Large Scale Central

Need some help and ideas about this LRRR motor car

General Discussion
#1

You all have a lot of experience and good ideas about the model railroading hobby. Take a look at this picture of Motor Car #1 from the Little River Rail Road.

I am scratch building this motor car in 1:20.3. I could only find this side shot and I have a lot of questions. Do you all feel this was a gas powered motor car?? Could it possibly be battery powered??? Do you feel it has a radiator in the front or underneath??? You guys ever seen anything like this before??? Any ideas, guesses, thoughts or rumifications greatly appreciated. Thanks. Doc Tom

#2

Tom,
According to Keilty’s book “The Short Line Doodlebug” Little River had 2 rail cars.

#1, built in company shops, gas-mech, 4 window, 4 wheel, OP wood, door in back wall, about 15 feet long, probably built on speeder chassis.

#26 Studebaker Auto Body Co, built 1926, Studebaker “Big Six” 75 HP gas, 5 window hood type bus, 4 wheel lead truck, 20 foot length, was the only piece of equipment at tie of abandonment.

Unfortunatly the book doesn’t have pictues of either unit.
Good luck on the build, look forward to seeing the pictures.
Rick

#3

I like it! Looks like it would be a pretty easy build.

#4

Rick Marty said:
Tom, According to Keilty’s book “The Short Line Doodlebug” Little River had 2 rail cars. #1, built in company shops, gas-mech, 4 window, 4 wheel, OP wood, door in back wall, about 15 feet long, probably built on speeder chassis. #26 Studebaker Auto Body Co, built 1926, Studebaker “Big Six” 75 HP gas, 5 window hood type bus, 4 wheel lead truck, 20 foot length, was the only piece of equipment at tie of abandonment. Unfortunatly the book doesn’t have pictues of either unit. Good luck on the build, look forward to seeing the pictures. Rick

Thanks Rick, This is the info I need. So it is a gas mechanical. Some how I did not see the Little River Rail Road sending a battery powered motor car out in to the wilds of the Smokies with no charging stations. Although my model will be battery powered. I suspected a back wall door for loading passengers as the front end looked like it would be hard to get the general public aboard clambering up the angle iron and in to the cab. So, with this new info I found another picture of a Yankee (up in NYC) circa 1910-1920 gas mechanical and it shows a nifty low slung radiator on the front end. That is probably how I will model it.

(http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/frontendviewofearlymotorcar.jpg)

Thank you again for this useful information. Doc Tom

#5
Ray Dunakin said:
I like it! Looks like it would be a pretty easy build.
Thanks Ray,

The Little River Rail Road had some pretty interesting stuff. My previous HO layout was all “free lance.” This is my first attempt to follow the prototype. The research has really been a big part of the fun so far.

I used the picture to scale up the dimensions to 1:20.3. I plan on battery power with the nice “critter controls” from G Scale Graphics and maybe an inexspensive sound system of a small internal combustion engine.

Pictures of the build will be coming.

                                                                                                                         Doc Tom
#6

Tom,

I think the step picture will give you a close dimension of the wheel diameter and everything else can be carried forth from that. Your side picture shows shadows that looks like a shroud or hump in the middle of the operators compartment and probably housing the radiator or a shroud to the radiator. Good luck on your search.

#7

Tom
Thats going to be a nice rail car to build. I really like the RR you are modeling. There is another book coming out on logging RR of the Blue ridge and smoky Mtns. Volume two. This one is going to hit more on the smokies. Maybe they will have a lot on the little river RR. Im going to order it and ill let you know.

#8

That is going to be a great “critter” for the layout. But how are you going to squeeze in the motor, battery and sound? I really like the idea of sound but it will be great to see the shoe horn you use!

#9

Ric Golding said:
Tom, I think the step picture will give you a close dimension of the wheel diameter and everything else can be carried forth from that. Your side picture shows shadows that looks like a shroud or hump in the middle of the operators compartment and probably housing the radiator or a shroud to the radiator. Good luck on your search.

Hi Ric, I did use the photo to create some plans for the model. I used a dimension of 6 feet one inch for an operator to stand in the cab and scaled up the picture to 1:20.3. I used mm measurements and had to multiply the dimensions by 1.385 to get the measurements in 1:20.3. The model scaled out to 15 feet long which was the exact length of the real thing according to Rick Marty’s earlier post… Here is the picture I used to “scale up the measurements”.

(http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/MotorCar1.jpg)

Pictures to follow of the actual early building of the model. Doc Tom

#10
Shawn said:
Tom Thats going to be a nice rail car to build. I really like the RR you are modeling. There is another book coming out on logging RR of the Blue ridge and smoky Mtns. Volume two. This one is going to hit more on the smokies. Maybe they will have a lot on the little river RR. Im going to order it and ill let you know.
Thanks Shawn. I will be looking forward to any information you can get on the LRRR. Maybe I should get a copy of that book too??? 
                                                                       Doc Tom
#11

Doug Arnold said:
That is going to be a great “critter” for the layout. But how are you going to squeeze in the motor, battery and sound? I really like the idea of sound but it will be great to see the shoe horn you use!

Hi Doug, Here are some of the first construction photos of Motor Car #1. Boss Grump and the boys wheeled it out of the shops at Townsend to do some work outside on the first sunny day in a couple of weeks and no rain in sight. Here again is the prototype pic of LRRR’s Motor Car #1.

(http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/motorcar.jpg)

Here is the model of Motor Car #1 being constructed.

(http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/MotorCar2.jpg)

I am using a “brick” left over from my kids’ Playmobil steam train (my kids are in their late 20’s now) which I think has LGB parentage as it runs beautifully. The electric wiring was gutted and replaced. The toy like wheels need further work and a definite paint job. The model is a scale 15 feet long in 1:20.3 scale and 7.5 feet wide in 1:20.3.

(http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/MotorCar3.jpg)

The shop crew is building the motor car out of card stock and strip wood and it will have a wood interior. Prototypical wood as Rick Marty noted earlier. 1:20.3 makes a pretty big model and I think a battery pack and critter control will fit in nicely…we will see.

(http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/MotorCar4.jpg)

I will try to post more pictures as the construction continues. Doc Tom

#12

Great start Doc!

#13

I like it.
It does look plenty big for batteries.
Ralph

#14

Cool!

#15

Nice going Tom, looks like your catching the essence of it.
Rick

#16

Looks like the crew is doing a class ‘A’ job, Doc. Always enjoy your presentations. :slight_smile:

#17

Motor Car #1 is taking shape. Boss Grump’s crew takes a break after a whole lot of wood working to finish off the interior of Motor Car #1. Seems sawn lumber is in plentiful supply from the Little River Lumber Company Mill in Townsend Tennessee. However, like accountants throughout the ages, an accounting of just how much wood was used on the Motor Car is needed by management. So while the working men rest, the nit pickers and the bean counters go to work to render an accurate ciphering of just how much wood was used and which department of the organization has to post these real costs on their ledgers. Doc Tom Here is the prototype photo again:

(http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/motorcar.jpg)

The accountants at work:

(http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/MotorCar1-1.jpg)

(http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/MotorCar2-1.jpg)

(http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg412/DrGrab/MotorCar4-1.jpg)

#18

That looks great so far. I really enjoying seeing your pictures and reading your posts.

#19

What are your plans on the wood finish ?

#20
Dave Marconi said:
What are your plans on the wood finish ?
Hi Dave,

The wood interior will be painted a light flat gray. The exterior will be finished in flat black and the toy like wheels will get built up and rusted to look more like those in the prototype picture. Thanks for your interest.
Doc Tom