I Loves Them Mutts

 Someone asked me what the theme of my next layout is going to be.

I replied "trains".
I joke about making it the "Ferrocaril de Ashtabula y Conneaut", but the truth is there will be no set theme.
You see, the thing is, I love mutts.
Not your thoroughbreds, fine scale, really authentic, but the humble, the forgotten, the "junk".
Years ago, when I ventured into garden railways, I gave up on the idea of "accuracy" and "detail" on my model trains. It results in models that are fragile and complicated. I also gave up on the idea of 100% accuracy. I'll settle for "it looks good".
Oversized flanges? Not a problem. High rails? Pfft. Brass, steel, and tin track? No worries, I'll just clean them frequently.
In the pursuit of "perfect" I didn't settle for "good" or even "good enough".
And unless you are modeling in N, Z, or, heavens, T, there is no way your layout is going to be 100% accurate where real mainline track curves are concerned.
So mutts.
Yeah
I love them.

It's Dockside Madness Here At Ferrocaril de Ashtabula...

 One of my first steam locomotives in HO scale was the venerable LifeLike 0-4-0T "Dockside". I purchased it in 1983. The rear frame was broken, but I managed a decent enough repair job, and I had it for almost two years before it, and my entire HO gauge collection, were lost in a move (this happened too frequently, by the way. Of course, there is more to this story).

In the late-90's I was gifted with two of the LifeLike Dockside, the Varney "Lil' Joe". These were both fairly old and in need of repair. I also lost these in a move (sigh).

Anyway, I love this locomotive. I'm a sucker for its puggish looks, its tight wheelbase, its brutish personality.

And now, I have not one, not two, but three of the Varney models.

The oldest one, on the top, is an original 1941 production. Second down is a late 1940's, early 1950's version (change in frame design), and finally a mid-50's version when they were transitioning to plastic. It rides on the same frame design as the middle model. The original frame for that one, though, disintegrated, a victim of "zinc pest".

Oof.

I am still looking for parts to repair the third, but the older two just need refining and adjustments (why yes, I did use a soldering pencil half blind). 

Ever get burned with a soldering iron? Oh, I have stories.

The 1941 model came with an original Pittman DC-60 three pole motor. Sadly, it was ruined, the armature showing clear scorching. I nearly got it running, but in the end it was a waste of time. It now uses a five pole DC-60 that arrived with a later chassis. 

The middle one runs. Period. Pittman DC-60. Walks away with anything you put behind it like a boss.

Since I took the DC-60 motor from the recently arrived chassis, I decided to swap it out for a recently obtained KTM KH-13. This motor is what I call a "functional" match for the DC-60. I had obtained it for use in my 1941 model, but when I found the chassis and motor I sprang for that. I still need to turn the shaft down slightly to take the worm gear.

Am I done with collecting these?

Ha ha ha, noooo, of course not!

I still want both LifeLike versions (Pittman DC-71 and Mabuchi RE-280 can variant). And then there's the Bowser/English version.

And did I mention the Rivarossi Dockside? You won't believe how many versions there are.

And I have two already.

Daddy's Little Helper

 

Enough said.

Almost Hudson (West Virginia)...

Blueridge  Mountains, Shenandoah Riverrrr...

Sorry, had to go there. 

This has nothing to do with the late, great John Denver, country roads, or West Virginia. Instead, this has to do with a neat little junked locomotive that I just resurrected all by itself. 

This is a proper HO gauge battery electric locomotive manufactured by Nomura and sold in the United States under the Cragstan brand. 
And it's almost a Hudson.

(Image via Wikipedia) 

This beast, specifically. A New York Central J-1B 4-6-4 Hudson class fast steam locomotive. 

Obviously, the Nomura model is not complete.

The most obvious omission are the pilot and trailing wheels. Other details are simplified, such as the driving rods and surface details. But the rest of the shape is there. This is an Almost Hudson, not quite HO scale, being closer to 1/96.

