Lobaugh Berk 2023

[WindyPines-1810]

1937 - probably done by Gerry White:



With apologies if anyone still owns the copyright - original holder has departed the earth more than 70 years ago.

Nicest Loco in this thread by a long stretch!

Here's a photo taken from the 1941 catalog:

Lobaugh Mike.jpg (1.52 MiB) Viewed 10761 times

Price has gone up: from $138.00 (1939) to $151.50...

Mark "in Oregon"

[bob turner]

I personally think my locomotives and photos are at least as good as that 1938 catalog photo. This is only one from page 1 of this thread - there are a bunch of others. For Lobaugh Mikados go here:

viewtopic.php?f=10&t=18737

[Dennis Holler]

This is another non-Lobaugh. Its lineage is known to others, but the best I can figure it is an effort by Bob Smith with the help of Adams foundry. It is truly a doorstop; the boiler is one giant heavy chunk of brass. The cab takes some serious adjustment to fit correctly. Sure, I will paint the drivers someday, and decal the thing, right after I make a correct tender for it. It does run!

The current tender is a bronze version of the tender that came with the A-N Mountain. My understanding is that it was the tender supplied with this big Berk, but it is too short by almost an inch! Parked for now while I think of my next project.

Ahh So that's what this thing is!


I've been wondering is the chassis I have under it is the correct one, and I sure think it is based on your model Bob!
Thanks for the id!

[bob turner]

Yes. Good cast-on spring rigging and no tail beam. The trailing truck was the tail beam. Did not work well in reverse; the entire train was trying to buckle the lightweight (comparatively) trailing truck. I am not sure the real C&O Berk did not have a tail beam; it seemed restricted to those Berks with the rather long trailing truck - the Lima B&M locomotives that got scattered among the SP and ATSF.

This one:

[bob turner]

By the way, there are two Lobaugh Berks on the latest Stout auction. I would bid on the disassembled one, but I already have my share.

My advice on that C&O? Add a tail beam, find the correct C&O trailing truck (I think Stevenson has it) and the boiler front. Make a new tender (the CLW one was too short) and hit it with satin black rattle can. Oh, and skinny up the side rods and invert them. Not that many of these out there.

[Dennis Holler]

I might be a bidden, and local but you know I am a light weight!! And I do not have that little trailing truck floating frame either lol. Wondered how that was meant to work before I saw your posts!!! I need a Bridgeport!!

[bob turner]

A bit more research - I have a good library including some drawings etc. I still need to check Hundman's excellent and usually accurate drawings.

The Van Swearingen Berkshires did not have a separate framed trailing truck with drawbar. Instead they had a conventional tail beam. For some reason Adams and/or Smith thought these were like the Lima Berks, with tender drawbar attached to the trailing truck, and no tailbeam. I guess the cab depended on boiler structure for its support, although there were rollers of some sort transferring weight to the trailing truck.

The cure, of course, is a tailbeam. You really don't need a Bridgeport to do that, although I have been machining "I" beam sides - mostly because I can, and not because the real thing had an "I" beam shape.

Do capture the correct trailing truck. Lead truck can be Lobaugh - or almost anything with outside bearings. I think these are roller bearing outside journals, but not sure.

So: I will get you a photo of my frame soon - maybe this evening. Your cab is in the right spot, unlike many of these casting sets, so you are ahead of the game.

[bob turner]

Well, it turns out that the Swearingen Berk has an "I" beam tailbeam. I am going to reproduce a very small part of one of the Hundman Cyclopediae drawings, under the "educational purposes" exception. I am sure Bob would authorize the repro, because he has done so for me in the past.
But no need - this is strictly for educational purposes:



The CLW frame extends far enough back to allow bolting and soldering the extension without interfering with the rear drivers.
So here is a one-time offer - send me your stripped frame and a call tag to ship it back, and I will machine and solder the tailbeam for you.

[bob turner]

Here is my frame extension. Note the trailing truck - that is the exact one you are looking for. Also it is the exact one that should be on the Lobaugh Greenbrier - not the strange one in the kit.

[Dennis Holler]

So far I found a plain bearing front truck need to keep digging for a rear truck. I'm trying to sort through things and at least put parts with the loco they should go with in the event I ever get to working on any of them....

[sarge]

Could this be the truck?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/205768932283?_ ... R7r9tN-3Zg

I seem to recall Jan Lorenzen (LWS) held the NOS Lobaugh stuff in the 1980s along with stuff bought from Bob Smith's range. He had a close relationship with Smith's CLW, Bob packaging drives for Jan to re-sell with LWS truck castings or to be included with his kits.

Anyway, I bought it figuring it wouldn't last the morning so if my memory is still good and this is indeed the critter, Dennis, send me a PM and we'll go from there.

If not, no worries!

[bob turner]

Sorry I didn't get back to you - a busy month!
The proper trailing truck was part of the casting set. Strange that no-one else has done a proper C&O truck.

I was going to tag some info about CNW steam here, but I think better to start a CNW Steam thread.

[bob turner]

There are days when I consider an Erie Berk. Those things were huge! The one I like has giant holes in its disc drivers, a Lima trailing truck, and a huge straight-sided tender, for which I will probably have to make truck sideframes. I do have the mechanism partially complete with USH drivers.

[bob turner]

Here it is a year and a half later, and my Erie Berk is extremely close to finished. My Lobaugh Berk collection includes at least two that are in almost kit shape. Here is one I would leap on if I didn't already have more than my share:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/407078349731

The only thing I see that could present problems is the depth of corrosion on the uninsulated drivers, and I have actually operated drivers (cleaned up, of course) that were worse. I would say it should go to $175, but with only three hours it might not make that peak.

On the other hand, the Lobaugh Cab Forward made it to $2500, and I expected it to go for $800. So much for being a Lobaugh expert, right?



Oh - note on prior pages the Suburban discussion. Maroon now has the genuine article in his collection.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Here it is a year and a half later, and my Erie Berk is extremely close to finished. My Lobaugh Berk collection includes at least two that are in almost kit shape. Here is one I would leap on if I didn't already have more than my share:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/407078349731

The only thing I see that could present problems is the depth of corrosion on the uninsulated drivers, and I have actually operated drivers (cleaned up, of course) that were worse. I would say it should go to $175, but with only three hours it might not make that peak.

Looks like it was stored in a very wet basement or used for a fishing weight....