American OO Today

Three Freight Cars by Bill Johann

2012-01-08T15:23:00.000-07:00

Those in the OO SIG know there is an inventory maintained by the SIG, which at present resides at my home. Several items were recently claimed, including these three cars built by Bill Johann. Before they left Arizona I thought it a good idea to document them further for the website, as they are nice cars. Click on any photo for a better view.

These first two were scratch built by Johann in late 1987. How do I know? Because they are signed and dated. This first photo shows the cars overall. The Bliss Fall gondola is wood and has a gravel load, and the Mill Creek flat is plastic and has a machinery load. They are nicely finished and lettered, with the gondola showing just a bit of wear from transportation/storage.

The second photo show the bottom view, which gives the dates they were completed. The frames are very similar. The flat has the later version of his roller bearing truck which roll wonderfully. Other than trucks and couplers there are very few commercial parts on either of these cars.

Next we have this big three dome tank. I believe it was based on a Tyco HO model. What Johann did was make a new frame from brass and add other details. It is also an effective model, as even though it is based on a HO body it is still a large car in American OO. He built this car in 1978 but updated it in 1991.

Finally, a close up of part of the bottom of the tank car. I appreciate a lot that he took the time to sign the cars with his initials and date them, it is something I plan to start doing. It is a sure way to know that he built the cars and for me at least that carries some value as he built some great cars and was such a big figure in postwar American OO.

If you are not a member of the OO SIG, more information may be found here.

A Pair of Alco Switchers for the Orient

2012-01-05T05:53:00.003-07:00

The last completed project of 2011 was this pair of Alco S-2 switchers. These both started life as Model Power HO models, which were based on an AHM model (the “Alco 1000”) that I describe further in this prior article. Also, an older conversion of one of these that I did may be seen here, but it is running with the original AHM drive with the vertical motor, which is an easy OO conversion but not a great drive. It is geared too high and only has four wheel electrical pickup.

Also in that second link above may be seen an SW-1 conversion also based on an AHM/Model Power model with a horizontally mounted motor. It was converted to run with an Athearn power truck, with a key thing to note right away being that both of these models are marketed as HO but have overscale bodies and trucks that from the side especially scale out very well for 1/76. This fact lends them to conversion to run in American OO without a lot of heroic effort.

I wanted to do a pair of these and I am very happy with the end result. The conversion is pretty straightforward. It took two different train shows to locate the models but I found two good examples with the horizontal motor setup. Step one was completely tearing down the models to repaint the frame and body. I used the original motor and the front truck of the Model Power models and modified the drive truck area to accept an Athearn drive truck, selected as it not only is simple to convert to OO but also because it has better gears and picks up power. Using the drive involved opening up the frame area to accept the larger drive truck mechanism (there is plenty of room in the cab to do this easily), making a new mounting bolster out of rectangular plastic tube (glued in the pocket where the original truck mounting was), fitting the drive, and modifying the cab weight to clear the back of the new drive. I also added more weight above the drive truck as there is extra room, leaving the model weighted just a bit heavier than it was from the factory.

The second photo shows the underside of one of the models, giving a clear view of the drive modifications. These I have described in previous articles, with a good description found here. I used the original front truck but modified it so the sideframes would clear the wheelsets (widened out on the original axle) and modified the other sideframes to mount on a ground down remnant of the original Athearn sideframe. Power is picked up from all eight wheels, and the driveline itself uses mostly Athearn parts (a couple shortened) but with the original AHM part that was on the gear tower shifted over to the original motor to make it all work.

The main compromises are the model is a bit narrow over the walkways and the wheelsets are too small in diameter. These defects are not particularly visible and are totally acceptable to me in the context of now I have a pair of models that are closely matched, that run very smoothly at prototypical speeds, and have enough power together to pull a good string of cars. Right now to begin the year I have them running with “modern” cars from the 1980s but they look great with equipment from the 1940s era on up. Plus, if anything goes wrong with the drives I can easily fix them and I only spent something like $60 total on both models! Retro-modeling is easy on the budget.

I would certainly do this conversion again and very likely will at some point, perhaps next time keeping the factory paint job. In particular, the first HO locomotive I ever purchased was the AHM ATSF version of this model; at some point I would like to get one of those set up for OO. But a more likely project will be to create an OO scale Alco RSD-1 (or MRS-1) from these body parts and the drive of an Athearn FM Trainmaster. It is great to get projects done but also great to be thinking ahead to the next one.

Finally, looking ahead for this site, I will have to slow down on posting for probably the next several months. Professionally I hit one of the busiest times of my year. I will try to have something new up every week or two, and trust that regular readers can find much of interest in the site with a bit of digging around.

UPDATE: To make the conversion a bit clearer, this final photo is of the drive with the body removed. Focusing in on the drive specifically, the first plastic part off the motor was originally on the gear tower side of the Model Power drive. The rest of the drive line is Athearn but with parts shortened to make it all fit. Wires are soldered on to the Athearn drive as well to facilitate 8 wheel pick up. Also visible in the photo are the modified weights. The bottom line being this model now runs quite smoothly, the conversion is well worth the effort.

A Schorr 2-8-0 for the Orient

2012-01-04T06:20:00.000-07:00

The third recent project completed was getting this Schorr OO scale Ma and Pa consolidation running.

The first challenge was the connection between the motor and the drive. The motor is a large Pittmann motor on its side filling the entire tender. The original connection was a flexible rubber tube that was broken and brittle on this vintage Japanese brass import. I was able to modify the connectors that originally went from the motor to the drive of a Model Power HO Alco switcher to fit this model. It involved making a slightly longer drawbar. With some tune up this model is a bit noisy but otherwise runs great.

In a prior article I have photos of a similar model from Dick Gresham. Looking back at them I realized that my example was painted exactly the same way (note the side rods in particular) and that must be the factory paint job. So I did not modify the paint at all, and since the model is of Ma and Pa engine number 26 (and that number is on the headlight from the factory) it is now Orient number 26, which fits in my freelanced version of the Orient just fine. (The actual Kansas City, Mexico, and Orient did not have an engine number 26, but the closest actual locomotive numbers above and below were according to the published roster similar sized consolidations, so the number is a very good fit).

This is a model I very much enjoy running, well worth the effort to work out a better drive connection from tender to engine. I was even able to double head it with my converted Mantua/Tyco 4-6-0, the two look very nice together.

Updated: S-C Gas Electric and RPO/Baggage

2012-01-03T06:14:00.000-07:00

The subject of a prior article, this Scale-Craft gas electric has been on the layout a few years. Well, not actually on the layout a lot as it really did not run that well with the AHM drive unit it had. I rarely ran it at all.

In a train show purchase this fall however I was able to buy several Athearn drive units. They were actually in powered boxcars--long story there involving a prior owner who used them as pushers for de-powered steam locomotives--but the happy ending is that I was able to use parts from them to repower three models this fall and I have enough more parts for two more locomotives. The first fixed was this gas-electric, which now has an Athearn drive truck with a large flywheel. It runs great!!!

The RPO/Baggage was described in this prior article but I did want in this update to show it next to the S-C gas electric for comparison. To briefly summarize the earlier article, this car was created by a prior owner from the RPO/Baggage version of the S-C gas electric. It needs a few more details but even as it is makes a great trailer for the powered unit. They are a very enjoyable pair to run on the layout.

Retro-Modeling: Matching Stock Cars and Hoppers

2012-01-02T07:25:00.002-07:00

In late 2011 several projects were brought through to completion. To begin a short series of posts on them, first we have these matching Scale-Craft stock and hopper cars. Two of them were cars I completed initially in the 1980s—can you guess which ones?

To get right to it, the cars on the left are the older models. In recent projects I have enjoyed working on cars in groups, at least as pairs and in larger groups if possible. My goal here was to match closely the older models so that they could be run together in pairs. The new, matching cars were both stripped of old paint to begin. Details were tweaked and both were repainted. For both of the new cars I also worked up good square and free-rolling S-C trucks from parts. Click on the photo for a better view.

The stock cars are close matches and are for my Orient. The hopper cars are lettered for the ATSF and have a bit more of a story. The one on the left was one I upgraded with a few extra details and the lettering scheme was done to match a HO hopper I had on hand at the time. This time around I also added a few details but I went to the Internet and did some image searches and came up with this lettering scheme that worked in respect to vintage, scrap decals on hand. So the lettering is a little different but I still think they make a great pair, with the hopper really looking much like a model that could have been made in the 1940s with those vintage decals. These cars should put in many miles on the layout in coming years.

1939, the Peak Year: Part VII, People, Books, Etc.

2011-12-20T10:22:00.007-07:00

Any thriving model railroad scale is made up of a community of people, those people especially being those who produce products for the hobby, those who write articles and books, and those who purchase and use those products. In part VI a person came up, Fred Chemidlin, a manufacturer. In this concluding article in the 1939 series we have a few more people to focus on.

The first to mention is Herbert L. “Red” Adams. Active in OO since 1934 and the original maker of the 4-6-2 model sold by Scale-Craft, his article “Adventures in Double-O” published in the May, 1939 issue of The Model Craftsman is a real treat to read, I love his vivid writing style. The subject of a prior article in this site, photos and quotations from that article may be found here. Adams wrote quite a number of articles in the following years. For another view of his layout in 1941 see this recently updated article; it is interesting to compare the two articles as he has worked more on scenery and such. This photo however is of Red himself, taken at a meeting of the Chicago Model Railroader’s Guild, published in the December, 1939 issue of The Model Railroader. He was at the time vice-president of the guild. Another photo apparently taken at the same meeting may be found in the Handbook for Model Railroaders by W. K. Walthers, on page 30, of Adams operating an O scale layout.

Another individual was Edmond Collins, Jr. He was mentioned for this prize winning model at the “Philadelphia edition of the National Model Show” in the June, 1939 issue of The Model Railroader. Also on display at the show were three different OO gauge layouts, one by Lionel, one by Scale-Craft, and “the show itself furnished another loop in that gauge.” Collins was making the rounds with this model as it and another of his models was described in The Model Builder in a June article on the Lehigh Model Railroad Show in Allentown as follows:

There was an "OO" gauge layout containing an old Mother Hubbard type engine hauling a local freight, and an old trolley. The trolley was operated by means of an over head wire and would climb unbelievably steep hills, much to the interest of those who crowded in front of the display. The display belonged to Edmund Collins, Jr.

Another individual I would mention briefly is E. H. Bessey, who would the next year become an OO manufacturer. In The Model Craftsman in July in a letter to the editor he notes that he had just

gone through every issue of the MODEL CRAFTSMAN. The reason for doing so was to list every article that could be used in the construction of a “OO” model railroad. The improvement over the first issue is large and certainly appreciated, at least by myself. Money cannot buy the complete set from me.

A look at 1939 would not be complete without mention of the New York Society of Model Engineers. In April of 1939 article on NYSME appeared in The Model Builder, a very natural topic for them as the Lionel publication could feature O and OO models. In a bonus article to this series I previously presented a look at some 1939 Lionel OO layouts in The Model Builder. The NYSME layout was not Lionel but it was OO and the NYSME had for years been very supportive of American OO. At the date of this article OO pioneer F. D. Grimke was treasurer of the Society. Grimke had also written the first series of articles on American OO that was published in The Modelmaker in 1931-32, and is considered to have been the father of American OO gauge. The NYSME had an OO layout in operation no later than early 1934 that would have been seen at their very popular annual show as well, showcasing the new scale.

As of 1939 they were building a new layout in a new location. This photo is of an OO trestle and The Model Builder relates these details on the new system:

Also contributing to the railroad as a spectacle is the manner in which the “OO” gauge line is planned. The “OO” gauge system will be a complete unit in itself which its own stations and controls. However, it is to be located at the furthest point in the general layout, at a very high level and will wind in and out among mountains in an ingenious manner to make it appear far in the distance. To the visitor, the “OO” equipment is intended to appear as just so much more of the railroad but so far off that it will look small….

The first half of the railroad now being built will also contain a great range of mountains, toward the back of which the “OO” gauge railroad will be located. There are 150 feet of track in the “OO” gauge line, each end of which contains some type of loop for return routing.

While we are in The Model Builder, a question also came in on the topic of 3 rail OO models and 2 rail track. Lionel knew there was a problem there. In short, cars and locomotives would need some modification. “There are certain hobby shops that will insulate a locomotive and tender for $12.00 and a car for approximately $1.50. The names and addresses of shops nearest you will be sent upon request.--Editor.”

Choice of scales was a big and potentially heated topic. Miniature Railroading has an article on the topic of HO or OO in their October 1939 issue, where this handy illustration may be found. They look at the history of the topic in some depth and note that

For a time, it looked as if HO gauge would sweep away OO gauge in this country, but then things began happening. New lines of OO gauge equipment appeared on the market, easy on the eye and on the pocketbook. Improved kits went on sale, and scale models, of American equipment, were produced along with tinplate ideas of mass production. OO showed a big jump along with HO, and soon both were helping to swell the rising tide of model railroading all over the land.

As they note in the article, the original question they began the article with was which was better. “To answer it we have to first brush aside the original notion that one of the two must in time supersede the other. They both have gone too far for that, and there is not the slightest reason to believe that either will outstrip its rival.” They work through a list of factors in the article (price, variety, etc.) but ultimately punt on the question of which is better. “It’s up to yourself to decide, and I’ve done my best by telling you all the things to consider.”

The Model Railroader has an item on the topic of choosing between the gauges in their November 1939 issue, which as a bit different angle on the topic. In the end they recommend that “before you cast the irrevocable vote, build a car or two from standard kits in each size that has any appeal to you.”

Books on model railroading are another new product of the time, and I have two from 1939, the Handbook for Model Railroaders by W. K. Walthers and Model Railroads in the Home by Earl Chapin May. I touched on the Walthers book early in this article; it does not feature much on OO. Turning to the May book, the “perennially persistent F. D. Grimke” is mentioned who “worked out and introduced the American OO guage.” Written in a very readable style, the book contains some nice coverage of the NYSME layout and among other photos includes this photo of the works of a Lionel Hudson.

Finally, I would mention one trend, the rise of mail order. There are advertisements in virtually every issue of every magazine that give insights as to what really was for sale and what were the leading products that were being pushed. To close I have this small ad from Gerstner in The Model Builder for December, 1939. While it was a Lionel publication that did not prevent advertising that pushed products by competitors such as this Scale-Craft 4-8-4. Also note that the same page of the magazine has scale rulers for Standard, O, and OO gauges. Again, HO was not something pushed in The Model Builder. OO was their small gauge of choice.

With that I close this look at 1939. I have some other writing projects under way so it may take a few months to ready, but as soon as I can work through my notes and work up drafts I will continue with a look at another great year for American OO, 1940.

Return to the beginning of the 1939 series

1939 Bonus: Lionel OO Layouts in The Model Builder

2011-12-11T19:40:00.004-07:00

This past week a tip was posted on the OO Yahoo group that the full run of The Model Builder is posted in the TrainLife website. This led to a flurry of reading on my part, updates to several articles (especially parts II and III of the 1938 series), and the need develop at least one extra article related to the 1939 series (the final of which I may need to split in two to cover all the materials I am looking at).

The Model Builder was a magazine published by Lionel. Volume 1 Number 1 dates to January of 1937. Of course, Lionel introduced an OO line in 1938 and expanded it in 1939, so there are some very interesting nuggets of OO history embedded in the magazine in the timeframe of their OO production. 1939 is an especially good year for this and especially so the October issue, as the front and back covers feature photos taken of a Lionel OO display layout right when their two rail line was about to be launched, and there is yet more inside.

Looking at the big picture for a second, not surprisingly, in the run of this magazine at this time HO is rarely mentioned. The OO Hudson was regularly second prize in contests though and an OO Hudson may also be seen on the cover of the June, 1939 issue.

The present article though will focus on the October issue, where we find this first photo on the cover. I have zoomed in on it a bit here; the full image is here.

Take a look at the track. The 3-rail track is clearly Lionel but the outer loop, it does not look like Lionel 2-rail track, the base is the wrong color (very gray looking) and the base shape is suspect. I have noted in an earlier article as well the use of Scale-Craft freight cars in the 1938 catalog. Lionel did use other brand items as stand-ins for their own. In this case though, I am inclined to say it is not Scale-Craft track but rather hand laid. The look is similar to the S-C track, with the gray base, but the tie spacing looks a bit tighter. In the earlier article in American OO today there is a nice overhead view of the two types of track to compare to the second photo.

The second photo being from the rear cover advertisement. It is the same display layout but it looks a bit different as the image is reversed. Note the position of the animal pen next to the track and then the Lionel logo on the boxcar. The negative was flipped relative to the view on the front cover. Again, this image is just a portion of the page, for the full page see here.

There was also a display layout in the 1939 Lionel Catalog. It does not appear to be the same layout but looking at the photo closely (in this article) you can begin to wonder now, is the 2 rail track Lionel 2 rail track? The photo is small and a bit diffuse looking but the roadbed color does again look rather gray. I believe that it is not the standard, production 2-rail track; maybe S-C but probably hand-laid.

People were using the standard 3-rail Lionel OO track to build layouts right away. This October issue of The Model Builder also has these two photos of an “elaborate ‘OO’ gauge system” by A. L. Michaels, this image being clipped from this page of the magazine. It is easy to see the Lionel track on the long straight runs on the sides of the layout, and also a tight radius circle in the middle of the same track. How many pieces do you see? Think what that track would be worth today!

Also later in this same issue are found the results of an OO layout contest. The winning plan used, you guessed it, Lionel sectional OO track (3 rail). The plan, for a layout that looks even larger than the one in the photos above, according to the text was for Lionel OO gauge track and switches but “O-27 or regular O gauge track may be readily be substituted." The full article from which this comes may be found here. Those tight radius Lionel 3-rail curves would save a lot of space.

But again, to return to the big picture, Lionel was pushing the OO line hard in 1939, emphasizing in advertising the quality of the product, etc. And it is great also to be able to so easily be able to read these issues of The Model Builder today. Some model railroaders of 1939 clearly were taking up the scale, and when the 1939 series returns the focus will be the people that were working in the scale.

Continue to conclusion of 1939 series

1939, the Peak Year: Part VI, Other OO Makers

2011-12-03T07:33:00.007-07:00

Looking over magazine advertising of the year there were at least eight other firms actively serving the American OO market in 1939.

Alphabetically we start with Finco. One of the things you need to make a layout is track, and Finco of Philadelphia sold turnouts in HO and OO. The OO turnouts were in No. 6 and wye versions, “held in gauge by brass binders—easily removed.” The line advertised in The Model Railroader.

Next up is Hoffmans, who introduced their OO line in 1938. Their new items for 1939 included a PRR X29 boxcar and also an automobile box car, advertised in the April and May issues of The Model Railroader. The item to add though to my previous articles is that in a recent purchase I found one more orphan Hoffmans truck, seen in this photo. As noted in earlier articles, it was the first sprung truck offered commercially in OO. This particular example looks to be all original based on the patina and such. This particular truck does not track well at all, which may be part of why Hoffmans was soon out of the OO gauge market.

Couplers are also something you need, and an automatic coupler was something that would be especially desirable. Graceline, featured in the previous installment in this series, sold an automatic coupler in 1939 and another firm also introduced a coupler of the same general type, K&W of Cranston, RI. I have a photo of one of these on a car in this article and this advertisement is from the June, 1939 issue of The Model Railroader. The cars in the photo look to be HO models and it would seem the HO and OO couplers are identical. From what little experience I have with them they were likely a touchy design but they did get some use by OO gaugers back in that day. For a photo of one of these on a car see this article.

What layout would be complete without buildings? A steady advertiser in The Model Railroader, Little Gem Models of Dayton, OH had in their November, 1939 ad a line of “Quality buildings for fine layouts. 30 Stock Models from 15c up.” My inclination is from the ad that they must be HO-OO models (and they also sold models in O), but I welcome any further reader information on this line. I have a bit more here.

Mantua still had their line of OO track out, introduced in 1938. What was new was they added a turnout and also couplers to their OO line. These couplers were as they stated in their ad on the back cover of MR for November, 1939 “designed for the HO gauge, but will work as well on OO cars.” I have seen on a fair number of vintage OO models equipped with these hook and loop couplers and they were certainly a popular option in HO as well.

Speaking of track, next up alphabetically is a very important player in the OO track market, Midlin Models of Scotch Plains, NJ. They announced their line of “semi-assembled” OO track in the April, 1939 issue of The Model Railroader. There they note that

As with our popular HO track, this new OO gauge comes to you in three foot lengths with stained wooden ties assembled on one rail. We are using HO rail section as this is nearer scale size for OO gauge track….

Accuracy in construction is equaled by the accuracy in copying the detailed beauty of its prototype. Stained ties, oxidized rail, and real stone ballast lend much to the realism captured in this track. All how have seen our HO gauge have marveled at its true-to-life appearance.

These track kits have been featured previously in American OO Today and at least among post-war OO gaugers was widely considered to have been the best track ever produced in American OO. It is very easy to spot as it has a very distinctive rail with a fin on the bottom that fits into a groove in the ties. One thing I note in this first advertisement is that it was offered initially in 2-rail and 3-rail kits. The ad does not make it clear if it is center or outside third rail but 2-rail version quickly became the standard one.

In June they introduced OO switches and in November featured their new crossing with this nice advertisement. I have never seen these crossings either but they are on a plastic base.

In 1940 Railroad Magazine ran a short article on Midlin track with two good photos of the manufacturing process (including a photo of owner Fred Chemidlin) and text about the firm. I have featured this in a prior article but this quote is most relevant to our article today:

Fred J. Chemidlin of Scotch Plains, N.J., Grew Tired of Forcing Home Midget Track Spikes With Long-Nosed Pliers. So He Designed a New Type of Spikeless Track Assembly. Two Parallel Groves Are Cut to Gage Width in a Cross Grained Strip of Wood, and These Grooves Then Receive the Base Web of Specially Designed Rails.

To see examples of Classic OO layouts built with Midlin track see also this article on the OO Norfolk and Ohio of Carl Appel or this more recent layout by Bill Johann, one of my favorite articles in this site.

Another company with track on their mind was Pratts of Richmond Hill, NY. I believe the track gauge in this article is an example of their solid bronze track gauge advertised in The Model Craftsman in February of 1939. Primarily an O gauge maker, they called this a "2 in 1 type for lining up both running rails and third rail." It was available in HO, OO, and O gauges.

