to buying ready-torun (RTR) railroad items is likely to have an effect well beyond
what we have seen to date. Kits, like the Intermountain and
Red Caboose cars, have fallen into disfavor which implies a
more widespread problem. Have you considered the impact to
decal makers or those who make detail parts, trucks and all of
those wonderful little things that allow us to add our unique
touch to a model? If only RTR cars or locomotives are sold,
who will support the parts maker? I guess a few of us diehard
scratch builders will have to buy more than our share.
I find myself stocking up on all sorts of parts these days. You
never know when they will disappear. You might call it hoarding but who cares. I want to be able to support my model
building for a number of years to come. It is hard to predict
◆
what will be available ten years from now.
Dear Joe and Jaini,
Happy New Year! My O scale pike (the Philadelphia & Erie rr) is set in a 1970-80’s urban flavor.Thinking
that my heavy weathering was not quite enough, I investigated the graffiti decals that are currently
available to O scalers.These seemed a bit too tame for my tastes. After much schmoozing, I persuaded
my wife Linda to paint some graffiti on my freight cars. I bought some paint pens from A.C. Moore, and
encouraged her to “jump right in”. Attached are a few results.
Regards,
Pete Trunk
p.s. the magazine just gets better and better!
Locomotive Wheel Cleaner
David Stewart
One of the necessary chores of our hobby is the periodic cleaning of locomotive wheels. It seems that no matter what method
of track cleaning and maintenance I try, sooner or later dirty wheel-rail contact degrades performance. My sound equipped locomotives announce with an annoying cutout and restart of the prime mover that wheels have collected “gunk” (a technical term for
the mixture of
dust, track cleaning fluids,
and stray scenery materials.)
The tried and true
method of cleaning locomotive wheels has been to
place an alcohol-soaked
paper towel over the rails
and run one truck of the
locomotive onto the towel.
The locomotive is then held
in this position while full
power is applied, spinning the dirty
wheels over the towel and providing the cleaning action. Holding the
towel (which wants to be pushed
aside by the motion of the wheels),
plus the nose of the locomotive (to
impede its progress), and controlling
the throttle all at the same time
stretched the limits of my dexterity.
Then there was always the question of just where to perform such a task without damaging existing scenery.
A moment of inspiration some months ago led to the creation of a simple
wheel cleaner that made this whole process very quick and manageable. The
photos show the finished product which is portable, and because of foam rubber glued to the underside, will not damage scenery or track work.
I began with a 1”piece of pine cut to 2 1⁄2” wide and 2’ long. I chose this length because it is eight inches longer than the longest
locomotive. Glue ties to the board, omitting them at each end where the paper towel will be used as seen in the photos. Stain the
ties and board.
Drill a pair of holes between the ties. Remove the clips from the ends of two alligator connectors. Feed these wires up through
the holes in the board and solder to the underside of two pieces of rail. Then spike the rail to the ties. (Flex track could be substituted by removing ties near each end.)
Drill a 1⁄8” hole along the outside of the rail at the end of each non-tie section for a total of eight holes. Bend a 1⁄8” piece of brass
rod at 90 degrees on each end and tap into the holes with a hammer so the rod is just below the height of the railhead. Staple
squares of foam rubber to a pair of small blocks of wood to act as bumpers. Drill pilot holes and attach the blocks with screws to
the ends of the track. Use contact cement to glue foam rubber to the underside of the board to protect track work.
Finally, scissors-cut shop paper towels to width and feed under the rod and rail, up and over the railhead, and back under the
rod. Alcohol in a needle container helps dispense cleaner directly to the railhead area.
Wheel cleaning now takes place wherever the motive power happens to be. Place the locomotive on the cleaner, attach the alligator clips to the nearby railheads, and apply track power. The locomotive will travel to the bumper and be held there while its wheels
spin on the paper towel. Reverse power to clean the other truck. Advance the paper towel to a clean section, add more alcohol and
do a second cleaning pass. I am constantly amazed at the amount of “gunk” that is quickly removed and at how a once fumbling
process is now a snap.
◆
Brian Scace, who writes the “Easements for the Learning Curve” column
in O Scale Trains, likes to recommend
that we not use wimpy HO control
equipment in our O Scale layouts. If O
Scale does not have what we need,
look at what is available for G scale,
he suggests. This month I am going to
take him up on his advice by reviewing a DCC decoder designed for G
scale but providing unique capabilities
for O Scale.
The MRC AD322 8 Ampere DCC Decoder
The AD322 is an 8 ampere DCC
decoder, made by Model Rectifier Corporation (MRC), that will exist in two
different configurations, diesel and
steam. I tested the diesel version; the
steam version will be released later this
year. It has the usual F0 accessory function for directional headlights, plus
strobe and ditch lights. It has four
sound functions: F1 through F4 (bell,
long horn, short horn and uncoupling)
plus two diesel engine sounds (idle and
running). The sounds are generic
although the bell, horn and uncoupling
are very realistic. I was able to create a
credible grade crossing signal by pushing long, long, short, long. The bell
continues to ring until you push the
function button again. Fourteen different configuration variables can be programmed and only the EZ DCC
command station seems to have compatibility problems. The steam version
will have fewer lighting combinations
and more sound combinations.
It certainly does not look like a
wimpy HO decoder. It is 11⁄2" wide by
31⁄2" long and 1" high. It has such
rugged looking power components and
heat sinks that you tend to overlook the
many tiny surface mount components
on the printed circuit board. It has an
11-pin connector at one end for the
basic functions and a 5-pin connector
at the other end for sound and the
strobe and ditch lights. Figure 1 is a
picture of this decoder. It fits with ease
into a full-width hood O Scale diesel
like the Alco FA and FB or the EMD E
or F units. It would not fit into a narrow
body diesel (with walkways), like the
Alco RS3 or EMD SW or GP series. And
it would be difficult to install it at an
angle because of the 1" height.
The documentation that comes with
the decoder is rather plain but certainly adequate. Don’t expect it to teach
you how DCC works, but, if you
understand DCC, it will give you all
the installation instructions. Note that
MRC recommends that the unit be tested with a 20 ohm resistor in series
until you verify that it is all wired up
correctly.
