New Forum

Hi everyone,

I'm new to the board. It looks like a good place to gather for prototype research. But all the research oriented forums focus on railroads rather than manufacturers. I suggest you add a forum that allows us to talk about different engine classes for example.

One of my model railroad responsibilities is to serve as archivist on MLS for the MC 2002 project which has over 75 (at last count) Mason Bogies being built in 1:20.3. As archivist, (with help from plenty of model railroaders), I've been accumulating photos and information on Mason Bogies. At this point, the archive contains over 100 photos making it by far the largest Mason Bogie Archive on the Web.

If you're interested in photos and information on the first US articulated locomotive as well as the first US locomotive to sport Walschaerts valve gear, take a gander.

http://www.ironhorse129.com/Prototype/MasonBogie/Mason_Bogie.htm

Enjoy,

Tom

 

Tom, welcome to the TrainBoard.

Before I can offer any intelligent (highly doubtful ) replies, will you please define the acronyms you used, i.e. MLS and MC2000?

Thanks, Hank

[ 10. August 2002, 00:13: Message edited by: Hank Coolidge ]

 

Welcome to the board Tom!! As said, its always nice to see new members. If my memory serves me right. Your a friend to Davy Cormick! In the G scale site.. Rats, I can't think of the name.... Anyway I'm John that you may remember me from my "yellowstone10" e-mail address!

Anyway I hope you enjoy the forums here. Davy seems to be!

 

Hi Tom,
Welcome aboard, John you're right this is my pal Tom Farin, from the Ironhorse 129. I told Tom what a good site the Trainboard is.I've also been telling some other pals so hopefully some more of them will turn up here and we can start to grow the G department and help and join in with our other and common railinterests. As for other new forums here the more the merrier.
DAVY

 

Hi Tom
I am strictly a "N" scaler with sometime rail fanning. Anyway I still would like to welcome you to trainboard. Being "N" scaler doesn't stop me from tapping other forums. It is all in fun anyway and we can sure learn a lot of things about railfamming and modeling of all scales.

 

Hi folks,

Thank you for the welcome.

Hank,

Sorry about the acronyms. Most on-line G scalers are familiar with the abbreviation MLS as it stands for the MyLargeScale.com Web site. Of course many smaller scale types wouldn't be caught dead on a 'toy train' forum.

Many of you would be surprised by the rapidly growing interest in G scale among rivet counters that are getting to old to see the rivets on their HO and N scale engines. Anyway, MLS is by far, the best online resource in large scale.

www.mylargescale.com

MasterClass 2001 and 2002 are projects at the MLS site. A very talented Australian model builder, David Fletcher, wrote a series of articles in 2001 on kitbashing an Aristocraft Delton 2-8-0 into a 2-6-0 narrow gauge Mogul. The articles, when printed, are some 250 pages of one of the best pieces of prototype research and scratchbuilding ideas I've seen in any scale. Best of all, the articles are free to visitors at the site.

David's repeating his efforts in 2002 with a series of articles on scratchbuilding a Mason Bogie. William Mason was one of the most talented and creative locomotive designers of the late 1800s. Based in Taunton, MA, he produced a successful series of 4-4-0 Americans. But his greatest contribution was the Mason Bogie that had a number of significant innoviations.

There is very little in print on these locomotives. A significant number of model railroaders have scoured the Internet, publications and research sites for information on this locomotive. At this point the archive I'm managing has over 100 photos covering engines representing approximately 30% of Mason Bogie production. The next closest resource on the Internet or in print has about 15 photos. There are articles in production for the series that will reveal many unpublished facts about this interesting locomotive. the research is a wonderful example of how the Internet can be used by a significant number of model railroaders with a common interest to collaborate in breaking new ground in prototype research.

My suggestion that this site add a forum that focuses on engine types rather than on just on Fallen Flags is a direct result of the tremendous gratification that has come out of working with others on gathering historical information before it is too late. That's not a criticism of the railroad specific threads. In fact, I plan to actively participate in the Milwaukee Road thread.