Finally we come to another big line, Skyline of Philadelphia. The first advertisement I have spotted for this Classic line of buildings is in the October, 1939 issue of The Model Railroader. They were “Made of fibre-like Tensilite” and available in two sizes, O and “HO & OO” gauges. This portion of their advertisement shows the HO/OO line as of that time. For a longer overview of this line of structures and photos and links to more see this article. UPDATE: This ad may also be seen in the October, 1939 issue of The Model Builder, which is online; the page with the complete ad is here.

One more installment is planned in this series on 1939, check back for that soon.

Continue in 1939 Series

The Avon Lionel OO Hudson

2011-12-02T15:05:00.001-07:00

Back in the article on the Hallmark Lionel OO F-3 there was a comment made by a reader noting that there was also a collectable version of the OO Hudson out there. With my eyes peeled for one for a couple years, last week I came across one of these at a show.

The model is not part of the Hallmark series but instead is an Avon collectable. But it is made along the same visual lines, with a nice base. The model itself would appear to have been cast from a resin material of some sort, and except for the added metal details of the handrails and whistle it was cast in one piece. From the plaque on the base you can tell that it is actually a replica of the 1937 O scale 700E Hudson, not the 1938 OO Hudson. But due to the scale size chosen by Avon it is actually very close to the size of the OO Hudson.

The second photo gives that comparison pretty clearly. The Avon model is just a bit bigger than the OO Hudson, but really not by very much at all. The biggest difference being that raised area just ahead of the cab.

This model is in short very close to American OO. As such, this falls in the category of being a great display item for the OO collector. It is not so far as I can tell a particularly valuable collectible, but is nice looking display item and one that should live in my office for some years.

Another Truck of Mystery

2011-11-27T13:06:00.000-07:00

From time to time I post articles on items that I can’t identify. Some I have later identified, but others have remained a mystery. Those interest me particularly as for sure someone did know what they were at some point in the past, but that knowledge is lost or hidden at least now.

While the nice arch bar trucks featured recently are still not identified, they contrast a lot with this truck, of which I only have one example. It was with some Nason trucks in a lot but these are certainly not Nason. The basic casting itself is rough and heavy to such an extent that it could be somebody’s shop project. But then again it certainly looks like it could easily date to the earliest days of American OO and be a commercial product.

The second view reveals the very heavy cross section of the truck and also the odd bolster. Note the upward extensions.

The wheelsets with it may or may not be original but I suspect are not. Putting the truck down on the track it is pretty quickly evident that this truck is at present not very usable. The wheelsets are terrible and the axle holes are not all in the same location.

The overall effect though, holding his in my hand, is in terms of OO it looks almost prehistoric, from a time before Nason. I think that comes across in the photos as well. Anyone have more of these relics?

The Graceline OO Scale B&O Wagon Top Boxcar

2011-11-26T17:48:00.002-07:00

Last weekend in part V of the 1939 series one model featured was the new Graceline B&O wagon top boxcar. As noted there in the original advertisement, it was available with hand painted sides and was reviewed briefly in the May, 1939 issue of The Model Railroader, as follows:

This B&O OO gauge freight car uses pressed metal sides and ends. From a distance the built up car looks good; closer inspection shows the pressed details rather lacking in character. The truck parts and underframe are cast of a lead base alloy in a permanent mold. Rivet detail heavy in spots and light in others.

This past week that article has received by far more hits in one week than anything I have ever posted related to American OO. Traffic source number 1 seems to have been a Yahoo Baltimore & Ohio group, followed also by a Yahoo vintage HO group. So to the readers of both, welcome to American OO and thank you for the links! And now for more information on the boxcar that seemed to have generated some interest out there.

This model is an eBay purchase and was lettered with decals. Compared to the new ExactRail HO model of this same car sure, the details are rather heavy. The sides (roof) and ends of the Graceline model are brass stock that has been pressed in a die. In the case of this model I can only say that the body is soldered together and is hollow, with pins connecting the sides to a wooden floor. The result is that the roof has caved in a bit as have the sides from the pressures of handling and storage over a period of some 70 years.

The builder left the frame off the car and instead used a flat piece of metal for weight. The car also picked up three significant Scale-Craft items. The ladders are the typical stamped S-C ladder stock first shipped out with their reefer kits, we have S-C couplers, and the trucks are also modified S-C trucks. I have worked at this point with a lot of S-C trucks and actually the wheelsets in this pair are Graceline wheelsets from a good batch, recognizable as the flange is heavier than S-C and also the tube on the split axle is larger. Also the bolster was modified with a larger screw hole and the builder added oil holes at the bottom of the sideframes, a nice touch I have seen before but not often.

(I also recently intentionally used some early Graceline wheelsets on S-C trucks as well, for the reasons they were on hand and also they have a slightly shorter axle than S-C, which helps with setting up some sets of sideframes/bolsters. And I think a lot of OO gaugers had these on hand back in the day because Graceline trucks were not so great in operation due to inconsistent quality of wheels and castings.)

So, yes, it is not super detail but contrary to the review this model has tons of character and is a great vintage item. Going back up to the top photo (click on it for a better view), the doors are actually just stamped into the brass stock! Everything you see on the sides except for the ladders is stamped into the sides and half roof. Great vintage character.

As to this car I think I will leave it as it is for now. Sometimes the cure is worse than the problem, and while it could be rebuilt totally and become a very striking model, it would be a very major project, not to be undertaken lightly as it would involve unsoldering the body among other things. Certainly a unique model to keep your eyes peeled for.

1939, the Peak Year: Part V, Famoco, Graceline, and J-C

2011-11-20T06:46:00.007-07:00

In the category of smaller makers who produced a good quantity of models in American OO, Famoco, Graceline, and J-C Models stand out. These lines were all either introduced or began to hit the market in 1939.

Going alphabetically, as reported earlier in this series Famoco was on the market by late 1938. In March of 1939 in the “Good News” column in The Model Craftsman they highlight the “Smooth Parts” of their new 0-4-0t locomotive as follows:

A built-up construction new to the model railroad field is employed on switching locomotive kits by the Famous Model Company. Instead of being castings, boiler, domes, and other parts are turned from solid brass, being accurately machined for easy assembly. The smooth finish of the brass eliminates the need for filing the surfaces, eliminating one of the usual operations in assembly. The locomotive is driven by a permanent magnet [DC] motor permitting remote control of reversing, and all parts are drilled, tapped, and otherwise finished for quick assembly.

There is a photo of the model with the review that is the same as the one published in 1938 (see here) and also the above photo on the cover of the March 1939 issue would appear to be of the same Famoco model. Note the outside third rail setup and the reefer cars. Then back later in the same issue is this ad which should have made people back then look and say wow! The roundhouse goat is mentioned but note the big photo of their OO GG-1, in the original version with the sand cast body. What a beautiful model! They also produced lines of freight and passenger cars; for more see Famoco 101.

New to OO in 1939 was Graceline. The first notice I see in print is in the March, 1939 issue of The Model Railroader, where in "Trade Topics" under the heading “Hand Painted OO Reefer Kits” we see this nice write up:

Graceline Model Railroads …, Minneapolis, Minn.: Metal underframe, complete hardware, detailed trucks and hand lettered sides. Two- or three-rail optional. A buy at the price. Send stamp for list.

These cars have been featured in American OO Today previously, see for example this article where you can see both sides of examples of their hand lettered sides and in this article a nice example of their Baby Ruth reefer. I have a number of these cars; I love the vintage look. Graceline was rolling out a full line of cars, and the next one they featured was their B&O wagon top boxcar, seen in this advertisement from the May, 1939 issue of The Model Railroader. It was also briefly reviewed, in "Trade Topics" in the same issue, as follows:

This B&O OO gauge freight car uses pressed metal sides and ends. From a distance the built up car looks good; closer inspection shows the pressed details rather lacking in character. The truck parts and underframe are cast of a lead base alloy in a permanent mold. Rivet detail heavy in spots and light in others.

Not the best of reviews to be sure. I have one of these cars, lettered with decals (it was also available unpainted), which I hope to rebuild at some point, and would tend to say the review was a bit harsh, it was really not a bad car. (UPDATE: For more on this model see this article).

Continuing through the year for Graceline in The Model Railroader, in June their new hand lettered depressed center flat was featured in their ad, in July they got a bad review of their new tie strip (ties “spaced wider than average and considerably more than scale”), in November they had the great ad below featuring their new caboose, and in December they featured their new automatic OO coupler. As always, click on any photo for a closer view.

Going back to the caboose, note that the ad for this “cleverest caboose kit ever offered in OO” highlights that the car literally "falls together" and is available “painted and lettered for your own road." I have two of these cabooses; seen in this prior article, with the factory, hand lettered sides. The hand lettered sides are a distinct feature of this line which also included a line of passenger cars; for more information see my Graceline 101 article.

Our other new and widely distributed line for American OO was J-C Models, first seen advertised in the March, 1939 issue of The Model Railroader and quickly followed by ads in Miniature Railroading and The Model Craftsman in their April issues. This first ad from The Model Railroader shows their new coach, and by mid-year advertising made it clear that their initial line included also a baggage car and a Pullman, all available in O and OO. Their OO line was later expanded to include a combine; more on J-C may be found in yet another 101 article.

At least nine other firms were active and serving in the OO field in 1939, more from them when we return to the 1939 series.

Continue to Part VI of 1939 Series

Retro Modeling: Two Great Boxcars from One

2011-11-14T07:35:00.002-07:00

The relatively late (post-war) Scale-Craft OO 50 foot single door boxcar was produced in enough quantity that a good number seem to be around today in kit form. Seen in the photos below is an example of one of these kits I built up from an incomplete kit (it lacked some wood part that I worked up from scratch) and two great boxcars built using some of the parts of this kit by Bill Gilbert.

First, take a look at the stock S-C car. It has two really big visual problems. First, we have those doors. S-C always used that door on every boxcar type they produced and it really is not very prototypical [UPDATE: or at least not very common for the era when first introduced, see the first two comments below]. It sort of passes but is too wide, especially so on the earlier style boxcar. Than look at the roof. Ugh! It is pretty terrible; pitch too high, strange stamped ribs, and also those tiny end walks.

What Bill Gilbert did was use the original S-C sides and frame to make one of the best OO double door boxcars I have ever seen. The roof he made up using Famoco/Eastern ribs. The ends are Selley parts and the doors Famoco/Eastern. This close up is of the ends and roof. His modifications helped this car a lot. With Schorr trucks and a good paint job this car really stands out. As always, click on any photo for a better view.

The other car is even more epic in relation to what he did. This is literally one of the best boxcars I own, and was also made by Bill Gilbert. It has the ends that were from a S-C stamped boxcar (perhaps the same car as the first car) but modified so that the pitch of the roof is correct. Those ends were mated with scratchbuilt Milwaukee Road horizontal rib sides, Famoco/Eastern roof ribs and doors, a frame in the same style as the S-C frame, and Schorr trucks.

This is a close up of the ends. That change of roof pitch makes a huge difference. I have got to think that buyers who saw the S-C 50 foot cars when they came out could not have liked that element either.

Finally, the last photo compares his built up frame to the frame of my stock S-C 50’ car. On it I aimed to modify it little from the original kit but I, as he, added some basic HO brake details. The stock detail shipped out with the car, a spun brass part similar to a K type brake cylinder, is far from accurate for any prototype.

They are not super-detail jobs in the style of models you see featured in the magazines but they are great retro models based on rearranged vintage parts combined with scratchbuilding. This does give me some ideas as to how to better use those late S-C car sides and ends. What he did, in terms of my layout anyway, is take a car that I am unlikely to run as it is so ugly (the S-C 50 foot boxcar) and turn parts into cars that I would love to run often.

1939, the Peak Year: Part IV, Lionel

2011-11-06T17:12:00.008-07:00

When you look at the 1938 Lionel catalog, in relation to OO you get the sense that they were scrambling a bit to get the line out. They used modified Scale-Craft cars in the photos instead of their own, and basically all of the 1938 offerings were different than what they offered in 1939.

1939 was the year that defined the Lionel OO line. Backing up a step, I always find it fascinating to look at their 1939 catalog. What is so striking to me is you have O-27 and Standard gauge trains that really look like toys and then you have the OO models which are real scale model trains in 1/76 scale. This photo in particular illustrates this well.

What was new?

The headline of the first page on Lionel OO gauge in the catalog pretty clearly spells out what was new: “Midget models that operate on 2-rail or 3-rail track.” The 1938 models were all three rail with a center third rail, which was out of step with the offerings of any other maker of the time. A center three rail model could be of course modified for outside third rail, but if you were operating in two rail you were out of luck. So the essential innovation for 1939 was offering the same models as before but decorated somewhat differently and in versions that were either “super-detailed” or “modified” (with some details left off) sold set up for two or for three rail.

This required modifications of the locomotive and a new line of two rail track. When I was working on my Hudson recently one tricky thing was setting up the power contacts to the trucks and also the truck mounting, both of which are a bit different than what I expected. When they designed this model it clearly was not with two rail operation in mind, but they worked out a way to make it work.

The track was a separate story, and has been covered in depth in an earlier article in American OO Today. But I would offer this photo from the 1939 catalog, which has this text: “This display is used by stores to exhibit Lionel ‘OO’ gauge trains. Track area is 50 by 86 inches. Outside oval is 2 rail track. Inside loop is 3-rail, extended with straight sections.”

Another item highlighted in the catalog, although not new, are the “Knee-action” trucks. These are of course a distinct feature seen on both Lionel and Scale-Craft trucks. This illustration is from the March, 1939 issue of The Model Craftsman, the same ad running also on the back cover of April issue of The Model Builder.

So what about the train sets?

These have also been covered previously in American OO Today. To quote from my earlier article,

Lionel expanded the line with two rail and super-detailed and modified cars and locomotives in 1939. There were eight different sets offered.

The most expensive of the new sets was the 0090W at a price of $42.25, the super-detailed two-rail outfit. For your money you got the 003 locomotive with 003W tender, 0044 box car, 0045 oil car, 0046 coal car, and 0047 caboose, eleven pieces of 0031 curved track and one piece of 0034 connection track (no straight track), and a whistling controller. The same outfit without the whistling tender sold for $37.50.

The original 0080 set was still available for $35 but the components changed. This was now listed as super-detailed and included cars that were “similar to” those in the 0090W set (car numbers not specified), eleven pieces of 0051 curved track, four 0052 straight track, and one 0054 connection track. The 0080W set was still $39.75, with the whistle in the tender. One major note, not mentioned in the catalog, is that the connector between the 001 locomotive and tender was modified compared to 1938 production and the cars are decorated differently.

The other four sets for 1939 included versions of the modified engine and only three cars. The cars listed with the 0092W set were the 0074 box car, 0075 oil tank car, and the 0077 caboose. The differences are pretty minor between the modified and scale versions, lacking only a few small details (no brake cylinder, modified valve gear, etc). The 0092W outfit included the 004 locomotive and 004W tender, the three cars, and track as in the 0090 set; the 0092 set was the same but lacked the whistling tender and controller. The 0082W set included the 002 locomotive and 002W tender, three “similar” cars, and track as in the 0080 set; the 0082 set was the same but lacked the whistling tender and controller. It was the cheapest version, selling for $27.50.

I would only add that the catalog notes that “Any Trainmaster Transformer can be used to operate ‘OO’ gauge trains. Type B will operate one train and an number of accessories. Type V will operate two trains simultaneously and numerous accessories.” This use of toy train transformers is another unique feature of the line and part of what contributes to their honorary toy train status today (along with the three-rail track and the Lionel brand).

Car kits??

Another new item were the car kits. Looking at it now, the price break between a kit and an assembled model intrigues me a great deal. Car kits for the box car, oil tank car, hopper car, and caboose listed for $2.75 while an assembled model listed at $3.00. It is only a 25 cent difference but also note: the comparable Scale-Craft kits listed at either $2.85 or $3.25 so either way they were priced to make OO gaugers of the time notice.

The kits themselves were pretty deluxe for the day and included paint and a paint brush in a neat display box. I don’t own an example of one of these kits and they are valuable collectables today to be sure. I can't imagine anyone building one of these up today either, they are too valuable and also make a great display item just as they are for the Lionel collector.

Magazine coverage

To close, Lionel did advertise the OO line some but it was spotty. The fist ad of the year related to the OO line in The Model Craftsman was in the March issue and is chock full of the breathless advertising copy of that day, highlighting the scale detail, draw-bar pull, and the Bettendorf trucks on the freight cars. The April issue of MC had this nice photo of testing OO models at the factory, and in July Louis Hertz reported on the new two-rail OO line. There were other mentions through the year in Model Craftsman, and in the December issue of The Model Railroader may be found another nice advertisement.

How sales went for the new line initially I don’t know, but certainly buyers who had started out with Scale-Craft two-rail models (introduced in 1937) were pleased to see the Lionel two-rail models out and on the market.

When we return there were a lot of other smaller companies entering the market, and these we will have to work through in this look at 1939.

UPDATE: See this bonus article for additional coverage of Lionel OO layouts in The Model Builder in 1939.

Continue to Part V of 1939 Series

1939, the Peak Year: Part III, Scale-Craft

2011-10-30T22:23:00.007-07:00

1939 was such a big year for the OO line of Scale-Models, Inc. of Chicago (marketed as Scale-Craft) that it is almost hard to know where to start. But as with previous article in this series, on Nason, their catalog is a good place to begin.

This catalog is the one I would call their 1939 catalog as, inside the cover, it states that it is copyright 1939. That said, based on other advertisements I am thinking this catalog came out at roughly mid-year and certainly later than the Nason catalog. And it is much more substantial, 75 pages in a magazine format covering their O and OO gauge products.

On page one the catalog opens with an editorial on “The Fascinating New Hobby.” 1939 was a time frame where our hobby was truly new. The editorial is unsigned but would seem to be by owner Elliott Donnelley, who wrote that

…over fifty thousand men have learned the secret of enjoying their spare time and adding to the pleasure of living. They have accomplished this through the medium of America’s fastest growing hobby – Model Railroading. They can now lay aside the cares and worries at the end of the day and enter another life in a world of their own making.

Right up at the front of the catalog it has a long section devoted to the hobby of model railroading and the choice between O and OO gauges. These two photos show the comparative sizes of the two scales and over a number of pages you can glean various notes on topics including--

Cost: “An average ‘OO’ gauge layout is about one-half the cost of an ‘O’ gauge.”
Tools: “…the ‘OO’ Scale-Craft locomotives and cars, for the most part, have been constructed in such a way that there is practically no drilling or soldering to do, and it really is a matter of assembly work and painting, which the exception of the refrigerator and stock cars, and one or two of the locomotives.”
Why OO: “Two years ago we selected the ‘OO’ gauge as our standard small gauge…. This selection was the result of intense study and experiment with trial systems built in the ‘HO’ and ‘OO’ gauges. We found that … the slight increase in size afforded by the ‘OO’ scale allowed us to use 7-pole armature motors three times more efficient than the best ‘HO’ motor….”
Who OO is for: “The ‘OO’ gauge equipment is ideal for the man with limited space and time.”
How long to assemble: “Our ‘OO’ gauge locomotives require from 15 to 20 hours for assembly…. [Car] kits require from 3 to 6 hours to assemble.”
Power pickup: “The 2-rail system has been perfected for the ‘OO’ gauge … all our kits and parts in this size are made for 2-rail operation.”
Minimum radius: 26”

The full OO line as of the date of the catalog included (in order featured in catalog)

C. & N. W. Class H 4-8-4
Southern Pacific P-13 Pacific
Ten-Wheeler 4-6-0
Atlantic 4-4-2
4-6-4 tank locomotive
Die cast coach and baggage cars
Freight cars, die cast unless otherwise noted: refrigerator car (wood), box car, stock car, tank car, flat car (brass sides), twin hopper, caboose.

The links above take you to more information on those models, most of which have been featured multiple times in American OO Today. Scale-Craft also had a newsletter, Blow-Smoke. It had two issues in 1939; this link will take you to notes on the first one and read on to the next issue from there. The fall issue has news on their new line of structure kits, which would tend to date the catalog as being in print prior to that date.

Finally, we turn to magazine coverage of Scale-Craft. Their advertising was inconsistent and may reflect on uncertainties of marketing and sales overall. My favorite ad from the year is this full page ad from the October, 1939 issue of The Model Railroader, and it brings up a few final items to note on the year for S-C.

The first thing is the 4-8-4, new for 1939, clearly out does anything that any other maker had out. It was a big, impressive model and as they note, at that time it was “…truly, the finest engine model ever built.” After describing the model pretty fully they note that the “New 12-volt AC motor is standard equipment along with two-rail insulation.” But when they note the price of $39.50 they also note that the kit is “complete for three or two-rail operation.” So they recognized the three rail market and also that their original 24 volt DC motor was a bit out of step with that market. But you could still get the DC motor in any model according to the catalog, for $2 extra.

In short though Scale-Craft was going strong and putting a lot of product out on the market including in particular five different locomotive models. When we return to this series on 1939 the topic will be the other big OO manufacturer, Lionel.

Continue to Part IV of the 1939 Series

Three Winther Heavyweights

2011-10-28T21:38:00.004-07:00

As a model built by Howard Winther was featured in the previous article, and also I have been very much enjoying running heavyweight passenger cars lately, it seems a good time to feature two more models built by this OO pioneer.

First up we have this RPO. Not very many RPO models were commercially produced in OO gauge, and this does not appear to be one of them. When I first looked at this photo my guess was that Winther took what would have originally been OO scale baggage car sides (likely J-C or Graceline) and skillfully reworked them as RPO sides. On second look it is even more impressive work; the car is based on a Scale-Craft die cast baggage car! The trucks look like they are Graceline trucks, seen also in this article. No RPO baggage car of this type was ever commercially marketed in OO, and seeing it only makes me wish S-C had produced this model themselves. This is a great model that took much skill to pull off on the part of Winther.

This second car has a similar history I believe. It is a very nicely made coach (note the full interior). As on the RPO, the end closest to the camera looks to have been shortened. This time, based on the photo, I believe the car is based on J-C or Graceline sides. The trucks are I believe Nason.