So this decoder has unique characteristics for the O Scale modeler: high current capability for those older inefficient
motors, and built-in sound generation.
My Use of the Decoder
I have a three unit Alco FA, FB, FA
diesel set painted for PRR. Each unit is
powered. In their way they are as
Fig. 1
impressive as a Big Boy, being well
over a yard in length. But they do not
have DCC control because they were
built long before it existed and I have
balked at the expense of buying and
installing three DCC decoders. So
could I use one of these AD322 G
scale 8 ampere decoders to control all
three O Scale diesel unit motors? The
answer is yes, but with a little bit of
customization.
Fig. 2
My plan was to distribute the complications by installing the decoder into
the middle FB unit and then putting
speakers in the two end FA units. So I
began by building a mockup in the FB
unit (Fig. 2). When I turned on the DCC
power, it blew me out of my chair.
Well, in hindsight, I guess I should have
expected the sound unit for a garden
railroad to be loud. I fixed that with a
series 20 to 100 ohm resistor. I fastened
the decoder on top of the lead weight
in the FB unit, with a wooden insulator
between as the PC board wiring is
exposed on the bottom.
If you believe, as I do, that every
solution creates a new problem, then
the problem that this scheme creates is
the wiring. Eight wires have to pass
between the diesel units (and more if
you want ditch lights or strobe lights).
Briefly they are: wheels (2), motor (2),
headlight (2) and speaker (2). They are
not just incidental wiring. Recall that
the FA unit wheel pickups do not connect to anything in the FA units.
Instead they connect to the decoder in
the FB unit which then feeds the
motors in all three units. Figure 2 is a
picture of the rat’s nest.
My own solution to the wiring interconnections is not multiple MU cables
between units, but rather a custom
drawbar, replacing the usual couplers.
I don’t need functioning couplers as I
never disconnect the three units. The
drawbar is a sandwich of 3⁄16" wide
strips of .032" and .015" brass sheet
interleaved with paper insulators.
The MRC AD322 decoder comes
with a speaker described as 2" but
actually is 21⁄4" diameter. It is slightly
too large for O Scale. Figure 3 shows a
variety of speakers. From the left is the
MRC speaker, a commercial 15⁄8" by
23⁄4" rectangular speaker that is a good
match to go in an O Scale fuel tank,
and finally 11⁄2" and 1⁄2" speakers, especially for model RR use and sold by
Tony’s Train Exchange. The speaker in
the fuel tank will not work here as one
truck is driven from the motor and it
drives the other truck via a universally
jointed drive rod through the fuel tank.
So, I plan to use the 11⁄2" speakers.
Although the G scale decoder
seems at first to be an unlikely match
to O Scale, it does work well in this situation or anyplace where a high current locomotive must be controlled or
where a combined speed and sound
controller is needed.
Brian was correct!
◆
Whitehall
Hobbies
Specializing in Brass Locomotives
1431 Windrush Circle, Blacklick, Ohio 43004
Voice: (614) 861-0018 - Fax: (614) 861-3034
JWTrains@aol.com
OMI NP A4 4-8-4 unpainted, new TRO 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1795
Key SP E7 A&B, latest run F⁄P Daylight, new, never run (pair) . . .$2595
OMI SP&S Z8 4-6-6-4 Unpainted Very Little Tarnish TRO New . .$3200
PSC SP AC-9 2-8-8-4 Coal 222 R-1 Tender F⁄P - Black Boiler New . . .$3195
PSC N&W Z1b 2-6-6-2 Factory Painted Rd# 1438 New . . . . . . . .$2975
PSC NYC S1a 4-8-4 C⁄P by Bernie Beedy Crown Series New . . . .$3995
Key B&A K3n 4-6-2, Factory painted, Rd#506, New . . . . . . . . .$2550
OMI UP FEF-3, F⁄P, Road# 844, new, never run . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$2550
PSC C&O T1 2-10-4, C⁄P, like new condition, REDUCED . . . . . . . . . .$1600
OMI UP DD40X F⁄P Road# 6931, like new w⁄Cockerham drive . . .$2250
OMI NP Z8 4-6-6-4, Unptd, New REDUCED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$2800
OMI WM I-2 2-10-0, F/P Rd# 1120, new condition . . . . . . . . . . .$1895
OMI GN FT A+B, C/P for OMI, Rd#402-A, New . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1495
OMI GN FT A+B, C/P for OMI, Rd#402-D, New . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1495
PSC CB&Q S-4a 4-6-4, Factory Ptd, Rd# 3003 new . . . . . . . . . . .$2850
Key SP E9a 2 A units, Latest run, F⁄P Daylight (pair) . . . . . . . . . .$2695
PSC NP Z5 2-8-8-4, F/P Rd# 5006 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$3295
Kohs & Co NYC J3a 4-6-4, F/P Rd# 5424, late version PT4 tender,
Boxpok drivers, plain rods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$4000
PSC C&O C-16a 0-8-0 Custom Painted for PSC Rd#242 . . . . . . . .$1750
PSC SRR Ps-4 4-6-2, F/P Rd# 1401 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1650
C&LS WM M-2 4-6-6-4, F/P Rd# 1201, late version . . . . . . . . . . .$2995
PSC D&RGW L-131, 2-8-8-2, FP Rd#3600, black boiler (one of a kind),
boiler tube pilot and tri-color herald w/D&RGW spelled out.
New, never run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$3895
Key D&RGW L-95, 2-8-8-2, FP Rd#3404 w/green boiler, only 4 made
with pop valves on steam dome. New, never run . . . . . . . . . . . .$3695
Key UP Challenger, 4-6-6-4, FP Rd#3978, oil version, two-tone grey,
yellow stripe. New, never run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$3650
Key UP Challenger, unptd, coal version. New, never run . . . . . .$3195
Key UP FEF-3, 4-8-4, FP Rd#844, oil version, two-tone grey, silver
stripe, orig. box not in best shape. New, very little run time . . .$2750
Key or PSC WM Shay (no box label) FP Rd#6. New, never run . .$1895
Key NYC K3n, 4-6-2, FP Rd#4740. New, never run . . . . . . . . . . .$2250
Key PRR E8 AA, FP Brunswick Green, gold stripe. New . . . . . . .$2695
Key PRR PA-1 and PB-1, Rare A+B+A set, FP Tuscan Red, buff stripe.
