OScale Trainsoscalemag.com/docs/ost_13.pdfing “cornfield” meets and, with trains pulling up to 80 lbs of cars, a mistake could be costly. I have 3 cabs and that keeps the CEO,

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Mar/Apr 2004 ◆Issue #13 ◆ $5.95

Modelingfor the O ScaleCraftsman

Modelingfor the O ScaleCraftsman

We’re 2!We’re 2!

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Mar/Apr’ 04 - O Scale Trains • 3

Features4 The Southern

Stuart Ramsey’s layout blends the best of the Pocahontas Roads.8 A Chicago Great Western Caboose

A drawing of a unique prototype in a hobby magazine led Al Krol tobuild this unique model.

11 Bright HeadlightsStuart Ramsey brings into focus how to make headlight reflectors.

12 Bitten by the Bug......the narrow gauge bug that is. Carey Hinch took a trackplan for an HO layout and adapted it for On30.

16 A Sector Plate for the Harmony Creek & SouthernSqueezed for space? Here’s a neat solution by Ron Gribler.

20 O Scale National 2004This issue we offer photos of half a dozen layouts you can visit duringthe convention.

23 Just Another Plain SwitcherIt’s anything but... Roland Marx shares his conversion of a GilmaurSW1500 into a CP MP15.

30 Building 69" Drivers for a Burlington 2-6-2 PrairieTom Mix makes it sound easy with the right tools.

34 Working Lighted Switch StandsIf you use working ground throws to operate your switches, CharlieMorrill shows how you can make them indicate the route with lights.

46 WM Boxcar ConversionA generic Weaver boxcar makes a fine Western Maryland Class B-3 asshown by Don McFall.

55 Locomotive Wheel CleanerA chore is made easier with this setup described by David Stewart.

59 OST Builds A Layout

Departments14 Traction Action – Roger Jenkins19 Easements for the Learning Curve – Brian Scace22 The Good Old Days - Jace Kahn26 The Workshop - Neville Rossiter28 Crapola From The Cupola – John C. Smith37 Confessions of a HiRailer – Hobo D. Hirailer38 Reader Feedback – Letters to the Editor42 Product News & Reviews50 Narrow Minded – Bobber Gibbs53 Proto48 – Gene Deimling56 O Scale DCC - Ted Byrne58 Buy-Sell-Trade Ads59 Advertiser Index60 Events Listing61 OST Dealer List62 Observations – Joe Giannovario

Modeling for the O Scale

CraftsmanIssue #13Mar/Apr 2004

Vol. 3, No. 2

Editor/PublisherJoe Giannovario

Art DirectorJaini Simon

Associate EditorBrian Scace

ContributorsTed Byrne

Gene DeimlingBobber GibbsCarey Hinch

Hobo D. HirailerRoger Jenkins

Jace KahnJeb Kriigel

Neville RossiterJohn C. Smith

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O Scale Trains ISSN 1536-9528www.oscalemag.comPublished bimonthly (6 times a year) by O Scale Trains Magazine,PO Box 238, Lionville PA 19353-0238© 2004 OST All Rights ReservedPrinted in the U.S.A.

Contributors: O Scale Trains welcomes your feature articles, photos, and drawings.Such material should be sent to the above address forpossible publication. If we accept, you will be notifiedimmediately. For more information concerning articlepreparation guidelines, please send an SASE to theabove address and request our “Guide For Authors” or visit our website.

Cover: Taddy Scace is appalled at what we did tohis cake and his locomotive, but, hey, it was fora good cause. Staff photo.

Centerspread: A Williams N&W J rolls along thelower level of the Southern with a PowhatanArrow consist. Meanwhile, a Max Gray N&WY6b is assigned to pusher service on “Heart-break Hill”. Photo by Stuart Ramsey.

OST is a proud Member of the Model Railroad Industry Association

OScaleTrainsOScaleTrainsOScaleTrains

4 • O Scale Trains - Mar/Apr’ 04

Flyer. I guess that is why I am a 2 rail fan. For many years I wasinto HO and really enjoyed working with that scale. Then oneday, 20 years ago, I saw a 2 rail O Scale layout and WOW, Iwas hooked. Everything just seemed more realistic and sound-ed that way, too. I found a dry basement here in Florida and ithad a house on top of it. I was happy. As with most model rail-roads it started off small and grew and grew, just like the realrailroads did.

My railroad, the SOUTHERN, is a fictitious connecting rail-road consisting of my favorite railroads. Naturally, the South-ern Railway is my favorite. The other roads are N&W, C&O,ACL, SCL, and the FEC.

Ever since I can rememberI have liked trains, trains ofall kinds. Maybe it is becausemy grandfather worked inmanagement for the South-ern Railway in Atlanta, Geor-gia. Thanks to him and thepasses my family received,we traveled by rail a lot,mainly up and down the eastcoast. I remember standing

on the open platform of an observation car watching the con-ductor dropping fusees ontothe ties to let the next trainknow we were ahead of them. Ithink that the smell of coalsmoke from the steam engineand the noise and motion ofthe train got into my blood as itsurrounded us on the open reardeck. I still loved riding thetrains even after the enginesbecame diesels and the obser-vation car was enclosed. Rid-ing on the French TGV at 185mph is the only thing that cameclose to the thrill of yesteryear.

I have had some form ofmodel railroad for most of mylife starting with American

Stuart RamseyStuart Ramsey

The SouthernThe SouthernThe Southern

Being a connecting railroad makes it possi-ble to have all sorts of different equipment.Both steam and diesel fit in the period andgive a contrast to the changing times. I haveyet to go modern, but it has been tempting tobuy some of the neat cars I see running upand down the FEC as I travel around town.

Most of my 1000 feet of track work is Atlasflex and the 80-plus switches are from OldPullman with Switchmaster motors. I havemade quite a few sidings for local switchingwork, which is one of my favorite things to

do. I have a large double stub ended yard formy main freight yard and a smaller yard onthe upper level where the locals pick up theirorders.

Another operation I like to do is alooooong train with upwards of 80 freightcars and helpers in the rear. I like to videothese trains because on the tape they seemand sound quite real. There’s nothing like aC&O H-8 slowly grinding up a 2% grade with

a heavy load or a N&W Y6b with a long loadof hoppers. I remember seeing the Y6b’sgoing only 15 mph with car after car of coalslowly following them. Them were the days!Dirty ones, too!

The SOUTHERN has 5 passenger trainsthat have to share the mainline and, just likethe good ole days, they take the right of way.The main freight yard is choked with about200 cars and I am in the process of down-


sizing so that I can do more switching.The infrastructure of the SOUTHERN isn’t

modern. The power for the engines is from twohome-built 18 volt, 12 amp, power packs and 3Dallee Yardmasters for moving around the lay-out while doing switching chores. I am consid-ering switching over to a DCC or TMCC system,but with 30 diesels and 29 steam engines on theroster I think I will wait awhile and see how allthe new systems work. I am also afraid of hav-ing “cornfield” meets and, with trains pulling up

to 80 lbs of cars, a mistake could be costly. I have 3 cabs andthat keeps the CEO, engineer, and dispatcher quite busy now.

The latest addition to the SOUTHERN is a wharf scene. Afriend of mine bought a Lionel tugboat. It is a little smaller thanO Scale, but not that noticeable. I had to have one! Then I hadto have a place to put it. I made a module that butts up againstthe major freight yard. Since I like switching, there are four

industries plus a future trampfreighter to be served at thiswharf and docking area.

The future growth of theSOUTHERN will be slowingdue to the walls moving in. Ido have another 1600 sq. ft.under the main part of thehouse to go into. Nah!! Noway. Model railroading is sup-posed to be fun, not a lot ofwork. ◆


The Details on the SOUTHERNLocale: Mason-Dixon line

south and the Alleghenies east.Period: 50-60’s, but newer stuff,

usually brought over by other RRCEO’s, can be seen here and there.

Bench work: Open frame withplywood and homosote in theyards and some other flat areas,like the upper area. The baseheight is 48" over most of the lay-out, with the upper level at 55".

Trackage: The roadbed is 3/4" A-grade plywood with homosotesubbase and cork on top. This


SOUTHERN roster:47 passenger cars270+ freight carsDiesel engines: 382 SS FM Trainmasters 1 N&W 1 SP2 C&LS RS-11s N&W1 C&LS RSD-12 Southern1 Overland E-7A/B Southern1 Overland SD-9 Southern2 MG GP-7s Southern1 AN F-3 ABA FEC1 AN F-3 ABB SCL1 AN F-3 AB SCL1 AN NW2 FEC1 Atlas SW9 ACL2 Atlas SD-35 N&W2 Weaver GP-38 FEC1 Weaver FA FB FA Southern5 Weaver RS-3 3 N&W 2 Southern1 Weaver GP-38 Hi Hood N&W1 Atlas (old edition) F-9 ABA N&W1 Williams E-7 AA ACL

Steam engines: 211 MG Y6b (Klienschmidt drive) 2-8-8-2N&W1MG H-8 2-6-6-6 C&O1 MG 4-6-4 Hudson NYC1 SS T-1 2-10-4 C&O2 SS (older) 2-8-2 Mikes Southern2 SS ex SF 2-8-0 (converted to coal)Southern1 Williams 4-8-4 J N&W1 Williams 2-6-6-4 A (regeared) N&W1 Williams 4-6-2 Southern1 CLW (custom built/painted) 4-6-2 PS-4Southern1 SS 2-10-0 Southern2 MG 0-8-0 USRA switchers Southern1 MG 2-8-4 Berkshire Nickel Plate1 Toby (PFM) USRA 4-8-2 Southern1 USH 4-8-2 L2 Mohawk NYC1 Scale Craft 4-8-2 Southern1 Kemtron 2-6-0 Mogul Southern1 SS 0-4-0T B&O

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allows for quiet operation. Ballast for the mainline isroofing granules that I have sifted through a windowscreen and dyed with thinned RIT dye. The granulescome in a 50 lb. can for about $20 at a roofing supplyhouse. The yards are covered with fine sand dyed todark grey with RIT black dye. I use wall paper pastediluted 4-1 for the glue to hold down the material. Thepaste workes just as well as white glue, but if it has to beremoved to change switches, etc., just a spray of waterwith a little soap and the material loosens easily. Track isAtlas code 148 flex. All switches are from Old Pullmanwith Switchmaster motors.

Curves: Min. radius on the mainline is 70", max is87". Min. radius is 35" in the yards and sidings at facto-ries.

Grade: There is a long 2% grade on “Heart BreakHill” westbound. It takes a good engineer to get a 70+car train up there without losing it. The C&O H-8 at23lbs makes putty out of it even with stopping and start-ing again.

Scenery: Plaster over screen, painted with all kinds ofmaterials to cover it. There is close to 75 lbs. of lichen forthe forest. I got a permit for $25 from the National Forestnear me here in Florida to take out 100lbs. I cleaned it,washed it, and dyed it different shades of green with RITdye.


Like most model railroaders, I receivedmy first train set for Christmas at about 8years of age. Again, like most model rail-roaders, it was a Lionel set. It has been a lotof years since then, but I am still interestedin model railroading. I have built in justabout every scale there is except “N”. Agreat deal of my building experience was innarrow gauge. But by the late 1990’s I wastiring of all the scratchbuildingand hand-laying of track. Iwas impressed by thevariety of rolling stockkits and ready to runcars available in “O”scale. I was no longerinterested in beinganother minority scaleenthusiast. I had beenin 1⁄24 scale with 11⁄4"gauge track (true 3ftgauge for that scale)and I did not want toagain be the only per-son modeling a particu-lar scale in the WesternHemisphere! Further, mygrandson was interested in workingwith me to build a layout so that he can runtrains at his house and at mine. So in late1999 I began selling off the large-scale stuffand began looking into “O” scale.

I was not sure what road I wanted tomodel. I considered the ATSF because Ihave always had a fondness for it. Then,one day, I had some kind of flashback expe-rience and I remembered driving up SpringRoad in Elmhurst, Il, about dusk over 35years ago. In a congested business areaalong the road, I came upon a railroadcrossing that I did not realize was eventhere because I had never seen a train on it.But this particular evening there was a trainand the locomotive was stopped right in themiddle of the crossing blocking the road.Seeing it in the light of my car headlights, Ivaguely recalled it being a reddish ormaroon color “F” unit and having some let-tering “Great Western”. And now, 35 yearslater, I began to wonder what was that“Great Western” that I had seen so long agoand I decided to do some research. What Idiscovered was a wonderful (for modelingpurposes) standard gauge railroad, theChicago Great Western, not unlike myfavorite narrow gauge Rio Grande South-ern. They both experienced similar trials,tribulations, takeovers, booms, busts, andan eventual demise. I realize now that,when I encountered it 35 years ago, the

CGW would cease to exist in just a matterof months.

I researched the Kalmbach Publishingand Railroad Model Craftsman web sites foranything with CGW information. I foundback issues and article reprints availableand ordered a bunch of them. One of thearticle reprints was a single page drawingfrom the January 1990, issue of Model Rail-

roader. It was a

drawing ofa rather unique CGWwooden caboose. The cabooseappears to be an early attempt at a widevision caboose with the cupola extendedover each side. But what really caught myattention was the closed vestibule type ofends on the car. I eventually found out thatthe CGW was quite an innovative compa-ny. But a wide vision wooden caboose! Iknow I said that I really did not want toscratch-build anything any more. But as thesaying goes, “I just had to have one ofthose!”

I started by making a 1⁄4" scale drawing ofthe underbody of the car. I covered thisdrawing with wax paper so that I couldbuild the frame in place right over thedrawing. Having previously done a lot ofscratchbuilding, I was not against using amix of materials. So the floor, side beams,intermediate beams, center beams, endbeams, needle beams, interior walls, endfloor, and car roof are made of wood. Theexterior car body sides and ends are Ever-green scribed styrene glued over the wood-en interior walls. The vestibule ends and thecupola sides, ends, and roof are Evergreenscribed styrene without the inner woodenwall. The windows, doors, steps, andnut/bolt/washer castings are Grandt Lineproducts. The small window on one side of

the car body is actually a Grandt Line HOscale window. The underbody details,smoke stack, end ladders, grab irons, andbrake wheels are from Precision ScaleCompany. The caboose rides on metalwheels from Intermountain and the cou-plers are from Kadee. The decals are fromOddballs Decals and they are excellent.

The floor and sills were assembled first.Then the car body side and end walls werebuilt of 1⁄8” basswood and assembled on,but not attached to, the frame and floor.The scribed styrene exterior was applied tothe walls with epoxy. From the onset of this

project, I was con-

cerned abouthow to structure the various components sothat I could glaze the windows, and thendetail and/or light the interior at a later dateif I ever chose to do so (I have not doneeither yet). I wanted to do any of this futurework without having to undo glue joints,etc. As a result of that concern, I built thecaboose so that the car body and its roof,the cupola and its roof, and the vestibuleends with the ladders and brake details area single unit. This whole assembly lifts offcompletely leaving a “flat car”.

The caboose was air brushed with Scale-coat Boxcar Red. The car and cupola roofswere painted with Floquil Grimy Black.After the decals were applied, the entire carwas air brushed with Scale Coat Flat andweathered slightly with chalks.

While I thoroughly enjoyed the researchand planning needed to do such a project, Iam happy that the bulk of my rolling stockcan be bought in kit form or ready to run.This leaves me time to scratch-build thereally unique CGW items. The CGW ismaking a comeback, if only in model form.I hope to have more CGW stuff to share at alater date. ◆

Chicago Great Western

Wooden Caboose # 401

Chicago Great Western

Wooden Caboose # 401Al Krol

SUNSET MODELS INC.37 South Fourth Street · Campbell, CA 95008 · 408-866-1727 · fax to 408-866-5674 · www.3rdrail.com

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The 1.5 volt bulbs weuse for our constantintensity headlights in ourlocomotives make itmore realistic with thelights on all the time, butthey usually are not verybright.

By using a solid alu-minum rod and a littleingenuity you can fashiona realistic headlight

reflector that can reallymake a bright light!The pictures of the Ps-4show that the brilliancehas increased quite alot. It’s the same for theE-7 which has both aheadlight and a MarsLight. With the 2 bulbsin the Mars Light thereflector really makesthe lights appear to

rotate back and forth, notjust blink on and off. Thereare two ways of makingthe reflectors. The first iswith a lathe, but a lot of usdon’t have one so using aregular drill or drill presswe can turn down a metalrod with a file.

The first thing you want to do isfind the center of the rod. I used acentering tool to do that. You canfind one of those in a hardware storeor a machine tool shop.

Next turn down the outside of therod so that it will fit into yourengine’s headlight. Then drill a holefor the headlight. The next step is to

use a metal countersinkand drill out the reflec-tor. Use some oil so thatthe countersink doesn’tchatter. Then cut off therod to the length youneed.

When inserting thelight bulb into the reflec-tor I use a little glue tohold it in place. I have the light on so that I can move the bulbin and out to get the brightest adjustment. Then I hold it thereuntil the glue dries.

I think you will like the “bright” results. ◆

need space to get that kind of feeling, orelse a long train will soon be comingaround again and again. What wouldinterest someone from HO to start in O if ittakes so much space? And, what about thecost to get started in another scale? EnterO narrow gauge, or On30 for me.

I wanted to get a layout finished. Thebig layout was progressing but not at thepace I wanted. I looked to O narrowgauge. It was O Scale just running onHO gauge track. WOW! As soon as Ihad chosen On30 for a small layout,Bachmann announced their On30 Shaylocomotive. I thought it was a good rea-son to start a small On30 layout. Itwould be large railroading in a smallspace. Now the O narrow gauge bugwas biting! I checked the NMRA Stan-dards online at www.nmra.com and

found On30 is adaptable toHO plans. I started searching for a trackplan that would be manageable andfriendly. The 4' x 8' HO track plan Ichose is an oldie but goodie. It comesfrom an Atlas track plan book. It capturesthe feeling of tight curves and moun-tains. I worked timber and coal minerailroading onto one board!

I purchased a Bachmann 0-4-0 Porter,then an 0-4-2. I got a few log cars and abobber caboose. In two months I hadbenchwork completed and used two sawhorses to support the frame. Simplecookie-cutter techniques were used toform the elevations. The one problem Iran into was clearances. Using an NMRAstandards gage for O Scale, I had to dou-ble the clearances from the HO recom-mendations. In the end, the extra height

How do you know when the narrowgauge bug has bitten? For me it wasn’t thefirst time I saw a Rio Grande steamerwinding around a narrow ledge of amountain. It wasn’t the many model kitsthat are available for On3. It was the 2 railbig O bug that did it.

I was in HO for 16 years. I had hadtwo 4' x 8' layouts and a 14' x 22' roomthat neared completion, and then I real-ized I wanted more detail.

A good friend of mine, Gene Clements,was in 2 rail O Scale from Day One. Hehad moved to HO from O and recon-structed a 30' x 30' basement to do it! Hewas trying HO at the same time I wasbuilding the 14' x 22' room. It worked

good for us - same equipment, sameideas, and the promise of more railroad-ing but in smaller spaces. After a decentinvestment in time, equipment, track,switches, etc., something was still miss-ing.

I have been building a large (relativelyspeaking), 2 rail O Scale layout for about ayear now. Off and on, I wish it was smallerso I could get more done. On the otherhand, I wish it was bigger so I would neverbe done! I love watching O trains roll onthe mainline around my layout. Staying inone spot and catching train cars roll by islike being trackside of a CSX or NorfolkSouthern mainline (I’m from the South).Trains in O Scale just keep going andgoing. They are big, sound real, and oper-ate like any other model train. But you

This is a satellite view of the railroad.Missing is the center HO scale bridgefrom Walthers. From right to left you cansee the scenery progress. The lower rightcorner will be the river. The short leg ofthe wye leads to the logging camp modulevia a bridge that also serves as a switchlead on the 4' x 8'. The mine lead to thelower left could go to future expansion.


required over the main lines, in the samedistance, looks very realistic for a moun-tain hauling narrow gauge line. I actuallynever tested the grades. It just lookedgood and I was running trains!

I used Peco On30 track, turnouts, andregular HO cork for the roadbed. I evenpurchased the Atlas turntable suggested inthe original HO plan. It looked good andfit nicely into the narrow gauge theme.Installing Peco track was new to me. I hadbeen an Atlas and Walthers user for all myprevious projects. Peco turnouts withElectrofrogs require a different wiringscheme than I was accustomed to. In fact,I had completely finished the track layingand started traditional wiring and nothingworked!

So I read the instructions that camewith the turnouts. Oops! Peco turnouts

Bitten by the Bug Carey Hinch

Fig. 1

On30 in 4x8 Feet -How I used an HO plan for On30

Taylor’s Ferry & Savannah River R.R.TYPE: Narrow Gauge On30 Logging andCoal MiningLOCATION: North-WestTRACK: Peco ON30MIN. RADIUS: 18”MAX GRADE: 5.5%BENCH WORK: Open GridSCENERY: Sculp-A-Mold overpaper bags and cardboard strips


(Will also build & weather your kits)Reed Artim

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O Scale RealtyRealisticWeatheredStructures in O ScaleScratchbuiltFrom Your Photos,Plans orIdeas!

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require power through the frog from thediverging route side and should be insu-lated on the approach side. It’s easy todo, but I should have started with thedirections. When I realized the specialwiring required for the turnouts, a shud-der ran through my bones because I hadto wire for a wye! Now having read theproper method of powering Electrofrogturnouts, I felt ready. A little rewiringlater, the wye was working flawlessly.Using the turnouts was the easy way tolay track. You could hand lay your ownor select turnouts from other manufactur-ers. I wanted easy and quick.

I was railroading and doing scenery.Mountains were popping up where therewas once bare wood. Track had purposeand trains had schedules. This is great! Ienjoyed the experience and liked the bigtrains in small spaces. It didn’t take longto get going. Some basic benchwork wasmore than adequate for the support. Oldstyle cookie cutter techniques were usedfor the top. Cardboard strips wereattached with hot glue then covered withbrown paper bags for scenery structure. Iused plaster cloth for the base thenSculpt-a-mold for the finished layer.

The bridges came from ingenuity. Iliked the look of the Walthers woodenspan HO bridge. Since it wasn’t offered

in O Scale I would have to fill under thesupports with 1" x 4" blocks to raise thebridge to the proper height. The look wasperfect and the supports could be built toallow for the clearance of the O trains. Ipainted them a concrete color becausethey were smooth and the look was great.The other bridge (Fig.1) on the upperbranch line was made from 2" foam insu-lation. I first drew a paper pattern, cut itout and pinned it to the foam, then cutthe foam to match. I made the supportslong so I could trim to fit. Next I coveredthe bridge with a quarter inch layer ofdrywall compound. It worked really well.The foam doesn’t soak up moisture so thedrywall compound didn’t crack. I used awet sponge to smooth the rough spotsthat were left after spreading the com-pound. In two days I had a poured-in-place concrete bridge.

Would someone just getting into thehobby know about On30? Probably not.The current World’s Greatest Hobbycampaign has done much to promoterailroading in general. People will findtheir niche. Some will find narrow gauge,and narrow gauge is in every scale (evenNn3 - N scale trains on Z gauge track!What power of magnifier do you need tospike that rail?). The new train enthusiastwill probably start with the basic 4' x 8'

layout for a first project. It is no moreexpensive to build a first 4' x 8' in On30rather than in HO. People may believebigger trains means more money. Maybe,but with the swing toward greater realismand detail in every scale these days, costis going up in all scales. The point is,even in 4' x 8' spaces there is big poten-tial for O size railroading.

On30 track factoids: Bachmann On30 sets actu-ally come with HO scale HO gauge track. The tiesare spaced incorrectly and are too short, but they’lldo in a pinch to get started. Peco’s On30 track andswitches should not be mistaken for HO Scaletrack. Peco’s products are truly O Scale narrowgauge (16.5mm) with properly spaced and sized OScale ties. Finally, On30 track isn’t a scale 30 incheswide. It’s actually closer to 31.2 scale inches. It iscalled On30 as a convenience. ◆

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TractionAction

TractionAction

Roger Jenkins

This month we are looking atcomplicated wire construction overthe lead tracks into the carbarn thathouses the Los Angeles Railway carsat the Orange Empire Railway Muse-um in Perris, California. The L.A.Railway was a 3'6" operation in LosAngeles that was constructed withthis gauge to prevent standard gaugesteam engines from entering the cityon the streets.

