Humber Valley & Simcoe On30 model railroading.
Humber Valley & Simcoe Galloping Goose #1(Large Image)
This is a photo taken by Chris Abbott of my Toyota RAV/4 Galloping Goose Cube Van. It was taken at the February 22 SORBB Meet (Southern Ontario Rust Belt Builder's Guild).
At the first SORBB Meet, I was talking about making modern NG equipment. I like early steam and transition era railroading as much as the next guy, but I feel like this has been done to death. The bonus is that if it hasn't been done before, there are no rivets to count.
I do, however, like Galloping Geese and my thoughts on the subject of modern Galloping Geese are as follows:
It was suggested that a Lincoln Navigator or Ford Explorer be used. This is fine as far as it goes, but these are luxury automobiles. Not the sort of thing you would find on a shoe string budget NG railroad.
For Articulated Geese, I would choose Ford F150 trucks and vans, or other 1/2 ton trucks like a GMC Suburban for the motive power. Box Cars, or passenger cars would be suitable, but I was thinking that a fifth wheel trailer would be just as good, if not better behind a pickup truck. If I decided to haul trains behind this type of motive power, then I would consider something in the class of the Ford F450/F550 diesel or other 3/4 or 1 ton trucks.
For smaller Geese, I think that more compact trucks and vans are appropriate. Ford Ranger, Chevy S10 or perhaps Toyota Tacoma comes to mind. Anything in the 1/4 Ton range. For Non-articulated Geese, you can go even smaller with the motive power.
Relative HP is another consideration. The larger trucks have several-hundred-horse-power under their hoods. When you look at on-road use for these vehicles, that much power is needed. A regular asphalt roadway may consist of upwards of 40% grades. On rails, however, you are facing much gentler slopes to be sure. I did a little research, and I found that the RGS Galloping Geese were running with only about 30 - 60 hp. I also read recently that Class 1railroads only required 1 or 2 hp per ton on level track. It takes a lot less power to move the same load on steel rails with free rolling trucks than rubber tires on bumpy hilly asphalt.
The Toyota RAV/4 has 120 bhp under the hood which is plenty of power for a small M of W truck. The Lincoln Navigator has almost twice the power of 230 bhp, which seems like overkill by comparison.
This brings me to the choice of the Toyota RAV/4 Galloping Goose. This first reason was cost and availability. I picked up the die cast model at the dollar store across the street from my house.
Seriously though, it's a neat little car and it fits right in on a modern NG railroad. There is no indication of what make or model the car is, but after looking around, it seems to closely resemble the Toyota RAV/4 2-door short wheel base car. I don't know the scale either, but it looks O scale to me. I started out wanting to make it into a speeder or high-railer, but I couldn't find a decent mechanism for it that would fit. I'm sure that there are plenty available, but none that were in my price range. (Free.) 
I found an old Play Art HO/OO 0-4-0 mechanism in a box that a friend had given me. Part of the chassis was broken and so was the shell. The motor seems to run fine, and with some imagination and styrene I went to work. It has a can motor and a single worm gear to axle gear drive. Perhaps at a later date the motor will be upgraded with the addition of more gearing and a flywheel will be added for better operation. But for the time being, I will be happy if it runs at all.
I decided on a fibreglass cube van configuration. The front rides on an HO 33" Bettendorf freight truck and the rear is a single axle with O scale ~ 30" wheels. I want to modify the rear wheels to disguise that they came from a steam engine. I may end up hiding the rear wheels behind outside frame springs and brake shoes as well as adding sanding hoses. The box represents a scale 18' fibreglass cube 7 ½' tall by 7 ¾' wide with a roll up rear door.
To complete this model:
- Add pilot/plow, headlights and coupler to front.
- Foot boards and grab irons on sides.
- Air tanks and fuel tanks under cube along with brake lines and other hoses.
- Marker lights and reflectors to cube.
- Rear bumper with trailer hitches and coupler.
- Various detail parts like ladders, chains and tools on sides and roof.
- Driver and perhaps a passenger.
- Paint, decals and other lettering.