Even in HO scale, the siderods on a steam locomotive drive the additional wheels if they aren't geared already.You want as many powered wheels as possible for tractive effort. The good folks at Nomura had this covered - all six on the rails are powered.

Look at the mechanism. This very strongly resembles mechanisms from some of the better German toy train manufacturers such as Distler, who were a major influence on Nomura (and in fact whom they copied with their Santa Fe F unit). 

I have questions about the motor, which looks far larger than just a 6 VDC version. Ahead of that motor, though, is a mechanical marvel - a bellows driven smoke unit. Sadly, the "bag" on the bellows is ruptured, and so far in tests no smoke has been seen. While I am on the subject of tests, I suppose I should explain that "resurrected itself" comment from earlier. When I began initially testing the model, it didn't so much as hum or vibrate. It seemed dead. Once I removed the shell and tried again, it sprung right to life. It still runs in further tests, so I have no idea as to what happened.

In searching around on the Internet I have seen this model variously as an 0-6-0 and 0-6-2. Apparently Nomura built it as the latter, and the sets I've seen so far have that version. 

But can you add pilot wheels?

That's problematic, for two reasons.

 

First, the rear set of wheels on the pilot truck lack the lateral space for much movement. While not a problem for wide sweeping curves, for any layout I want to build that is a problem. 
The other issue is further upfront.

That little tab is what holds the shell to the chassis. It would definitely block the lead wheels.

Which brings up an interesting observation.

The way the chassis is assembled leads me to suspect that it may have originally been used on another model. I am still researching Nomura's production to see if they may have made more steam, perhaps for the home market.

I do believe, however, that this model could probably be "corrected" into a baby Hudson, or maybe a Pacific (4-6-2). For now, it has to wait. 

The C&C Collectible Railway By T&S

Allow me to introduce you to a brand that was remarkably short lived - T&S from China, sold through Dollar Tree in the early 2000s. 

HO gauge, with a 4-4-0 locomotive powered by a single AA battery.

At first glance, it looks as though it was inspired by Bachmann, which makes sense as they share the same point of manufacture. 

However, the resemblance fades quickly upon closer inspection. 

These are remarkably toy-like. 

And in what probably sounds like an oxymoron, even the plastic they are cast from (some sort of polystyrene) feels cheap. The boxcar provides some pretty ample evidence of that.

Much like the rolling stock, the track is also deceptive from a distance. It looks as though it is provided with real metal rails, when in fact the are simply painted to look that way.

Also, like so many cheap sets, the track can only be set up in one direction. Oddly, as they actually manufactured some more track, including a diamond. Like the rolling stock, the track feels cheap, fragile, and in fact even a locking tab broke whilst taking it out of the bag.

The locomotive purports to be the classic American, 4-4-0. 

I am unsure what happened to the paint on the boiler casting, as the silver finish has been replaced by a chalky greyish white. No attempt at driving rods were made. Look carefully, though, at the wheels. When sitting on tracks, the front of the locomotive is lifted slightly by the pilot wheels, so that the dummy wheels are lifted free from the rails altogether. Yes, it looks odd.

Like many simple smaller battery powered trains this one uses a single AA battery ahead of the motor housing. Like those locomotives, the battery also provides necessary weight on the drivers for traction. 

Look at the fit of those pieces. Not impressive, and attempt to hide it with stickers will work, though what should one expect for $1?

The motor still worked, so I opened it up to inspect the mechanism.

The silicone grease had yellowed with age, and really should be replaced. Also, that gear ratio is sort of low, so one should expect fairly high speeds.

As for the remainder of the rolling stock, the thing that I liked most about them has to be the couplers. While not automatic, once they are coupled you are hard pressed to uncouple them.

What is to be done with this second (third? Fourth?) hand find?

Aside from the boxcar, the remaining cars are almost salvageable. There are quirky elements, such as the truss rods being molded integrally with the undercarriage, and plastic trucks that rather resemble some very early American made HO stamped aluminum ones. The scribing on the side of the caboose and the floor of the low sided gondola is too wide, and that might be hard to work around on the former. They also made a passenger car, though I am really unsure I want to spring for that. The locomotive? No idea how to get around some of those appearance problems.