From the first frog in the over-head, the wire branches out to servethe four-track barn. Using Rivers B-640 frogs and B-615 hangers, thiscan be a simple project to do. Spanwires are run from the wooden polesto the hangers and across to the nexthanger in line, ending at the oppo-site support pole.

Span wires are run parallel to therunning wire to support the in-between hangers that are over thetrack. Don’t forget to use the reversetweezers to hold the hangers inplace while soldering them to therunning wire.

Next the pull-off wires are strungfrom the hanger to the span wire tohold everything up. Start on the out-side of the curve on the outside trackand proceed toward the inside trackon the right, after first stringing therunning wire starting at the first frog.Then, proceed to the next frog alongthe outside track.

The next step is to do the succeed-ing tracks across the throat until allfrogs and hangers are in place. A testcar can determine the placement ofthe frog, which is usually placed halfway between where the points andtrack frog are. A little adjusting maybe necessary to get the right place-ment.

[email protected] ◆


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O Scale Trains MagazinepresentsA Guide To ModernO Scaleby Brian Scace

Now Available From O Scale Trains Magazine

A Guide To Modern O Scaleby Brian Scace

A Guide To Modern O ScaleFor the first time, here is a guide to OScale two rail. This book was writtenby O Scale modelers with years ofexperience in the hobby and they sharethat experience with wit and wisdom.We’ll show you how to get started intwo rail O Scale, what you need andwhere to get it.

Of particular use is the list ofResources at the end of each chapter.

Get your copy today from your local OScale hobby shop or direct from OScale Trains, just $14.95 plus $3 s&h.VISA & Mastercard Accepted.

Here’s a peek at the Table of Contents:1. Welcome, and a little History2. Concept of Operation3. Locomotives4. Rolling Stock and Couplers5. Space Prep and Benchwork6. Track and Track Plans

with Joe Giannovario7. Structures and Scenery

with Neville Rossiter8. Wiring and Control Systems

with Ted Byrne 9. Narrow Gauge

with Bobber Gibbs10. Consider Traction 11. Proto 48

with Gene Deimling12. Tools

with Neville Rossiter 13. Useful Tables, Tips,

and Short Notes14. Sources, Conventions,

and Meets15. Glossary of Terms

O Scale TrainsPO Box 238

Lionville PA 19353-0238610-363-7117These ain’t yer Daddy’s trains!

O ScaleTrains


The hidden three-track staging yard atthe end of the Harmony Creek & South-ern Branch at the Cincinnati Model Rail-way Club required a method for a loco torun around an inboard train. Installingturnouts or a turntable would significant-ly reduce the track length. A manuallyoperated sector plate became the obviouschoice.

The mainline of the branch crossedover the available area for the sectorplate with only 3 inches of overheadclearance. This established where thesliding end of the sector plate track couldbe. Since only four-axle diesels or shortsteam locomotives will run on thebranch, the track length was establishedat 18 inches. It was decided to extend theplate under the main line with the pivotpoint at the edge of the layout. The avail-able length for the plate from its pivotpoint to the track ends is 32 inches.Support Base

Creating the support base for the sec-tor plate was the first step of construction.A line was projected from the centerlineof the middle track to the end joist of thebenchwork. From that point, a 32" radiuswas drawn on the yard roadbed. Theroadbed and the plywood base were thencut to this radius. A piece of 1⁄4" plywoodfor the support base was cut to width andlength. It was mounted directly to thebottom of the yard’s plywood base. It was

then mounted to the layout joists usingspacers to assure it was level.Sector Plate

The sector plate is a 4" by 321⁄4" pieceof 1⁄4" plywood. The corners on the pivotend were beveled. The pivot hole is a 1⁄4"diameter hole drilled on the centerline.The sliding end was cut to a 32" radiusfrom the pivot hole.

Pivot The pivot block is a 1⁄4" X 1 1⁄4" X 6 1⁄4"

piece of hardwood. A 5⁄16" diameter holewas drilled on the centerline, 3⁄8" fromone side. The hole was counter-bored toa 1" diameter x 1⁄16" deep. A 1⁄4-20 Tee nutwas pressed into the counter-bore. Thepivot is a 1 1⁄4" long, 1⁄4-20 hex-head bolt.A flat washer is used under the bolt headand a thin flat washer is installedbetween the plate and the pivot block.The bolt was tightened enough to allowturning without binding. A few drops ofthin ACC were put on the threads to lockthem. The lower side of the block wassanded on a belt sander to assure the nutand bolt end were flush with the block.

Two 1⁄8" diameter holes were drilled neareach end on the same centerline as thepivot hole. These holes are countersunkon the topside.Sliding End

Two 1⁄4" high nylon chair leg gliderssupport the free end by sliding on thesupport base. Thus the 1⁄4" plate’s trackwill be equal in height to the yard trackswhich are mounted on 1⁄4" Upsom boardglued to a 1⁄4" plywood base. The glidershave integral nails and were tapped intotwo small holes drilled near the cornersof the plate.Handle and Lock

A golf tee is used as both a handle toslide the plate and the lock to hold thesector plate track in alignment with anyof the yard tracks. A 5⁄16" hole was drillednear the sliding end. The golf tee slidesfreely in this hole. A plastic shaft retainernut was found that gripped the tee justenough to hold it from sliding. It wascemented in place with ACC. After thesector plate was installed, the plate’strack was aligned with each of the yardtracks and a matching 5⁄16" hole wasdrilled for each track location. In use, thepointed end of the tee makes it a lot easi-er to find the locking holes. Pushingdown the tee locks the plate in location.

A Sector Plate for the Harmony Creek & SouthernRon Gribler

Figure 2 – Completed sector plate

Figure 1 - Overhead view of sector plate installation

Figure 3 – Pivot block


Track and Bumper: A section of flex track was cut to

length. A rail joiner was installed and sol-dered to each rail. An AWG 22 insulatedwire was soldered to each joiner. Holeswere drilled next to each joiner for thewires. The track was installed using smallnails through the holes in the ties. Railson the sliding end extend 1⁄4" past the

plate. A bumper was cut from a piece ofmilled wood that was a pencil tray in adesk drawer. It was attached to the sector

plate with glue andnails. A piece of foamwas glued to thebumper.Wiring:

The wires weretwisted together with alow speed hand drill.The free ends wereinserted through a holenear the pivot. Severalshort lengths of mask-ing tape secure thewires to the plate.

A two terminal barri-er strip was mountednear the pivot bolt withfour #4 wood screws.The wires were strippedand soldered to ring ter-minals. Installation:

The sector plate wasinstalled using two dry-wall screws through theholes in the pivot block.When track power feed-ers are connected to theterminal strip, the platewill be ready for use.◆

Figure 4 - Sliders

Figure 5 –Sliding end and handle/lock

Figure 8 – Terminal strip at pivot end

Figure 6 – Track and Bumper

Figure 7 – Track Wiring

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Last time, we painted that car of yourdreams (It’s big! It’s shiny! It’s what Ameri-ca’s all about!), so let’s look at some decaltips to letter up this puppy. Later on, inanother column, we’ll look at thenuances of dry transfers, but today we’llconcern ourselves with the time honoredsoak-it-in-a-dish decal.

Decals are merely sheets of lacquer orlacquer-like film (substrate) sprayed on asheet of backing paper. The lettering isprinted on the substrate and the backingpaper has some sort of water-soluble stuff(hereafter referred to as “water-solublestuff”) on it that keeps the film fromadhering permanently to the paper.When you soak the thing, the decal sub-strate floats off the paper when the water-soluble stuff dissolves. Then, after you’vepositioned the decal where you want iton the car, you apply a decal setting solu-tion. This is really a solvent that softensthe lacquer substrate, which allows thedecal to conform to all the cool detail onthe car side much like a coat of paint,which is exactly what a decal is, anyway!

Here are some tips.• Read the instructions with the decals.

They differ from manufacturer to manufac-turer. For example, the time honoredChamp decals have a thicker substratethan Micro-Scale. This means you have tospend a little more time setting Champdecals, while you have to be a little gen-tler in handling Micro-Scale decals.

• Buy a fistful of decals at a show fromthe guy who is selling off his scraps andsets he no longer needs. Bum some scrapsfrom your friends. Practice on junk carswith them. Your confidence and compe-tence levels will rise only with experience.

• Get two sets per project. It is moneywell spent, because the decal gods willtake great pleasure in curling up the decalyou only have one of. Having a spare forthe one you screwed up takes a lot of thefrustration away.

• Now that the paint on that car iscured, you’ll probably want to wash thedrool spots off before beginning. Startwith a clean surface. By the way, decalswork best on glossy smooth surfaces.

• Cut out the decal you want as close

to the lettering as possible. I use a pair ofsuture scissors for this, but any pair ofsharp small scissors will do.

• If you bought your decals at a show,or you’ve had them stashed away for anumber of years, the lacquer substratemay be brittle with age. If you suspectthis, clip off a decal you don’t need forthe project at hand and float it off. If it’sbrittle, it will disintegrate. You can oftensave the day by spraying a coat of cleargloss lacquer, such as Testors’s Gloss-cote, on the remainder to freshen up thesubstrate.

• Positioning the decal on the car iseasier if you have some water on the carside upon which to slide the decalaround. Use a small brush to dot somewater at the edge of the decal so you canpush it around. Once you are happy withthe position of the lettering, allow thewater to simply dry up. Then set the decalwith your setting solution.

• Long decals, such as stripes on pas-senger cars, can be hard to position with-out little waves in them. Road names onlocomotive tenders and passenger car let-ter boards are prone to sloping up ordown, especially when under the influ-ence of strong drink. Some folks use a sur-face plate and height gage to positiondecals. I find the best method for me is tosight down the car from one end. Thewaves and slopes are very apparent whilesighting down the end of the decal. Wetthe wavy parts of the decal with somewater and push it in place.

• Don’t go crazy with the setting solu-tion. Since it is a solvent, big puddles ofdecal setting solution can attack thepaint, especially if you didn’t follow mycouncil about letting the paint cure com-pletely before lettering the car. Severalless-liberal applications are better thanhosing the d#@n thing down with decalsetting solution.

• Once you’ve put the setting solutionon, resist temptation and no matter howcrinkled the decal becomes, leave italone. Once it dries, the crinkles go away.That’s normal! Go mix yourself anothercocktail and wait for the decal to drycompletely before panicking!

• A sharp sewing needle is your friend.When the first iteration with the settingsolution is completely dry, you may see ahaze, bubbles, or silvery places where thedecal has not settled over some rivets asyou dreamed it should. The haze is someof the water-soluble stuff from the paperthat didn’t get washed off the back of thedecal because you were in a hurry andslid the decal off the paper rather thanwaiting until it floated off. Don’t worry,though. Merely prick the decal substrateand touch the hole with your 00 brushand some setting solvent. The solvent willleach under the decal and the haze willdisappear. Do the same for air bubblesand rivet strips. Another cocktail is thencalled for as you leave it alone again.

• Once the decals are nestled downnice and tight as you dreamed they shouldbe, you’ll need to seal them with a clearcoat of some sort. Wash the car gently toget all the water spots off before shootingthe clear coat of choice. Most folks I knowuse a flat finish, like Testors’s Dull-cote,over their decals because they like the dullweathered look. I have to be different, ofcourse. I seal my decals with a clear glossfinish for two reasons. Since glosses are alittle thicker than flat coats, they tend to fil-let the edges of the decal and hide thembetter. Second, I can then weather theglossy car with flat finishes to get a varietyof sheen. Real cars start glossy when new,and so do mine. What a neurotic!

These tips are not necessarily howeveryone throws decals. There are manydifferent techniques out there that workfor folks. These work for me, and maywork for you, too. Quiz your friends andtry this out. With practice, you’ll find adecal method you like. Once you do,stick with it.

Let’s go Exploring! ◆(Scace’s Mea Culpa: In the new “Guide

to Modern O Scale”, there are a couplephotos (pg. 27, 33, and 82) from myarchives which were taken by the very tal-ented Doug Jones. By a lamentable over-sight on my part, the photo credits don’treflect his efforts. My apologies to Doug. )


An Overview of SONC 2004An Overview of SONC 2004

Here’s a sample of the great layouts you’ll beable to visit during this year’s O Scale Nationalin Washington, D.C.All photos by Doug Jones

Bob Guilette’s New Haven Railroad is a layout which has been built in alimited space. He has an excellent track plan that incorporates the passengerservice that the New Haven was noted for. His layout also has heavy freighttraffic with a large staging yard at one end. It is set up so that the line, whilesingle track, appears to be double track most of the time. The period modeledis late steam and early diesel which allows Bob to display the many paintschemes that the New Haven used at that time.

Nick Powell, who is a B&O engineer (Don’t say CSX!), has a rendition of theBest & Only featuring a John Armstrong designed trackplan. His incrediblecollection of B&O engines may be unmatched anywhere and include mustsee pieces by Ken Henry, Mel Thornburgh, plus many of Nick’s own piecesincluding a MR “Model of the Month” set of F-7s. Nick has built a very versa-tile layout that has both mainline and branch line operation. He runs heavyfreights as well as passenger trains. It is a great layout to see the EM-1’s high-balling the freight.

Dave Vaughn’s layout is based on the high speed route of the Nickel Plate. Itfeatures a double track mainline with heavy bridge traffic keeping the opera-tors busy. It also incorporates a great deal of switching activity for wayfreights. The layout provides quite a nice sized run on the mainline andmoves between two rooms. Dave’s layout has also imaginatively incorpo-rated some components of Ted Stepek’s layout, which was well known in theWashington area.

Featured in the March 2000 issue of Model Railroader, EdRappe’s model of the PRR mainline achieves a level of complete-ness rarely seen in O Scale. Visitors will be able to follow thePennsy mainline from Huntington, through Altoona and upHorseshoe Curve to the summit at Gallitzin. Along the way, thereare many highly detailed vignettes demonstrating Ed’s modelingability. His layout is point to point with staging tracks at each endthat provide for the heavy traffic for which the PRR was noted.

Wes Morgenstern’s layout models the Western MarylandRailway between Westminster and Highfield, Maryland, and alsoserves a large cement plant at Union Bridge,which is on the linebetween those two places. It is set in the late steam, early dieselera. It is a single track layout with a great operating scheme.

Pat Mitchell’s layout is done in Proto 48 and is based on the famousBlack Fork grade on the Western Maryland. The line extends fromElkins to Thomas with a large mine complex near the summit. Theends of the layout are connected off-stage with a room sized helix.Pat’s curves are sharp and the grades are steep, a la the prototype, andmotive power is primarily Western Maryland’s large Consolidations.

Convention HotelHyatt Regency, Crystal City at Reagan National AirportPlease reserve rooms directly with the official convention hotel by calling 1-800-233-1234 and be sure to mention 2004 ‘0’ Scale National Convention.Room rates $139 single/double.

*

Price Options Each Quantity Total

Full Fare (Spouse and children under 16 free) $45 x =

One Day Fare (check one) ❏ Thursday ❏ Friday ❏ Saturday $25 x =

Sale Tables $45 x =

Electrical Drop for Sale Tables $45 x =

Banquet–Saturday evening, July 24.One full course dinner choice of beef or salmon entrée per banquet ticket.

Total # of beef entrées ____ Total # of salmon entrées ____ $39.95 x =

Show Car Advance ReservationAvailable Now! Limited Number. First reserved, first served.

Atlas 40’ USRA outside-braced box car lettered “RF&P”Exclusive run. Boxcar red. 2 numbers available $56.95 x =

Red Caboose 40’ Fruit Growers Express reefer Exclusive run.4 color paint with silver roofs. 6 numbers available. $52.95 x =

Check one: ❏ Cars to be picked up at show by registrant above named on this form.❏ Delivery—add $10.00 shipping and handling to total at right column.

Total payment $

Make checks payable to Capital Area ‘O’ Scalers.

Mail this form and payment to:Capital Area ‘O’ ScalersP.O. Box 42563Washington, D.C. 20015

We appreciate Your support!

Show cars for delivery NOW!Convention attendance not necessary for purchase

Red Caboose

Atlas

Thursday, July 22 through Sunday, July 25Hyatt Regency, Crystal City at Reagan National Airport*

2 0 0 4‘0’ Scale National

ConventionWashington, DC

Please minimize ourheartburn by registering today!Thank you!

he Capital Area ‘0’ Scalers cordial-ly invite you and your family to joinus in Washington, DC, for the 2004‘0’ Scale National Convention. The

White House, the Capitol, and many worldclass museums and monuments can be seenin this beautiful, attraction-rich city. The2004 ‘0’ Scale National Convention hotel isconveniently located for access to all of themost popular sites.

A host of activities are planned for yourenjoyment. The Convention features morethan twenty ‘0’ scale layouts including JohnArmstrong’s Canandaigua Southern, EdRappé’s spectacular Pennsylvania RR, andTony Lash’s hi-rail empire. Therewill be a fantastic tradeshow for buying, sellingand swapping; clinics;and model and switch-ing contests. Numerousrailfanning opportunities andgood times with new and old friends are cer-tain to top off your convention experience.

T

SCALERS0Capital Area

Link

ing 1/4” Scale Modelers

2004 SONC

Advance Registration FormAdvance Registration Form

Name ____________________________________________________________

Dealership Name (if applicable) _________________________________________

Address___________________________________________________________

City ______________________________________________________________

State_______ Zip __________________ Telephone ______________________

Spouse/Children Names ______________________________________________

( )

(clip out or photocopy)

Tours: Separate Tours of Union Station(Wed. PM 7/21), DC Metro Shops (Fri. PM7/23), and The Baltimore and Ohio RailroadMuseum (Sat. AM 7/24), are tentativelyplanned for the convention. Registration fortours will be handled at the convention siteand are independent of convention registra-tion. Space will be limited so plan on comingearly. Look for more information to come onour web site, www.2004onational.com.

For more information:• Visit us on the web at

www.2004onational.com• E-mail us at [email protected].• Look for articles to be included in future

issues of your favorite magazines.• Visit our display at shows.• Write to:

Capital Area ‘0’ ScalersP.O. Box 42563Washington, D.C. 20015



Anyone who is on the Yahoo O scalediscussion list

[http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Otrains/](and if you are reading OST but aren’t onthe list, you are missing out on somegood stuff) probably has noticed that Itend to get interested in older O scale,usually because I’ve acquired a junkerand have to decide how much to restoreand how much to upgrade to 2003 stan-dards (or at least 1993 standards). Or, Ihope to find an even bigger sucker totake it off my hands at the next show. Asit happens, Joe G., our founder and pro-prietor, also thinks that some acquain-tance with our scale’s history is animportant part of enjoying it. Since hehas so far had no success in persuadingbetter-qualified folk to take responsibilityfor a column dealing with where O Scalehas been over the last sixty or seventyyears, I agreed (with surprisingly littlearm-twisting, as he caught me in a vul-nerable area—my vanity).

What are my limited qualifications?Well, I’ve been a scale model railroaderoff and on for over fifty years (I was achild bridegroom) and an O scaler forover twenty-five. Although I coveted allthe elaborate and expensive tinplate inthe stores at Christmas and actuallyreceived a Lionel starter set—to be sharedwith my brother—one December, the toyend of it never quite caught my interest,as the resemblance to the real thing wastoo strained for me. The first bite was adusty Megow CCC&StL hopper car kitthat was already long past its sell-by datewhen I found it for seventy-five cents inthe modest hobby section of the hardwarestore in the nearest large town (not so tri-fling a sum as it must seem to youngerpeople, as my allowance was twenty-fivecents a week back then in the early1950’s). It would be nice to say that I stillhave it, but I traded it off many years agowhen I made an excursion into TT, and Iprobably am just as happy not to bereminded of my very rudimentary skillsback then. I sometimes think it is too badthat it was a hopper instead of a refrigera-tor car, because then I could say that Ibecame addicted through reefer madness.

I have a pretty complete run of ModelRailroader back through 1940 with a fewissues before then. I also have almost as

complete a collection of Railroad ModelCraftsman and it predecessors, as well assome of the shorter-run periodicals whichdealt with model railroading, particularlyour scale, such as Lionel’s Model Builder,something called the Whistle Stop, andseveral more. These are indispensable fordating O Scale from product reviews,advertising, and chatty news about someof the pioneers of the hobby. Sorting outthe older magazines is itself a project foran aspiring historian. I have some classiccatalogues from both manufacturers andhobby shops and some instruction sheets,although I pick these up only when I findthem reasonably-priced, and there seemto be quite a few collectors who are will-ing to pay more than I am for them. Most-ly, I have a retentive memory (somewhatcompromised by the aging process) andtend to remember what I’ve heard or readover the years. And I share bed and boardwhen I am home in Fairbanks, Alaska,with a real historian (good Ph.D., publi-cations, tenured full professor) who keepsme honest about research techniques.

What I am NOT, I think, is just asimportant for this column as what I havejust listed. I do not claim to be an expertabout very much, and certainly notabout O Scale or model railroading. Ihave an interest in and some familiaritywith the topic, and I am more thanhappy to give credit where credit is duefor information from those more-knowl-edgeable than I. I hope this column canbecome a forum for discussion of themesand topics and items relating to O Scalebefore 1960 (although I expect that cut-off date will end up being a bit elastic),and that I can best serve as an honestbroker in sorting out the questions andanswers, organizing them in a coherentfashion for a regular appearance here inOST, and reporting what some want toknow or what others can tell them.

A fond look back is nothing new; theamiable founder of 48/Ft, Dan Henon,had a strong affection for O Scale artifactsfrom the dark ages, and the journal underhis editorship often had views and articlesabout them. Railroad Model Craftsmanhad a long-running column (“CollectorsCorner”?) in the 1980’s about ancientmodel railroad lines, many of them OScale (for the obvious reason that much of

the earliest indoor scale model railroadmodeling was in our scale—the smallestcommercially-viable size for whichmotors could be fitted). It is likely that I orother readers will dig out those files andcheck such references as questions arise,but if the data found in such resourceswere current and widely-known, therewould be no need to revisit them.

Enough generalities. I have used myallotted space this time to suggest someground-rules; I hope from now on wecan talk more in specifics. I am alreadythinking about introducing a discussionof Hawk Models of Chicago next issue(information to be shared very welcome),and an early column about some of thepioneer hobby shops that sold O Scalewhen the world was young.

Feel free to contact me through themagazine or by email at [[email protected]]. ◆


I was still working on two GilmaurEMD SW1500 brass Diesel kits when Igot a third one. My intention this timewas to convert it into a EMD MP15DC.For those not familiar with Diesel loco-motives, the major visible differencesbetween the MP15 and a SW1500 arethe MP15 is two feet longer and rides onBlomberg trucks instead of the Flexicoilor AAR trucks.

The first step for me in building amodel is looking for a specific prototypeand collecting information about it.Searching through the Internet I found amessage that CP Rail has five MP15DC’s(No. 1440 – 1444) in their fleet on a longterm lease since January 2003. So, I fig-ured why not build one of those photo-genic red units? I was unsuccessfullooking for prototype pictures of thesenew units. The only information I foundabout the locomotives is the lessor isTrinity Leasing, but nothing about howthey look or which paint scheme theywear. Here the Internet helped again. I

protective screened cage on the longhood. So, some modifications of theupper screens are necessary. When thiscage is removed you might think, at aglance, you have a MP15AC in front ofyou. Some of these units had a veryseedy look and I was sure they found theshortest route to the scrap yard. I wasamazed they were reworked. You canfind them now in the fleets of severallessors.

After I chose a specific road number,the conversion could be started. Themajor new parts I needed were the topscreens and the extensions for the longhood in front of the cab. I decided tomake these parts by photoetching. Withthe help of a computer drawing program,I made the necessary drawings which Ithen gave to a local printer to make neg-atives for me. Since etching is a complexchemical process, I gave the negatives toanother model railroader who had boththe experience and the equipment toaccomplish my goals. In a few weeks I

sent an email to Trinity Leasing where Itold them about my modeling projectand asked for more information andsome photos. A day later, I received areply telling me these units were rebuildby Talgo-LRC, a Diesel rebuilder, togeth-er with an email address for further ques-tions.

