Good to hear from you Tom. I was wondering what you were up too. Now I know. The flatcars look great. For just getting into this scale you are doing awsome work. I love seeing what you creat and your layout. My style of a layout.
Very nice detail work Tom. Just think what you’ll do with a caboose!
Nice work Tom. Very creative use of materials ended in a really nice looking flat. Up-sizing older stock seems to be the way to go if you are moving up in scales. The older cars are worth more as parts then they are complete 
Very very nice. I had to do a double take on your black and white pics, thought it was the real thing. If thats what your turnin out and your just starting, I can’t wait to see what you make in a few years.
Thanks Shawn, Doug, Jon and Peter for the words of encouragement. They are appreciated and do help to keep me going in this new adventure.
Doc Tom
I just reviewed the whole of this tread. Fascinating.
I did look at posts before but maybe they didn’t catch my interest at the time. You are achieving some some very creative work on your RR Tom.
As I have more 1:29 locos (6) than 1:22.5 (2) my rolling stock is biased towards 1:29 mid 20th. century stock. However, LSC does have a very distinct ng flavor about it and it has kept me from becoming a total std. gauge convert. lol
I find the frequently featured logging lines of great appeal; I really should try to incorporate some kind of small industrial facility on my RR.
I finally fitted a NEW (Aristo) coupler to the pilot of one of my “Annies”. I can now run tender first and haul stock. I recall some while ago reading on this Forum that it was not difficult to do - and surprise, surprise, it wasn’t.
Alan Lott said:
I just reviewed the whole of this tread. Fascinating.I did look at posts before but maybe they didn’t catch my interest at the time. You are achieving some some very creative work on your RR Tom.
As I have more 1:29 locos (6) than 1:22.5 (2) my rolling stock is biased towards 1:29 mid 20th. century stock. However, LSC does have a very distinct ng flavor about it and it has kept me from becoming a total std. gauge convert. lol
I find the frequently featured logging lines of great appeal; I really should try to incorporate some kind of small industrial facility on my RR.
I finally fitted a NEW (Aristo) coupler to the pilot of one of my “Annies”. I can now run tender first and haul stock. I recall some while ago reading on this Forum that it was not difficult to do - and surprise, surprise, it wasn’t.
Thanks Alan. LSC is a very good site and has been very helpful to me in taking on this whole new experience for me. There are a lot of good people here.
I have been interested in backwoods logging lines since I was in High School and was hiking in the Tennessee Mountains and discovered coal and cinders on the mountain trails I was walking. Even hiked along the Little River gorge in the Smokey Mountains and found narrow gauge rusted rail. Later in life I now have an inkling as to how coal, cinders and rusted RR track got to these very isolated places.
When I modeled in HO I had a freelanced logging show. When I tried 1:20.3 large scale I thought I would try for a prototype and the Little River RR has been a blast to research and try to emulate. My RR “buds” kid me though as the Bachmann Shay is really a 3 foot narrow gauge model and the Little River RR was Standard Gauge throughout. Oh well modeler’s license!!!
The 1:20.3 Aristo couplers are very nice and I am glad that it worked for you.
Doc TomTom,
Is this statement accurate? “The 1:20.3 Aristo couplers are very nice and I am glad that it worked for you.”
They sure look like Kadees to me.
Ric Golding said:
Tom,Is this statement accurate? “The 1:20.3 Aristo couplers are very nice and I am glad that it worked for you.”
They sure look like Kadees to me.
Hi Ric,
The couplers on my wooden flat car are Kadees as you noticed and they work great.
The quote about the Aristo’s is in reference to Alan’s previous statement …“I finally fitted a NEW (Aristo) coupler to the pilot of one of my “Annies”. I can now run tender first and haul stock. I recall some while ago reading on this Forum that it was not difficult to do - and surprise, surprise, it wasn’t.”… I was just agreeing that they are good couplers too. I have four of their couplers on other pieces of equipment for the Little River Rail Road and they function well.
Sorry for any confusion.
Doc Tom
Just a small clarification Tom, Aristo is 1:29 and has a similar appearance to the ‘dummy’ original coupler.
As I have both Aristo (1:29) and Bachmann Big Hauler (1:22.5) stock I decided to standardise on the Aristo coupler. The Bachmann ones look fine but I find they can have a propensity to open at unwanted times. lol
Alan Lott said:
Just a small clarification Tom, Aristo is 1:29 and has a similar appearance to the 'dummy' original coupler.As I have both Aristo (1:29) and Bachmann Big Hauler (1:22.5) stock I decided to standardise on the Aristo coupler. The Bachmann ones look fine but I find they can have a propensity to open at unwanted times. lol
Thanks Alan…I still have a lot to learn!!!
