And Then There Were Three... Rails

 

Left to right - Nomura, Tri-Ang, Trix (fiber ties), Trix (Bakelite base)

I know that it has been some time since I last posted. There has been a lot going on in my life that has kept me even more distracted than usual. While I have still poked around with the trains, I haven't quite been up to sharing it. As I move along, I will likely get to posting some more of my projects. 

It is important for me, though, to mention that my plans have changed. 

I cannot have a permanent layout. The cats, as well as the ever looming possibility of having to relocate (due to health) make that an impractical notion. And honestly?

I tinker. 

One layout fixes your plans. You cannot, on a whim, decide that the spur you stuck in there needs to be relocated, or that you'd like to try an crossover/figure eight design. 

I am also fascinated by how the different H0/00 manufacturers worked out their designs. 

Previously I wrote about my interest in the tinplate style track made by Nomura, Fleischmann, and others, and how I thought it was good for what I do. It has deep rails, upon which large flanges can operate smoothly. Scale flanges operate fine on them as well, so for someone like me who would prefer to keep his vintage equipment in original (or close) condition, it makes more sense. 

I had played around with Tri-Ang Series 3 track, and found that it worked well enough, though it looks to me more like a larger scale narrow gauge track. 

This is where Trix comes in.

My interest in Trix goes back years, to at least 1979 when my high school library got a copy of Allen Levy's classic "A Century Of Model Trains". I saw how Bing created the first "00" scale (and H0 gauge) trains back in the 1920s, and how Trix came about from that incursion. 

Unfortunately, Trix in any form aside from MiniTrix N scale was rare where I am from. There was Märklin, with its three rail (well, two rail with "nubs") system. There was also the other European and Asian companies. There was even Tri-Ang and Hornby. 

But no Trix. 

After finally landing some Trix pieces, I finally had a chance to see what this system was like. 

The locomotive needed work, but a friend supplied me with another, plus some track. 

And the track has unlocked a realm of possibilities. 

In profile, the rails are similar to the tinplate rails of Fleischmann and its clones (Nomura, Marx, et al). It is deep, so it is forgiving of large flanges (indeed, my Distler American switchers seem to think little of it). The outer rails are insulated from one another. This allows two locomotives to operate on the same track with different controls, using the center rail as a common. 

With a proper setup, one can run both two rail and three rail locomotives. 

There are problems with current, though. 

Most classic Trix runs on AC. After 1957 or therabouts they began a switch to DC, and later in the 1970's Trix Twin switched to two rail. 

With proper switches, and being forever mindful of what one is doing, it is possible to use both currents. 

I have setup a couple of simple circle tracks so far and am rather impressed with the build of the equipment. There is still so much to learn here, but this might be the best solution for me. 

NewOne "Teakettle" With An Italian Heart

 This actually happened a couple of weeks back, finally getting around to writing about it. The NewOne B&O "Teakettle" 0-4-0T has been remotored, but not with an original. I received a box of motors, and one in particular, a Rivarossi vertical motor, I suspect from their original Indiana Harbor Belt 0-8-0.

The brass mounting strip, which is soldered to the end bell of the motor, was almost a perfect fit, needing just a screw hole refiled and the whole strip itself slightly reshaped. Another concern was the worm gear pitch, but it works well enough, if a bit loud (contrast that to the NewOne Camelback, whose motor assembly purrs). 

The shell had to be slightly reworked, as the motor sits slightly more forward than the original rectangular NewOne motor. To accomplish this, I ground down a portion of the interior just at the joint between the cab and boiler. For now, this is being left open, as it really isn't too obvious. Also, I filed off the rest of the broken pilot and replaced it with a diecast one that was almost the right size, though I had to adjust it a couple of times, as it was shorting out. 

While it is still a bit loud, it runs, and rather well at that. Next, we need to do some painting and couplers, and this model should be ready to go. 

Building A StromBecker Tank Car & A Controversial Choice

 I recently received a StromBecker H0 gauge tank car. This one is for Shell Chemicals, though I'm unsure if there were other variants.

While I feel that the StromBecker hopper car was probably their most complex from a manufacturing standpoint, this one is more complex for the builder. 

As usual, I made sure to scan and take measurements of all the parts before constructing the model. Again, I do this for preservation sake. 

There was some warping of the thinner wooden pieces, which made the construction of the frame a little tricky. There was a constant need to bend the pieces to get them to lay flat, If I make another one or reproduce this, I will probably use the old model airplane method and pin the pieces down to a building board. 