So I sent an email to Talgo togetherwith some pictures of my past modelingprojects and told them my wishes. A fewhours later, I received a friendly responsewith some pictures of two different loco-motives, and while they were not madefor the specific needs of model railroad-ers, they did show all the major features.I was happy; what great support!

These CP MP15’s were former USSMinnTac MP15’s (a subsidiary of U.S.Steel) and are very unusual looking.These were hard working locomotives ata busy industrial plant. To limit the possi-bility of foreign objects, like stones andtaconite pellets, entering the enginethrough the screens, these MP15’s had a

Before: This unit will become CP 1443(photo from Mark Peterson)

After reworking by TALGO(photo from Scott Toombs/TALGO)


had the finished parts in my hands; a precise copy of my draw-ings now made of metal. My choice for the thin screens wasnickel silver, for more durability. I chose brass for the side-wallhood extensions. Everything fit and the first big step was done!

The next big step was cutting off the rear part of the longhood between the rear stack and the cab from the originalGilmaur SW1500 and replacing it with the new longer etchedparts together with an air filter box at the top. I used PrecisionScale Co. castings of the door latches as it was not feasible todesign the fine structures of these important little details withmy drawing program.

The modification at the top front of the hood for the newupper screens was a little bit tricky. Fixing and soldering all thesmall and thin parts in place wasn’t a simple task. I had to avoidany twisting of the thin brass. To hold all the thin parts in place Iuse my favorite jeweler’s clay and alligator clamps. Using a lowmelting point solder was the secret to this successful work. Forthe interested reader, most of the soldering was done with atorch, but I used a 40 Watt iron for the stanchions.

It was also necessary to replace the front radiator screen asthe prototype’s is different from a stock SW1500. The newintake was built from milled brass "Z" channel and a cut-downGilmaur screen. I even went so far as to build all the baffleplates behind the intake screen. It was 15 parts to be soldered

together and that was a challenge. Overdone, you say? Yes,sadly, the details are not visible behind the screen.

The frame was built similarly to the MP15 I described inOST#6 (Jan/Feb 2003) using the same brass castings. Anotherfuel tank was necessary, too. The CP unit has a very unusualsmall, square fuel tank which I recognized as the 600 gal. stan-dard tank for SW1500’s.

A cab with many wide and large windows like this just criesout for an interior. This work was done quickly the help of afew Precision Scale castings and two K-Line figures. I spent alot of time to give the assembled parts a nice looking finishwith the final paint work.

As the kit is made from brass I wanted a pair of brassBlomberg trucks too, and my choice are the black factorypainted trucks from P&D Hobby Shop. These are very nice finecastings and fully equalized. Adding P&D’s chain driven gear-boxes, upgraded with NWSL wheelsets, it is a pleasure to seeThe extension between stack and cab, still riding on CLW trucks.

A few parts are still missing.

He doesn’t like photographers.


Modeling a specific prototype locomotive is a real chal-lenge. Even if you have drawings, are you sure they are correct?Collecting photos may be easier but some details may not bevisible. Maybe my model isn’t a flawless copy, but it’s a goodlooking model with it’s own history. ◆

Resources:Gilmaur, 8 Old Rectory Gardens, Thurlestone, Devon TQ7 3PD,England,www.mike.calvert.btinternet.co.uk

P&D Hobby Shop,31280 Groesbeck, Fraser MI 48026, 586-296-6116,www.pdhobby.com

Precision Scale Co., PO Box 278, Stevensville MT 59870

K-Line, PO Box 2831, Chapel Hill NC 27515

Badger MODELflex paint, #16-57 Soo Line Red, #16-01 Engine Black

the little journals in motion while rumpling over the track. I wanted a model which looks like it just came out of the

paint shop, as shown in the photo from Talgo. An importantstep is preparing the brass with a pickling solution for a clean,oil-free surface without tarnish. I then applied a light grey auto-motive primer from a spray can as a base for the bright red finalcolor. I airbrushed Badger’s MODELflex Soo Line Red for thecab and long hood and Engine Black for the frame. The finalcoat with Tamiya clear acrylic gloss coat gave the model thelook I wanted. I can say the model runs as it looks—brilliant.

The new etched top screens and the new radiator, still riding on CLW trucks.


Ever try to carve cobblestones in plaster for that“different” look on your traction or street railwayand give up after a couple of inches, mumbling toyourself while trying to convince your mates thatconcrete would look better? Well, help is at hand!

Buy two or three packets of Wills (English brand)Granite sets (p/n WSSMP204), and start laying thosebeautiful O Scale cobblestones. The packet says00/HO but for O Scale cobblestones they are idealand they are available in the U.S. at the largerhobby stores.

The sheets come four to a set and are made ofstyrene so they are easy to cut and glue. The photostell the story. Note in one photo I am sanding anedge using sandpaper tacked to the bench top and alarge fine file clamped to the edge. This is themethod I use for sanding all my styrene sheets nomatter what I am building. The surface that I amgluing to in the photos is wood and I amusing quick drying white glue with veryheavy weights till it dries. It works. ◆

Resources:International Hobbies,10556 Combie Rd, Auburn, CA, Phone530-268-715, agents for “Wills” in theU.S.


Another Dieselmasterpiece fromRoland Marx. ThisGATX unit is builtfrom a Gilmaur kit.

Northbound manifest leaving BarklyMills, Calif., with borrowed ATSF (now BNSF) power headed forKlamath Falls, Ore.

Second northbound manifest of theday starts its long uphill climbtowards Klamath Falls, Ore., fromBarkly Mills, Calif.

Lumber loads await pick up from the yards. The backdrop waspainted by my mother-in-law for me. Unfortunately, when Imoved the layout to my present location, I was unable to usethis backdrop set.

Lineup of power for morningdepartures southbound from BarklyMills, Calif., after crews’ rest.

PACIFIC BELT LINEUNION TERMINAL

ROGUE RIVERKerry R. Jones


John C. SmithPecos River Brass

Crapolafrom theCupola

Crapolafrom theCupola

Chapter XIIIAll was not perfect, but if I stuck to

the things I knew best and the Santa Fe,where my market was, I saw myself mov-ing Pecos River Brass along where Iwanted it to be. I was doing fine withone builder (Gang San Models) and Iwas getting letters all the time from otherbuilders wanting work, so I figured let’sadd builders and get into the “big time”.

This may come as a surprise to mostof you, but it’s really hard to get rich inthe importing business. The stereotype isthat if you can do a $20K project everytwo months and sell it for $40K, you canmake a six-figure salary every year. Getthose numbers up there and this is a bigmoney business. Well, it is a big moneybusiness, but those are only on idealterms.

Most importers have very successfulfirst and second projects. Then some-thing happens. The third (or fourth, orfifth) project is a bust. Maybe it was thebest thing you ever did. Maybe it was thebest quality ever built. But, nobodywanted to buy it. So, instead of makingyourself another $20K for 4-6 monthswork, you didn’t sell enough to even payfor the shipment. Time to borrow moneyfrom the bank. Now, what do you think abank president says to you when youbring in a toy train, set it on his desk, tellhim this is what you do for a living andpeople spend $1000 each for one. Right,you get “the look.” “Do you think I’m a@*&$#_)*% idiot? Who buys these toys?You want how much money?” Even ifyou do get the money, you end up givingyour monthly salary to the bank in inter-est payments.

The fact is the only way to makemoney in the brass business is to sell outevery single project you do. Sell outimmediately and you gross $20K. Now,take away your expenses for a couple ofmonths, rent, utilities, customs, broker,advertising, salaries, accounting, copymachines, fax machines, computers,

scanners, printers, maintenance, paper,invoices, shipping labels, post-it notes,pens, show expenses, research materials,draftsman’s drawings, photos, mileage,taking guests to lunch, company shirtsand you might have made a pittanceprofit for that project. Very little ever sellsout that fast. Now you need storagespace, more advertising, promotion,shows, literature, etc.

You ask yourself, if you could onlysell 100, why did you do 200? The priceis determined by quantity. You tell thebuilder you want to do XYZ steam loco.How much? They tell you they can do300 pieces for $1000 each. But if youonly want 100 pieces, they will cost$1500 each. However, if you do 500locos, they can be done for $700 each.You do the math. It’s now a choicebetween $150K, $300K or a $350K proj-ect. You can buy almost twice theamount of models for about 20% moremoney. But you only have 75 reserva-tions and that 100 quantity looks reallygood. However, as soon as you lockyourself into that price, half of the reser-vations drop out because the retail pricewent from $1500 to $3000. So youthink, “Well if I do 300 models, I keepmost of my reservations and keep theprice down,” but then you’ll sit on 200models for years. Or you could listen toconsumers in the magazines, on theinternet, at train shows, and do 500models, make them cheap so more peo-ple can afford them... and have 400 foryour grandchildren to sell.

After 22 years in the business, I canhonestly tell you the retail price has verylittle to do with the consumer in thebrass market. You either want it or not.You either have the money or not. Youeither model the Missouri Pacific or not.I have seen models that ran perfectly,were painted very well, and were veryreasonably priced just sit there on theshelf. Yet, a model that cost $3000-4$000 with a little more detail, but inmany cases didn’t run at all, sold out inminutes. Perception is everything. Whenthe price is low, discriminating modelerswonder what is wrong with it. If youprice it outrageously high, the bigspenders come out of the closet. And inaddition (I’m really sorry to tell you this),the brass business has NEVER been aninexpensive hobby. It has never been apurchase for the low budget buyer.

One last thing, one last trade secret. Icannot speak for any other importer ofmodel trains, but this is the PRB formula.Before the early 1970s, and fair tradelaws, the markup from builder’s price todealer net was 50%, and then 40% moreto retail. An HO brass steamer in late60’s and early 70s would cost theimporter $40 in Korea, in quantities ofabout 500. The dealer net would be $80.The retail price would be somewhere inthe $130 range. Everyone sold for retailand everyone made money... goodmoney. There was little used market, soeverything sold. Nobody asked for a dealand nobody got a deal. There was avalue to everything. Importers wouldbring in 500 models and have 1000reservations. Hobby shops got cut backon every order they placed. If you werecaught selling for less than retail, youwere cut off by the importer. Thingschanged with fair trade laws (I think notfor the better, but that is an argument foranother time). By the mid 70s, there wasa used brass market starting to develop,and dealers were discounting. Nothinghad value anymore. My Santa Fe 2-8-0retailed for $130, $140, $150, $160depending on who you bought it fromand nobody knew what the real valuewas.

As prices started to get higher, asquantities started to get lower, as thenumber of dealers started to lessen, as allkinds of change happened to our market,the price structure changed but the basicmarkups for PRB were 33% and 30%. Itwould have been a great profit, evenafter expenses, if everything sold outinstantly. But it never did, NEVER.

I finally decided that I could producethe best product on the market, but hadno talent whatsoever at selling it. I sup-pose that it is a personality thing. I’mproud of my models, and loved doingwhat I did. I had a very faithful followingof customers, just not enough of them. Ijust wish I had had a clue as to how tosell to them.

(Editor’s Note: After 22 years in busi-ness Pecos River Brass has closed it’sdoors. John has put everything up forsale including the store and the layoutabove the store. PRB still has stock atcloseout prices in both 2 and 3 rail. Visitwww.pecosriverbrass.com to see what isavailable.) ◆

Moti

ve P

ower

OVERLANDMODELS INCORPORATED3808 W. Kilgore Ave. · Muncie, IN 47304 · U.S.Awww.overlandmodels.com

Telephone: (765) [email protected]

Fax: (765) 289-6013

CCCCSSSSXXXX ““““AAAACCCC44444444CCCCWWWW””””FFFFaaaa cccc tttt oooo rrrr yyyy pppp aaaa iiii nnnn tttt eeee dddd BBBB llll uuuu eeee //// YYYYeeee llll llll oooo wwww //// GGGG oooo llll dddd

OOOO MMMM IIII #### 0000 4444 8888 0000 1111 0000 0000 0000 3333 .... 1111

Prototype photo by Overland Models Team

UUUUPPPP ““““AAAACCCC44444444CCCCTTTTEEEE””””FFFFaaaa cccc tttt oooo rrrr yyyy pppp aaaa iiii nnnn tttt eeee dddd YYYYeeee llll llll oooo wwww //// GGGG rrrr aaaa yyyy wwww iiii tttt hhhh FFFF llll aaaa gggg

OOOO MMMM IIII #### 0000 4444 8888 0000 1111 0000 0000 0000 4444 .... 1111

Prototype photo by Don Zimmerman

SSSSPPPP ““““AAAACCCC44444444CCCCWWWW””””FFFFaaaa cccc tttt oooo rrrr yyyy pppp aaaa iiii nnnn tttt eeee dddd DDDD aaaa rrrr kkkk GGGG rrrr aaaa yyyy //// SSSS cccc aaaa rrrr llll eeee tttt

OOOO MMMM IIII #### 0000 4444 8888 0000 1111 0000 0000 0000 7777 .... 1111

Prototype courtesy Withers Publishing

Take Your Model Railroad To The Next Level . . . Experience An Overland Model

Available Only At The Finest Hobby Retailers WorldwideVisit www.overlandmodels.com To See A List Of Dealers

Features:•• Crisp factory paint and lettering•• Powerful Pittman can motor•• Operating ditch lights•• Directional lighting•• DCC equipped

Other variations not pictured:

• • BNSF “AC44CW” Nos. 5603 and 5609

• • CP “AC44CW” Nos. 9592 and 9600

• • CSX “C60AC” Nos. 5002 and 5016

• • UP “C60AC” Nos. 7567 and 7579

Licensed product of CSX Transportation

Licensed product of Union Pacific Railroad

Licensed product of Union Pacific Railroad Moti

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ower


Scratchbuilders are blessed with agreat amount of parts and castings forsteam engines available from a variety ofsources. But the one essential item that isnot readily available is drivers. And forthose of us working in Proto 48, if we canget our hands on a set, they are almostalways 5 foot gauge meaning it will takesome machining effort to convert them toour standards. Further, the diameter maynot be what you need for that engine onyour dream list; the one you have han-kered to build for a long time.

Back in the 1980’s Precision Scale Co.,had some extra 63" drivers that were madefor their SP cab forward. I bought enoughto scratchbuild a CB&Q 2-8-2 and a 2-10-4. To convert them to P:48 required theaxles be disassembled, tires removed, (thetires were plated brass, not steel), then thewheel thinned by machining to prototypethickness. I machined new tires from stain-less steel, insulated half with .005" styrene,reassembled with NWSL gear boxes, usinga quartering tool I had built. The driversfor the 2-10-4 had to have new counter-weights and centers to match the proto-type. These were cut from brass andsoldered on before assembly.

This effort was my introduction torebuilding drivers. That experience reallyhelped when I began to think aboutbuilding drivers completely from scratch.I had some projects that I very muchwanted to build, like a Burlington 4-8-2and a 2-6-2. The 74" and 69" driversneeded were not available on the market.

Louis Bartig is a modeler from the St.Louis area that I have admired for manyyears. He has been a real inspiration tobuild accurate models with fine detail.Louis builds his own drivers. That reallygot me fired up to try it, too.

I first built a set of 74" drivers for theB-1 Mountain and they turned out prettywell. Those were a real trial and error inwhat works and what doesn’t. The nextset, the 69", is described here.

A big help were the pages of driverdrawings in the 1906 Locomotive Dictio-nary reprinted by Newton Gregg in 1972.Also, I use a pair of the old PFM “O” scalecalipers to measure with, so some of thefollowing measurements are to scale.

First, brass outer rims were machined

to the diameter of the driver wheel,which in this case was 66 inches, twoscale inches thick and 4 scale incheswide (Fig. 1). Remember this is to proto-type so it sounds kind of thin! “Square”

counter weights (they are not square buta curved rectangular shape) to fit insidethe wheel rim were machined from brass.Center crank hubs were made with anaxle hole smaller than what the finishedsize would be. The crank pin portion ofthe center piece would be an even small-er hole 14 scale inches from the center.The cylinder stroke was 28" long so thecrank pin distance from the axle centerwould be half that.

The spokes were cut from 1⁄32" x 1⁄8"brass flat bars (Fig. 2). One edge of alength of the flat bar was rounded with a

file and smoothed with #600 grit carbonsandpaper. Every paint store has this sandpaper.

The spokes are tapered so another jigis required to measure each cut spoke tothe proper length and taper. Note in Fig.3 that the section of brass sheet has thecorrect spoke pattern cut out. The spokepiece is cut and filed to fit the pattern,then set into the cutout rounded sidedown. The jig section sheet is thinnerthan the spoke so when the jig withspoke is placed into a vise and tightenedthe portion of the spoke sticking up canbe milled off giving that taper. Hope this

is clear by studying Fig. 3.A section of aluminum bar, 1.5 inches

in diameter and about 1 inch long wascut (Fig. 4). Then one end was machinedto fit just inside the brass wheel rims. Thisraised section was then slotted using a.032" slitting saw. These drivers had 15spokes which was divisible by my Emcodividing attachment, so 15 slots were cutto hold individual spokes. Note that onthis engine the drivers had one spoke

directly in line with the crank pin.The aluminum jig with slots then had

sections milled out so the hub centersand counter weights would fit down tothe bottom of the slots. Also, some indi-vidual spokes will be shorter from thecenter hub to counterweight and progres-sively from the rim to center crank. Afterall spokes are in place, flux is applied toeach part that will be soldered. The jig isplaced in a vise and heated with a torch.When hot enough solder is touched toeach spoke end where it touches the rim,counter weight, and center hub. Go easywith the solder! You want just enough ofa fillet to give the appearance of a cast-ing. In this case, six wheels were made,four with small counterweights and twowith heavy counterweights.

A section of brass bar was machinedto exactly fit the steel tire tread (Fig. 5).Three 2-56 screws are used to hold eachtire to machine out the inside circumfer-ence to fit the wheel. Note, once the fit ismachined you cannot remove the bar

Fig. 1

Fig. 4

Fig. 2

Fig. 3

Building 69" drivers for a Burlington 2-6-2 Prairie,and the lead and trailing trucks too!

Building 69" drivers for a Burlington 2-6-2 Prairie,and the lead and trailing trucks too!

Tom MixTom Mix


section from the lathe chuck as then itwill no longer be running true.

After tires are machined with the cor-rect inside circumference to a snug, butsliding, fit over the wheel center, the twoare secured with LocTite. Note: three ofthe wheels will have a strip of .005"styrene fastened to the rim using epoxy.The steel tire inside diameter will bemachined to fit the insulated side. Thejoining of the three insulated centers tothe tires is the same as the others. Afterthe epoxy is dry, the tire and wheel issecured with LocTite. After the epoxy andLocTite cure overnight, check the insulat-ed drivers with an ohmmeter to ensurethey are, in fact, insulated.

Using the same brass bar tire jig (youdidn’t remove it from the lathe chuck didyou?) the completed driver is set into thejig to machine out the axle hole (Fig. 6).This cannot be done with a drill. (Drillsbend) You must use a small boring bar.The intent here is to true the axle holewith the tire. I used 5mm axle stock fromNWSL. This part must be done very care-fully. If the hole is bored too large you arein trouble! Take a 5mm rod stub that hashad the end polished with #400 sandpa-per (to make it just a tiny bit smaller) anduse that as a check gage as you bore thehole. The idea here is to make a snug, butsliding, fit on the axle. When you cometo the right size, do not move the boringbar and do each wheel center with thesame settings. I learned a long time agothat to press fit a driver to an axle oftenresults in a crooked driver on the axle.

After the six driver wheels and tires areassembled and tested again for continu-

ity, they are ready to be made into loco-motive drivers. Take a piece of brass orsteel bar stock that will slide easily intothe axle holes of a driver pair. Set thewheel pair a scale 53” apart measuredfrom the inside of the tires. Then measurewith calipers the outside distance at thecenter hubs. This will be the length of theaxles. Machine three axles and press onthe NWSL gear + gear box bearings. (Iforgot those bearings once!) I use 5mmbronze journals from Precision Scale.Using LocTite, press on three drivers forone side making sure you distinguis thethree insulated drivers from the uninsulat-ed. LocTite sets up pretty fast, so within ahalf hour or so it is cured enough to con-tinue. It fully cures in 24 hours.

Now comes the critical procedure...pressing on the next three centers at 90degrees to the first set. I made up a quar-tering tool years ago (Fig. 7) just for thispurpose. Make sure to match the heavyand light counter weights, ensure thegear box bearings and journals are in

place, then using a drop of LocTite, presson the driver at 90 degrees by putting thequartering tool in a vise. Don’t use toomuch LocTite. If it seeps into the journalit will seize! Prototype drivers were quar-tered at 90 degrees, right side leading(except for the Pennsy. They used lefthand lead). If you do not get the drivers atexactly 90 degrees it doesn’t matter aslong as all the drivers are quartered thesame. If they come out at 85 degrees, orwhatever, they willwork just fine. Youcan’t tell it anywaywhen they areassembled.

The lead andtrailing truck tiresand wheels arem a c h i n e d a n dassembled ve rymuch the sameway. I insulate bothwheels at the axle.Tires are turnedfrom steel bar stock.Precision Scale

spoked wheel castings of the proper sizeare used and another brass bar jig is used

to ensure the wheels run true when bor-ing the axle hole.

Fig. 8 is a close up of the scratch builtlead truck with the Precision Scale 36"spoked wheel castings. The rear truckwheels are also PSC castings and they aremachined with 42" steel tires. I machinedtires for most of my drivers but for the 74"and 69" Pat Mitchell did those. I did thesmall ones.

Some may ask why not make one ortwo patterns and have them cast? Actual-ly, I did try that. I sent one pattern off to acompany that casts for model railroaders.He said the spokes were too thin andmay not fill properly. So I sent the samepattern off to another. No response. Senta letter “what about my pattern?” Noresponse. That ended that.

I am not a trained machinist. I am self-taught. I bought a little Unimat SL back inthe 50’s. Many mistakes were made but Igained experience over time. Later Ibought a Unimat 3, and progressed to anEmco Compact 5 lathe. Also I own amilling machine. The thing is, anyonecan learn this stuff. You just have to try.

This article is more of a demonstrationthan a detailed step-by-step process. Ifyou have questions I would be more thanhappy to give a better explanation.Please e-mail me with your questions.[[email protected]] ◆

Fig. 6

Fig. 7

Fig. 8

Fig. 5


To make assembly easier, drill a #67(0.032" diameter) vertical hole in a woodblock about 5⁄16" deep with a drill press.Push the tubing into the hole so that theheight of the exposed tubing is equal tothe dimension from the crank to the topof the tubing (Figure 2). Slide the crankover the tubing down to the wood blockwith the rounded end away from the tub-ing. After soldering the two parts togeth-er, pull the assembly out of the woodblock.Switch Stand Assembly

The plastic-to-plastic joints were gluedwith small amounts of Testors thin plasticcement applied with a very small brush.Drill a spike hole with a #67 drill in thecenter at each end of the San Juan switchstand base (there is a small cast-in bolthead marking the location). Cement thetwo guards into the holes on one side ofthe base per the San Juan instructionsheet. Note that, contrary to the instruc-tion sheet, the table slots and lever willgo on the side opposite the guards. Placethe base over the hole in the wood blockand reinsert the brass tube and crank.Check the rotation clearance of the crankunder the guards by rotating the base.The crank must be able to rotate a full 90degrees between the guards. If okay, gluethe table and legs to the base with theslots pointing away from the guards.

The lever and yoke parts are bestdone as a subassembly. Leave the yokeon the casting sprue tree when attachingthe lever, pin, and lock. To make the pineasier to install, ream out the hole with a

Having switch stands on your layoutthat actually rotate to indicate the posi-tion of the track switch is not only usefulin running trains, but is also visuallyinteresting. Even more visual interest isgained when the switch lamps are actu-ally lighted. I model the late steam eraSouthern Pacific. Although the switchstands and railroad practice that I’mdescribing in this article are specific tothe SP, the parts and constructionmethod can be applied to other rail-roads. The SP used the Star-type switchstand mounted on a single 12-inch widehead block (the long tie). Many otherrailroads also used this stand, but mount-ed the stand across the ends of a doublehead block (two long ties). San Juan CarCompany makes these stands in O Scaleand that’s what I’m going to modify.