In both cases we have an oddity, such nicely built cars, nearly done, but never lettered for any road. Why? Were they late projects that were not quite completed? The RPO does not have couplers visible and may have never have seen layout service.

Our final car is this similar model, a shortened Pullman, with no trucks at all, seemingly part of the same passenger car project. I would again guess it to be based on J-C or Graceline sides and other parts. As always, click on any photo for a better view.

It would have been a handsome train but seems to have not been completed. OO has many little mysteries such as this. It keeps it interesting for sure for the few people active in the scale, and I always hope that some more readers out there will get the bug and get interested in working more with these great vintage models.

1939, the Peak Year: Part II, Nason

2011-10-24T22:09:00.007-07:00

Continuing with 1939, while Nason was pretty invisible in The Model Railroader, showing up only in the advertisements of dealers, they were regular advertisers in The Model Craftsman and Miniature Railroading. Starting with Miniature Railroading, their advertisement in the January, 1939 issue trumpeted their new, 5th anniversary catalog. The text there modesty notes that they have the “Largest OO line available.” So to start we should take a brief look at that catalog.

The format of the catalog is 5.5 by 8.5 inches and the text opens as follows.

In compiling this Fifth Anniversary Edition Catalogue we take rightful pride in the rapid strides made in Model Railroading since our advent, as well as our own improvement. Interest, new confidence, and your continued patronage will forge the permanence of 00 gauge in its proper position in the Hobby of all Hobbies. Its position of “correctness in size, economy in cost, and the excellence in detail which 00 is capable of having” keep us forever alert to furnish a Quality job, for the average man’s pocketbook with the average space available for his system’s construction. Be sure to ask for our product by Name, and you will not be disappointed.

The line as 1939 began included (in the order listed in the catalog):

Reading Consolidation
New York Central Hudson J-1
P-5A Electric Locomotive
B. & O. Gas Electric
Eazy-bilt passenger cars (brass sides) for PRR PB-70 combine, PRR diner, Pullman observation, 12 section Pullman, PRR P-70 coach, PRR mail car
Cast aluminum passenger kits for PRR PB-70, 12 section Pullman, and PRR P-70 coach
Flat car
Eazy-bilt box and refrigerator cars
Eazy-bilt caboose (“Available approximately Feb. 28, 1939”)

Most of these models have been featured at some point in American OO Today; check the links above for more information on these models.

Their advertising though the year in The Model Craftsman highlighted a number of new items in their line, often with full page advertisements.

For example in March they highlighted the new 00 easybilt (this was spelled a number of ways, depending on the year) track and switches. This was actually featured in the 1939 catalog as well. These were precision cut from “Nasonboard” with built-up switches available. The tie strip includes every 8th tie lengthened for an outside third rail. In April the news is they have lowered the prices of their freight car body kits to 75 cents and also that they had added the former Star-Continental 4-4-2 model to their line. In May the featured item is their Gas-Electric. By August the caboose kit is out as it is featured in the advertisement, and in November we get to another very new model, this “diesel electric locomotive,” seen in this first photo as presented in the advertisement.

For comparison, I have been waiting to post this photo of a very handsome Nason box cab diesel electric, this model having been built by the OO pioneer Howard Winther. It is interesting to compare it to the one featured in the full page ad in November (seen, again, in the first photo) as it is the "custom built" version of this model, “Completely painted and ready to place on your model rails for full time service. No construction is necessary.” As I noted in a longer article on this model, it is sort of an odd model in a way as while always marketed as a diesel, actually it is a model of a New Haven electric locomotive but built up without pantographs. Note in particular the slightly different roof details. The body of the model itself is “of the finest government bronze” and oh, the built up version was offered for only $48.00. “We pay postage.”

Nason was very New York in outlook and focused their line on that market. The line was to be on display at the National Model Show in New York and as also noted in that November ad they were proud to be “The oldest and most complete line of OO equipment in the country.” But they had some stiff competition. When this series returns the focus will be on Scale-Craft in 1939.

Continue to Part III of 1939 Series

Two Modified Scale-Craft Passenger Cars for the Orient

2011-10-22T08:51:00.000-07:00

Today we have two recently completed projects, this shorty Scale-Craft OO scale diner and a RPO-Baggage. Both were created by prior owners by modifying stock S-C equipment, and both needed at a minimum stripping and new paint/decals to be layout ready.

First, the diner; it is a fairly straightforward modification of their stock diner, with one end essentially just cut off. I reworked it a bit further but with the main goal being just a nice clean car to run on the layout.

The RPO-baggage is a bit more heavily modified. The basic model was originally a Gas Electric RPO-baggage. What the prior owner did essentially was use most of the existing sides but assemble the rest of the car from parts. The ends are for example Nason and I suspect the floor and roof to be J-C models parts. The main baggage doors are salvaged out of J-C sides.

Both caught my eye in the collection though to rebuild as the RPO-baggage would make the perfect trailer for either of my Gas-Electric cars and the shorty diner will operate well in passenger trains on my tight curves. As such, both cars will see good service on the layout in the coming years, and I have been enjoying running a long heavyweight passenger train this past week.

1939, the Peak Year: Part I, Statistics and a Movie

2011-10-14T17:34:00.004-07:00

To open, we have a few cold, hard statistics. The below are actually copied from a post I found at trains.com, which summarize the relative popularity of HO and OO gauges in the surveys done by Model Railroader magazine. 1939 was the peak year in terms of their statistics, and was a great year in terms of OO gauge products as well.

1936 HO - 36%, OO - 2.1%
1937 HO - 33.9%, OO - 10.3%
1938 HO - 36.5, OO - 10.6%
1939 HO - 39.3%, OO - 16.9%
1940 HO - 46.3%, OO - 13.6%
1941 HO - 45.6%, OO - 14.8%
1942 HO - 53.5%, OO - 13.6%

1943 HO - 48.9%, OO - 12%
1944 - no poll
1945 - no poll
1946 - no poll
1947 HO - 54.9%, OO - 8.5%
1948 HO - 62%, OO - 6.5%
1949 HO - 69.3%, OO - 2.1%

OO was basically always a minority scale, but 1939 was a big year and they were almost 17% of the market, nothing to sneeze at. As I started with the survey in Model Railroader, the complete results for 1939 were published in their June issue. There are a variety of stats to mull over, but I would highlight these two:

2 rail OO was more common than 3 rail. This would indicate that the new S-C line was really impacting the market as they were the firm that pushed the 2 rail market into the forefront.
The New York Central, Pennsylvania, and Southern Pacific were the three most popular prototype lines. Which was clearly reflected in the products of the day.

They also published quotes from the replies that they received. I would highlight this one, which was a common complaint of the day “Wish OO manufacturers would standardize on couplers and motors.”

As it was highlighted in the January issue of Model Railroader I would also like to highlight in this first part of the 1939 series a four reel movie. To quote MR,

The delights of model railroading as a hobby are well displayed in a four-reel 16 mm. motion picture, which has been completed by Lloyd Combs, an Oakland, Calif., professional motion picture photographer. The film is well arranged and cleverly photographed.

Object of the film is to sell the hobby to the uninitiated.

The reel that would be most fascinating to see would be reel one, which “is devoted to HO and OO gauges.” In the article however nine stills from the movie are included, which are spread out over this article. The caption for the stills reads:

The portion of reel one showing the construction of a complete OO gauge railroad from Scale-Craft kits was filmed over a period of several months. However, the various takes have been so cleverly spliced together and edited that the entire railroad project, from purchase of original kit to test runs before admiring family, seems to take but 15 minutes.

Note that the first photo shows a boxed Scale-Craft train set kit—perhaps the Holy Grail of all OO collecting—and the blueprint version of the instructions. I have never seen these printed as blueprints, but if you have them in this form they must be very early production. It must have been quite the family project!

As always, click on any photo for a better view. When I return to this series it will proceed initially from manufacturer to manufacturer, starting in with Nason. There is a lot of ground to cover, so this will take a while. The peak year!

Continue to Part II of 1939 Series

Improving the Scale-Craft Cast Boxcar

2011-10-09T07:20:00.001-07:00

This handsome pair of pre-war Scale Craft OO scale boxcars were built by Bill Gilbert, builder of a number of cars in recent posts. When they arrived neither of these cars was operational due to truck problems. While getting those in shape (all four bolsters had to be replaced, and most of the wheelsets as well) I noted several key upgrades he had done to improve these cars.

This car was sold with two different under frames. These cars have the later style under frame with the trucks closer to the ends. To those he added brake wheels, big HO parts, and to one car he added HO AB brake details. (And I added similar brake details to the second car).

The really notable change though is to the roof walks, specifically the short walks at the end of each car. These are cast into the body casting and as produced are noticeably too narrow. What he did was grind them off and add new walks of wood that matched and were the correct width. That one change helps this model a great deal. The body casting is still a bit oddly scaled but this will become a standard change I make to this car as well, and I have several in progress.

The other thing that would help would be to shorten the casting slightly. This would be more involved but is what Lionel did back in 1938 in their catalog photos, where they used S-C freight cars instead of their own. It may be worth trying on one car at least.

Back to the Gilbert cars, they are nicely finished and lettered, and with freshly rebuilt trucks they are great cars on the layout.

An OO Scale Vinegar Car

2011-10-08T15:10:00.001-07:00

Among the cars from Bill Gilbert was this Heinz Vinegar tank car. A model that was marketed in HO by AHM, this is just about the easiest OO conversion ever.

A scale drawing of this car may be found on page 31 the Rolling Stock Plan Book that was put out by Carstens originally way back in 1957, but my copy is of the 1971 printing. The dimensions given tell the tale of a car that is not HO at all but actually exactly scaled for OO.

Bill had equipped the car with Kadee couplers and Schorr Bettendorf trucks, which are the type of trucks seen in the scale drawing. However, the prototype photo in the Carstens book shows the car decorated the same way (but with slightly larger lettering) riding on arch bar trucks, so with a number of those on hand I switched the car over to a nice pair them, also by Schorr.

The scale drawing is of car 203, the photo is of car 204, and this model is car 208. It is unique car but one to keep your eyes peeled for at a show. It won’t be too hard to find one to equip with OO trucks and the car is dead on for American OO, 1/76. (And, for any HO gauger finding this article on a search, unfortunately it is well over scale for HO).

High and Wide Load!

2011-10-04T08:20:00.000-07:00

Today we have another pair of cars put together by Bill Gilbert. These were described in the March, 2007 issue of The OO Road as follows.

It is a two-car bolster load high and wide shipment. The Chicago Great Western flat is a Scale Craft with a scribed wood deck. The Pennsylvania flat car is an HO car cut on the centerline, widened, and given a scribed wood deck. Both cars have Schorr trucks and Kadee No. 5 couplers. The tank load is a wood dowel 1 5/8” diameter (10’ 3” 00 scale) with overhang on curves equivalent to a 12’ load. When Bill worked for the railroad one of his duties was to clear loads like this one.

I have a few more details to offer. The PRR car is converted from a Varney car, a HO conversion that worked out very well. Both cars are very sharply made. One thing to note is that the load is the “coupler” between the cars. It is mounted on pins that come up from the supports for the load. The couplers between the cars actually have no knuckles and don’t couple, which gives the car a bit more flexibility on tight curves such as mine.

It is a distinctive car but also a great project of the sort that any reader could accomplish as well.

I will have more cars by Gilbert in a few weeks, ones not featured previously in The OO Road.

Two More Schorr Conversion Cars

2011-10-03T06:05:00.001-07:00

At the end of the article featuring the hopper conversions in The OO Road in 1996 (as featured in the previous post) Bill Gilbert noted “I enjoy creating the variety of car types used by specific railroads without getting too nit-picky on dimensions and details. Now if someone has an extra Schorr covered hopper I would like to convert the Pullman Standard model to an ACF. The major differences are the triangle cut-outs on the sides and square hatches.”

A photo of a car that had completed that conversion may be found in the August, 2000 issue of The OO Road (before painting), and may be seen again in the June, 2007 issue. In that issue he wrote “Note change of end hat section ribs to channel, addition of a center rib, triangle cutouts, and changing the round hatches to square ones.” This photo is of the car today, with a stock version of the car for comparison.

In that same 2007 article he also has a photo of this “cut down gondola” converted to “a low side N&W style.” Here is that car today as well, with a stock Schorr gondola for comparison. A piece of brass channel stock tops the sides. Gilbert also notes that “Virgina, Southern, and Seaboard also used low side gondolas.” It is a distinctive car and with the load it has some weight and tracks well.

These are both great cars, very nicely decorated and executed, and great on the layout. I will feature more cars by Bill Glibert soon.

Three modified Schorr hopper cars

2011-10-02T07:40:00.000-07:00

In the group of great cars recently obtained from Bill Gilbert it is hard to know where to start but his modified Schorr hopper cars are a good place to start, as they were featured or mentioned in at least three issues of The OO Road, 8/96, 2/98, and 6/07. These cars were imported from Japan in twin and triple hopper configurations.

In the 1996 article we find a very complete description of the process of the conversion, with drawings. In this article Gilbert wrote that “after studying plans of PRR H21 quad hopper and VGN H12 twin hopper I could see another conversion project….” He had done similar conversions of Scale-Craft twin hoppers to triple (more on those another day) and related that,

Surprisingly it was easier to work with the brass cars than the Scale Craft diecast. Lesson number one is don’t use a zona saw, use an abrasive disc in a Dremel tool. The brass is very thin allowing the saw to bind, plus any pressure applied will bend or distort the brass.

That is very helpful information. Basically the conversion is to cut one pocket off of two triple hoppers and put them back together as two cars. One car will be the quad hopper and the other a smaller twin hopper. Multiple cuts are involved but made clear in the drawings in the article. In the photos here you will see the quad hopper with a standard triple hopper and two of the twin hoppers with a regular twin hopper, to point out the differences between the cars visually. They are all sharp cars. At the joints between the bodies he ran “a bead of solder in the joint as a butt joint. The joint is very sturdy.” Continuing from the 1996 article,

Now for detail work to more closely resemble the prototype. Both cars trim off the rounded ends and add a brass angle for a top on the ends. The VGN car has an Ajax brakewheel and the PRR a vertical brake staff. The PRR H-21 has a unique box end with poling pockets. You can get open square brass shape and solder on a channel. I used Scale Craft brass poling pockets off their flat car. You could use a blob of solder and drill a dimple in it. The Pennsy converted H-21 to H-21a with a top stiffener on the sides from end rib to end rib. I added to this by inverting a channel over the top angle. If you are a purist, the car sides on both cars are too tall. They can be cut down with the abrasive disc and a new angle soldered on, but I didn’t.

When they arrived all were beautifully painted and the VGN cars operated great. The PRR car however was on trucks that did not roll (Nason heavy duty Andrews trucks) and it had a bit of damage to repair. I decided in the case of this car to convert a fresh pair of PBL Sn3 Andrews trucks which have much the same look and roll great.

Be watching for more of these unique Schorr car conversions soon.

OO in 1938, more than Lionel: Part V, A Story Involving Lawyers and Other Problems in American OO

2011-09-25T16:40:00.007-07:00

I wrote with Ed Morlok a pair of articles on the history of American OO that were published in the October, 1986 and April, 1987 issues of the Train Collector’s Quarterly. In writing the series I had a lot of the same sources as Ed, but he had more. In particular there is a point where our article and others like it talk about the launch of the Lionel OO line and Scale-Craft. The underlying source that is cited is volume 3 of Lionel: A Collector’s Guide and History by McComas and Tuohy; Ed had a copy of this book and I finally broke down and purchased one of my own after writing part III of this present series.

This particular volume is on standard gauge but with sections on OO and HO that are well worth reading. McComas and Tuohy were not OO gaugers and the OO chapter frankly opens roughly, placing Nason in Philadelphia (it was in the New York City area), misspelling Famoco as “Famco,” and listing two lines that were not OO manufacturers at all (Star Lines and Amity). But after that we come to some great information, as obviously McComas and Tuohy had contacted Scale-Craft founder Elliott Donnelley directly and he had responded with some great, first hand information on the launch of his OO line and the Lionel OO line.

Donnelley states that he went into OO instead of HO because he found “a good motor on the market that fit nicely into my OO models” and he could not find a good motor that was small enough to use in HO. As to Lionel OO and a story that involves lawyers, McComas and Tuohy report it as follows.

…Donnelley always maintained that Lionel’s first cars were, as they say in the design business, “knock-offs.” Donnelley said Lionel merely assembled some of Scalecraft’s models, put Lionel decals on them, and offered them as samples to stores while they were having dies made of Scalecraft parts.

“Lionel’s freight cars were the same as mine,” Donnelley said a short time before his death in 1976. “As a matter of fact, the first samples they sent out were actually my cars.

“I happened to be walking down Fifth Avenue in New York and I looked into F.A.O. Schwartz’s window and they had a big display of Lionel OO gauge. I went in to see the buyer whom I had been trying to sell for a long time and he started to tell me what a wonderful line Lionel had.

“I said, ‘That’s fine, but those are all my cars in the window.’

“He said, ‘What do you mean your cars? Those are Lionel’s.’

“I said, ‘Come on with me.’

“So he came down with me to the window and I took the cars out and every car said ‘Scale-craft’ on the bottom. Lionel couldn’t get their line out for Christmas, so they used mine as samples to sell from and then made their cars almost exactly like mine.

“I had the patent on the miniature truck suspensions that I was using on my OO freight cars. Lionel not only copied the suspension but copied the cars. And they did it without my permission, so my lawyers contacted Lionel and told them about the infringement.

“From that time on Lionel paid me a royalty.”

Wow! What a scene. So, the “1938” Lionel models were not out on the market until early 1939 and his point about Lionel using Scale-Craft cars in their display is only confirmed by what I reported in part III -- that the OO freight cars illustrated in the Lionel 1938 catalog are in fact all Scale-Craft models decorated as Lionel Lines. In this article I have included views of the catalog photo of the box car, the Scale-Craft version here (early, with the trucks further in from the ends) and finally the Lionel version. It is pretty easy to see that the Scale-Craft car matches the one in the catalog photo; compare the rivet patterns, number of side panels, the ends, truck shape, etc. I believe the car in the Lionel catalog was shortened slightly, the bottom of the side casting being removed. The side ladder is a replacement and the roof walk was modified as well, but the end ladder visible in the catalog was not modified and matches the S-C car.

Also I would note that the track in the Lionel catalog is certainly not the production version of their track. In my photos here the S-C car is on S-C track and the Lionel car on Lionel track for comparison.

Other problems in OO are more mundane with no lawyers involved but as significant. I have already quoted Louis Hertz in his column in Model Craftsman for October, 1938 as stating that “HO is many times more popular than OO.” Besides popularity itself, one issue all makers had to sort out was that of track standards. MC for April of 1938 has notes on a meeting where S-C and Nason were present and wheel standards were set. Lionel went their own way with what we would think of as toy train flange and track standards, while modern NMRA standards are fairly close to what Scale-Craft was using back then. I hardly have any Lionel track--no curves or turnouts--but I have always wondered how well Scale-Craft models actually track on Lionel track, especially their turnouts. Thoughts from readers? I would suspect from my experiences as an operator using modern standards that Nason would be very touchy on Lionel track as Nason is touchy on my track. And of course the NMRA set a standard of 3’ for radius for OO but S-C and Lionel broke that right away.

A letter to the editor from a dentist in Cleveland, published in The Model Craftsman in August of 1938, presents an overview of the problem pretty clearly for the OO gauger of the time. (And it is a bit of a fun quiz of American OO knowledge to follow which lines are being referred to).

This is no complaint of your magazine, but it is a complaint to manufacturers. After assembling various kits in O gauge and discovering that I have no space large enough to make a real track layout, I switched to OO gauge. I had completed an engine and some cars from a Mt. Vernon, N. Y., manufacturer, then I saw cars made in Chicago that looked good. When these arrived, the couplers were all wrong as to size and height above the rail. Then an engine from Brooklyn, N. Y. was ordered, and the couplers here were different from the other two.

Now I notice that the Chicago concern is making locomotives, but these have a D. C. motor using 24 volts and two rails. My engines operate either on A. C. or D. C. but with a maximum of 12 volts. It would be impossible for me to use such an engine and how do I know another motor will fit in?

Today I see from MODEL CRAFTSMAN that a tinplate manufacturer has a new OO-gauge engine and I’ll bet his standards for couplers, motors, and voltages are different from the rest.

What good is the Association of Model Railroad Manufacturers if they agree on the height, width and spacing of rail only? Why cannot the makers of OO gauge get together on the couplers and operating voltages? It would be for their own good, for as it is now, a purchaser can use the equipment of only one concern unless he redesigns all the parts himself.

Indeed. There is another letter in the November, 1938 issue of MC that complains about the lack of passenger cars in OO. That problem would be addressed soon enough, but clearly HO already had the edge for variety and price and there were some things to sort out in the OO market.

1939 is next; be watching for a new series on American OO gauge in 1939 to start in a month or so.

Return to beginning of 1938 series.
Continue to the 1939 series.

Hoffman’s OO Gondola and Refrigerator Cars

2011-09-24T19:09:00.003-07:00

In the installment of the 1938 series posted yesterday the original Hoffman’s advertisement may be seen (with a photo of a built up gondola car), and I noted there that I had three examples of these OO kits produced by the Philadelphia firm of Hoffmann’s.

First we have the boxes. They were complete kits as shipped out, with trucks and paint. These kits today are all lacking their original trucks but all still have their original bottles of paint. I only have one set of the bottles out in the photos below, but most of them are probably still usable and have liquid inside. And as always, click on any of the photos for a better view.

This is the Reading gondola kit. This car would really stand out from the crowd, if you have one built up. The sides are printed cardboard and in this case are a bit stained. There are more loose parts in the box (nails and such, plus wood strip for the vertical posts on the sides) but these die case sprung couplers and brake cylinder seen in this photo are unique parts not duplicated in any other line. Also note the frame, which is different than the frame with the reefer kits I have.

Next up is the ARLX reefer. This one lacks the frame but has more small parts in the box not seen here. The sides are again unique and not copied from the products of another OO line. Also note the wood body is set up differently than that of other OO lines.

Finally we get to the FGEX reefer. This one, like the other reefer, has an empty folder that would have contained a pair of trucks. Note the frame too; it is different than the frame with the Gondola. One of these built up should be pretty easy to spot; there are a number of unique details.

