Large Scale Central

East Broad Top's "Dolly Varden"

Modeling
#1

In the continued effort to clear my shelves of unfinished projects while I have a lull in other commitments, I finished my model of one of the EBT’s “Dolly Varden” cars. These were used to haul hemlock bark to the local tanneries, but were also pressed into the occasional excursion service over the years. (You’ll notice a resemblance to today’s “modern” open excursion cars.)

Add a bench down either side of the car, and voila! Instant passenger excursion car. (The EBT revived this idea when starting its tourist operations, but with a bench down the middle looking out, instead of two down the sides looking in. For more on the Dolly Varden’s construction: http://www.mylargescale.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=43205 (again, finished photos on page 2) Later, K

#2

Dangit!!! Kevin needs to be banned from posting cool stuff before Christmas!!!

#3

I like’em!! May have to convert a few flat cars…:wink:

#4

Now thats VERY cool. I may have to sacrifice a couple of my flats and build a few…

#5

Terrific model, as always Kevin! Very impressive. BTW, which trucks did you use?

#6

I used Delton/Aristocraft Classics trucks on this one. They scale out to a 4’ wheelbase, and Bachmann’s wheels scale nicely to 24". These were swiped from the hopper cars, as I put the smaller Bachmann trucks under them. The EBT’s early cars used a very small (3’ 7") wheelbase truck, originally with 20" wheels. Later wood cars (c. 1900) used a 4’ wheelbase archbar truck and 24" wheels, moving the brake shoes to the inside. The early equipment eventually got larger wheels when the railroad converted to automatic couplers.

Later,

K

#7

Kevin,

I really appreciate your knowledge and dedication to studying the EBT stuff (stuff = wheel dimensions as to era as to weight and type of car). My best luck is to just listen to what you say.

#8

Kevin, that is really well done. Bravo Zulu!

Why would the hemlock need that sort of cover. It doesn’t look like it would provide all that much protection. What was EBT’s thinking behind this car?

SteveF

#9
Steve Featherkile said:
Why would the hemlock need that sort of cover. It doesn't look like it would provide all that much protection. What was EBT's thinking behind this car?

SteveF


I’m not entirely certain, because in addition to these cars and stock cars, they also used uncovered flat cars to carry the bark. Certainly at the tanneries, the bark wasn’t covered; rather it was piled 20’+ high. It could very well be that they built these cars specifically so they could double as excursion cars. Community picnics and other social gatherings were quite common in the days before the automobile, and it was normal for railroads to run special trains to the picnic grounds. A photo of one such picnic train on the EBT shows no fewer than 6, possibly 8 Dolly Varden cars in the consist. It very well could be that these cars were intended for the dual use from the beginning. A 1874 Billmeyer and Smalls catalog lists an excursion car as part of their regular line of equipment, so the need for such cheap mass conveyance seems to have been rather prevalent. (The B&S car excursion car is a bit more refined than the EBT’s Dolly Varden cars, but still wouldn’t be considered “passenger” equipment by any means.) It’s certainly cheaper to roster a small fleet of dual-purpose cars than a fleet of expensive passenger equipment that gets used maybe two or three times a summer.

About half of the EBT’s Dolly Varden cars were scrapped in the 20s shortly after the tanneries shut down. Some were retired in the mid 1910s, but a half-dozen or so lasted until the mid 30s. By this time, the EBT didn’t need them to serve the tanneries, and they had by then acquired ample passenger equipment to handle the special excursions of the day–as cars were becoming far more commonplace.

Later,

K

#10

As a side note, the excursion car concept was still used on the standard guage railroads into the 50’s…though it was a regular passenger car. Our church used to get one every summer for us to have our church picnic at the beach. I didn’t give a hoot about the beach but I got to ride on the train…:smiley: Mom always packed a big old basket full of fried chicken and home made potato salad and deviled eggs…!!

#11

Also, the Dolly Varden cars remind me of the car that is used on the POVA RR here for excursions. It’s made out of a stock car that’s had the top half of the slats removed and a bench run down the middle.