CrankSince I use switch machines to oper-

ate my track switches, the throw of thepoints must cause the switch stand torotate 90 degrees instead of the otherway around. The first step is to accurate-ly measure the distance the points move.This measurement is used to calculatethe dimension for the distance betweenthe two holes in the crank (Figure 1). Therecommended point gap on an O gaugeNMRA track gage is 0.112", which scalesto 53⁄8 inches. Prototype switches have athrow of about five inches. To save youhaving to look up your old high schooltrig: using the 0.112" dimension, thespacing of the crank holes is calculatedby 0.707(0.112 - 0.010) = 0.072". The

0.010" factor accounts for the clearancein the connecting rod holes. Make thecrank from the 1⁄16" by 1⁄32" brass flat bar.Drill two #63 (0.037" diameter) holes atthe required spacing. Round off one endas shown in Figure 1.

Target RodThe switch stand staff or target rod is

made from 1⁄32" diameter tubing. Cut alength of tubing 113⁄16" long for the highstand or 1" long for the low stand. As thewire is a tight fit in the tubing, it is a goodidea to push a 0.019" diameter brass rod(available from Detail Associates) throughthe tubing first to clear burrs or otherobstructions.

Working Lighted Switch StandsWorking Lighted Switch StandsWorking Lighted Switch Stands

Charlie Morrill

Figure 1

Figure 2

Solder

See text

19⁄16

high13⁄4

low


#78 drill after inserting the lever into theyoke. Also, the piece of sprue attached tothe lock makes a good handle for insert-ing the lock into the hasp. Once the sub-assembly is dry, remove the sprues andslide the yoke and lever assembly overthe brass tube and insert the lever intoone of the slots. Use a very small amountof cement at the slot. Be careful not toglue the brass tube to the plastic.Lights

Soldering the small wires for the light isbest done with a 25-watt or 40-watt pen-cil soldering iron with a pencil point. Usea no-corrode rosin flux and rosin core sol-der. Wrap one light bulb lead around theend of the brass tube as shown in Figure3. Leave about 1⁄16" of wire between thebulb and the end of the tube. Solder alength of 30 AWG wire on the outside ofthe other end of the tube and below thestand base for the ground wire.

If using the 30 AWG insulated wire,cut the end of the wire to be pushed upthrough the brass tube at a 45-degreeangle to make it easier to start. I havealso used 32 AWG magnet wire, whichis a much easier installation, however,the enamel coating is very easy to nick,

which then causes a short. Push the wirepast the bulb and strip off about 1⁄16" ofinsulation and then pull the wire back sothat the bare wire is next to the upperend of the bulb as in Figure 3. Wrap theupper bulb lead around the end of thewire and solder. Trim off all excess wire.At this point it would be a good idea totest the bulb using a flashlight battery. Ifthe test is good, the assembly can bepainted grimy black.Switch Lamp

The Grandt lamp casting is made fromclear plastic. This makes it relatively easyto deepen the lamp cavity a little with a#55 (0.052" diameter) drill to providemore room for the end of the bulb withoutcoming out through the top of the casting.If you are going to replace the lenses withcolored acetate disks as I have done, drillout the lenses with a 1⁄16" bit and counterbore to 0.070". Grandt suggests coloringthe cast lenses with red, green, or yellow

marking pens, however, I was not pleasedwith the result from the brand of markingpens I had on hand, so I opted for theacetate lenses.

Paint the lamp casting with an opaqueblack paint. This may take two coats toprevent light leakage. I find that pressingthe lamp over the end of a woodentoothpick makes an excellent holder forthe painting and the attachment of thelenses. The 0.070" diameter lenses weremade from colored acetate with a punchand die. A very small amount of TestorsClear Parts Cement on the rim of the lensopening secured the lens. Figure 4 showsthe orientation of the lens colors. Greenshowing towards an approaching trainindicates that the switch is aligned “nor-

mal”. Red or Yellow lights and targetshowing towards an approaching trainindicates that the switch is aligned forthe diverging route (“reverse”).

I should explain here about the reasonfor the yellow and red lens and targetcolors. Quoting the SP Common Stan-dards drawing: “Switch stands on sidetracks in yards and on other inside tracksto be equipped with yellow target,except as follows: Derail switch stands,switch stands at the siding end ofcrossovers leading to main track, switchstands actuating main line signals, andswitch stands at connections with con-trolled sidings in C.T.C. territory to beequipped with red target." Other rail-roads had similar means for differentiat-ing switches that affected main linetraffic from those on secondary tracks.Target and Lamp Assembly

I dab a small amount of white glue onthe bottom of the lamp and the top of thebrass tube before I push the lamp over thebulb. The use of white glue makesremoval easier if necessary. With thecrank in the “switch normal" position, lineup the green lenses to be parallel to thetrack. The small round target included inthe San Juan kit is correct for the lowswitch stand scale 10" diameter target. Forthe high switch stand, a scale 18" diame-ter target is needed. I punched these outof 0.015" thick styrene sheet. After paint-ing the target, epoxy it to the side of thebrass tube parallel to the track with theswitch in the “normal” position. The cen-

ter of the target on the tall stand should be19⁄32" above the bottom of the switch standbase. The small target on the short stand isjust above the top of the yoke.Installing

Measure a point on the head block 13⁄4"from the rail and 3⁄32" from the throw bar

side of the tie. Drill a 1⁄16" hole through thetie and roadbed for the bottom of the tubeand wires. Drill a #63 hole in the end ofthe switch throw bar. Bend a connectingrod per the sketch (Figure 5) from 1⁄32"diameter brass rod. Note that the connect-ing rod is made either left or right hand.The length of the connecting rod shouldbe measured from the throw bar hole tothe switch stand center with the trackswitch in mid position. Place the switchstand on the head block and install theconnecting rod. Check that the standrotates the full 90 degrees from target par-allel to the track to target perpendicular totrack. Fasten the switch stand down with

two track spikes. Connect the two wires toa 1-1⁄2 volt maximum power source. Leavea little slack in the wires for rotation.

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

The short stand ready for final assembly

Testing the lamp bulb with a battery

Solder

Cut offexcess wire

1⁄16"

1⁄8"

1⁄16"1⁄32"


You now have a switch stand that will inform your operating crews ofthe switch alignment even when the switch points are not easily visible.A SUGGESTED POWER SOURCE

The 1.25 volt supply circuit shown right will provide enough power tolight many switch stands. The voltage regulator needs to be mounted on aheat sink. Parts: LM 317T Adjustable Voltage Regulator, Heat Sink for TO-220, “C" is 4.7 mfd, 50 volt capacitor, “R” is 270 ohm, 1⁄4 watt resistor“BR" is 11⁄2 amp, 400 piv, bridge rectifier The bridge rectifier allows use ofAC for the voltage regulator circuit. This circuit can also be used for light-ing passenger cars or cabooses. ◆

Resources, Materials and Parts List:San Juan Car Co., PO Box 1028 Durango, Colorado 81302, 970-385-5256, #5002Star Switch Stands, set of one tall and one short stand.

Grandt Line, 1040 B Shary Court, Concord, CA 94518, 925-671-0143. www.grandtline.com, #149 Marker Lamps, two per package

Miniatronics Corp., 561-K Acord Street, Deer Park, NY 11729, 800-942-9439, www.miniatronics.com, #18-075-10 Axial 1.5 volt IncandescentLamps, .075" diameter, package of ten.

Special Shapes Co., PO Box 7487, Romeoville IL 60046, 800-51-SHAPE, www.specialshapes.com, Stock No. 05035, Brass Tubing 1⁄32"diameter by .006" wall, Brass flat bar 1⁄16" by 1⁄32", Brass rod 1⁄32" diameter.

Other: Styrene sheet .015" thick; Red, Green, Yellow colored acetate sheets (Craftsman Specialty Supply, 6567 Forty Mile Point, Rogers City,MI 49779), Alternate: colored marking pens; 30 AWG Insulated Wrapping Wire (Radio Shack #278-502) or 32 AWG plain enamel insulatedmagnet wire.

The short stand used in an industrial yard

A tall stand used on the mainline

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A HiRailer in Transition A HiRailer in transition... that is exactly what I am and this

month I have a great idea for you: a transition car! If you are inter-ested in an idea that will allow you operate closer to scale, this maybe of interest. This car is like crossing an alligator with a crocodile;it has two business ends and you have to pay attention to both. Youcan use a scale car or a HiRail car. The car is simply converted sothat one coupler is 3 rail and the other is 2 rail.(See photo #1)

Place this car right behind the tender and it becomes the firstcar in your consist. It has a traditional tinplate coupler (just like allof the ones found on 3 rail rolling stock), kind of big, not very pro-totypical, but functional. We have tolerated these knuckles foryears. (See photo #2)

On the other end is a Kadee® coupler: what an improvement!(See photo #3). I chose to use an Atlas 2 rail car with scalewheelsets. You could also convert a 3 rail car. Using just scalecouplers will work. Changing to scale trucks and wheelsets willprovide additional scale appreciation.

Now for the fun. On the scale end of your car you can coupleas many Kadee equiped 2 rail scale cars as you wish. This allowsyou to use your existing locomotives running on 3 rail track, but

pulling a complete consist ofscale 2 rail cars. The transitioncar does all of the work. Con-gratulations! You have justshortened the gap betweenHiRail and scale model rail-roading!

This works best on T-railsection track such as Atlas.Those scale wheels roll on thattrack just like they were trulymade for each other. You will

be amazed at what a big step you have just taken and will lovethe look of those scale cars and couplers. And the best part is thatyou didn’t have to spend a lot of money.

The transition car represents a compromise, however, it allowsyou as an operator to get extremely close to scale operations.Even the scale purists: kings, queens, and noblemen will wel-come you. You may need to consider purchasing wheelsets, scalecouplers, and even some scale rolling stock. They may welcome

your questions. They will wel-come your business! Why, theywon’t even know that you are aHiRailer! But all of the time theimportant thing is that you aregetting more and more scale(and more fun) in what you do.

The highly detailed scalerolling stock of today is an invest-ment in your modeling future. Allof these great products can beeasily converted—if and whenyou should decide to changeover to scale 2 rail. All of us are

on a jour-ney in thishobby. Eachof us has apace of ourown. Theresimply is nor i g h t o rw r o n g i nmodel rail-r o a d i n g .Each of usmust decidewhat coursewe will taketo accom-plish our goals. Change is inevitable and it is okay. Maybe you arenew to the hobby. Maybe you are a seasoned old timer. Just lookat all of the choices we have today. So, take your time, enjoy yourtrains, and stay tuned for more exciting and challenging ideas. ◆

1

3

2


Reader FeedbackReader FeedbackNew Zealand Source

I have just received the latest issue andback issues that I ordered, and I wish tocompliment the team at O Scale mag forthe care and attention to detail that hasgone into its production, even to how theback issues were beautifully packed.

I have only recently decided to takethe plunge and model in O Scale. I havebeen keeping an eye on availability ofmodels, and the ever-expanding range ofgood-looking equipment is what encour-aged me to change. I am a New Zealan-der with a passion for the NYC andscratchbuilding, and O Scale serves menicely. I was also lucky enough toencounter a man with two old AHM kitsfor sale here in New Zealand, a Casey-Jones and an IHB 0-8-0. (Imagine my joywhen I discovered that the IHB wasowned by the NYC! The Casey-Joneswill never be; it will donate its wheels toa scratchbuilt NYC K-11)

I would also like to point out a coupleof useful items that are made in NewZealand for 9mm scale modelers (3’6"gauge at 9mm/foot=31.5mm Oh Lookee,near enough to O gauge!) that might beuseful to O Scale non-rivet counters.There is a loco driver, 27mm dia. X4.1mm wide, stainless steel tyre on anylon moulded centre, approx 1⁄4" crankthrow, NZ$5.70 each wheel last time Ichecked. It is not exactly right for 1⁄48thscale, having only ten spokes, but it isnear enough for me, and you can buythe stainless steel axles (5mm dia) fromthe same maker. They are an interferencefit and so easy to use. A browse throughmy Kalmbach Loco Cyclopedia, Vol. 1,turned up many engines with 51"wheels, several of which were used bythe NYC, so the hardest part of scratch-building these engines is taken care of.

There are also plain, 9 and 8 spokewheelsets, about NZ$4 each, 22.5mmdia x 3.5mm tread- scales out to42.5inch and 0.135” in O Scale. I havebought three GP-9 bodies from P&DHobbies with a view to scratchbuildingthe drives using these wheels.

I have read letters in magazines frompeople complaining how expensive thehobby is, especially in O Scale, but Ibelieve that if you are prepared to huntaround for the bargains and sale items—part of the fun of the hobby, I mightadd—then it doesn’t have to be expen-sive at all. Knowing where to find whatyou need is the key, and that’s where Iowe O Scale Trains Mag a big Thank You.

Regards, Paul WoodsWhangarei, New ZealandFor those wheels, contact Graham

Selman, [email protected], PO Box27-368, Mount Roskill, Auckland, NewZealand (Ed. Note - a New Zealand dol-lar is about $US0.68)A Fallen Warrior

Frank G. ‘Gil’ Stovicek, 1924-2003A pioneering modeler and tireless

advocate for O Scale was lost to us onNovember 26, 2003, with the passing ofGil Stovicek.

Perhaps best known for his 2 rail OScale American Central Railroad1, Gilwas also an award-winning scratch-builder, having come into the hobby at atime when modelers had little choice butto create their own locomotives, rollingstock, and structures.

Much of his railroad was fundedthrough custom locomotive building. Gilwould pick a design he liked from draw-ings in the Locomotive Cyclopedia, thenacquire enough brass tubing, sheet stock,motors, wheels, and gearboxes to buildthree locomotives... one of which hewould keep, and the other two would goup for sale or trade. In addition to col-lecting NMRA awards for his work, hesoon established a reputation for build-ing show-quality models that also ranwell out of the box, and kept on runningafter years of service to their owners.

When he no longer built locomotives,he turned his attention to convertingsome of the less costly 3 rail brass offer-ings from Williams and others for 2 railoperation. Despite periodic downturnson the business side of O Scale, he neverlost his drive to support the hobby, andkept encouraging anyone with an inter-est to start off inexpensively with olderequipment... die-cast locomotives, or carkits from sale tables at shows.

Favorites? While he respected (andkidded) the one road/one era puristsamong us, his own tastes were eclectic,and he thought nothing of running a105-car coal drag behind an N&W Y-6right next to a double-stack containertrain pulled by a BNSF SD-70. He lovedit all, and his enthusiasm was infectious.

To the end, his railroad remainedopen on the first and third Wednesdaysof each month, and for special events(NMRA regional conventions, NYC &NKP Historical Societies, Boy Scouts), hewould open on weekends. He was a gra-cious and generous host, and althoughhe had no children of his own, his joy in

sharing was especially evident when hewould go out of his way to ensure thatyoungsters took in all that his basementempire had to offer, leaving them (andtheir parents) with lasting memories of aspecial night. He would always thankeveryone for coming to see the layout,and let them know they were welcometo come back.

His command post at the controlpanel for the American Central was anengineer’s seat from a scrapped NewYork Central Fairbanks-Morse diesel, andit is tempting to think that he is nowoccupying a similar chair in the sky, withthe armrests flipped down and a newlyfired-up cigar clenched in his teeth.

Roll ’em, Gil.(For those interested, The American

Central was the cover story feature in theFebruary 1972 Model Railroader. Excel-lent writing, photography, and graphicsby Bob Hegge and the MR staff.)

Bob rothrock (via email)Ed. note: We also received several

other emails and a letter from Gil’s son-in-law, Scott Lavelle.Seeking Advice

I want to build a Milwaukee SDL39. Ithink I can use the Atlas GP35 (I am nota rivet counter) but the wheel sets arewhat are driving me nuts. Weaver has a3 axle set in Alco but that isn’t EMD. Tellme what to look for in axle sets, please.

Dick [email protected]

Joe replies: I went to my “go to” per-son for Diesel info, Beth Marshall of thePublic Delivery Track. Here’s what Bethhad to say:

I went on an expedition thru backissue of Diesel “techy” mags. The onlything missing was the “Jack Benny goinginto his safe” sound.

I found a copy of Diesel Era mag from1998 with an SDL-39 article.

Only 10 SDL-39’s were ever built,MILW 581-585 Built in 1969, and 586-590, built in 1972. All but 581 (wrecked)were conveyed to the SOO line whenSOO bought the Milwaukee Road, (nonewere ever painted in SOO colors) andthen were conveyed to Wisconsin Cen-tral, when it was spun off from SOO.When CN bought WC in 2002, all wereretired and sold to South America,according to web data.

These 10 engines were ordered by theMilwaukee to replace SW-1’s and RSC-2’s that were used on light rail branchlines, especially in the Dakotas. Thereare still parts out these branch lines inservice today, still using 100+ year old60 lb. rail. Most of it is operated byshortlines or regional railroads today.


The SDL-39’s were 4 feet shorter thana GP-38 or GP-39, and about 1 footshorter than a GP-35, and ran on special-ly built short wheelbase EMD 6 wheelflexicoil trucks. Typical EMD 6 wheelflexicoil trucks, as used on SD-39’s, SD-35’s and SD-40’s, are symmetrical andhave a distance between axles of about 6ft 9 in. The SDL-39 truck has axle spac-ing of 5 ft 6 in from outer axle to center,and 6 ft 8 in from center to inner axle.

Relating this to O scale, the SDL-39 isabout 1⁄4 inch shorter than a GP-35, andhas asymmetrical 6 wheel flexicoil trucksabout 3⁄8 in shorter than those used on theAtlas SD-35.

If you can overlook these differences,you might be able to mount Atlas SD-35trucks (standard 6 wheel Flexicoil trucks)on an Atlas GP-35 to make an SDL-39,as long as both the 4 wheel and 6 wheeltrucks have the same mounting position,relative to the outer end of the truck.

If both trucks mount exactly over cen-ter, for example, you’ll have problemsbecause the 6 wheel truck will extendinto the pilot and steps, as well as towardthe fuel tank. If the extra length of the 6wheel truck extends only toward the fueltank, you’re in business, because the fueltank can always be cut shorter to makeroom for the trucks. As it turns out, theSDL-39’s had a small 1700 gal. fuel tank,as compared to the 2600 gal fuel tank ona typical GP-35.

Unfortunately, I haven’t had a chanceto pull apart an Atlas GP-35 to see howthe trucks are mounted.

Another thing you’ll want to consideris the SDL-39’s lack of dynamic brakes.D/B’s have always been an option onEMD locos, and the ’flat’ railroads haveoften opted to save money and getengines without D/B’s.

The only Atlas GP-35 without dynam-ic brakes (as far as I know) was the NewYork Central. This, of course, if probablythe hardest one to find in 2 rail. Atlasmay have made the D/B an option on theundec version; you’d have to check withthem.

At any rate... good luck.For your next project, I’d like to see a

model of the MILW RSC-2 that wasrebuilt by Alco with an RS-32 nose.

BethA Correction

Upon rereading my article on theBabbitt small tender on page 22, righthand column near the bottom I men-tioned that North West Shortline’s Sensi-press could also be used to punch rivets.I guess in the editorial review someoneadded “(photo2)” where my “Chief Engi-neer” is checking the tooling. In fact therivet press shown was manufactured by

Precision Manufacturing Co. in Texasand is not the NWSL Sensipress. Just anote to avoid confusion.

Bob Garrelts, Tarpon Springs, Florida(via email)Power Supplies, Scale Plans & The Internet

It’s getting so the first thing I do isscan the editorials, then on to thecomics, and then maybe the front page! Iwas enjoying your editorials, and foundmy name mentioned by fellow modelerCarl Phillips. Carl does good work. Youanswered him quite well, but I thought afew additional comments might help. Anauto transformer is simply a variabletransformer, and has endured tradenames such as Variac, among others Ihave forgotten. The big advantage of theauto transformer is that the output variessmoothly from, in most cases, 0 to 120Volts, and there are only losses associat-ed with transformers. Usually there is a 0- 132 Volt output, which helps when youcannot find a good 24 Volt stepdowntransformer. Modern power packs usesolid state throttles to vary voltage, but Iam old-fashioned. Give me a Variac oran auto-transformer, a good stepdowntransformer, and a cheap bridge rectifierany day to power the necessary 8x24Pittman. For me, nothing else will do.Nothing. Unless it is by Pratt & Whitney!

My original reason to write was thequery on how we find dimensions, etc.,by Marty Iftody. Marty identified a realproblem. My first impulse is to say becareful, because often drawings in thehobby press are not 100 percent accu-rate. For instance, Model Railroader mis-led US Hobbies on the PRR K-4 boilercontours, and Mainline Modeler misledPSC on Pullman roof contours. However,on the whole, MR and MM are excellentsources, and can be pretty muchdepended on. In fact, MM has beenknown to print a drawing a second timefor even minor discrepancies, for exam-ple, see their treatment of the UP FEFseries. My MM drawings are my mostvaluable for scratch-building. But thereal problem is when no drawings exist.Try, for instance, the C & O Greenbrier!My biggest challenge was the Baldwin#60000—that three-cylinder monsterthat is preserved in the Franklin Institutein Philadelphia. What a beauty! Mymodel was done with only scaled xerox-es of very grainy photos. No one—noteven the museum—had even the mostrudimentary of dimensions or data. Mymodel turned out well; after all theseyears, the only large error I have discov-ered is in the boiler taper section, andthe casual observer will never notice!

As a final note, let me state that I wasa computer engineer prior to my airline

career, and I resisted the Internet. Didn’twant to waste my time! My wife boughtthe computer, and while I don’t spend agreat deal of time at it, I now type as fastas I print, and can find obscure stuffabout trains, airplanes, and the law sofast it makes my head swim. I don’tunderstand how Google can find800,000 references to something soobscure as Cab Forward in 6.3 microsec-onds, but I just shake my head and windup with more information than I can pos-sibly digest in a lifetime! Nobody canfunction well in today’s society withoutsome access to the Internet, and I can nolonger write a letter in longhand! I printthe important ones and stick them in thesnail mail. Resisting the computer revo-lution is, in my opinion, a mistake. But itis a mistake with only one victim, sodon’t feel guilty about it.

Regards - Bob Turner (via email)Weighing In On GP-9s

Enjoying your magazine very much.The GP-9 article was well written andinformative. To add more weight tryBADA (passenger automotive weights)Tape-a-weight #7025, 0.25 oz).They canbe inserted between the fuel tank and theframe. Take a strip of 7 weights and peelall the adhesive off. Then take another setof 7 with adhesive strip still intact andstick them together. Paint them black.They will snugly slide in between the fueltank and frame. Do both sides and youwill add 7 oz. to your engine!

These drives will tend to worm jamwhen 2 or more engines run together ona grade. We have found that if only oneunit has a flywheel you can run as manyas 3 more non fly wheeled units with theone with flywheels and your problem iseliminated.

I hope this will be a help to someone.Sincerely YoursRobert L (Bob) YoungbloodTrinity NC (via email)

Level Of DetailAs always, another excellent issue.

Normally the first thing I turn to in themagazine is the back page with yourcomments. This latest issue, however,found me on the Reader’s Feedback pagequite accidentally when I noticed the let-ter from Ron Morse. The first things Ithought after reading his letter weresome observations I have been makinglately in the ”real world” and how theyapplied to modeling.

While sitting at a traffic light inLebanon, Pa., where I now live, Iobserved a very nice brick buildingdirectly (almost) across from my loca-tion. Noting that it was only about 100feet or less from me, I also noted that Icould not make out any detail as far as


the bricks, mortar, etc., even though Iknew it was all there. Now to apply thatto O scale, how close would a personhave to be to a model brick building toget this same effect? I could do the mathbut won’t. I came to the conclusion thatwe’re taking the level of detail way toofar... of course I’m currently not model-ing due to my “circumstances” so I guessI should just shut up.

One other thing. What happened toScace’s head?

Sincerely, Don Dissinger (via email)Joe replies: You’re right, Don, we

probably do apply too much detail toour models, but that’s part of the “art” ofmodel-building. A perfectly scaledmodel will probably not look “right” tomost people, so we need to emphasizesome detail and minimize others until it“feels” right. As for Brian’s head, it’s notnice to upset Mother Nature or the ArtDirector. But don’t feel too badly forBrian. He gets his turn in this issue. See ifyou can find his “retort”.A Potpourri Of Commentary

My compliments to Rich Godfrey’sfine review of Sunset’s new B&M Berk-shire in issue #12. I appreciate the thor-oughness and the extra effort made (byboth Rich and John Sauers) to provideperformance information in the form ofscale speed and current draw. I also likedRich’s method of adjusting the yoke onthe Berk’s lead truck.

