Model Train Journal

Taking a break from the eBay angst for a moment, thought folks might want to post some snaps. Here's a few shots taken recently.

At McDaniel College (formerly Western Maryland College) here in Westminster, a caboose sits up on the hillside adjacent to the stadium. Despite the claim on the plaque, the caboose is actually a former B&O car (C2238), donated by CSX in 1982 and presented to the college by the Class of 1984:





To the best of my knowledge, the WM never had any eight-wheel wood cabooses...all of their wooden cabooses were four wheel, I believe. They numbered it 1867, a commemoration of the year of the college's founding. Part of the legend around the college's founding was that is was named after the railroad, a notion vehemently denied by at least one historian associated with the school. However, the school's first board chairman and primary benefactor was John Smith of Wakefield, a local businessman and former president of the WMRR (November, 1862 to July, 1863). Who knows, probably more info than anyone cares about, but still pretty cool having a caboose in the sight-line of their stadium.

Not much happening here on the pike. I was playing around with my brother's table-saw recently and made a number of lumber loads for my Flyer flat cars:



Next I'll have to make a bunch of the steel looped pins that hold them in place...easier said than done.

Post 'em if you got 'em.

Healey

Interesting, they presented the gift before graduating .

Now that is one of the coolest things I have seen on a college campus

healey36 wrote:Taking a break from the eBay angst for a moment

Healey

Thank you Healy.
Nice photos. I like your lumber load.

I saw this photo on line:


And decided to make a diorama of it.


Photo trick, I only have one of the passenger cars.

Odd ties, and no ballast.



I also like Healey's lumber load. The flat car is cool, too.

Nice job, Wayne.

Thank's Roger.

Nice replication in O-gauge, Wayne. Those ties in the photo almost look like they are cut specifically to lay atop sand - wide and shallow.

I made a jig to cut the lumber loads, which was handy, although I pretty much destroyed it in the cutting process. I had some white pine laying around that was about 1-1/8" thick. Shoved it through the thickness planer to get it down to 7/8", which looked like the approximate size to fit snugly beneath the retaining clips. Trimmed it to the right width and length, than set the blade down and cut the slots. I didn't quite get the slot on the side correct, so one "board" is a bit thicker than the other, but it's not obvious. The tricky/dangerous bit was cutting the slots on the ends...had a tendency to tip or twist in the jig.

So now I need to make a bunch of these:



One end slips over the stake, the other into the slot on the opposite side. I tried making one from an old bicycle spoke I had laying around, but the steel was too hard...had trouble bending it into a small loop. I tried some aluminum, but that was too pliable and didn't retain it's shape. I've got some brass rod that I use to make replacement handrails for prewar tank cars, wondering if that'll work. I only have a small bit left which I've been saving for a refurb of a Flyer tanker, though, so I'm still looking around. I'll have to look at what's available out there.

Healey

You can get galvanized steel wire for picture hanging in several different sizes at the local Home Depot. It comes in small coils on blister card. It's dead soft, but, considering the application, it might do.

These clips are about the thickness of clothes-hanger wire. I made a couple out of stuff I found at Lowes awhile back, but I had trouble bending a loop on each end. Put a loop on one end and just clipped off the opposite, which works, but is irritating:



I rummaged around a bit this AM and found some more of the brass rod I bought from George Tebolt decades ago. Should have enough to make a dozen or so clips if I can bend it properly. More concerning is the fact that I don't even know what I have anymore...the workbench and stock needs a good clean-up and sort.

Ives used chain for their flats, which looks sharp and might be a good alternative:



Their loads were individual bits, though.

Healey,
Either way looks good but my guess is that you want to stay with the original way.

It appears to me from your photos that the couplers were not compatible.
Is this a common problem in this gauge?

Roger, early on most of the manufacturers used a tab-and-slot type coupler that was generally compatible, although one ran into issues of coupler height that made things not work so well. Then Lionel invented their latch coupler and Ives came up with what you see here (not sure what they called it). Flyer stuck with tab-and-slot for a long time before moving to the link coupler (with an intervening curly-que coupler, mercifully very briefly). None of the later couplers are compatible between manufacturers. Ives dried up and blew away in the early 1930s, with Lionel installing their latch couplers, later the box version, on the bits they adapted as O-27 in their product range. To be honest, I've never tried consists of varying manufacturers, but it can probably be done with the early versions.

Thanks, Healy.
I knew about the height problem and of the different types from the makers.
I just wondered if there was a way. I remember that Lionel had an appliance
that would work with knuckle and box and possibly their latch type.