This last scan is of the instruction sheet for the reefer. It is clear enough to get the job done but you would have to have been a fine craftsman to make one of these really look sharp. I don’t have the gondola instruction sheet.

In my earlier post on Hoffman's there is another kit seen, this one with the trucks which I report there are sprung trucks. It would be interesting to see a better photo of these but it would appear that their trucks would have been the first type of sprung truck offered in American OO. I wonder it the trucks in this article are actually Hoffman's? They do closely resemble the ones in the photo in my earlier post.

If you have more examples of Hoffman I would be happy to post more information on this uncommon and early American OO line.

UPDATE: See this article for another Hoffmans truck.

OO in 1938, more than Lionel: Part IV, More Makers Jump In

2011-09-23T21:52:00.011-07:00

To start on a down note, the July issue of The Model Railroader reports that the pioneer OO firms of Rockhaven Models and The OO Gauge Model Co. are out of business. But quite a few new products are going on the market in American OO gauge; more than filling any void those firms might have left.

First up we have Mantua. They were of course primarily a HO firm but they advertised their new “ready laid” track on back cover of MR for August of 1938, this image being a portion of the advertisement. A type of early flex track, it was available 18” long straight and flexible sections in HO and in OO gauges. To see a photo of some of this track see this prior article. It is a product only aimed at the two-rail OO market.

Our next new line is from Hoffmann’s of Philadelphia. They introduced their new line of OO cars in the September, 1938 issue of MR. The line included a Reading gondola, a Reading flat, FGEX and ARLX reefers, and was expanded in their ad in the October issue to include a caboose. I have a brief, older article on the topic here that I hope to expand in the near future as I now own boxed kits for the reefers and the gondola. In short though these kits are completely original kits with printed sides and were not duplicated by other makers later. UPDATE: More on Hoffman's here.

While we are in the September issue of MR, also in I note the new S-C 4-6-2 model in OO (with a full page ad and photo) and in October S-C has out a new reefer and Nason rolled out a new gas-electric! This model had been out a little while, actually, as it was advertised in the April-May 1938 issue of Miniature Railroading as well. Also, while on the topic of Nason, by June they offered their entire line for two or three rail operation, so it would be compatible with S-C products.

Turning to The Model Craftsman, their September issue has this very interesting photo of a model by Ted Menten. Why it is so interesting is he was the owner of Famoco and this is a model they later produced, their Roundhouse Goat; this model looks very much like the production version and is set up for three rail operation from an outside third rail. If this model was actually in production yet I don’t know but later, in December issue of MC we do find that the initial, bronze version of their GG-1 is available. Thus, Famoco was certainly in the OO market by the end of 1938 and we will be hearing more from then in 1939.

Our final new line of note this year is Page Model Co. of Hasbrouck Heights, NJ. This is a firm I have long been curious about and it took literally years to finally track down an advertisement. The line is referenced in other advertising in the October issue of MC and in December they ran this ad; click on it to see all the details of the new line. So far as I can tell these box cars and reefers are outwardly the same as the Nason Easy-Built cars (with the same sides) but have a solid block body. My guess at this time is it was an attempt to put out a lower cost version of the Nason line and perhaps also to attempt to give an impression of things really picking up in OO, with a "new" line of OO entering the market. I have a bit more on Page here (updated tonight, as well), and this is a line that I certainly still have a few questions about.

With that I have one more article to post on 1938 with some specific notes on the launch of the Lionel OO line, be looking for more soon.

Continue in 1938 Series

Vintage OO Layout Photos III: Moale Trolleys in Color

2011-09-22T06:13:00.003-07:00

As noted in another article on the Moale trolleys, in materials received from the OO SIG were a group of photos of his layout, including the four photos featured today. Edward S. Moale was a naval commander and trolley enthusiast, and he built up a large collection of American OO scale trolley models and also layouts to operate them upon.

This first photo is an overview of what must be a good chunk of the layout. I should note that Blogger recently updated the "click on the photo" function. On some older articles it does not work correctly (I am trying to update them as I notice it), but on new ones such as this where the optics are not great you can pick out a lot more detail if you click on the photo for a closer view. How many trolleys do you see?

The second photo shows another corner of the attic layout room, this area with a farm and a commercial backdrop for a countryside feel. Note that three tracks are visible and the models operate from the overhead wire. The closer car is more what I would think of as a city trolley and the rear cars are interurbans.

The third and fourth photos are dated January, 1958 on the mounting. We can see more of the overhead but also note that the closest track has a center third rail (Lionel style) and we can see the roof of a box car in the lower right corner. Oh, and do you see the elephant?

The last photo is actually the sharpest but features a British model, obviously converted to run on 19mm gauge track and probably from center third rail. This is another angle on the same scene as in the first photo and we can see that the depot is for the town of Henrietta. About ten trolley models are visible in this photo as well.

I have a few more Moale photos, in black and white, and will return to them at a future date in this series.

Two American OO Stock Cars

2011-09-18T19:16:00.003-07:00

When you think of stock cars in American OO you think of the classic Scale-Craft die cast model and the … hmmm. Really the only options back in the day were Scale-Craft (a photo of one may be found in this article) or scratch build one yourself. My first stock car, in fact, was scratch built and still sees service on the layout. Bill Gilbert explored two different options for stock cars in these sharp models below.

The D&RGW car in the back is beautifully scratch built from wood with working doors. The only commercial parts obvious are the Schorr trucks and also the frame is a standard Scale-Craft boxcar frame, most likely chosen for weight, with AB type brake details. The car came to me with a cattle load but all of the cattle had come loose, I believe in shipping; at present they are grazing elsewhere.

The car in the front is according to the card with the model an AHM conversion from HO. HO conversions at times sort of scream “HO conversion” to the viewer – in fact, I recently converted a couple of old HO conversions I did back to HO -- but in this case the car works very well. It scales out at 36’ long so it is a bit shorter than the D&RGW car in length. But it matches it in height and width and does not appear to have been modified further. This would be a car to keep your eyes peeled for at the train shows; it is a very effective conversion and would break that monotony of Scale-Craft stock cars. He repainted the model and lettered it for the NYC, and again it is on Schorr trucks.

Both cars operate great on the layout. I will have more from a group of cars from Bill Gilbert soon, and frankly I have no shortage of possible topics for short articles and will try to post a bit more frequently the next few months, as time allows.

UPDATE: Curious about the AHM car, I stumbled on to more information about this model online in an article on stock cars in the Santa Fe Railway Historical Society website. In it we learn that AHM has produced "at least five different stock cars" and this one is the 40' Double Deck, model 5275. From the article,

These were made by AHM in the 60s, then released by Model Power and now by Roco. The early AHM had separate ladders but the later productions have cast on ladders. They are very common at swap meets and on ebay. The prototype is NYC 28000-28499 (Lot 757-S) convertible stock cars rebuilt from USRA SS box cars in 1947. The model has the deck lifting mechanism on both sides of the car; the prototype only had this on the left side of the car. It is also 15" too wide. A second group of cars, NYC 27200-27399 (Lot 766-S) were converted to fixed double deck cars in 1948. AHM offered this car in just about every scheme except NYC.

An excellent kitbashing article by William Sharpe appeared in the March 1997 RMC. The Warbonnet, 4/2001, shows how to use this car for the basis of an ATSF SK-Z.

I will be looking for more of these. Not only will they work as is in OO but you could salvage the ends off and use them on other kitbashing projects.

UPDATE II: But John S. adds "the AHM HO Stock Car does come in NYC decals ... to a degree. It is model #5275F, lettered for NYC as a “NISX” car but in the 1960’s NYC Jade Green color. I don’t think the NYC was running very many stock cars by that time and whether they bothered to repaint them…doubtful, but the model does exist."

A Lionel OO Gauge Hudson for the Santa Fe

2011-09-16T20:05:00.001-07:00

Back a few articles ago I was working over the tender trucks for a two-rail Lionel 4-6-4 that came to me in a very sad state. It had been on the roster of the Greenbrook of the late David Sacks but had been stored in an unfavorable location which left the paint and decals in poor shape, and also he had modified the model to the extent that the motor was in the tender, and the universals he had used were brittle and unusable after storage.

This is what the entire locomotive looks like now. It still has a lot of that Lionel OO look, but it has been modified in several ways. All significant modifications to this 004 two rail Hudson were done by Sacks, who among other things had rather heavily painted the engine blue. I stripped the blue off the boiler and tender (protecting the original 004 stamp in the cab, though) so those areas have a nice sharp finish. The boiler front is also now painted in the appropriate color for ATSF and it has a number plate added.

In this closer view of the locomotive you can see more of the details. Parts of this model I did not strip and opted to paint over, and there is some visible rust on the side rods. I replaced the damaged original pilot with a reproduction part but reused his modified coupler mounting with a modified Scale-Craft coupler. The big challenge for me was mechanical, as his big modification was removing the original motor entirely and replacing it with a large, DC can motor.

To make it work he put the motor in the tender. His connection involved older style universals that had cracked with age and probably heat damage. My solution was to use modern Athearn HO drive parts. There is a fixed point at the back of the cab, at the center of the system I set up, and from there two sets of universals go out, one set to the back of the drive itself and the other set to the tender. The whole thing is set up in very nearly a straight line with the motor angled to match. It is a bit odd but the bottom line is this locomotive runs well on my layout, much like a HO diesel actually, and has very good pulling power.

The big can motor is an operational plus for DC operation and I think the reason Sacks did his conversion. I opted to hide the motor with an oil tender top. The cover, while freelanced and built specifically to hide the motor, does a lot toward making the locomotive have more of a Santa Fe look. The real 3450 is in a museum in California and looks a bit different. Still the model is pretty effective as it is and I have really enjoyed running it with freight trains the past couple weeks (imagining it is a 4-8-4 or similar freight engine – for sure I am not the first OO gauger to imagine the same thing).

I won’t be doing this conversion to another model and frankly would not recommend it, but I certainly am glad to have what was a fairly hopeless looking junker in poor condition running well and earning its keep on my layout. That the drive still works well and that this model is as attractive as it is speaks to the quality of the original 1938 Lionel product.

OO in 1938, more than Lionel: Part III, Lionel Enters the OO Market, and a Catalog Deception

2011-09-11T13:41:00.012-07:00

You knew it was coming: the launch of the Lionel OO line. The Model Railroader for June, 1938, has the scoop, but only a very brief item in "Trade Topics" that reads as follows. “OO Gauge: Lionel follows up its O gauge Hudson with a OO Hudson and cars.” This is right after a listing of what is new in HO that is four times longer (!) and announces the entrance of Gilbert American Flyer into HO with their Hudson. The battle was on!

The Model Craftsman has much more extensive coverage in their July issue, reported by Louis Hertz in his “Along the Tinplate Track” column. He opens by describing the new Gilbert American Flyer HO Hudson, where he notes that

In the HO-gauge “Tru Model” Hudson, Gilbert has produced a neat little scaled model with twenty-to-one gear reduction and a sequence reverse. The entire system is two rail, wheels being of Bakelite. There are a number of cars and accessories available as well as all types of track sections.

Then on page 35 we arrive at Lionel, this photo being the first published photo of the new OO line. Of this Hertz wrote

Lionel has gone into OO gauge! This is the first bit of startling news on their new line! After carefully considering both HO and OO, Lionel chose American OO, ¾” gauge, and are putting out the first mass-production line ever attempted in that size track by an established tinplate manufacturer. Lionel’s OO line consists of a wonderful super detail 4mm. scale, 4-6-4 locomotive, and four die cast freight cars. The engine is a wonderful piece of craftsmanship and, without a doubt one of the finest small-gauge models ever made anywhere. It has all the detail of the big O-gauge No. 700EW but reduced in size. The model has a worm drive, built in whistle, and a sequence reverse. She operates on 12 volts AC or DC. The locomotive is also available in assembly-kit form.

There is a complete series of track and switches available in center third rail, roadbed type. Lionel chose inside third rail as the safest and surest method of supplying current to the train. Remember what we have written about the superiority of inside third rail over outside in this department? Well, Lionel, after thirty-eight years of making trains, still finds this the better method of the two after intensive research into the matter. Inside third rail, which Lionel’s president, Mr. J. L. Cowen introduced into this country years ago, still remains supreme in this firm’s opinion!

He goes on from there to describe the rest of what is new in their line in O and Standard gauges.

I don’t know enough about the marketing of toy trains in that day to know at what point that year the OO gauge line started hitting the market. My sense of the Hertz article is that if he actually held any Lionel OO in his hands before writing this first article on the line it was only the locomotive and the track, there is no real mention of the cars. Hertz does however have more to say about the new OO line in “Choice of Gauge” in his October column, where he notes

Regarding the choice between HO and OO gauges, we can see that HO is many times more popular than OO, but this fact should not deter fans who are appealed to by the features of tinplate OO from choosing that gauge. Never pick a gauge because the others are doing it. Use the gauge you like best. If you want two-rail, a larger range of equipment in domestic and foreign types, and permanent-magnet motors, then you will pick HO. If, on the other hand, remote-control whistle, inside-third-rail track for ease of operation and signaling, and other features common to present O-gauge trains appeal to you, then pick OO.

In this of course he is speaking of the new Lionel OO line, or “tinplate OO” as he calls it, not of the scale lines of Nason and Scale-Craft. And I love this line, “Never pick a gauge because the others are doing it.” Has me pegged there.

First appearing in the October issue of the magazine published by Lionel The Model Builder, in the November issues of The Model Railroader and The Model Craftsman we also see reprinted the first Lionel advertisement that features the OO line. Click on the image for a closer view but the principal quotes would be

The biggest little train ever made, 14 ½ inches of “OO” Gauge scale model perfection, duplicating every detail of its big “O” Gauge brother and ingeniously constructed so it will circle a track only 27 in. in diameter.

… driven by worm-gear motor, it’s a veritable power plant on wheels, as smooth in its performance as any engine ever made. “OO” Gauge scale model freight cars. True-to-scale, Bakelite-mounted, easily assembled “OO” track. Switches, Crossovers. In fact, everything you need to be a “OO” Gauge railroader.

Everything! You would need to send in ten cents for their new catalog to learn more, especially about the cars as they to this point have not specifically been mentioned anywhere in print. The new line is featured on pages 6 and 7 of the 1938 catalog, and it leads me to I believe a brand new theory of why we have not heard much about the freight cars to this point.

Besides the pre-production Lionel Lines schemes seen on all of the cars in the catalog, first take a close look at the trucks, for example on this boxcar. They caught my eye writing this article as they look a whole lot like Scale-Craft trucks, not Lionel trucks which were longer and more finely scaled.

Then I got looking closer and it is actually plain as day: all of the OO freight cars in the 1938 Lionel catalog are Scale-Craft freight cars!!! The rivet patterns and other details totally give this away. That is why the boxcar for example looks a bit oddly shaped; it is not a Lionel box car at all. It is early Scale-Craft decorated as Lionel Lines.

I had read that Lionel had used S-C models in pre-production display samples but I don’t believe that this issue with the 1938 catalog has been so clearly noted in any prior article on Lionel OO. But take the comparable S-C car and Lionel car and hold them up next to the photos in the 1938 catalog and compare for yourself. They are all Scale-Craft cars. It would have been very obvious to the folks at Scale-Craft back then and frankly combined with the catalog copy (“No one had ever attempted such a thing before!” etc.) this is deception of the worst sort. Taking the innovative products of another firm and using them to illustrate how you had been the innovator – a full year after they had their truly innovative OO line on the market. Sure, the tight curves and center third rail track were innovations for Lionel, and the Hudson was quite a model, but I must say this deception with the freight cars in the catalog really bothers me. But perhaps it just reflects on business attitudes of the day and their desire to get this line out quickly.

Lionel offered this photo of a close up of the hopper in the 1938 catalog, enlarged here for clarity, and my challenge to any reader again is take a Scale-Craft hopper and a Lionel hopper and hold them at this same angle. The hopper in the catalog photo is clearly on Scale-Craft trucks and has a Scale-Craft body, only slightly modified with an upright brake staff and different ladders. The two other close up photos in the 1938 catalog tell the same tale for the boxcar and tank car. I am not aware of this being noted in print previously and this may ultimately be why Lionel delayed on showcasing the freight cars earlier in the year; they were not ready to display or ship any product.

Certainly by the holiday season of 1938 they got the bugs out of their freight car production and got outfits on the shelves to fit their new “OO tinplate” niche. This last image is from the back cover of the November/December 1938 issue of The Model Builder and shows again the asking price of the new OO models. More information on their initial train set offerings may be found in this article. There was a demand for OO trains and other makers were working to meet that demand; those will be the focus of our next installment in this series.

UPDATE: Part V of this series on 1938 has more on the Lionel launch; in short, Scale-Craft had to get lawyers involved.

Continue in 1938 Series

A Bobber Caboose from the OO Niagara Valley

2011-09-10T20:05:00.001-07:00

In a group of cars that came to me recently was this great bobber caboose.

As can be seen in the photos, the car is lettered for the Niagara Valley (no car number) and has a label on the bottom Fred E. Schorr, Millersburg, PA. I wrote his son Ed Schorr about the caboose, relaying a few key details, and heard back right away: “The history on the caboose is - my dad built the caboose for Jack Winsor of Burlington, Ontario, Canada. He was the brass hat of the Niagara Valley. They were good friends for many years. And yes, the trucks are a modified Scale Craft passenger trucks.”

Knowing the story makes the car even better. In that time frame, after WWII, there were a good number of American OO gauge modelers in Canada. So this car made its way from Pennsylvania up to Ontario and now has made its way to Arizona.

You can pick up a lot from the photos, but the element you can’t see in the photos and is actually hard to see in person is that the car has a full interior with tables, closets, etc. One of the chairs up in the cupola has come loose and there is no easy access the interior to fix that element. Also this car has lights! They flickered on the first time I set it on the rails with a train running. The lights help a great deal in seeing the interior details.

As noted there is no car number. It was presumably a gift and perhaps Winsor was to add his own car number. In any case it is a car I am happy to have, a rare gem among OO cars. For another vintage bobber caboose see this article and I will be coming back to more of the cars received from Bill Gilbert soon.

OO in 1938, more than Lionel: Part II, “See Our 1938 Line at the National Model Show”

2011-09-03T05:41:00.014-07:00

With that text on the back cover of the February, 1938 issue of The Model Craftsman Nason Railways highlighted what you could see of their OO gauge line at the upcoming National Model Show in New York. Besides Nason, what else could you have seen at this important event?

The Model Craftsman for March, 1938 is the first to present a report and photos, in the form of a short article with nine photos (including this view of OO pioneer Hugh Nason with a 2-8-0), “written on the day after the opening.”

This event was a separate event from the annual show of the New York Society of Model Engineers and was put on by the Association of Model Railroad Manufacturers. OO manufacturers present included Nason, Scale-Craft, and Star-Continental. Lionel was there as well but they had no OO line out yet. In this article they note that “The OO-gauge display [layout at the manufacturers show] was built so it could be folded up and stored in a closet.” Also in this March issue I should note is found part II of their series “Building the All-Gauge Consolidation,” with this nice photo of the new Nason consolidation. Also in this issue is an article on an “easy and cheap” boxcar built in OO that looks suspiciously like early Nason or Page as well but is another all-gauge feature.

The April issue of Model Craftsman has a lot more on the show. But to begin the cover features a great photo of this

…OO-gauge, 4mm. scale model of the Southern Pacific Mountain type, complete in all details. The man in the photo is Ernie Horrocks of the Flatbush A.M.E. He did not build the engine. It came from the MODEL CRAFTSMAN Experimental Shop.

Careful with those pliers! Click on the photo for a better view of this scratchbuilt model.

Turning inside, we see a three page report on the New York show. Surrounded by photos of all the manufacturer booths first up in the report are all the prize winners (who in OO are all S-C and Nason kits!) and then some interesting statistics. Nearly 15,000 paid to attend the manufacturers show and there were 20,000 paid admissions to the NYSME show, which featured their operating O and OO layout. A lot of people were interested to check out the hobby of model railroading.

Speaking of the booths, as noted Lionel was there but seems to have only had O gauge models. “Visitors to this stand were impressed with the precision of the parts making up the Hudson engine.” Moving on, Scale Models, Inc. (Scale-Craft) had “a complete line of O and OO-gauge equipment.” Certainly they would have had plenty of copies of their great 1938 catalog, which featured color photos! More on that here. Nason had “a complete line of passenger and freight locomotives,” and Star-Continental had their new 4-4-2 model. “Visitors were impressed with the simplicity of assembling the component parts.”

Later in this same issue are also found these candid photos of Hugh Nason on the left and his partner Frank Waldhorst at the manufacturers’ meeting, where they adopted standards, “A final answer to the knotty problem of uniformity in wheel dimensions.” Also present at this meeting which was Elliott Donnelley and Byron Schaffer of Scale-Craft; discussions seem to have focused on O gauge.

Turning to The Model Railroader, in their April issue they also had two reports on the shows in New York, one a signed report by Robert LeMassena and the other by “Onlooker.” LeMassena is pretty positive on the whole show. “In OO gauge Howard Winther, some of whose work is shown in the photo section of the February Model Railroader, displayed a new Erie 4-6-0 with two coaches,” featured in part I of this present series. He continues, “Because space requirements at the Society were not sufficient for proper manufacturer representation, the Association of Model Railroad Manufacturers sponsored a second show which ran concurrently several doors down the same side of the same street.” He fills in other details of interest to us, such as at the manufacturers show “A solid Scale-Craft train, an 0-6-0 switcher, an NYC Hudson, and a PRR P-5 were all going on the OO layout.” Keep in mind there were two different OO layouts; this photo below is of the OO gauge Union Dock & Terminal RR of the NYSME (with part of the O gauge layout visible as well on the left). According to LeMassena the NYSME layout had “short runs … made with a couple of locomotives and a few cars.” We will come back to the manufacturer’s layout in a minute.

Onlooker had a bit different take on things and pointed out a number of problems. One was that you had to pay an admission fee to both events and that when you went in there would not necessarily be a representative of each manufacturer at the show at any given time. Of the layouts he had these specific comments.

