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Small 1950's steamer - anything currently (or recently) available?


velotrain

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So I heard from Bergen National Laser that he's making progress on my sugar beet plant kits. It will likely be a year before I get to it, but thought I'd start to lay in some other material, beginning with an appropriate period engine - something like the one partially seen in this photo (link originally posted by Mark).

 

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ja/3/3c/HokkaidoSeito-ObihiroKojo.jpg

 

It must be fall - the beets are piled up to the ties on the receiving track ;-)

 

There is also a brief shot of a similar? engine in the video at this thread:

 

http://www.jnsforum.com/community/topic/12507-japanese-sugar-beet-processing-and-railways/?hl=%2Bsugar+%2Bbeet

 

shown - I presume, delivering the first load of beets on a newly constructed concrete trestle (@ 3:36). If nothing smaller is available, I guess I'll go with the Kato C12, which seems to be well regarded.

 

I'm also looking for a few all wood 25000 (steel ends?) or 35000 Tora wagons to carry the beets - Popondetta and Kawai made these in the past, the former as recently as November, 2014. I've asked David and Nariichi to keep a watch out, but nothing so far.

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Nick_Burman

Charles,

 

Arumodel is your friend: http://arumo.a.la9.jp/rn0117.htm and/or http://arumo.a.la9.jp/rn0111.htm, both would look OK as mill switchers.

 

Alternatively you could lay your hands on an Arnold Hanomag 0-4-0T, as I did: http://www.jnsforum.com/community/topic/12130-steam-locomotive-colours/?hl=arnold Another alternative is the Tsugawa Koppel.

 

You could use a Athearn/MDC 2-6-0 or 2-8-0 to represent an ex-JGR US-built loco sold into industrial use, too.

 

 

Cheers NB

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Thanks for the links Nick.

 

I could live with the gaps in the folded side tank etches and the spotty white metal shell, but I've always disliked visible gearing. Many older German steam models had gears that were parallel with the drivers, but I imagine this large perpendicular gear would be particularly distracting to watch.

 

I may consider more recent (model vs. proto) German engines though.

 

I'm guessing that models close to what I'm looking for were available in the past, but have fallen out of favor with the passage of time - or eras as it were.

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Small steamers in N scale were always a challenge to power, so imho nowdays we see more models of these small ones (especially tank locos where a tender drive is not an option) than in the past due to small motors being widely available.

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Nick_Burman

Thanks for the links Nick.

 

I could live with the gaps in the folded side tank etches and the spotty white metal shell, but I've always disliked visible gearing. Many older German steam models had gears that were parallel with the drivers, but I imagine this large perpendicular gear would be particularly distracting to watch.

 

I may consider more recent (model vs. proto) German engines though.

 

I'm guessing that models close to what I'm looking for were available in the past, but have fallen out of favor with the passage of time - or eras as it were.

 

Having assembled various Arumo models, by the time you are done with it you won't notice neither the folds (they could be filled with solder if you wish) nor the gear. Especially if you add extra detail to the loco.

 

Arnold withdrew the Hanomag tank loco shortly after the Hornby takeover. I guess the tooling was "kaput".

 

Cheers NB

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Nick - would you know how well (or not) those particular motors / drive systems work? Are they prone to jack rabbit starts, or can they easily be run at slow shunting speeds?

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Nick_Burman

Nick - would you know how well (or not) those particular motors / drive systems work? Are they prone to jack rabbit starts, or can they easily be run at slow shunting speeds?

 

Dunno. However, given the fact that the locos are double-geared I would say they would run OK. Mind you, like all small locomotives, you will have to keep the rails mirror-clean for them to work properly. DCC would also help.

 

I have nothing to do with Arumodel other than having several of their kits and being a fan of their stuff.

 

 

Cheers NB

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I have nothing to do with Arumodel other than having several of their kits and being a fan of their stuff.

 

Cheers NB

But have you built (and run) any of the kits that come with their own power chassis?

 

==>> If not Nick, has anyone here done this?

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Nick_Burman

But have you built (and run) any of the kits that come with their own power chassis?

 

==>> If not Nick, has anyone here done this?

 

Further to the Arumo loco subject...

 

 

OK, the guy is running the loco fast, but...a. it runs b. it runs well and c. it makes very little noise.

 

Looks like a good investment for me...

 

 

Cheers NB

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