Tomica 1:90 sype 41 Royale Binder Coupe D'Ville

Bought this in a yard sale junk box for a quarter, specifically to turn it into a private inspection car for my road's president, Sternly Hardcase. It follows in the spirit of the Gorre and Daphetid's "Ruptured Duck" for its president, M. H. Vanderlip. Mr. Hardcase favors rat rods but, because this is to carry dignitaries, vendors and customers, had to present a cleaner, less rusted look.

Hn30 Climax build

My first locomotive scratchbuild, an HOn30Climax, inspired by a friend's need for deer antlers to put on a locomotive's headlight. Once a made a set from some scrap bits, I had to build a loco for it to go on.

Yeah...weird...I know...please forgive the bad picture, as it was the early days of digital cameras.

I used a Model Power RS15 as the base mechanism...a huge mistake, as it is on of those badly designed, badly executed cheesy drives that can't pull its own shadow, hence its ultimate fate forever chained to a flat car.

David Cassidy/Keith Partridge tribute railbus, version 2.0

Can't say that I didn't have a serious crush on Susan Dey back when that show was on. I remember many an episode watched in the basement of childhood friends' house, along with 'The Brady Bunch' (Maureen McCormick, meh...Eve Plumb, swoon), and, of all things, 'The Night Stalker'. When I heard of David Cassidy's passing, my own mortality came to the fore. I hope my last words won't be ones of regret, that even my "wasted time" can have some redeeming quality in it.

I was about half way thru this project when he passed, so it became something of a tribute to a more innocent--though still very sin filled--time 45 years ago. My original version 1.0 used a Bachmann cable car mechanism. On this one, I used the mechanism from an Aurora 'Thunderjet' slot car, Intermountain 36" wheelsets, and some brass bar stock I have on hand, and a Johnny Lightning Partridge Family bus found in a thrift store toy bag. Hopefully the pictures help walk you through what I did. It is quite fast, but fun to watch roaring down the track...in the last pictures, you will note that I added small wipers that extend out about a 1/8" from the track wipers for more positive power pickup.

HO scale self propelled Burro crane, Part II

Here is a pictorial on how I built it, if you're handy, it should be no problem to follow, and even make improvements on your own...