Hobbyline HO scale Fairbanks Morse H-10-44 in Lehigh Valley colors...

...a gift from an online modeler friend. I've wanted one of these for awhile, in any form, from any manufacturer. The look is pure brute and the car body was designed by the same guy who did the Pennsy GG1.






Made in a time when the hobby was less refined...come on, can you imagine the caterwauling from the peanut gallery if Atlas stamped their logo on the SIDE of any of their models. And check out the screw on the top of the hood...shameless, I tell you, shameless...thinking some goob could actually enjoy the hobby with such a blatant display of non-scale hardware. That boxing glove for a coupler actually mates with most knuckle couplers today and was only used by HObbyline on their equipment. It just gets cooler with each inspection...


This torpedo tube is actually a device to eliminate light bleed thru the shell and concentrate it towards the headlight, a rather forward thinking detail that sees little use still today.


Then there's these giant spur gears in the cab, just waiting to puree some hapless HO scale crew that manages to fall into their clutches.

A great piece of modeling history, it appears to have been offered as part of several sets in 1955 -- in Lehigh Valley, C&O and AT&SF paint as a passenger train and in C&O and AT&SF paint in two freight sets. Pennsylvania paint eventually was offered but it wasn't long afterwards that HObbyline became Bowser and the diesel models stopped, most likely before 1960.

Many thanks buddy...it will be a cherished beastie in my fleet...

Keyser Model Kits P.O./P.O. Tours 4-6-0 locomotive in HO scale...

...and even all that may be wrong. I have found very little information on this other that the original owner and photographer's pictures. It will be on its way here shortly to join my growing stash of kits set aside to keep my fingers busy when work runs out. I have found nothing on the net except for a few auction listings and so would appreciate any history out there if you readers would know of it...

Alco Models HO scale Union Pacific ALCO C-855...

...well...the drive train anyway, part of a recent box load of ancient HO history...


Included were these two Lindsay "Teaspoon of Power" drives, the L-140 HO gauge 4 wheel power unit with flywheel and the L-142 single end motor. The little boogers are rated for 1.5 amps, enough to fry three of anything offered today. The L-140 has an ingenious design that allows it to extend its wheelbase .170" to fit a variety of models. The gear box simply slides along the long end where the flywheel is, then locks in place with a set screw. The flywheel can also be flipped to make for more room as needed.

Intermountain HO scale 33" replacement wheelsets...

...my product of choice for most of my rolling stock. I try to replace all plastic wheels with metal ones because the metal ones work as they roll to clean the track, just like the real ones.

A short circuit that showed up recently had me momentarily baffled until my alter ego, CAPTAIN OBVIOUS came to the rescue. One of the last cars I converted was an older Athearn 50' reefer with its original metal sprung trucks. When I lifted the car off the track, all my power was back.

NOTE TO SELF: When installing metal wheelsets, get into the habit of checking the insulated side of the axles to make sure they are all on the same side of the car. That way, self is not inadvertently creating a short circuit through the metal truck...duh. Bonus points are gained by making sure both trucks are insulated on the same side in metal framed kits.

NOTE TO NEWCOMERS: The insulated side is the one done in a non-conductive plastic, usually black. --->Can you believe they used paper or varnish not too long ago? The varnish breaking down over the years is the more likely reason Grandpa's old trains aren't working for some right now...that creates a dead short, leaving folks to believe that the motor is toasted.


WRONG WAY


RIGHT WAY

Con-Cor/Rivarossi N scale 2-8-8-2 N&W Y6b....

...gets an early Kadee Micro-Trains #1048 conversion kit installed. Nicely engineered for a relatively painless install, Kadee is to be commended for its early foray into a fledgling scale, without which N scale probably wouldn't enjoy the following it does, and certainly at a time when what was offered usually did not line up with the quality of the conversion kit Kadee designed for it.

The Con-Cor Mallet was one of the better running locomotives offered in its day, and certainly well worth the extra work to convert...even today. The conversion kits are still relatively easy to find online for these old locos, and usually run between $3-10 apiece.






The original pilot coupler provided in the kit grenaded on me, leaving me to modify one (actually two, one of THOSE grenaded as well...sigh...) from a U-boat conversion kit I had lying around. It does work but serves as a reminder to how fragile they are...

AHM/Rivarossi Limited Edition HO scale Conrail Bicentennial GG1 #4800...

...the first GG1 built and the only one with a riveted carbody, the others being welded, hence the nickname "Old Rivets". Along with this paint scheme, #4800 wore Pennsylvania RR, Penn Central and the standard blue Conrail paint before being retired to a museum siding around 1980.

