Longhorn Valley Railroad

[BlaxlandAlex]

Hey, I'm new here. Back in February I purchased a locomotive off ebay from a seller with several other highly detailed models lettered for the same railroad. There were 5 other identical pacifics to the one I purchased, plus many other locomotives with detailing done to the same standard. Mainly mantua, bowser, mdc, etc.

I have come to the forums in search of answers, and if anyone has any information on this railroad. I'd love to know the full story. The quality of the paint and overall craftsmanship, as well as the presumably custom decals makes me believe this engine was made recently.

Since I aquired the engine, I have added jewels to the headlight and markers, as well as performing some minor touch up and a servicing. It runs great! Hard to believe this was a stock mantua/tyco pacific.

Alex

[doctorwayne]

 

That locomotive is definitely not "stock", as many of the cast-on details have been removed (likely with a file) and replaced with brass castings from Cal-Scale and/or Kemtron, or Precision Scale.

 

Those details include the Worthington Type-S fwh, the number boards, class lights, lubricators on the valve gear, the front-end throttle, check valves blow-off cocks, the Pyle headlight and an aftermarket pilot.  The auxiliary dome, with the whistle and pop valves is also an add-on, as is the bell and generator. 

 

I'd also guess that on the fireman's side of the loco, there's a cold water pump under the cab, and a hot water pump under the walkway, in the area above the valve gear.  Somewhere in between those two there's also an air pump, either above, below, or interrupting the walkway.

 

The cab is from Kemtron, available as a kit, in plastic or brass.

 

It also looks like the stock coal tender has been converted into an oil tender, a fairly simple task for anyone who has done a little scratchbuilding.

 

I did the loco, below, for a friend, but he wanted some of the original cast-on parts left in-place, which made the job easier.  It was a Mantua Pacific, but he wanted it to be a Hudson, as evidenced by the four-wheel trailing truck.  The tender is from Bachmann, a USRA "long" one.  It looks pretty-much "stock", but it's filled with equipment to allow the loco to be operated with "dead-rail" technology (battery powered and controlled remotely by a wireless hand-held throttle.

 

 

...here it is after painting...

 

 

I've done quite a few rebuilds for that friend, including this brass loco which was basically falling apart...it appeared to have been dropped, perhaps more than once.  He offered it to me, but I had no need for more locos, so decided to re-build it, hoping he could at least sell it to buy something more suitable....

 

 

When he saw it, at first, didn't even recognise it, and asked where I had bought it.  When I explained what I had done, he again offered it to me, but I declined, suggesting he could easily sell it, as it was a nice running locomotive.  After he ran it, he agreed, but decided that it was worth keeping.

 

Another friend, whom I've known for over 40 years, is a collector of brass, and I've rebuilt or detailed and painted almost all of his collection.  He had been hunting for a 2-10-2 for some time, and I happened to stumble across one at a now long-gone hobby shop.

 

Here it is in its as-found condition, but with a replacement tender (also the USRA long-version) from Bachmann...

 

 

 

Here's the torn-down version, modified to accept a Kemtron vestibule cab...

 

...and with a new lead truck and CNR-style pilot...

 

 

 

I won't bore you with the whole process of re-building, but here's a photo of one of the real ones...

 

 

 

...and some photos with explanatory captions...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

...and a couple of painted and in-service views....

 

 

 

 

 

This one is a Bachmann Mountain, with a completely new front end and a lot of added details...

 

 

...while this Proto "Heritage" USRA 0-8-0 has been completely re-worked and re-detailed to better match a CNR prototype.  In addition to lengthening the frame, both front and rear, I also removed all of the original piping, as it was severely under-sized...my guess that the die makers were not aware that pipe sizes refer to the inside diameter, rather than the outer.

 

 

 

I've found that once you "dip a toe" into locomotive detailing, it will suck you in completely, like quicksand.

 

I have a lot more to show, but will let others have some space to reply.

 

Wayne

[Colorado Ray]

Just a guess, but I suspect that the "Longhorn Valley" is a fictitious freelance model railroad.  The Logo doesn't look like anything a professional graphic artist would have created.

 

Ray

["JaBear"]

I had a quick search through the list of reporting marks, and while there was “The Longhorn RR”; reporting mark, LHRR, I would also think that “The Longhorn Valley Railroad” is fictious.

 

As I also model a fictious railroad, I don’t think it’s a big deal, and as Wayne has pointed out, you appear to have acquired a well detailed, good running locomotive.

 

Have Fun.

Cheers, the Bear.

[SeeYou190]

BlaxlandAlex

Since I aquired the engine, I have added jewels to the headlight and markers, as well as performing some minor touch up and a servicing. It runs great! Hard to believe this was a stock mantua/tyco pacific.

Alex, that is a handsome locomotive.

Hard to believe someone did all that work, as Wayne pointed out, but did not decal the number boards... I am guilty of that too...

-Kevin