New, never run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$3695
PSC UP Bull Moose, 2-8-8-0, FP Rd# 3560 w/pilot mounted air pumps.
New, test run only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$3195
Buy–Sell–Trade
Buy-Sell-Trade ads are $5 for 30 words plus your address information. Additional words are $0.25
each. Subscribers are permitted one free ad per subscription cycle. All B-S-T ads are prepaid. You
may send ads by postal service with a check or money order. Ads sent by email or called in must use
a credit card. See our contact info on page 2.
FOR SALE: Adirondack Car & Foundry products, Weaver, NWSL, Grandt Line, Kadee
couplers, Athearn trucks, Intermountain
(while supplies last), OSN, OST. Contact Ed
Reutling, AC&F. PH: 423-477-5790. Email:
reutling@xtn.net Ed Reutling, 160 Harwood
Rd., Gray, TN 37615-3728.
FOR SALE: Vehicles that won’t embarass
you or your trains: Brooklin, Conquest,
Durham Classics, 43rd Avenue, Goldvarg,
Herb Deeks kits, Madison, US Model Mint,
USA Models, Western, others. FAX 412-7664213, Mail Order Trains Plus, 349 Roosevelt
Rd, Pittsburgh, PA 15237-1024.
LARGEST INVENTORY INTERMOUNTAIN
BUILT-UP GONDOLAS, HOPPERS, BOX
CARS, REEFERS, TANKERS... $39, If you
demand INTERMOUNTAIN quality, buy
while they are available. SASE for listings.
Phone: 727-391-3135, John Clemens, 5273
97 Way N, St. Petersburg, FL 33708-3752.
PACIFIC LIMITED Second run USRA box
cars. Don’t miss out again! Pennyslvania
nine versions, MKT, Ann Arbor 1 1⁄2 door,
Ann Arbor single door, DT&I, C&NW four
versions, Western Maryland, C&O, N&W
stock car... SASE. Phone: 727-391-3135 John
Clemens, 5273 97 Way N, St. Petersburg, FL
33708-3752.
YODER Chesapeake & Ohio, Pennsylvania
hoppers, Western Maryland hoppers, covered hoppers, wood chip hoppers, undecorated $169. Painted, lettered, weathered,
Kadees, $199. Hundreds more, listings
SASE. Phone: 727-391-3135, John Clemens,
5273 97 Way N, St. Petersburg, FL 337083752.
KEYSTONE MUSEUM QUALITY Pennsylvania G1a twin hoppers, GS, GSd gondolas,
scrap tin cars, H-25 quads. Scale, Kadee
versions. painted, unpainted, H-21's coming... Hundreds more. SASE. Phone 727391-3135, John Clemens, 5273 97 Way N, St.
Petersburg, FL 33708-3752.
WANTED: O Scale 2-rail RDC (Div Point or
other), and CLW Baldwin DT2000 centercab
transfer Diesel (prefer built-up). Please
state price. e-mail to aroman@trainutz.com
Andy Romano, PO Box 969, Crestline, CA
92325-0969.
Western Pennsylvania Modelers—Available: McKeesport trolleys, plus Pittsburgh
Railways, Vols: I and II by Beal. Covers all
area (pre-1902 to 1964) traction, inclines,
and B&O, PRR and P&LE commuter operations, etc. Great research and base to model
from. LIMITED printings. Fax: 412-766-4213,
Mail Order Trains Plus, 349 Roosevelt Rd,
Pittsburgh, PA 15237-1024.
ERIE C-100 class steel caboose. Brass etchings and Commonwealth drop equalized
trucks. Re-issue, limited availability. Possibly welded too. For info, email to
[rgarrel1@tampabay.rr.com] or S.A.S.E. to:
Robert Garrelts, 1116 Kings Way, Tarpon
Springs, FL 34688-7654.
SUNSET MODELS: B&O early 2-8-8-4
#7615, later 2-8-8-4 #7624 $1499; PRR 4-46-4 #6184 $1499; PRR streamlined electric
#4746 $699; NKP 4-8-2 #845 $979, UP C44-9W #9734 $699. SASE for listings.
Phone 727-391-3135, John Clemens, 5273
97 Way N, St. Petersburg, FL 33708-3752.
FOR SALE: USH NYC L4b Mohawk, new in
box, never assembled, $1200. KTM/Westside NYC J3a Hudson, c/p, detailed, can
motor, done by Harry Hieke, $2100. Phone:
440-355-5733, email: cometcyclone@alltel.net, Larry Vajas, 41103 Whitney Rd,
LaGrange, OH 44050-9628.
FOR SALE: O Scale brass etched C&O and
N&W, round, oval and rectangular number
plates. Ten different builder's plates like
Liam, Baldwin, Alco,and Rodgers. Geo
Washington Cameo, cylinder stars, 2 superheater and B&O Capitol Dome logo and
much more. Call 304-736-7765 evenings, or
go to [www.candoplates.com] Wilbur Epperly, 1115 Main St, Barboursville, WV 255041504.
WANTED: USH drivers for a Big Boy, also E.
P. Alexander C&O Vanderbilt tender. Ph:
773-792-0206, Dave Lehmbeck.
FOR SALE: PSC SW-1, GN, f/ptd #5103,
$600; OMI Mk-1200G UP f/ptd #1298,
$1300; USH GP-35 unptd, $350. Also, PRB
cars, flats, boxcars, covered hoppers and
tanks. Variety of Atlas 2 rail cars. Must Sell!
Call or email Brian Butkowski; 320-2513288, [porsche155@charter.net].
Ron’s Books
P.O. BOX 714, HARRISON, NY 10528
(914)967-7541 11AM to 10PM EST
FAX (914)967-7492 24HR
YOUR ONE STOP BOOK AND VIDEO SHOP
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Shipping Charge within the U.S.*
Check our updated, fully secure Web site regularly for
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“WHAT’S NEW?”
