Carey's recent acquisitions

[bob turner]

At my request, Carey sent me some still photos of the Cronkhite locomotives and of that Big Boy. I will add them to my Shutterfly account and post them here for posterity. I find the Cronkhite locomotives charming in an antique sort of way - they are well done, and sturdy models. The Big Boy is definitely scratch built - I can see a lot of parts that are "close" to Lobaugh, but it is clear that they are not from Lobaugh molds.

I will start with the Big Boy, then post the Cronkhite locos. I may actually have a Cronkhite photo of my own in my files somewhere - it used to come through my shop for periodic maintenance. I haven't visited the SDMRR Museum for years (aversion to traffic and parking issues) but am still a life member twice over. It is a Pacific, I believe, with double sand domes. Not positive I have a photo - will look now.

[bob turner]

Here is a more or less broadside of Carey's Big Boy



And you know me - I cannot resist posting mine - essentially a Lobaugh model with a few minor changes:



I can't tell you how to look for differences, but there are in fact differences in every part except maybe drive wheel castings. The Lobaugh was really easy - a new firebox, two extra driver slots added to the Challenger frames, and an extra four side rod castings. I have decided to add dummy driver springs soon, so a newer photo may appear within months. Bob Stevenson kindly cast me a stack of driver springs - if only I could get 0-80 steel hex heads with which to attach them . . .

[up148]

There are detailing differences for sure, but considering when it was built totally understandable. Can you imagine taking that to a club meet or running it in public. I'm sure it was more important to Milton how it ran. It doesn't look like he used many casting as most items look turned not cast.

[bob turner]

Study this photo - the only parts I could identify were the driving wheels. Even the rods, while quite accurate, are not Lobaugh castings. Yes, everything appears fabricated, while the Lobaugh models used lost wax in many places, including the steam exhaust fittings on the smokebox.
The builder's plate could have been added later, when such things became available.

All in all, a stunning scratchbuild!

[up148]

Yes, stunning is right. Cooling pipes, rivets, brackets, braces are all fabricated as well as the harder parts. I wonder how long it took him to make a model of this caliber?

[bob turner]

Several hundred hours - which, if you think about it, is less than a month if he/she worked eight hours a day.
I occasionally keep track - not that it makes any difference. I did do a copy of the Roundhouse 0-6-0 in 17/64 over a weekend - turned out well, but then I had been practicing, and as I recall the boiler was simply a straight tube.

Here is the Big Boy mechanism - about as far from Lobaugh as you can get.



Things to note - the clevises in the valve gear - the rods, perfectly I-beamed, the forward crankpins which appear to be really close to the actual Big Boy - in all, a masterful model.

[up148]

Taking a casual look or not having an interest in model railroading, it's easy to underestimate the talent and skills that went into building a model like this. You really had to be a model railroad fanatic to take it to this level. I've seen many other hand built models and there are many more unknown builders from the early days. I'm sure many of these trains were a labor of love and took years to complete......people just didn't have the leisure time we do today.

Back in the 50's when I was in single digits, I had an uncle who built scale boats from scratch. I remember seeing projects on his workbench for months and months and sometimes years, but when they were done even a little kid could tell they were quality.

[bob turner]

Here is a nice broadside of the Mountain. It is probably not as nice a model as the Berkshire, and I guess I would pop those sand domes and cut the skirts off, but it is an example of 1930s O Scale modeling. It was probably hastily done - but here it is:

[Pacific Limited]

Awesome stuff Bob

[bob turner]

Here is a broadside of the Berk. This is a much better model - the cab and sand domes are lots closer to true -
I personally have a difficult time with blind drivers - I put up with them only when the prototype was blind, and even then not often. I have a PRR 0-8-0 with center blind, and it will stay that way. The only other 2-rail loco with blind drivers is the Scale Craft Mountain, and I have plans to change that.

Carey is to be commended for restoring and cataloging these older models - most are outside of my desires for my personal collection, but I find them charming and worth watching in his videos. We have to get him a Shutterfly account so he can post stills.

[SWrailroader]

Bob,
Thank you for posting the pics of Cronkhite pieces. Carey, thank you for the action movies.

While these are nice bits of history I am struck by the lack detail. By the mid 30s Scale Craft came out with locos of noticeably greater detail. About the same time Lobaugh was even more impressive. Lobaugh had boiler bands which appears to have added a whole new dimension in detail.

The history and evolution of O scale is fascinating.
Rob