A scratchbuilding challenge (for myself) - cars, a loco, and a feed n' seed mill somewhere along the Weary Erie.

[Guest WM183]

Hi all.

While my British modelling has been on hiatus, I have not been idle. I found the joy of internet archives such as Haithi Trust, and have been able locate numerous railroad and engineering journals from the early 1900s with loads of information and good GA drawings of various American freight cars, engines, and other railroadania. Thus, I decided to try and see what I can do here in the Netherlands to build a small Proto 48 layout (Dead-scale US 0 scale) featuring a small rural feed and seed sort of place and a couple of traversers, combining the British "Cameo Layout" style with a 1920s US steam era theme. Power will be a small (by US standards!) engine, an Erie Railroad 2-8-0 (H20 or H21 type) and the stock will be a half-dozen assorted US boxcars and an Erie wooden caboose. This sort of project comes with some unique opportunities (for me, anyway) but also a couple of big challenges!

 

I get to scratchbuild virtually everything! I am a builder first and an operator a distant second. I love scratchbuilding, particularly freight cars. The only parts I need to buy for the rolling stock are trucks (Ordered from the US) couplers (easily available even in the EU!) rail, and maybe brake wheels... maybe. Everything else, including all wheels for the engine, will be made in house, either scratchbuilt from styrene and/or brass, turned on the lathe and mill, or 3d printed. I will need to custom make some tooling in house, such as an assembly jig for drivers, a P48 profile cutting tool to turn wheels and tires, and a wheel quartering tool. This will very much be a "learn as I go" project; I was an automotive machinist in the early 90s, but it's been a long while since I made chips fly in anger. Decals will also be a challenge; some are available from very helpful US sellers, but others, I am on my own. 

For now, I have started by building a pair of boxcars! A Pennsylvania railroad X29 type car (they had like 35,000 of these!) and a USRA single-sheathed boxcar (25k built under USRA control, and tens of thousands of clones or near clones) make these cars that would be seen on any US railroad between 1920 or so and 1960. Likely every freight train had an example of both of these cars in it, someplace. The cars are built from simple styrene sheet and profile, with some brass bits to be added. I have just begun final detailing of the PRR car, and will decide whether or not rivet heads are worthwhile soon(TM). The trucks are 2 rail 0 scale, but I will upgrade them to Protocraft P48 trucks soon(TM).

[JAMO]

Nice work! I like to scratchbuild too. Your boxcar looks very good!

 

I'll see you certainly in the next Aalten convention...

[Guest WM183]

Aalten? Is that a show?

[JAMO]

Yes, there was the first American trains modeling convention.

 

My friends and I, we'll maybe exhibit 3 layouts for the next one.