A Century of Subways - Cudahy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27.25
Alco’s Centennial Remembrance - Steinbrenner . . . . . . .65.00
Alco’s Century Series Vol 1 Four-Axle Models . . . . . . . . .31.50
Along the ET & WNC Vol 4 Freight Cars . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27.25
Atlanta West Point Railroad Remembered S/C . . . . . . . .18.25
B&O Steam Locomotives - Last 30 Years (TLC) . . . . . . .27.25
Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32.25
Birth of California Narrow Gauge - Macgregor . . . . . . . . .75.00
Blue Ridge Stemwinders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55.00
Boston Trolleys in Color Vol 1 The North Side - Volkmer 48.00
Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburgh in Color Vol 1 New York 48.00
Burlington’s Zephyrs - Zimmerman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31.50
Canadian Diesel Pictorial Vol 1 CP SD40 & SD40-2’s . . .35.00
Canadian Pacific - Stand Fast, Craigellachie-McDonnell .36.00
Canadian Pacific’s Mighty 8000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23.25
Central California Traction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60.00
Challenger Locomotive - Kratville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40.50
Chesapeake & Ohio Pere Marquettes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20.25
Chicago & Northwestern Freight Trains & Equip (TLC) . .27.25
Classic Streamliners-The Trains & Designers Photo Archive .27.25
Clinchfield in Color - C. K. Marsh Jr. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48.00
Clinchfield in the Coal Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29.00
Collectible Stocks & Bonds of North American Railroads 32.00
Conrail Color History-Doherty & Solomon . . . . . . . . . . . . .31.50
Dardanelle & Russellville Railroad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60.00
Dixie Line - L&N . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60.00
Erie Lackawanna in Color Vol 5 -Merger Memories . . . . .48.00
From Small Town to Downtown- Jewett Car Company .45.00
Grand Trunk Western in Color V1or V2-Visual Redesign-each .48.00
Great Hudson River Brick Industry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18.25
Great Lakes Car Ferries - Hilton -Reprint . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36.00
Great Lakes Trolleys in Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48.00
How We Got to Coney Island . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40.50
Images of Western Railroading - Smollinger . . . . . . . . . . .32.00
Lakeside & Marblehead Railroad-Fisk - Revised . . . . . . .39.00
Last Interurbans - Middleton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49.50
Lehigh Valley: Wyoming & Buffalo Division - Bednar . . . .58.50
Locos of the Upper Midwest-Diesel Power in the 60’s & 70’s .27.25
Louisville & Nashville in Color Vol 1 - Borkowski . . . . . . . .48.00
Main Lines Rebirth of North American Railroads . . . . . . .45.00
Missouri Pacific Color Guide to Frt & Pass.-Kinkaid . . . . .48.00
Missouri Pacific Pass. Trains-The Postwar Years -Dorin .26.25
Narrow Gauge in Southwestern PA-Waynesburg & Washington 30.00
New Haven Dining on the Shore Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23.25
New Haven in Color Vol. 1 Battle for Profits 1945-61 . . . .48.00
New York, Susquehanna & Western Railroad-Mohowski .31.50
New York City Transit Auth. Bus & Trolley Fleet 1946-58 .23.50
North American Railyards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31.50
On the Right Track - Historic Cincinnati Railroads . . . . . . .34.00
Operation CUT - First 3 Years - Cleveland Union Terminal 18.00
P & LE Berkshires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40.50
P & LE Gondola Cars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23.25
Pacific Electric Vol 3 Southern Division . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36.00
Penn Central Railroad Color History - Lynch . . . . . . . . . . .31.50
Pennsylvania RR Passenger Trains, Consists& Cars V1 .36.00
Pennsylvania Trolleys in Color Vol 4 - The 40’s . . . . . . . .48.00
Pittsburgh Railways Vol 1 H/C - Beal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74.00
Prairie Railroad Town-Rock Is. Shops in Kansas . . . . . . .27.25
PRR Lines West: Pittsburgh to St. Louis 1960-1999 . . . .55.00
Pullmans to St. Louis - Missouri Pacific Lines . . . . . . . . . .27.25
Railroad Logging in Klamath Country-Bowden . . . . . . . . .45.00
Railroad Signaling - Solomon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31.50
Railroads of Pennsylvania - Fragments of the Past . . . . .18.25
Rails Along the Oriskany (NYO&W) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23.25
Railway Track & Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45.00
Santa Fe Depots of the Plains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36.00
Santa Fe Heritage Vol 4 - Priest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55.00
Santa Fe Locomotive Facilities Vol 1 Gulf Lines - Priest .55.00
The South Park Line - Ferrell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82.00
Southern Pacific in Color Vol 4 Tunnel Motor Era - Boyd 48.00
Southern Pacific Historic DieselsVol 10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27.25
Southern Pacific’s Scenic Coast Line-Color Pictorial-Dill .55.00
Southern Pacific’s Western Division . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65.00
SP Vol 24 Steam Motive Power Pictorial - Coast Division23.25
Streetcar Lines to the Hub - 1940’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50.00
Tank Cars From the American Car & Foundry . . . . . . . . .60.00
Thunder of their Passing-D&RG&Cumbres&Toltec H/C 50.00 S/C . .40.50
Tracks of the New York Subway 3.5 edition . . . . . . . . . . .36.00
Trackside Around Massachusetts 1950-1970 with/Monroe .48.00
Trackside Around Ontario 1955-1960 with Don McCartney 48.00
Wabash Trackside with Emery Gulush 1954-1974 . . . . .48.00
West Virginia Central & Pittsburgh Railway . . . . . . . . . . . .30.00
White Pine Route - Idaho . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45.00
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SASE will be answered. Prices subject to change. WE BUY COLLECTIONS
OST Builds A Layout
by Joe Giannovario
I’ve been too long without an operating layout. So, this past year I decided to
do something about it.
I had a contractor come in to finish
the basement. He did it a lot faster and a
lot nicer than I would have been able to
do. And, it also allowed me to concentrate on doing the benchwork.
But first, I had to come up with a
plan. I looked at copying my old HO
scale layout. I really didn’t have the
space to scale that up. In fact, my available space is a modest 14' x 22', with a
few nooks and crannies. My druthers
included 60" minimum radii so I can run
N&W articulateds, 4-8-2s and 4-8-4s,
and a large steam service facility.
