I lived in West Allis age 3 to 10. It will always be home. Saw our old house a few years ago. Last year, I got back into model railroading after a 40+ year break. I am modeling Kansas. But, I have a farm on the layout and would like to find an HO scale Allis Chalmers tractor of the late 40's early 50's. Having looked all over the internet, no can find. All I can find in tractors is green and some red. I see enough green ones around here, we have a large dealer here. I guess I have to look for a unpainted model and then figure out what shade of orange paint. I know Kansas farmers had them as I have seen old ones for sale. Oh well, no easy way out, but now have another excuse for a project.
Hi loosecaboose73:
My grandfather had an Allis Chalmers tractor. I remember it well. He used to let me ride on the fender. My grandmother would give him an earful every time he let me ride, "too dangerous!!!", but it never stopped him.
I hope you are able to find the models that you want. I have a bunch of Life Like tractors that pretty closely resemble the Allis Chalmers my grandfather had.
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/life-like-scene-master-tractors-ho-408144558
The only major differences are that the Life Like tractors have the front wheels close together whereas my grandfather's tractor had the front wheels spaced at the same width as the rear wheels. That would be easy to correct with a bit of styrene, but it probably isn't necessary. I believe that the front wheel spacing was determined by the crop that was being sowed and how far apart the rows would have been, so both the narrow front wheel spacing and the wide spacing are legitimate.
The other difference is that my grandfather's tractor had fenders whereas the Life Like models do not. If I were to make fenders for my tractors, I would start with a 3/8ths section of a circle of .010" styrene somewhat larger than the diameter of the tires. Then glue some .020" x .040" styrene strip curved to a radius slightly larger than the rear tires to the outside edge of the 3/8s styrene circle. Making the curve in the styrene strip without breaking the styrene might require the gentle application of some heat. Then file off everything that doesn't look like a tractor fender!
Cheers!!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Oh yea, the good old Allis.
They were a huge employer in West Allis, WI., back in day.
Do a search for 1940s Allis Chalmers, and look at images.
Dave's link is close, but you can also do some "bashing" , as Dave suggest, to get what you want.
Mike.
My You Tube
No expert, but I wouldn't doubt AC made row-crop tractors (narrow front) as well as standard types.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Yea they did. The farm we moved to as tenant farmers, in Iowa, I think it was a Allis C or a WC, or maybe even a WD, but we used it on the feed grinder, and it had the row crop front wheels.
All of the others where JD.
This is off subject, but I lived near Milwaukee and its suburbs for a lot of years and always wondered where they got the name for West Allis. A head-slap was probably called for when I found out: the village grew up west of Allis Chalmers, of course! As another aside: the factory was once mentioned in Reader's Digest. A businessman dictated a letter to an Allis Chalmers executive to his secretary and was startled (and tickled!) when she brought it to him for approval after she'd typed it. It started "Dear Alice..."!!!
Deano
I don't know if this is an Allis Chalmers or not, I do know it's my grandfather near Johnstown PA somewhere between the late 40's and 1954. I do not remember that tractor nor do I know why it is wearing a coat
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Thanks for the history. I too always wondered how West Allis got its name. Never could find a city named Allis or East Allis. My own head slap completed. LOL
But guys, there WAS an Allis -- in Milwaukee, south of downtown -- a named station on the Milwaukee Road (possibly also on the CNW) built and named because the Allis Chalmers factory was initially nearby in Milwaukee. In fact there were two such stations. One was below track level and stairs were climbed to get from station to tracks. That still exists. The other was a substantial brick structure with the name Allis in concrete embedded in the brick ends, torn down maybe 25 years ago. Both were intended to serve the huge number of Allis Chalmers workers who took the train to work.
The factory outgrew its area and moved west, the Allis stations were closed to passengers as no longer needed - and "West Allis" was born. Allis as a place name was recently in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel news because for many years the Model Railroad Club of Milwaukee, an O gauge club founded by the likes of Al Kalmbach and Wm K. Walthers, has had its extensive layout in the Allis stations that is street level beneath the tracks. Modelers coming to Milwaukee have often made pilgramages to see it (even the N Scale Enthusiasts convention a few years back had a tour bus), but somehow the local paper just discovered it.
