I am about to construct a HO layout with an American 1850s look to it in keeping with 4-4-0 steamers. The problem is I can't find any rolling stock for that era. The closest I can see is a Walthers wood box car with strut, but with dreadnaught ends circa 1920. I can't see Buster Keaton cutting through that with an axe! Also need wooden hoppers for a mine site but no can do. Any suggestions?
Ron.
B.T.S. offers kits for various types of freight cars in their "War between the States" series. These are craftsman kits, so don´t expect them to be cheap.
B.T.S.
http://www.btsrr.com/btscar01.htm
Maybe.
http://www.amesvilleshops.com/
The only 4-4-0 for that era is the Mantua General.
Bachmann has a new DCC 4-4-0 line with or without sound that might work.
Link and pin couplers were the only couplers. Janney couplers loses the effect.
Turnouts were stub turnouts. I made my own but code 100 was vastly oversize.
I bashed an 1860's 0-8-0 Winans Camel from an old time Roundhouse 2-8-0 but that was somewhat oversize. Many years ago I saw a CW layout at the B&O museum in Baltimore that had some bashed 0-8-0 Camels.
I made mine from an article in RMC, Sept 1999 issue. Check the search page. You can find the back issue. The B&O had almost two hundred. They scrapped the last about 1898. It chugged in the yard as a switcher. Google winans camel and click on Images. Mine is the fourth down. Google b&o museum civil war layout. Yahoo Groups also has an early rail group where some do that era. Rich
I made mine from an article in RMC, Sept 1999 issue. Check the search page. You can find the back issue. The B&O had almost two hundred. They scrapped the last about 1898. It chugged in the yard as a switcher.
Google winans camel and click on Images. Mine is the fourth down.
Google b&o museum civil war layout.
Yahoo Groups also has an early rail group where some do that era.
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.
Bachmann made some including a barrel tank car.
I juat checked the Bachmann web site. They now sell the General and Texas in HO sound. Better prices online.
No idea how accurate the loco is.
Labelle Woodworking have kits back to the 1880s.
https://www.labellemodels.com/scale-passenger-cars-c-21_23.html?osCsid=l5a0mejr86d930qun706n5v0k0
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
Mantua Classics line has some 1860 era freight and passenger cars. Do be aware that some (at least one) of the freight cars are labeled for roads that did not exist then.
Cars of that era were not terribly sophisticated, so scratchbuilding shouldn't be too hard.
Good luck
Paul
My fairly comprehensive response just magically disappeared before I could submit it.
Tom
Thanks Paul, I purchased two of Mantuas wooden combine cars circa 1860 tonight, getting there slowly...
I sympathise, Tom, I have trouble like that with money!
I give up. I spent nearly an hour on the first response, including looking up several reliable, scholarly info sources. Then I posted the response above and tried to add a lengthy edit to it, spending nearly another hour. That disappeared as I was nearing the end. Maybe I'll get back to it some time, but I have other things to do & am certainly not in any frame of mind to do it now.
Sorry. Sending you a personal message.
This is a list of Westerfield resin kits, not everything may be avaialble. You may find something there
http://www.westerfieldmodels.com/media/f7989aefdfb9dbc8ffff82a8ffffe904.pdf
This is their home page http://www.westerfieldmodels.com/
Also, Shapeways has a huge list of 3D printed models; this is a link to their Model Trains home page. from there you can do searches to narrow the list
http://www.shapeways.com/marketplace/miniatures/model-trains?li=nav
George In Midcoast Maine, 'bout halfway up the Rockland branch
Lowering Bachmann 1860's boxcars and making link and pin couplers.
http://www.pacificcoastairlinerr.com/1879/
Don't forget, the US Civil War was 1861 to 1865, not in the 1850's. Yea, counting rivets.
Updated the boxcar lowering:
http://www.chainsawjunction.com/1879/cars/lowering_mantua/
Modeling the 1850's, 1860's and the 1870's are all different animals. Most equipment is 1870's or later.
Harold
ACY My fairly comprehensive response just magically disappeared before I could submit it. Tom
I have had that happen in these forums before so I do everything in a Word document first so I always have it. Then, copy and paste. Trains forums can be unforgiving. Helps with Spell Check which this forum does not have.
I actually use Open Office, a free download and just as good as MS Office. Also a download for Linux users.
I've always enjoyed reading about the primeval days of railroading and time to time have thought of building a second layout in the 1840 era or even earlier. Have you given any thought to the Bachmann models of the John Bull, King of Prussia, etc? These are circa 1830's but lasted longer of course. They could be modified with cabs, etc if I recall rightly I believe cabs only started to be applied in the late 1840's. Railroading was pretty primitive the first couple decades but they were learning quickly. MR for July, 1986 had a fabulous article about the early B&O. There might be some good data in there for you.
One of the problems of modeling the 1850 Era is that US railroading was only about 20 years old. There were no standards! Even the Civil War did little to change that other than the gauge got changed.
Rolling stock & engines started to see standard catalog models by the 1880's...
Jim
Modeling BNSF and Milwaukee Road in SW Wisconsin
Ron HumeI am about to construct a HO layout with an American 1850s look to it in keeping with 4-4-0 steamers. The problem is I can't find any rolling stock for that era. The closest I can see is a Walthers wood box car with strut, but with dreadnaught ends circa 1920. I can't see Buster Keaton cutting through that with an axe! Also need wooden hoppers for a mine site but no can do. Any suggestions?
The majority of cars in the 1850's will use 24-30 ft cars with wood beam trucks. Stock cars would be open top cars. Reefers haven't really been invented yet. coal cars are two axle 5-10 ton jimmys that are hoppers but have a wood truss sides. I believe BTS or Al-kem makes a kit for those. The Bachmann 4-4-0 with sound is proably way too new for the 1850's. You can by the wood beam trucks from Shapeways in plastic or other cast metal ones.
None of the Roundhouse engines or cars are era appropriate. None of the Westerfield cars are era appropriate. Bachmann old time 4-4-0's are almost close (by a decade or so). The newer design 4-4-0, 4-6-0 and 2-6-0 miss by 50-60 years. Mantua offers some older cars and older 4-4-0's.
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
Thanks for the vast informationn in your email Tom, I shall certainly look for the publications you mentioned. As I posted on this forum yesterday, I purchased two Mantua HO model wooden combine cars, circa 1860 yesterday, so that's a start.
I'm a bit too ancient to be kit bashing or constructing brass kits now, so I'm looking for assembled rolling stock. Other kind folk have provided clues as to locos etc, so I will research those, and I am aware of the Bachmann 4-4-0 Americans in HO but their paintwork would need an extensive makeover I feel.
I'm sorry you had a problem with your postings, sometimes gremlins have their way, or in my case, leprechauns!