I like to model MOW oddball stuff. I have recently been communicating with Plowman and he has some really neat plows in his fleet. I am curious to see what others have that is scratch built or kitbashed in their MOW equipment. Here are a few of mine. Many are Roundhouse 3 in 1 kits which are sort of half scratch built. The shortened Russell snow plow is a Walthers kit based on a picture I found on the net. All are still works in progress. Pardon the dust on some!
Let's see what you got!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Dave you have some sweet MOW cars!!! That CP shorty is VERY nice, and I'm going to have to get one of those flanger kits!!!!
Anyway, Here are some pics of what I have and some of what I dont have anymore but are appropriate for this post. I love looking at others MOW stuff, the best part about MOW equip is that most roads used older cars or made homebuilt things, so it really brodens the scope of what you can do when it comes to customizing. There is no "this is how its supposed to look" in MOW equip!!!!!!
Okay.... Here goes....
This is an old Athern rubber band drive rotary that started it all out for me collecting snowfighting equip. It was on my way to the springfield Mass train show many many years ago when I was a kid. I have had this car unchanged for over 25 years!!!!!
This is one of an old Brittish Hornby Triang Plow. It is OO scale, but if you change out the trucks they make great HO candidates. These ones are getting hard to find and sually the wings are broken. This one is minty mint!! Not going to touch this one!
Here are 2 that I got from a fellow railroader / plow enthusiest, they are the pride of my fleet. The CN plow is from a triang plow, heavily customized, and the other is another athern rotary which is also heavily customized to be a self propelled diesel.....side shot not produced to protect his personal railway name. ;)
This is a work in progress that I currently working on. Its a Walthers Russell winged plow that I have shortened (does anyone know why they shortened plows???) Anyway it sits on a custom painted Bachman depressed well flat car in which I removed the plastic decking and put in wood boards piece by peice. I still have alot more detail work to go on this one including tiedown chains and a spot for the trucks on the front, I'll post more pics when its done.
This is a pic of an old Northeasten plow I sold a while back, but thought it was nicely done
Here is a B&M Triang plow I did back when I first started weathering.... looking back its a little embarrising....LOL below it is another B&M but from a Walthers kit.
Here is a Custom Finishing Jet Snowblower... These are used to melt the snow from switches with the heat from a small jet engine!!!
This is another of my favorites, Its a Walthers car custom painted by a good friend of mine here in Virginia, he does lots of custom painting and weathering and sells a lot online. He has a certain artistic way that is different from everyone else.
Another Walthers Kit painted up in Maine Central colors.... Thsi one didnt come out to my liking, its about to get a repaint after I trun it into a Double track plow!!!!
This is a Brass plow I sold about a year ago that I am kicking myself for......I really wish I had this one back, but the seller wont sell back..... I tried!!! hehehe ;)
I tried my hand at a Double Track plow.... It came out okay but I went a little crazy with the weatheing and didnt do any decal work on it. It was a Walthers single track that I converted using styrene. Even added custom grab bars.
Heres a B&M 25 tom crane I built out of an undecorated walthers crane.... The chain is a little out of scale but I have 3 feet of 40LPI on its way to resolve that problem.
the rest are just a mix of the above listed plows. Thats about all for now, I am also about to start a new double track plow from the MEC car I pictured......I am not pleased with the color of the green, the decals cracked from being old and my weathering was again from when I had just started. More to come on that one.
Cool thread Dave, Hope to see more plows and MOW equipment.... Lets see what keeps your railroads up and running!!!!!!
Steve
I want your Snowplows!!!!!
Very Nice Work Guys!!!
Someday I would like to make a nice Plow that DME/ICE uses. I freelanced one using an ore car that I covered & repositioned the front truck, It looks neat but not prototypical.
MOW has been one of my favorites, and I have quite a few, too many to show individually. Here are some group shots:
Bob Boudreau
CANADA
Visit my model railroad photography website: http://sites.google.com/site/railphotog/
Bob, that double ended plow on the lower photo is really neat looking.
This is my big hook 250 ton crane and crane tender in my freelanced Bunker Hill and Eastern colors. Athearn blue box undecorated with Champ decals and added details like floodlights
I have some more, I may have to dig them out of a box and photograph them.
George In Midcoast Maine, 'bout halfway up the Rockland branch
Found a few more images in my Photobucket account of some MOW equipment:
Bob, Those shovels are Awesome!!!!
Are those shovels kits? Where did you find them?
If you can read this... thank a teacher. If you are reading this in english... thank a veteran
When in doubt. grab a hammer.
If it moves and isn't supposed to, get a hammer
If it doesn't move and is supposed to, get a hammer
If it's broken, get a hammer
If it can't be fixed with a hammer... DUCK TAPE!
teen steam fan Are those shovels kits? Where did you find them?