Number 2091 of 2700 made, the AHM/Rivarossi model falls short only in that they use a welded carbody on their rendition, but is an otherwise faithful and accurate reproduction of Old Rivets when she wore this paint scheme in the years around our nation's 200th birthday. I especially enjoy the silver running gear and the kitschy 70s stylized graphics. It comes complete with its original foam lined box, certificate of authenticity and commemorative belt buckle...

Pennsyvania Railroad engine crew fire control video....

1961 Athearn HO scale 4-6-2 Heavy Pacific...

...some interesting notes on this locomotive...

The slipping problem it came with was a result of an ear clip breaking. It is used to hold the worm gear in line and in contact with the bull gear. This would hold until a load was applied, whereupon it would push up and out, disengaging the drive. By installing a cone spring that pushes down on the top of the worm gear housing, it keeps the gears engaged while retaining the drive axle's ability to flex and roll in motion...






The tender electrical connections are shear genius. At a time when models were not quite standardized, leaving locomotives wired to go in different directions because of polarity, Irv came up with a novel solution. By making the terminal ends interchangeable with a simple plug in socket installed in the tender body and frame, polarity--and therefore directional travel---could be correct, even if one took their new prize to another layout...

1961 Athearn HO scale 4-6-2 Heavy Pacific...

First announced in 1958, it had many bugs in the drive. Finally released in 1961, it followed their unique 0-4-2 Lil' Monster and preceded their 0-6-0 USRA switcher...for four short years, they were the only three steam locomotives Athearn ever offered until the Genesis line in the late 1990s.




Highly desirable to Athearn collectors, I picked this one up as an unidentified model on an inner hunch that it was a Mantua Pacific, only to be pleasantly surprised by what it actually was upon further investigation...

My first clue was found on its arrival...the tender wheelsets are a spot on match to the popular Hi-F drive Budd RDC rail cars that Athearn had out at the time...


Equally fascinating were the all plastic drivers, pilot and trailing truck wheelsets---all power pickup is thru the tender...


All in all an exceptional catch that will keep me busy tuning up this winter...

Mantua hook/loop couplers...

...pretty much an HO industry standard until the introduction of horn/hooks...look carefully at pictures in any pre '65 or so model mag and you'll see that many folks used them....




You opened them by pushing these uncoupling pins up from underneath with a ramp or a tool called a "spoon"...

This box I purchased at last week's train show was pristine from one end to the other, the metal looks brand new. It's bare zinc, as I prefer it over other peoples paint jobs when I buy old school stuff like this, so I can show newcomers their hobby's roots.

Note that this Mantua 0-4-0 Booster has 2 wheel pick up---2 WHEELS...the other two being nylon. You had to be pretty faithful to the hobby to keep with it as balky as this thing had to be on that old school brass track...note the solid metal saddletanks to aid in power pickup. Even then, there was no way it could make it through Atlas Tru-Track with its plastic switch frogs...as soon as one wheel touched, the current flow would stop immediately.


The full valve gear would have been purchased as an aftermarket kit...an item I knew about but, until now, had never seen an original one, though there have been plenty of copies made by a variety of manufacturers since.

1:64 scale Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Jr. remote control NASCAR racers...

...produced by Motorworks about 5 years ago. Picked up at a yard sale in like new condition---Sr's car was not even opened---they have excellent detail and very good paint, my son and I will be road testing them tonight.

They steer much like a real car, with both front wheels turning on their own steering points, the front end being fully adjustable...it simply amazes me how far rechargeable battery and micro-motor technology (the top picture being fairly close to actual size) have come in just the last 7 years....




UPDATE: The battery in Jr's car is toasted, leaving me free to experiment with it for future rail models, unless I find a source for replacement batteries.

The mechanism for steering is quite ingenious, using a rare earth magnet on the tie rod that is drawn to either side by small electromagnets.

Model railroading cartoons....

...have never been the best out there. For the most part, they just plain stink. They can be very sexist in a pre-PC ugly manner. They can be remarkably cruel...I think of the "Thumbz" series of cartoons in the NMRA Bulletin and how callous the other members of the portrayed club were in dealing with an inexperienced klutz. They tend to put the husbands and wives at extreme odds with each other, with lying and exchanges of sharp barbs. In short, they rarely are funny and, more often than not, if the editorial staff were thinking them through, would never see the light of day in a publication of any kind.

But every so often, someone gets it right, nobody is demeaned and it can even be understood by someone not in the hobby...Model Railroader magazine, April '62...

Walther's HO scale Impact Test Car #933-6892...

Though you wouldn't know it from how often my Blackberry has been going off, I've been on vacation the last 3 daze. Spent some time fixing this old kit from the 70s, upgrading the wheelsets and trucks and adding an onboard button cell battery power source rather than relying on track pickup. I repaired the missing corner steps and touched up all the paint with a 1 to 6 mix of Humbrol Matt 60 and 154, an almost perfect match.