I came across a John Armstrong N&W
plan in his book “Creative Layout
Design”. (The book is out of print but I
bought a used copy on Ebay.) This particular design was unusual. It was 9' x 35'
but has two 16' “wings” with a “dry
canal lock” on one side and a “vertical
switch” on the other to get trains from
level 1 to level 2. Is this useable?
What I really needed was layout
design software to edit the design. Now,
I’m a Macintosh user. This beautiful magazine you’re reading is produced on a
Mac. Everyone knows that if you want
the best graphics, you use a Mac. Well,
not if you’re designing a model railroad.
I checked out the Mac railroad design
software and none of it fit my needs.
I asked on the OTrains list at Yahoo if
anyone would care to help me and Clark
Thorp volunteered to do the design using
3rd PlanIt software on a PC. (Okay, so
this one time I’ll admit a PC is better than
a Mac.) Clark was also familiar with the
Armstrong plan and entered it to the
computer. Then, via a series of email
exchanges, we began to bend, fold and
mutilate Mr. Armstrong’s plan until it fit
my space and met my druthers.
What you see above right is the plan
we came up with. Rather than two separate levels, we used a raised track at the
back of the layout to get a longer run. The
ruling grade is slightly less than two percent. It has a modest yard area and I got
my servicing facility complete with a 30"
turntable for those Y6b’s and Class A’s.
I’ve started the benchwork and the
tricky part is the swing-out gate in the
lower right hand corner. The plan also
calls for lots of curved turnouts.
I’ll keep you apprised of the progress.
◆
Norfolk & Western Railway: Exton Division
plan by Clark Thorp & Joe Giannovario
I square = 1 foot
min radius: 60"
Overall size
14' x 22'
Swing-out gate
Advertisers Index
Accurate O Scale
AtlasO
BTS
California Roadbed Co.
Car & Locomotive Shop
Central Locomotive Works
Chicagoland
Eagles Nest Miniatures
Guide to Modern O Scale
Hackworth Model Trains
House of Duddy
Joint Line Reproductions
Keil-Line Products
MRC
NCE Corp
Norm’s O Scale
O Scale Guide
O Scale Realty
36
IBC
49
48
59
17
52
10
18
15
52
18
13
22
15
49
13
39
13
O Scale Signals
18
O Scale West
40
Old Pullman
60
Overland Models
29
P&D Hobby Shop
IFC
PRR Brass
13
Public Delivery Track
48
Rail Photos Unlimited
17
Rons Books
58
Russian River RR Co.
17
RY Models
51
Scaled World
10
SONC 2004
21
Stevenson Preservation Lines
17
Suncoast Models
18
Sunset⁄3rd Rail
9, BC
T Bone Models
13
Weaver
10
Whitehall Models
56
Events
March 2004
6th, Wind Gap, Pennsylvania
Eastern “O” Scalers – Plainfield Fire Hall,
6480 Sullivan Trail – 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Adm. $5; (spouses & children under 14 are
free), $16.00 for the first table (includes one
admission) and $12.00 for each additional
table. Information SASE EOS, PO Box 1781,
Bensalem PA 19020; (215) 639-3864,
eostrains@att.net Bring an index card with
your name, address etc., for a $1.00 off your
admission.
14th, St. Paul, Minnesota
Twin City Model Railroad Musuem, Inc.,
Northern Pacific Day. Bandana Square, 1021
Bandana Blvd. East, Ste 222, St. Paul. Noon to
5 pm. Admission $2, under 5 free. Contact
Paul Gruetzman, 651-647-9628.
20 & 21, New Bern, North Carolina
Carolina Coastal Railroaders 9th Annual
Model Train Show - New Bern High School,
4200 Academic Drive - all scales, 7 operating
layouts in N/HO/Sn3/O/G scales,
New/used model railroad sale, door prizes,
raffle, clinics.- 10 am to 5 pm; $4, kids under
12 free with adult. Info:Joe Hofmann; (252)
638-8872, email hofmannjoe@cconnect.net
20 & 21, Chicago, Illinois
Chicago Midwest O Scale Meet, sponsored by
Hill's Hobby Shop at the Sheraton Chicago
Northwest (888-627-8093, ask for Chicago
Midwest O Scale rate). Saturday 9-5, Sunday
9-2. Friday only for dealer/tableholder setup.
Contact Hills Hobby, 847-823-4464, hillshobby@att.net.
21st, Pullman, Washington
Palouse Empire Railroad Show and Swap
Meet, Beasley Performing Arts Coliseum,
Washington State University campus, 10 am 3 pm, Admission: Adult -$3, dealer tables $10. Contact Noel Randall, 208-882-3773,
or Ken Vogel 509-332-0505
28th, Hudson, Massachusetts
New England O Scale Train Show by Metrowest Model RR Society - Hudson Elks Hall, 99
Park Street - O Scale 2 & 3 Rail (no tinplate) setup 6:30 to 10 am, sales 10 am to 4 pm, $4
adults, kids 5-12 $1, kids under 5 free
w/adult. Info: Bill Pirtle, 196 Lincoln St, Hudson, MA 01749; (978) 562-6879; E-mail leebill196@aol.com, website
www.trainweb.org/metrowest
April 2004
23rd, Villa Park, Illinois
Prairie Scale Model Railroaders Swap Meet,
6:30 pm to 9:30 pm (doors open at 5:30 for
sellers), Villa Park VFW Hall, 39 E St Charles
Rd, Admission: $4 (spouses and kids free with
paying adult), tables $12. Contact Paul
Gehrett, pgehrett@earthlink.net or
info@psmr.org
3 & 4, Timonium, Maryland
The Great Scale Model Train Show & The AllAmerican High-Rail & Collectors Show - Maryland State Fairgrounds - separated into
sections, SCALE (by gauge) and HiRail. Fri:
dealer setup 5 pm to 11 pm; Sat: setup 7 am
to 9 am, sales & exhibits 9 am to 4 pm; Sun:
setup 8:30 am to 10 am, sales & exhibits 10
am to 4 pm; Admission: $6, kids under 12
free, family max $12; 8' tables $55 (includes
2 worker's passes for the first table and 1 for
each add'l table). Contact Howard Zane,
(410) 730-1036; hzane1@hcomcast.net;
www.gsmts.com
May 2004
8th, Merchantville, New Jersey
Cherry Valley Model Railroad Club “Merchantville Meet”, held at the Grace Episcopal
Church, 7 E. Maple Ave. Merchantville, NJ.
