Live Steam ‘O’ Gauge

[spankybird]

This is a Live Steam ‘O’ Gauge Hudson made by Neff Model Locomotive Works, Chagrin Falls, Ohio.

The Great Grandfather of one of our club members made this. He is looking for any and all information on it.

Anyone know anything about these?

Can you help????















Thanks
tom

[wrmcclellan]

Tom,

I remember several ads for live steam O gauge when I read Model Railroader back in the 60's and 70's. Don't have those issues anymore.

Roy

[tbwilson4]

I don't know anything about this live steamer, but I do have to ask, what does something like this weigh? Must be a real beast!

[tbwilson4]

Not much help, but I did find an auction site offering postcard for Neff Models, dated 1950 -http://www.liveauctioneers.com/s/lot-140049.html

[dwiemer]

Tom,
I wish I did have information on it, it is a real beauty. Please post whatever you find out.
Dennis

[spankybird]

tbwilson4 - thanks for the link- I passed it on to Ted.

Yes it does weight a ton. All brass.

[FJ and G]

Tom,

For the first half of the 20th century, a lot of "tinplate" live steam engines were produced. In England, this is still common (but not here). There are a goodly number of these tinplate beasts floating around the US. A lot of garden RR club members (like the Va, Md, and DC club, have a subset of O-gauge live steam aficionados who run their steam trains at meets; often on dual Gauge 1 and O gauge track (45 and 32 mm respectively).

I'm rather surprised this hasn't yet caught on with the toy train crowd.

Types of fuel vary from alcohol and butane to real coal (using mini shovels). THe steam engines have safety valves, gauges, fireboxes; in short, everything a real steam train has. Also, it takes 5-10 minutes to get the steam up.

Distilled water is used to prevent scaling.

If you've ever operated live steam (seen, heard, smelt it); you'll never go back.

[cnw1995]

Tom, did you see it work?

[overall]

Tom,

How is it controlled while it operates? Do you just set it and let it go until it finally runs out of fuel?

George

[spankybird]

QUOTE: Originally posted by overall

Tom,

How is it controlled while it operates? Do you just set it and let it go until it finally runs out of fuel?

George

OR catch it as it goes by, there are two levers that stick out of the roof of the cab. I would guess, one is speed and the other is direction.


Sure would love to find someone who knows how to run this. [^]

[spankybird]

QUOTE: Originally posted by cnw1995

Tom, did you see it work?

Nope, none of us in the club, including Ted who owns it, knows enough about it. [:(]

[Boyd]

I would LOVE to have an O Gauge live steam engine but there is a big gap between what $$ I make per year and what I'm guessing one of those would go for.

[FJ and G]

Boyd,

There are several models that are still out of my price range. There's an O scale 0-4-0 for about $600 and a Mogul for about $750, the latter is British. I have the details at work.

If you run these indoors, you might want to open the windows and have the fire extinguisher available :-) (truthfully, you should only operate these outdoors!)

[laz 57]

TOM,
I guess but don't know, does it work, get hot off track power?
laz57

[Anonymous]

There was a complete history of the Neff Model Manufacturing Company printed in Live Steam magazine sometime during the 1980s. I imagine that you could find what issue by visting their web site.

Roll Neff was a machinist of exceptional skill. He built his first O gauge locomotive in the late 1930s as a test platform to see what would work and what would not. Over the next 25 years, he custom built many O gauge locomotives - they were propane fired some were remote controlled. Usually this was not necessary - with a heavy train and a good track with well banked curves, additional control was not necessary. The locos would run until the fuel was exhausted - the boiler capacity and tender water supply being sufficient to keep the water level up so as to avoid running dry.

Neff's locomotives ranged from a 4-4-0 with Stephenson gear to at least one 2-10-4 and several UP Big Boys. He was located in New York state and died either in the 1960s or 70s. I had a letter from him in the mid 1960s when I was trying to find an O gauger - at that time he had only one Big Boy in stock which was too big for my purposes.

Little Engines sold about 600 sets of O gauge castings over the years. Occasionally I see one of their locomotives but they are few and far between. Neff built between 50 and 100 locomotives. There were other custom builders during the 20s and 30s however most live steam locomotives were either Bassett-Lowke low pressure models or Bowman oscillators.

Nickie

[spankybird]

Thanks Nickie and Welcome to the CTT forum.

I will pass this on to Ted, who is his great grand son.

tom

[FJ and G]

Here's all of the skinny you'll need on basic O gauge (and G) live steam. But WARNING: don't look at the material b/c if U get your first live-steamer, they tell me it's more addictive than drugs (there are a number of O scale live steam dealers, mostly in the UK, but some here)

http://www.nmia.com/~vrbass/steam/stmintro.htm

You also could fit a real diesel engine into a diesel locomotive.

[kopeck]

Just thinking out loud here but wouldn't it be cool if the boiler was heated by electricity, you know pull the juice from the track like a conventional O guage steam locomotive does? Combine that with some soft of command and control system and you would have the best of both worlds. Just make sure it's water tight so it doesn't fry it's control boards.

Maybe I'm just crazy though...

K

[FJ and G]

K,

It's been done before; 1st time back in 1950s.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by FJ and G

Here's all of the skinny you'll need on basic O gauge (and G) live steam. But WARNING: don't look at the material b/c if U get your first live-steamer, they tell me it's more addictive than drugs (there are a number of O scale live steam dealers, mostly in the UK, but some here)

http://www.nmia.com/~vrbass/steam/stmintro.htm

You also could fit a real diesel engine into a diesel locomotive.

Thank you! I have been looking everywhere fo a manufacter that sells o live steam. I really want one of these. I have only seen a small clip of one and already im addicted. I do need to know if i need to put the track on something like cement or if i am able to put the track on the grass. my concern with that is will it burn the grass? Also is there any controls for where you are sitting or standing to make it whistle and control the speed. I have nothing for this so....
Thanks...

[FJ and G]

Monto,

Many guys put their live steamers on a raised garden wall to gain better access.

Another tip is to keep your grades near O% unless you plan on using a remote control device for throttle control

Putting the track on grass should work, tho.

Some guys wire a simple on-board (non-remote/control) speed controller that you can manipulate by hand.

I'm not sure from your profile what part of the country you're in but your best bet is to visit some guys who do this, perhaps in a club.

-----

(sorry can't respond further but will be off the forum now for a week, as I'm heading to Austin, Texas for some partying)

[Anonymous]

Another question, what scale number are we, oguage EX: 1:32

[cnw1995]

What magnificent work by Mr. Neff - what a legacy. That website is addictive, David.
K, I would like that idea. I think that is how the Hornby HO live steamer works.

[lionelsoni]

The scale is 1/48, to the extent that Lionel et alia make their stuff to scale. The gauge is O, that is, Maerklin number 0, 1 1/4 inches or 32 millimeters.