B&O Traveling O-Gauge Layout

[R.K. Maroon]

Carey asked me today if I knew of a connection between the O-scale B&O "EA" model offered by Scale Model Railways just before the war and the B&O traveling layout. I recall seeing a flyer for this layout and remembered not seeing an EA, but that was some time back so I thought I would do a search and see if I could find the flyer. Alas, no sign of the flyer, but the search led me to this video, which I think you will all find interesting (except for an annoyingly long plug for a civil war show and other things right in the middle, which I recommend you skip). All the outside third rail is particularly interesting. A set of E-units that look like EAs appears several times in the video. The narrator mentions that the original equipment was built by A.C. Gilbert, but the layout was rebuilt in 1941, so it could very well be that the units shown are SMRs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VDHwosIJOQ

More information here:

http://borailroad.blogspot.com/2012/01/model-trains-at-mtclare-tradition.html

Note that the article says the layout still exists and is shown every year during the holiday season. I did a search on that and found this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHPPnQacSvM

A YouTube search on Duke Energy Holiday Trains reveals many more similar videos.

Pretty cool!

Jim

[stephen neill]

It is my understanding that the layout is currently being substantially rehabilitated and will not be open during the holiday season this year; but will be open again in 2018.
Steve

[Carey Williams]

Hello all ..

B&O I believe had a pre war ..O scale layout which traveled around with Lawrence W. Sagle.... the layout was used for some troops entertainment during WW2.... also used to recruit RR employees set up under a tent in the middle of a street in Chicago ..just after the Germans fell but Japan was still going strong ..the military needed to shift supplies and troops from the east to the west in a big hurry ..so new RR employees were needed ... within a few weeks there was no need to shift any troops west any longer..

Post war B&O built a new layout O scale layout ..which also traveled around ..later they built a S gauge and HO gauge layouts .

B&O printed flyers for the visitors of the layouts...at least two versions of the O scale are out there and one for HO ... S ..not seen .

Layout was retired to Cincinnati with Duke Energy .... still with outside 3rd rail ... currently under renovation .. ( but as advertised the outside 3rd rail will live on) ... lives in the beautiful ( assuming you like Art-Deco) Union terminal of Cincinnati...station and layout are being worked on and will not be open this Christmas for the normal Holiday festivities with the layout running ...so plan a trip in 2018 ...)it's coming all too fast ) .

All sorts of lovely vintage trains running ..... most the older equipment has been returned to the B&O ..museum in Baltimore .... new/ newer stuff on layout now ......

Not to be out done....C&O also had a traveling layout ..... ( in O scale )
Cheers Carey

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[Carey Williams]

Hello all me again ...are those Model Structure Co. buildings on the layout ?....water tower, coaling tower , roundhouse and square house, etc ?

Cheers Carey

[Erik C Lindgren]

Neat thanks for sharing

[rrjjf]

Carey,

Yes, they are Model Structure Company buildings. The Baltimore Society of Model Engineers has several of these on their O Scale layout in Baltimore. Ken Henry, a BSME Charter Member built most it not all of the B&O locos on the traveling O Scale layout and traveled with the railroad to set it up at various locations. The layout was transported in a B&O Baggage car. Ken maintained the locos for many years. He was B&O Employee working for Larry Sagle.

Joe Foehrkolb

[E7]

Thinking I might have seen this layout at the PA State Farm show building when I was a kid. I remember thinking it was neat that the engines were running on 2 rail track, and likely didn't realize the purpose of the outside 3rd rail.

[Carey Williams]

Thank you Joe for the background history about the layout and builder of the fine models .
Cheers Carey

[stephen neill]

Joe - Thanks for confirming that some of the buildings on the layout are Model Structures buildings. I looked at the pictures in the brochure, and I have one of the brochures, and I couldn't tell for sure.

On the original question, attached is a picture of a SMR add from page 683 of the Dec. 1940 MR that has a picture of the diesels. Also, I have a set of the diesels and will post pictures of them, but that will be in a separate email.

Steve

[stephen neill]

Here is the first of 3 photo of the diesels.
Steve

[stephen neill]

Here is the second photo of the diesels.

[stephen neill]

Here is the 3rd picture of the diesels.
Steve

[stephen neill]

Here is a 4th photo of the diesels. Note that the back of the A unit is the same as the ends on the B unit.
Steve

[R.K. Maroon]

Thanks for posting those, Steve -- Very interesting piece. The photos showed upside down on my computer so I downloaded them, took screen shots, and am reposting here in case others have the same problem. I zoomed in while at it.

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This matches my casting set. Note the fuel tanks are solid cylindrical bronze castings. This is undoubtedly to add weight. Unlike the Adams & Son (and other) cast units, this has a sheet metal roof (correct me if I am wrong, Steve), so the extra weight in the tanks makes some sense.

Other than that, I noticed the absence of outside third rail pickups. Steve, can you tell if the drive is original or maybe modified later for two-rail? The brass on the underside of the A-unit power truck is very shiny compared to the rest of the chassis.

Jim

[stephen neill]

Jim - Thanks for redoing the pictures. They were all vertical when I took them. I know I have a picture rotation capability, and I have used it, but today when I tried it was "grayed out".

Yes, the roof and sides are sheet, the nose is a casting. And the construction is quite odd; the nose casting does not end in a vertical line as most do, it ends in a slanted line that runs from the top back edge of the pilot to the top front edge of the cab window. And the roof ends just a little way from the top of the windshield. I believe the nose and pilot are parts of one casting. So that casting has a very unusual shape.

I will email pictures to Jim that show this, and he can post them here. When you see them, look at the discontinuity at the top front edge of the cab windows, look for the faint line above the windshield, and look at how the area around the cab window appears to be a slightly different color from the rest of the nose. And look closely to see a faint slanted line that shows the front edge of the sheet side.

There is no indication that my model was ever outside 3rd rail, and it would not need to have been unless it was run on the B&O layout, or some other outside 3rd rail layout, and I have no indication it was. The drive is truck mounted and looks different from any other diesel drive unit I have seen.

Your question has caused me to wonder why SMR made this set of diesels (the only diesels they made). Just an idea here, but perhaps B&O asked them to make one (or more) for their traveling layout. SMR said in print more than once that they would make any locomotive if they had 4 orders for it. So it is possible, but only possible, that B&O was the impetus for this model. Partially because of the odd construction, I believe my model was likely built at the company.

So, has anyone been able to tell if the diesels shown on the U-Tube video are the same as my model, ie the same as shown in the picture in the ad? Does anyone know how to make a still picture from the video? Will someone please photoshop the picture from the ad, get it as sharp as possible, and send it out so we can better compare my model to it, please.

Jim, you say you have castings, do you have a nose casting? Jim and I will be at the Ft Worth, Tx. show this coming weekend, and can compare his castings with my model.

Steve