Do we have any Civil War buffs that are attempting to do a layout in this hard to model era? I loved the article in RMC not long ago. Sure wish modeling companies would do up some good running ACW era engines. Mantua did the General, but it usualy needs upgrades to nickel silver wheels, can motor, more weight ect. Bachman has thier 4-4-0's but they are a little bit after the war era in looks. It would seem this era of small engines, small cars and track laid right in the dirt would be perfect for small layouts. With such small equipment, tight curves dont look as tight when running. Just food for thought. I just tuned up a General for someone in the club, actualy got it to run really well using Athearn drive line shaft from the tender to the engine. Its a version without any traction tire so its a bit slippery. With some nickel silver wheels in the tender and the pilot truck to add power pickup, it might actualy run really really well. Such a shame that this very important era of railroading in this country is largely ignored by the model companies. Some might say there is no market, but I bet if some decent running models that are up to todays standards were out there, more might give this era a try. Mike
LHS mechanic and geniune train and antique garden tractor nut case!
Someone else posted a thread recently on late 19th century / early 20th century. If you scroll back a couple of weeks I think you'll find it. There were a few responses to it on top of what you'll see in this one.
Springfield PA
try the below group.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EarlyRail/
I use to belong and there was a group associated with it that did CW stuff. The Mantua General was about the only loco that would work though I did bash a MDC 2-8-0 into a Winans Camel 0-8-0, circa 1855.
The train museum in Baltimore use to have a CW HO scale layout with some of this type loco bashed from the MDC 2-8-0 old timer. The loco is over size though. Fifty one inch drivers versus 43 inch drivers.
Rich
If you ever fall over in public, pick yourself up and say “sorry it’s been a while since I inhabited a body.” And just walk away.
Mike,
There are easily a half a dozen well-built Civil War layouts currently in operation. You can find out about many of them as well as helpful suggestions about modeling Civil War railroads on the Yahoo forum for Civil War Railroads and Modeling:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Civil_War_RRs/
Make sure to look through the Photo and File Sections of this forum as well as the discussions.These will provide information not only on Civil War Railroads but how to model them--and where to obtain equipment with which to do so. Though engines are a problem, firms like BTS and Alkem now offer great kits and parts for freight stock.
Two outstanding modelers of Civil War railroads, Thom Radice and Bernard Kempinski, post online blogs that show case much of their work (Thom's layout is HO, Bernard's O). They demonstrate what can be done in this area today. Check them out at:
http://western-and-atlantic-rr.blogspot.com/
http://usmrr.blogspot.com/
Frank
I have Thom's excellent article in RMC a few months ago, I wish he would do a write up on what it takes to get the Mantua General to run well. I am sure it involves a new motor and it looks like he is putting metal wheels in the pilot truck, which would add power pickup on the engine. We really need Model Power/Mantua to rework and release the General again, but in several different names/paint schemes. They are selling some really nice old timer freight cars, but they need to bring back the 4-4-0! A good running 4-4-0 would be a huge battle won in encouraging folks to give Civil War era modeling a try. I know I want to try it since for now, a small layout is all we can manage space wise. My GN branch line will have to wait a few years. Mike and Michele T
The Mantua/Tyco General doesn't look like a hard one to upgrade. Mantua's gearing is already excellent, and NWSL has a motor that would fit perfectly in the tender. Changing out the wheels in the front truck and tender shouldn't be too hard, especially since NWSL makes spoked wheels in almost all sizes.
Walthers has been listing the Mantua General as TBA for some time now, so maybe we'll see it released one day.
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Actually, don't overlook the Bachmann "Jupiter". It was one of the very early locomotives on the Central Pacific, which began construction during the Civil War (1863). It might be a tad heavier than some of the locomotives used by both Union and Confederate forces during the war,but not by much. The Bachmann "119" from the Union Pacific might be a little more difficult to 'backdate' because of the extended smokebox and straight stack, but it could probably be done.
Remember, while the War was going on, Baldwin and Rogers and several other Northern locomotive builders were continually 'improving' their product. The South, of course, was pretty much stuck with what they were using before the War, or what Jeb Stuart was able to capture early in the campaigns from the North.
The older AHM Virginia and Truckee 4-4-0 and 2-4-0 locomotives were good examples of late 1860's locomotives, but unfortunately they were a bit 'oversized' (almost OO scale) to be really accurate representations of Civil War era locomotives.
But it's too bad that there isn't a more complete selection of locomotives from that era.
Tom
Tom View my layout photos! http://s299.photobucket.com/albums/mm310/TWhite-014/Rio%20Grande%20Yuba%20River%20Sub One can NEVER have too many Articulateds!
I think the time is ripe for someone to offer either a new model or a signifiantly upgraded model of a civil war locomotive. The General is the prime example. While the Mantua model is done after she was rebuilt and not as she was during the war with the outside frame, its still an excellent starting point. I have never liked the micro pilot truck and tender wheels on the Bachmann models. The Mantua model is much more to my liking, it just needs lots of refinement to run well. The poor power pickup really needs to be addressed. Model Power would be well advised to upgrade the tender to all wheel pickup with extra pickup from the locomotive. Hopefully I can pickup an older General, one with the open spoked drivers and no traction tires soon, then I can see how much a new can motor helps. Mike
There are several UK companies offering self-quartering drivers to replace the dreadful Mantua slugs.
Harold