The first (smaller) Marion shovel is a Rio Grande Models kit, I believe they are still available.
The second Bucyrus shovel started out as an MDC/Roundhouse "3 in 1" kit. These "kits' came with some parts from their line, and lots of instructions to fabricate much of it yourself. Most of the models posted first in this thread come from the same line. I've made them all too.
My completed model was OK until I discovered photos of the real Bucyrus shovels. My model took a tumble off the shelf and came apart, did not break. So I took this occasion to rebuild it more like the prototype, using photos as guides. New body, added details on bucket and boom, etc. Boom swivels and raises, all doors and vents operate, and the rear deck folds up into the body.
I started digging through all of my pictures only to discover I've never done much photography of all of my kit-smashed MOW equipment. Here's some I do have.
Below: A trestle rebuild underway using my custom painted MOW equipment:
Below: I didn't build nor letter this unique crane tender, but I did add the wheel load and the track cleaner underneath:
Below: A re-worked Rivorossi plow gets checked for damage. The round hole is for a temporary coupler so I can tow the car both ways.
The Cedar Branch & Western--The Hillbilly Line!
Nice stuff, The pic of your crane tender did not show up.
Railphotog:
Those are some really neat models. The cranes are very well done.
I am curious about the double ended plow. What are its origins? I suspect it might be brass.
hon30critter Railphotog: Those are some really neat models. The cranes are very well done. I am curious about the double ended plow. What are its origins? I suspect it might be brass. Dave
Nope, it was scratchbuilt:
Here is my freelanced plow, based on an ore car. (I'm sorry if you have seen this before..) The front truck is moved forward, a cover added & a few attempts at hot (heated) styrene molding sheet resulted in the basis of a unique plow shape. In these pictures it is shown with loco's that are almost done or mid-way before completion & weathering. (the loco's are not 'all' finished in these shots).. This Plow was one of my first serious scratchbuilding & freelancing projects, I still admire it... Thanks!
PS: I would really like to find 'data' on the real DM&E/IC&E plows that resembles a 'ButterCup' style car, to model one in the prototype someday.
PSS: She really 'rides the rails' if I put in 33" wheel'd trucks, pictured are 36" wheel'd trucks.
Bob B,
You inspire!
Great work, & Awesome collection!!!!!
Some more unusual MOW equipment:
This pile driver is an etched brass kit by Sheepscot Scale models.
The tracklaying machine was scratchbuilt using plans and supporting gussets and such that were "bonus" parts in the pile driver kit.
Bob!
Scratchbuilt is the best and yours is supurb! I am not normally a 'rivet counter' but 1500 individual rivets is impressive.
Do you know if this plow had a special purpose other then not requiring a means of turning it? I could see it being useful on a wye if there was a run around track close by. Actually I guess it required a run around wherever it was to be used in reverse.
I have often wondered what it would be like to ride in a snow plow at speed. The crew must have been bounced around pretty good! The last issue of Canadian History has a picture on the inside last page of a Russell plow bursting through the snow at a road crossing. According to the caption people would gather from several miles around to see the plows at work.
Cool model!
Thanks
Chad: That DME ore car plow is Great!!! Thats what I like to see, the cars that are completely ordinary that you wouldnt find on another layout anywhere!!! I think you did a great job on it. What is your method for hot molding the styrene, it sounds like it may help me out with some of my projects, To use a sheet thin enough to bend to the curves I want sometimes makes the part to fragile, yet the right thickness is near impossible to manipulate to the radius' I need. Do you soak it in hot water, bend it and let it cool, dip in cold water???? I had thought about heating it but wasnt sure what would be the best way.
Bob, That track laying car is very impresive, I have never seen anything like that before. You gotta give it to the guys from way back in the day who came up with these ideas for making such a laborous job easier! (not you Bob, your a young buck! ;)
The details that go into your models are just amazing, everytime I see one I think it should be in a museum!!! You never fail to impress!
Bob:
Even more cool models!
The track laying machine is truly unique.
PlowGuy & other Folks...
Well, in an amature-ish way, I used a Propane torch... Yeah a torch & styrene (& I light a cigarette with my paint thinner, Yup...)
No, Really!? What I did, was to make cardboard patterns. Then selected brass tubing to form the radaii from. I marked the cardboard in the "square" angles of the 'desired' (I meant 'Desired') shape of the finished unit. Once I was satisfied with that, I transferred that to styrene, & over cut a couple blanks. The right or 'engineer' side was a one time hit, worked out perfectly! The left side however, kept slipping or drew heat where not intended, & on the third try, was somewhat accomodating... I rolled it over brass tubing to get the nice roll draft, it was active as it was not just a simple bend over, I needed to wash out the ends. Once the centerline was measured & trimmed. the basic plow shape was intact. I then assembled, braced it, & squared it to the carbody. At that point it oddly looked like a figure '8' hourglass nightgown... Then, I remembered my Dad had one of those carpenters laser levels.. Hmmm.. Perfect for laying out the sides, so I did, & then trimmed them to specifications. That is pretty much the long & short of it.
