A Box Of Docksiders

 In Louis Hertz's classic "Riding the Tinplate Rails" he mentions something of a poll that was taken to determine what model and toy train enthusiasts wanted. This was the late 1930s, at a time when tinplate was dominated here in the United States by 0 gauge. Scale model railroading, however, was becoming dominated by H0. 

One of the replies amongst tinplaters was a need for smaller scale ready to run equipment that was reasonably priced. 

Naturally, over in Europe you had several companies who were meeting that demand. 

Stateside?

Not so much. 

The two smaller scale locomotives that were ready to run that had been introduced by American companies were both Hudsons - the Lionel 00 scale model, a masterpiece, and the less expensive H0 Gilbert model. 

In 1939, the Gilbert Hudson sold for $12.50. In 2026 dollars that is whopping $297. It was as much as a small 0-27 train set. 

Even then, what they really wanted were smaller locomotives, 0-4-0 and 2-4-0 types. They did exist, but they weren't quite ready to run, and for folks who weren't mechanically inclined that was a problem. Most of the kits at that time required tools like taps and the ability to set rivets and solder. 

It was Varney that answered the call, though it was still a kit. 

In 1941 they introduced their "Lil' Joe" dockside switcher. 

It was not too expensive, and was easy to build. If you chose to detail it with more realistic valve gear, sure, there was a kit for that. But most of them remained relatively simple, and more importantly they were fairly reliable if built properly. 

It is little wonder that when the Italian company Rivarossi decided to enter the American market that one of their first locomotives was a Docksider, a read to run model. This model remained in production into the early 1950s, when it was replaced by a better proportioned version. 

I have no idea if the tinplate enthusiasts of the late 1930s and early 1940s were ever satisfied by the later offerings. Gilbert and American Flyer introduced S gauge tinplate in the immediate postwar period, so there came around a smaller tinplate scale, though the equipment was still about the size of 0-27 equipment (Marx and American Flyer made 3/16" sized models before the war, and while they didn't admit as much, some of the smaller rolling stock that Lionel produced after the war, namely the boxcars, were that size as well). European and Japanese companies would step in eventually, with more ready to run offerings arriving from American companies by the 1950s. 

Anyway, I just spent an hour testing out my collection of Varney, LifeLike, and Rivarossi Docksiders on my temporary Trix Bakelite layout, and they all ran very well, aside from some dirty sections. While the two heavy Varney diecast models (1941 and 1948 vintage) ambled down the right of way with dutiful intent, the lighter LifeLike versions and the Rivarossi ran a little lighter and faster, though they seemed to have no problems whatsoever, coasting over the remaining dirty spots with ease. 

They still need work. Couplers are needed, some damaged sections repaired. But they run. For now, that'll suffice. 

A Surprising Sausage Powered Locomotive

I ordered this model in early April from the UK. Every time they popped up here in the States they would be bought up before I had a chance to place to nab one. On the international market, though, they seemed fairly commonplace. 

I took a chance and bought a "dead". 

It took three weeks to arrive. 

But here it is, a Jouef (for Playcraft) model 431 0-4-0T, sitting on some century old Bing 00 tin track - 

It is actually based on a US Army 0-6-0T that was made to help restore European railways, and they proved to be quite popular. 

So did the model. In addition to being sold as an electric model, it was also sold as clockwork. 

This one is a very early electric version. The motor had actually popped out. The engineers at Jouef designed an ingenious method of installing motor where there was very little or no wiring to deal with, and everything snapped into place. This pinion/crown gear motor had just popped out of place. It took all of five minutes to repair. 

It was running in no time. 

But what about the "sausage"?

The motor, a Jouef design, is known as the M40, and is nicknamed "the Sausage". 

I admit I love this locomotive. The pinion/crown gear transmission and the hefty motor means that it coasts with ease. It glides over any glitchy track with ease. It might not be the most powerful, but it is really reliable. 

I'm pleased with it. 

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.