Old Friends get a well deserved makeover - Creating HO Scale DOWT Dummies

After the completion and release of my 0901 shell. I was lucky to be able to sell a few of them as well. I used to sell a few odds and ends on Ebay, so I had some shipping supplies pack away. As I was digging through boxes I came across these little guys.

These guys are the remains of a Bachmann HO scale Thomas and Percy. They are missing parts and more importantly their faces. Scary as these might be they are actually some old friends. Cast your mind back a few months to when I restarted this blog I made a series of posts about how I had to stop regularly going to visit my old model railroad club at Masonicare.

These engines where the first Thomas and Percy we got for the club layout.  They ran for a number of years for who knows how many miles. They took a few bumps,  falls and  lots of confusion and delay. Eventually there motors failed and they were taken off the layout. They were the most popular engines on the layout by far and the train guys deemed it necessary to replace the engines.

As they were destined for the scrap yards I elected to take them home instead.  I removed the motors and greased the wheels in order to help make then free rolling. Back then I didn't know what exactly I would do with them. But I knew that they would be become very useful again one day.

And today is that day!!

First a bit of backstory for you all. For many years Thomas has come to visit us here in CT; helping to pull heavy trains on the Valley.  I can remember my Nana and Papa bringing me there for a Day out with Thomas. Originally there it was the live steam Thomas that travels around the US for these events. However in recent years the "dummy" non-powered versions of Thomas has been visiting the Valley. There is a bit of debate about which is better, but personally I prefer the new "dummies" because it is more accurate to the TV series models. In addition, since 2015, Thomas has brought his friend Percy to visit us here as well.

As you may already know from my previous post I have been working on creating models of unique engines and rolling stock; mainly the ones found on the Valley. But what does this have to do with those old models you may ask?  Well I decided I would try to make HO scale replicas of the Day out with Thomas (DOWT) "Dummies" that come to the Valley each year.

One would say this is not needed as Bachmann make fully working models of the engines, but they are not correct to the Dummies, nor their TV show versions ether.  First lets look at Thomas; the factory bachmann model has the overall shape correct but there are things like the cab windows, the face and overall height that are incorrect for the dummies.  If you look at this photo:

 You can see the Thomas Dummy coupled to 3025. Notice that Thomas is significantly shorter, this is due to the dummys wheels. The overall body shape is correct but the wheels are a bit small making the dummy shorter than a one of the Valley's coach cars. Compare that to this photo of the Bachmann Thomas next to a Athern heavyweight car.

Both Thomas and Percy are the same height or taller than the coach car.  This is an issue I will have creating these models. Because I want to use as much as the factory parts possible, mainly the wheel sets. 

So I decided that I will try to fix these two issues at once using 3D printed parts. I started by creating a slightly shorter shell for Thomas, correcting the window issues found in the factory model.
I also starting to think ahead for "super details opportunities". Like creating a hole in the bottom of the smoke box to install a smoke machine as well as room for possible future DCC sound, while still leaving room to have the cab be open and not blocked off by black plastic like the factory model has.

Its just a start, but I thought it would be a fun project to revive some old models from the past and give them a new working life.

Re-visiting my first scratch-building project - HO Scale WDW

I may have mentioned this before but have always loved Disney. The movies, the parks, but especially the trains. Walt Disney himself had a fascination with train even building a live steam railroad in his backyard. So mixing my love for trains and Disney was very easy to do.  Case and point:

12 year old me in the Cab of WDWRR #1 " Walter E. Disney"

So during my time at college I started to build HO scale replicas of the 4 engines that you can find at Walt Disney World in Florida.  I took a bit of modelers licence because the real versions are 3 ft narrow guage but converting them down to HO scale was simpler and was what I modeled. To put it short the end result was 4 kitbashed and scratch- built engines made from tyco/mantua 4-6-0 models. They were very crude but at the time I was happy about it.   However looking back at them now, they are a bit hard to look at.  The paint is bad and there are obvious areas where I rushed to meet a deadline that never existed in the first place.  But why bring this up?

After modeling so much of the Valley's equipment I wanted to do something different to give me a bit of mental block from the same projects.  Digging in a box at home I found these old WDWRR engines and thought how can I fix these?

So I started with something simple that can be used on all 4 engines with little modifications, the cab. This was created based on online photos, scale measurements, and some reference photos I took of the engines when i was last at the parks and after about a week of working on it in between work and other projects here is the result.

So far so good I think. The goal would be to created full 3D models, in HO scale, that I can print out at home using my Photon S resin printer for each of the engines. I am currently thinking of re-using the tyco motors and wheel sets but that may change.

"The Gon" is shaping up - Progress on L&NE 728

Its been a bit since my last update.  There was some delay in modeling time and a brief break from the computer, spending all week on a cpu for work can be a bit draining and I took a few weeks to work on a quick side project for Chris's Valley Line layout.

But I am back working on the Gon. Which is actually complete for now!!!!

Well what I am calling Version 1 is complete anyways.

Version 1 (V1) is going to be modeled as if the car was still in service on the L&NE as a low side gondola and/or part of the L&NE's wreak train. In fact I was able to find out recently, with a bit of digging and a some help from another online group, that the Gon down at the Valley was used as a crane boom car with in the L&NE wreak train. Here is a picture of it at work.

L&NE/VRR 728 Gon on the right. Photo from the book "Lehigh and New England" by Ed Crist.

 But why make this Version one? If the Valley has the same type of car shouldn't this be called complete?

Well, yes the car is still at the Valley and yes, its still on display painted for the L&NE. BUT before it was "stuffed and mounted" into the display freight train. It was the VRR first open car and there were a bit of modifications done to aid allowing guests to ride in the car.

