Large Scale Central

I've lost it......TOTALLY!

General Discussion
#1

Ok, I’ll admit I’m an incurable train-a-holic…:smiley: My favorite is the passenger train…anything between about 1900 and 2050. But being the incurable that I am if it runs on rails it has my attention. Yes, I model (I use the term loosely) mainline 50’s to as current as I can get. But I will confess that even though there is no way it will fit into my current modeling I’ve been watching what the 7/8ths guys have been doing, as well as Vic’s creations. I’ve also dreamed of having my own ride-on train but what Aristo seems to be about ready to offer doesn’t turn my crank. I’ve visited the 7 1/2" sites as well as Ridingrails. Too big for anything I could do and far too expensive for my poor man’s budget. Then a person who will remain anonymous posted a link to a Japanese site. They guy is as eccentric as I’m crazy…and apparently has far more money than he knows how to spend. But he had something that really caught my eye…a ride-on layout that would fit in a normal person’s back yard…and might even fit in mine…:smiley: I have spent hours drooling over the site. I’ve also discovered a couple more sites in the same scale: 5" guage, 1 1/2" scale. He has a number of cars that would be typical industrial/mining style. And he had a small layout that used 3’ radius (1m) curves that he actually built on his back deck. He also made a larger layout which used 6’ radius (2m) curves. Hmmmm. I could put this in my back yard. His current layout…well, all I can say is bless his poor wife.

It didn’t help today when I saw pictures of that gon that Tom Yorke posted. Oh, the possibilities in 5" guage. Then later today I found more sites…drool…slobber…ideas running rampant. Even found 5" Bullet trains…!

If anyone else is brave enough to venture forth below are some of the urls I’ve visited:

http://homepage3.nifty.com/YKR/index.htm# (Japanese)
http://www.modelnics.com/ (Japanese)
http://www.rideonrailways.co.uk/
http://www.ne.jp/asahi/beat/non/loco/loco0e.html (English)

The two top sites are in Japanese but the pictures speak tons of words. Click every page you can find and be sure to scroll to the bottom as that is where all the pics will be.

Yup! I’ve lost it…TOTALLY!

Warren

#2

Try this one too Warren…!!

http://www.maxitrak.co.uk/

Neil.

#3

Aaaarrrgh !!! Stoppit…I can’taffordit !

Mike

#4

If ya haven’t seen it already, somethin else to drool over…

http://www.geocities.com/RodeoDrive/4497/Train_Mountain.html

#5

Isn’t that about like the stuff www.quisenberrystation.com is now a dealer for … http://www.oslivesteam.com/english/live.steam/index.html

#6

hehe

In my 1:6 scale plan (9 1/2 inch gauge) I was shooting for about $40 for a passenger car made largely out of exterior grade plywood. Was coming out around $80, but didn’t seem to bad.

For track, steel rails set into notched ties. Google “Groovy Track.” Wheels were to be rings cut from old iron pipe cast into alumalite wheels. The loco was loosely a 4-4-0 American powered by a marine deep-cycle battery and starter motor from a dead 15hp lawn mower engine. Materials were pvc pipe and plywood.

A machienst friend asked if he could build a live steam loco to run on his track.

Never got to build it. We’re both divorced now and have lost contact.

#7

Warren - To feed your madness…

Fred and my son Matthew at Rod Johnston’s in North Bay. This is 1" scale Standard Gauge, but if you wanted to do a small industrial narrow gauge (18", 24" etc.) you could get away with very tight turns. Only problem I had riding with my wide center of gravity is the tendency to tip over the gondola. That was fine back in the woods where the moss and leaves were soft, but scared the hell out of me on the high trestle :open_mouth: Jon

#8

Those are definately things to drool over. What I’m wanting to do is build this thing on the cheap…and I think it could be done. I also don’t have the room for most of the larger locomotives. I figure I have about 40’ x 40’ that I could dedicate to this insane fantasy of mine… Maybe a little more if I build it on the back lot of my apartments.

The old mind is still ticking away…Hmmmmmmm…

Warren

#9

when it stops ticking …THATS the time to worry!

Andre’

#10
Warren Mumpower said:
Those are definately things to drool over. What I'm wanting to do is build this thing on the cheap...and I think it could be done. I also don't have the room for most of the larger locomotives. I figure I have about 40' x 40' that I could dedicate to this insane fantasy of mine.. Maybe a little more if I build it on the back lot of my apartments.

The old mind is still ticking away…Hmmmmmmm…

Warren


Rangerjoel is doing something like this on MLS…I’d love it, can’t afford it, wife would die over it, not gonna try to do it…at least that is what I keep telling myself.

cale

#11

Well, I have half the problem licked. I told the wife way back when, the trains were here when she got here…and they will be here when she is gone. I’ve still got the trains…:smiley: ;( I’ve been watching what Ranger Joel is doing too. It hasn’t helped. His cars are a little large…at least the caboose. He’s having problems with the tighter radius track. Evidently Mori, the Japanese guy has overcome the problem. It also looks like at least one person in GB and another Japanese fellow have solved the tight radius problem. We shall see. And maybe all Rangerjoel needs to do is widen his guage an 1/8" on the curves and that will solve his problem.

We shall see…

Warren

#12

I’ve got a 1" scale coal fired OS Stephenson’s Rocket and matching riding car sitting on my entertainment center (belongs to a customer who hasn’t taken delivery yet…I have been waiting on him for 6 years) and about 150’ of track over on the ex’s porch. IIRC the selling price on the whole 9 yards was only a little over $5.5K (both loco and car were machined kits, track was Riding Railkits), not super cheap but still quite a bit less than a bass boat or a new car…

BTW the US standard is 4-3/4". The rest of the world uses 5".

I used to be able to get a nice 1-1/2" scale Whitcomb 4 wheel gas/mechanical critter for $2.5K but so few people wanted one that the company shifted production back to non-rail items…(they only sold 3 or 4 in 2 years.)

#13

I’m not sure which way I’m going to go. Whatever, I’m going to have to hand lay the track as what I need doesn’t seem to be available here in the US. For what I’m doing I don’t think it will matter (beyond availablility) which I use…4 3/4" or 5". 5" would represent 30" guage in 1:6 (2") scale. The big hangup is availability. What can I get here vs what must I import. AND it looks like I may just have to learn how to weld…:frowning: I’ve tried before and have been very unsuccessful with arc welding.

Oh, well. This is still in the dream stages. I’ve got an outdoor G45 layout to build yet.

Warren

#14

Seven and a half inch gauge is probably the most common in the USA. If you stay with 4 wheel locos and cars then you can easily stay down to a 15 to 20’ radius on the curves. I doesn’t have to be expensive. I’m building a small electric loco that uses a kiddy scooter motor to power it. I’ve got less than $600 in it. I haven’t done any detailing it yet, but it is runnable. Here is a picture I took during construction. I don’t have any of it completed with me on the tug.

I also have a Conner’s beam engine. Propane fired live steam. It will handle 15’ curves with no problem.

I run at the Big Boots and Western Railroad in Candler Florida. We have about 2 miles of track.

#15

Looks like a neat locomotive you have under construction. But, you are talking 15’ radius…and I’m talking 12’ diameter. It’s doable as that’s what the Japanese fellows are working with. I dream of having a 7 1/2" locomotive some day, and I may even have a place to run it, but first I’m going to need a missing and unknown rich uncle to pass away leaving me as soul heir before I can afford it…:frowning:

Warren