Model Train Journal

I was looking for some photos for George Sokol in Tucson - realized I did not have a shot of my Little Engines Northern - 17/64, and I have seen it run on air, before I tried to make it look like an actual Northern, rather than a tractor boiler with a tender running backwards. It is set up for propane, and that strange thing by the tender truck is a hand water pump. Not insulated . . .

Bob, if you recognise this incomplete live-steam Hudson, I’d love to know what it is that has been sitting here in my workshop forever. The construction so far is very well done. Fidelity to a prototype is pretty sketchy.

I’m not really interested in doing anything with it so, if anyone wants it, PM me, trade me something I can use, and its your’s. Grin!

BTW, all the basic tender panels are here, too.

Probably scratchbuilt. Has none of the attributes of Little Engines or Neff.

George sent me this strange 4-2-0 that looked like a fugitive from Transylvania. I salvaged the cylinders and backhead, and married them to this ten-wheeler, which will never be run under steam or air, or anything else for that matter. It just seemed like an intriguing project to save the workmanship.

Forgot to post this - here is the backhead. Please tell me I didn't post this here on some other thread?

Slowly making progress, between the U50 and the D&H Challenger:

You can't help it Bob
despite the disparaging remarks, pretty cool looking ten-wheeler,
that straight tender makes me think Texas Lines- SA&AP or SAU&G

Still working on that. Ready to solder air lines on, and have a new SP oil tender ready. Meantime, I was scanning my other live steam. This one came from Leon Jacobson (RIP)' and I think he got it from Ed Puryear. I made the tender from brass, and re-did the wheel base to match the SP S-9.

That is a really nice looking locomotive. What gauge might it be? And is it hand-lettered, or were you able to find decals (or transfers) that large commercially?

Little Engines 1" Scale. A friend did the vinyl press-ons for me, but Callie Graphics now does all my vinyl work.

I just noticed the miniature version of an 0-6-0 sitting on the tender deck:



Would that be an HO model? Just guessing from the relative size.

Also, is the gauge 4-3/4" or 5"? From what I understand, both gauges are found. Sounds like O-scale!

Jim

Yes, Roundhouse. Acquired when I was ten. Bolted on!

4 3/4” gauge. Five inch gauge is extremely rare, unlike the 7 1/4”/ 7 1/2” conundrum. Which segues into my now sold BIG live steamer:

1.6" scale, 7 1/2" gauge. I owned this beauty for almost a quarter century. Had the boiler off for a new dry tube, straightened the tailbeam with Helicoil inserts, made a new cab, raised the domes and stack, and had great plans to run it. That didn't work; like airplanes and sailboats, operating one of these is a skill that develops over many weekends of effort and failure. I did run it under steam on a test track.

Tender is .032 brass, riveted with brass pins driven with a surplus Boeing rivet gun. As close as I could get to an SP prototype without actually counting rivets. Sold it several years ago, and really don't miss it all that much. Way too big.

Carey just got a new Live Steamer - it is a 17/64 scale LE Northern. I think I shall encourage him to post here, so in the meantime I scanned my Little Engines Camelback, enhanced the scan a bit, and herewith:



This is from a while ago - it was running on air after about a half century of me trying to pretend to be a machinist. It is a bit further along, and the tender is now behind a Puryear/LE 0-6-0, which is probably above. I will get some more recent photos this spring in the digital camera.

Carey - your turn!

bob turner wrote:Forgot to post this - here is the backhead. Please tell me I didn't post this here on some other thread?

Considering the frequency that you post things, the only place I can be sure you didn't post it (at least lately) is OGR.