There was a chunk of the north end cut out of the car to allow a folding trap door to be placed over the couplers allowing staff and passengers to walk onto the Gon. This trap door is still present today seen here:

Photo by Tim Darrnel

The car had bench seating similar to the VRR "Riverview" does today and a metal handrail extended around the top of the car to provide a bit more safety. Here photo of the is a Gon during a Railfan trip back in 1986:

Here is L&NE 728 mixed in with some of the RMNE Stock on the Valley.
Photo by Carl Weber

So as you can see there are some more items that need to be added in order to make this match the Gon during its revenue service era. But not to worry I have already started to make some progress on that. Here is a snip of what it looks like right now:

And this is where I will leave it today but until next time see ya real soon!!

Covid Cabin Fever and finding created ways to use this time to help a fellow modeler

One of the best thing about this hobby is meeting others within it. I have mentioned before in posts here about my real start with model trains and the "old guys" from the Masonic Train room that helped me learn most of what I know.  Its people like this that are willing to share their Technics and skills that help pass this hobby on to others and help grow the greatest hobby in the world. Being able to create these models is a way that I can pass along the skills I have learned and to share there results with others in the community.

A few years ago I came across another blog and web site called "The Valley Local".  This is a very dedicated detailed blog covering the layout progress of Chris Adams. I have mentioned him before and is one of my inspirations for creating this blog. I was very honored to be able to visit Chris' layout, on my birthday of all days, and was even able to be apart of his operating session. It is a beautiful model of the CT Valley Railroad in the 50's and has become one of my favorite layout because of it being so close to home. But why am I bringing all this up again?

During the craziness going on in the world due to Covid-19 I am currently working from home. I am very grateful for being able to do this and I am using this opportunity to help others while I am home during lunch and what would be my normal communing time.  While I am working in my office I have by Dremel 3D20 making ear guards that I am donating to local medical and essential employees. More information here on my Facebook post.

I have also been doing a lot more 3D modeling as a result of being inside more as well. This is where Chris's layout comes in. I reached out to him to see if there was anything i might be able to create and 3D print for his layout. As I put it, something to fight off the cabin fever of this pandemic and Chris was quick to respond!!

 It turns out there is a specific grade crossing sign that he was looking for that were all along the Valley during his era. Through his own research and bit of my own, no manufacture make this particular grade crossing sign.

Zoomed in picture of the sign in question. "Max Miller Collection" 

This was right up my ally and a challenge that I love to tackle. Something "rare" or so specific that no one has heard of or made before.

After discussing it with Chris a bit further I started by scaling the photo to get some basic dimensions and guesses on size. I used the photo the two photos below to scale something I knew the dimension of. In this case the telephone pole and the width of the rails.

Great photo of Then and Now "John Wallace Collection"

Grade crossing in Middletown, CT. "Max Miller Collection"

This dimensions where used to create a drawing on paper first.  This is purely for my own sanity and helps me jot down any other notes or important information regarding to the project.

My hand written madness

This drawing also shows by first attempt at how I thought the sign was connected to the post. Only so much you can guess at when you are zooming into a photo. But another, clearer photo made me rethink how it was mounted to the wooden post.

Using these measurements I created my first pass at the sign 1:1 scale in the CPU. I do this for two reasons: 1.) Using 1:1 dimensions is easier as I don't need to convert anything & 2.) the Final model can, theoretically, be scaled down to fit any scale. Here is the current, final product!!

Front view

Back View

Now in no way is this complete and is basically a first draft of the model.  What I really need is a clear photo of the sign or even better the actual dimensions of the sign. But where am I going to find something like that?!?!?!   Thankfully Chris was way ahead of me and found someone that might just have what we are looking for. 

More to come, but until then, see ya real soon!!

Recreating the old favorite, The "Gon"

While things are still chugging on the 0901 project, which is currently in printing trials. Find out more about it on my Facebook Discussion Page. I needed to find a way to fill the time while I waited 10 hours for one test print. I thought about writing more articles for the VRR history project that I have been working on, but I have been writing all day for work.

I wanted to do something more fun something more to do with modeling trains. Well a breakthrough in this history project provided a bit of inspiration to bring some love back to a old VRR favorite.

If you have visited the VRR in the past few years you will have to pass by our freight train display on track 8. The FVRR tank engine, #2, is currently at the front but the car I'm referring too is just behind it. This wooden side gondola is a EX-Lehigh and New England Railroad veterain that was once apart of the VRR's daily coach train. Believe it or not it was the VRR's first open car!!

I never got the chance to ride in it while it was on the train but I have heard many happy stories of people that did. Part of me always wanted to get a model of this car but because of it being, like most things here, an oddball there wasn't many on the market. 

I was on the fence about building one from scratch but I had no measurement and access to the car as I am staying home because of the Virus.

I was lucky to find a Facebook group about the L&NERR and they were able to help me find the copies of the cars diagrams.  I will not post them here for copyright reasons but believe me the model is being drawn now to the drawings standards.

More progress to come but here us a preview!!

New place to talk Trains and other project details!!!

Hello everyone!!

I have some exciting news!!  I have created a new Facebook group to allow followers to have discussions on the projects that I am working on!! I hope to see you all there were we can discuss and share Ideas for models and for other future projects.

The first post over there is about the 0901's first test print.

Simply click the new FACEBOOK tab on the blogs home page!!

P.S. I am working from home now and the cats have getting in the way of both my 9-5 and my modeling projects at night lol.

Progress on HO Scale 0901

 Trying to avoid the crazyness going on with the world this past weekend I started to work on my model of 0901 again.  Made some progress. Split the model into two printable parts, created the headlight and whistles of different types, and started working on the handrails.

Short and sweet but good progress.  Photos will be updated here later.  Stay safe everyone and wash your hands