In the MC 2002 project itself, 75 large scalers have already signed up to participate by scratchbuilding a Mason Bogie. Most are starting with a top notch custom drive and chassis from Barry's Big Trains. With the exception of such items as sand and steam domes and headlights, the remainder of the engine will be built with styrene, PVC piping, brass rod, etc. If you are interested in learning more, check out these two links to the MC 2001 and 2002 articles, and to the forum for this topic.

http://www.mylargescale.com/resources/

http://www.mylargescale.com/forum/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=46

Hope I'm not ruffling any feathers by posting links to another model railroad forum. But you asked, so I felt compelled to answer.

Tom

 

Tom, that's one of the nice features of the TrainBoard ... we don't feel threatened by new information. We share because it's always fun to learn something new, and someone may be able to use the information.

Your suggestion for a forum devoted to manufacturers is an interesting perspective. Do you mean manufacturers at the prototype level, the model level, or both? A forum devoted to prototype manufacturers could permit comparisions of various designs. For instance, what were the features that were unique to the Mason Bogie, but why didn't other manufacturers implement them ... ?

 

Hi guys,
Hank, that is one thing I'm noticing about the Trainboard site ,there doesn't seem to be the "heat" generated that myself and Tom have experienced at times in some G forum "discussions".
Myself and Tom (I think he'd agree)are of a breed who have moved into the G field of interest from the smaller scales and have heads on our shoulders which think like most HOers and N scalers. Many of the G fraternity are pretty loose in their attitude to detail /mixing scales etc.
Basically lots of them are happy to play with big shiny "Toys" out in the garden. Which is fine and I don't knock them for that ,each to his own,but some of those guys (not all though), are down on anyone like a ton of bricks for asking for models built to the same standards as we have come to expect in HO ,N and other well established scales.It has long been my argument that G is needing to get it's act together. "G" "scale" in itself is a contradiction in terms as it is en bloc a mitch-match of different scales. 1/29th which both myself and Tom have a preference for is sadly lacking in affordable(for the average guy) good quality steam locos in particular.
I have always felt that most steam guys who model in HO or N or OO,would take a look at what's on offer in 1/29th and run a mile from it.It's a shame because the garden offers a lot of opportunities in modelling that indoors doesn't. Indoors and outdoors G and the smaller scales can live together quite happily.
I am a case in point.
Prototype research is common to all scales. Anyway we'll hope for the best all round in future and more interscale co-operation . DAVY

 

Hank,

I was thinking at the prototype rather than at the model level. And manufacturers is not necessarily the right moniker, although it applies well with a product of a specialized manufacturer like a Mason Bogie.

I guess what I think might work is a forum that focused on different prototypes so if someone wanted information on 1975 Baldwin 4-4-0s or wanted to get information on Harriman Standard 4-6-0s or someone wanted to talk about Challengers they could interact with others that might have the information they are looking for.

Just a thought.

As for your question related to some of Mason's innovations, use of Walschaerts valve gear became very commonplace after the turn of the century. And while Mason's approach to articulation failed to live up to its promise, these small locomotives broke the ground for the huge articulated steam locomotives that followed.

As for Davy's comments, he and I are often on the wrong side of a discussion with those in large scale that want to just run trains. And it's not that we feel they don't have a right to do what they enjoy. Rather we get flack from them when we ask why a manufacturer didn't do his prototype research in coming out with a new locomotive.

A good example is Aristocraft's new Mikado (assuming we ever see one). With a little additional research and no more expense, they could have designed a USRA standard locomotive. Instead they will end up with a locomotive that you can't credibly repaint and reletter to a variety of lines. That means you need to do major surgery if you want your new engine to closely model a prototype.

From that perspective Davy and I are a lot more like the folks that model the smaller scales.

One of these days large scale will grow up. We've been vocal because unless you let the manufacturers know where they are falling short, we won't see progress.

Anyway, I'm glad Davy found this forum and drug me along. I'm looking forward to interacting with all of you in the future.

Tom

[ 10. August 2002, 19:22: Message edited by: Tom Farin ]