A little help with the list of MDC kitbash kits please.

[Anonymous]

Either it's my age or I just can't find anything anymore... But if anyone has a good text listing of the whole (obsolete) 3-in-1 kits that were offered by MDC/Roundhouse, I'd appreciate a copy.

I do know that two were released under the number 1519, the steam shovel, (I designed the side dump car for that one) and the snow plow built from a Vandy tender, (I also designed that one).

I have some serious confusion with the whole list. I'm trying to finally put together a collection of the kits and for the likes of me I found several lists that conflict with one-another.

Any help would be appreciated. You can post an answer here or send it off to my email address from my profile/page.

Cordially,
Gerry Dombroski
ho.modeler

[Anonymous]

Hi Gerry,
These are some that are listed in the1986 Walthers catalog.
1500 26'log car set
1501 wood chip car set
1502 shorty flat car set
1503 MOW passenger car set
1504 Wayside station
1505 Gandydancers quarters
1506 telegraph office andservice facility
1507 fire fighting train set
1508 ore Jimmie cars
1509 log car and building set
1510 Climax mine loco dummy
1511 Victoria station
1512 cable house and passenger car kits
1513 shop and cable car barn kit
1514 Austin city street scene
1515 rotory snow plow andtender
1516 Jordan spreader & snow crab
1517 snow dozer &MW flanger
1518 Golloping Goose diesel conversion dummy

[Anonymous]

Darn it Ray,
I should have thought of asking you in the first place!
Thanks, Big Guy!

What about:
# 1519 Steam shovel and side dump car
# 1519 Snow Plow Project Kit

And any info on #1550? All I have is the box at home.

Cordially,
Gerry

[tatans]

Bought a loco kit called "Moose Jaws Lumber Company" have been trying to find out the origin of the name, Can't remember the #.

[Anonymous]

#1550 is the unpowered HOn3 0-8-0T

[Anonymous]

Gerry,
I couldn't find the 1519 kits in that catalog.
I did find the 1550 3-in-1 HOn3 static steam articulated kit.
This is from the catalog.
An unpowered kit featuring one molded plastic saddle tank body, plastic detail parts, metal "outside frame" chassis with two sets of steam cylinders, counterweights and main rods, unassembled drivers consisting of brass rims,steel axles, molded centers, plus screws. Includes instructions to build one of the following, 2-4-4-0T, 0-8-0T (logging type), or 0-8-0T (plantation type).

I don't know how I forgot that one. We were discussing one of those not to long ago.

tatans,
If it is the MDC climax it would be a #2789
Maybe a search on "Moose Jaws - Saskatchewan" may turn up something.

[Anonymous]

My start in serious modeling was by building some of these 3 in 1 kits - "Extra parts required" - and how! I especially liked the listing of the sizes of Plastruct shapes, styrene sheet, etc. required to build (scratchbuild, actually). I had no supplies on hand, and carried around a parts list when I visited out of town shops until I gathered everything up. I followed all of the steps and made some really neat models. The experience in doing these kits lead me to attempt other projects on my own, and started me on the road to great modeling.

My favorite was the steam shovel, although the plans did not actually show how to make the fine one in the kit illustrations. After I built the shovel, I came across some prototype photos and noticed the model was very much simplified, but I didn't have enough interest to re-do the model. I accidentally knocked the shovel off a shelf and much of it came apart. I took this occasion to rebuild it into something much more prototypical looking. Must have done OK on the model, as it won First Place Non Revenue in the 1986 NMRA National Convention in Boston. It was also featured as a Blue Ribbon Model in the Narrow Gauge & Shortline Gazette.

The only kit I wasn't able to get was shown in a catalog, to make a pile driver. I wrote MDC and they said the kit was never released. Looking at the photos , I could have built one, as it used an Atheran 250 ton crane boom and parts from the MCD sand/gravel cars (or whatever they were.).

I do recall other modelers being disappointed in the 3 in 1 kits as they weren't actually kits, just some parts from the MDC inventory and some really clever instructions and sample models. They were great!

Bob Boudreau

[tatans]

Ray M. I have the Moose Jaws packed away for a move, but I am still trying to find the origin of the name, as far as I can find out there is no connection to Moose Jaw, (no"s")Saskatchewan(where I grew up, a massive railway town) I think the name came from some layout years back that may have been published in MR, as for a challenge, these kits and 3 in 1 are quite a mind boggling feat, especially the instructions, which in some cases have no bearing whatsoever on the contents of the box,but fun to assemble. I would like to see a Complete listing of ALL mdc kits.