To supplement Rich’s comments, Irespectfully offer the following: I’venoted that a number of models haveinadequate vertical movement of theyokes of both leading and trailing trucks--a cause of derailment on vertical curvesas Rich found. The reason is that theshouldered portions of the truck mount-ing screws, or the screws in their entirety,are too short.

I have “extended” the shoulder of thefactory screw. I use a piece of brass tube,drilled out as necessary, cut to a length of1⁄16" or so and fit over the threaded portionof the factory screw. This does reduce theactual length of thread holding the truck,but I’ve had no problem with a screwworking loose. And LocTite or a similaradhesive can always be applied if desired.(I’ve made this alteration to both lead andtrailing truck screws on my Berkshire, aswell as other models.)

Another problem with my Berk wasthe wire from the motor to the wirelessdrawbar was soldered directly to thefront of the drawbar. After a few hours ofoperation during a train show, the solderjoint broke. I soldered the wire to a lugand the other end of the lug has a holelarge enough to clear the drawbar screw,so the lug does not pivot.

Concerning John Heller’s review ofSunset’s NP Yellowstone in OST # 9, Isecond his comment about Sunset stand-ing behind their products and taking careof problems to their customers’ satisfac-tion. That model has a design flaw thatmay only become apparent when it ispulling a heavy load.

Unlike most of Sunset’s locomotives,the front drawbar pin and rear couplerare not directly connected to the tenderfloor or center sill. These two importantparts are attached to the end sills. Theend sills are “butt-soldered” to the bot-tom edges of the tender body ends. Thisis not a strong mechanical connection.My NP Z-5 was operating as the leadengine of a doubleheader. On its secondtrip around a friend’s layout, the rear endsill came off the Z5 tender altogether.

After notifying Scott Mann of theproblem, I shipped the tender back toSunset, whose staff repaired it better thanI could have done myself. The repairincluded adding splices to connect theend sills to the tender floor to prevent theproblem recurring. Scott said the modelshould not have been made that way inthe first place, and that he would discussthe problem with the builder.

And before anyone comments thatI’m exaggerating the problem, I wish toobserve that there have been other locosin the past built similarly to the Z5. If aloco is not weighted, and not used topull heavy trains, an owner may neverexperience the problem. However, myopinion is that this is not the proper wayto design an operating model. I oftenoperate on friends’ layouts, a couple ofwhich involve mainline grades of 1.7 to2%. One fellow likes to run freight trainsof 50-60 cars, and long passenger trainsas well. Pulling model “tonnage” of thissort requires that locomotives be stoutlybuilt, designed like their prototypes withregard to certain mechanical aspects.

Finally, as long as I’m writing, I readwith interest Harry Hieke’s method ofmaking operating boxcar doors, also inOST #9. His method seems fairly simple,and quite satisfactory, if all that’s wantedis working doors. With all due respect toHarry, I don’t think it’s realistic. While Ithink that Harry’s modeling skills are farsuperior to mine, I would note that myintent was to create a boxcar INTERIORappearance to simulate typical proto-types. If one looks through an open cardoor to the other side of a real boxcar,one does not see a big wire spring on theinside of the opposite door!

I do appreciate Harry’s sharing hismethod with us (as well as his other writ-ings). Readers can and should choose forthemselves which method, if either, they

prefer. This is what a good hobby maga-zine is all about, sharing ideas and build-ing methods with others.

Sincerely, J W (“Woody”) Mathews, Seattle WA (via email)

Modeling Without PlansMarty Iftody raised an interesting

question in OST#12 Reader Feedback.Basically, brass importers and those

who produce the Proto-2000 models useas much prototype information and plansas they can find before going into pro-duction. But even then errors occur; itsnot a perfect world!

Witness Atlas’ old O Scale gondolawith its brake platform on the wrong endof the car’s underframe. This happenedbecause prototype plans show a car’sunderside from the top. We modelerslook at it from the bottom, so the brakesystem got reversed. Such mistakes canhappen on brass models as well.

Creditable models can be built withouthighly detailed plans. In the early issues ofO Scale Trains, there were photos of a fewof my models. All were built without plansor detailed drawings in the usual sense.

One car used information - a photoand some measurements - from the 19thedition of Car Builder’s Cyclopedia, arailroad industry publication. Anotherused a copy of a railroad equipment dia-gram. These are basically outline draw-ings of the car or loco. They are not toscale and have only a few basic dimen-sions. There was also a camelback steamlocomotive. It was built using just threephotos, knowing only its driver diameter,cylinder diameter and coupler height.

This does take some background expe-rience. It’s best to start out with somethingrelatively simple. One of my first scratch-built models built without detailed planswas a Reading Company express reefer Ifound on a siding in Bucks County, Pa.,back in the mid 1960’s.

I dragged a buddy along to help memeasure the car on a bitterly cold win-ter’s day. I took along a sketch pad, sev-eral pencils and a 100’ tape measure. Ididn’t have a camera then but its advis-able to get as many photos of your proj-ect prototype as you can.

So I made a sketch of it broad sideand from one end. Then we went towork, taking measurements and puttingdimensions on the sketch as if it were ascale drawing. Length, width, height,thickness of the end sill and side sill,door dimensions, kind of siding and itswidth, fascia, hatch dimensions. etc.Then, the layout of lettering on the carand a note or two about its paint.

No need to draw in ladders, just makea note of their width, height and numberof rungs. No real need to dimension the


grab irons either. For the most part theseare standardized safety appliances withspecific locations.

I made a few separate sketches ofunique features on the car, such as curvedladders in place of grab irons between theeaves and running board at each corner.Also that the end doors were framed withpieces of old rail and how that was done.

A few quick notes were made aboutthe underframe and brake set up. Nodetailed sketches: just notes and markson the sketch about the brake cylinder,air reservoirs, valve and brake lever loca-tions. Before heading back to the car toget warm, my buddy found a sign on oneof the end doors: SAVE ICE - KEEP DOORCLOSED. I made a quick note of it.

Back at the dorm (I was a graduatestudent in Philadelphia then) I drew up amore or less scale plan for the car fromthe information I gathered. Four yearslater I finally got to build the model. Iteven won an award at an O Scale meet afew years after that.

If you do go out to photograph, sketchand measure a prototype be sure youalso have the owner’s permission to doso. For the most part, museums do notlike others climbing on their equipmentbecause of liability issues. Try to find outwhat is fairly standard about the thing.For example, from door heights in mostbuildings you can pretty much deducemany other dimensions. Ditto for theheights between floors, etc.

Try something simple first. Don’t try tomake a Smithsonian quality, rivet-count-er, nit-picker-proof model. If you attemptto do so right off, you will quicklybecome discouraged and the model willnever be finished. The real fun is satisfac-tion in modeling something no one elsemay have done. Do it to enjoy!

Ed BommerOkmulgee Okla. (via email)Brian Scace adds: Additionally, a cou-

ple of thoughts:• The various railroad historical soci-

eties, such as the New York Central Sys-tem Historical Society, the PRRHistorical Society, et al, are usually listedannually in Model Railroader, Trains,Mainline Modeler and the like. Thesefolks often have obsolete drawings fromthe railroad of interest that members canget copies of. Also, photographs areoften archived by these organizations.

• Get out on the web and search forinfo on the intended subject. You’d besurprised how much is out there, includ-ing sources for drawings, dimensions,books, and the like.

• Join one of the forum sites, such asthe Otrains site on Yahoo. Post the ques-tion. You’d again be surprised at how

many folks have this kind of info stashedaway, or can steer you to those who do.

• Something I’ve done more oftenthan you’d think, is to buy a model in adifferent scale and copy it (makingappropriate corrections as warranted).

Meanwhile, I have a method formeasuring photos that I’ll write up for acoming issue. It’s a little more involvedthan we have room for here.More On Computers and the Internet

In response to recent letters in ReaderFeedback, I wish to add my 2 centsworth. In response to John Smith and hiscomments about computers, with all duerespect, John, you are full of it. Noteveryone has a desire or need for a com-puter. I am a small manufacturer andhave no website or computer access. Ibang my catalog out on an old-fashionedtypewriter and offer it to anyone for aself-addressed stamped envelope. I shipthrough the post office and have had noproblems with it. Like Phil Shuster, Iresent your use of the term “snail mail”.

As one of the nation’s 225,000 lettercarriers (I can’t make a living in O Scale),I can say we do the very best job we can.Anyone who subscribes to a magazinerelies on us to get it. I have yet to see acomputer deliver anything to anyone’sdoor. I have no space for a computer ordesire to learn how to use one. As Philsaid, providing a catalog is part of thecost of doing business.

As far as the post office goes, it costsme less to ship than with UPS, and no, Idon’t get a discount. The post office evenprovides boxes for Priority Mail.

As O Scalers, 2 and 3-rail, we are in aminority, so let’s quit attacking eachother and face our common enemy, HO.Seriously, model railroading and manu-facturing is supposed to be fun. Let’skeep it that way. Friendly squabbles areokay but let’s not get personal. Remem-ber, to err is human, to really screw uptakes a computer.

Now that I have vented my spleen Ican go back to living in the bronze age.

Regards,Andrew D. SunderlandEast Gary Car Company

Bulged and DistortedThis letter is to bring up two issues

that have been bothering me. The first relates to the improper use of

an “air eraser” or sand blaster. About fif-teen years ago I began to notice thatsome of my finished models had tenderswith slightly bulged-out sides and Iwondered why. I speculated that thesheet brass came in rolls and would tendto roll up after the model was built. Thenabout a year ago or so, a dealer showedme a tender and said “My God, Bill, how

can I show this to my customer?” Thething looked like a blimp! The dealertold me it was caused by the finisherbeing too aggressive with the air eraser.Subsequent discussion with certain fin-ishers verified this, and some will notsand-blast at all. I’ve been trying to thinkof ways to correct models with bulgingsides, such as sand-blasting the inside ofthe model or carefully bending by hand.Any suggestions are welcome.

The other issue is that manufacturers

seem to inten-tionally distortthe nose con-tours of “fin-i s h e d ” OScale GG-1models. Thisseems to havestarted withthe post-wartoy O gaugeGG-1’s. Thisdistortion wasdone to keepthe classic 5stripe artworkon a simplecurve insteadof a com-pound curve.On a real GG-1 the top twostripes “roll”over a soft-rounded compound curve before turningdownward on the nose. This is obviousin many books, such as “The Remark-able GG-1” and “Pennsy Power”. Appar-ently model manufacturers are unable toapply the 5 stripes to a compound curve,so they raise and sharpen the nose con-tours to keep the 5 stripes on a simplecurve. The NJ Custom Brass GG-1, beingunfinished, does not have to be con-cerned with this issue and has realisticnose contours.

Bill Buchanan [[email protected]]Scace replies: Using glass or sand as

the media will distort the brass. Usingmedia softer than brass, like aluminumoxide, will not cause a problem. ◆


Product News & ReviewsProduct News & Reviews

NEWS: AM Hobbies6 Delmar Ridge DriveWellsboro, PA 16901(570) [email protected] Hobbies has just finalized the pro-duction of their next exclusive SpecialRun Atlas O car, a Lehigh Valley 40’wood-side reefer. This car will bereleased in March 2004 and will beproduced in two road numberss (36150and 36151). The pre-production art-work is shown in the photo

Their other Atlas Special Run cars (anOppenheimer Sausage 36' Reefer, aParrot Potatoes 40' Reefer and aPhiladelphia and Reading wood-sidebox car) are shown at their Web site(www.amhobbiesonline.com) under theSpecial Run Atlas Cars. The run size forall special run cars will be limited to atotal of 175 – 200 cars.Pricing for the Lehigh Valley reefer is asfollows:3-rail - List Price $62.95; pre-order $59.002-rail - List Price $65.95; pre-order $62.00

NEWS: Overland Models, Inc.3808 W. Kilgore Ave.Muncie, IN 47304 USAwww.overlandmodels.comphone: 765.289.4257 ext. 107fax: 765-289-6013 Brian Marsh tells us that Overland hasannounced a revised list of EMD unitsfor production including: CPR SD40-2F; FP45 units for Milwaukee Road andSanta Fe; SD40T-2 units for D&RGWand SP; and SD45T-2 units for SP, Cot-ton Belt (Bicentennial), and UnionPacific. The GE AC44/C60AC produc-tion is a go. The hand sample is in pro-duction and Ajin has begun castingproduction. This will be their first OScale Diesel production in a couple ofyears. They expect to have the samplein time for the Chicago March Meetwhere they will attend on Friday nightfor the Importers Round Table and onSaturday to display their sample. Theyhave a small number of Conrail andNorfolk Southern SD70 units currentlyin stock. They also have some newdozers with the front mounted boomhook and the depressed center flats thatare made to haul railroad wreck dozers.

NEWS: Golden West Hobbies22909 Slough RdEdgewood CA 96094530-938-2915Golden West Hobbies has commis-sioned Weaver Models to reissue YreikaWestern 50’ boxcars in four new roadnumbers. These cars are ready-to-run.Retail price is $33.99 each, plus ship-ping. They are available in 2 or 3 railversions from Dunsmuir Hardware,5836 Dunsmuir Ave, Dunsmuir CA96025, 530-235-4539.

NEWS: C&O Platesc/o Wilbur Epperly1115 Main StBarboursville WV 25504304-736-7765 (eve)www.candoplates.comWilbur advises us that he now hasetched brass N&W round, oval and rec-tangular number plates and brass numer-als to go with those plates so you canmake up any number you like. He alsohas a variety of plates already etchedwith numbers. The photo shows 2156which is the last extant Y6a at the St.Louis Railway museum. He also has aB&O Capitol dome, cylinder stars, andten different builder’s plates. Visit hiswebsite to see more of his very finework.

NEWS: Bill Lane Jr.525 Warwick Rd.Deptford NJ [email protected] Bill advises that he now offers custompainting, brass repair, DCC installation,sound installation, remotoring, lightingsystems, custom parts and brass casting.Send him an email with what you wantdone. Important info to include is whatscale, and if you already have thedecals or dry transfers, or even if theyare available. Do you want weathering?If it is not a PRR piece, a photo wouldbe nice to have for quoting. If it is alocomotive, do you want DCC andsound? Include any other info that youfeel is important to you in getting themodel finished exactly as you want.

NEWS: Underground Railway Press216 S. Broad St., PMB4OSBrevard, NC 28712-3702The Underground Railway Press hasreleased its One-Source Scale ModelRailroad Industry Directory for 2004.This 17th anniversary edition lists over950 active manufacturers and publish-ers in N, HO, S, O and large scales, inboth standard and narrow gauges.Covered are Canadian and U. S. com-panies. Each listing contains the nameof the company, mailing address, pri-mary product produced and catalogrequirements.URP-500 is $9.95 plus $2.50 p&h.

REVIEW: Weaver Baldwin VO1000 PO Box 231, RR1 route 11Northumberland PA 17857570-473-9434,www.weavermodels.comReviewed by Beth Marshall of the Public Delivery TrackThere are some things you just neverforget. It was midnight on a Sunday,upper level 30th Street Station inPhiladelphia. It was dark. It was quiet.The dull glow of the city providesenough light to see but not enough toread. We were waiting for the localtrain from Suburban Station to Clifton-Aldan; ten minutes from home. Comingup the hill from Center City is the unex-pected glow of a Diesel switcher head-light. And then, coming through the allelectric, all MU, always the same upperlevel, is a Pennsy Baldwin switchertrundling along with a single open-endobservation car. It was 1962. I was 10years old. Now, the question is, If wewanted to re-create this scene in Oscale, or any scene with a BaldwinVO1000 switcher on any of 11 otherrailroads, would the new WeaverVO1000 fit the bill?The ModelWell, it just so happens, I have a newWeaver VO1000 right here. Just lookingat it, right out of the box, it’s gorgeous.Louvers are distinct, but not oversized. Ithas a fully illuminated cab interior; youcan even see the chair the engineer issitting in and the 24L type brake stand.The cab windows have windshieldwipers, both fore and aft. Metal, sepa-rately applied, handrails are properlylocated for this model, with flat metal,wrap-around stanchions. The handrailsare probably a tad too thick, possibly acompromise for sturdiness. My two


favorite details are airhoses with gladhands and angle cocks at each end by thecouplers, and those small number boardson each side of the hood, a classic Bald-win switcher feature. Footboards areabout 3⁄16" from top of the rail and thesteps are about 5⁄16" from top of the rail.While this may be about 1⁄16" too high, it’scertainly within reason, and looks appro-priate. The trucks are diecast (AAR-A asthey should be) and reasonably, but notoverly detailed. Actual VO1000 lengthover pilots is 48' 4" and the model is pret-ty close at 47' 9". Our test model was in Great Northern liv-ery provided by Weaver but I also haveone in PRR paint numbered 5913. Thepaint on both is excellent, especially thePRR model which is true “BrunswickGreen” (looks black). I hate Pennsy mod-els painted dark green that look green.As some of you know, the 548 V01000’sthat were built for U.S. railroads weredelivered at different times in three dif-ferent car body types. To the casualobserver they may look pretty much thesame, but for those of us who have Offi-cial Guides, Equipment Registers, and astack of X2200 South lying around thehouse, there’s a world of difference.Then, of course, the railroads madechanges to the carbodies along the way.The Weaver model is basically a Phase 2body (curved trim at battery box andstep gussets, full front grill and top radia-tor outlet). The VO1000 roof came intwo versions, the “arch” roof and the“flat” roof. The model appears to be thearch roof, but I honestly have troubletelling them apart in pictures. The dis-tinctive V’d front radiator grill has nicedetail, although it has the single center

vertical support (like a DS 4-4-1000)rather than the two center vertical sup-ports that I see in most VO1000 photos.Virtually all Phase 2 VO1000’s werebuilt with a single barrel exhaust stack.The one known exception, as far as I cantell, was Reading #84, which was theprototype for the 4 small exhaust stackdesign. Many of the Phase 2 VO1000’swere later converted to the 4 stackdesign and most of the Phase 3VO1000’s were built with 2 or 4 exhauststacks. PRR 5913, as it turns out, wasdelivered as a 1 stack, Phase 2 VO1000,but was changed to 4 stacks later on. Asfor the models, Weaver had them built inboth single stack and 4 stack versions.The B&O, CNJ, GN, LV, UP, and WMmodels have 1 stack, the ATSF, CBQ,MILW, RDG, NYC and PRR models have4 stacks. (The ATSF model has 4 tallstacks instead of 4 short stacks, possiblya spark arrestor design on the prototype)The good news is that Weaver hasincluded extra stacks with each model, ifyou want to change your configuration.It is not a quick change however. You’llneed glue, a drill, and definitely somekit-bashing experience. If you want tocheck out the VO1000 production foryour own favorite railroad, go to[http://users.inna.net/~jaydeet/vo-1000.htm] for a list of all deliveredVO1000’s, with numbering, carbody,and exhaust stacks, as built.OperationThis is a good solid model weighing in at3 lbs, 9 oz. with dual can motors,diecast frame, and all wheels powered.Our model has 2-rail Lionel TMCC andRailsounds, but will also run on straightDC. It comes ready to run on TMCC, but

changing it to DC isdone simply bythrowing 4 slideswitches on the bot-tom of the engine.The switches areeasily accessible,

and no engine disassembly is required.In TMCC mode, the unit drew approx0.5 amps at idle, and 4.5 amps with a 14ounce pull on the drawbar, just prior towheel slip. In DC mode, the currentdraw is less, with creep speed at about2.5 volts and wheel slip at about 10volts. The motion is impressivelysmooth, and creep speed is not too badfor a vertical drive can motor (about 5mph). I, like everyone else, would like tosee the gearing a bit slower for alltoday’s production Diesels, but the cur-rent gearing has become the “standard”for today’s 2-rail and 3-rail Diesel prod-ucts, at least for now.SoundUhhhhn! This is a sore point. When thewind is out of the south, I can tell youwhether the CSX train 8 miles fromhome, has got GE’s or EMD’s for power.It’s not rocket science. Two cycle and 4cycle motors have very different sounds.It’s the difference between a chain sawand a lawn tractor. A spokesman atWeaver models described what hap-pened. Lionel offers Railsounds to con-tract manufacturers in only 6 differentDiesel versions, Alco PA, ALCO C-420,GE dash-9, EMD F-3, EMD E-8, andgeneric Diesel. Not seeing anything thatsaid Baldwin, Weaver asked for genericDiesel. Well... there is no such thing as a“generic” Diesel. It turns out that Lionel’s“generic Diesel” is, incredibly, a GP-7/GP-9, with the whining generator andall. And, it’s a really good GP-7, too. I’dput it in one of my geeps any day. Now,if you’re modeling the Reading, MKT,CNW, USN, P&BR, or any other of thedozen roads that re-engined their Bald-wins with EMD 567 prime movers, thenyou’re in business. But for the rest of us,this will hardly do. However, Weaversaid they will change the sound chip inthe VO1000 for anyone who wants amore Baldwin-like sound. I’m probablygoing to go for the ALCO PA. It’s notexact, but at least it’s a 1940’s, 4 cycleDiesel sound. The more discriminatingmodeler can go to Lionel, or I can rec-ommend Jim Sullivan at the IrondequoitCar Shops, in Rochester, NY, for a soundchip change. (phone: 585-482-3734,[www.Ironcarshops.com]). The installedGP-7 sound also has a 5 chime horn,which isn’t appropriate for the singlenote “honker” on the VO1000. All in all, this is a very nice model, and aswitcher line that’s been overlooked inO Scale up till now. I’ve got two formyself. ◆

Weaver Baldwin VO1000

44 • O Scale Trains - Mar/Apr' 04

By TitleName Issue#, Month PageAdding Weights to Cars 1, March pg. 11Auction Prices: O Scale 2-Rail Models 5, Nov pg. 21Bay Ridge Harbour Railroad 1, March pg. 4Beginner’s Kitbashing 3, July pg. 35Build a Car Float 2, May pg. 15Building a PRR B8a 0-6-0 1, March pg. 36Building a PRR B8a 0-6-0 2, May pg. 40Building a PRR B8a 0-6-0 3, July pg. 40Caboose Conversion 4, Sept pg. 30Carmer ’Push-Type’Uncoupling Levers 4, Sept pg. 47Carmer ’Push-Type’Uncoupling Levers, Pt 2 5, Nov pg. 51Central Jersey O Scalers Modular Railroading 5, Nov pg. 55Colorado Southern in On30 3, July pg. 4Construct a Yard Tower 5, Nov pg. 8Constructing the Float Bridge on the Bay Ridge

Harbour RR 1, March pg. 31Crapola from the Cupola (col) 1, March pg. 34Crapola from the Cupola (col) 2, May pg. 28Crapola from the Cupola (col) 3, July pg. 34Crapola from the Cupola (col) 4, Sept pg. 42Crapola from the Cupola (col) 5, Nov pg. 46Dealer’s Corner (col) 1, March pg. 13Dealer’s Corner (col) 2, May pg. 26Dealer/Importer Roundtable

Discussion; Mar 2002 3, July pg. 43Detailing a Weaver GP 38-2 4, Sept pg. 52Door and a Half Boxcar Conversion 3, July pg. 31Easements for the Learning Curve (col) 5, Nov pg. 15Fifty Foot Pfaudler Milk Cars 3, July pg. 50Fill ’er Up 5, Nov pg. 27From Four to Six Axles-Converting an MTH

Diesel to 2-Rail 2, May pg. 31Great Northern Pacific RR 2, May pg. 34How I Built My Critter 5, Nov pg. 30Improving Weaver’s 53’Flat Car 1, March pg. 27Interview: Dealer/Importer

Roundtable Discussion 3, July pg. 43Interview: Reed Artim of O Scale Realty 4, Sept pg.21Kingsbury Terminal RR 5, Nov pg. 36Locomotive Servicing Bay 4, Sept pg.13Louis Ertz’s West Tennessee Central RR 4, Sept pg.4N&W K3 4-8-2 by Sunset Models