Admission $4.00 (spouses & children under
14 are free), tables are $16.00 for the first
table (includes one admission) and $12.00 for
each additional table. Info/reservations, SASE
– CVMRC PO Box 192, Maple Shade, NJ
08052, Dave Richter (215) 639-3864,
eostrains@att.net Chuck Jacobs 856-2341898
29th, Plantation, Florida
South Plantation Train Club Show & Sale South Plantation High School Cafeteria, 1300
SW 54 Ave. All scales, 2-Rail O Scale modules and displays - setup 7 am to 9 am, 9 am
to 2 pm; tables available. Contact Ken
Sargeant (954) 473-6376, www.southplantationtrainclub.com; sarge40@aol.com
June 2004
19 & 20, Timonium, Maryland
The Great Scale Model Train Show & The AllAmerican High-Rail & Collectors Show Maryland State Fairgrounds - separated into
sections, SCALE (by gauge) and HiRail. Fri:
dealer setup 5 pm to 11 pm; Sat: setup 7 am
to 9 am, sales & exhibits 9 am to 4 pm; Sun:
setup 8:30 am to 10 am, sales & exhibits 10
am to 4 pm; Admission: $6, kids under 12
free, family max $12; 8' tables $55 (includes
2 worker's passes for the first table and 1 for
each add'l table). Contact Howard Zane,
(410) 730-1036; hzane1@hcomcast.net;
www.gsmts.com
July 2004
4 thru 11, Seattle, Washington
Puget Sound Express 2004, NMRA National
Convention - all scales; Mt. Ranier Club
$1,000; Mt. Baker Club $500; Mt. St. Helens
Club $250; $125; spouse $30, youth $20.
Info: Dave Kreitler, Registrar (425) 831-5131;
email registrar@nmra2004.org; website
www.nmra2004.org/
22-25, Washington, D.C.
2004 O Scale National Convention at the
Hyatt Regency, Crystal City, Virginia at Reagan National Airport. Convention and Dealer
registration info is available from the Capital
Area O Scalers, 2004 O Scale National Convention, P.O. Box 42563, Washington D.C.
20015, www.2004onational.com, or email to
sonc2004@hotmail.com.
OST Dealer List
Arkansas
Hobby Shack
1200 John Harden Dr
Jacksonville, AR 72076
501-982-6836
Florida
Kirkland Hobbies
187 Concord Circle
Panama City FL 32405
850-215-1973
Mickey’s Model Works
611 Court St, Ste 4
Conway,AR 72032-5417
501-450-9423
Georgia
Riverdale Station
6632 Hwy 85
Riverdale,GA 30045
770-991-6085
Arizona
Coronado Scale Models
1544 E Cypress St
Phoenix,AZ 85006
602-254-9650
California
All Aboard Model RR
Emporium
3867 Pacific Coast Hwy
Torrance,CA 90505
310-791-2637
Iowa
Caboose Stop Hobbies
301 Main St
Cedar Falls,IA 50613
800-642-7012
Illinois
Chicagoland Hobbies
6017 Northwest Hwy
Chicago,IL 60631
773-775-4848
Bruce’s Train Shop
2752 Marconi Ave
Sacramento,CA 95821
916-485-5288
Des Plaines Hobbies
1468 Lee St
Des Plaines,IL 60018
847-297-2118
Fulton Station
454 Larkfield Shop Cntr
Santa Rosa CA 95439
707-523-3522
Hill’s Hobby Shop
10 Prairie Ave
Park Ridge,IL 60068
847-823-4464
Just Trains
5650-H Imhoff Dr
Concord,CA 94520
925-685-6566
Mike’s Scale Rails
3008 N Sterling
Peoria,IL 61604
309-689-0656
Original Whistle Stop
2490 E Colorado Blvd
Pasadena,CA 91107
626-796-7791
Railroad Hobbies
119 Vernon St
Roseville CA 95678
916-782-6067
Reed’s Hobbies LLC
8039 La Mesa Blvd.
La Mesa,CA 91941
619-464-1672
Train Shop
1829 Pruneridge Ave
Santa Clara,CA 95050
408-296-1050
Colorado
Caboose Hobbies, Inc.
500 S. Broadway
Denver,CO 80209
303-777-6766
Delaware
Mitchells’
2303 Concord Pike
Wilmington, DE 19803
302-652-3258
Trains & Hobbies
313 Newark Shopping Cntr.
Newark,DE 19711
302-266-8063
Rails Unlimited
126 Will Scarlet
Elgin,IL 60120
847-697-5353
Indiana
Big Four Hobbies
1005 E Main St
Plainfield IN 46168
317-837-1024
Mishawaka Railyard Inc
410 S Spring St
Mishawaka IN 46545
574-252-7245
Kansas
J’s Hobby Haven
5303 Johnson Dr
Mission,KS 66205
913-432-8820
Maine
Norm’s O Scale
PO Box 147
S Casco,ME 04077
207-655-2550
Massachusetts
Modeler’s Junction
88 Lowell St
Methuen,MA 01844
978-683-0885
The Toy Doctor
17 Meredith Road
Forrestdale, MA 02644
508-477-1186
Tucker’s Hobbies
29 Bacon St
Warren,MA 01083
413-436-5318
Ohio
20th Century Models
32575 Pettibone Rd
Solon,OH 44139-5454
440-248-3055
Texas
Discount Model Trains Inc.