[Anonymous]

tatans,
You may be right about the Moose Jaw.
I found a reference to an article in the Narrow Gauge & Short Line Gazette
January/February 1988
"A new segment for the HO/HOn3 Moose Jaws Lumber Company " by *** Shapiro

I'll have to dig through my pile of papers, I might have an MDC pamphlet from the 1980s that listed their kits.

[Anonymous]

Thanks Guys for your input, but there's still one that has me confused...

#1519 was the Steam shovel, Last year(?) they released another #1519 as the Snow Plow, #1521 was the diner (have one coming in from Ebay), what the heck was #1520?
Was there a #1520? Did they catch the goof-up with two #1519's? and skip #1520?

(And yes, I really have to do something with my web page link, I'll try to soon.)

Cordially,
Gerry

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by ho.modeler

#1519 was the Steam shovel, Last year(?) they released another #1519 as the Snow Plow, #1521 was the diner (have one coming in from Ebay), what the heck was #1520?
Was there a #1520? Did they catch the goof-up with two #1519's? and skip #1520?

I have a Roundhouse catalog that is undated, probably from the 1980's - it shows the pile driver kit that I mentioned previously as being #1520. The Marion Steam Shovel is listed as #1519.

It states "Battle Mountain 'Pile Driver' should be arriving shortly! Just got our report - a kit for an engineer. On the other hand you, the modeler, must furnish great 'kit bashing'." The kit features (2) Models: (1) 36' box car & special molded pile driver boom (from an Athearn 205T crane); (1) molded 40' gondola kit.

As I noted previously MDC indicated to me in a letter a long time ago that #1520 was never produced.

The back page of the catalog illustrates other upcoming 3 in 1 kits as Late Arrivals, too late to include in the catalog, in the "Wheeling Steel Mill" Theme:

#1521 - Hot metal, thermos bottle, side dump 3-car set.
#1522 - Switcher (dummy) & HO shorty mill cars.
#1523 - Steel mill building kit, molded in stone & brick.

Hope this helps! [:D]

Bob Boudreau

[Anonymous]

Thanks Bob,
I was leaving the hobby about then, personal problems etc, so I never saw the promo stuff on the pile driver. If you could scan what you have on it for me, it would be appreciated.

I know I did do up three kitbashes for a steel mill theme for *** Apel back then. One was an articulated thermos bottle car, one a slag car using a 1" cast copper plumbing end cap and the final one a coke car. I still have a few, abet very old and tattered, sketches from back then.

Was that time period about when they made the move from California? That would explain much because *** Apel the "whimisical" designer for them stayed in California.

Cordially,
Gerry

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by ho.modeler

Thanks Bob,
I was leaving the hobby about then, personal problems etc, so I never saw the promo stuff on the pile driver. If you could scan what you have on it for me, it would be appreciated.

I know I did do up three kitbashes for a steel mill theme for *** Apel back then. One was an articulated thermos bottle car, one a slag car using a 1" cast copper plumbing end cap and the final one a coke car. I still have a few, abet very old and tattered, sketches from back then.

Was that time period about when they made the move from California? That would explain much because *** Apel the "whimisical" designer for them stayed in California.

Cordially,
Gerry

Here's the pile driver scan from the catalog:



(I had to post it sideways because the forum will not enlarge photos that are 800 pixels high)


Here are the Wheeling Steel Mill Kits as shown on the back cover:







The catalog has the MDC address in California. There does not appear to be any dates at all in the catalong, copyright or other.

Hope this is of some help! [:D]

Bob Boudreau

[Anonymous]

Thanks Bob!
I can definately say that was not my thermos car. Although it does have some of the parts mine used. I used the center section from their 26' tank car as well. My tapered parts of the car were the 7 watt christmas tree bulbs.

Here's some sketches:
http://ourpage.com/kitbash/sketches/sketch3.jpg
http://ourpage.com/kitbash/sketches/sketch4.jpg
http://ourpage.com/kitbash/sketches/sketch7.jpg


Parts of my pile driver plans can be seen in sketches 5 & 6.

I never seen their pile driver before. It certianlly is a nice piece of work. I can see how it was made and it is a more modern one than I made for them.

If that had their California address on it, it shows that *** had a hand in the series. When they moved, I think Clarence tried dropping the whole three in one theme idea.

Again, thanks to all for the input and I appreciate it.

Cordially,
Gerry