In regard to the layouts exhibited in the various gauges: It seems to me that they were too hurriedly put together. The O gauge layout could have been operated in a more interesting manner. It is poor salesmanship to operate an electric switch by hand, for instance. The OO gauge layout was only a demonstration for motive power and did not show the real possibilities of this gauge. The HO layout would have been better left out entirely, especially as Mantua had a really attractive operating line within a few feet of it.

The big picture though is, as noted by the Onlooker, “that there is a real and growing interest in this hobby of ours” and also I would add Lionel must have been chomping at the bit to get into OO with it being such a visible gauge at this show with so much new product featured by other firms.

Lionel started publishing a magazine, The Model Builder, in January of 1937. The first mention of OO (or HO) I see in this magazine (the complete run of which may be found at the Train Life website) is in an article on "Scale Comparisons" in the March/April 1938 issue. They took advertising and the first OO related advertisement I see is from you guessed it, Nason Railways, this ad at left is found in the July/August issue. I like the sentiment: "It is easy to build in 'OO' gauge." They ran a good year of advertisements in this publication.

Then in April of 1939 in The Model Builder they had a feature article on the new NYSME layout. The layout in the photo above had to be torn down with a new layout well underway in the article. But in the article they included this track plan, which is of the 1938 layout. In the article it reconfirms that on the 1938 layout "there was a subsidiary called the Union Dock and Terminal Railroad and operated as a narrow gauge division of the larger road. The dock and terminal line was '00' gauge." Looking at the plan you can easily see the perspective of the photo (the OO line being over on the right side), and that the 1938 and new 1939 layouts were featured in this magazine makes total sense as part of Lionel promoting their O and OO scale products.

To close, I would mention that Scale-Craft started publishing their Blow-Smoke newsletter in May of 1938. The beginning of that series is here.

When we return to this series we will have some big news (hinted at above) that will energize OO gauge even more.

Continue in 1938 Series

Vintage OO Layout Photos II: Schorr Diesels

2011-08-28T07:17:00.001-07:00

Continuing this series (part I here), today we have two photos of OO diesels (mostly) on the layout of Fred Schorr, of OO brass import fame.

The first photo shows models set up on three levels which first points out that he must have had a pretty large layout with multiple tracks visible on the upper and lower level. Starting up top we have an ABA set of sand cast Schorr F-3s (more info here), on the bottom we have another AB pair on a passenger train led by a S-C baggage car, and in the middle we have two Super-Scale diesel switchers (more here). Number 20 looks larger than number 12 to the extent that I would almost wonder if 20 is the S Scale version instead of the OO version? Note especially the cabs. Click on the photo for a closer view.

Up at the front too we can see two Scale-Craft flat cars and get a sense of the trackwork which is nicely hand laid on Tru-Scale roadbed. I have not written much to date about Tru-Scale but have a bit more here and it was a popular choice among operators.

The second photo shows essentially the same scene (note the backdrop) but from a bit different angle, with possibly the same AB pair of F-3s on a passenger train and a scratchbuilt or perhaps kitbashed 4-4-0 model on an older time passenger train. On the lower level, not very in focus, there seem to be at least two Hawk boxcars among those in the yard.

I have more from the layout of Fred Schorr thanks to his son Ed, and I have other unpublished photos from the layouts of Bourassa, Moale, and others, be looking for this series to continue periodically.

Continue to Part III

Nason Hudson 38 Pulling Tonnage Again!

2011-08-24T06:23:00.003-07:00

In a trade not long ago I received this Nason Hudson locomotive. A classic pre-war model (introduced two years before the comparable Lionel OO Hudson) this one was built up nicely but I could do nothing but bench test it as it lacked a tender. But in recent weeks I put a tender together from parts and this engine is a beauty.

First off, here it is. The number on the cab is 38 and it is painted what I at first took to be grimy black, but actually it is more of a gray color. Real glass is in the cab windows and a crew in the cab. Normally, to rebuild something for my Orient, I would strip a model. But this one really seemed too nice to strip.

That Kadee coupler mounted on a spring mounting up front is just one evidence of the craftsmanship of this model. Looking in the back you would see that this Hudson has a big Pittman DC motor but also note the four prong plug visible at the back of the model. This locomotive was fitted with an electronic sound system of some sort and has contacts under the locomotive that would generate the chuffing noise.

And there was no tender.

I did figure out which pin on the plug would make the engine run (and 12 volt DC, perfect for my layout) so a key thing was making a female receptacle to mount on the tender. And of course I would have to put together a tender!

While I have a kit for a Nason Hudson tender (see this article for photos) I decided to leave that with an unbuilt Nason Hudson kit and build up a tender from parts. The body is a Lionel tender body that had been modified a bit by a prior owner. I had to make a floor and add trucks and other details. The trucks are Scale-Craft tender trucks (for their 4-8-4) with NWSL wheels, and the coupler end beam is modified from an Eastern part. In short my main goal was to make a working tender without too much heroic effort and see how the model actually ran.

Note that the tender is painted grimy black. It is a little darker than the locomotive but I can live with that, it is close but different enough to know it is not original to the model.

The locomotive runs great on my layout -- one of the very best locomotives I own -- but only clockwise! Facing the opposite direction the lead truck derails constantly, something about the geometry of my 28” radius curves and clearances on the model itself. Years ago I chose 28” as it was the maximum I could fit in the space my layout originally occupied and was bigger than the 26” radius suggested as a minimum by Scale-Craft back in the day. If I rebuild the layout I would go for 36” radius. Perhaps someday.

I still have a bit of quandary how to letter the tender and it may stay blank for a while. My Orient is possible but all my other steam models are black. It is tempting to letter it for the “Beaver River” like the Nason Hudson photo in the Nason catalog; anyone looking at the model should be able to tell very quickly that it is not the same model as in the photo, Lionel tender body and all, just a model inspired by it.

One last thing to note is the original tender for this model must be out there somewhere. It should be really easy to spot, a sand cast Nason Hudson tender with a sound system unit and speaker in it, painted gray, and with a four pin female connector on it.

If you have it, be in touch! This locomotive runs great now but really should be reunited with the original tender, and it would be that much better with the sound system fired up if it still works. Maybe we can work out a trade.

UPDATE: I opted for the Union Pacific. I tossed around a lot of options but the things that tipped things in favor of UP were I have a couple of UP heavywieght passenger cars and also the lettering on the locomotive is a yellowish off-white. Of course, the UP did not have a 4-6-4 that was number 38 but at the least the engine is running again and looking good.

Remotoring my Original Scale-Craft 4-6-0

2011-08-12T08:47:00.003-07:00

Back in 2008 I had a brief article on my original Scale-Craft 4-6-0. I had purchased it from David Sacks when I was in high school and it came to me looking terrible but running OK with a replacement motor. This article describes the two main motors you will see with this model (very late S-C had Pittman motors) and in another article I looked at how Sacks had re-motored the model. There are photos there but in short he hacked a Scale-Craft DC motor and gearbox up to leave only the gearbox and a portion of the drive shaft, and connected to that a DC motor of uncertain origin. The way to tell that it should have had the Scale-Craft DC motor is that the gearbox is inclined at an angle and also the weight was not cut to fit around the later Universal motor. Also it has most of the weight that should be under the DC motor still as well, a weight that would be left off if using the later motor.

This 4-6-0 may be seen running, badly, with the Sacks motor in the first of my videos. That motor and gearbox were on their last legs which was a big bummer as I wanted to run this model. However, I recently put one of the original DC motor/gearbox combos into a 4-4-2 model (on video here) and was very recently able to purchase yet another of the original motor/gearbox combos.

It took a bit of effort to tune up the motor but I am pleased to say this model now runs as smooth and quiet as the 4-4-2 and pulls well. This photo is of the visible, cab end of the motor, where the wires attach. Scale-Craft had a great little model out in the form of this 4-6-0 when it was introduced in 1937. I can’t imagine that anything else out in 1937 in HO or OO ran any better.

To describe this motor a bit more (also seen in this post), I have described to friends it as sort of a big Pittman motor but actually the design is pretty different. The magnet is split on two sides of the motor and the brushes are on the end away from the gearbox. It is not too hard to figure out but very different than any DC motor I have ever had to work on.

I have two more of these motors but they are the version with no built in gearbox. I also however have two DC style gearboxes that were “liberated” from the original DC motor by prior owners. I hope to get at least one more of these operational and in a model. It will be a challenge, though.

A final point is that this is a 24 volt motor, but at 12 volts it runs plenty fast for a 4-6-0 on a local freight and I have no worries about overloading it. But this may get at why it seems to not have been a popular motor with later OO gaugers, the top speed is relatively low. I always think it feels like it is running about 1/2 throttle when it is actually full throttle. Nevertheless, I am happy to have this model running well again, a sentimental favorite of mine that should log many more miles around the layout.

Two Flat Car Frames and a TOFC flat

2011-08-07T19:41:00.000-07:00

One of my quests these past several years has been for a Nason flat car. I think I saw one sell on eBay not long ago but I did not win it. I did however win recently with some parts this bronze frame, which is certainly the correct frame for the Nason flat.

That frame is sitting in the photo on the remnants of somebody’s flat car project. This one is scratch built from brass, soldered together nicely.

What to do with that frame has been a question I have pondered for a few months, and I think actually I will build it into a freelanced modern car similar to the TOFC flat behind it, made by the late Bill Johann, seen here with a scratchbuilt 1/76 scale UPS trailer on it. I featured another of these great modern American OO cars a few years ago in an article, but this one is of slightly different design.

His car is based on a Norfolk Southern 50’ prototype, rebuilt as I understand it on retired boxcar frames for TOFC service in the mid-1980s (more info here). This black frame can be built up into a very similar car without too much effort; be looking for it again at some point in the future.

Disassembling Lionel OO Tender Trucks

2011-08-06T16:08:00.001-07:00

As has been noted elsewhere in this site, I don’t actually own that much Lionel OO, something I kind of hate to admit. I have quite a bit of interesting stuff but I did not come to OO from the Lionel collecting side of things. I have only ever owned two Lionel Hudsons and one of them I later traded off for a Nason Hudson locomotive (only). Also, both of the Lionel Hudsons I have owned were modified and converted to DC operation by prior owners. The one I still own came to me as a non-operating junker with a heavy coat of blue paint, a new can motor mounted in the tender (!), and some damage from storage. It had been owned by David Sacks.

Where this leads is my present project is trying to get both of these Hudson models running, the Nason and Lionel versions. I have a tender coming together for the Nason model (a modified Lionel tender, actually, more another time) and another tender coming together for the Lionel. The one for the Nason Hudson will have Scale-Craft trucks which I am very familiar and comfortable with but the other has Lionel tender trucks. These I had to figure out how to take apart by trial and error.

Back in 1938 the task Lionel had was to make a tender truck that was rugged and would be trouble free to operate. The main casting is a single casting that includes the side frames and bolster in one unit. The wheelset axles are much larger than on their freight cars and fit into slots that are open on the bottom which have covers held on by pins. They look to have a slight hex head but are, again, just pins.

In my case the trucks were somewhat water damaged and this did not help the pins come out easily. Using pliers you have to pull and twist the pins at the same time as while they are not threaded there is a pattern to them that requires a turn.

With the parts apart I then gave the side frames and wheels a good scrubbing. They are a lot cleaner and should still give good service on this model with a bit more cleaning. Also note I will repaint the sideframes, I am not into the blue steam locomotive thing. The bodies have been fully stripped of the blue paint.

The second photo is of a trailing truck for the Lionel Hudson which has the same type of pin/cover mount. This one still needs cleaning.

While the original replacement drive was executed badly (with plenty of glue holding the motor in place) I am going to see if I can make this model work with the same basic tender drive rebuilt somewhat with better universals from Athearn drives. In principle it should work fine (needing only a long drive shaft from the tender to the drivers) and the model seems to have been run a good bit in this form by the prior owner. I’ll have more on this model as the project progresses.

UPDATE: Finished model here

Review: NWSL [Oso Railworks] 20” On3 Wheelsets

2011-08-02T21:19:00.004-07:00

The past seven weeks I had to put OO projects on hold with commitments away from home, but before I left I ordered two packs of NWSL (now Oso Railworks) 20” On3 wheelsets for trial.

When I was briefly home in the middle of those weeks I found the wheelsets had arrived. These are their 7801-4 wheelsets, made of nickel plated brass with their 110 tread. As noted in a prior article on wheelsets for use in American OO, in OO these scale out to 31.7" wheelsets, just a bit under the 33" standard for freight.

They look fantastic! They are exactly on standards for American OO gauge (On3 and American OO have the same track standards) and these will work great in reproduction Lionel Amercian OO trucks as in the photo and in other applications. They would be especially good used in tender trucks where you need electrical pickup.

With that out of the way, I was expecting to write a quick review of how great they were to point them out to readers of American OO Today and that would be it. Then, while writing this review, I got back on the Oso Railworks website and was going to bite the bullet and order several more packages, but I was astounded to find that the price had, with the passing of only a few weeks, more than doubled! My invoice of July 7 confirms that I purchased two packages of these at $8.95 for a package of four, but now the price is $17.95 for a package of four. [But see UPDATE! There are two different On3 20" wheelsets available, the other is actually still $8.95].

I am all for companies charging what they need to, profits must be made, but basically they have priced me out of their market. As I can modify most any HO 36” wheelset and get what I need for freight trucks, I will use alternate wheelsets except for perhaps a few special applications. But other than the negative of the price going up a lot this summer, they remain a great product, one to keep in mind for some specific instances, especially for tender trucks.

UPDATE. It is possible, too, that I was just confused by their website! As John S. pointed out to me actually NWSL sells two different models of On3 20" wheelsets. This one sells for $8.95 a package of four at present (link here) and is exactly what I had purchased earlier in the summer.

It really is a great product, and wheelsets are a topic that it seems is almost always on my mind. This past week for example I was working my way through the usable wheelsets box to free up more Ultimate wheelsets (the best ever sold in OO!) to use in reproduction Lionel trucks. What that translates into is I finished converting all the S-C trucks that had been upgraded either by me or by others to Ultimate wheelsets back to running on S-C (or actually sometimes I am sure Graceline) wheelsets (plus also fixing up some other trucks).

The wheelset question is a great big puzzle at times for the modern OO gauger, and I am very glad to have the NWSL wheelsets back on the table as an option. I will be purchasing more soon.

Thoughts on More than Three Years of American OO Today

2011-07-15T05:13:00.007-07:00

In early April of 2008 I had an idea. There was very little online about American OO scale model trains. I had written some things about OO gauge already (including a two part TCA series written with the late Ed Morlok, published in the October, 1986 and April, 1987 issues of the Quarterly) and had been interested in the scale and gauge for years. Why not start a website? I was familiar with Blogger and set up a site called American OO Today. This photo was the first photo put up in the site, found in the second post made to the new site.

At first I worked on the site mostly just because it interested me and really, today, that is still my main motivation. The website is a hobby within a hobby and the writing and posting actually goes pretty quickly. As it was largely something I just did for fun I did not monitor statistics the first year, they did not matter to me that much. But in 2009 I got curious and was able to add stats, and since then have been following them periodically. Also an upgrade allowed me to add a custom top ten list, which may be seen on the right side of the site and features at present the top ten this week. How it varies from week to week is interesting to me and hopefully to readers as well.

The Stats in General

As the stats I have start a year into the life of the site I can say that things have been reasonably steady since then, always a good bit more than 2,000 page views a month, with the peak month coming in at almost 3,000 page views. The average day in other words has toward 100 page views, mostly from viewers in the United States. Not bad for a website on a defunct model railroad gauge! And the stats reveal other things such as a majority of visitors use Internet Explorer and PC computers, although what that means in relation to OO scale I don’t know.

What are Readers Interested In Anyway?

Some are for sure interested in American OO. The number one article by far is the Lionel OO Gauge 101 article, which has led me to re-write it and edit it quite a number of times this past year as it gets so much traffic and is the main introductory article to American OO for collectors. If you have never read it but are a fan of American OO, you are in a minority.

Beyond that visitors clearly divide into two categories. A number of people are certainly looking for more information on American OO gauge model trains. Those would include people that read these articles from the all-time top ten:

That last one above, which is currently #10 all time, gives me some hope that really are some people out there interested to read about the history of American OO, and I will be continuing the history series soon with more from 1938.

However, half of the top ten articles posted to date are at least in part in the top ten due to Google searches for other things pointing them to pages in American OO Today. And at least that visit did introduce those people to OO; you always hope that seeds are being planted.

75 years of the Nason P5A
A Mantua/Tyco 4-6-0, and other Mantua OO
How to bench test a Scale-Craft Universal motor
Idea: An American OO Scale Model Railroad Message Board (Update: I finally deleted this page. It was a popular page but only due to search results completely unrelated to model railroading. Most of the text was moved to this article.)
Skyline HO-OO structure kits

The Future

A few random thoughts come to mind.

The OO history series is just coming up to Lionel OO, so I will be beefing up that side of things as the next year progresses; the expanded Lionel info should please site visitors.
My bigger picture goal of highlighting OO that was out before Lionel has been fulfilled!
People other than me are buying stuff on eBay so someone is out there, and those people are buying more than just Lionel OO.
The Facebook fan page feed was spotty and then finally stopped working. It has been upgraded! If you use Facebook do become a fan, as every new article from American OO Today will show up on you FB wall within minutes of posting.
Is some manufacturer ever going to notice how expensive vintage Lionel track is? It seems like a no-brainer that money is to be made here selling NEW American OO track but maybe I am biased.

To Close…

First I can't close without a big thank you to all regular readers and to all who have contacted me with photos and articles and questions. Keep them coming, it keeps me going.

Some of my personal favorite articles are ones over these three years I have tagged with the “Deep Thoughts” tag. As I will be taking a break from posting for the rest of this month, if you want a bit more reading to tide you over check out any of the below that seem of interest. And thank you again for visiting American OO Today!

Two Cabooses by Howard Winther

2011-07-13T04:05:00.003-07:00

To end the recent series of photos we have for review two beautiful vintage American OO cabooses by Howard Winther. Both models must date to the mid to late 1930s.

First up is this Erie caboose. As we have four nice photos of this car, three of them I will leave small but click on any photo for a better view. This car was beautifully scratchbuilt, and judging from the photos I can’t spot any obvious commercial parts, although I would guess the wheelsets might have been purchased.

The trucks are of his home made design and the couplers are his home made couplers, as seen on other Winther cars already featured. It took some real skill and effort to build this car.

As an aside, in recent correspondence with Ted Winther he mentioned that the only power tools used by his father were a small lathe, a drill press, and a grinder. He actually had made his own dies for a number of the parts he cast. The skills he had are far beyond those of the average model railroader of today. Far beyond me for sure.

Back to these cars, the lettering, with the exception of what looks to be a printed Erie logo, was all done by hand, including the very small “safety first” lettering on the steps. Click on the photo twice to see it close up. Beautiful work, and a perfect match for his Erie Berkshire, which was featured in Model Railroader in 1936.

The other car featured today is this beautiful bobber caboose. These are only rarely seen in OO (there was no kit ever produced for this model) and this has to be one of the nicest around. The car looks again to be totally scratchbuilt with only the possible exception of wheelsets, and it should be another early one as it has his home made couplers. I certainly don’t see any obvious commercial parts and again it is neatly hand lettered.

I will have more Winther photos in the fall but with this post will need to take a bit of a break from American OO Today. I will have one final post later this week and then will take a break until August. Be looking for more then.

A Nason Sand-Cast Pullman

2011-07-11T05:19:00.001-07:00

Not long ago I featured a Nason Pullman of the second style they produced, the Easy-Built type with stamped brass sides. Today we have an example of their earlier, sand-cast version.

This type of car we have also featured in a prior article, with a group of photos of their line of sand-cast passenger cars from Dick Gresham. Today however these photos are from Dick Kuehnemund. These models were a part of the original Nason line in 1934 and sold initially for $9 a car, quite a sum for back in that day.

Turning to the photos, the model is sand-cast aluminum with a wood roof. This Pullman looks ready for a paint job, and the castings themselves look to have been clean and well made.

In the bottom view we see more details. The frame, although cast into the underbody, matches closely the casting used on the later version of the Pullman with the wood floor. There are several bronze and turned brass details visible and of course the trucks. In this case they are the two rail version of their six wheel truck, with the insulated middle piece and also the split axle wheelsets. Click on either photo for a closer view.

All in all, this car is a retro beauty. Nason actually offered this car as an option right up to WWII but always at a higher price than the Easy-Built version. Certainly a classic model to keep your eyes peeled for.

A MOW Combine by Winther

2011-07-09T06:38:00.001-07:00

Today we have from the layout of OO pioneer Howard Winther this MOW (maintenance of way) car lettered for his home road.

The car itself looks to be totally scratchbuilt. The wheelsets might be commercial but I believe the trucks are homemade (I know of no obvious commercial match, and he clearly did make the trucks on other cars in this series) and it has his personal style of couplers as well. There are no obvious commercial parts to be sure. Click on either photo for a better view.

The paint job is not as sharp as on other models of his we have seen in this series. My guess is that it may actually be a car that was painted differently originally and then painted over into its present paint scheme. Note there is for example a bit of paint that overran onto the windows. This, in a way, is very typical of MOW cars as they would be cars that are older and downgraded from regular service, they would have had many layers of paint by the time they reached the end of their service life.

But also note again the neat hand lettering. The design of the car is very 19th century (note especially the roof) and would be of a type that could be seen in work train service in the 1930s or 40s, the era that he would have built this car. Thanks again to the Winther family for sharing these photos.

A WM 4-6-6-4 from M. P. Davis

2011-07-07T03:43:00.002-07:00

Earlier this week we featured a big PRR 4-4-4-4 in American OO. Today we have photos from Dick Kuehnemund of another big engine, a 4-6-6-4. It was manufactured in limited quantities by Myron P. Davis.

In a price list seen in the TCA article also cited in this prior article a WM engine is mentioned and also seen in a photograph; this is an example of that same model but the boiler is built up further than the one that was owned by the late Donald Fraley.