I installed a flasher circuit that has a 15 second timer on it as well, the problem with the original being that the penalty flash was momentary most times. This one will flash long enough to see that the bad operator move can be noted without a doubt as to what happened.




The basic car is an Athearn bulkhead flat painted especially for Walther's. I'm not concerned that I've "ruint a classic", it was a bit rough when I got it, so I felt free to do as I pleased with it while retaining the original spirit of the car.

NWSL ad, May 1974...

Couldn't help but notice that the Shay was promised with all 26" drivers powered, something that was not built into the model I own. Did this one slip by the "normal 100% operational test and verification program". And what's up with a 4" long loco...especially an HO scale Shay...needing 18 inches of radius?

The presence of the additional model notes promised on return of the warranty card tells me that the original owner did just that. Comforting to know...do you think they'll honor the warranty, seeing that the product is not as advertised---37 years later?

The original retail of $89.95 is a pleasant surprise compared to the price I did pay for it. This same model in 2010 dollars would go for $393.16, about the same as they sell for now. So...is brass a real investment...or simply keeping up with inflation?

Northwest Short Line 18 ton HO scale Shay, the reception...

This just came over from England, a very nice model of a Patterson & Western RR Company oil-fired 18 ton Shay built by Lima in 1916. While the original locomotive was built to ride 3 foot narrow gauge track, the model was built to run on standard gauged track. Offered by NWSL in 1974, they were notoriously bad runners from the start, apparently from a design change in the drive train made between the time the prototype model was approved and the final delivery was made.

It is a beautiful little Shay though. At just over 4" in length over the foot boards, it is nicely dwarfed by my Bachmann 80 ton Cass Scenic Railway #5...


...and a 9 volt battery.


Those tiny jackshafts are an absolute beast, popping out at the first opportunity, whenever the trucks are swayed too far to the left. However, any grief is quickly sated as it runs, and the monkey motion of the little two cylinder engine with its rods and crankshafts does its magic.

It is remarkably slow running (when it is running), thanks to a well hidden worm and gear setup, cleverly tucked behind the engine. The thing sounds like a very angry hornet, a testament to its early heritage. In the mid 70s, brass locomotive manufacturers who made quiet, smooth mechanisms were still hard to come by.

Interestingly, it only powers the front truck, the rear one is just there for the ride...there are gears on the rear jackshaft, they just were never built to mesh properly. Because of this arrangement, it can barely pull itself, and will need some additional weight added to the boiler to remedy the problem. Fortunately there is plenty of room, limited only by the amount of lead the motor can handle and still slip the drivers.






Alas, the couplers did not survive the trip across the pond...whose postal gorillas are at fault none will know... The fine spark arrestor suffered at the hands of the same goons as well...


She came with her original box, papers and a bit of a list to starboard. The contacts needed a bit of adjusting to straighten that out. The weathering job is a treat and well enough done that only minor touch-ups are necessary. I will eventually upgrade the drive and properly letter it for the P&W RR Co. #2.


...approximately actual size---yeah, dangerously close to "cute"...
---On rewards and consequences...

I have recently felt impressed of God to start selling down a large amount of my collection. A well meaning friend, knowing this, as well as my desire for a small Shay, observed that this may be a reward from God for my obedience. I appreciated the thought--but--I dearly hope my faith is a bit stronger and more well grounded than that of following a Divine Dispenser of Brass for Good Deeds. I just can't picture the Sovereign Lord of the Universe using one of His nail scarred hands to put one of these into my mostly faithless and morbidly ungrateful ones...at least not for doing what was asked of me anyway.



Now you know why no one sits with us at church....

M1358 CH Mack truck desk set...

...I finally found out the origins of my desk set. This set was offered in the Mack Shop catalog back in 1990-91 for the princely sum of $82.50 at the time (...that's $136 in today's Monopoly money, but that's another story...).




That the truck is facing in the opposite direction is most likely a preproduction change rather than something done later in life, there is no evidence of tampering with the felt bottom.

The name plate shown was a separate piece, left loose to be engraved and then mounted with double side tape.

Many thanks to the Mack museum curator for helping me identify this piece.

Troxell Bros. Models ad, January 1951...

I don't know...call me picky but...I just don't believe your marketing department was a drawer full of sharp knives when they came up with two disembodied heads, looking upon a floating hand holding your latest modeling paint with an air of grudging approval, as really good ad copy.



Just sayin'...

Big Blue and Gauge online forum HO scale 2nd and 10th anniversary boxcar...

...not a factory paint but a very well done piece by one of the senior members, offered as a fund raiser for the site in an auction among members. What makes it especially unique is the label on the end of the box, a detail few would have gone to the trouble to do...