Once I was satisfied with the fit, the frame was painted flat acrylic black. I found that color that best matched the wrap to be Apple Barrel Country Gray. Only the ends of the tank and the dome were painted. The rest would be covered by the wrap. 

When the tank wrap was applied, a problem surfaced that I had worried about. There were slight wrinkles in the very thin wrap, and when it was attached to the wooden core, these wrinkles manifested as large "bubbles". They refused to lay flat. Using a combination of burnishing and slits, I was able to get them to lay flat. In hindsight, I wish I had printed a copy and used that.

The two "valves" on the top of the dome were missing. I hand turned to replacements from what was supposed to have been 1/8" doweling, though I suspect it actually thinner. 

Another problem was that the end "decals" had to have multiple slits and wedges cut out to fit properly. One of these was damaged when I tried to move it, so I simply removed it. They are actually very oversized and probably should be replaced entirely. 

I used Mantua Bettendorf trucks with brass wheels. These provide additional weight. Again, I made a brake wheel from a clothing snap. 

While not perfect, I'm content with the model. Since I have enough information to build another, I probably will, and provide it with a decorative wrap and colors, as the grey Shell Chemicals wrap is rather bland. 

X2F Y?

In other news, I have decided on couplers. 

Good old Paul Mallery NMRA committee designed X2F "hook & horn".

Why, you ask?

Before you lecture me on the benefits of Kadee, yes, I know. It must be remembered that I was in the hobby business, sold hundreds of them, and used them on my previous H0 equipment. 

My reasons for going back to X2F are many, but boil down to two. 

First, I plan on running a lot of vintage equipment, and the old X2F couplers were quite common. At this point, swapping them out is pricey for me. And let's face it, X2F are plentiful and cheap.

And they do work. I've heard some wild claims about their performance, but when my layout is built, it will be small and fairly simple. These will do. 

That's The Way The Plastic Crumbles...

 One of the locomotives I have a real soft spot for is the Marx battery powered 0-4-0. It is a cantankerous beast, yet looks so much like what one would imagine early American made H0 might have looked like if, say, companies like Marx or American Flyer (pre-Gilbert!) had gotten into it earlier. In fact, it is very similar to the Trix Twin 00 scale/H0 gauge "American" 0-4-0 from 1938.

(From the TCA Western Trix page)

By itself, I think it resembles any number of locomotives from the Pennsylvania Railroad, what with its somewhat Belpaire-esque firebox, as witnessed by my conversion of one into an ersatz E6 Atlantic.

I had another one arrive, specifically to have spares, but decided to try and resurrect the little beast.

Things went wrong rapidly. 

It arrived on the heels of some more parts for a planned PRR H8 conversion from a Tyco "Chattanooga Choo Choo" Consolidation. Again, I found myself thinking of how similar the Marx boiler was to the Trix and Pennsylvania Railroad designs, and wondering how easy it would be to simply use those parts. But now I had this new "parts" Marx arrive, so naturally I decided to restore it. To that end, I carefully removed the chassis and wheels. That spare Marx "Green Valley" boiler was the one planned for another project.

Sadly, this was the end result.

Aside from the boiler, all the chassis plastic was remarkably brittle. It crumbled, right down to the gears. I've never seen a hard plastic disintegrate like this. 

In the end, the intact boiler will be used to replace one that is not quite in the best shape on another of my Marx models. However, the Green Valley unit boiler is now facing a future as the one for the Pennsylvania H8 Consolidation project. It's just too close. That, however, is for another time, as I have other projects in queue. 

Repairing A Sad Faced Marx F-Unit

 When I started back into H0 trains, I was picking up parts lots. Over time, I built up enough parts to rebuild a couple of locomotives, including this one. 

This is an early Marx F-7. No headlight, and what can only be described as a "sad" face. There are a number of theories about why Marx and American Flyer/Gilbert H0 F units look so much alike. Some have said that they are actually the same dies, but elsewhere it's been pointed out that there are minor differences. I suspect that Marx either copied Gilbert's design, or rhey used the same die maker. 

Either way, this one was almost complete. There are a couple of steps knocked off, something I need to repair at some point, but my biggest concern was getting the motor running.

As usually happens with these models, the brush holders break in time. Usually, these are made from an insulated board, akin to Bakelite. Sometimes they are made from electrical insulation paperboard. In this case, it was the Bakelite. 

Originally I had planned on using a PET type plastic, but this motor runs very hot, so I looked for other materials. What I ended up using was a thin, sturdy carton board. 