3rd Rail Division 1, March pg. 42Narrow Minded (col) 1, March pg. 10Narrow Minded (col) 1, March pg. 10Narrow Minded (col) 2, May pg. 14Narrow Minded (col) 3, July pg. 14Narrow Minded (col) 4, Sept pg.14Narrow Minded (col) 5, Nov pg. 17O Scale Hall of Fame, Bill Wolfer 2, May pg. 23O Scale Hall of Fame, Bob Smith 3, July pg. 17O Scale Hall of Fame, Frank Ellison 4, Sept pg. 40O Scale Hall of Fame, Minton Cronkhite 1, March pg. 12O Scale Hall of Fame, Rollin Lobaugh 5, Nov pg. 44O Scale Nat’l Convention: 2002

Contest Photos 4, Sept pg. 49O Scale West, History 3, July pg. 37OBIT - Harry A Hieke Sr 1921 - 2002 5, Nov pg. 51Proto 48 Modeling (col) 4, Sept pg. 44Proto 48 Modeling (col) 5, Nov pg. 48Review-200 Ton Flatcar Kit by Auel Industries 4, Sept pg. 18Review-57’Mechanical Reefer

by Weaver Models 4, Sept pg. 19Review - B&O Class I-12 Wagontop Caboose

by Sunset Models 3rd Rail Division 2, May pg. 20Review - B&O Wagontop Boxcar

by Sunset Models 3rd Rail Division 3, July pg. 16Review - Forty Foot Milk Car

by Rails Unlimited 4, Sept pg. 17

Name Issue#, Month PageReview - Gumbuster Centennial

by F Skidmore Products 1, March pg. 40Review - Reading Class G3

Pacific & Psgr Cars by SGL Lines 4, Sept pg.16Review - USRA Composite Gondola

by Intermountain 5, Nov pg. 24Review- Great Northern Y-1/Pennsy FF-2

Electric by Sunset Models 3rd Rail Division 3, July pg. 18Steam Locomotive Cab Curtains & Awnings 5, Nov pg. 12Superdetailing Intermountain & Other Boxcars 5, Nov pg. 4WP/SN Boxcar Kit by San Juan Car Co 5, Nov pg. 23Wood Refrigerator Car by Red Caboose 3, July pg. 19Working Windows & Hatches 1, March pg. 14Working Windows & Hatches 2, May pg. 47Working Windows & Hatches 3, July pg. 10Working Windows & Hatches 4, Sept pg. 11

By AuthorName/Title Issue#, Month Page#Biangel, Nicholas

Colorado Southern in On30 3, July pg. 4Blackwood, Bruce

Dealer’s Corner (col) 1, March pg. 13Dealer’s Corner (col) 2, May pg. 26

Bommer, Edward FImproving Weaver’s 53’Flat Car 1, March pg. 27

B&O Class I-12 Wagontop Caboose by Sunset Models 3rd Rail Division 2, May pg. 20Making Carmer ’Push-Type’

Uncoupling Levers 4, Sept pg.47Making Carmer ’Push-Type’

Uncoupling Levers 5, Nov pg. 51Brown, Ben

Fifty Foot Pfaudler Milk Cars 3, July pg. 50Forty Foot Milk Car by Rails Unlimited 4, Sept pg. 17

Courtney, BobO Scale Hall of Fame, Bill Wolfer 2, May pg. 23

Dean, BuckWood Refrigerator Car by Red Caboose 3, July pg. 19

Deimling, GeneDoor and a Half Boxcar Conversion 3, July pg. 31Proto 48 Modeling (col) 4, Sept pg. 44Proto 48 Modeling (col) 5, Nov pg. 48WP/SN Boxcar Kit by San Juan Car Co 5, Nov pg. 23

Dent, DavidBeginner’s Kitbashing 3, July pg. 35

Ertz Jr, A LouisLouis Ertz’s West Tennessee Central RR 4, Sept pg. 4

Ferria, JimO Scale West 3, July pg. 37

Fryant, JohnHow I Built My Critter 5, Nov pg. 30

Giannovario, JoeO Scale Hall of Fame 1, March pg. 12Gumbuster Centennial

by F Skidmore Products 1, March pg. 40N&W K3 4-8-2 by Sunset Models

3rd Rail Division 1, March pg. 42Dealer/Importer Roundtable

Discussion; Mar 2002 3, July pg. 43O Scale Hall of Fame 3, July pg. 17O Scale Hall of Fame 4, Sept pg. 40O Scale Nat’l Convention:

2002 Contest Photos 4, Sept pg. 49OST Interviews Reed Artim of O Scale Realty 4, Sept pg. 21Auction Prices: O Scale 2-Rail Models;

Aug-Sep 2002 5, Nov pg. 21O Scale Hall of Fame 5, Nov pg. 44

Gibbs, BobberNarrow Minded (col) 1, March pg. 10

Index for O Scale Trains: Volume 1


Name/Title Issue#, Month Page#Gibbs, Bobber (cont’d.)

Narrow Minded (col) 2, May pg. 14Narrow Minded (col) 3, July pg. 14Narrow Minded (col) 4, Sept pg. 14Narrow Minded (col) 5, Nov pg. 17

Hess, PeteCentral Jersey O Scalers Modular Railroading 5, Nov pg. 55

Hieke Jr, Harry AWorking Windows & Hatches 1, March pg. 14Working Windows & Hatches 2, May pg. 47Working Windows & Hatches 3, July pg. 10Reading Class G3 Pacific & Psgr Cars

by SGL Lines 4, Sept pg. 16Working Windows & Hatches 4, Sept pg. 11Steam Locomotive Cab Curtains & Awnings 5, Nov pg. 12Harry A Hieke Sr 1921 - 2002 5, Nov pg. 51

Losse, GeorgeUSRA Composite Gondola by Intermountain 5, Nov pg. 24

Luczak, MichaelGreat Northern Pacific RR 2, May pg. 34

Madonna Jr, Richard A57’Mechanical Reefer by Weaver Models 4, Sept pg.19Detailing a Weaver GP 38-2 4, Sept pg.52

Marx, RolandFrom Four to Six Axles-

Converting an MTH Diesel to 2-Rail 2, May pg. 31Mathews, J W

Letter: ’More Information on Car Weighting’ 2, May pg. 12B&O Wagontop Boxcar

by Sunset Models 3rd Rail Division 3, July pg. 16Great Northern Y-1/Pennsy FF-2 Electric

by Sunset Models 3rd Rail Division 3, July pg. 18

Name/Title Issue#, Month Page#Mathews, J W (cont’d.)Superdetailing Intermountain

& Other Boxcars 5, Nov pg. 4Miller, J Michael

Fill ’er Up 5, Nov pg. 27Rossiter, Neville

Bay Ridge Harbour Railroad 1, March pg. 4Constructing the Float Bridge on the

Bay Ridge Harbour RR 1, March pg. 31Build a Car Float 2, May pg. 15Letter: ’Changes to Bay Ridge Harbour’ 2, May pg. 11Locomotive Servicing Bay 4, Sept pg.13

Sauers, John CBuilding a PRR B8a 0-6-0 1, March pg. 36Building a PRR B8a 0-6-0 2, May pg. 40Building a PRR B8a 0-6-0 3, July pg. 40

Scace, BrianEasements for the Learning Curve (col) 5, Nov pg. 15

Smith, John CCrapola from the Cupola (col) 1, March pg. 34Crapola from the Cupola (col) 2, May pg. 28Crapola from the Cupola (col) 3, July pg. 34Crapola from the Cupola (col) 4, Sept pg.42Crapola from the Cupola (col) 5, Nov pg. 46

Stewart, DavidConstruct a Yard Tower 5, Nov pg. 8

Vine, Marshall200 Ton Flatcar Kit by Auel Industries 4, Sept pg.18Kingsbury Terminal RR 5, Nov pg. 36

Woodard, GaryAdding Weights to Cars 1, March pg. 11Caboose Conversion 4, Sept pg.30

Here’s a scene from Paul Templar’s C&T Springs On30 logging layout. Paul will tell OST readers how to build that log trestle in an upcoming issue. Paul lives in Shropshire, England.


Western Maryland Railway class B-3boxcars were the railroad’s first group ofall steel single-door cars. They were builtin March 1937 by the Bethlehem SteelCo., order number DF-8740, and num-bered 27001 to 27500. These cars were40'-7.625" over end sills, had an internalheight of 9'- 3.375", a capacity of 3311cubic feet, a 6' door and were equippedwith Symington Coil-Elliptic trucks.

In the process of searching for equip-ment that would be a reasonable repre-sentation of the early WM boxcars, afriend suggested a car that I had previ-ously overlooked; the Weaver steel-sidedboxcar. There was a Weaver car in my

to-be-fixed pile and after a few roughmeasurements it seemed like the Weavercar would work.

The car was placed on the scannerand brought into Adobe Photoshop at100 percent, a photo of WM 27018 waslayered on top of the model image at 1⁄4"scale to compare size and location ofdetails. The WM car and the Weaver carwere almost a perfect match. All that hadto be done was to strip the paint, removeall the cast on body and underframedetails and redetail the car.

Cutting all the cast on brake detail offthe underframe came first. Then camethe task of drilling holes through the

frame members for the train line. TheInterMountain underframe detail set wasused for all the brake detail. Of coursethe drill bit was too short to reach thecross members near the center of the car.A piece of 0.046" brass wire bent at a 90degree angle. The tip was heated enoughto melt the plastic and then pushedthrough the frame members to create thehole. The train line was cut where itcrosses through the center sill of the carand then each piece was insertedthrough the cross members creating atrain line running the entire length of thecar. The remaining brake system pieceswere placed on the underframe the same

A photo of WM class B-3 boxcar No. 27018 taken in December 1947. The car is probably loaded with bagged flour. (Photographer Unknown; D. McFall Collection)

WM Boxcar Conversion

WM Boxcar Conversion

Don McFall


as they would be on an InterMountaincar. A 1⁄32" x 5⁄16" notch was cut in eachcorner of the underframe to allow clear-ance for the stirrups that will be attachedto the body.

Now, for the car body. The roofwalk,ladders, doors and door guides wereremoved. This left all the cast on details,the hand grabs and the worst part, thehand brake details on the B-end of thecar. The brake detail is quite thick andmust be removed carefully to avoid seri-ous damage to the end of the car. The

end tack boards were not com-pletely removed, just flattenedand made small enough to becovered by the InterMountainboards. With all the detailsremoved Squadron putty was usedto fill any holes.

The ladders from the Inter-Mountain body detail set have tobe shortened to seven rungs to fitthe 9-foot car height. On the B-end the piece containing thebrake chain and rod was short-ened. The rod was cut where itmeets the chain, sized to fit andre-attached to the chain. This jointwas hidden when the brake plat-form was installed. The tackboards, stirrups and grab ironswere then placed on the car.

The Youngstown door was shortenedabout one foot by removing several“ribs” from the middle section. Not aperfect solution but one that looks prettygood. One rib should have beenremoved from the bottom section,instead of taking them all from the mid-dle, to give the door a correct 6-5-6 ribconfiguration.

The roofwalk was glued in place with-out any modification.

A wooden floor was added by usingdouble-sided tape to secure the IM lasercut floor to the underframe. The woodfloor was slightly wider than the under-frame, and each side was trimmed to fit.Weights were added and the floor wasreattached to the car body.

Initially, InterMountain trucks wereplaced under the car, but were laterreplaced with Keil-Line coil-elliptictrucks, which are not correct but they arecloser to the trucks used on the proto-type. The Keil-Line trucks were modifiedby adding InterMountain journal covers.

Scalecoat II Oxide Red was used onthe car body and trucks. The underframe

A view of the underframe showing the train line and placement of the InterMountain brake parts.

The model was photographed at an angle similar to the prototype car. Then, in Photoshop thelettering was lifted from the prototype car, reversed (to make the lettering black) and placed on

the photo of the model to check for fit and placement.

The InterMountain parts are clearly visible on the partially redetailed car. The InterMountaintrucks will be replaced with Keil-Line coil-elliptic trucks.

The door must be shortened about 1 foot to fit the Weaver car. I removed two ribs from the middle section. Thecorrect door can be made by removing the two sections shown in the photo. To make the door slide,

refer to O Scale Trains, Issue 5.


Locomotives - 2 railAtlas..Dash 8's..$299-$349 GP-35's...$339-$359

RS-1..LIRR, NH, PRR, Rut, NYSW, CNJ, RI..$339-$359 SD-35....B&O, CNJ, CSX, PC, NW, Sou, WM..$299-$349 SW's...RRiv, B&O, LV, Rdg, Susq, RI..$225-$329

Weaver....K-4, L-1, GG-1, C-630, other items...callVO-1000..B&O,CNJ, GN, LV, MILW, PRR, Rdg, WM..$249U25's..BN, EL, LV, Rdg, MILW, NYC, PRR...$179-$239RS-3..Erie, LN, LV, NH, NKP, PRR, Rdg, Rut, Susq..$249RS-11..BN, CO, CN, CV, CNW, MEC, PRR, SP..$249GP-38's..C&O, CP, CSX, ICG, L&N, LV, B&M...$249U25's, RS-3's, GP-38....Non-Powered...$159Shaft drive RS-3's, GP-38's, FA/FB's..CNJ, D&H, ELGN, NH, PRR, RDG, RI, SOU, WM, undec..$99-$150

MTH..PRR K-4..$695, Centipede..$895,..WP F-3's..$695 Passenger Sets

Weaver..80' Streamliners..EL, B&O, others...$275-$395P-B cars..NH, Rdg, CNJ, LV, others..2/$219, 4/$419K-line..80' cars..Amtk, DRGW, PRR, NYC$275-$449

Box Cars - 2 railPecos River..NYC, SOU, SP, SF, CBQ, WAB...$35C&O, B&O, WM, PM, Erie, NKP; UP, SF end door..$45

Atlas..40' Steel...PRR, NYC, CNW, GN, Susq..$48-$5240' Wood..P&R, CBQ, CNJ, NYC, PRR, SP, more..$47-$5240' 1970's..Erie, L&N, MEC, PRR, SSW, MILW, B&M..$3250'..ACL, NH, RG, DH, NYC, MILW, MKT, SAL, SF..$55-$6053'..Aloha, Purina, B&M, BN, CNW, FEC, UP..$35-$5060'..DTI, MKT, NS, CSX, B&O, EL, RG, Sou, NW..$35-$50Weaver..40' & 50'..ACL, ACY, ARR, ATSF, BAR, B&O,B&M, CBQ, CGW, CIM, CNJ, CN, C&O, CP, CV, CR, D&H, DTSL, EL, GN, GT, IC, MEC, LV, L&N, MP, NYC,NH, NP, NYSW, PC, PLE, PRR, Rdg, Rut, SCL, SOU, SPTPW, UP, WM, WP, CN, Rbox, RI, MRL, more...$20-$30

Refrigerator Cars - 2 railWvr/Crown..PFE, CV, CN, NYC, NP, BAR, REA, Hoods,Whitehse, Dubuque, Nrn Refrig, Beers, more..$25-$3057' Mech..PFE, CBQ, UP, SF..15 roads..$29. w/sound..$39Atlas..36' & 40'..Custom ptd CNJ, 20+ others..$42-$89

Covered Hoppers - 2 rail Weaver PS-2.. Bakers, Jack Frost, Wayne Feed, PurinaRevere, Goiden Loaf, BN, CBQ, CNJ, CNW, CP, CR, CSXDLW, DTI, EL, LV, NH, NYC, PRR, Rdg, WAB, UP..$25-$30Wvr C'flow or Grain..CR, CP, ONT, LV, NYC, PRR,Sask, Sunbeam, Amoco, Sclair, Shell, Dupont, Hercules,Rainbow, WC, MRL, BN, UP, SP, RI, CNW, MNS..$25-$30Atlas..BN, Ches, NYC, IT, WGrace, GN, WAB..$35-$45 Airslide..LV, D&H, CSX, PRR, UP, Brach, Jfrost..$35-$45 PS-4427..RG, SF, MILW, LV, SOO, Wayne Fd, PRR...$55-$60

Hopper Cars - 2 railAtlas..ACL, CNJ, C&O, D&H, LV, NS, Rdg, WM.. $45-$55

Wartime..B&O, C&O, CRR, VGN, PRR, undec.....$47 Ore cars..(Wvr trucks) B&LE, CN, DMIR, UP, undec..$27Weaver..2, 3, 4-bay and Comp..B&A, BAR, B&M, CBQ CP, CR,CNJ, C&O, D&H, DLW, Erie, EL, IC, GT, NH, NS

NYC, NKP, NW, PRR, Rdg, SAL, SF, UP, WAB, WM..$25

Tank Cars - 2 railWeaver..Jfrost, GULF, BN, Trusweet, Allied, ADM, Army Ethyl, Diamond, Hooker, DuPont, Sunoco,Bakers..$30Atlas..60'..Propane, CNTX, Union Tex,Tech Prop..$37-$50 1950's..SHPX. UTLX, Hooker, Gulf, Warren..$55-$60

Flat Cars, Stock Cars, MofWAtlas..89' flats..$65. Trailers..$25. Auto Carriers..$85Pulpwood flats..ACL, ATSF, BN, SCL, IC, L&N..$47-$50Front runners......no trailer..$47; With trailer........$67Wvr Flats..SF, Rdg, CN, Erie, LV, BN, TTX, NYC..$25-$30Stock..BO, CNW, Armour, RG, PRR, Rdg, Erie, etc..$30MTH..Plows, Cranes, Schnabel, dump cars, etc..callK-Line Diecast Double-Stack $50. Coil cars..$35-$40 Scale signals..1 and 2 head color, PRR, B&O, dwarf,semaphore, cantilever, highway flashers, 20+ types..$20-$50

Gondolas - 2 rail Atlas..CBQ, CNJ, GN, MP, NW, NYC, PRR, Rdg, ..$32 Wvr..Composite..CNJ, PRR, LV, RI, SF, Rdg, UP, NKP..$27

Cabeese - 2 rail, 3 rail scaleWvr.. BM, NH, NYC, Erie, LHR, LV, DH, more..$20-$35K-line, MTH..N-8, N5c, NE'rn, bay wind, 15 roads..$35-$60Atlas..BN, CR, DH, RFP, Rut, GN, Chessie, RG..$50-$67Wvr diecast tks..$12.50/pr, installed add $8.95K-line 2-rail freight and Psgr trucks $13-$25

The Public Delivery Track

The Public Delivery Track • [email protected] Box 1035 • Drexel Hill, PA 19026

610-259-4945 • VISA•MC•AMEX•Disc

was painted Scalecoat Loco Black. OldLine Graphics decals were used for her-alds, car numbers, and for WM specificcar data. Microscale decals were used forthe boxcar dimensional data in the lowerright corner.

The finished product is a unique carthat really stands out among all the 10-foot height cars on the railroad. ◆

Photographing the model at a low angle shows how closely the car replicates the originalWM car. (All photos by D. McFall unless otherwise credited.)

Parts List:Weaver: U3500S Steel-Side Boxcar

Intermountain:20181 Body Details20182 Underframe Details20188 Wood Roofwalk20186 Youngstown Door20192 Laser Cut Wood Floor

Keil Line: TK48-295 Trucks, Coil & EllipticSprings

Lettering:Old Line Graphics WM Channel HopperDecalsVarious Pieces from Microscale Decals

ErrataA few mistakes crept into GeorgeMuller’s “Considerations For LayingTrack” in OST#12. Paragraph 1should call Figure 1 a scene from theold Connecticut & Ohio layout. Also,under the Support section, the sen-tences should read 1" by 4" joists andrunners, not 1' by 4' and “For hills, 1"by 4" risers from the joists support thetrack board.” We apologize for theerrors.

Enter the Narrow Minded

Digital ImageContest!

Checkout the rules in OST#13 oronline at the OST website

[www.oscalemag.com/contest] andsubmit your digital photo of a

narrow gauge subject. Win prizes!See your photo and name in print!

Most of all, have fun!


Limited Edition Kit

Precise Laser-Cut

Engineeredfor Easy Assembly

50+ Detail Castings

Flexible Positioning

Positionable Doors& Windows

Master Creations’ O kit #18105 contains the tipple, headhouse, power house, storage shed, retainingwalls, and a ton of character for $549.95! The tipple is approximately 45 x 90 scale feet with the overalldiorama shown being about 24" x 48". Not all details are shown in the photo!

P O Box 561Seffner, FL 33583

Phone: 813-643-1105Fax: 813-681-7326Celebrating over 20 Years of

Service since 1979

Web: www.btsrr.comwww.master-creations.com

E-Mail: [email protected]

S.A.S.E. for price list.

$6.00 s&h on all US orders.

Full Catalog - $5.00

CABIN CREEKCOAL COMPANY


NarrowMindedBobber Gibbs

NarrowMindedBobber Gibbs

We’re Having a Contest!This Narrow Minded column marks

the beginning of the writer’s third yearwith O Scale Trains Magazine and fea-tures some interesting digital images ofO Scale narrow gauge models and alsodetails about an exciting contest withsome very interesting prizes.

As I have stated previously, I believethat the digital camera, with its immedi-ate image visible on a large computerscreen, is helping to make better model-ers out of those who learn to use theequipment properly. A digital imageallows you to view your image, make

any improvements to your scene whilethe camera is still set up, and retake theimage. Photo editing programs allowyou to make simple or startling adjust-ments to your image.

Now that so many O Scale TrainsMagazine readers are becoming morecomfortable with computers and digitalcameras, I feel (and the Editor agrees)that it’s time to conduct a NARROWMINDED DIGITAL IMAGE CONTESTand see what develops. At the veryleast, we should be treated to someinteresting input from other O Scalenarrow gaugers.

Contest Rules1. Image must include some O Scalenarrow gauge equipment content. 2. Image must include some O Scalehuman figure content. 3. Image must be submitted in digitalJPEG format. 4. Image size must be close to 1200 x900 pixels. 5. Final file size must be between 40 and60kb. 6. Image must be emailed to:[email protected] 7. Details of any image editing must bedisclosed. 8. Submitter agrees that OST may pub-lish the image at its discretion. 9. Images submitted by midnight, March10 might be published in OST Issue 14. 10. Final deadline is midnight, Monday,May 10. 11. Any submitted image might be pub-lished in OST Issue 15. 12. Winners will be announced andwinning images published in OST Issue .

I expect there may be some radicalexamples of digital photography whichwill call for several classifications. Ifmore prizes are donated, more classifica-tions will be added for this contest.

Any party who wishes to donate aprize should contact the writer at [email protected] and every prizewill be acknowledged in my column. Sofar, Bachmann has donated an On30Shay. Thank you Bachmann!

The best donated prize will be award-ed for the overall favorite image in theopinion of this writer and will be knownas the “2004 Narrow Minded Award forDigital Images”.

Hopefully, we will expand this contestin the near future to include standardgauge(s) and traction. ◆

Backwoods Miniatures Davenport Dressup Kit

www.backwoods.dabsol.co.uk


Fine Quality O Scale Brass Models - richyodermodels.com

RYModels

7 Edgedale Court, Wyomissing, PA 19610 - Phone: 1-610-678-2834

Instock ModelsGE 45 tonner

C&O Wood Caboose

PRR H21a

USRA Steel Gondolas

Upcoming ModelsGE44 tonner Ph1

Baldwin S12

WM Fishbelly Twins

Direct Sales Only

Visa and Master Card Accepted

Baldwin S-8, S-10, S-12 .Features all brass construction, Kadee®couplers. Pricing TBD

GE 45 ton DieselsGE 45 ton Diesels in Stock "O" On3 and P48.Features all brass construction, Kadee® couplers.Models available painted black or brass call foravailability. $335. plus shipping

Ron Gribler built this PRR container car. Thiscar is fabricated of styrene sheet & shapes. Thefloor has individual wood strips. Thecontainers and side supports are Luminitecastings. The masters for the container sidesand ends were fabricated from styrene. Theroof master was shaped from wood. Eachcontainer's five castings were assembled overa wooden block. Commercial parts are trucks,couplers & brake components.

Chris Evers built this beautiful B&OPacific. Chris says everything is

scratchbuilt, even the tender trucks.

At left, an overview of the engineservicing facilities on Joe Fiore’slayout in Vestavia Hills, Alabama.


Just 15 Min. from O'Hare Airport

WE BUY AND SELL TRAINS

6017 Northwest Hwy. Chicago, Il. 60631 773•775•4848 Fax 773•775•6398Mon - Thur 11-7, Fri 11-8:30, Sat 10-5, Sun 12-4:30, Closed Sundays May, June, July, August & Sept.

