Like many narrow gauge railroads in the 1930s, the Tuscarora Railroad looked for unique ways to move traffic for minimal cost. Drawing from a recent trip to Colorado, the boys in the shops turned out two “ducks” as they quickly came to be known; both based on the Rio Grande Southern’s motors (aka “Galloping Geese”)
TRR Motor #2 was the first, based on the RGS Motor #2. (The number is purely coincidental; the TRR’s “Motor 1” is an old converted Model T Roadster.) The shop crew purchased a 1929 Model A Ford which had been roughed up on the rural Pennsylvania roadways. It was painted in a dark green color which the foreman liked, so they found a similar color and used that for the entire thing. Locals said it reminded them of the green of a mallard duck’s head, so it became known as “the duck.” Someone coined the phrase “Meandering Mallard,” which management thought much more marketable than “duck,” so they ran with it.
Motor #2 is scratchbuilt, with a brass frame and styrene box for freight. The Model A is a Hubley kit, and yes–the paint that was on the kit when I bought it is what inspired the green paint and “duck story” that came with it.
Motor #3 is built to the same design as RGS #6, their work goose. Management wanted to keep the “Meandering Mallard” name specifically for #2, since it carried the freight and passengers of the day. Motor #3 became known as “the odd duck.” Despite its less-than-flattering moniker, #3 became quite popular with the brass, them favoring it over the aging Motor #1 for their excursions over the line.
Motor #3 is a Berlyn Locomotive Works model, pretty much unmodified except for new boards along the back and a proper load of track repair materials. (The tie load hides the battery pack.)
Both Ducks are controlled via Soundtraxx Tsunami DCC decoders, via Airwire receivers. Motor #2 uses a 1st-generation Airwire board whose motor control had burned out but whose DCC output still worked. Motor #3 uses an Airwire “Convertr” receiver.
Many more photos, techniques, and history can be found on my blog.
Later,
K
