Lobaugh Cab Forward 2017

[bob turner]

Well, surprise. Our search engine will not look for either cab or forward, no matter what. Too common, it says. Ditto AC-8. I know I have a thread dedicated to these things.

I was just looking at my two Lobaugh models, and realized after owning the first one for three decades that its boiler is too short! The second came in pieces, and I was replacing a damaged smoke box, so I used the Church plans and got it more or less the correct length.

These old models sure have a lot of major flaws! The one that really got me was the length of the tender on the NP Challenger.

Happy to move this comment to my cab forward thread if anybody knows where it is.

[Seaboard Air Line Fan]

Here's one, still looking:

http://www.modeltrainjournal.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=16036&p=284845&hilit=lobaugh#p284845

and another, this may be the beginning of that topic:

http://www.modeltrainjournal.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=16036&p=284485&hilit=lobaugh#p284485

[bob turner]

You have seen all of these. Don't feel obligated to look at them for the fifth time.

Here is my original Lobaugh AC-8 - the only one I have seen with a Lobaugh factory tender.



This is an enhanced version, not passing through the Photobucket filters. What do you think?

4179 - one like this sold for $2605 in 2015.jpg (559.9 KiB) Viewed 8745 times

[bob turner]

Here is my Lobaugh AC-6 SF with Adams tender. Note that the boiler is about a full scale foot longer - you can see it over the number 8 driving wheel.

[bob turner]

The AC-6 is now black with decals by Wilhite. THe "SF" is a modeler's nomenclature; SP never called them that.

I have MM-2s, an AM-6, several AC's, and fragments, mostly in 17/64. I will post them again here, along with a better shot of the primered one above.

[bob turner]

Here is a nice scratchbuilt with only one engine powered being sold as a rare Lobaugh:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lobaugh-SP-Sout ... SwCU1Y4Zbk

Whatever it is, most of it is nor Lobaugh. The drivers may be; there always was a surplus of Baldwin Disc castings.

[bob turner]

A new start: In keeping with my new philosophy, I am going to post them all, in order. I will offer a thumbnail on all of my picture threads - historical notes of a seriously abbreviated nature. For more definitive information, the Church and Dunscomb books cannot be beat.

Pictures first - in 1911 SP was running passenger "Back-Up Mallies" of a 2-6-2 wheel arrangement. They were designated "Mallet-Moguls", hence the MM, and were quite prone to derailment. This is my favorite SP prototype, and my very first scratchbuilt steamer:

Early backup Malleys 001.jpg (606.59 KiB) Viewed 8765 times

Early backup Malleys 002.jpg (670.88 KiB) Viewed 8765 times

[bob turner]

Since we are in 1911, I have to show you my only 1/4' scale cab forward. This one was done for OSN, and we did a 12-part construction series. Unlike my other construction series, I am unaware of anyone having built from my articles on this one. The model features different gear ratios, giving an in and out of "synch" action. It pulls very well, and likes my superelevated test tracks.

OSN MM-2 002.jpg (880.51 KiB) Viewed 8764 times

[bob turner]

Astute observers will note that there is no drive line or gearbox showing anywhere. A serious hangup of mine. And no brake beams. Also note that I have enhanced these photos - all of them - you are seeing sharper versions of my previously posted artwork.

Next will be the Baldwin "fix" for the derailment problem. No need to post here - I will do all of them in sequence.

I keep thinking I would like for these to go to the Sacramento Museum when I croak. So far, no museum has expressed the slightest interest, although I did offer them temporarily to the San Diego museum during a "cab forward" month. They turned me down cold - just junk, I guess. Maybe I will send a link to the CSRM folks.

[bob turner]

By 1916, all the MM-2s had been converted to 4-6-6-2s with a "kit" supplied by Baldwin. I personally do not think it did anything to enhance the appearance of the locomotive, but nevertheless I set out to build one:

Somehow my MC-6 has become inserted, and there seems to be no way to edit it out. So, a few notes about the MC class: These giant freighters arrived in early 1910, pre-dating the Mallet Moguls. They sprang forth from conventional 2-8-8-2s that were choking crews to death in the Sierra snow sheds. This model has a strange SC tender - a "one of a kind" 98SC6. There is no record of it having served behind a Mallet Consolidation, but then, there is no record of it having not so served, either.

[bob turner]

So here are two more shots of the same two models:

Early backup Malleys 005.jpg (548.48 KiB) Viewed 8755 times

Early backup Malleys 007.jpg (742.82 KiB) Viewed 8755 times

[ScaleCraft]

These giant freighters arrived in early 2010, pre-dating the Mallet Moguls.

I am hoping that is when these giant freighters arrived at your shop...?

[bob turner]

Yes - thanks. Correction inserted.

The next series of posts will present the more modern AC series - AC 4, 6, and 8. I have never gotten around to the simpled versions of the MM and MC, which were done in the late 1920s. The AM was particularly ugly, having a gaping space between the cab and pilot beam - I cannot bring myself to do that one. I may do the AC-3 - I have frames and boiler around here somewhere. Yves posted a gorgeous shot of the Sunset AM-2; if he is around maybe I can get his permission to re-post. More in a bit.

[R.K. Maroon]

The enhanced photos look great, Bob. In looking through "Iron Horses of the Santa Fe Trail", the book on ATSF steam, I was astonished by how many interesting locomotive arrangements were tried as experiments in the late 1800s and into the turn of the century. The early SP models you are showing here reminds me of that, and makes me think that not much from this era has been offered in O-scale. Part of it has to be that many of these locomotives were not built in any quantity, and few survived. Add to it the improvements and standardization that followed and the fact of course that scale model railroading as we know it started during the golden age of steam (why look back?) -- so it's not a surprise. Other thoughts or opinions on this topic are encouraged.

On a different subject, I have been lucky enough to have seen Bob's collection of his scratchbuilt models and I will attest that they are indeed museum worthy. However, my philosophy is different -- I think that all models should be run, even if it's only on occasion. As such, I would gladly cast my models to the layouts of the world rather than let them sit in glass cases. Note, to support my point, that while you might get a few oo's and ah's from a static model, everybody lights up when a model cruises by. Also note that I practice what I preach: When I get to the point where I am no longer interested in running a model that I own then I will sell it, trade it, or give it away (about 30 so far). I would prefer it have a chance to run on somebody else's layout than sit in a box in my closet until the estate sale.

Jim

[bob turner]

I admit it - I rarely run stuff. I generally make sure they run properly, and make sure there is enough SAE 30 on the bearings to withstand decades of non operation, and then continue to the next one. I don't drink enough to watch more than five or six circuits, and get bored out of my mind with switching moves.

Takes all kinds. So here is the beginning of the rest of them. There are four - two Lobaugh and two 17/64 scratch. I believe all are in the first couple of posts, but now they are "enhanced". Let me know if you see a difference - I will stick one of them in one of the top posts for comparison.

The SP began to take delivery of the AC-4 in 1928. Deliveries of the last AC-12s was in the 1940s. In all, counting the MMs, MCs, various A series as well as these, the SP had over 400 "back-up malleys" by the end.

The Lobaugh AC-6 "SF" - not totally Lobaugh; the tender is an Adams (I better check that; I have maybe six Lobaugh 160C tenders around here). The only thing that makes the locomotive not totally genuine is the drivers - they are spoked, and the Lobaugh kit came as an AC-8 with BoxPok.

Lobaugh AC-6 004.jpg (622.8 KiB) Viewed 8745 times

Lobaugh AC-6 009.jpg (970.93 KiB) Viewed 8745 times