Period scratch built T1 doorstop

[Carey Williams]

Hello all Doorstop aficionados.

At the March meet I was fortunate ( my words..perhaps not yours) to pick up a scratch built PRR T1 ..... one of two that were found together seemingly both built by the same builder .
all brass and tin soldered construction...dual motor ...and it runs ! Inner set of drivers ( both sets ..are sans flanges) .

Builder must have fell in love with the real one at the NYC World's Fair in 1939 ..and just had to have two ....

Anyone out there ever see one of these ? ( not the new ones ) ... any history ?
Notice the builder was able to capture the gentle waves and dents in the panels just like it's big brother .( totally lacking in the new ones)

I assume those 3 small holes between the front drivers were for a outside 3rd rail pick up ....

Cheers Carey

[Robert]

A beautiful old beast for sure...has a certain presence about it not to mention being Pennsy...

Robert

[Erik C Lindgren]

That's amazing

[sleepmac]

Super! Plus the photo of the PRR and NYC machines was outstanding. I am thrilled with the prospect of the new build of a T1 that a group wants to do. They even have one driver cast. Don't know when a 2nd one will be cast if ever.

Dan Weinhold

[De Bruin]

ooooo I like
The doorstop "mojo" is really workin' on this one. Let us know the details on how/if it runs.
Would love to clean this up.

[Carey Williams]

Thank you very much for your kind words ...about the T1 ....it has a presence ....love at first sight . There seems to be a varnish finish that has gone bad ... so need something to help dissolve the top textured layer to get down to the paint ...and not loose the lettering ...

Rumor the 12" to the foot scale ones were light on the front set of drivers ..and could easily break traction ....unknown if the builder designed this one the same way or the engine was so happy to feel electrons flow through it again ..but that front set of drives took off quicker than the rear .....

The photo of the "real" trains was a daily race between the NYC and PRR leaving Englewood ( current murder capital of the USA) ...as both trains head east along miles of parallel flat rail 8 plus tracks wide .... racing across the Little Calumet river with 4 lift bridges ( two tracks each) ...

Today the Chicago Skyway also parallels the main .... giving one a good idea of the thrill that once was along that stretch of track many moons ago .
Trackage is down to two crossing one bridge. The 4 lift bridges ..are now 3 ...during the demolition of the the 4th they killed two....so the other two remain as industrial eye candy. The B&O had a Bascule bridge lost in the shadows of the lift bridges .... about 20 years ago a rogue barge took offense to it presence destroying it .... so CSX climbs to grade crossing the lift bridge then rolls back down in the ditch to join it's severed main.

As a youth I climbed and rode the lift bridges ..so the location has a soft spot for me.

The best part about collecting the early 30's pieces is the over population of K4's and Hudson's ...my favorites ... some where on the layout ( once built) I need to work in a pair of lift bridges to race the NYC and PRR once again .

The photo of the T1 coming out of Englewood was all the rationalization I needed to add it to the collection .
Of course the smooth sides ( ok there are suppose to be smooth ) of the T1 would just clash with a set of heavy weights ..so a set of PRR marroon smooth sided cars needed to be bought also .... I'll post some photos of them later ..perhaps some could help identify them ...looking like smooth sided Kasiners' ( Jim enjoyed your article about them ) ..but seem to all wood ... ..just another track in the passenger yard
Cheers Carey
Photos ...lift bridges ...and the daily Englewood race over the years ..Both trains leave downtown Chicago and stop in Englewood ( today nothing stops in Englewood ) ... ..was the lights count down red, yellow , green, the engineers pull on the throttle and head east may the man with the most testosterone win .

[Erik C Lindgren]

Amazing Carey

Thank you

[aterry11]

Real tuff to decide strip and repaint or touch up and leave it alone? Whats all youse guys opinions? including all the Bobs
Amazing history and I would be broke right now cause I would have tried for both. Congrats

[bob turner]

My opinion here does not count. I am delighted with Cary and Steven Bloy for keeping 17/64 and doorstops alive both here and on NK. I will participate to the extent I can.

I do like the T1. That is new for me'; as a kid I thought the thing was ugly. Mine is a Williams, converted by my brother. we did around 20 of these things, and have one remaining set of drivers at an exorbitant price. You have seen this before.

T1 right side.jpg (42.03 KiB) Viewed 4478 times

I used Scalecoat Brunswick with a touch of CNW green, baked on at 180 degrees for an hour, followed by decals, then (mistake!) Scalecoat crystal clear, which almost destroyed my beautiful paint. Salvaged with rubbing compound and Future Floor Wax.

My attachment to doorstops kind of ends with the Adams all cast Diesels and the All Nation steamers. I guess the CLW H10 is a doorstop of sorts. When they get too raggedy, I have to rebuild them - see my Scale Craft K4s.

[Carey Williams]

Hello all

Bob nice paint job on the T1 ...thank you for the paint mixture .

No period photos of a T1 on a layout yet .... but in Alexander's book of 1940 he had a PRR S1 on the cover fresh from inspiration as shown at the 39 Worlds Fair . Within the book are the drawings to whip up your own S1 .....the S1's tender and T1's appear to be about the same . No period photos of S1's running on layouts of the period either ...

Grew up with visits to the local library by checking out various model railroading books ... my first T1 encounter was that in the preface pages of one of Louis Hertz's books ( Complete Book of Model Railroading ) with a (HO) T1 and the builders dog eyeing it as if it were a hot dog.

T1's today are a much more common sight .... last Sunday after the March meet I attended one of the fabulous open houses in Rockford ..outstanding layout with very friendly and kind hosts ... a beautiful scenic layout , trains as far as the eye could see and 2 T1's in the rail yard.

Cheers Carey

[rogruth]

Carey,
The paint job on the last T1 just above is new to me.
Never saw anything like it on the Pennsy or in any literature before.
Must have missed that one. I have seen that there were some
more fanciful schemes proposed but we got the standard PRR paint.
Too bad.

[bob turner]

Williams produced them in pink, silver, green, and maybe Tuscan.

[rogruth]

Williams produced them in pink, silver, green, and maybe Tuscan.

Really? Why? I wonder where I could get one? Not Really. Wishful thinking.
Thanks, Bob.

[Carey Williams]

Hello T 1 fans ..at least one other scratch built O scale T1 is out there ...as described in Model Railroader Jan 1947 ...using brass and wood to form the body .
Cheers Carey

[bob turner]

Oh, there is at least one more. A very nice Brit named Martin built one out of copper sheets. I will remember his last name soon.