As noted in yet prior another article, this Western Maryland M2 4-6-6-4 was part of a line of OO gauge models that included in particular a number of big steamers. Here is the full list of big steam Davis offered:

2-8-8-0, PRR HC-1
2-8-8-2, C&O #1527
4-4-4-4, PRR T-1
4-6-6-4, WM M2
4-8-8-4, UP “Big Boy”
6-4-4-6, PRR S-1
6-8-6, PRR S-2

This particular example is obviously lacking the front drivers and a tender and a number of other obvious details. The boiler is a big bronze casting and must weigh a ton. This engine project could be completed but it would be quite a job. And even if completed what minimum radius would it operate on? I would think something bigger than 36 inches. But even at that, this model, just like it is, is pretty impressive. And a complete and operational example, if one exists, should be able to pull like crazy.

To close, the question that follows the above discussion is how many of these did he make? Who knows, but some more of them for sure are knocking around out there in collections where people think they are maybe S gauge instead of OO. It just does not seem possible such big models were ever sold in OO but they were; those guys who stuck it out in OO after WWII were a dedicated bunch.

Thanks again to Dick K. for these photos. And a note generally, if you have models you would like to see featured in American OO Today do be in touch, I like very much to cover items such as this that I don’t own and are only rarely seen.

UPDATE: The TCA article was also reprinted in the June 2011 issue of The OO Road. Also, on the topic of how many were produced, I did find in some paperwork a M.P. Davis foundry receipt for a run of 18 castings of a part, and that is a good guess as to the size of the runs he was looking at for these models.

The M. P. Davis OO scale PRR T-1

2011-07-05T05:52:00.002-07:00

Today we have photos of a big engine produced by Myron P. Davis. Davis developed a series of large OO locomotives in the post-war era, and in an extended article in 2009 I noted this reference:

In the January 1996 issue [of Train Collectors Quarterly] there is a great article I had never noted by the late Donald S. Fraley titled “The Unfinished Locomotives,” which may be accessed here in full if you are a TCA member and logged in (on pages 8-11). As I am trying to do now, Dr. Fraley was trying to sort out historical details of American OO gauge production and unusual models, and these are pretty unique models.

This example, from the collection of Dick Kuehnemund, is either one of the models seen in that article or a twin to it. It is an American OO gauge PRR T-1, not at all an engine or type of model the average OO collector would guess was ever produced commercially. Yet it was. Click on any of the photos for a closer view.

Before looking at the model specifically there is the question of why he brought these models to limited production at all. Davis is said to have been a silent partner in Nason Railways and built this and the other big locomotives as prototype models for possible post-war production that never materialized. However, they do not seem to be one of prototypes, other models are out there as he sold them on a limited basis himself under the name Cussewago Valley Railroad “OO” Gauge Scale Models. The sales flyer may be seen in the TCA article, and not long ago one of the big boilers, for a UP Big Boy, passed through eBay.

As to this specific model, the photos speak for themselves pretty well. Big bronze castings dominate. The locomotive and tender look pretty complete and must have been quite a project to develop and produce. I don’t know the minimum radius but it would have to be pretty big with that long, fixed wheelbase. Everything looks to be made specifically for this model, not recycled from other older OO production. Model work not likely to be seen in American OO again.

Be looking for another of these big models later this week, also in the collection of Dick K., a WM 4-6-6-4.

Boxcar Week III: A Vintage PRR Double Door Boxcar by Winther

2011-07-01T04:11:00.002-07:00

To finish out “boxcar week” we have yet another boxcar from the layout of American OO pioneer Howard Winther.

This is a double door PRR car. The first notable thing compared to the cars in the previous two posts (here and here) is it has decal lettering. The body could be based on Picard but it also could be totally scratch built, he was capable of it. The car has a very nicely done rivet overlay on the sides and roof. The doors to me don’t look like commercial items and are neatly made; the only clearly visible commercial items in the photo are the Scale-Craft trucks, with the ladders looking to possibly be Eastern castings.

Thanks again to the Winther family for sharing this photo.

Back to part I

Boxcar Week II: An Outside Braced Boxcar by Winther

2011-06-29T20:26:00.002-07:00

Today we have another boxcar by OO pioneer Howard Winther, in this case an outside braced car. This car was built in 1946 as in the side view it pretty clearly states “BLT H.W. 3-46.”

As with the car in the previous post, this scratchbuilt car only shows visible evidence of two commercial parts; Nason Andrews trucks and an Eastern brake cylinder casting. Eastern introduced their line of OO scale freight cars in 1946 and that casting is unique to the line. Winther lived right in the area where Eastern was based so it is possible that he got the casting right as it was available or potentially he added it to the car later.

Back to the car at hand, check out that hand lettering. It is a detail that will always make early scale models such as this stand out from the crowd. On a similar car by Winther seen in a spread in Model Railroader in 1938 the boxcar there is lettered with decals, but he had the ability to do the hand lettering and chose to on this car.

I did a quick look online and could not turn up a photo of any similar NYSW boxcar. This car certainly looks right though and I see plenty of photos of similar cars from Eastern roads.

Be looking for one more boxcar later this week and click on any of the photos for a better view.

Continue to Part III

Boxcar Week I: A Steel Boxcar from 1939

2011-06-27T18:25:00.003-07:00

Today for review we have a wonderful vintage item decorated for the home road of American OO pioneer Howard Winther.

Bergen & Essex boxcar 456 dates to 1939. As in the model was built that year; in the photos it is clear that it is marked NEW H.W. 4-39. There are only two obvious commercial parts, the Scale-Craft trucks and the Nason brake cylinder.

I believe this is scratchbuilt but it is very close to the proportions of a Nason boxcar. The doors are very nice and look from the photos to not be die cast but rather the ribs were pressed into a flat sheet of brass. Note also the very nicely done hand pressed rivet detail of the car sides and the perfect, smooth paint job.

The lettering is all by hand except for the logos which look to be printed. Note the handmade couplers as well, described in prior articles.

Who would not want one of these in a train on their layout? Click on either photo for a better view. Thanks again to the Winther family for these photos.

Continue to Part II

Not the Typical Cab Unit

2011-06-26T18:27:00.006-07:00

This is an oddball little American OO model that someone took some effort to build, a freelanced F or E unit. Click on any photo for a larger view.

Schorr sold an F-3 and Davis produced an E-7 in American OO. But this model is scratchbuilt. From the side it on first glace looks like an F unit but then look at those portholes and the six wheel trucks! I think the idea of the builder was actually to make a shorty, slant nose E-unit.

Or perhaps it is a variation on the very early (1937) EMC TA locomotive. It looks more like the TA than any other prototype I see but it had four wheel trucks instead of six.

Looking at the top the roof the details are minimal but don’t feature the fans seen on F units but instead a set of stacks. On an early E unit there would be two sets, this one only however has one set.

The body is clearly made of a heavy brass stock but the roof looks to be wood.

Finishing it out, we have a bottom view. The drive is clearly scratchbuilt and note only the outer four sets of wheels are geared. The sideframes look like they are based on maybe Nason tender trucks.

These photos are from Dick Kuehnemund; I will be featuring other interesting models from his collection the next few weeks.

A Nason P5A and Reefer Running Again

2011-06-16T08:34:00.001-07:00

Preparing to make the video yesterday I ended up quickly working on two more models that fit with the theme, an early Nason reefer and also a surprise, a cameo appearance by a Nason P5A!

The reefer only needed a bit of touch up paint and new wheelsets to get it layout ready to roll among vintage cars I might run. It is now on Nason trucks with Scale-Craft wheelsets. I wanted a little color in the video and it is a type of Nason car that was on many early layouts to be sure. One quirk of this particular car when it came to me, which I did not change, is it has an O scale K type brake cylinder, just visible in the photo.

For quite some time an article here (mostly by Ed Havens) on the Nason P5A locomotive (introduced in 1934, the first commercially successful OO locomotive) has often shown up in the top ten articles in American OO Today. That is actually due mostly to searches unrelated to American OO but still, thinking over the concept I had for the video I had to get the model down off the shelf, it would be perfect to include.

Could I get it to run quickly was the question. A lot of the projects I have around are actually models that others worked on and either got stuck or abandoned before completion. In this case some prior owner had got this P5A project to a bench test state with a new DC motor installed in the drive. The motor was in with leads but they had not worked out the pickup from the rails. Looking it over on getting it down from the shelf, the wheelsets all measured out pretty well with the standards gauge and also it was a two rail model (produced 1938 or later) so it had real potential for me. My main job was to make insulated mountings for the front and rear trucks and set them up to pick up power. And after a bit of adjustment this model does run well and even as a single motor version (double was offered as well) pulls like crazy. It is a noisy beast to be sure with all those spur gears in the drive and the bronze body but one that I will have to work over further at some point with more details and paint. And I have pantographs that I need to mount sometime soon.

It is as of now obviously unpainted and unfinished and, no, I don’t plan to decorate it for the Orient! This model is a real classic OO model not often seen in operation. Check the video to see and hear it go.

American OO Today, Episode 4: Models Available in 1938

2011-06-15T15:08:00.001-07:00

Lionel introduced their OO line in 1938. However, regular readers certainly know that they were not the first maker of American OO models. This short video features in operation a cross section of models that were on the market in 1938 by makers other than Lionel, in particular Scale-Craft and Nason, with one Lionel car as a bonus.

The Nason gas electric and Scale-Craft 4-4-2 that I have written about recently are featured, and there are a couple other surprises in this video, which I will describe tomorrow in a final post before slowing down a bit on the website. Enjoy! Finally, if you want to see a Lionel 1938 set in operation, there are at least two videos on YouTube already, check them out here.

A Scale-Craft 4-4-2 with a great drive

2011-06-14T19:42:00.001-07:00

As mentioned in this recent article, I recently completed rebuilding a Scale-Craft 4-4-2. This model was introduced in 1938, and a photo of this particular model “before” may be found here.

The thing I was most impressed by is the motor, the original DC Scale-Craft motor. As I wrote in the 1937 series article a month ago,

I was able to buy one of the early Scale-Craft DC/permag motors with transmission mint in box on eBay a few years ago (box makred “1121 MOTOR MAY 1 1940”). I had been fiddling with an S-C 4-4-2 model for several years that I wanted to mount that motor in and just yesterday got it together and running. Oh my! It runs VERY well. While it is a 24 volt DC motor it runs fast enough at 12 volts for my layout and is smooth and quiet. The engine easily pulls the four car passenger trains I would run with it. It was easy to wire up and ran smoothly from the very first time I set it on the rails.

Now the model has decals. It does run great and it will be in the next video. Besides the brand new vintage motor and gearbox part of what helps it run well also is I worked up trucks from Nason side frames and NWSL wheelsets—great electrical contact is a great thing. Also note the tender, an eBay find, was modified by a prior owner. What they did was add a piece of Bakelite about 1/8” thick under the tender body. The result is a tender that looks a lot better than the stock tender, and at a distance and painted black you don't even notice the extra piece at the bottom.

As a final note, I have been working recently on two other S-C drives, two that I used to run on the layout fairly often. One engine in particular, one of the gears in the gearbox is on inspection completely shot and on the other engine the gearbox is clearly on the way out (that engine may be seen in operation in the first of the videos=very noisy). It is great to see how this classic model was really supposed to operate, and I want to get those other models as close to the same level as I can in the fall.

Three Hawk Gondolas and a Hawk Boxcar

2011-06-13T20:56:00.002-07:00

Four more cars from my recent push to finish some projects were a Hawk Boxcar and three Hawk Gondolas.

Information on Hawk OO in general may be found here. These first two cars may be found here before I worked them over, being fairly recent eBay finds. The gon was maybe 70% done and a bit damaged (several parts were broken off) and the boxcar more like 85% done with very nicely done metal ends.

To the gondola I added ladders based on Eastern ladders, Eastern brake valves, brake wheels, etc. and there are other additions to the boxcar such as door reinforcements and brake details. The boxcar also got Schorr trucks and a set of Champ HO decals that fit the car very well. For the gon I decided my home road the Orient was the best choice. The design is an uncommon one (an ATSF Sulfur gon) and it was best to go freelance.

Two more gons were also worked over. The other two were in the OO Inventory. I don’t know how long they had been there or who started them but seeing them and starting in on the first car I decided to build them up too to make a nice trio. They were perhaps 85% done when I started in on them and had coal loads by the original builder. They were detailed in the same manner as the car in the top photo but got vintage Kadee couplers to set them apart just a bit.

In retrospect I would think about remounting underset shank Kadee couplers to all the gondolas so that I could set them up lower on the trucks. They seem a bit tall (and high on the trucks) but I don’t know how tall the prototype cars are. For now will just think about it however.

All in all I am happy with the set of cars and very happy with the boxcar. Nice additions to the layout.

OO in 1938, more than Lionel: Part I, Models by Howard Winther

2011-06-11T17:06:00.007-07:00

For this look at American OO in 1938 I would like to start with one element of the big picture--that being there were people building fine models and layouts in OO. In particular the February issue of The Model Railroader featured a full page of photos from the Bergen & Essex layout of Howard Winther. His layout had been featured already in The Model Maker and in The Model Railroader, his models are still in the family today (see this tag for more articles featuring them and scroll down), and today we have a great treat, photos of models as published in 1938 and the same models today.

First up is this Erie G-5 10 wheeler. According to Ted Winther, “I think it was his pride and joy.” Then or now this is an impressive scratchbuilt model. The photos really tell all, and click on any of them for a better view.

Next up is this scene with his 0-4-0 (which may be seen here today) and an outside braced C&NW boxcar. This car is riding on his home made trucks but has I believe a Nason brake cylinder visible and has decal lettering (the rest of the equipment featured today having been hand lettered).

The next photo in the MR spread, which I will skip, is of five of his locomotives all lined up (all scratchbuilt) and finally we have this view of his Atlantic locomotive and a combine. The combine as it exists today follows, yet another stunning vintage model. Very hard to believe this model is not only as old as it is but also that it is in such great condition.

But wait, we are not done with Winther for this issue as he also had an article in this same February, 1938 issue on how to make passenger car sides from Aluminum. This Erie RPO combine would seem to be made in with sides constructed in the manner he describes.

Finally, I believe Winther models are to be seen in a report in this same issue on the history of the layout of the New York Society of Model Engineers. There is a track plan of the original Little Island RR (ca. 1932-33) and three of the locomotive models next to it look to be Winther models.

When we return we will look at the New York show for 1938. But to close up this series for now, I won’t be able to post the next installment of this series for a few months and would add that I have enjoyed looking over 1938 to prepare this part of the series, there are a number of new products out and I am learning new things. New products were in fact coming out almost monthly. At the same time however the big picture is not so good--HO was where the action was at to be sure. But that did not stop some dedicated manufacturers and modelers from making a go for it in American OO.

Continue to Part II of 1938 Series

A Picard Quad Hopper

2011-06-10T14:11:00.000-07:00

Another rarity, at least in terms of seeing fully finished, operable models, is the Picard quad hoper. The main article on Picard is here, their boxcar bodies being by far the most commonly seen product.

This car was an eBay item that caught my eye not only as a rarity but also it was about 85% done with no decals applied so it would make a nice project, which was finished up this past week.

As built the car is very light so I added flat weights inside the hopper area. As to choosing PRR decals, they had similar cars and I had some scraps of a vintage O scale set that provided the basics I needed. It is still a bit freelanced in design/execution but certainly up to the standards of the 40s when this car was produced.

Finally, note the Kadee “straight pin” couplers. This early type I have a small supply of and like to use on vintage wood cars such as this. In terms of layout operation they work just as well as they did back in the 1950s when they were made.

Two Great Graceline Wood OO Cabooses

2011-06-08T05:39:00.006-07:00

I touched on these cabooses briefly in the “Graceline 101” article but recently got both set up to run on the layout. These C&EI cabooses are favorites of mine, purchased years ago in a large lot. I have had them on display over the layout for years.

On one hand they are probably a bit over scale. I don’t want to measure them…. But then again, look at how neatly they were made and also the awesome hand lettering! I suspect it is custom, factory lettering, as this was an option Graceline offered. But then again maybe the owner did it themselves. Note the color of the paint used for lettering is slightly different on each car.

Wood cabooses are a rarity in general on OO layouts (the Nason wood caboose being the most commonly seen) and these are distinctive, especially the side door car. That I was able to get them working well on their original trucks was another nice bonus. They are a little heavy/big in design but roll freely and the type of wheelset on these operates fine on the layout.

In short these are outstanding vintage cars that must have been the pride and joy of some builder years. I am glad to be able to run them as well.

UPDATE: This is the original advertisement for this model, from the November, 1939 issue of The Model Railroader. Note the detail differences of this "cleverest caboose kit ever offered in OO." For more on the introduction Graceline in 1939 see this article.

Some Vintage Boxcars, Part II: Graceline, Hawk, and Nason

2011-06-07T09:16:00.000-07:00

Continuing the look at some recently re-worked vintage cars, these three cars I will describe in the order of when they were introduced. Click on the photo for a larger view.

First we have a Nason boxcar, their easy-built type of model with printed sides for NYC. This car is an eBay find that I worked over a bit (added door guides for example, left off by the original builder). The original builder had trouble matching the color of the sides but on the plus side upgraded the model with Selley cast ends and also Famoco/Eastern roof ribs. It is a great operating car and stands out from the crowd a bit with a smaller overall cross section than other brands. It is set up now for reliable operation on a good pair of Scale-Craft trucks.

Next we have a Graceline boxcar that has been seen before in an article on tuning up Graceline trucks. The follow up being I gave up on that specific pair of Graceline trucks (tread width issues) and the car is also now reliably rolling on S-C trucks. With decal lettering, this was once a reefer but a prior owner converted it to a boxcar.

Last we have a Hawk outside braced boxcar. I have more on this general type of car here, this particular one being an eBay purchase that had a bit of damage. I worked over a few issues (missing ribs and door guides) and mounted a pair of reproduction Lionel trucks on the car that matched it well I felt.

As I have noted elsewhere, not every type of car can ride on every type of truck. In the case of Hawk especially, they normally require a truck with a very low bolster height while Nason cars have a very high bolster height in mind. In the case of this Hawk car, a prior owner had filed down the bolster mounts on the frame which allowed these trucks to work. Still, the screws and mounts could have been done better so one truck has to be attached very loosely to allow the car to track well--a tip to remember as it is useful for many vintage OO cars.

Some Vintage Boxcars, Part I: Bessey and Graceline

2011-06-06T19:21:00.003-07:00

With a fairly brief window of time open to work on train projects, these past few weeks I worked through a number of freight cars that have been on the sidelines not in condition to run on the layout, cars I wished to run. The first cars I want to feature are a group of five wood boxcars by E. H. Bessey and Graceline. As always, click on the photos for a larger view.

First up is this group of three interesting cars. They are all wood boxcars decorated for the Southern Pacific and are nominally of USRA designs of WWI era. The two cars in front are both by E. H. Bessey. These were wood kits but they had painted and printed sides. The car with the modified car number (on left) may be seen in this prior post before the recent work was done (it is on a Hawk frame), and the other was a more recent eBay find. In both cases I worked over the under frames and trucks and did other detail touch up. They both are on Schorr trucks at this time as well, which suited the existing truck mountings.

The car in the rear was in a bit rougher shape but is a fairly rare car, by Graceline. It may be seen in this article “before,” and I hope to feature their products more in coming months. (Overview here) The really notable thing about this car is that it has hand painted sides with a Southern Pacific emblem printed on paper. It was missing a roof walk and the original Graceline trucks were unusable so it is now on Scale-Craft trucks.

The second pair of cars are also Graceline products with the hand painted sides and printed logos. The Atlanta and West Point single door car is on reproduction Lionel trucks now and the Atlanta, Tennessee and Northern car is on a pair of original Graceline trucks, proving that they can be rebuilt sometimes! Also both of these I left with dummy couplers, the double door car having the original Graceline couplers which are larger than S-C or Lionel couplers but compatible.

If a car has no couplers in my rebuilding they come out of the shops with Kadee couplers. If they have workable vintage couplers and are in a category of oddball but interesting vintage cars such as these I often leave them be these days, with their dummy couplers. Every brand of vintage OO coupler seems pretty compatible with Kadee, with luck they will even couple automatically.

Tomorrow we will be back with more boxcars!

Continue to Part II

An American Flyer Gon Converted to OO

2011-06-03T11:40:00.003-07:00

This is a car was featured in an article in The OO Road some years ago. I did this conversion way back in 1981-82, but came back to it this past week as I have been working on upgrading a number of cars for better operation and also getting other interesting, more recently acquired cars operable (I like to run trains!). In the case of this car, it had been on upgraded S-C trucks but as a non-vintage car and a personal favorite was switched to ride on Schorr trucks.

The conversion of the car itself was actually pretty straightforward and I would think about doing it again. Basically you have to reduce the length and height of the sides and narrow the car. In the case of this car I used Graceline ends that had been cast by Temple Nieter but the original ends could be modified. To the new ends I added Eastern brake details and made a new floor with an Eastern frame. The sides were capped with strip styrene.

It looks a little different than any comparable OO gondola such as the more commonly seen Schorr and Eastern cars. I am very pleased with the look of it on the new trucks compared to the S-C trucks I used years ago. I look forward to running this car more again.

1937, a Big Year for OO: Part V, Nason Strikes Back!

2011-05-26T07:27:00.002-07:00

Nason Railways had been a steady advertiser of their OO line for years by now, but in late 1937 they reached for a new level. For in the November, 1937 issue of Model Craftsman Nason bought the back cover and also had a new model to unveil.

Then as now the back cover is prime advertising space. Nason must have been aware of the Scale-Craft OO line launch and they ramped things up to keep pace. The new model is their 2-8-0, “The Freight ‘Hog’ Thousands Have Asked For.” Thousands! More details on this model may be found here, but the initial advertising copy on this “MASTERPIECE IN DETAIL” from 1937 is interesting in and of itself.

We present here and unretouched photograph of an unpainted Reading Consolidation. This model is built from rough castings (just as they are delivered to you) in order that you may see the clean moulding work and the exceptionally fine details we have put into this new kit. This also proves how accurately this model is designed. Castings are clean and true. All machining and drilling are done by modern precision methods that guarantee accuracy.

EAZY-BILT BUT INTERESTING

Here is a kit that will please you better than any you have ever tackled. It is easy to build because it has been engineered right—the headaches have been taken out and the interesting work left for you. We stake our four years’ reputation for building the finest OO models, that you will declare this the most perfect construction kit you’ve ever owned.

