When we were good: No. 2

This edition of WWeWG comes from the pages of the June 1972 edition of Model Railroader magazine.

Pages 51-53 contain Edward J Groth’s fantastic 24″ gauge HO porter 0-4-0T in a series of high quality black and white photos. The locomotive is very small. AND, it features a homebuilt motor that uses magnetism to constrain the saddletank front. The locomotive is mostly brass with walnut for the footboards and some bought in SS silkscreen mesh for the spark arrestor. The backhead is a little hard to make out but what can be seen is in keeping with the rest of the model. One of the best photos is a comparison between 0-80 and .6mm screws used to hold the rods to the drivers. A perfect advert for the necessity of micro threading capability in the small scales.

Not to be outdone, David P. Morgan has a two pager titled The Eleventh Ps-4 documenting the work of the Southern’s shop forces in building a livesteam Ps-4 in 1:16th scale during 1931. Keeping in mind that these were not miniaturists makes the following all the more remarkable;

“Notwithstanding the fact that the model’s components were built in 10 different shops, no. 1410 was erected in Birmingham’s Finley Shops “without recourse to change in size or alteration [Parts] fitted properly and were applied intact.”

For those interested enough to look this one up there is a photo of Claytor Jr. and AAR Pres. Goodfellow petting the model at the bottom of page 47.

James F. Tangney got a picture of his scratchbuilt HO streetcar and bridge in the trackside photos section. Caption says Aurora, Elgin and Fox River no. 305 was made from home-made etchings and won traction at the 1970 NMRA national convention.

I can imagine the Southern folks not being as involved (seems sort of like a thirties make work / morale project) but I can’t believe Groth’s tea pot to be the product of meh? modelling. If it was, then the man certainly had capacity.

 

AH