Gift Certificates Available U.P.S. Shipping Available

WE CARRY NEW AND USED TRAINS

HOBBY INC.

CHICAGOLAND’S “O” GAUGE SPECI

Visit our web site: www. chicagoland-hobby.com e-mail: [email protected]

•K-LINE •WEAVER •SUNSET •LIONEL •ATLAS •ATHEARN •MTH •KADEE® •RED CABOOSE •PECOS RIVER •WALTHERS •BACHMANN •INTERMOUNTAINWE DISCOUNT ALL NEW PRODUCT RELEASES FROM:

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ALSO AVAILABLE IN THE RED ARROW LINE“LIBERTY HALL” & “VALLEY FORGE”

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RUN!

PRICE -TBA • $100 DEPOSIT REQUIRED

by SUNSET 3RD RAIL

$5995

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Reg.$76.0054405

Chicago PCC production model will alsobe available with the Kenosha, WI. paint scheme.55027 Chicago PCC • 55028 Kenosha PCC

$5495PCCGREEN HORNET CSL

Reg. $68.00Q CAR TRUCKS $105.00 INSTALLATION AVAILABLE CALL FOR PRICE!

IN-STOCK!

AS ALWAYS, WE CARRY FINISHING KITS, PARTS, DECALS,POWER AND POLES FOR THE MODELS WE OFFER.

WE BUY BOOK AND MODEL COLLECTIONS. CALL US.

THE CLASSIC ARTICULATED RETURNS!

“O” GAUGE BRASSNORTH SHOREELECTROLINER

AVAILABLE IN 2 RAIL & 3 RAIL

•POWERED •ALL BRASS•PAINTED•FULL INTERIOR•SOUND

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(3 RAIL ONLY - TMCC)

COMING SUMMER 2004!

Buy⁄Sell⁄Trade Consignments

Jim Hackworth

MODEL TRAINS(and Subsidiary JH Consulting)

2631 Edgevale Road, Columbus OH 43221-1113Phone:614-4514517 Fax:6144514557

Email: [email protected] • Web: www.jhmtrains.com

Layaway AvailableEstates⁄Liquidations

Collection Reductions

LSASE for Complete ListShipping 6% - $6.00 Min., $12.00 MaxOhio Residents Add 6.75% Sales Tax

WSM PRR Q2, 4-4-6-4, C/P, OB, Phoenix Sound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$2,250.00WSM PRR J1a, 2-10-4, C/P, OB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,950.00USH Erie K5 4-6-2, N/P, Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,875.00SS C&O J2a, 4-8-2 w/Extra Detail, N/P, OB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,395.00SS ATSF 2-10-4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,295.00MG PRR 2-10-2, L/N, N/P, OB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,875.00 USH C&O 2-8-4, C/P, Runs good, OB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,375.00MG NYC J1e, 4-6-4, Nice, N/P, NOB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,475.00MG NYC J3a, 4-6-4, Nice, N/P, OB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,475.00 MG N&W Y6b, 2-8-8-2, Can Motor, N/P, OB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$2,475.00USH PRR M1a, 4-8-2, C/P, OB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,375.00USH NYC L4b, C/P, Kleinscmidt Dr, OB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$2,195.00 MG B&O 2-8-8-4, C/P, NOB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$2,450.00USH PRR L1, 2-8-2, C/P w/Sound, OB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,200.00SS N&W J 4-8-4, Rebuilt w/sound, C/P, OB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,700.00USH PRR K4 4-6-2, Late Run, C/P, OB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,250.00MG PRR E6 4-4-2, C/P, NOB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,275.00MG SP MT4 w/Icken Gears, C/P . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,895.00USH NYC H10, 2-8-2, Mint, N/P, OB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,575.00 OM NP A5 4-8-4, C/P, Mint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$3,895.00OM #0166 NP Z Class 4-6-6-4, C/P, Mint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$3,995.00USH UP FEF-3, C/P Grey, NOB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,395.00USH UP 4-6-6-4, Can Motor, C/P, NOB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$2,395.00PSC PRR K4, 4-6-2, Slat Pilot, N/P, OB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,350.00PSC PRR B-6, 0-6-0 w/Straight Cylinders, LN, OB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,450.00SS PRR I1 2-10-0, LN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,150.00OM PRR E8a, C/P Single Stripe, OB, late run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$995.00Gem PRR, B6sb 0-6-0, N/P, OB, Ex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$575.00

OM CSX SD70M #700, F/P, OB, LN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,775.00OM American Hoist Ditcher , LN, N/P, OB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$495.00Custom Built PRR GG1, Ptd Green, 5-Stripe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$575.00SS FM Trainmaster, C/P SP Bloody Nose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,295.00OL GN 2-D-2 #5001/5002 Set, C/P . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$2,495.00USH SD45, C/P SP, OB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$695.00 USH #401 48' Gondola, N/P, OB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$149.00USH #305 Single Dome Tank w/Platform, N/P, OB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$149.00MG #702 3-Bay Hopper, Rnd End, N/P, NOB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$199.00USH #705 Panel Hopper, N/P, OB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$199.00 USH #402 52' Gondola, N/P, NOB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$149.00USH #302 D.Dome Tank, N/P, OB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$139.00PRB 70' Greenville Gon, C/P SP, OB, LN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$289.00USH #505 2-Bay Composie Hopper, N/P, OB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$149.00 PL#300 PRR R-7 Reefer, C/P . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$295.00Priester C.Built Morrell Reefers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . each $159.00MG #120 TT Flats, C/P PRR w/USH RB Tks(25 available) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .each $129.00PRB 60' Greenville Boxcars, Variour Roads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .each $300.00PRB 62' PC&F Boxcars, Various Roads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .each $300.00MG PRR N8 Caboose, N/P, NOB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$250.00PSC PRR Stock Car, N/P, OB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$250.00OM#0752 NP Caboose, C/P . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$375.00Alco PRR N6a, C/P or N/P . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .each $225.00CB PRR N8 Caboose, N/P, OB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$295.00PRB 50' Boxcars SD, End Door & DD Kits, Undec . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$37.50PRB 50' Boxcars, Built, DD, End Door, SD, C&O/B&O/PM/WM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$47.50

(UP & ATSF End Door/ CB&Q & Erie S.Door)


A small supplier that doesn’t get a lot of visibility in the hobbymedia is RL Design of 14123 206th St. S.E., Snohomish, WA98296-3947. RL Design is actually Rick Leach. He has beendoing superb lettering work for many years. The early Choochcar kits had decals by Leach, as did the first series of Intermoun-tain boxcar kits. Rick strives for accurate fonts rather than usingsome stock lettering style contained in a graphics program orstandard type. Railroad lettering styles are truly unique and arepart of a road’s character. Getting it right makes the car look thatmuch more realistic.

Rick currently offers an extensive line of thin film decals fora wide range of cars. Each set comes with a useable letteringguide to aid in placement of the lettering. He included data foroften-missed areas like the air reservoir maintenance stencils.The latest sets include very accurate decals for the San JuanFowler boxcar covering the Rio Grande (2 different schemes)and Rock Island. The former is much more accurate than theMicroscale set for the Fowler car. Rick has a new set for theRock Island Rocket scheme for application to a modified 1937AAR boxcars (10'6" interior height).

He has also released sets for Southern Pacific cupolacabooses covering all of the classes ranging from the CA-1, C-30-1 to the steel C-40-3. He is preparing a separate set forT&NO cupola cabooses as well as SP/T&NO bay windowcabooses. Rick will have new sets available for SP gondolas, oilcars, flats and more boxcars. His previous SP boxcar sets werefor the 1937 AAR car (Intermountain) and the B-50-15 (ChoochUltra Scale II). He also sells a wide range of NYC, P&LE andother schemes for steel boxcars and NP caboose lettering forwood and steel cars.

Another small supplier of decals is San Juan Car Companyunder their SanJ u a n D e c a l sproduct l ine.They are nowp r o d u c i n gdecals formerlysold by JerryKitts and aremostly for nar-r o w g a u g e .There are twosets of note forstandard gauge.They are pro-ducing SP steamlettering sets inpost-war graya n d p r e - w a ra l u m i n u m -bronze. This is asignificant offer-ing since it cor-rects the colori s s u e s w i t hC h a m p a n d

Microscale offerings. The SP had distinctive colors for letteringtheir steam power. You can obtain more information by goingto their new website at [http://www.sanjuancarco.com].Rumor Control

Speaking of San Juan Car Company, the rumor is that theyare planning a couple new cars for O standard. One is the post-war SP general service gondolas class G-50-23. The other car isa Rio Grande double-sheathed double door boxcar. My votewould be for the gondola. I hope that San Juan does the correctAmerican Steel Foundries A-3 Ride Control truck. This particu-lar truck is the most common design used in the post-1946 eraup until the time of roller bearings taking over. The San Juan 4-wheel and 6-wheel passenger car trucks have been delayeduntil later in the year. Winds of Change

The rapid changeover from kit building to buying ready-to-run (RTR) railroad items is likely to have an effect well beyondwhat we have seen to date. Kits, like the Intermountain andRed Caboose cars, have fallen into disfavor which implies amore widespread problem. Have you considered the impact todecal makers or those who make detail parts, trucks and all ofthose wonderful little things that allow us to add our uniquetouch to a model? If only RTR cars or locomotives are sold,who will support the parts maker? I guess a few of us diehardscratch builders will have to buy more than our share.

I find myself stocking up on all sorts of parts these days. Younever know when they will disappear. You might call it hoard-ing but who cares. I want to be able to support my modelbuilding for a number of years to come. It is hard to predictwhat will be available ten years from now. ◆

GENE DEIMLING

PROTO48 MODELING


Dear Joe and Jaini,Happy New Year! My O scale pike (the Philadelphia & Erie rr) is set in a 1970-80’s urban flavor.Thinkingthat my heavy weathering was not quite enough, I investigated the graffiti decals that are currentlyavailable to O scalers.These seemed a bit too tame for my tastes.After much schmoozing, I persuadedmy wife Linda to paint some graffiti on my freight cars. I bought some paint pens from A.C.Moore,andencouraged her to “jump right in”.Attached are a few results.Regards,Pete Trunkp.s. the magazine just gets better and better!


One of the necessary chores of our hobby is the periodic cleaning of locomotive wheels. It seems that no matter what methodof track cleaning and maintenance I try, sooner or later dirty wheel-rail contact degrades performance. My sound equipped loco-motives announce with an annoying cutout and restart of the prime mover that wheels have collected “gunk” (a technical term for

the mixture ofdust, track cleaning fluids,and stray scenery materials.)

The tried and truemethod of cleaning loco-motive wheels has been toplace an alcohol-soakedpaper towel over the railsand run one truck of thelocomotive onto the towel.The locomotive is then heldin this position while full

power is applied, spinning the dirtywheels over the towel and provid-ing the cleaning action. Holding thetowel (which wants to be pushedaside by the motion of the wheels),plus the nose of the locomotive (toimpede its progress), and controllingthe throttle all at the same timestretched the limits of my dexterity.

Then there was always the question of just where to perform such a task with-out damaging existing scenery.

A moment of inspiration some months ago led to the creation of a simplewheel cleaner that made this whole process very quick and manageable. Thephotos show the finished product which is portable, and because of foam rub-ber glued to the underside, will not damage scenery or track work.

I began with a 1”piece of pine cut to 2 1⁄2” wide and 2’ long. I chose this length because it is eight inches longer than the longestlocomotive. Glue ties to the board, omitting them at each end where the paper towel will be used as seen in the photos. Stain theties and board.

Drill a pair of holes between the ties. Remove the clips from the ends of two alligator connectors. Feed these wires up throughthe holes in the board and solder to the underside of two pieces of rail. Then spike the rail to the ties. (Flex track could be substitut-ed by removing ties near each end.)

Drill a 1⁄8” hole along the outside of the rail at the end of each non-tie section for a total of eight holes. Bend a 1⁄8” piece of brassrod at 90 degrees on each end and tap into the holes with a hammer so the rod is just below the height of the railhead. Staplesquares of foam rubber to a pair of small blocks of wood to act as bumpers. Drill pilot holes and attach the blocks with screws tothe ends of the track. Use contact cement to glue foam rubber to the underside of the board to protect track work.

Finally, scissors-cut shop paper towels to width and feed under the rod and rail, up and over the railhead, and back under therod. Alcohol in a needle container helps dispense cleaner directly to the railhead area.

Wheel cleaning now takes place wherever the motive power happens to be. Place the locomotive on the cleaner, attach the alliga-tor clips to the nearby railheads, and apply track power. The locomotive will travel to the bumper and be held there while its wheelsspin on the paper towel. Reverse power to clean the other truck. Advance the paper towel to a clean section, add more alcohol anddo a second cleaning pass. I am constantly amazed at the amount of “gunk” that is quickly removed and at how a once fumblingprocess is now a snap. ◆

Locomotive Wheel CleanerDavid Stewart

Brian Scace, who writes the “Ease-ments for the Learning Curve” columnin O Scale Trains, likes to recommendthat we not use wimpy HO controlequipment in our O Scale layouts. If OScale does not have what we need,look at what is available for G scale,he suggests. This month I am going totake him up on his advice by review-ing a DCC decoder designed for Gscale but providing unique capabilitiesfor O Scale.The MRC AD322 8 Ampere DCC Decoder

The AD322 is an 8 ampere DCCdecoder, made by Model Rectifier Cor-poration (MRC), that will exist in twodifferent configurations, diesel andsteam. I tested the diesel version; thesteam version will be released later thisyear. It has the usual F0 accessory func-tion for directional headlights, plusstrobe and ditch lights. It has foursound functions: F1 through F4 (bell,long horn, short horn and uncoupling)plus two diesel engine sounds (idle andrunning). The sounds are genericalthough the bell, horn and uncouplingare very realistic. I was able to create acredible grade crossing signal by push-ing long, long, short, long. The bellcontinues to ring until you push thefunction button again. Fourteen differ-ent configuration variables can be pro-grammed and only the EZ DCCcommand station seems to have com-patibility problems. The steam versionwill have fewer lighting combinationsand more sound combinations.

It certainly does not look like awimpy HO decoder. It is 11⁄2" wide by31⁄2" long and 1" high. It has suchrugged looking power components andheat sinks that you tend to overlook themany tiny surface mount componentson the printed circuit board. It has an11-pin connector at one end for thebasic functions and a 5-pin connectorat the other end for sound and the

impressive as a Big Boy, being wellover a yard in length. But they do nothave DCC control because they werebuilt long before it existed and I havebalked at the expense of buying andinstalling three DCC decoders. Socould I use one of these AD322 Gscale 8 ampere decoders to control allthree O Scale diesel unit motors? Theanswer is yes, but with a little bit ofcustomization.

strobe and ditch lights. Figure 1 is apicture of this decoder. It fits with easeinto a full-width hood O Scale diesellike the Alco FA and FB or the EMD Eor F units. It would not fit into a narrowbody diesel (with walkways), like theAlco RS3 or EMD SW or GP series. Andit would be difficult to install it at anangle because of the 1" height.

The documentation that comes withthe decoder is rather plain but certain-ly adequate. Don’t expect it to teachyou how DCC works, but, if youunderstand DCC, it will give you allthe installation instructions. Note thatMRC recommends that the unit be test-ed with a 20 ohm resistor in seriesuntil you verify that it is all wired upcorrectly.

So this decoder has unique character-istics for the O Scale modeler: high cur-rent capability for those older inefficientmotors, and built-in sound generation.My Use of the Decoder

I have a three unit Alco FA, FB, FAdiesel set painted for PRR. Each unit ispowered. In their way they are as


Fig. 1

Fig. 2


My plan was to distribute the com-plications by installing the decoder intothe middle FB unit and then puttingspeakers in the two end FA units. So Ibegan by building a mockup in the FBunit (Fig. 2). When I turned on the DCCpower, it blew me out of my chair.Well, in hindsight, I guess I should haveexpected the sound unit for a gardenrailroad to be loud. I fixed that with aseries 20 to 100 ohm resistor. I fastenedthe decoder on top of the lead weightin the FB unit, with a wooden insulatorbetween as the PC board wiring isexposed on the bottom.

If you believe, as I do, that everysolution creates a new problem, then

the problem that this scheme creates isthe wiring. Eight wires have to passbetween the diesel units (and more ifyou want ditch lights or strobe lights).Briefly they are: wheels (2), motor (2),headlight (2) and speaker (2). They arenot just incidental wiring. Recall thatthe FA unit wheel pickups do not con-nect to anything in the FA units.Instead they connect to the decoder inthe FB unit which then feeds themotors in all three units. Figure 2 is apicture of the rat’s nest.

My own solution to the wiring inter-connections is not multiple MU cablesbetween units, but rather a customdrawbar, replacing the usual couplers.

Whitehall HobbiesSpecializing in Brass Locomotives1431 Windrush Circle, Blacklick, Ohio 43004 Voice: (614) 861-0018 - Fax: (614) 861-3034

[email protected]

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OMI WM I-2 2-10-0, F/P Rd# 1120, new condition . . . . . . . . . . .$1895

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PSC CB&Q S-4a 4-6-4, Factory Ptd, Rd# 3003 new . . . . . . . . . . .$2850

Key SP E9a 2 A units, Latest run, F⁄P Daylight (pair) . . . . . . . . . .$2695

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Kohs & Co NYC J3a 4-6-4, F/P Rd# 5424, late version PT4 tender,Boxpok drivers, plain rods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$4000PSC C&O C-16a 0-8-0 Custom Painted for PSC Rd#242 . . . . . . . .$1750PSC SRR Ps-4 4-6-2, F/P Rd# 1401 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1650C&LS WM M-2 4-6-6-4, F/P Rd# 1201, late version . . . . . . . . . . .$2995PSC D&RGW L-131, 2-8-8-2, FP Rd#3600, black boiler (one of a kind),boiler tube pilot and tri-color herald w/D&RGW spelled out. New, never run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$3895Key D&RGW L-95, 2-8-8-2, FP Rd#3404 w/green boiler, only 4 madewith pop valves on steam dome. New, never run . . . . . . . . . . . .$3695Key UP Challenger, 4-6-6-4, FP Rd#3978, oil version, two-tone grey, yellow stripe. New, never run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$3650Key UP Challenger, unptd, coal version. New, never run . . . . . .$3195Key UP FEF-3, 4-8-4, FP Rd#844, oil version, two-tone grey, silver stripe, orig. box not in best shape. New, very little run time . . .$2750Key or PSC WM Shay (no box label) FP Rd#6. New, never run . .$1895Key NYC K3n, 4-6-2, FP Rd#4740. New, never run . . . . . . . . . . .$2250Key PRR E8 AA, FP Brunswick Green, gold stripe. New . . . . . . .$2695Key PRR PA-1 and PB-1, Rare A+B+A set, FP Tuscan Red, buff stripe.New, never run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$3695PSC UP Bull Moose, 2-8-8-0, FP Rd# 3560 w/pilot mounted air pumps.New, test run only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$3195

I don’t need functioning couplers as Inever disconnect the three units. Thedrawbar is a sandwich of 3⁄16" widestrips of .032" and .015" brass sheetinterleaved with paper insulators.

The MRC AD322 decoder comeswith a speaker described as 2" butactually is 21⁄4" diameter. It is slightlytoo large for O Scale. Figure 3 shows avariety of speakers. From the left is theMRC speaker, a commercial 15⁄8" by23⁄4" rectangular speaker that is a good

match to go in an O Scale fuel tank,and finally 11⁄2" and 1⁄2" speakers, espe-cially for model RR use and sold byTony’s Train Exchange. The speaker inthe fuel tank will not work here as onetruck is driven from the motor and itdrives the other truck via a universallyjointed drive rod through the fuel tank.So, I plan to use the 11⁄2" speakers.

Although the G scale decoderseems at first to be an unlikely matchto O Scale, it does work well in this sit-uation or anyplace where a high cur-rent locomotive must be controlled orwhere a combined speed and soundcontroller is needed.

Brian was correct! ◆


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Buy–Sell–TradeBuy-Sell-Trade ads are $5 for 30 words plus your address information. Additional words are $0.25each. Subscribers are permitted one free ad per subscription cycle. All B-S-T ads are prepaid. Youmay send ads by postal service with a check or money order. Ads sent by email or called in must usea credit card. See our contact info on page 2.

Western Pennsylvania Modelers—Avail-

able: McKeesport trolleys, plus Pittsburgh

Railways, Vols: I and II by Beal. Covers all

area (pre-1902 to 1964) traction, inclines,

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from. LIMITED printings. Fax: 412-766-4213,

Mail Order Trains Plus, 349 Roosevelt Rd,

Pittsburgh, PA 15237-1024.

ERIE C-100 class steel caboose. Brass etch-

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Robert Garrelts, 1116 Kings Way, Tarpon

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SUNSET MODELS: B&O early 2-8-8-4

#7615, later 2-8-8-4 #7624 $1499; PRR 4-4-

6-4 #6184 $1499; PRR streamlined electric

#4746 $699; NKP 4-8-2 #845 $979, UP C-

44-9W #9734 $699. SASE for listings.

Phone 727-391-3135, John Clemens, 5273

97 Way N, St. Petersburg, FL 33708-3752.

FOR SALE: USH NYC L4b Mohawk, new in

box, never assembled, $1200. KTM/West-

side NYC J3a Hudson, c/p, detailed, can

motor, done by Harry Hieke, $2100. Phone:

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tel.net, Larry Vajas, 41103 Whitney Rd,

LaGrange, OH 44050-9628.

FOR SALE: O Scale brass etched C&O and

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Washington Cameo, cylinder stars, 2 super-

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WANTED: USH drivers for a Big Boy, also E.

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FOR SALE: PSC SW-1, GN, f/ptd #5103,

$600; OMI Mk-1200G UP f/ptd #1298,

$1300; USH GP-35 unptd, $350. Also, PRB

cars, flats, boxcars, covered hoppers and

tanks. Variety of Atlas 2 rail cars. Must Sell!

Call or email Brian Butkowski; 320-251-

3288, [[email protected]].

FOR SALE: Adirondack Car & Foundry prod-

ucts, Weaver, NWSL, Grandt Line, Kadee

couplers, Athearn trucks, Intermountain

(while supplies last), OSN, OST. Contact Ed

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[email protected] Ed Reutling, 160 Harwood

Rd., Gray, TN 37615-3728.

FOR SALE: Vehicles that won’t embarass

you or your trains: Brooklin, Conquest,

Durham Classics, 43rd Avenue, Goldvarg,

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BUILT-UP GONDOLAS, HOPPERS, BOX

CARS, REEFERS, TANKERS... $39, If you

demand INTERMOUNTAIN quality, buy

while they are available. SASE for listings.

Phone: 727-391-3135, John Clemens, 5273

97 Way N, St. Petersburg, FL 33708-3752.

PACIFIC LIMITED Second run USRA box

cars. Don’t miss out again! Pennyslvania

nine versions, MKT, Ann Arbor 1 1⁄2 door,

Ann Arbor single door, DT&I, C&NW four

versions, Western Maryland, C&O, N&W

stock car... SASE. Phone: 727-391-3135 John

Clemens, 5273 97 Way N, St. Petersburg, FL

33708-3752.

YODER Chesapeake & Ohio, Pennsylvania

hoppers, Western Maryland hoppers, cov-

ered hoppers, wood chip hoppers, undeco-

rated $169. Painted, lettered, weathered,

Kadees, $199. Hundreds more, listings

SASE. Phone: 727-391-3135, John Clemens,

5273 97 Way N, St. Petersburg, FL 33708-

3752.

KEYSTONE MUSEUM QUALITY Pennsylva-

nia G1a twin hoppers, GS, GSd gondolas,

scrap tin cars, H-25 quads. Scale, Kadee

versions. painted, unpainted, H-21's com-

ing... Hundreds more. SASE. Phone 727-

391-3135, John Clemens, 5273 97 Way N, St.

Petersburg, FL 33708-3752.

WANTED: O Scale 2-rail RDC (Div Point or

other), and CLW Baldwin DT2000 centercab

transfer Diesel (prefer built-up). Please

state price. e-mail to [email protected]

Andy Romano, PO Box 969, Crestline, CA

92325-0969.


