I remembered seeing the ads in Model Railroader in those pre internet days. Seen some at shows as a kid along other vintage 2 rail O scale trains as we had an active modular club in Indianapolis back then(sure wish we still did!) But now as an adult, I can entertain myself with these trains. They are an absoute bargin if you want to dabble in 2 rail on a budget. From the sectional track with a 24" radius to the chunky super switcher from the Indiana Harbor Belt. While none of them can pull huge trains due to small motors and lack of weight, for a small layout they are perfect way to enjoy the scale on a budget. Here is pic of my small loop of AHM sectional track with my IHB 0-8-0 and an old Atlas long mill gon. Buildings are wood kits/scratchbuilts I found cheap at a show and a mint condition MRC Railpower small HO transfomer(all you really need with these trains). Second picture is of the ad from the back of one of the switches that came in a blister pack. Its a shame that some of the items shown on the boxes never made it to production, like the USRA 0-6-0. It would have went around these curves a bit better than the bigger than the 0-8-0.
I have the GN flat car w/load, and the UP gondola that I bought about 40 years ago. The couplers don't match Atlas, MTH, etc. The gondola wheels/coupler are attached with a screw, but the flat car wheels appear to be permanently attached by plastic pin.
The pin is just a friction push pin, the flat blade of a screwdriver between the car bolster and the truck frame should let you gently work it up and out. Couplers were odd, can be replaced with Kaydee's which is what my cars all get. Just like doing up older HO items from the horn hook era. I do away with any truck mounted couplers just like HO scale, cut off the trucks coupler box, and mount up Kaydee's with their own box to the car frame shimmed to proper height.
I also have an O-scale AHM 0-8-0 but it is unpowered. The odds of me finding a power kit are somewhat remote. Even though I am an HO modeler first and foremost, I acquired this O-scale model because I'd like to convert it to a NH Class Y-4 0-8-0, which is similar to the IHB one (3-cylinder) but without the Elesco. The end goal is to display it.
Since then, I have managed to pick up the odd 2-rail O-scale item here and there if I can get them cheap. I have two Weaver RS-3s (undec.) that I purchased for $25 for the pair and the owner threw in an undec. unpowered Weaver GP9 for free. I also have a handful of 2-rail freight cars that I've found at train shows for roughly $10 to $15 ea. Last year, I bought Red Caboose kits of a flat and a tank car for $20. I've even managed to pick up about a 2 dozen pieces of 2-rail flex track and a couple switches for free (not gonna lie, they were in a trash can at the end of a train show; there's nothing wrong with them but nobody wanted them). The only new O-scale item I've bought is an undec. Atlas NE-6 caboose...the cost of which almost doubled what I've spent on O-scale.
The problem I have is that every time I price out what it would cost to build these O-scale loco models into accurate NH models, I think of all the things I want do to in HO scale first. So my O-scale models all sit on shelves in their respective boxes, waiting for me to finish my HO projects.
I found as I got closer to and now 50 years old. I find O scale much easier to model in and when I get the urge, build kits. I used to love to superdetail steam and diesels in HO, build craftsman kits. But age and eyesight make that much less enjoyable than it used to be. While I lack the space at the moment for more than a very light loop of AHM O scale set track that my 0-8-0 can barely go around. That will change in the coming years. I have bought another 0-8-0 in kit form with a pair of motorizing kits, along with 3 Casey Jones locos with 2 motorizing kits for them, along with 2 Reno kits and one that is powered but needs some TLC. I will probably sell off all but one Casey Jones, both Reno kits but I may fix up the powered one as a gift to a friend that is on the fence to join me in 2 rail O scale. I hope to eventually collect most everything AHM/Rivarossi did in O scale. One of the nice German class 80 0-6-0 kits with powering option is high on my list.
I remember these kits advertised back in the day. Could be an economical way to build a nice collection. I have a fuzzy memory of an NKP Berkshire kit that was like this also.
Paul
I went back through my old MR's. The NKP Berk was a plastic kit in HO in the '50's.
April '69 MR, trade topics has a review on the AHM Casey Jones, the motorizing kit was just about to come out. The Casey Jones was $12.95. The motorizing kit was listed at $19.95
The same issue has a review for the first LGB Stainz!Paul
I got one of the 0-8-0 kits new in box along with the motorizing kit a little while ago. It's almost finished, and I modified it to work on 3-rail AC as well as grinding off the rear flanges to go around 42" diameter curves. It's a nice runner!
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I have copies of pretty much every O scale American loco made by Rivarossi. They all run smoothly but they can't pull much. My C-liner is an OK puller, I added a truck-motor (the stock engine only has one, on one truck). My favorite is the 4-4-0 Genoa. I converted On30 passenger cars for it - they are in the paint shop. I will do a loop under the tree for the holidays.
Simon
I have one 0-8-0, one Reno, a Casey Jones kit with motorizing kit that I need to build, then I have two of the 0-8-0 motorizing kits that will get used to model the other two of the three super switches The Harbor owned. Now I need to find the US Hobbies brass one made by KTM. That one will handle heavy haulage once I build a bigger layout. I need to collect all of the rolling stock now and find a couple circles of the 63" diameter curved sectional track that Rivarossi made. Along with some of the German prototype stuff