What I'm working on, HO Micro Trolley layout [/size][/size]I was given the track a couple years ago at the NNGC in Pasadena. Its from old Tyco Trolley set from the 70's. I've had the track, base and powerpack put together for over a year but struggled to come up with an idea for finishing it. I finally had an idea for a city park, that was small enough to fit in the open space and still allow for alot of detailing. So here it is today, I just got the Tram, I had to cut up the chassis to allow for a tighter turning radius, so far nothing else will work on that radius, including the Tyco tram model originally made for the track, go figure![/size][/size][/size][/size]Still LOTS to do, but since I went WAY WAY overboard last year buying stuff for the last HO micro and really blew the living carp out of my hobby budget, I'm taking this one alot slower and buying things much slower, but I thought I'd share this today.[/size]
Have fun with your trains
That Tyco trolley track is older than that! I have some, and the 4 wheel car that came in the set. It actually had a cardboard tube that you loaded with D batteries to run it (of course it has a normal 12V motor so it runs on a power pack too). The set I think came with the 4 curves plus 2 straight sections. On one HO layout I built, I used the street tracks and arranged my houses around it for a town square and then ran extra with some flex track curved as tight as I could get it without kinking to run to a rural stop and also behind mt passenger station.
I used to have an old Tyco catalog, I think around 1961, and it was listed in there.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
That is indeed the trolley that came with it. 4 wheels, two brass, two plastic. Motor filles the entire inside, so they didn't bother with a light bulb and the silhouette people in the windows. It runs, but generally has to run a ridiclous speed to get over the slightest speck of dust on the rails. There is, I suppose, room under one end to add a pair of wipers, which would help a lot. Only one needs to be insulated from the metal bottom.
When we had out holidy time only family room layout, there was a loop of regular track through our village for the trolley, I discovered that we actually had the street track much later. No turnouts on the trolley line - and if I tried to take the trolley and run it around the main line of the layout, it would get stuck at nearly every turnout unless I was going really fast, the plastic frogs on snap track turnouts were enough to stop it dead with just those two little wheels for pickup.
I think when I tried a loco on it, the plastic street part fouled the couplers every time - those were horn-hooks in those days. I think the plastic sticks up higher than the railheads, so any deep flange or wider than standards wheel will have problems. Our non-street track trolley line just used of the shelf sectional track, I think it was 12" radius, and I actually managed to get a lot of things to run on it, but usually it was home to the trolley and the little blue 4 wheel industrial diesel from Flyer.
The trolley lasted a lot longer than the special street track. I thinkit actually came out a few years before the track, and in some form was listed into the 70's in the Tyco catalog. It did get modified, the later ones had a smaller motor and the frosted passenger silhouettes (same ones they put in their passenger cars). Probably still had two wheel pickup though. The plastic body on the later ones was thinner, and I'm not sure if the underframe was still metal or not.
A few progress pics, adding details, and figures, oy vey... lots of figures
No time constraint, working in figures based on what interesting ones I can find, have a brass band on the way for the gazebo, hence the loose roof, and a packet of people from China coming, we'll see how good they look compared the WS figures I have been using. I wasn't too impressed with the bulk China N figures I used on my castle micro, but they worked and it's N, cant get too fussy about details when things are that small.
BTW thats a newer "old" Tyco unit, runs great on the track, but its not the one that I got with it, that one is a serious dinosaur.
Final progress pics, adding last details, vehicles and figures, OMG... lots more figures
Lots and lots of activity, people, action and once again I spent way more than I anticipated or expected, but I wasn't doing to leave it half done, so I used a bit of my tax refund to finish this.
The City Park
Front view: Uncle Jerry and his riding buddies and the hot dog vendors cart:
The Brass Band is playing in the gazebo:
The monument to Saint Mary Elephant
Theres a stickball game underway, rather dangerous in such a small area:
The playground is lively as usual:
The Farmers Market is getting set up:
Someone showed up with a Lambo for a photo shoot, its gathering a crowd now:
The back side ice cream stand is the place to be on a hot day:
Looks like a picnic under the trees began before the ice cream cart arrived:
Traffics starting to build up:
Yep its getting heavy
Darn kids and their Hot Rods!
Ahh here's whats causing the traffic jam!
And with that, to quote Porky Pig, Thats all folks!