Advertisers IndexAccurate O Scale 36

AtlasO IBC

BTS 49

California Roadbed Co. 48

Car & Locomotive Shop 59

Central Locomotive Works 17

Chicagoland 52

Eagles Nest Miniatures 10

Get Real Productions 18

Guide to Modern O Scale 15

Hackworth Model Trains 52

House of Duddy 18

Joint Line Reproductions 13

Keil-Line Products 22

MRC 15

NCE Corp 49

Norm’s O Scale 13

O Scale Guide 39

O Scale Realty 13

O Scale Signals 18

O Scale West 40

Old Pullman 60

Overland Models 29

P&D Hobby Shop IFC

PRR Brass 13

Public Delivery Track 48

Rail Photos Unlimited 17

Rons Books 58

Russian River RR Co. 17

RY Models 51

Scaled World 10

SONC 2004 21

Stevenson Preservation Lines 17

Suncoast Models 18

Sunset⁄3rd Rail 9, BC

T Bone Models 13

Weaver 10

Whitehall Models 56

OST Builds A Layoutby Joe GiannovarioI’ve been too long without an operat-

ing layout. So, this past year I decided todo something about it.

I had a contractor come in to finishthe basement. He did it a lot faster and alot nicer than I would have been able todo. And, it also allowed me to concen-trate on doing the benchwork.

But first, I had to come up with aplan. I looked at copying my old HOscale layout. I really didn’t have thespace to scale that up. In fact, my avail-able space is a modest 14' x 22', with afew nooks and crannies. My druthersincluded 60" minimum radii so I can runN&W articulateds, 4-8-2s and 4-8-4s,and a large steam service facility.

I came across a John Armstrong N&Wplan in his book “Creative LayoutDesign”. (The book is out of print but Ibought a used copy on Ebay.) This partic-ular design was unusual. It was 9' x 35'but has two 16' “wings” with a “drycanal lock” on one side and a “verticalswitch” on the other to get trains fromlevel 1 to level 2. Is this useable?

What I really needed was layoutdesign software to edit the design. Now,I’m a Macintosh user. This beautiful mag-azine you’re reading is produced on aMac. Everyone knows that if you wantthe best graphics, you use a Mac. Well,not if you’re designing a model railroad.I checked out the Mac railroad designsoftware and none of it fit my needs.

I asked on the OTrains list at Yahoo ifanyone would care to help me and ClarkThorp volunteered to do the design using3rd PlanIt software on a PC. (Okay, sothis one time I’ll admit a PC is better thana Mac.) Clark was also familiar with theArmstrong plan and entered it to thecomputer. Then, via a series of emailexchanges, we began to bend, fold andmutilate Mr. Armstrong’s plan until it fitmy space and met my druthers.

What you see above right is the planwe came up with. Rather than two sepa-rate levels, we used a raised track at theback of the layout to get a longer run. Theruling grade is slightly less than two per-cent. It has a modest yard area and I gotmy servicing facility complete with a 30"turntable for those Y6b’s and Class A’s.

I’ve started the benchwork and thetricky part is the swing-out gate in thelower right hand corner. The plan alsocalls for lots of curved turnouts.

I’ll keep you apprised of the progress. ◆

Norfolk & Western Railway: Exton Divisionplan by Clark Thorp & Joe Giannovario

I square = 1 footmin radius: 60"Overall size14' x 22'

Swing-out gate


28th, Hudson, MassachusettsNew England O Scale Train Show by Metro-west Model RR Society - Hudson Elks Hall, 99Park Street - O Scale 2 & 3 Rail (no tinplate) -setup 6:30 to 10 am, sales 10 am to 4 pm, $4adults, kids 5-12 $1, kids under 5 freew/adult. Info: Bill Pirtle, 196 Lincoln St, Hud-son, MA 01749; (978) 562-6879; E-mail [email protected], websitewww.trainweb.org/metrowest

April 200423rd, Villa Park, IllinoisPrairie Scale Model Railroaders Swap Meet,6:30 pm to 9:30 pm (doors open at 5:30 forsellers), Villa Park VFW Hall, 39 E St CharlesRd, Admission: $4 (spouses and kids free withpaying adult), tables $12. Contact PaulGehrett, [email protected] [email protected]

3 & 4, Timonium, MarylandThe Great Scale Model Train Show & The All-American High-Rail & Collectors Show - Mary-land State Fairgrounds - separated intosections, SCALE (by gauge) and HiRail. Fri:dealer setup 5 pm to 11 pm; Sat: setup 7 amto 9 am, sales & exhibits 9 am to 4 pm; Sun:setup 8:30 am to 10 am, sales & exhibits 10am to 4 pm; Admission: $6, kids under 12free, family max $12; 8' tables $55 (includes2 worker's passes for the first table and 1 foreach add'l table). Contact Howard Zane,(410) 730-1036; [email protected];www.gsmts.com

May 20048th, Merchantville, New JerseyCherry Valley Model Railroad Club “Mer-chantville Meet”, held at the Grace EpiscopalChurch, 7 E. Maple Ave. Merchantville, NJ.Admission $4.00 (spouses & children under14 are free), tables are $16.00 for the firsttable (includes one admission) and $12.00 foreach additional table. Info/reservations, SASE– CVMRC PO Box 192, Maple Shade, NJ08052, Dave Richter (215) 639-3864,[email protected] Chuck Jacobs 856-234-1898

EventsMarch 2004

6th, Wind Gap, PennsylvaniaEastern “O” Scalers – Plainfield Fire Hall,6480 Sullivan Trail – 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.Adm. $5; (spouses & children under 14 arefree), $16.00 for the first table (includes oneadmission) and $12.00 for each additionaltable. Information SASE EOS, PO Box 1781,Bensalem PA 19020; (215) 639-3864,[email protected] Bring an index card withyour name, address etc., for a $1.00 off youradmission.

14th, St. Paul, MinnesotaTwin City Model Railroad Musuem, Inc.,Northern Pacific Day. Bandana Square, 1021Bandana Blvd. East, Ste 222, St. Paul. Noon to5 pm. Admission $2, under 5 free. ContactPaul Gruetzman, 651-647-9628.

20 & 21, New Bern, North CarolinaCarolina Coastal Railroaders 9th AnnualModel Train Show - New Bern High School,4200 Academic Drive - all scales, 7 operatinglayouts in N/HO/Sn3/O/G scales,New/used model railroad sale, door prizes,raffle, clinics.- 10 am to 5 pm; $4, kids under12 free with adult. Info:Joe Hofmann; (252)638-8872, email [email protected]

20 & 21, Chicago, IllinoisChicago Midwest O Scale Meet, sponsored byHill's Hobby Shop at the Sheraton ChicagoNorthwest (888-627-8093, ask for ChicagoMidwest O Scale rate). Saturday 9-5, Sunday9-2. Friday only for dealer/tableholder setup.Contact Hills Hobby, 847-823-4464, [email protected].

21st, Pullman, WashingtonPalouse Empire Railroad Show and SwapMeet, Beasley Performing Arts Coliseum,Washington State University campus, 10 am -3 pm, Admission: Adult -$3, dealer tables -$10. Contact Noel Randall, 208-882-3773,or Ken Vogel 509-332-0505

Events 29th, Plantation, FloridaSouth Plantation Train Club Show & Sale -South Plantation High School Cafeteria, 1300SW 54 Ave. All scales, 2-Rail O Scale mod-ules and displays - setup 7 am to 9 am, 9 amto 2 pm; tables available. Contact KenSargeant (954) 473-6376, www.southplanta-tiontrainclub.com; [email protected]

June 200419 & 20, Timonium, MarylandThe Great Scale Model Train Show & The All-American High-Rail & Collectors Show -Maryland State Fairgrounds - separated intosections, SCALE (by gauge) and HiRail. Fri:dealer setup 5 pm to 11 pm; Sat: setup 7 amto 9 am, sales & exhibits 9 am to 4 pm; Sun:setup 8:30 am to 10 am, sales & exhibits 10am to 4 pm; Admission: $6, kids under 12free, family max $12; 8' tables $55 (includes2 worker's passes for the first table and 1 foreach add'l table). Contact Howard Zane,(410) 730-1036; [email protected];www.gsmts.com

July 20044 thru 11, Seattle, WashingtonPuget Sound Express 2004, NMRA NationalConvention - all scales; Mt. Ranier Club$1,000; Mt. Baker Club $500; Mt. St. HelensClub $250; $125; spouse $30, youth $20.Info: Dave Kreitler, Registrar (425) 831-5131;email [email protected]; websitewww.nmra2004.org/

22-25, Washington, D.C.2004 O Scale National Convention at theHyatt Regency, Crystal City, Virginia at Rea-gan National Airport. Convention and Dealerregistration info is available from the CapitalArea O Scalers, 2004 O Scale National Con-vention, P.O. Box 42563, Washington D.C.20015, www.2004onational.com, or email [email protected].


OST Dealer ListArkansasHobby Shack1200 John Harden DrJacksonville, AR 72076501-982-6836

Mickey’s Model Works611 Court St, Ste 4Conway,AR 72032-5417501-450-9423

ArizonaCoronado Scale Models1544 E Cypress StPhoenix,AZ 85006602-254-9650

CaliforniaAll Aboard Model RREmporium3867 Pacific Coast HwyTorrance,CA 90505310-791-2637

Bruce’s Train Shop2752 Marconi AveSacramento,CA 95821916-485-5288

Fulton Station454 Larkfield Shop CntrSanta Rosa CA 95439707-523-3522

Just Trains5650-H Imhoff DrConcord,CA 94520925-685-6566

Original Whistle Stop 2490 E Colorado BlvdPasadena,CA 91107626-796-7791

Railroad Hobbies119 Vernon StRoseville CA 95678916-782-6067

Reed’s Hobbies LLC8039 La Mesa Blvd.La Mesa,CA 91941619-464-1672

Train Shop1829 Pruneridge AveSanta Clara,CA 95050408-296-1050

ColoradoCaboose Hobbies, Inc.500 S. BroadwayDenver,CO 80209303-777-6766

DelawareMitchells’2303 Concord PikeWilmington, DE 19803302-652-3258

Trains & Hobbies313 Newark Shopping Cntr.Newark,DE 19711302-266-8063

FloridaKirkland Hobbies187 Concord CirclePanama City FL 32405850-215-1973

GeorgiaRiverdale Station6632 Hwy 85Riverdale,GA 30045770-991-6085

IowaCaboose Stop Hobbies301 Main StCedar Falls,IA 50613800-642-7012

IllinoisChicagoland Hobbies 6017 Northwest HwyChicago,IL 60631773-775-4848

Des Plaines Hobbies1468 Lee StDes Plaines,IL 60018847-297-2118

Hill’s Hobby Shop10 Prairie AvePark Ridge,IL 60068847-823-4464

Mike’s Scale Rails3008 N SterlingPeoria,IL 61604309-689-0656

Rails Unlimited126 Will ScarletElgin,IL 60120847-697-5353

IndianaBig Four Hobbies1005 E Main StPlainfield IN 46168317-837-1024

Mishawaka Railyard Inc410 S Spring StMishawaka IN 46545574-252-7245

KansasJ’s Hobby Haven5303 Johnson DrMission,KS 66205913-432-8820

MaineNorm’s O ScalePO Box 147S Casco,ME 04077207-655-2550

MassachusettsModeler’s Junction88 Lowell StMethuen,MA 01844978-683-0885

The Toy Doctor17 Meredith RoadForrestdale, MA 02644508-477-1186

Tucker’s Hobbies29 Bacon StWarren,MA 01083413-436-5318

MichiganEureka Trains1219 Eureka RdWyandotte,MI 48192734-284-0521

P&D Hobby Shop31280 Groesbeck HwyFraser,MI 48026586-296-6116

Rider’s Hobby Shop2055 28th St SEGrand Rapids MI616-247-9933

MinnesotaSecond Ave Shops173 2nd Ave SENew Brighton,MN 55112651-633-5722

MissouriMarty’s Model Railroads9622 Gravois RdSt Louis,MO 63123-4345314-638-8250

North CarolinaDry Bridge Station236 N Main StMount Airy,NC 27030336-786-9811

NevadaHigh Sierra Models4020 Kietzke LnReno,NV 89502775-825-5557

New HampshireCustom TrainsPO Box 48Bath,NH 03740603-747-3492

New JerseyBig Little Railroad Shop206 W Main StSomerville,NJ 08876908-429-0220

New MexicoTrains West Inc.3351A Candelaria Rd NEAlbuquerque,NM 87107505-881-2322New YorkK-Val Hobbies277 Hinman AveBuffalo,NY 14216716-875-2837

Ohio20th Century Models32575 Pettibone RdSolon,OH 44139-5454440-248-3055

M&S Trains4157 W Broad St.Columbus OH 43228614-274-1178

Terminal Hobby Supply10200 Springfield PikeCincinnati,OH 45215513-326-3613

Western Hills Photo &Hobby6319 Glenway AveCincinnati,OH 45211513-661-2141

OregonWhistle Stop Trains11724 SE Division StPortland,OR 97266503-761-1822

PennsylvaniaC&E Branchline RR Shop102 W. Grove St.Dunmore, PA 18509570-347-7909

English’s Model RR Supply21 Howard StMontoursville,PA 17754570-368-2516

G&K Hobbies720 Gordon StReading,PA 19601-2312610-374-8598

Lin’s Junction128 S Line StLansdale,PA 19446215-412-7711

Mainline Hobby Supply15066 Buchanan Trail EBlue Ridge Summit,PA 17214717-794-2860

Strasburg Train ShopRte 741 E, Box 130Strasburg,PA 17579717-687-0464

TennesseeAdirondack Car & Foundry160 Harwood Rd.Gray TN 37615423-477-5790

Hobbytown USA, 8901 Town& Country Circle, Knoxville,TN, 37923, 865-690-1099

Smoky Mountain ModelTrains Ltd1933 Pittman Center RdSeviervilleTN 37876 865-428-8595

TexasDiscount Model Trains Inc.4641 Ratliff LaneAddison, TX 75001972-931-8135

VirginiaRailyard Hobby Shop7547 Williamson RdRoanoke,VA 24019540-362-1714

Walt's Hobby Shop, PO Box 1805, Petersburg,VA, 23805, 804-861-1333

WashingtonCentral Hobbies1574 Gulf Rd #1136Point Roberts WA 98281604-431-0771

The Inside Gateway14725 Northeast 20thBellevue, WA 98007425-747-2016

WisconsinDepot Drygoods220 W Wisconsin AveNeenah,WI 54956920-725-8854

Greenfield News & Hobby6815 W Layton StGreenfield,WI 53220414-281-1800

Non-US Dealers

CanadaCredit Valley Railway Co184 Queen Street SouthStreetsville, OntarioL5M 1L3905-826-1306

George’s Trains510 Mt Pleasant RdToronto Ontario M4S 2M2416-489-9783

Victoria Scale Rail, Inc.16A3577 Douglas St.Victoria, BC V8Z 3L6250-475-2860

SwitzerlandTrainmaster3 Hochweidstr. KilchbergCH-8802 011-411-715-3666

United KingdomQuince Valley Designs17 West StreetWeedon,Northants NN7 4QU01327 341374


ObservationsJoe Giannovario, Editor⁄Publisher

ObservationsWelcome to the start of our third year of publication! O Scale

Trains is officially two years old with this issue. As we start our thirdyear of publication, here’s a status report on the magazine. We haveover 1200 subscribers and have been adding new subscribers at asustained rate of 6 new people every 5 days. We ship over 6000copies of OST to newsstands, booksellers, and hobby shops eachissue. We’ve doubled the number of advertisers since issue #1. Wewent from 48 pages with 16 in color to 64 pages, all in color. Wealso lowered the cover price and subscription rates. Overall, we’rein great shape and are charging into the new year with lots of greatstuff coming your way.

I’m adding another name to the masthead this issue, Jace Kahn.Jace is a regular contributor on the OTrains list at Yahoo and helikes to scrounge up the old stuff when he hits a train meet. I askedhim to start a “History of O Scale” column and he agreed. “TheGood Old Days” begins in this issue. I hope you will support it andJace as I believe we will all benefit from knowing the history of ourscale and hobby. (An aside - I was at the O Scale convention whenLevon Kemalyan was inducted into the O Scale Hall of Fame. I wasastounded at the number of people who did not know he was thefounder and owner of Kemtron and U. S. Hobbies.)

As we welcome Jace, we also bid farewell to John Smith ofPecos River Brass. John was a big help in getting the magazine start-ed. Not only did he contribute and ask for no payment, he alsobought the back cover ad space. Thank you, John, for your contri-butions and for helping us to understand how the brass import busi-ness works. John has decided after 22 years to close down PecosRiver Brass. He still has lots of stuff to sell so visit his website[www.pecosriverbrass.com].

Congratulations are in order for OST contributor Jeb Kriigel. Jebis the Grand Prize winner in the Model Railroader Photo Contestwith his C&O themed “Steam Splendor At Sewell.” And Jeb alsoreceived an honorable mention for his photo featuring the NYC in“Rensselaer Remembered.” (It is rare to have won two prizes.) Wayto go, Jeb! You’ll see more of Jeb’s photos in future issues of OST.

I am happy to report no one asked for my head with the additionof Hobo D. Hirailer to our staff. Granted, there was some grumblingabout a “3-rail invasion” but it soon died down. Hobo is back thisissue with a neat idea for you HiRailers who want to run scale carson your layout. Remember, scale wheels will run just fine on mostt-section track.

While the addition of Mr. HiRailer didn’t generate much heat,we did get some “gas” about our review of the Car & LocomotiveShop’s little O gauge mine loco. The chief criticism was that it wasnot O Scale, and therefore belonged in a garden railroad magazine,not in OST. That got me to thinking about Scale vs. Gauge.

In recent months I’ve seen some gaffs in other magazines con-cerning these two concepts. The track gauge that O Scale modelsrun on has a history all its own. Zero Gauge, “0”, was introduced atthe beginning of the last century as the first of the indoor trackgauges. The gauge was set at 11⁄4 inches. At the time, there was littleattention paid to scale as these were primarily toy trains. But as thehobby of model railroading matured, this “0” gauge track wasadopted for a new “scale”. Scale is the ratio of the model to the pro-totype. The ratio chosen was 1⁄4 inch = 1 foot (or 1:48), a commonarchitectural modeling scale. For most serious modelers of the time

(early 1930’s), the mismatch between the “scale” (1:48) and the“gauge” (5' instead of 4' 81⁄2") was negligible.

Eventually the Zero became O, “Oh”, and the terms O Scale,and O gauge came into common usage. The history of O gaugeand O Scale are not one and the same. They start at the same place,but the desire for scale model trains versus consumer toy trains ledthem down different paths. Up until a decade ago, you could befairly sure who was the toy train collector and who was the scalemodeler by the way people referred to their trains. If someone said,“I’m in O Scale,” it was a sure bet he had true 1:48 scale models. Ifsomeone said, “I’m in O Gauge,” it was a sure bet he collectedand/or operated toy trains. The scale train guys (and gals) tended tolook down their collective noses at the toy trains guys (and gals).

That’s not so easy to do anymore as over the last 10 years thedistinction between “scale” model trains and “toy” model trains hasblurred. We have the phenomenon of HiRail models which are fair-ly accurately scaled 1:48 models that run on 3 rail O gauge track.Except for the track they run on and somewhat oversized flangesand couplers, these are detailed O Scale models that rival somebrass models. To be sure, there are still plenty of toy trains out there,and, no, O-27 is neither a scale nor a gauge. But you can’t tell theO Scalers from the HiRailers without a score card.

Now scale vs. gauge gets really interesting when you look atnarrow gauge. O Scale, 3 foot gauge modelers led the “revolution”for Proto48 models. Abbreviated as On3, this means the models are1:48 ratio but run on track gauged at 3 scale feet, or 0.75 inches.Eventually, someone noticed that HO Scale standard gauge (4' 81⁄2")track scaled out to 31.2 inches in O Scale, not that far off from 36scale inches. So, these modelers started building O Scale super-structures over HO scale chassis running on HO Gauge track andcalled them On30. Not many U. S. prototypes used 30 inch gaugetrack, but, what the heck, model railroading is fun! Right? Ofcourse, the scale mavens eventually took notice and realized thatHO scale track used in O Scale looks wrong so you can now buy“real” On30 track and switches with properly scaled ties. Even theMaine two-footers have had their day with O Scalers. NJ CustomBrass imported several models in the 1980’s and 1990’s.

What’s the point of all this? Regardless of what track gauge we’retalking about (or the number of rails), all the models you see in OSTarticles are O Scale, 1:48. You won’t see any toy trains here, I prom-ise. There are other magazines that cover that segment markedlywell. To say that you will never see a 3-rail model in OST would bea lie because you already have, several times, and, I promise therewill be more in the future. Besides, I think it’s ironic to look downone’s nose at 3-rail track when you’re own track gauge is wrong.Maybe only the Proto48 and On3 guys (and gals) have the right tobe snobby, although I find them all to be as friendly as any other OScaler or O gauger. Let’s just play nicely together.

As always, your comments are solicited and welcomed. Got anidea for an article? Let us know. We’re especially looking forscratchbuilding and kit-bashing articles to teach craftsmanship skillsto our newest modelers.

Last, but not least, I’d like to thank Woody Mathews for compil-ing the Volume 1 Index. He’s also done Volume 2 and we’ll printthat in a coming issue.

Keep high ballin’! ◆

Atlas O, LLC. • 378 Florence Avenue • Hillside, NJ 07205 • www.atlasO.com

ATLAS O 2-RAIL SCALE™ TRACK!A SOLID Track Choice for Your Layout

Are you looking for the “right track” to make your O Scale experience agreat one? Try Atlas O’s 2-Rail Scale™ Track and give yourself the per-

formance you deserve.

Atlas O's 2-Rail Track is even more detailed than its 3-Rail predecessor, uti-lizing code 148 SOLID nickel silver rail and finely detailed brown ties, pro-viding a prototypical experience and superior electrical conductivity.

Developed as the only U.S. prototype track “system” to come to O scale,Atlas O 2-Rail Track comes in a variety of pieces such as #5 turnouts, 90degree crossings and 40" flex track so you can create a variety of great lay-outs.

ATLAS O 2-RAIL SCALE TRACK FEATURESINCLUDE:• Code 148 SOLID Nickel Silver Rail• American prototype ties and tie spacing with correct

spike, as well as tie plate and bolt details• Dark brown tie strip• Turnouts that feature highly detailed metal insulated

frogs and points• Metal frog can be powered if desired• UV compatible: great for both indoor and outdoor use

For your copy of the Atlas O Track Catalog, which contains layout plans, track pieces and more,please send $5 to the address shown below.

(Item #7024 - #5 Left hand Turnout, shown with Item #7098 Left hand Switch Machine, available separately)

(Item #7056 - 40” Flex-Track)

(Item #7051 - 4-1/2” Straight)

VISIT YOURLOCAL HOBBYSTORE TODAY!

SUNSET MODELS INC.37 South Fourth Street · Campbell, CA 95008 · 408-866-1727 · fax to 408-866-5674 · www.3rdrail.com

C&O GREENBRIERSTHE MODERNIZED VERSION

Named after Virginian Statesmen, Thomas Jefferson (#600), Patrick Henry(#601), BenjaminHarrison(#602), James Madison(#603) and Edmund Randolph (#604), these powerful NorthernLocomotives were used for 1st class passenger trains such as the “George Washington” or the“Sportsman”. Any collection is not complete without the original “Greenbriers”.

Sunset Models is proud to present these one-of-a-kind, highly collectible (only 30 of each #),superior detailed Greenbriers restored in 1/48th scale lifetime brass. Complete with superdetailed cab interior, directional lighting, sprung drivers with steel tires and our exclusive “QuietDrive Mechanism”. This modernized version has the headlight on the pilot and is equipped withBaker valve gear.

Reserve your 1/48th Scale Greenbrier Today!Coming in 2004

Only $999.95 Suggested Retail

PHOTO COURTESY OF HAROLD VOLRATH

OScale Trainsoscalemag.com/docs/ost_13.pdfing “cornfield” meets and, with trains pulling up to 80 lbs of cars, a mistake could be costly. I have 3 cabs and that keeps the CEO,

Documents