Oddly, though, I am reminded of 1920's and 30's era American made tinplate. Proportionally, they were far worse, being even clunkier, but physically they were nearly indestructible.  The same cannot be said here.

Be that as it may, for pocket change this gets added to my little collection of odd and forgotten toy trains.

Chasing Mystery Toy Trains

 In my previous post about "clones", I showed two 0-4-0T side tank locomotives that were basically identical to the Lima Alco side tank (which itself is a duplicate of the old Mantua model). In my quest to determine more about these, and why they are so similar to the Lima models, I wandered far and wide. 

Well, as far and wide as I can travel.

I know that the battery powered version was sold in sets through Woolco and Woolworth in the early 1980's. That set included a passenger car.

(From eBay)

They also sold a version with a cute little diesel that vaguely resembled some GE locomotives.

(From eBay)

The cars definitely look like some of Lima's, specifically the gondola and tank car (I have yet to compare the passenger car). But the track is what they call "EZ-Groove". The Apple Toys (no affiliation with the technology company) was simpler.

(Personal collection)

But the track was better, and in fact looks like a copy of Lima Crick track.

By the early 1980's, Woolco's in the US was gone, and many of the products that they carried went to their progenitor, Woolworth, including a few train products, but as near as I can remember, these sets were gone. I have no idea who carried the Apple Toys set.

The clockwork set appears to have actually come along later. It was sold by an outfit called "Small World Toys", no affiliation with same companies using that name today. It was also pricier.

This is where Playart gets briefly involved, and may in fact be related. They sold a few cars that were derived from Lima's cars, and not just the Crick line (see the Playart page at the Lima Classic site). Playart also marketed an ALCO 0-4-0T that used a shell identical to Lima's version.

(From eBay)

There is a definite evolution, however, from the original Lima shell through the Playart and Apple/Small World Toys versions. The fuel bunker on the Lima and Playart versions is  still relatively short, but the battery powered version had the bunker extended due to the nature of the motor and battery installation. This version was carried over through the clockwork version.

(Personal Collection)

Let's go back to the rolling stock for a moment. 

(Personal Collection)

Here, the Apple Toys are on the left, Small World Toys the right. The simpler are obviously the Apple brand, being just one piece shells, cast in coupler hoops, and stickers. The Small World Toys cars are better, being multi-piece, with printed lettering and swiveling hook/loop couplers.

(Personal Collection).

This is where out story ends, unfortunately. 

I suspect that Playart was involved, but their trains were also gone by the early 1980's, with some being picked up by Model Power. As near as I can tell none of the Lima derived trains transitioned over, and seemed to have just faded away, replaced by newer, though not necessarily better, generations of toy trains. 

Perhaps the story doesn't end there, but that remains to be seen.

Send In The Clones...

 If you follow this blog like I do (oh, right, I write it...), then you might remember a little post I made at the end of July, 2025, titled, nerdily, "Diving Into Forgotten Ancestry". In that I compared two of my favorite locomotives and copies.

Since that time, I have acquired said locomotives, and in doing so made some interesting discoveries. 

Let's start off with the Tri-Ang "Continental" 0-4-0T locomotive, electric and clockwork. 
There was one very big difference between the battery powered clone and the original. See if you can spot it - 

I failed to remember its size. Needless to say, I was let down. 

The Lima American side tank 0-4-0T was a bit more encouraging, however. Its two "clones" are different in key details, hinting at how they evolved - 

There is a story here, and I would really like to know what it is. I will be writing on this, soon.

The Short Non-Existence of the Arlington, Mayport, and Pablo Beach Railroad

 The final HO gauge railroad I designed for myself came the closest to being built, and sadly that isn't saying much.

I consistently scaled back my idea HO layouts. As we made frequent moves at the time there was no point in designing a large layout, though I did. Once it started to become obvious that until we had a firm housing situation dreams of having my own Gorre & Daphetid (let alone Malcolm Furlowe's San Juan Central), my layout designs began to shrink, as did their associated scenery.

