Phil:
I'm impressed that the pilot is scratch built. Well done!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Thanks. The I actually made the pilot from scratch (brass wire and sheet stock). I bought my flea on eBay.
Regarding the redesign, the only thing I can see to improve in the flea is to reduce the noise of the spur gears (it's noisy enough to be irritating).
Phil, I'm not a rocket scientist; they are my students.
Phil!
You did a great job on that railbus. Same body as what I used. I really like the cow catcher - I might just steal that idea from you. It looks to be a brass casting. Is that correct?
Unfortunately the Flea drive is temporarily unavailable as it is being re-designed.
Mine's not a galloping goose, but more of a railbus. I combined a Jordan Highway Miniatures school bus with an NWSL "flea" mechanism. The lead truck is bashed using N scale wheels:
Pics of the inside and underside:
Only the drive wheels pick up power, so the flywheel is necessary to keep it from stalling on frogs and track dirt.
I did the whole project in a few evenings.
Dan and Guy:
Thanks for your compliments.
The working headlights weren't actually all that hard to do. I used 0603 LEDs wired with magnet wire. They actually fit into the Jordan headlight pots with just a bit of coring using the right sized drill in my fingers. I filled the headlight pots with epxoy to form the lenses.
I also managed to get power pickup from the front truck. That was kind of finicky but I think it is essential if you want the thing to run well, although there is plenty of space inside the box for a TCS Keep Alive module.
Eagle Scout:
Glad I could help. If you do decide to make it a runner, I can guarantee that you will get hooked on building your own stuff from scratch.
I am working on a smaller version of a goose using an older HO scale kit as a basis and a Jordan bus kit for the front part of the body. Jordan offers a couple of kits that are really well suited to this type of project:
Dave,
Thanks. Just exactly what I have been looking for. That Jordan railbus looks perfect for the front end. I will start to work on one and maybe even accept the challenge of making it a running model.
Eagle Scout
Hi Eaglescout
I have seen articles for building many weird and wonderful home road built oddities.
For many different scale & gauge combinations and nationalities.
Some scratch built some bashed some a combination of both.
So a web magazine index search should turn up something helpful.
If not grab a truck or bus kit and a suitable 4wh or other small freight car or passenger car
and create one that suites your railroad.
regards John
In the '80s, I built a freelanced critter of sorts, standard gauge, using a '30s Mack cab (walker models?), a drive from an MDC shay and scratchbuilt freight box. It worked well enough. Could fool the public, but not anyone really in the know. Similar somewhat to Hon3critter's model above but not nearly as nice. No pix. Admittedly it was an attempt to get at least something that worked out of that shay kit. Succeeded on that account, but biggest "foobie" was the 4 wheel power truck. Eventually parted it out.
Hon3critter: working headlights? That small? Seriously! Man, that's WAY too cool!
Dan
eaglescout Has anyone out there attempted to kitbash one by maybe combining an old locomotive with a box car of some sort? Pictures would be great if you have them. I might not even run it but just have it sitting on a siding for the effect.
Has anyone out there attempted to kitbash one by maybe combining an old locomotive with a box car of some sort? Pictures would be great if you have them. I might not even run it but just have it sitting on a siding for the effect.
Just making sure: You are aware that the standard gauge version of this vehicle is a foobie?. These were narrow gauge. I am tempted to get one in standard gauge anyway. The revving up sound of the decoder is pretty cool along with the shifting gear sounds. I'll have to hide it from my narrow gauge friends
Sticking to prototype - Standard gauge had all types of railbuses including lots of pretty cool critters etc. The Mack rail bus can be had as a plastic model (vintage vehicles comes to mind) that you might be able to power.
In narrow gauge, the price you quoted beats the heck out of the poorly running, unpainted brass predecessors of the goose (geese)..
HON3 criiter...Nice work..
Guy
see stuff at: the Willoughby Line Site
http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/360-229
http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/360-305 This can obviously be built as a static kit, but wouldn't you really rather have one that runs?
Mine is a work in progress but here are some pictures so far:
The frame is brass 'I' beam. The rear springs and front truck are made from scratch. The motor and gears are from a really old kit for a similar rail truck.
I am waiting for Loksound to produce their promised gallopping goose sound decoder.
North West Short Line offers motors, gears and wheels that are ideal for this type of project:
http://www.nwsl.com/NWSL_Online_Catalog.html
Carey,
Thanks, I will try a search of MR. I think it would be fun to try to model one.
While I haven't made one myself, there have been many, many pictures of such scratchbult models in the magazines since the 1940's, if not earlier. I know that several brass importers have imported the Galloping Geese over the years.
Try a magazine search and see what comes up from the all time index.
Carey
Keep it between the Rails
Alabama Central Homepage
Nara member #128
NMRA &SER Life member
Saw the picture of a Galloping Goose a few months ago in MR and would really like to have one but not at the $150-200 price tag. Has anyone out there attempted to kitbash one by maybe combining an old locomotive with a box car of some sort? Pictures would be great if you have them. I might not even run it but just have it sitting on a siding for the effect.