Vol. 1 Issue 4 - July 2005zz
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MANIFEST
Editor's Thoughts
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Walther's HO Modulars
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Why Todd needs just 15 more minutes - and why you do too!
MODELING
TomPM converts an IHC Camelback engine to Lehigh & New England.
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Matthyro does windows
END OF THE LINE
Have a little fun! _________________
Letter to the Editor
BACK ISSUES
Apr 2005
Jan 2005
Dec 2004
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Editor:
Ed Gagnier
Publisher:
Mike Pizzano
Art Director:
Val Fullard
Contributors:
Todd Groettum
Tom MacKintyre
Robin Matthyson
THE BACKSHOP
Converting a Camelback
by TOM PM
As part of my ongoing struggle to define and focus my model railroading I have been examining my collection of locomotives and rolling stock. This reassessment has made me arrive at the conclusion that I am happiest when I am modeling the anthracite roads of eastern Pennsylvania - particularly the Lehigh & New England and the Reading. My interest now seems to lie in the transition era of the late 1940s through the 1950s. I still maintain an interest in the 1970s and 1980s but it has become secondary to the 1940s and 1950s. As part of this reexamination I have identified several models that no longer fit into these categories. Some are too modern and will some day find their way to EBay or some other selling outlet. There are, however, quite a few items that are from those eras but do not quite fit in. In many cases the problem with them is the road name. Changing road names and or repainting these items have now been added to the list of projects.
One such locomotive that is currently in my collection fits into this description is an International Hobby Corporation 2-6-0 Mogul Mother Hubbard Steam Locomotive. This particular model is lettered for the Chesapeake & Ohio. I have a great fondness for Camelbacks, as they are also called, and purchased this one on impulse. The discounted price was well within my spending limits and it was available at a time when I was finding it hard to find any reasonable priced Camelbacks. The fact that it was lettered for C&O did not bother me because at that time C&O was on my list of roads that would visit my layout. Now, however, with my narrowing of my modeling focus the Chesapeake & Ohio would only visit my layout as rolling stock. My difficulty in obtaining this particular model, made me less inclined to just sell it off. Since I had recently finished my first re-numbering and weathering of a steam locomotive I decide to take my modeling one step further and change the road name and number of the locomotive and weather it. The anthracite roads of Pennsylvania are mainly considered to be any of the roads that mainly served the anthracite coal regions. These roads were the Reading, Lehigh Valley, Jersey Central, Erie, Lackawanna, and Lehigh & New England. Every one of these roads used camelback steam locomotives in some form. The road that my modeling is concentrated on is the Lehigh & New England. The L&NEās steam locomotive roster contained a large block of Camelbacks. Using the limited resources I had available I researched the Lehigh & New England roster for camelback locomotives. I found that the L&NE had all types of camelbacks such as 0-4-0s, 0-6-0s, and 2-8-0s. One sad thing I found was that they did not have any 2-6-0 types. I had searched in the past for HO scale models of L&NE camelbacks without success. The few that I found are extremely expensive. At the present time my modeling skills and finical situation are not up to kitbashing a 2-8-0 out of the 2-6-0 or scratchbuilding a prototypical L&NE camelback. I came to the conclusion that I would have to exercise some modelerās license and use the C&O 2-6-0 camelback. In doing so, I could capture the spirit of modeling a Lehigh & New England camelback.
IHC 2-6-0 Mother Hubbard factory lettered for C&O