As many of you know, I've built (just in time for the Anaheim National Train Show) a small 3' module with a logging scene, placed into recent years as a museum and visitor center. Thursday afternoon, the day before the opening of the show, I had nothing to run on the inner logging section of this module. I ran home, and quickly converted an already assembled German ET194 electric freight railcar's brass shell to a freelance American gasoline powered logging boxcab. As we know, modeling logging scenes are a kind of "forgiving", because logging railroads used anything available to make their operation work. Beside the classic Shay, Climax and Heisler locomotives, logging railroads experimented with gasoline and even electric powered locomotives to haul the heavy loads. Today I've built another boxcab to illustrate how this "dreamed up" boxcab can be built from the etched brass shell and machined detail components of a kit, now available for everybody, who wants to add charming accents to their layouts, modules and dioramas. The built kit snaps on any easily modified Marklin 0-6-0 steam locomotive chassis.
Very nice! That's one thing I really like about logging modeling. There's a prototype for nearly anything.
The most cost effective way is to go after the already discontinued "Fun" starter sets. The Marklin catalog numbers are 81520 and 81521, also, you can look for the "Varta" and "Halloween" starter sets. I just picked up a "Varta" set on the German eBay for 37.00 + 10.00 (shipping) Euros. After selling the rest of the set, the chassis ends up costing less than $40.00. A few weeks ago I found an 81521 sets in a "fancy" hardware store in Beverly Hills. It was dusty, but brand new. I got it for $80.00.
Was there not something wanky with the starter sets? Something about a non floating axle that was corrected in the new single engine release?
The floating axle was not an issue. Most of the locomotives sold with the starter sets had four wheel electric pick-up, while the "real" 88051 had six wheel pick-ups. Interestingly many locomotives from the starter sets came with six wheel pick-ups too, like the chassis I've used for the recent pictures. But after knocking out the middle wheel set, it makes no difference.
And let me tell you all a few things: Yes, he did scratch that out 'over night' for NTS (we were wondering why he was a bit late) and it runs well, 2) he also scratch built those logging cars at the show ! The master. .
