On the early railroads, before the invention of internal combustion engines, track inspection and the transportation of section crews and their equipment was carried out by hand powered vehicles. After Gottfried Daimler “did his thing” just before 1900, that changed. Although it took some time, railroads gradually adopted the new technology and although handcars and velocipedes were used for decades, by the middle of the 20th century, many lines had gone to gasoline-powered section cars and in many cases, larger vehicles with Diesel engines. Some of these vehicles were used for freight and passenger service, but there were also many diverse maintenance rigs that could be seen carrying or pulling various loads of gear and people. For narrow gauge enthusiasts and modelers, there are numerous examples of these vehicles. Colorado fans are familiar with the Rio Grande Southern’s Galloping Geese, and their siblings. For followers of the Maine 2-footers, there were a number of motorized railcars and busses that were active here in the Pine Tree State. As a freelance modeler of the 2-foot gauge Maine narrow gauge lines, my On30 South China & Sheepscot River Railway can run anything that crosses my path, as long as it isn’t too far out. So, I have assembled a small fleet of section and maintenance vehicles that fit my railroad’s needs and are drawn from several different backgrounds. As an aside, the non-motorized handcars, speeders and other equipment on the SC&SR were featured in an article in the 2016 On30 Annual. As on many prototype lines, these hand powered vehicles remained in use even after larger, powered vehicles arrived. For this article, I’ll focus on three gas powered rigs, two of which actually run on my layout, and one that is just for display.
Here is the inspiration for my On30 South China & Sheepscot River Railway #1. You can see, and maybe ride, this close replica of SR&RL second #2 running about thirty miles from where I live in South China, Maine, at the WW&F Museum in Alna, Maine. It is shown here on Fathers’ Day weekend, 2014, was closely based on the prototype, and built from a 1926 Ford. SC&SR #1 was based on Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes second #1 that was built by the SR&RL shops in 1925 from a Ford Model T, using parts from a couple of previously scrapped vehicles. My model was imported by Train & Trooper, and I used Peter Barney’s excellent self-published 1990 book, Handcars, Railcars and Railbuses of the Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes Railroad for information and checked the T&T model with Wesley Ewell’s plans included in the book. The model did not come with DCC, so I took it to a local hobby dealer, and he slipped a decoder into her. The black paint was already applied, so I touched up the rolled-up side curtains with Floquil Foundation and fashioned a canvas sheet to cover the motor, fastening it with a couple of wire straps. I cut some windshield panels from clear styrene and glued them in place with canopy cement. The decals are from sets I had custom made years ago, and the driver, carefully wedged in place, is an Artista figure. Number 1 runs quite well, though the pick-ups for the rear wheels can be a bit cranky at times.Here is my model of early RGS railcar #1. This model was first made available from S.S. Ltd. as a white metal kit in the 1970’s. It is now available from Wiseman Models. I substituted Grandt Line 20-inch diameter wheels since the wheels in the kit were white metal castings and I wanted to avoid any issues with my DCC control system. The handrails and chair arm rests are shaped from brass wire, left unpainted to add a little class to the car. The paint is Floquil Engine Black, with some brown and green shades to highlight parts. A silver Sharpie marker was used to color the wheel treads to simulate wear. The radiator and headlights were coated a brass shade, and the lights are glazed with HO scale headlight lenses. Most of the time this vehicle resides on its own spur off the turntable in Strong. In my mind, on my 1950’s era layout, it is mainly available to be hired by tourists or railfans and is stored inside, somewhere, during the winter.This trailer was cobbled up from styrene using Wesley Ewell’s drawings. An old set of Grandt Line wheels were added using bent wire to hold them in place. The stake pockets are old Grandt Line S scale parts and the plastic timbers and boards have been distressed to simulate wood grain. The trailer was painted with Floquil Foundation and weathered with an alcohol and India ink wash. The coal load is removeable so that I can put in other loads if needed. For the most part, the trailer, even though pretty light, stays on track behind the motor car as it makes its way over the layout.