Doc Tom
Alan Lott said:
Just a small clarification Tom, Aristo is 1:29 and has a similar appearance to the 'dummy' original coupler.As I have both Aristo (1:29) and Bachmann Big Hauler (1:22.5) stock I decided to standardise on the Aristo coupler. The Bachmann ones look fine but I find they can have a propensity to open at unwanted times. lol
Alan there is an easy fix to the Bachmann coupler. If I remember correctly Jons web site has that fix? Maybe someone can direct to that site. Basicaly you pop that plastic clip frm the the coupler and the coupler arm that attaches to the trucks. F ile that little lip and add a nut and bolt. What happens that plastic clip loosens over time causing the coupler to sag. Did it to all mine and never had an issue since.
Ihave an easy fix. I don’t even run an engine or car on the layout until I put Kadee couplers on them! I got started using them years ago when I modeled HO and never went back!
I also did that because I run so many different brands on the layout.
I haven’t changed the couplers on the Aristo Eggliners because they look fine. I also have an Aristo track cleaning car that kept it’s couplers because I run it with the Eggliners and it works well. I’m very happy with the job it does.
Shawn said:Alan Lott said:
Just a small clarification Tom, Aristo is 1:29 and has a similar appearance to the 'dummy' original coupler.As I have both Aristo (1:29) and Bachmann Big Hauler (1:22.5) stock I decided to standardise on the Aristo coupler. The Bachmann ones look fine but I find they can have a propensity to open at unwanted times. lol
Alan there is an easy fix to the Bachmann coupler. If I remember correctly Jons web site has that fix? Maybe someone can direct to that site. Basicaly you pop that plastic clip frm the the coupler and the coupler arm that attaches to the trucks. F ile that little lip and add a nut and bolt. What happens that plastic clip loosens over time causing the coupler to sag. Did it to all mine and never had an issue since.
Yes - it’s my take on a fix developed by TOC. Find it here: http://www.cvsry.com/car_%26_loco_mods.htm#Bachmann%20Coupler%20Mod or if that link doesn’t work just go here http://www.cvsry.com/ and click on Car & Loco Mods
Thanks for the input folks- appreciated. As roughly 60% of my stock, and most of my locos, is Aristo-Craft I decided to fit all Bachmann stock with Aristo couplers. It has made for en easier time. lol
My fix with the Bachmann couplers was to sell them all at a local LS Show. I also got rid of a lot of the ‘bottle opener’ type of couplers that come with all new Aristo and Bachmann stock. As a bonus the cash raised was in excess of that expended on the new couplers.
So having hi-jacked the thread, which shows what Tom has achieved on the Little River RR I hope the next post gets it back on course. lol
Alan Lott said:
Thanks for the input folks- appreciated. As roughly 60% of my stock, and most of my locos, is Aristo-Craft I decided to fit all Bachmann stock with Aristo couplers. It has made for en easier time. lolMy fix with the Bachmann couplers was to sell them all at a local LS Show. I also got rid of a lot of the ‘bottle opener’ type of couplers that come with all new Aristo and Bachmann stock. As a bonus the cash raised was in excess of that expended on the new couplers.
So having hi-jacked the thread, which shows what Tom has achieved on the Little River RR I hope the next post gets it back on course. lol
No problemo with me. I am glad this thread continues to expand with some very interesting ideas kicked about.
Newbie me did not know you could sell all those Bachmann couplers I have in a plastic bag…hmmmmmmm.
Doc TomI’ll trade ya hook & loops for them Tom 
Jon Radder said:I gots a bag of them "bottle openers" too. Wonder if they will ever sell??????
I'll trade ya hook & loops for them Tom :)
Doc TomI really liked this photo when I found it doing computer research on The Little River Rail Road. While it is The Little River Redwood Company way out in California I kept the picture as I thought it was very dramatic.
(http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/ProtoBigtrestleLittleRiverRedwoodCoCalif.jpg)
It was beautiful Spring day here in Clarksville Tennessee and after chores and gardening on the RR I thought I would try to get a drama shot of the trestle under construction at Nelson’s Gap on my Little River Rail Road.
(http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/Trest1.jpg)
Of course a party of local residents and their pets wanted to get in on the fun and “hang out” on a flat car a scale 60 feet in the air on an unfinished RR trestle.
(http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/TrestA640.jpg)
(http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/Trest2640.jpg)
I hope you all like the pics. Doc Tom
Sure did
Ralph