Boy, howdy !
No doubt! I read an article about the "F Market" line several years ago, maybe in "Trains," maybe in "Railfan and Railroad," I'm not sure, but the article definately stated that cornucopia of PCC's in the colors of different transit systems from around the country was wildly popular.
You are probably correct, because, not only does F Market have Muni PCC's from 2different paint schemes, it has a Chicago, a Boston, a Cincinnati, a Pacific Electric, an L.A. Rlys car, and most major cities represented. They also have single, and double ended PCC's.
I'm tellin' ya
it's da bomb !
It's my understanding San Francisco's "F Market" line has a PCC done up like this one...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpO5bFWKZFY
Yep, a Public Service Co-Ordinated Transport of New Jersey PCC! Which must give visitors to SF who come from New Jersey (like I do) quite a shock, especially if they're old enough to remember.
Supposedly MTH made an O gauge PCC with Public Service markings. I'm on the lookout for one, I'll find it eventually.
Just wanted to add:
for anyone interested in PCC cars, you need to check out the "F Market" line in San Francisco. It'll blow you away !
I remember the S.F. muni from trips up there as a kid. I regarded a trip to S.F. As equal to a trip to Disneyland in excitement level, because of the cable cars, and PCC's. The PCC's used to run down Market( early '60's), and the operators did not respect them. Heavy traffic on Market, and the light would turn green, and they'd slip the wheels every time ! They were rough on them ! The last ride I took on the original PCC system was in '76, down Market, and through Twin Peaks tunnel. They modernized with a system under Market, but now Their Back !
The Cable Cars will always be a favorite. And the more you understand about the operation, the more flabbergasted you will become !
Did you know there is a hierarchy in cable systems ?
Consider this :
we all know there is a cable just below Street level the gripman grips to propel the car. But what happens when 2 lines cross ? The line that existed first maintains their cable at a constant level. The newer line must pull their cable down under the original line at the point of crossing.That means the gripman on the newer line must release the cable, and coast over the original line at the point of crossing.This happens today where the Powell lines cross the California street line, which was there first. Keep in mind the Powell line has just crested a summit! The moral is : don't distract the gripman!
The science of the shape of the wheel ! One thing we don't normally even think about !
It says in that document that SF Muni uses a cylindrical wheel, maybe that was the difference referred to regarding the Melbourne tram.
Cylindrical is best for no hunting at high speeds on tangent track. The Shinkansen system has extremely gentle curvature for high speed running.
That was a great document. Thank you for sharing it !
BART just recently discovered conical treads: https://www.wheel-rail-seminars.com/archives/2016/rt-papers/RT%2006%20WRI%202016%20BART%20Final.pdf
Bob Nelson
I find this kind of information to be fascinating. Notice that the recommended measurement from flange to flange is slightly less than the track gauge. In the earlier L.E. catalogres, which I wish I still had, they get very specific about wheel profiles. Specifications are listed for the radius of the flange, the radius of the fillet, and the taper of the wheels. ( which is a science unto itself).
Two stories about tread taper:
1. The F Market line in SanFrancisco has been running vintage streetcars from the U.S., and other countries. This line is running from " the Castro" down Market street, past the Ferry building, along the waterfront, and to Fisherman's Wharf. I was last there in 2013, and talk was to extend it to Aquatic Park, and beyond. They run many vintage PCC's, which are my favorite. But they have cars from Italy, and a Melbourne "tram". They are all the same track gauge, but I understand the Melbourne car came in with different wheel contours !
2. The " Shinkansen "( Japanese bullet train) is able to attain such high speeds not only by having a separate right of way with no grade crossings, or freight trains to contend with, but also through wheel contours. The tread is almost flat, with very little taper. This minimiZeus the tendency for " hunting".
Yes, Little Engines produced live steam kits in 1/4 inch to 1 1/2 inch scales. Other manufacturers, like Mamod have 0 gauge models.