Around 1913, the Rio Grande Southern built a motor car based on a Ford Model T. This vehicle, damaged in a mishap early in its career in June 1913, met an untimely final end due to a runaway wreck in 1925. It was a four wheeler and was not replaced by the first Galloping Goose until 1931. Wiseman Models offers kits for this critter in both HO and O scales. Plans for this vehicle, drawn by Steve Brown, have appeared in the GAZETTE in the March/April 1992, and January/February 1995 issues. A non-powered kit for this little railcar was first produced by S.S. Ltd. in the 1970s. There was also an article by Trevor Doran on his On30 RGS #1 in the January/February 2012 GAZETTE, that dealt with motorizing this model, but way beyond my abilities.
Sort of staying with Colorado-based vehicles, one of my powered jobs is also from Wiseman, and is sort of based on the Rio Grande Southern’s work Goose #6, but there are some obvious differences. And finally, coming a lot closer to home, the other powered model, imported by Train and Trooper, is based on a railcar built by the 2-foot gauge Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes in the 1920s.
SC&SR #5 is the second of my powered rail cars. I used the Colorado Rail Annual #9, published in 1971 by the Colorado Railroad Museum for information to build it. There is a forty three page article by Stan Rhine on the Galloping Geese which has great descriptive text and photos. While most of this information was not directly related to my model, the photos of Goose #2 and Work Goose #6 were very useful. I also consulted my copy of Mallory Hope Ferrell’s epic work Silver San Juan. Goose #2 had a single rear wheel and four wheels up front. The open body rose quite high behind the cab. The work Goose had a four wheel chain driven truck at the rear and four wheels up front. Its stake body was much lower than that on #2. The model I used from Wiseman looks actually like a combination of these two RGS prototypes.Number 5 is shown here at the gas pump next to the depot in Strong. I initially had a bit of trouble figuring out how to get the Grandt Line drive to work correctly. It took me, and several friends, several attempts at assembling the mechanism and wiring it, before things were OK. It now runs beautifully. The kit comes with a multi-piece white metal cab and a cast hood. I wasn’t sure how rugged the cab would be when put together, and after the assembly issues, I opted to use a diecast truck cab that I had on hand in case there were further problems, and the cab had to be removed. This casting included the hood as well and I was able to create a mounting situation with a single screw under the hood joining everything to the cast frame. I also constructed a new frame for the laser-scribed bed flooring. I used Grandt Line stake pockets along the edge of the bed, and some weathered strip wood for the side framing. The pilot comes with the kit, and I added an equipment box on the deck with a couple of jerry cans, a bucket, small jacks and some chain. The toolboxes on each side are also from my parts bin. I was able to mount the kit’s headlights and back-up light on the cab, and after cutting clear styrene to glaze the windows, I added a wiper from brass wire. The lights have MV lenses.Here is #5 perched on the creamery siding in Strong, viewed from the rear. The kit comes with quite a few detail castings for the bed, and I added more, including some drums and a couple of jacks. The primary paint is again, now non-existent, Floquil Engine Black with a bit of weathering using chalk and slight washes. The lettering is from the decal sets I had made years ago. The driver, who can hardly be seen, is again from Artista.This photo shows my flock of motorized vehicles lined up in front of the section crew headquarters and car house in Strong. The guy on the platform must have spotted a real flock of geese headed south. These models see some action on my layout, and when at rest, nearly surround the turntable parked in the Strong yard right up front where they can be readily viewed.
Conclusion
I want to thank Marcel Levesque at the WW&F Museum for the information on their SR&RL replica motor car. His help is a great example of the friendships created in our hobby. While my three models vary in fidelity to their real counterparts, they capture the essence of their heritage as motorized rail vehicles. Freelancing in the model railroad hobby gives one the option of picking and choosing as to what gets built and how it is built. The models described here fit my On30 South China & Sheepscot River line and add yet another reason to keep modeling.
Sep/Oct 2021