4641 Ratliff Lane
Addison, TX 75001
972-931-8135
M&S Trains
4157 W Broad St.
Columbus OH 43228
614-274-1178
Virginia
Railyard Hobby Shop
7547 Williamson Rd
Roanoke,VA 24019
540-362-1714
Michigan
Eureka Trains
1219 Eureka Rd
Wyandotte,MI 48192
734-284-0521
Terminal Hobby Supply
10200 Springfield Pike
Cincinnati,OH 45215
513-326-3613
P&D Hobby Shop
31280 Groesbeck Hwy
Fraser,MI 48026
586-296-6116
Western Hills Photo &
Hobby
6319 Glenway Ave
Cincinnati,OH 45211
513-661-2141
Rider’s Hobby Shop
2055 28th St SE
Grand Rapids MI
616-247-9933
Minnesota
Second Ave Shops
173 2nd Ave SE
New Brighton,MN 55112
651-633-5722
Missouri
Marty’s Model Railroads
9622 Gravois Rd
St Louis,MO 63123-4345
314-638-8250
North Carolina
Dry Bridge Station
236 N Main St
Mount Airy,NC 27030
336-786-9811
Nevada
High Sierra Models
4020 Kietzke Ln
Reno,NV 89502
775-825-5557
New Hampshire
Custom Trains
PO Box 48
Bath,NH 03740
603-747-3492
New Jersey
Big Little Railroad Shop
206 W Main St
Somerville,NJ 08876
908-429-0220
New Mexico
Trains West Inc.
3351A Candelaria Rd NE
Albuquerque,NM 87107
505-881-2322
New York
K-Val Hobbies
277 Hinman Ave
Buffalo,NY 14216
716-875-2837
Oregon
Whistle Stop Trains
11724 SE Division St
Portland,OR 97266
503-761-1822
Pennsylvania
C&E Branchline RR Shop
102 W. Grove St.
Dunmore, PA 18509
570-347-7909
English’s Model RR Supply
21 Howard St
Montoursville,PA 17754
570-368-2516
G&K Hobbies
720 Gordon St
Reading,PA 19601-2312
610-374-8598
Walt's Hobby Shop,
PO Box 1805, Petersburg,
VA, 23805, 804-861-1333
Washington
Central Hobbies
1574 Gulf Rd #1136
Point Roberts WA 98281
604-431-0771
The Inside Gateway
14725 Northeast 20th
Bellevue, WA 98007
425-747-2016
Wisconsin
Depot Drygoods
220 W Wisconsin Ave
Neenah,WI 54956
920-725-8854
Greenfield News & Hobby
6815 W Layton St
Greenfield,WI 53220
414-281-1800
Non-US Dealers
Lin’s Junction
128 S Line St
Lansdale,PA 19446
215-412-7711
Canada
Credit Valley Railway Co
184 Queen Street South
Streetsville, Ontario
L5M 1L3
905-826-1306
Mainline Hobby Supply
15066 Buchanan Trail E
Blue Ridge Summit,PA 17214
717-794-2860
George’s Trains
510 Mt Pleasant Rd
Toronto Ontario M4S 2M2
416-489-9783
Strasburg Train Shop
Rte 741 E, Box 130
Strasburg,PA 17579
717-687-0464
Tennessee
Adirondack Car & Foundry
160 Harwood Rd.
Gray TN 37615
423-477-5790
Hobbytown USA, 8901 Town
& Country Circle, Knoxville,
TN, 37923, 865-690-1099
Smoky Mountain Model
Trains Ltd
1933 Pittman Center Rd
SeviervilleTN 37876
865-428-8595
Victoria Scale Rail, Inc.
16A3577 Douglas St.
Victoria, BC V8Z 3L6
250-475-2860
Switzerland
Trainmaster
3 Hochweidstr. Kilchberg
CH-8802
011-411-715-3666
United Kingdom
Quince Valley Designs
17 West Street
Weedon,Northants
NN7 4QU
01327 341374
Observations
Joe Giannovario, Editor⁄Publisher
Welcome to the start of our third year of publication! O Scale
Trains is officially two years old with this issue. As we start our third
year of publication, here’s a status report on the magazine. We have
over 1200 subscribers and have been adding new subscribers at a
sustained rate of 6 new people every 5 days. We ship over 6000
copies of OST to newsstands, booksellers, and hobby shops each
issue. We’ve doubled the number of advertisers since issue #1. We
went from 48 pages with 16 in color to 64 pages, all in color. We
also lowered the cover price and subscription rates. Overall, we’re
in great shape and are charging into the new year with lots of great
stuff coming your way.
I’m adding another name to the masthead this issue, Jace Kahn.
Jace is a regular contributor on the OTrains list at Yahoo and he
likes to scrounge up the old stuff when he hits a train meet. I asked
him to start a “History of O Scale” column and he agreed. “The
Good Old Days” begins in this issue. I hope you will support it and
Jace as I believe we will all benefit from knowing the history of our
scale and hobby. (An aside - I was at the O Scale convention when
Levon Kemalyan was inducted into the O Scale Hall of Fame. I was
astounded at the number of people who did not know he was the
founder and owner of Kemtron and U. S. Hobbies.)
As we welcome Jace, we also bid farewell to John Smith of
Pecos River Brass. John was a big help in getting the magazine started. Not only did he contribute and ask for no payment, he also
bought the back cover ad space. Thank you, John, for your contributions and for helping us to understand how the brass import business works. John has decided after 22 years to close down Pecos
River Brass. He still has lots of stuff to sell so visit his website
[www.pecosriverbrass.com].
Congratulations are in order for OST contributor Jeb Kriigel. Jeb
is the Grand Prize winner in the Model Railroader Photo Contest
with his C&O themed “Steam Splendor At Sewell.” And Jeb also
received an honorable mention for his photo featuring the NYC in
“Rensselaer Remembered.” (It is rare to have won two prizes.) Way
to go, Jeb! You’ll see more of Jeb’s photos in future issues of OST.
I am happy to report no one asked for my head with the addition
of Hobo D. Hirailer to our staff. Granted, there was some grumbling
about a “3-rail invasion” but it soon died down. Hobo is back this
issue with a neat idea for you HiRailers who want to run scale cars
on your layout. Remember, scale wheels will run just fine on most
t-section track.
While the addition of Mr. HiRailer didn’t generate much heat,
we did get some “gas” about our review of the Car & Locomotive
Shop’s little O gauge mine loco. The chief criticism was that it was
not O Scale, and therefore belonged in a garden railroad magazine,
not in OST. That got me to thinking about Scale vs. Gauge.
