Model Train Journal

So, as promised, I dug out my HO. These two pieces date from 1947/48, just before my family moved to New Mexico - my father was working on pilotless bombers and the V2 project at Holloman. He put both kits together for me.

The Dockside is Varney, and at a later date got its window mullions removed and a Central Valley valve gear kit. The valve gear is long gone. The gon is stock Mantua.

Cool. No motor. I like that.

early HO .... HO over took O in the MR 1940 annual poll of favorite gauges .......any outside 3rd rail HO out there .... ? outside 3rd rail ..shown on the cover of the 1938 Varney catalog ... by 39 two was taking over ... cheers Carey

Wow, HO with working third rail, I had no idea. I recall seeing some photos of European layouts in O or maybe OO(?) that were third rail equipped, I have to assume it was there for more than decoration, as in you know how many European mainline prototypes used third rail? (outside of GB's Southern)
Thanks for posting that.

I have a BIG box of early Maerklin 00 three rail...solid centre rail, not stud contact. Pile of switches and signals. NO idea what to do with the stuff.

So in the early '50's I was buying Varney box and ice cars, and maybe a few other things. Somehow missing from my box of seventy year old trains are a nice lithographed flat car, an Athearn triple dome tank, and two cabooses, not to mention a few plastic, for which I felt disdain.

The Varney box cars originally were lithographed steel, with nice die cast roofwalks and underframes. Sadly, a few of the underframes succumbed to zinc pest, so I enlisted the aid of Bob Stevenson, who was happy to make me some repro brass underframes. This one is a reject, but the others were perfect. The reject is quite usable - what the heck, even real box cars had holes in the floor in the end.

Lost wax, when done with rubber molds, has shrinkage of more than 4%, but fortunately over the six or so inches of an HO box, the absolute shrinkage is more than handleable.

So, before launching into my interminable box car display (you may have to put up with the O Scale versions as well) here is a MoPac box, getting ready to have a brass lost wax underframe bolted in.

I think it was NWSL had new cast underframes. I have 12 or 13 Varney metal high cars, one missing floor/frame, three crumbling. Fixed them all and removed gawdonlyknows how much splash weathering.

Had no idea Raoul did those. I would have bought some. I am happy with the Stevenson variety, which I believe are still available.

On to the gondolas, which are being discussed on the Heresy thread - here is a shot of the G-50-9 that Ulrich made in the 1950s from die cast zamac. I have three, and nary a crumble.

Kind of surprising - I noticed that an HO thread was getting all the attention around here, so thinking that there was some interest, I started this. I guess Dave, Pete, Carey, and I will just have a private conversation while we wait for more O Scale posts to show up.

By way of comparison, here is an MTH effort at drop-bottom gon technology - the G-50-9 variety were called "Enterprise" cars, but later Bethlehem Steel started assembling higher side versions. I believe MTH captured the G-50-16 in (ugh) plastic quite well:



Note that I filled in the center sill on the car on the left, but kept the MTH arrangement on the wood sided car (a G-50-20 for sugar beets). I am sure I did that for an article for Joe Giannovario. He gave me the cars. Good old Joe.

Varney Old Lady Zamac tender frame:



And as rebuilt:






Loco in paint:


I have done three of these, two with new frames.

Want an OLD Rivarossii 2-8-0 remotor/repower?

Some of the restored half zero in my office:



Varney Old Lady in work. You can see where the front cab door windows have been drilled and filed out:

Nobody said no, so Rivarossi 2-8-0 repower and regear.
I bought this new in 65 or 66, joined the Navy in 68, went into storage....and died.
Tender motor, zamac frame, reduction gearbox lower half was part of the frame. No saving any of it.
Due to the reduction box, the driveshaft was slow speed, coarse worm in motor, I had a Menzies Machine Shop metal driveshaft in it. Made a new frame, flat can, NWSL gearbox. Work just fine.

The SP Ten-wheeler has always been a favorite. I lusted after the Varney version, but never got one. On closer inspection, I was lucky to move into O Scale and avoid that weird skirt under the cab.

You could post that live steamer here?

Just to keep it going, since I am at the big computer, here are a couple of my favorite Varneys:



And the O Scale equivalent, with decals by Jim Wilhite from my HO car!



Note that I had enough decals to do a third, which has dreadnaught ends and the paneled roof, just like the Varney. Must have forgotten to get a photo.

Oh - and that grey reefer - that and the Dockside are the only models from my HO collection that I haven't duplicated in O or 17/64. I will probably get Bob Anson to make the decals for that one, and use an Athearn kit as the base. Next year . . .