Wow. Down in the specifications we read that it uses the Nason Super motor which operated on either AC or DC and cost $29.95. It was a three rail model, there is no option for two rail as initially offered (but it would be an option later). Finally we read, “Large quantity in stock for immediate shipment…. Get yours NOW!”

They followed this up in December of 1937 with a second back cover in Model Craftsman, this one featuring their flat car but actually the full line appears to be listed on the back cover. Click on it for a closer view.

Looking at the bigger picture, Nason could have been miffed a bit at Scale-Craft for their new line being two rail with DC operation, because as shipped in 1937 all Nason products were incompatible with Scale-Craft products. Nason was firmly in the outside third rail camp and their AC/DC motors were more easily run in AC.

Then again, Nason shouldn’t have been too upset as at least there were no duplicate items between their lines and they could certainly sell OO to people that were drawn in to OO by the new Scale-Craft line. S-C was setting a new standard. But S-C cars would operate on a layout built for three rail operation and it would not be difficult to set up an S-C locomotive to run from outside third rail either, as modelers of the time would have figured out.

The bottom line though is that Nason was now not alone in a market they had to this point dominated. And New York City was now not the center of all things OO.

By the end of 1937 Lionel for sure knew about OO. They had seen all the models that were now on the market. They had held them in their hands and had seen them in stores and at shows and in the hobby press and very likely owned samples. Much was to come in 1938 from Lionel and others, a year we will look at next in this series.

Return to the beginning of the 1937 series.
Continue to 1938 series.

Two Upgraded Scale-Craft Ten Wheelers

2011-05-23T21:51:00.001-07:00

These photos I have been saving for a few months until after the 1937 series hit Scale-Craft. For here we have two very interesting, upgraded examples of their classic 4-6-0, a die cast model introduced in 1937.

The model as produced has several quirks that relate ultimately to choices made by Scale-Craft in those early years of die cast models. First we turn to the boiler front or more properly the area on the side of the smoke box leading down to the cylinders. What Scale-Craft did was fill the area with a slanted area. This choice makes the area look a bit odd. In their advertising Scale-Craft built the models in such a way as to not point out the problem but if you were to opt for a silver smoke box then it would be really obvious.

So what OO pioneer Howard Winther did was cut the area out. Click on any of the photos for a closer view. It could not have been easy to do back in those days long before Dremel tools. He did this on both locomotives. The first one, lettered for his road, I would take to be his first attempt at correcting this, and I will come back to the one at the end of this article shortly.

Notice also the firebox under the cab. This is his own extension; that area was blank—very blank—on the stock version.

Next turn your attention to the tender. If you look at a stock tender (such as here) you will see that it is short. Really short, a little odd looking really. I have long thought about taking two tenders and splicing them for height but that would be a lot of work to cut and grind and fit the castings together. Instead, Winther opted to add a piece about 1/8” thick under the body casting of the tender. You did not notice it until I pointed it out, right? I have another tender this has been done to (prior to my owning it) and that tender is now behind a S-C 4-4-2 model that I have in progress. This is a very good upgrade to this tender.

Finally, on this second model he has gone a step further and filled in under the smoke box so that the boiler is actually round. On the first model, Bergen & Essex 25, he left a hole there that is not very visible but there. Again, not easy work and done very nicely. These are a couple of the best examples of this model out there.

Both engines have the later style S-C motor but appear to have their earlier production brass drivers. And there are more detail changes that could be mentioned such as moving the bell to a new location. Certainly Howard Winther took these stock model engines and made them into models that stand apart.

Thanks again to the Winther family for sharing these great photos. I have more from them and will be coming back to them every couple weeks.

American OO Today, Episode 3: Diesels

2011-05-19T06:16:00.000-07:00

A third installment of American OO Today is up on YouTube, this time with the focus being diesels. As I note there, five different diesels are featured in this video, manufactured in the early 1950s by Davis, Kemtron, and Schorr, plus a more recent AHM HO conversion, with a variety of cars.

These links lead to more information on the featured models:

AHM SW-1 http://americanoo.blogspot.com/2008/05/two-diesel-switcher-conversions.html

Davis E-7 http://americanoo.blogspot.com/2008/06/davis-e-7s-and-more.html

Kemtron GP-7 http://americanoo.blogspot.com/2009/07/kemtron-gp-7.html

Schorr RS-2 http://americanoo.blogspot.com/2011/02/restoring-early-brass-import-in-ooa.html

1937, a Big Year for OO: Part IV, the New Scale-Craft OO Line

2011-05-15T06:22:00.010-07:00

Fans of American OO, you knew it was coming--the Scale-Craft OO line, produced by Scale-Models Inc. of Chicago. It was first introduced with this breathless advertisement in the November, 1937 issue of The Model Railroader. The same full page spread ran in The Model Craftsman in their December issue, prominently placed on page 1 of the issue. A lot of people would notice this advertisement, and the new line must have been known for a while by industry insiders. Click on the image for a closer view and take in the excitement!

There is a lot to glean from this spread, especially if you think over the context that has been set up here in this now long series of articles on OO by the years. Among them,

These are among the very first OO gauge products made in Chicago, the only predecessor manufacturers being Red Adams and Raymond Willey who were active around 1934-36 but seem to have sold very little product. Adams later reported that he sold out his toolings and designs to Scale-Craft in 1936, which would be the roots of parts of their OO line.
The only products really pushed in the advertisement are OO gauge “sets.” By this they mean either their passenger or their freight sets which included the 4-6-0 locomotive and two passenger cars or the 4-6-0 locomotive and the four freight cars plus a circle of track and four straight sections.
Nothing like this had ever been marketed in OO and so far as I can tell nothing like this had ever been marketed in scale model trains! Scale model train sets! With sectional track! This was absolutely the cutting edge.
These models “run on a perfected 2-rail system, with a 7 pole armature permanent magnet motor.” To this point no OO maker had offered 2 rail models (Nason was all three rail to this point) and DC operation with permanent magnet motors was an innovation in the OO world (but already used in HO). I will have a little more on how these new models ran at the end of this article.
The wheels on the freight cars are clearly shiny brass. I have long wondered if initial Scale-Craft production used the Bakelite wheelsets seen on some cars. I still think those Bakelite wheelsets are early but at least the first prototype models in the photos did have brass wheels so it is a mystery to stay on top of.
You need the catalog to learn more! Only 15 cents!

Model Craftsman in that December issue devoted more than a half page to the new Scale-Craft OO line in their “Good News” section with the photos seen here as well.

A new entry in the field of small-scale model railroading is announced with the news that Scale Models, Inc., prominent manufactures of 0 gauge equipment, are bringing out a line in 00 gauge. Among the novel features of the new models is the inclusion of complete train sets in both kit and finished form. This is the first time such outfits have ever been offered in the scale-model field. Track is assembled in sections that join together easily, making a portable layout easy to build.

Motive power is taken care of by a husky ten-wheeler of modern design. Shown in one of the pictures in this page, it is powered by a new motor of the permanent-magnet type. Its wheel arrangement makes it suitable for either passenger or freight hauling. All principal parts are clean die castings, and the assembly kits consist of finished units, ready to assemble, as shown in the photograph below. The cast underframe is drilled and machined, and driving wheels come already installed, insulated, and quartered.

No third rails are used, all units being designed on two-rail principle, with track, wheels, and trucks insulated. This gives exceptional realism.

The car kits are pressure die castings, beautifully detailed, and requiring a minimum of effort to assemble. All drilling has been done at the factory, and no soldering is necessary. Passenger cars are made with rounded roofs like air-conditioned prototypes.

Pretty modern!!! The Nason line was made in the manner of the O gauge models of the time but Scale-Craft was on the cutting edge of the newest technology.

I don’t have the complete 1937 catalog, just a Xerox of the full section on the OO gauge line and the introductory pages to the catalog. As you might guess they were pretty excited about the line there as well. They emphasized how the costs were much lower than O gauge, noting especially that “our Scale-Craft Construction Kit for a complete ‘OO’ Gauge Train, including built-up track, can be had for roughly the same price as the construction kit for an ‘O’ Gauge locomotive alone.”

One curiosity I would note is the side view of the locomotive, seen here (in a scan of a Xerox), clearly shows that there were rail wipers (“collectors”) installed under the cab. They may not have needed to pick up power from the tender at all.

Back to prices, the passenger and freight train kits listed at $48.50 and the assembled trains sold for $68. A kit for the locomotive would set you back $32.75 (finished for $45.00) and the cars ranged from the completed passenger cars at $6.75 down to the kits for the freight cars at $3.75 each. Not that cheap but the price point they felt they needed to hit. Decals, track, and various parts are listed for separate sale as well. They hit the ground running with a very complete line, with a note in all caps that switches would be ready approximately January 1, 1938.

One other brief note from the December issue of MR would be that Scale-Craft had an operating OO display layout at a show in Los Angeles. They were putting in the new scale nation wide.

To close, I was able to buy one of the early Scale-Craft DC/permag motors with transmission mint in box on eBay a few years ago (box makred “1121 MOTOR MAY 1 1940”). I had been fiddling with an S-C 4-4-2 model for several years that I wanted to mount that motor in and just yesterday got it together and running. Oh my! It runs VERY well. While it is a 24 volt DC motor it runs fast enough at 12 volts for my layout and is smooth and quiet. The engine easily pulls the four car passenger trains I would run with it. It was easy to wire up and ran smoothly from the very first time I set it on the rails. When it is done I will have more on this model and will be sure that it gets in a video later as well. [UPDATE: The video is here.] I am very happy with the operation. Buyers who saw the new line demonstrated back in 1937 should have also been as well; the assembled models must have been eye popping for the day in look (being die cast with operating doors, etc.) and operation. And the competition knew they better seriously step it up.

It would take Lionel about a year to tool up and catch up with the innovations pioneered by Scale-Craft. When we return to conclude our look at 1937 we will see that Nason was up for the competition and positioned to develop their OO line further.

Continue in 1937 Series

Retro-Modeling in American OO

2011-05-14T05:59:00.002-07:00

A reader of American OO Today, Brian Olson, wrote in with a note that he had seen in a recent issue of Garden Railways a term used, “retro-modeling,” and that it fit in exactly with what we are doing in OO. Looking over in their website (you have to be logged into Trains.com to read it) I found an article on “Old model-railroad books” by Marc Horovitz from Garden Railways where he uses the term as follows in relation to one of the books in his list (a very interesting list I might add, I have a couple of these books and will keep my eyes peeled for more of them).

Davis, Barton K., How to Build Model Railroads and Equipment, Crown Publishers, 1956

This excellent book takes you through the construction of a variety of different projects. The techniques shown can be applied to any scale. This book’s a treasure trove for retro-modeler’s.

Digging around online I see the term used in relation to work on model cars and model airplanes. There it seems to relate mostly to using vintage items (old stock) and/or vintage techniques to build scale models in the style of the period the item might have been built.

That ends up sounding a lot like what I am doing in OO. There is a visual side to vintage models that it is hard to put a finger on exactly but it is part of the appeal of American OO. To be sure I throw in modern materials and techniques as needed, I want smooth operation, but I am not looking to upgrade things much beyond the level that a skilled individual could have nicely built up a model back in the day. It is certainly not fine-scale work; I am fairly content with a good representation of a model.

Complete vintage items that are in good shape I will only rarely touch but for minor restoration. However, rebuilding old kit built models so that they look sharp and new is as readers know by now very interesting to me and gets at the concept of retro-modeling. The photo above shows a few examples of Scale-Craft cars that I have brought through the shops from junker to sharp but with only minor updating to their vintage look. The reefer and hopper I rebuilt years ago and the stock car and box car more recently. All were stripped with new decals added as were modern brake details, but they are unmistakably vintage items, rebuilt to look clean and operate well.

For years I have known what I do but at the same time it always is hard to explain to others outside the OO community. It is a little bit like Hi-Rail but not really as there is no toy-train basis to what I do. I am sort of a collector but not a pure collector; I like exploring the history of OO a lot but I also very much like rebuilding old models (these days quite often junkers or old unfinished projects) to fit the theme of my layout, with the idea of running them realistically. My main goal is a functioning model railroad in 1/76, so while I do use vintage items such as these I also have models made with modern techniques and materials that I enjoy as well.

Another way to say it is I like Lionel OO but have no big collecting desire to own every variation of their production or the budget to achieve that goal. I am much more interested in the bigger picture of all the OO lines. Some items I have were purchased or have been kept purely from a collector standpoint but the ones that excite me the most fit into the theme of my operations.

Back last year I had a photo from a reader of a Scale-Craft Pullman Observation he had build up fresh from a kit. This also certainly gets at what retro-modeling is where he wrote,

I have been building a collection of old, wood kits to be put away for the grand kids to be opened in the future--with the idea of them seeing what went into building these things in "the old days." Most of the equipment is HO scale, but I've done a couple of OO scale for the fun of it.

Expect to see the term retro-modeling crop up in this site more often. I used to think that people who came to Lionel OO from the collecting side were the future of American OO but now I am not so sure. I think the future of American OO may actually more along the lines of retro-modeling. In the big picture of things American OO is at present very affordable, there is always something on eBay, and what could be more retro than working in a model railroad scale that has more or less been out of production since the mid-1950s?

Problematic: Late Scale-Craft Wheelsets [With Long Update on Other Makers]

2011-05-13T14:16:00.022-07:00

One hobby-within-a-hobby that I really enjoy is rebuilding old freight and passenger car trucks. Actually, I am kidding, it is not so much something I enjoy as something I have needed to get better at to run vintage/retro trains reliably.

With my code 100 track I avoid running standard Lionel wheelsets. They actually work great in a way, Lionel opted for a much wider tread and larger flange that will not derail under any normal circumstance. With their solid metal bolster you have to use a solid axle wheelset for two rail operation; a split axle type wheelset such as the standard Scale-Craft wheelset will create a dead short (standard S-C wheelsets with brass wheels require an insulate bolster for two rail operation). So with the Lionel cars I run I either have them running on RP-25 contour Ultimate wheelsets (which were made in Lionel and S-C versions—the best OO wheelset ever!) or on late Scale-Craft wheelsets with the solid axle. I had saved a number of them from cars for this very reason.

Actually, I should have said I had Lionel trucks running on those late S-C wheelsets until this past weekend. I had noticed some nagging derailment problems in turnouts with one of these cars in particular, a car I very much wanted to run. I kept checking the gauge of the wheelsets and of my track but could not solve the problem. Finally I checked the width of the tread as seen in this photo.

You tend take it for granted that all wheelsets should be up to NMRA standards, especially these which date to probably the early 1950s. However, of these only a fraction of the production is up to NMRA tread width standards! On virtually every one of the wheelsets I have of this type one or both sides are well under standards. The tread is not supposed to drop in the slot on the standards gauge.

I had used these wheelsets mostly in reproduction Lionel trucks. To get those cars operating well the solution was to drill the axle holes a little bigger and use Ultimate wheelsets pulled off S-C upgraded trucks, with those trucks being converted back to standard, split-axle type S-C wheelsets from the parts box, which on my track (and especially the Mantua turnouts) are pretty much bullet proof. (But see the UPDATE, below).

The side story being that S-C was shipping out trucks at the end with problematic, off standards wheelsets. It did not help out the end of their sales or reputation with operators of the day. And I am totally banning their late type wheelsets from the layout. I really don’t need derailments caused by wheelsets.

In the past I noted as well that Nason wheelsets are also touchy, and that I have Nason trucks that have been re-worked by prior owners with Scale-Craft and Lionel wheelsets (Nason and SC wheelsets are similar, more here). (UPDATE: See this one too!) Those operators knew things I am just figuring out. What I discovered in following up further was that quite a percentage the Nason wheelsets I tested are also under NMRA standards in tread width! Some actually are up to standards and seem to operate great but do test every Nason wheelset for this same dimensional problem if you plan to run them. On my track anyway it makes a huge difference and I suspect would also make a huge difference in operating on Lionel three rail track as well, in particular their turnouts. I would be interested to hear from any Lionel operator on this topic.

UPDATE: (Now itself updated several times) It is interesting how some problems will have an obvious answer but yet it can elude you for years.

The issue with the wheelsets got me looking and now I see also that well over half of the Famoco/Eastern wheelsets I have around are under/off standards as well. I like to keep cars "pure" if possible and I have only seven cars that are set up and in a condition that I would like to operate them regularly that are on Eastern/Famoco trucks.There is one specific point on the layout that models are most likely to derail and I used that area for testing purposes. I was very hard pressed to come up with five pair of Eastern/Famoco trucks that really work even after seriously sifting through the loose parts supply and cars not set up for operation. It is a combination of tread width and flange profile variation that kills these trucks. The wheelsets are obviously from several runs, some of which were clearly not up to standards. Not good. And the insulation has shrunk on some runs and the trucks can fall apart easily. Not the best design to develop repeat customers.

Ultimately in shifting through the parts suply I realized that I could combine some (but not all!) of the Famoco/Eastern axles with the early S-C Bakelite wheelsets and re-mount them in the Famoco/Eastern trucks. I was able to fix three pair of trucks up with these and have all the Famoco/Eastern cars I run rolling around the layout great, plus one spare pair of trucks for future use. After some real effort.

I also have a good number of Graceline cars and a couple of those I would like to run on the layout. These I also had found to be touchy on my track when I try them (an example may be seen here) even if they were in gauge and now I know why. I knew their wheelsets varied and now I can see that another variable that was off was, you guessed it, tread width. This, combined with their flange profile being way too variable, makes a lot of their trucks be not suited for my operation anyway as shipped out. Another project to do and I will keep shifting through the parts supply.

To touch on one other maker, the one Transportation Models wheelset I tested was way off, under width. I have never seen a pair of those trucks built up on a car. With too many small parts and bad wheelsets (an example may be seen here) that is completely understandable.

To their credit, Scale-Craft did, overall, make wheelsets that operate well. They seem to have had a spec for these that is actually just a hair narrower than NMRA standards as later set but they do operate well for me, probably because they are consistent with a good flange and the trucks are square and solid in design. The problem with the solid axle late type wheelset is quite a number of wheels are more than a hair under their spec. Every other run of them beside the solid axle type featured in this article (there were many runs over the years, take a close look and the variations are clear) seems to be closely up to dimensional specs and thankfully cause me no operational problems. The early Bakelite wheelsets have a wider profile similar in width to Lionel and also cause me no operational problems.

Thus, the unexpected project now is going through the vintage wheelsets yet again and separating out the ones that are not up to standards. They will be put in a box where the sun does not shine, only to be used on cars that I know I won't be trying to run or salvaged for parts (for axles for example).

Standards varied just a bit year to year in production runs for the small firms, and we have to remember also that those wheels were made by humans. If the lathe operator had a bad day then wheelsets just off standards were made and ultimately shipped out. Unfortunately for those makers it translated into inconsistent/bad product and would have impacted customer satisfaction for sure. Operation would be spotty, depending on track standards. I suspect strongly that Scale-Craft and Lionel used far better machinery and cutters to make their wheelsets than the other early makers.

To conclude what has become a rather long article, tread width is critical and can't be taken for granted with vintage scale models. This will now be something that I specifically look for in prepping any car for layout operation.

1937, a Big Year for OO: Part III, Grimke, Winther, and 10.3% of the Market!

2011-05-11T06:11:00.002-07:00

A first note in this installment would be that NYSME chair F. D. Grimke was specifically mentioned in an article on the history of model railroading in the February issue of The Model Railroader. OO is mentioned several times, with the specific note that Grimke “introduced OO gauge,” further noting that “F. D. Grimke worked out the American OO gauge, changing the gauge to 19.0 mm to fit the British scale of 4.0 mm to the foot, and built very complete American type locomotive models in this size.” Our longer, introductory article on Grimke is here.

Turning to The Model Craftsman, in the May issue, in the letters to the editor a reader could get the impression that OO was on the way out. One letter compares HO and O gauges with no reference to OO and another reader in Detroit writes

I have written to the suppliers of “OO” equipment who advertise in MODEL CRAFTSMAN, but so far, have received only one company’s catalogue. This has made me somewhat hesitant about building a system in OO gauge, as has the fact that there seems to be some agitation against “OO” in this district.

Have you any idea as to the consensus of opinion regarding the future of “OO”? And is there a possibility of its gradually passing out of the picture, due to the increasing rise in popularity of “HO.”

I have been in favor of “OO” because it offers a greater opportunity for finer detailing, then, too, the size difference seems to me to have a possibility of being a better “picture” in the completed layout.

However, if “OO” is on the way out, and I only have one or two sources of supply for “OO” equipment, then “HO” is naturally the logical gauge for me to use….

I have been advised that the dealers in model railway equipment do not want two small gauges, but would prefer concentrating on “HO.” This seems to bode ill for “00.” Yet I am wondering about the enthusiasts who have built and are building in “00.” Likewise, I am wondering about the expense that companies have undoubtedly gone to in producing such things as the N. Y. C. Hudson Locomotive….

Good questions! The May issue of MC also reports the prize winners for 1937 at the NYSME show, and the winner in the category “Smaller than O gauge” was Howard Winther for this beautiful model of an Erie 2-8-4 locomotive, here seen as it looks today. For more on this model see this article. On the same page of MC advertising may be found for the Nason Hudson and the Star Atlantic.

The June issue of The Model Railroader has the results of a survey of readers. While reporting that “OO Gauge Gains,” which it did rising from 2.1% in 1936 to 10.3%, the real story was that by comparison HO had 33.9% of the market in 1937. These numbers were not good for OO.

The survey itself is a bit flawed as it is really geared toward the title of the article, “1937 Prototype Favorites.” As they report in the lead line, the Pacific type locomotive, box car, and coach are the winners. There were 70 actual voters from the OO community. More can be gleaned from the survey results but I think one of the most significant figures was the overall average weekly hobby budget of those answering the survey: $2.36.

Between the survey and the letter to the editor cited earlier the picture we are left with is that some felt that we did not need two small scales and HO was in the lead at least in part because it was smaller and cheaper.

There is for sure overall more OO coverage in The Model Craftsman than in The Model Railroader. For example the September issue of MC has two articles on building OO equipment. The first is by Frank Waldhorst (a partner in Nason) on scratch building an “All-Gage” Pullman Observation (the scale drawings are clearly based on the Nason instructions) and the second by R. E. Goode on building a neat wood sheathed SP box car. Within a few years Graceline and E. H. Bessey would bring out very similar models of this same type of car. Finally, Hobby Craft Stores of New York was a dedicated OO advertiser of Nason products and we will give them the last word in this installment, with the top portion of their advertisement on the back cover of this issue.

