Large Scale Central

Crazy Loco

Prototypes
#1

Many moons ago, back when John Caughey and I were on the other site, we often posted photos of old and strange locomotives.

Continuing along that line, I’d like to post on a really weird one I saw described at the Versailles KY RR museum. It was just a framed article, talking about the first loco on the Lexington & Ohio, ca. 1835.

This afternoon, I finally got around to looking it up. Here’s the article I found,

http://lexhistory.org/wikilex/lexington-ohio-railroad

It doesn’t exist anymore, but a replica was made in 1925 (scroll down in the article and you’ll see it and its “passenger car”).

Per the article, “This engine was under powered and proved impracticable. The rigid frame on rigid tracks allowed the traction wheels to slip. The railroad returned to horse power.”

Of course, that doesn’t stop anyone from making a working model if it, haha!

#2

That would make a quite interesting working model. I’d be inclined to decorate it with an anchor and life ring because of how boat-ish it looks.

#3

I need 2 dozen good men to sit around my experimental boiler … get here early for the best seats …

#4

Years ago I posted this one…

later this one caught my eye…

There were a few What-izzits …

This one; ‘Splains it Lucy’

The first Caterpillar conversion? That’s a big cylinder straight 6 no?

Ball is in your court buddy!

#5

Atta boy, John!

Here are a couple of my fave’s.

Maybe 10’ drivers??

I’d love to see this on a layout! Lotsa nice moving parts, and the counter-rotating friction wheels would look very cool.

#6

A true kit bash!

#7

Now that I haven’t seen before. You should totally build that, an easy bash for you!

OK, here’s another pair.

#8

Sitting right up front like that, he would be the first one at the accident site.

And with that huge box up front, the engineer would have a hard time seeing whats ahead to try and avoid the accident.

#9

Dave, Inspection Engines were for inspecting the line, not accident investigations, they were used more to attract investors than repair the line.

NW liked the 4-8-0, ran them like fast Connies, called them the Mastodon Class.

#10

These things are interesting. There’s just one problem with them. though. They’re UGGGLY!

#11

John Le Forestier said:

These things are interesting. There’s just one problem with them. though. They’re UGGGLY!

That’s the beauty of them John. (https://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-cool.gif)

#12

John Caughey said:

Dave, Inspection Engines were for inspecting the line, not accident investigations, they were used more to attract investors than repair the line.

NW liked the 4-8-0, ran them like fast Connies, called them the Mastodon Class.

John, you kinda missed my point. The dignitaries are sitting on the blunt head end of that thing, without anything between them and anything they might hit. So if there is an accident, they will be the first at the accident site. Also, by putting that “house” in front of the engineer, it really reduces his viability, that’s not a safe thing to do.

So they liked to run them fast? oh, that just ramps up the risk.

#13

I probably should have said they’re so ugly that I personally wouldn’t trouble myself to build a model of one. I’d be surprised if anyone else would either!

#14

David Maynard said:

John Caughey said:

Dave, Inspection Engines were for inspecting the line, not accident investigations, they were used more to attract investors than repair the line.

NW liked the 4-8-0, ran them like fast Connies, called them the Mastodon Class.

John, you kinda missed my point. The dignitaries are sitting on the blunt head end of that thing, without anything between them and anything they might hit. So if there is an accident, they will be the first at the accident site. Also, by putting that “house” in front of the engineer, it really reduces his viability, that’s not a safe thing to do.

So they liked to run them fast? oh, that just ramps up the risk.

The Mastodons were from a different post.

The Inspection Engine wasn’t really first on the scene of an accident. The Brass Hat might like to Inspect his Empire on Sunday and could take a friend. Most likely a track walker made sure the route was clear.

I completely understood you,

#15

Quite by coincidence, I picked up a book from Tom Bowdler, “Railroads in the Woods” by Jahn Labbe and Vernon Coe last weekend. It is all photos of logging, especially old and interesting stuff. Some of the contraptions are so interesting and weird I had to share them. [Sorry for the quality - they are scanned from a book.]

Talk about cobbled together:

This one is a 5-ton truck with RR wheels at the back and a 4-wheel truck under the front:

How about a donkey engine loco:

And if one boiler won’t raise enough steam, just add another:

#16

Pete Thornton said:

Quite by coincidence, I picked up a book from Tom Bowdler, “Railroads in the Woods” by Jahn Labbe and Vernon Coe last weekend. It is all photos of logging, especially old and interesting stuff. Some of the contraptions are so interesting and weird I had to share them. [Sorry for the quality - they are scanned from a book.]

Those are something. 1:1 scale kitbashing indeed.

#17

Those are great, Pete! Those “down-under” locos often got especially interesting, very inventive.

#18

Cliff Jennings said:

Those are great, Pete! Those “down-under” locos often got especially interesting, very inventive.

There’s quite a few more - such as a bunch of steam dummies straight from the downtown tramways out to the woods. But in theory they are all copyright so I was being careful.

#19

But I couldn’t resist showing you these beauties. A speeder, described as used for mail and supplies:

Another speeder, with the brass riding for an inspection:

And finally, for all you guys with a 4-wheel truck and a caboose on it, here’s a serious logging crummy, probably built on a disconnect truck:

#20

Those are some amazing disconnects Pete, each one with a brake wheel?! Very sophisticated!

Thanks for taking the time to scan and post those shots, they’re all beauts! For those that would like to get that book…

Railroads in the Woods

A quote from a reviewer:

The book has 440 black and white photos spanning from the late 1800’s to just about 1960 when the book was first published. The photos are from railroads in California, Oregon and Washington. As others have stated, this is pretty much the defining work on logging railroads on the west coast. With a glossary and fifteen chapters with titles such as, The Beginning, Bridges and Trestles, Early Equipment, Geared Engines, Hickeys and Hoggers, Rod Engines, and so on. It covers railroad logging in the west from the earliest days to when trucking replaced the railroads.

John, we need to dig up all those pics of down-under Climax wannabees, some of which ran on logs… just like Pete’s 8/22 pic (the 4th one down) did, but with many more wheels.