It worked. 

These old Marx diesels have such a great growl when they run. 

Repurposing Gift Cards

Another model that I have in my "to-do" stack is this New One "Teakettle". After the parts that I had purchased to repair it went into restoring that Camelback, I was left without a motor. I decided to use one of my 12 VDC can motors, and to that end purchased a supply of worm gears. 

After much consternation, I managed to get one of those gears hammered onto the motor's shaft, and then came the matter of mounting it. I would have preferred to have made a proper metal motor mount, but I didn't want to waste the matereal just yet, Instead, I decided to simply use E6000 adhesive and bits from a plastic gift card (it was nearby). 

This was meant to be a temporary mount. Even though E6000 is a tough adhesive, it can be removed. 

Which is what is going to have to happen here. 

The motor could not engage the gear properly. I suspected there was a gear pitch problem, and this confirmed it. 

Alas, the only way to repair this locomotive is with the proper motor. Once more, it returns to the repair pile.

Megow Uh-Oh

 While I should be working on things like the bridge and general layout design, I am also wanting to have enough rolling stock ready. A lot of that I want to be vintage. 

I have a real soft spot for 1930's through 1960's craftsman kits, and especially the Megow cars. 

The problem is the cast parts.

In the short time that I bought these two hopper cars, the metal rot has accelerated. The hoppers themselves (the actual chutes) have become brittle but are still usable if glued into place on the undersides, which will stabilize them, while the paint will seal them.

The trucks are another matter. 

As the metal deteriorates it expands as microscopic crystallization occurs. The cross bars have now pushed both sets of trucks horribly out of gauge, by as much as a 1/16".  I could trim these pieces down, but then there is the problem of the sideframes becoming fragile as well. One of the B&O kit's truck had a journal just fall right off.

I know I can cook up a solution, but for now my plan to build either one of these kits will be put on hold.

Finishing The StromBecker Hopper (Mostly) & The Unexpected Restoration

 The long awaited StromBecker hopper has been finished, sans couplers. I have run out of dummy couplers, but I am reaching a point where I need to consider what sort of operational couplers to use. My biggest concern are the radii on my layout, so more than likely truck mounted couplers will need to be considered. As for the trucks on this model, they are an unknown 1940s - 1950s heavy diecast variety, which resemble Megow, though they do actually use what appears to be rubber cushioning for springs. 

As with my other StromBecker builds, I used clothing snaps for the brake wheel. 

Overall, I'm pleased with it. I can't wait to see it on the line.

The Unplanned Camelback

As I mentioned in my previous post, I was unsure what to do with those parts I purchased. I decided to simply reassemble the shell as nest I could, using E6000 with aluminum tabs for the initial assembly before moving on to J-B Weld for the permanent repair. After some sanding/filing/grumbling, I managed to smooth the joint down as best as possible. For some time I wondered if these parts may have come from two different shells, but on closer inspection believe this was just one shell. What has happened is as the parts have aged there has been some warping, as happens with these castings occasionally. I suspect we have reached the end of that... I hope. 

Once I had that done, I decided to just go with rebuilding the Camelback. A previous owner had reversed the motor's position on the mounting strip, and the only way to undo that was to take the motor apart and rotate it 180º around. This resulted in hours of grief, as the bearings and armature were now improperly aligned. I should mention that before this I had reassembled that mounting strip using copper sheet and our friend E6000. 

After getting the motor to run again it was attached to the chassis using E6000 again in addition to the couple of mounting screws remaining. I needed it to be in position as firmly as possible. 

Test fitting the shell revealed another problem - the top of the motor was preventing the shell from going all the way to the chassis. Further inspection revealed the reason - the chassis and steamchest had been modified as well. 

Using J-B Weld SteelStik I fashioned replacement sections, which were filed and sanded into shape as best as possible, based upon pictures of New One Camelback kits. 

With that accomplished, the entire model was reassembled, and for the first time on who knows how long, the little locomotive's motor was run.

Now, we just need to wait for warmer weather to prime the model and prep it for its final paint. 

One final observation. 

Philadelphia & Reading A4 and A5 Camelbacks were actually kind of small. Compared with my other 0-4-0's, this locomotive is not. In fact, it's kind of chunky and not correct in proportions. Measuring it reveals that it is probably 1/80 scale, common for H0j (Japanese H0) than 1/87. This means that if the model were regauged it would probably look right on proper 00 scale track, 19mm. American OO Today, if you're reading this...