Say, I really appreciate the kind comments, even if it is a fictional unit, Thanks guys!!! I appreciate it!!!
Thanks again, I noticed brutally that I only shot one side, so here is the other....
This is the 'other side' of the DM&E SnowPlow.. Proving that I'm not a "One Side Jack". Yes, I like to make both sides appropriate, & with scratchbuilding, one side can look better than another. When I was viewing my pictures, I myself, thought hey, I only shot that one side!!! Ooopppsss.. I do that some times. Well, here is the other side, & you can see, I got it about 95ish percent nice... With a heavy (Unfinished) IC&E SD45 pushing it into next fall, but probably doing a number on those late summer weeds, as I'm sure she is not going at all, very slow.....
hon30critter Bob! Do you know if this plow had a special purpose other then not requiring a means of turning it? I could see it being useful on a wye if there was a run around track close by. Actually I guess it required a run around wherever it was to be used in reverse. I have often wondered what it would be like to ride in a snow plow at speed. The crew must have been bounced around pretty good! Cool model! Thanks Dave
I have often wondered what it would be like to ride in a snow plow at speed. The crew must have been bounced around pretty good! Cool model!
Far as I know the double ended plow was just intended for branch lines where there were no turning facilities, but I imagine it could be used for wyes or whatever. I was fortunate to be able to photograph and take measurements off one that wasn't too far from where I live.
I have a commercial video on snowplows at work, and at the end there is a segment showing a CP rail plow crew trying to buck their way through some really heavy drifts. A real hard run resulted in the plow going airborne, almost vertically, then falling down on its side. The crewmen inside were banged up a bit (!) but were OK. They quote one of them as saying that when he signed up for snowplow duty, he didn't think he'd be a candidate for astronaut service!
I have lots more MOW gear, will post once I put them into my Photobucket account.
Some more MOW from the archives:
A scratchbuilt plow in On30, based upon plans & photos in the Narrow Gauge & Shortline Gazette. Original was for 2-foot gauge.
American Hoist & Ditcher railroad ditcher, white metai kit by Rio Grande Models.
Athearn crane converted from steam to diesel, custom details & paint.
Walthers Jordan Spreader, large front plow replaced with white metal smaller one by Custom Finishing.
All working parts on the spreader have been made operational, original ones were supposed to work but did not.
Great thread, here are a few of mine
All the rotary plows were upgraded with can motors to spin the blade only, all were dcc equipped and one had lights.
alco's forever!!!!! Majoring in HO scale Minorig in O scale:)
Here's my entry. A rotory snowplow with a MOW F-7B unit.
A 250 ton bacyrus erie crane with idler car
chuck
RailphotogSome more unusual MOW equipment: This pile driver is an etched brass kit by Sheepscot Scale models. The tracklaying machine was scratchbuilt using plans and supporting gussets and such that were "bonus" parts in the pile driver kit.
Bob, my friend George Barrett of Sheepscott would be pleased to see his work so well modeled and photographed.
As I said earlier, I dug around in some boxes and found some more of my MOW equipment
This is an Ambroid Russel winged snowplow that I originally built in the 60s, and restored and repainted for my freelanced Bunker Hill & Eastern RR in the late 80s.
The BHE flanger is from a Roundhouse 3-in-1 kit
The tool flat, I made from a Mantua flatcar
The 25 ton Brownhoist is a Walthers kit and the crane tender is also Walthers, ex-Train Minature kit
The blacksmith car and ballast flat are also Walthers, ex-Train Minature kits
Very cool!!!!!!!!!!!!
DM&IR- HO Scale
Greg
A few more of my creations:
Kitbashed rotary plow, inspired by a prototype owned by a logging railroad.
Jordan Spreader from a Roundhouse "3 in 1" kit, mostly scratchbuilt.
Plow converted from a Tri-Ang model, based upon prototype
Interior of GT plow, made from photos and measurements of prototype.
Hello my MOW equipment is not as detailed as what I have seen so for. But I am trying. Here is a inspection loco I kit bashed and then a Titchy crane and boom car I kit bashed.
Have a nice day Frank
Found some more:
An Athearn rotary plow that I shortened and covered with wood sheathing.
Scratchbuilt pile driver.
Kitbashed crane on a caboose chassis.
A car for carrying spare trucks in a wreck train.