- Various other detail parts as they come to mind.
Humber Valley & Simcoe Galloping Goose #1(Large Image)
This is a photo taken by Chris Abbott of my Toyota RAV/4 Galloping Goose Cube Van. It was taken at the February 22 SORBB Meet (Southern Ontario Rust Belt Builder's Guild).
At the first SORBB Meet, I was talking about making modern NG equipment. I like early steam and transition era railroading as much as the next guy, but I feel like this has been done to death. The bonus is that if it hasn't been done before, there are no rivets to count.
I do, however, like Galloping Geese and my thoughts on the subject of modern Galloping Geese are as follows:
It was suggested that a Lincoln Navigator or Ford Explorer be used. This is fine as far as it goes, but these are luxury automobiles. Not the sort of thing you would find on a shoe string budget NG railroad.
For Articulated Geese, I would choose Ford F150 trucks and vans, or other 1/2 ton trucks like a GMC Suburban for the motive power. Box Cars, or passenger cars would be suitable, but I was thinking that a fifth wheel trailer would be just as good, if not better behind a pickup truck. If I decided to haul trains behind this type of motive power, then I would consider something in the class of the Ford F450/F550 diesel or other 3/4 or 1 ton trucks.
For smaller Geese, I think that more compact trucks and vans are appropriate. Ford Ranger, Chevy S10 or perhaps Toyota Tacoma comes to mind. Anything in the 1/4 Ton range. For Non-articulated Geese, you can go even smaller with the motive power.
Relative HP is another consideration. The larger trucks have several-hundred-horse-power under their hoods. When you look at on-road use for these vehicles, that much power is needed. A regular asphalt roadway may consist of upwards of 40% grades. On rails, however, you are facing much gentler slopes to be sure. I did a little research, and I found that the RGS Galloping Geese were running with only about 30 - 60 hp. I also read recently that Class 1railroads only required 1 or 2 hp per ton on level track. It takes a lot less power to move the same load on steel rails with free rolling trucks than rubber tires on bumpy hilly asphalt.
The Toyota RAV/4 has 120 bhp under the hood which is plenty of power for a small M of W truck. The Lincoln Navigator has almost twice the power of 230 bhp, which seems like overkill by comparison.
This brings me to the choice of the Toyota RAV/4 Galloping Goose. This first reason was cost and availability. I picked up the die cast model at the dollar store across the street from my house.
Seriously though, it's a neat little car and it fits right in on a modern NG railroad. There is no indication of what make or model the car is, but after looking around, it seems to closely resemble the Toyota RAV/4 2-door short wheel base car. I don't know the scale either, but it looks O scale to me. I started out wanting to make it into a speeder or high-railer, but I couldn't find a decent mechanism for it that would fit. I'm sure that there are plenty available, but none that were in my price range. (Free.) I found an old Play Art HO/OO 0-4-0 mechanism in a box that a friend had given me. Part of the chassis was broken and so was the shell. The motor seems to run fine, and with some imagination and styrene I went to work. It has a can motor and a single worm gear to axle gear drive. Perhaps at a later date the motor will be upgraded with the addition of more gearing and a flywheel will be added for better operation. But for the time being, I will be happy if it runs at all.
I decided on a fibreglass cube van configuration. The front rides on an HO 33" Bettendorf freight truck and the rear is a single axle with O scale ~ 30" wheels. I want to modify the rear wheels to disguise that they came from a steam engine. I may end up hiding the rear wheels behind outside frame springs and brake shoes as well as adding sanding hoses. The box represents a scale 18' fibreglass cube 7 ½' tall by 7 ¾' wide with a roll up rear door.
To complete this model:
- Add pilot/plow, headlights and coupler to front.
- Foot boards and grab irons on sides.
- Air tanks and fuel tanks under cube along with brake lines and other hoses.
- Marker lights and reflectors to cube.
- Rear bumper with trailer hitches and coupler.
- Various detail parts like ladders, chains and tools on sides and roof.
- Driver and perhaps a passenger.
- Paint, decals and other lettering.
- Various other detail parts as they come to mind.