When we return to this series it will be for the launch of what would become the largest OO manufacturer.

Continue in 1937 Series

An OO Scale 1940 Ford

2011-05-09T06:11:00.001-07:00

Recently in some items from Bill Gilbert I received a number of great OO scale size cars and trucks. Many of these he had modified, and among the best examples were a group of 1940 Ford cars.

I hate to cite eBay as a source but I was able to find a listing for this car which describes it as a “1970-77 Tootsietoy 40 Ford Die Cast Car”. I am sure there are books on Tootsietoy that have considerably more detail on this model and its production, but the listing seems to ring true to what it is, a die cast toy from the 1970s.

Using a scale ruler and prototype dimensions I found online this car does appear to be scaled for 1/76 (if just a bit toy like). What Bill did was remove the hitch at the back and repaint the models nicely. Also note that one car he made into a convertible with an interior from another model.

This model does not seem to show up on eBay often. It would be one to keep your eyes peeled for, and I will certainly be making use of these great models on the layout. For information on some other road vehicles suited to American OO by IHC see this article.

Two Schorr Gondolas: Variations?

2011-05-07T10:09:00.002-07:00

To follow the recent post on the gondolas scratchbuilt by Howard Winther we today have the underside of two Schorr gondolas. Looking at these cars I realized that one of the examples I have of this car couldn’t be easily set up at the right coupler height for my layout standard. Schorr trucks have low bolsters but with all truck shims removed the couplers were still too high.

The Schorr gondola, described further here, is a very nice model that is among the more commonly seen of his brass OO gauge imports. Looking at these cars it appears that these may have been imported in at least two runs. Most of these cars that I own have a metal bolster but one has a plastic bolster. The plastic bolster cars combined with Schorr trucks result in a car that is just a bit higher on the trucks. Also note that the plastic bolster car has brake details soldered on the car while the metal bolster car has no evidence of these parts; this particular one has had an Eastern K-type cylinder added. But making things even more curious, I have other metal bolster examples of this car that clearly do have the soldered on brake cylinder details.

I have two cars with the plastic bolster and couplers set up this way. The other one has no brake details but here is the kicker: it is lettered for the Yorkville and Western, the personal road of Fred Schorr himself.

Returning to the cars above, there is a modification visible on both cars so that Kadee couplers could be applied. It is possible with care to get a standard #5 coupler to work (with inserting half a coupler box inside the one built into the car) but the builder of these two cars opted to remove the original mounting, perhaps back in the days when the #5 was not available. And it is very possible that the plastic bolster was applied at that time and has nothing to do with there being multiple runs of this car, as this was a standard part Schorr sold with the trucks.

For now the high coupler/plastic bolster car in the photo will be set aside. It also has a couple visible paint chips so it is not one I am looking to operate. At some point in the future I will work over coupler mounting on both of the cars with plastic bolsters further.

A Nason Gas-Electric

2011-05-06T17:16:00.006-07:00

One recent project finished was this Nason gas-electric coach, a pre-war OO product I first see listed in their 1939 catalog.

They sold this model in three versions (as a “B. & O. Gas-Electric”); coach, coach-baggage, and coach-baggage-mail. In this first view we see the model at a similar view as seen in their catalog photos, but the opposite side showing the cast bronze radiator.

If I were choosing ideally I would have built the coach-baggage-mail version but this model came up on eBay of the coach. This particular one was completed to the point that it was ready for decals (with two tone paint) but had no drive. I suspect it was an unfinished project.

The place where the builder did a great job was on the roof. It is not obvious from the photo or catalog description but the first ¼ of the roof, at the cab end, is a bronze casting that is married to a wood rest of the roof. To get it all that smooth and solid took some body putty and real effort, and they did a very nice job.

Rather than risk damage to the model I painted over the original paint job to decorate it for the Orient, using the same paint scheme I used for a Scale-Craft gas electric that I rebuilt a few years ago. The final photo shows the two models together to see the comparison. On the S-C model I used a modified AHM drive unit (the type with a vertical shaft motor) and on the Nason one I used Athearn parts as a basis, as described in a prior post. Also on the rear truck I added Nason sideframes. They both run about the same speed but the Nason model performs better, it has a very smooth drive and 8 wheel pickup. It really puts a smile on my face to see it running around the layout so well. It also, with all that weight over the drive truck, has impressive pulling power and will pull with ease 6-8 freight cars, although that would not be a way it would be operated normally of course.

I plan to run it in general service with a RPO-baggage trailer [UPDATE: finished model here], something I have seen in prototype photos pulled by an all coach gas-electric such as this, and I have a model in the collection spotted to modify this summer for that job. For now it runs with a Nason PRR coach, seen in the first photo as well. The pair of models tuck into my short staging track very well, so when I run transition era sessions on the layout for sure this model will be racking up some miles.

An OO Scale Ruler that is Easily Available in North America from Rulers of the World

2011-05-04T11:40:00.004-07:00

At the end of the previous article I had a link to an article in an online magazine, Model Railroad Hobbyist. It is a magazine that I had not stumbled upon before and this was doubly surprising as it is free, looks to be a very nice monthly product, and it has been online since January of 2009! I will be reading all the back issues this summer. I especially like the view online option.

In their May, 2011 issue they have an article on Rulers of the World Scale Rulers, which you can access from the link above or from this direct link to their article. The manufacturer website is here and in short for a mere $5 (actually $4 plus $1 for shipping) you can have in your hands a brand new scale ruler in OO scale. We would want an Imperial type ruler for model railroad uses. It is certainly easier to order this from North America than the other (British OO) options and very worth checking out.

UPDATE: The image is of my ruler after it arrived. No complaints from me, a nice product.

Memories of Bill Johann, by Ed Loizeaux

2011-05-01T14:29:00.007-07:00

I moved to California from New York in the 1960s and found myself working at LOCKHEED ELECTRONICS in the Los Angeles area. While there, I met a gruff Germanic mechanical engineer named Bill Johann. We worked on a couple of projects together – he on the design end and me on the manufacturing end. Together we were responsible for making sure everything went smoothly for new products as they transitioned from the Engineering Department to the Manufacturing Department.

One day while in Bill’s office, I noticed a wall calendar with train pictures. Liking trains myself, I went over for a closer look. Bill noticed my interest and before long it was clear that we were both model railroad enthusiasts. Soon we were having lunch together and spending time together at work all the while talking about model trains instead of MIL SPECS and DoD. I had just moved to California and all my HO trains were packed in boxes and I was contemplating a new layout. Another idea lurking in my head was the possibility of changing scales. I sort of wanted something larger than HO, but was uncertain how to proceed. This would be an opportune time to change scales, I thought, and so I wanted to keep that option open.

At some point, Bill and I began discussing all the pros and cons of the various scales. HO was OK, but not great in my view. But I had never really seen anything else in a hobby shop and had no “feel” for what things were like in the different sizes. Bill then invited me to his home to meet some of his other train buddies and to operate on his layout. I had no idea what to expect, but figured it wouldn’t hurt to go see another HO layout. Obviously, I was making an assumption there. As we all gathered in Bill’s living room, one fellow walked in with a l-o-n-g Walther’s Pullman passenger car in O scale. Someone else had some On3 equipment. One fellow brought an HO car. Soon there were eight guys each with different pieces of equipment in various scales. They were all talking about how much fun they were having in a minority scale other than HO. I sort of got the point, but not fully…….yet.

Then we went into Bill’s layout room and began running trains. I soon realized that something was “strange” but couldn’t quite put my finger on what it was. It was different, but not by much. It ran well and looked OK and seemed normal – almost. After a while someone asked me if I knew what this was. I didn’t have a clue. I didn’t need to play dumb, I was dumb. Soon it was ‘splained this was OO which is a tad larger than HO. Just enough, Bill said, to make it run better and be more interesting. I thought OO looked really interesting and wanted to learn more. Bill was eager to help with my education. In retrospect, he was merely dangling the candy in front of a child. But I didn’t care. The experience was enjoyable.

As time went on, I changed jobs and moved to northern California and lost touch with Bill Johann. My scale decision was made and I chose S scale which, as we all know, is between OO and O scales. At the time, there were a total of six locos in S scale and two of them were of no interest to me. So I marched into S scale figuring nobody ever needed more than eight locos. I planned to have two each of four engines and weather them dramatically differently so that they would appear to be eight different locos. That was my plan anyway. Since that time S scale has blossomed with brass imports, mass produced plastic, many craftsman kits, laser structures, figures, vehicles and so forth. No more would I suffer from a shortage of locos.

Twenty years later, there was an Sn3 Symposium in Costa Mesa and I decided to attend. I don’t remember how, but Bill Johann and I somehow reconnected and he invited me over for a visit to see his new layout. Yes, it was still OO, but now it had lots of modern stuff on it. I took along a couple of S scale buddies to Bill’s house and we all enjoyed an afternoon viewing the sights. Bill was now retired and, for some strange reason, appeared a bit older. Amazing how I never change, but everyone else gets older. Bill showed us how he modified Athearn HO stuff to get what he wanted. He liked modern diesels because of the straight flat surfaces which made kitbashing and/or scratchbuilding easier. No more trying to create compound curves by hand for F-unit noses. It was a fun visit, just like the original one years before, and we all thanked Bill and headed for the door.

On the way out, Bill did have one last comment for me. He told me that OO was sadly slipping into oblivion. It was painful to him, but could not be denied. He told me the few remaining OO guys all had lists of equipment prepared with the names of who should get what when the owner passed away. This was, apparently, the only way anyone could actually obtain OO equipment because nothing was being made any more. Bill found this to be a practical arrangement, but sad all at the same time. He was glad to see that I had moved out of the HO world into something more exciting. He smiled when I told him he was the one fellow responsible for giving me the courage to try something different. He really liked hearing that.

“S”incerely…..Ed Loizeaux

The photos spread over this article were taken in 1983-84 and show the layout of Bill Johann, with him on the right in the photo of the golden spike being driven along with George and Orlyn on 1-15-83. Johann certainly enjoyed the interaction with other model railroaders and was initially part of one of two very active OO gauge round robin clubs in New Jersey in the postwar era. He was active in the North Jersey group by 1947 as noted in this prior article, which I just updated to include a photo of Johann as a younger man. Eventually the groups merged and they were still meeting actively into the 1980s.

Back to Johann and California, this particular version of his layout was dual gauge. Almost all of the equipment visible is OO (I for sure own a couple of the cars in the photos now, such as this Railbox car) but the F-3s and the SD35 in the golden spike photo are actually HO models according to the caption on the back. (Note also, the HO SD35 won a RMC kitbashing award! More on that here.) If I had a much larger space I might consider running HO in the background actually, it would be an interesting forced perspective effect if pulled off well. But that is a topic for another day.

Many thanks to Ed Loizeaux for sharing this wonderful view into a world of OO gauge activity of not that long ago. And one final plug, there is a great viedo of his S gauge layout on YouTube and also this article on his layout is easy to access online, check out his great model work.

1937, a Big Year for OO: Part II, Three “Firsts” by Mid-Year

2011-04-30T11:28:00.004-07:00

With a market for American OO clearly established, by the middle of 1937 three new models of types not previously manufactured in OO were on the market.

First up was a tank car model by Limco, first mentioned in The Model Craftsman in February of 1937. This I model has already been featured in American OO Today with early advertising here and also an example of this very rare model may be seen here. It was the first tank car produced in OO.

The March issue of The Model Railroader has an interesting item included in the article by Robert LeMassena on the NYSME show. Besides noting that “The OO gauge Little Island RR. has been rejuvenated with new additions” he also has this item on a new manufacturer.

Continental Models of Brooklyn displays OO gauge equipment. One interesting locomotive to be seen there is a cross between a Reading and a Pennsy. Either kits or finished models are sold by the company.

My guess is this is the first mention of Star-Continental Models. Their first advertisement I have noted is in the April, 1937 issue of The Model Railroader where their new 4-4-2 was also reviewed. The review is quoted in this prior article, and it was advertised with this advertisement with a photo in the May issue. Click on the photo for a better view. As noted in my longer article on this model, the model is not quite a PRR E-6--it is actually a freelance version of PRR K-4/K-5 Pacific, but built as an Atlantic. This was the only model produced by Star-Continental and was by 1940 produced by Nason.

The final model I would like to feature in this installment was another first, a flat car. This model was first mentioned by Nason in this advertisement from the July 1937 issue of The Model Craftsman, with the photo that ends this article being scanned from their 1939 catalog.

This is the first flat car that was produced in OO. According to the 1939 catalog,

The sides are letterd for Chicago and Northwestern or Baltimore & Ohio and are complete with rivet detail. A bronze underframe is furnished to give the car weight. The stake pockets are stamped and formed brass and require no drilling as the holes for fastening to the car side are stamped in. Flat Dimetal end beams and ASSEMBLED trucks are provided. The kit also includes milled and wood floor, stamped brass brake wheel, formed steps and grab irons, all necessary wood and machine screws, and complete construction drawings.

Note the third rail in the foreground of the photo. The final note is I have never to this date seen one of these except for one that might have been this car that passed through eBay a couple years ago. It should be an easy model to spot and was produced for a while so there really should be some out there. If anyone has one and can supply a photo I would be happy to follow up further on this model.

When we return to this series a focus will be on the actual market share OO had in 1937.

Continue to Part III of 1937 Series

1937, a Big Year for OO: Part I, the Nason 4-6-4 in Trade Topics and More

2011-04-24T19:41:00.007-07:00

In late 1936 Nason introduced their NYC 4-6-4 kit in OO gauge. It would be highlighted in a brief item in "Trade Topics" in the January, 1937 issue of The Model Railroader.

New catalog of Nason Railways of Mount Vernon, N.Y., shows an OO gauge line including an NYC Hudson steam type loco, PRR P-5 electric loco, passenger and freight cars as well as miscellaneous car, locomotive and track parts. From a photo the Hudson looks like a first rate cast boiler job. Kit is $27.00. This is the first OO steam type loco since OO Gauge Model Co. went out of business, and OO gaugers are advised to find out about it.

I would very much like to see this catalog, which according to their advertising went through two printings in 1937. If any reader has a copy they could scan I would like to come back to that in another article. This Nason advertisement was the lone OO advertisement in the issue.

Reference is also made above to the OO Gauge Model Co.; for more on this company and their very early OO models, which were advertised in MR as late as early 1936 but clearly were now unavailable, see this article.

The Model Craftsman gave more overall coverage to OO in their January, 1937 issue. The series of construction articles by E. B. Hansbury, Jr. continued with an installment on building an OO gauge automobile car, an article that included nice scale drawings of the model in addition to the finished car. The photo is a bit dark but the car looks pretty sharp. The model according to the text is hand lettered and it looks to be on Nason trucks.

Speaking of Nason again, their advertisement in MC, reproduced below, was much bigger than their ad in MR at the beginning of this article and featured a photo of the Hudson model; the ad was a repeat of one seen in the December, 1936 issue as well. On the whole Model Craftsman has more OO advertising, perhaps because it was more New York centric in their outlook and all the active makers were there. Thus in this January issue we also have advertising from OO manufacturer Limco and also Fixen and Hobby Craft Stores had ads which pushed Nason and Limco OO items.

The hidden gem in this issue is a letter to the editor from Harold Darr of Berwyn, PA. He sent this photo which they printed very small of his 4-8-4 which I will let him describe.

Since I have become a regular reader of the Model Craftsman, I have developed an interest in OO model railroads and I am building a layout in that gauge. I have noticed, however, that though you have printed many fine articles on rolling stock, nothing has been written about motive power for this gauge.

I am enclosing a photograph of an OO gauge Northern Pacific 4-8-4-type locomotive which I thought might be of interest. Would you care to have the plans for publication? This model was made without the use of castings for any part, not even the drive wheels. For all of its length this model will go through a three foot radius curve with ease—this being the minimum curve used on my layout.

This model gives a fine speed with considerable pulling power and makes a fine locomotive for the first locomotive on a miniature railroad for the reason that it can be used appropriately with the fastest passenger express or the heaviest freight, as the prototype is a dual service locomotive similar to the Timken or Pocono types.

Some interesting insights into the time. There were some builders out there working in OO and a growing market for these train models. When we return to 1937 the topic will be several other new models in American OO.

Continue to Part II of 1937 Series

Two Gondolas by Howard Winther

2011-04-22T22:25:00.002-07:00

Continuing the series of photos of models built by OO pioneer Howard Winther we have two gondolas. Click on either photo for a closer view.

First up is this one which I take to be the older car of the pair. This one is lettered, by hand, for the maintenance of way department of his Bergen and Essex Railroad. It is dated 1-38 and very likely was in fact built or completed in January of 1938. It looks to be made of wood but by modern standards the details are somewhat representational, noting specifically the rather wide panels in the sides and the upright brake wheel not typical of a steel car such as this. This one rides on his early style trucks as well that are not commercial products but rather trucks he scratch built. Note the lack of spring details.

This second car, lettered with decals for the Lehigh Valley, looks to be more prototypically based and is a very handsome car. The proportions are better for sure in the layout of the sides and also note the very nice ends. As it is riding on a set of Schorr trucks, probably the best ever made in American OO, at a glance one could easily mistake it for a Schorr brass import except for the lack of rivet details and the layout of the side panels.

It will take me a little while to write it up but as I work on the upcoming "series" posts for 1937 and 38 I will be featuring several more models built by Howard Winther as they are specifically mentioned in the hobby press of the time, be watching for more.

Modifying Athearn Drives for American OO

2011-04-17T20:43:00.006-07:00

Over spring break I made a quick trip to Denver to meet my brother and go to their big train show. My main purchases there were locomotives to either modify for OO or use for parts, plus a couple other random items. The first one to be parted out donated this drive.

Athearn has sold great HO locomotives for years and years. What you want are drives made in the same era as this one, which have plastic sideframes that can be snapped off and inside bearings. The wheelbase of a HO road diesel being the same as an OO diesel switcher is what makes this extremely useful to the modern OO gauger.

The modifications are pretty straightforward. Pop off the top gearbox cover to get the truck off the frame, and then pop off the bottom cover to get at the wheels. When there you could just move the wheelsets out to OO gauge (use the NMRA OO standards gauge!) but I used a wheel puller to also push in the axles (half axles) back in a ways so that they went in the center plastic part the same length as before, which should make the drive more solid in operation down the road (but not too far--or it will create a short, the two halve axles must not touch). When you put them back together you will have to add a shim between the wheel and the bearing. I used thick plastic to make a washer, easily visible in the photo.

These trucks are geared nicely, pick up from all wheels, and basically are bullet proof! They have served very well for several years now under my E-7 for example. I am stocked up for parts for these Athearn drives and they will be showing up on several models in the blog this coming year.

This drive specifically is going in a Nason gas-electric. I combined the Athearn parts with with parts from a dummy AHM Alco switcher frame, which is the source of the non-powered truck and the fuel tank. I knit the drive end together from parts from the AHM frame, the Athearn frame (both trucks are in their original mounts) and screws and wood and gap filling super glue. Every project like this is a puzzle to a point, but it came together in an enjoyable few hours, reward time after finishing the taxes. And it runs great with the vintage Pittman motor and eight wheel pick up. The only real challenge was I had to carve out a niche for the motor so that it would fit under the roof, which I also had to carve out a bit to clear the brushes. I still have details to work out on the underframe and the body needs decals but it should be finished in a few weeks, more when it is done.

Finally, speaking of the show where I purchased the Athearn drive truck used in this model, there was one seller with OO (Lionel) at the meet but that was all. Someday I have to get to York. Being way out west as I am it will be a few years though before I invest in that trip.

UPDATE: The finished gas-electric is here.

A Streamliner for the Orient

2011-04-16T06:22:00.005-07:00

A project underway since last summer has been a streamline passenger train which is finally essentially complete.

Most of the cars in it are Zuhr but starting at the front in this first photo we have a Scale-Craft heavyweight baggage. This one has been upgraded with Kemtron trucks, excellent lost wax brass castings, and they suit a car such as this presumably upgraded for use on a streamlined train set (more on Kemtron trucks here). Behind it is an RPO. This car and all the rest of the cars in the train are Zuhr; a photo of this car before rebuilding and also more information on Zuhr OO equipment may be found here. I had to work out doors myself which is why the porthole windows. The cool baggage door is actually the cab side of an old AHM RS-2 that I had in the scrap box. Don’t waste anything!

Moving on, next we have two more 60’ cars. Both have been modified with the bottom side skirts removed and they like the RPO above are on Schorr trucks. In the back we have a 60’ coach and in the front an oddity. As it is actually a Zhur observation with the observation end cut off. These two cars both have partial interiors thanks to a prior owner and all four of these cars look great on the layout.

The last two cars also work fine on the layout but with my somewhat sharp curves they don’t look quite as good as they are full 80' cars. In the front is a diner with an interior which has also been modified with the side skirts removed and in the back a pretty much stock version of what Zuhr called a combination Pullman. This as noted in the earlier article came to me from eBay mounted on what were actually the stock trucks shipped with these cars, which were modified Varney HO F-3 trucks (see this article for a photo). I think some of these passed through eBay recently but the buyer might have thought them to be trucks usable on an OO diesel. They may have passed for passenger trucks back in the day but for me with my modern eyes those really looked odd on the car and the Schorr trucks I was able to add are a great upgrade. (More on Schorr passenger trucks here).

It took quite a while to decide on a paint scheme but I was really interested that they be silver and the red stripe ties them in with the locomotives and enhances the very plain sides of the Zuhr cars. The width was defined mainly by the way the stripe would work on the baggage car, which you can do if you are freelancing. And to Bob O. who suggested the Tamiya masking tape thank you! I had been very phobic about stripes. It was not that hard to do.

You would think since they are lettered for the Orient that this train would be the “Orient express.” And I suppose the fictional locals who might have rode this fictional train might have called it that, but my official fictional name (the KCM&O was real but my version into this era is fictional) for this train is The Plainsmen, in honor of the old, long defunct drum and bugle corps in my home town of Empoira, KS. (But maybe The Plainsman would be better grammatically for a train?).

I hope this set of cars will see many miles of use, and I have certainly enjoyed finally running it these few weeks.