Interurban Freight Motor

[Miamigo259]

I have managed to scan in the page from the catalogue .....

Those drawings look completely different to the US manufacturers versions of the conversion parts, and actually look better, with the end door and revised platform arrangements. The version on the right makes me think of a Chicago, North Shore & Milwaukee car.
As he doesn't have an internet presence - essential to sell and certainly make potential buyers aware of their existence, I would have thought, nowadays - he may not still be in business. There seem to be several UK based tramway suppliers for other scales doing an internet search.

 

[Madman]

Thanks, they're interesting.

 

[trammayo]

Those drawings look completely different to the US manufacturers versions of the conversion parts, and actually look better, with the end door and revised platform arrangements. The version on the right makes me think of a Chicago, North Shore & Milwaukee car.
As he doesn't have an internet presence - essential to sell and certainly make potential buyers aware of their existence, I would have thought, nowadays - he may not still be in business. There seem to be several UK based tramway suppliers for other scales doing an internet search.

It is still mentioned on the TLRS site (I don't know how often they update the information though).

 

[Miamigo259]

It is still mentioned on the TLRS site (I don't know how often they update the information though).

Found him mentioned on there, along with the magic words "does not seem to be trading", so that seems to explain that one!

 

[trammayo]

Found him mentioned on there, along with the magic words "does not seem to be trading", so that seems to explain that one!

Right! Must have missed that Caveat!

 

[idlemarvel]

"shame on you for wimping out"
MC


"The lord above gave man an arm of iron so he could do his job and never shirk. The lord above gave man an arm of iron. But with a little bit of luck, with a little bit of luck, someone else will do the blinking work".

Bit late in the day but I just got the reference - My Fair Lady, Alfred Doolittle. Excellent Dan.

I am enjoying this thread, appreciate the workmanship and economy.

 

[Miamigo259]

I've managed to finish the model a bit quicker than expected, having given up tying to scratchbuild some trolley retrievers, so it is fitted with a wooden rewiring pole now instead. The "bamboo" pole was made from a wooden meat skewer with a bent wire hook fitted to the end.
A close up of the end of the car (with the pole) is shown here....



The red marker lights are plasticard oddments, whilst the (dummy) main headlight is made from part of a plastic insert from a bus ticket roll and a domed screw head cover

I made a couple of brackets to hold the rewiring pole out of plasticard oddments and mounted them on the chassis side....


I was going to do some test running to see what the completed car will haul in the way of rolling stock, but the tracks are saturated, covered in leaves,and it is still a bit foggy for good measure!

Will report back (with photos) when things have dried out, hopefully later this week.

 

[Madman]

The car looks fantastic ! I like the front end treatment you came up with. Perfectly believable. And much better use of your resources than spending alot of money on ready made parts.

 

[trammayo]

Yes, it sure looks good. Nice the touch the duck hook (bamboo pole).

 

[beavercreek]

Some years back I bought, from ebay, a complete kit for building a railmotor using the 'Light Rail Products' front fairly similar to those shown by Mick (Trammayo).
The kit had the Bachmann combine car kit, the front castings, brass motor block, bogie sides and detailing for a diesel motored railcar (airtanks for the roof etc).
The whole lot was pretty cheap and on a buy now so I just had to snap it up very soon after it had appeared.

They guy selling it said that he had bought the individual pieces and never got around to building it...... which it seems, that I have copied!
It was going to be an addition to the 'Beaver Creek Transportation Company' roster or even a slightly modified Denver interurban car.

This thread (and Mick's mentioning of the light rail front end kit ) has rejuvenated my interest into actually building this!

 

[Miamigo259]

It appears that I underestimated the units hauling capability, as it just pulled this little lot round my complete circuit, gradients as well...............


Thats 3 Bachmann Reefers (with metal wheels) and 3 Bachmann Tankers (with plastic wheels) - ie quite a bit of deadweight on damp track.
Other than shunting work, I think I will limit the number of cars to a maximum of 4 though, but that is double the number I expected the motor bogie to be able to cope with in addition to dragging the baggage car body around !

Next time I remove the body again, I will most probably add a bit more weight above the powered bogie, as it was noticeably lifting the front wheels of the track on odd occasions whilst pulling those 6 cars.

Anyone going to the Essex GSS meeting at Tolleshunt Knights later this month will be able to see the model there for themselves, all being well.