No mountains, no canyons, no sweeping vistas. 

It was going to have to be simple.

In 1989, I designed a simple 4' x 6' layout with hopes that, wherever we ended up, I'd finally be able to build it. I chose Florida as the theme, as I had recently studied up on the Florida East Coast Railroad.

My line was to be a predecessor to an abandoned line that ran through my home town. 

This railroad was the Jacksonville, Mayport, and Pablo Beach. It was a three foot narrow gauge that ran from close to downtown Jacksonville (or the city limits at that time) to Mayport village. 

It was a financial disaster.

The railroad lacked proper grades, and the tracks followed the shape of the land. Even though Florida, and Duval County, are relatively flat, the landscape is shaped by ancient sand dunes, so there is a slight undulation. The locomotives that the J,M&PB used were lightweight and lacked the traction necessary (the railroad was derided as the "Jump, Men, & Push"). Main traffic was primarily passenger, apparently, and there just wasn't enough people riding.

It was soon abandoned and scrapped, though there are still vestiges of it in the layout of some of the streets through Arlington, and along the Wonderwood Expressway that runs from East Arlington to Mayport, which follows almost exactly the old right of way.

My line was going to be standard gauge and would connect with the Pablo Beach Branch of the Florida East Coast at Mayport. In this way, there would be a literal loop of railroads from Jacksonville to the Beaches.

My railroad, the Arlington, Mayport, and Pablo Beach, would use second hand FEC and Atlantic Coast Line locomotives, and would be a mix of passenger and freight. 

That was the backstory. 

My layout, though, was going to be small, and even though I longed to have a fleet of engines that simply wasn't practical. At best, the layout would have two, maybe three.

The section of the A,M&PB I was going to represent was the Cosmo Division, south and west of the Ft. Caroline area of Duval County, in an area known as Cosmo. The nearest large town would be the fishing village of Fulton, now buried under middle class neighborhoods. To the east, heading towards Mayport, there was Idlewild, also long gone. My layout would be a simple loop, though. It would just be enough to run a train.

A recreation of the A,M&PB track plan

I did allow for possible expansion, though. Two spurs were added, not so much for where they would exactly be, but to remind me that this was just to be a tiny seed from which the railroad could grow.

Over the next few months I worked out how much it would costs, and began making plans for building it. Since it was small and simple, moving it wouldn't be a challenge.

By spring of 1991, however, it was clear it wasn't going to happen. We were never going to have the space.

I switched to garden railroads and stuck the track plan in my copy of "Model Railroading With John Allen". I gave my remaining HO away and moved on. There would be track plans for others, but for me, it simply wasn't in the cards.

0-4-0-4-0-4-0-4-0...

 I can quit any time.

By the way, this wasn't supposed to happen. I was setting out to stick with diesels and electrics this time round, but when something crosses my path, cheap, or with a lot (happens... a lot), well, yeah. 

Finishing The StromBeckers

 Back to the StromBecker kits and reproductions.

After picking up trucks and couplers from Marx Train Parts (thanks Jim!), it was time to get these cars rolling. 

The first thing that needed to be done was making bolsters for mounting the trucks. For these, I used "craft sticks", basically wooden "Popsicle" sticks, fairly tough variety wood (I suspect fine grain birch, as nobody wants splinters with dessert). These are nominally 3/8" wide by 1/16" thick. Two of these were enough for six bolsters. Before cutting them apart, each was marked, and the centers of each bolster drilled for a #4 screw. 

Next, I turned my attention to the brake wheel mount. These were punched from cereal box cardboard using a 1/4" hole puncher (one of my favorite cheap materials, though if you've been following along you probably know that). They were then cut to shape and glued into place. 

The mounting locations for the bolsters were marked onto the underside of each car using a guide I made on an information card for these models. The center needed to be 11/16" from the end, which meant that the edge of each bolster was 8/16" (1/2") from the end.

The bolsters were cut to size.