Lastly, Hornby was offering an HO live steamer at one point.
I still may get my chance one day !
I just looked online. Little Engines is now operating out of Lancaster, Pa.
Railroad Supply is operating out of Nashua, NH.
You can still buy the kits !
Are those the Little Engines O gauge live steam locos?
I've heard about them, but have never seen one in real life.
- James
How 'bout this :
check out the upper left corner.
James: Cool!
Paul: Yes, the tyco set was maybe a bit more of a brassy finish rather than a true gold.
Trains, trains, wonderful trains. The more you get, the more you toot!
Wow ! Thank you for sharing that !
Great railroad, I see you turn the engine on both ends, and that's a really interesting operation.
as an aside : I see Your engine is lettered for the Frisco. I went to the NRHS convention in Saint Louis in '90.
Boy, that Frisco 1522 ! What a sweet engine ! Got some great pictures of that one, and the Cotton Belt engine. That was one of the best shows ever, that I've been to !
Here is a short video I made for the locomotive's 30th year in service. It includes some pictures of the locomotive's construction (didn't take many pics back in the film days) and a video of it running on my little railroad:
JamesP Interesting post! As a child of the 70's, I was the receipient of a Tyco Chattanooga Choo-Choo one Christmas. Unfortuneatly, the quality of the tender drive left a lot to be desired, and that loco didn't last very long. The Athearn that I got a bit later was much better! I remember the ads for Little Engines in MR too... and after a visit to a live steam track in the Kansas City area when our family was on vacation, I wanted a live steam loco in the worst way! Dad got a catalog from Railroad Supply Company, but there was no way "we" could afford it. However, dad and I eventually built a 12" gauge diesel switch engine (powered by a 3HP Briggs & Stratton) which I still have. That eventually led to me building a couple more gas engine powered locos, a variety of rolling stock, and restoring two 12" gauge live steam locomotives. I have a short 12" gauge railroad on my property where I run the trains. So, the live steam stuck with me, but the HO trains did not. Of course, the Tyco set wasn't my first train, that honor belongs to a Marx O gauge windup - which I still have, and which still runs - and that of course led to my collection of windup trains. It's funny how little things can influence our interests for the rest of our lives! - James
Interesting post! As a child of the 70's, I was the receipient of a Tyco Chattanooga Choo-Choo one Christmas. Unfortuneatly, the quality of the tender drive left a lot to be desired, and that loco didn't last very long. The Athearn that I got a bit later was much better! I remember the ads for Little Engines in MR too... and after a visit to a live steam track in the Kansas City area when our family was on vacation, I wanted a live steam loco in the worst way! Dad got a catalog from Railroad Supply Company, but there was no way "we" could afford it. However, dad and I eventually built a 12" gauge diesel switch engine (powered by a 3HP Briggs & Stratton) which I still have. That eventually led to me building a couple more gas engine powered locos, a variety of rolling stock, and restoring two 12" gauge live steam locomotives. I have a short 12" gauge railroad on my property where I run the trains. So, the live steam stuck with me, but the HO trains did not. Of course, the Tyco set wasn't my first train, that honor belongs to a Marx O gauge windup - which I still have, and which still runs - and that of course led to my collection of windup trains. It's funny how little things can influence our interests for the rest of our lives!
And, it's a success story. That live steam bug will get you !
I remember other manufacturers that I ordered catalogs from in the early '70's. One was for an internal combustion powered " steam outline" engine.
Another was from Crown Metal Products, the standard amusement park train.
Here's another thing:
Railroad Supply operated out of a storefront in Burbank. If memory serves, it was in proximity to Warner Brothers studios.
When you drove past Railroad Supply, you could see 1 1/2 inch scale steamers through the front display windows.
How cool is that ?
Penny Trains That looks great! Well done! My first HO set was a mail-in offer from Lipton Soup. It had a Soo Line switcher, a Lipton Boxcar and a caboose. I have a super 8 movie of the dog chasing it around. Later on I got the Tyco Golden Eagle:
That looks great! Well done!