 

[beavercreek]

Look forward to seeing it Miami!
Good pulling power.

I will make mine as a single load unit with the possibility of hauling a passenger car as well.
My inclines are a bit steep (max at 10% or about 1:10) so I don't think it would pull more than that anyway.

My Accucraft K27 can only pull itself, its tender and maybe one light car up the gradient.
I have had to build rolling stock with hidden motors to act as 'invisible helpers' for all of my steam locos.

 

[mcbearuk]

That's a beautifully neat piece of modelling and it looks smart! Makes me feel guilty about my inaction - I think that I will mock up a prototype cab front and see how it goes.

I like that neat elevated track form - the line of concrete blocks look very good. I am getting to olld for bending down that far and I will be building something taller when I get going again.

 

[David1226]

I must admit, generally speaking, I'm not a huge fan of American outline but I do think this was a brilliant bit of kitbashing to produce a rare model to lift it out of the 'ready to run, out of the box' line up. I think this model has real character. It gets four big yeses from me, you're through to the next round.

David

 

[musket the dog]

Fantastic final result, very believable. Impressed by the motor block too, could be onto something interesting there

 

[Miamigo259]

That's a beautifully neat piece of modelling and it looks smart! Makes me feel guilty about my inaction - I think that I will mock up a prototype cab front and see how it goes.

The Bachmann coach roof shape isn't a problem if you literally hack the ends off and make a new ones (or buy the resin replacements) or even make a new roof, but it really presents 3 problems for doing anything else...

a) It doesn't reach out to where the platforms end, its about 1cm too short.
b) it dips down at the ends
c) The arch profile of the roof end is rather pronounced .

I've been having a look at some of the preserved stock I have photographed on visits to US museums and the best end profile to fit the Bachmann car would be the South Shore 1920's units, which ran in service until the early 1980's, this one being at the East Troy Electric Railway......

It hasn't got a clerestory roof, but with some patience the "dipped" ends of the roof could be cut to be level and the "3d bit" shaped ends constructed accordingly. The new end roof profile would need filling and shaping to match the rest of the roof, but I think it would be possible to do.

I'm not likely to try this on the 2-car set that is next in the "build queue" (as I've already started the trailer car), but I may consider it in the future at some stage

 

[mcbearuk]

The Bachmann coach roof shape isn't a problem if you literally hack the ends off and make a new ones (or buy the resin replacements) or even make a new roof, but it really presents 3 problems for doing anything else...

a) It doesn't reach out to where the platforms end, its about 1cm too short.
b) it dips down at the ends
c) The arch profile of the roof end is rather pronounced .

I've been having a look at some of the preserved stock I have photographed on visits to US museums and the best end profile to fit the Bachmann car would be the South Shore 1920's units, which ran in service until the early 1980's, this one being at the East Troy Electric Railway......
View attachment 204312
It hasn't got a clerestory roof, but with some patience the "dipped" ends of the roof could be cut to be level and the "3d bit" shaped ends constructed accordingly. The new end roof profile would need filling and shaping to match the rest of the roof, but I think it would be possible to do.

I'm not likely to try this on the 2-car set that is next in the "build queue" (as I've already started the trailer car), but I may consider it in the future at some stage

You are right, the end platforms of the Bachman car are rather short and the end profile of the roof is unhelpful. I am considering extending the roof beyound the clerestort, rather like the Blackpool 'Pantograph' cars, to achieve a good end, I also have a spare roof, taken from another Bachmann car that is intended to be bashed into something rather like a Soller Railway trailer car, so I could cut and splice togive a longer roof and then shape back the ends..........it is all something to think about in these dark evenings.

 

[Rhinochugger]

Light Rail Products have some roof ends for Bachmann coaches

 

[mcbearuk]

The LRC products are very nice, but the complete set for the ends comes out at £140, which is a bit steep for an old trightwad like me! The 'Pullman' lav windows are rather attractive (and cheap) so I may invest in a pair of those for my combine.

 

[Rhinochugger]

The LRC products are very nice, but the complete set for the ends comes out at £140, which is a bit steep for an old trightwad like me! The 'Pullman' lav windows are rather attractive (and cheap) so I may invest in a pair of those for my combine.

Check again, it's Canadian Dollars I think