After they were cut they were glued into place. I decided at this time to hold off on drilling the pilot holes into the undercarriages until after they were painted.

Since these models are extremely simple I decided to paint the undersides flat black. If there was more detail I might have gone with more prototypical appearance. Once the paint had dried the pilot holes for the truck screws were drilled. I should mention that I use a twist drill for small work like this.

Turning to the brake wheels. These were made from small clothing snaps, which were glued using E6000 silicone adhesive onto a short length of thick florist wire. Mounting holes were drilled into the brake mechanism, the rest of the brake detail drawn into place with a felt pen, and the wheel pushed into place.

Using #4 x 1/2" steel wood screws, the truck and coupler assemblies were screwed into place, each topped with a #4 washer.

And now, a mistake.

The NYC AAR 40' Pacemaker boxcar had its brakewheel put into the wrong place. It needed to be near the roof line. This meant carefully removing the whole assembly, redrawing the detail, and moving it up to the correct location and doing touchup as needed. 

To err is human, I suppose.

(oops... fixed!)

And with that, the three StromBecker cars were finished. Admittedly, the oversized knuckle couplers from Marx look a bit odd, but for now they will do until I determine which style I will use.

Will I do this again?

Well, the G-D boxcar is waiting, and chances are pretty good I will do more.

Tinplate Attitude In HO Scale

 This is my current test setup - 

Just a circle of HO tinplate track. 

A very tight circle, in fact, about 22.5" (57cm) across the outer rails. This track came with those Nomura/Cragstan tin locomotives. I have enough for two complete loops, plus a couple of straight pieces. 

This track, like those diesels, are copied from Distler, a West German company. They, in turn, apparently copied their track from Fleischmann, which made a huge range of tinplate HO. I also have two Fleischmann turnouts, though I don't really have the room for them yet.

But, let's say that this track was O gauge instead of HO. That's an increase in diameter for this test track of 192%. That gives us circle of track 43" (109cm) or so across. 

That's a bit larger than O27, the most common O gauge train for years. decades even.

Entire railroad empires were made in O27.

Of course, there were caveats. 

First, the wheelbase on steam locomotives had to be short. This meant that most O27 locomotives were 0-4-0 or variants on the four coupled theme. There were a few six coupled designs, like Lionel's "Baby Hudson" or Marx's lone Pacific/Hudson, but they worked around this by having smaller diameter driving wheels. In fact, most O27 steam locomotives are sub-scale, with the exceptions being models of switchers.

Diesels are, of course, another story, but even then there are three that I can think of that are scale (American O scale, 1/48) that will go around O27 curves - the Lionel F3, the Marx #21 (F unit of sorts), and the Unique Arts #2000, which at 14" were the longest O27 diesels for a long time.

Yet modern  HO scale isn't like that.

Since the founding of the NMRA, the preferred minimum radius track has been 18" (46cm). Atlas and a few other companies did make 15" radius track, but as models became more scale like these tighter tracks had to be dropped. 

My Athearn F7 with the famous Hi F rubber band transmission will not handle anything less than a 15" radius apparently. The trucks won't even settle properly on this 11" radius. Another work in progress, a Marx F3 battery set unit also balks at this, though Marx made tight track for their "toy" sets.

The thing is, the two Nomura locomotives are the same size as the proper "scale" models and included this track in their sets (apparently the original Distler sets had a slightly larger radius, though I haven't confirmed this yet). 

What gives?

Compromises, folks. 

The Nomura diesels, and their Distler forebears, while scale size (well, closer to 1/90 instead of 1/87) are not scale-like. The wheelbases on the trucks are short, and they pivot closer to the center of the locomotive.  Also, little protuberances like steps are omitted. This is also how the larger scale achieved those tight turns.

What about a true equivalent of O27 in HO?

That would be about a 7" (17.5cm) radius. 

Can this be achieved?

HO gauge was originally OO gauge (confusing, but hear me out). When Bing introduced the gauge in the 1920's it was originally considered "table top". Tight radii were the norm.

I am going to look into this more.

Of course.