In recent months I’ve seen some gaffs in other magazines concerning these two concepts. The track gauge that O Scale models
run on has a history all its own. Zero Gauge, “0”, was introduced at
the beginning of the last century as the first of the indoor track
gauges. The gauge was set at 11⁄4 inches. At the time, there was little
attention paid to scale as these were primarily toy trains. But as the
hobby of model railroading matured, this “0” gauge track was
adopted for a new “scale”. Scale is the ratio of the model to the prototype. The ratio chosen was 1⁄4 inch = 1 foot (or 1:48), a common
architectural modeling scale. For most serious modelers of the time
(early 1930’s), the mismatch between the “scale” (1:48) and the
“gauge” (5' instead of 4' 81⁄2") was negligible.
Eventually the Zero became O, “Oh”, and the terms O Scale,
and O gauge came into common usage. The history of O gauge
and O Scale are not one and the same. They start at the same place,
but the desire for scale model trains versus consumer toy trains led
them down different paths. Up until a decade ago, you could be
fairly sure who was the toy train collector and who was the scale
modeler by the way people referred to their trains. If someone said,
“I’m in O Scale,” it was a sure bet he had true 1:48 scale models. If
someone said, “I’m in O Gauge,” it was a sure bet he collected
and/or operated toy trains. The scale train guys (and gals) tended to
look down their collective noses at the toy trains guys (and gals).
That’s not so easy to do anymore as over the last 10 years the
distinction between “scale” model trains and “toy” model trains has
blurred. We have the phenomenon of HiRail models which are fairly accurately scaled 1:48 models that run on 3 rail O gauge track.
Except for the track they run on and somewhat oversized flanges
and couplers, these are detailed O Scale models that rival some
brass models. To be sure, there are still plenty of toy trains out there,
and, no, O-27 is neither a scale nor a gauge. But you can’t tell the
O Scalers from the HiRailers without a score card.
Now scale vs. gauge gets really interesting when you look at
narrow gauge. O Scale, 3 foot gauge modelers led the “revolution”
for Proto48 models. Abbreviated as On3, this means the models are
1:48 ratio but run on track gauged at 3 scale feet, or 0.75 inches.
Eventually, someone noticed that HO Scale standard gauge (4' 81⁄2")
track scaled out to 31.2 inches in O Scale, not that far off from 36
scale inches. So, these modelers started building O Scale superstructures over HO scale chassis running on HO Gauge track and
called them On30. Not many U. S. prototypes used 30 inch gauge
track, but, what the heck, model railroading is fun! Right? Of
course, the scale mavens eventually took notice and realized that
HO scale track used in O Scale looks wrong so you can now buy
“real” On30 track and switches with properly scaled ties. Even the
Maine two-footers have had their day with O Scalers. NJ Custom
Brass imported several models in the 1980’s and 1990’s.
What’s the point of all this? Regardless of what track gauge we’re
talking about (or the number of rails), all the models you see in OST
articles are O Scale, 1:48. You won’t see any toy trains here, I promise. There are other magazines that cover that segment markedly
well. To say that you will never see a 3-rail model in OST would be
a lie because you already have, several times, and, I promise there
will be more in the future. Besides, I think it’s ironic to look down
one’s nose at 3-rail track when you’re own track gauge is wrong.
Maybe only the Proto48 and On3 guys (and gals) have the right to
be snobby, although I find them all to be as friendly as any other O
Scaler or O gauger. Let’s just play nicely together.
As always, your comments are solicited and welcomed. Got an
idea for an article? Let us know. We’re especially looking for
scratchbuilding and kit-bashing articles to teach craftsmanship skills
to our newest modelers.
Last, but not least, I’d like to thank Woody Mathews for compiling the Volume 1 Index. He’s also done Volume 2 and we’ll print
that in a coming issue.
Keep high ballin’!
◆
A SOLID Track Choice for Your Layout
ATLAS O 2-RAIL SCALE™ TRACK!
A
re you looking for the “right track” to make your O Scale experience a
great one? Try Atlas O’s 2-Rail Scale™ Track and give yourself the performance you deserve.
Atlas O's 2-Rail Track is even more detailed than its 3-Rail predecessor, utilizing code 148 SOLID nickel silver rail and finely detailed brown ties, providing a prototypical experience and superior electrical conductivity.
Developed as the only U.S. prototype track “system” to come to O scale,
Atlas O 2-Rail Track comes in a variety of pieces such as #5 turnouts, 90
degree crossings and 40" flex track so you can create a variety of great layouts.
(Item #7024 - #5 Left hand Turnout, shown with Item #7098 Left hand Switch Machine, available separately)
(Item #7051 4-1/2” Straight)
ATLAS O 2-RAIL SCALE TRACK FEATURES
INCLUDE:
• Code 148 SOLID Nickel Silver Rail
• American prototype ties and tie spacing with correct
spike, as well as tie plate and bolt details
• Dark brown tie strip
• Turnouts that feature highly detailed metal insulated
frogs and points
• Metal frog can be powered if desired
• UV compatible: great for both indoor and outdoor use
For your copy of the Atlas O Track Catalog, which contains layout plans, track pieces and more,
please send $5 to the address shown below.
Atlas O, LLC. • 378 Florence Avenue • Hillside, NJ 07205 • www.atlasO.com
VISIT YOUR
LOCAL HOBBY
STORE TODAY!
(Item #7056 - 40” Flex-Track)
C&O GREENBRIERS
THE MODERNIZED VERSION
PHOTO COURTESY OF HAROLD VOLRATH
Named after Virginian Statesmen, Thomas Jefferson (#600), Patrick Henry(#601), Benjamin
Harrison(#602), James Madison(#603) and Edmund Randolph (#604), these powerful Northern
Locomotives were used for 1st class passenger trains such as the “George Washington” or the
“Sportsman”. Any collection is not complete without the original “Greenbriers”.
Sunset Models is proud to present these one-of-a-kind, highly collectible (only 30 of each #),
superior detailed Greenbriers restored in 1/48th scale lifetime brass. Complete with super
detailed cab interior, directional lighting, sprung drivers with steel tires and our exclusive “Quiet
Drive Mechanism”. This modernized version has the headlight on the pilot and is equipped with
Baker valve gear.
Reserve your 1/48th Scale Greenbrier Today!
Coming in 2004
Only $999.95 Suggested Retail
SUNSET MODELS INC.
37 South Fourth Street · Campbell, CA 95008 · 408-866-1727 · fax to 408-866-5674 · www.3rdrail.com

OScale Trains Mar/Apr 2004

Transcription

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