Story is here: https://www.jsonline.com/story/money/real-estate/commercial/2018/07/13/milwaukees-redeveloping-harbor-district-includes-model-railroad-club/767857002/
So there was never an Allis town but there was an Allis place, and West Allis is - well -- west of it.
As far as models of Allis Chalmers tractors go, note also that Wheel Works had a white metal kit for a Fordson tractor that somewhat resembled older A-C tractors and could be kitbashed to come closer, if you can find one(yet another lamented line of vehicles we don't have). There have been some larger scale die cast models made of Allis Chalmers stuff from Ertl and Univesal. Someone made a collectible HO "Allis Chalmers train" that at least purported to have an A-C tractor load. Never saw one.
Dave Nelson
Let's see. There's this:
https://www.outbacktoystore.com/Construction-Trucks/Train-Models-/5-in-Series-HO-Scale-Limited-Edition-Allis-Chalmers-Flatcar-with-B-Wide-Front.html
and this:
https://www.bradfordexchange.com/products/917966_allis-chalmers-diesel-locomotive-train-collection.html
Wow, never knew. thanks.
Could this red tractor be made to suit?
it is a "MOKO LESNEY" repop from a few years ago. I changed the seat and steering wheel to look more scale. It says Massey Harris on the rear of the gas tank area. That could be filed off.
It is rather chunky looking. Some tractors were bigger than others, of course. I added a couple pictures of it with an Atheran JD tractor, and a Freightliner for size comparisons. They come on ebay, prices all over the place. I looked under Matchbox Lesney Tractor, and a few came up readily. Dan Edited in: the AC on that flat car from Outback Toys looks awful large for HO scale. Maybe 1/64? No wonder the depressed flatcar! Heres that matchbox on a similar car for comparisons...
It is rather chunky looking. Some tractors were bigger than others, of course. I added a couple pictures of it with an Atheran JD tractor, and a Freightliner for size comparisons.
They come on ebay, prices all over the place. I looked under Matchbox Lesney Tractor, and a few came up readily. Dan Edited in: the AC on that flat car from Outback Toys looks awful large for HO scale. Maybe 1/64? No wonder the depressed flatcar! Heres that matchbox on a similar car for comparisons...
They come on ebay, prices all over the place. I looked under Matchbox Lesney Tractor, and a few came up readily. Dan
Edited in: the AC on that flat car from Outback Toys looks awful large for HO scale. Maybe 1/64? No wonder the depressed flatcar!
Heres that matchbox on a similar car for comparisons...
Dave Nelson, thanks, I've been wondering if the model railroad club's layout is still extant. I visited it with my older brother, back in the mid-'50s, shortly after he mustered out of the USAF. I believe they'd recently converted from outside third rail to 2-rail at that time. We visited again a few years later and then, later still, I took my two nephews, the three of us in a '63 MGB (they were 10 and 11)--in a snowstorm that developed after we left home. We arrived before any of the club, wondering if the open house had been called off because of the weather. A guy showed up, let us in, and shoveled coal into a pot-bellied depot stove in the back room before turning on the lights in the layout room. The staircase to the overhead platforms was still there, though long unused. I hope the "boys," now in their late 50s, remember the beautiful steam locos and beautiful tolling stock, not to mention the city inside the loop with a trolley running through the streets. Inspiring...
the red tractor is kind.... of similar to an Allis WC/WD ...
a neighbour has a real WC that he uses for plowing, has the factory two point on the back end , i suppose he wouldn't mind me taking a few photos ?
In answer to the mystery prototype: Fordson. I just completed the model from a Jordan Highway Miniatures kit that is, sadly, no longer in production.
Mike
This discussion on Allis Chalmers brings back memories of growing up in Iowa. My father was a farm implement mechanic for Allis, John Deere, Massey Ferguson and IH. I have fond memories of riding an Allis G while my dad plowed our garden as a youngster.
But to the point of the orginial poster. Allis early orange was called Persian Orange, later just called Allis Chalmers Orange. You can get a rattle can of this color at NAPA or online, Rust-Oleum also makes the color for brushing.
My brother is a collector of Ertl and others and he only has seen 1/16 or 1/43 Allis models in his travels.
I have had good luck with some tractor models from my local Tractor Supply with models from Ertl that are close to HO scale. They have a model of a IH tractor that if you imagine in orange could be close to a wide front end Allis D-14 or AC. Careful masking and some time with the air brush and you might have a passable Allis for your layout.
Dean S May