My first HO set was a mail-in offer from Lipton Soup. It had a Soo Line switcher, a Lipton Boxcar and a caboose. I have a super 8 movie of the dog chasing it around. Later on I got the Tyco Golden Eagle:
Also, as years went by, Tyco trains took on more and more of a fantasy appearance. A friend of mine got out of the hobby, and gave me 3 big boxes of HO stuff. Some real gems in there: Model Die Casting cars that are die cast metal, a Varney die cast S7 switcher, a Mantua die cast shark nose diesel, some Athearn Hi-F ( rubber band drive) F7's,
and a Tyco chrome plated Alco Century shell.
I was lucky, my brother and I were the kids on the block with the Lionel sets, our friends had HO sets, made by whom I don't remember, but those HO sets left us cold.
It seemed like they derailed constantly, looked a bit on the cheap side, and just didn't have the foundation-shaking presense the O gauge Lionels did. Getting down on the floor, looking down the track, and having an HO train barreling toward you just wasn't the same. By the way, I still do it! Unfortunately getting back up isn't as easy as it once was!
Anyway, I've never been interested in HO, although I did mess around with N gauge for a while, that was Lady Firestorm's big brother "Big B's" malign influence!
It you're curious, here's a peek at Big B's organization...
www.nnjn-trak.org
I appreciate your insight on Tyco. I agree with you, the stuff I had in the 60's ran extremely well ! They made a great product. I also remember the Mantua loco kits at our local toy store.
It appears that many people tend to have a negative opinion of Tyco's products. I have always felt this was unfair, as they made some excellent trains at one time. The diecast steam locomotives were very well made and some of the rolling stock, their crane car in particular, were well detailed. I built many steam locomotive kits from Tyco and Mantua. Some of the operating accessories were in the same spirit as those from Lionel and American Flyer.
I think some people judge all Tyco trains by the later production when they were of lesser quality. This happened to Lionel ten years earlier in the sixties. I am sure it has always been difficult for manufacturers to provide a quality product at a price we can afford.
I currently model in 3-rail O scale, but I previously modeled in HO. I enjoy model trains in all sizes and I believe they all have a lot to offer. It is a shame I don't have the space or resources to have a layout representing each one.
Karl
Thanks for the kind words, guys !
Well, that's an interesting point. The original Little Engines was started by a man named Martin Lewis. Model Railroader did a piece on this many years back. Apparently he was a machinist, and he started building during the depression to keep from going stir crazy, because he had no work. This turned into this business, which was run from his home, machine shop in the back. His wife was a draftsman, and drew up the blueprints. I went down there once, they put packages out front for the mailman to pick up. A home spun operation.
The catalogue I have provided pictures of is from about '83, and the price had gone up to $5.00. By this time, I think Martin had passed on, and many of the engines in the catalogue were stamped " discontinued for new starts", meaning that you can continue to finish an engine you are working on, but you can not start this model. But, you could pick something else.
Eventually, the business was sold, and I would see this name pop up in Durango, then Manassass ( Va., hope that's spelled right ). Last I checked, the business was operating in Northern California, and the catalogue alone was $18. That's my whole train budget right there !
The same with Railroad Supply, which was run by Chet Peterson. Don't know what became of this. But there was a time we had 2 suppliers in the L.A. Area.
Sometimes the dreams of our youth do come true, just in a slightly altered form. Keep on dreaming those dreams.
Northwoods Flyer
The Northwoods Flyer Collection
of
American Flyer Trains
"The Toy For the Boy"
Great job on that 2-6-0 Paul! A stunning piece of craftmanship!
If things had worked out differently, this could have been me !
All the essential plumbing is here. Two injectors, a water glass, brake stand, throttle, Johnson bar, blower valve, air pump valve, and gauges.
Previous knowledge helps me to enjoy detailing the blackhead.
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