Friday, August 19, 2011

Motive Power Ideas In On30

OK - With home ownership yet another step closer after an early morning phone call from our bank's loan officer, the excitement level has peaked once again about the possibilities of the new layout plans. (I have to stay focused and geeked about the "New" layout, otherwise I'll get totally bummed over having to tear-down my current HO scale layout very soon!)


One of the way to stay motivated is to look at some possibilities for motive power on my planned "combo" sugar plantation/swamp logger layout. (I am going to order a couple back issues of the Gazette to read Boone Morrison's 2-part article on the logging railroad that once operated on the Big Island of Hawaii to see if I might want to move in that direction and really tie together the two themes)

I'm planning on having at least a couple steam engines on the layout. I'd like them modified to reflect the tropical locale of my railroads, with open air cabs, etc. like these Backwoods Miniatures conversions kits.  Here's some more "eye candy" of possible engines for the new pike.

For the logging segment of my combo layout. I have a HO scale 2-8-0 that I plan to modify into On30 saddle tanker with tender ( for hiding the DCC and Speaker)

I'm, sorry to say, a bit "burned out" on the Shay nowadays. I love the gearing and flywheel of the Climax. Bachmann's seems like a great loco. This is with the Backwoods Miniature's dress-up kit! But that Bachmann two-truck Shay is pretty neat if modified.

I will need a "mainline" steam engine for the passenger and freight service to the Pier 1 harbor area... A couple suggestions. This one could work as the harbor switcher (below).

For passenger and freight trains maybe one of Bachmann's cool locos like this ol' gal...


Gotta have "Critters" and Diesels on the layout... Love the U.S. Navy open cab loco (above top). Besides the small handful of converted HO Critters on my shelf that need updating, I'm planning to add one based on the Bachmann Gas Mechanical side rod loco.
This Whitcomb model is atop a SW-1500 HO chassis (below).

2 comments:

  1. To throw another log on the fire, Boulder Valley Models (BVM) makes a pretty fun-looking box cab conversion for the Bachmann On30 0-4-0:

    http://bouldervalleymodels.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=82

    I could easily envision that thing being covered in black, gritty diesel soot, puttering around the swamps with some teetering logs on disconnects crossing over rickety bridges. The Backwoods Minatures 2-8-0 tank conversion kit is pretty cool. Also OzSteam's 2-8-0 "backwoods" conversion kit might be a good fit as well:

    http://www.ozsteam.com/html/on30_2-8-0_cab_kit.html

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  2. It could be used in your house as doors, windows and balconies. It could be used in traveling and in camping. Whatever the case may be, it could be used anywhere you may go. mosquito netting by the yard

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