Indian Tadpole

[indian22]

American logging? Amazing, the thread shifts that pop up on this forum. My main modelling interest these last 25 years was centered around obscure US narrow gauge logging railroads and their motive power and rolling stock. Odd that, considering I'm located in the UK. Spent many a happy trip exploring some of the old railroads in the Pacific North West and elsewhere with US pals.
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Pete your mini work is amazing! Is there a compendium of all your work available online or print? I'm certain others would relish seeing more, much more of the fantastic detail you've down scaled. Perhaps a Tavern thread devoted to your work.

My narrow gauge experience is limited to the Durango Colorado railway which so many have enjoyed riding through the years.

Rick C.

 

[fasteddy]

Pete, the engine and cars are indeed impressive. Rick is right in saying that a thread with your work on it would be most welcome.

Steve.

 

[fasteddy]

The chain finally staggered up to the front door out of breath. Must have been one heck of a run from South Carolina. I'll have a go at putting it on tomorrow and see how it works. I won't have the bike running yet but we'll see if the chain stays on as the sprockets are turned over.

Steve.

 

[curtisfox]

Belong to Homemadetools.net Seen this today, Kool but could use some of Pete's detailing.......Curt

 

[fasteddy]

Thanks Curt, That was interesting indeed. Always enjoy seeing someone with the skill to build something like that. It does indeed need Pete's skill applied to it to take it the extra distance.

Steve.

 

[indian22]

Belong to Homemadetools.net Seen this today, Kool but could use some of Pete's detailing.......Curt

Curt I'm jealous of the engineer! Way better job than Walmart greeter for Old Guys.

Rick C.

 

[PeteMcP]

Enjoyed that video link Curt. In Russia of all places if I'm not mistaken?
Some of my US pals were live steamers too. Visited several mightily impressive live steam garden railroads - private individual and club owned - during visits to the US. One that stands out was owned/operated by a guy in Seattle who's father, a Boeing employee, had patented a clip fastener used extensively in the aircraft industry. Made him a fortune. I visited his son Tom's property along with coach-loads of attendees from one of the National Narrow Gauge Conventions when it was in Seattle and we spent the day riding his 'garden railroad' being hauled behind his Big Boy 4-8-8-4 and several other scaled down locos including K27, K36 and K37 D&RGW and RGS steamers. This private 'garden railroad' featured impressive landscaping with tunnels and trestles. I put the term 'garden railroad' in quotes because anywhere else it would have been called a theme park! Did I mention the guy also had a barn full of classic ferraris? And since my last visit, he's erected another barn filled with floor to ceiling Rocky Mountain scenery for his pro-built F-Scale RGS layout, of which there are several videos available. Tom's dad's fastener was certainly pay dirt!
Met many live steamers in the US who would spend the summers touring with their spouse in their mobile homes equipped with drive-on ramps for their live steam locos. One private garden railroad I visited in St. Louis had a bunch of Winnibagos parked up on the lawn while the owners rode the line aboard their visiting locos. How cool a way to spend retirement is that?

 

[PeteMcP]

Guys, Thanks for your interest in seeing my models. I have literally hundreds of photos showing models built from my own kits or models I assembled, painted and installed DCC/sound into for customers. I'll see if I can upload some into a thread on the Tavern.

 

[indian22]

Guys, Thanks for your interest in seeing my models. I have literally hundreds of photos showing models built from my own kits or models I assembled, painted and installed DCC/sound into for customers. I'll see if I can upload some into a thread on the Tavern.

Good on you Pete!

 

[curtisfox]

KOOL! Love to see them, Intrepid Wheelwoman, Annie is or was doing garden way rail after,she got to bad to work in her shop, something she has had for years, i gather.

I never had room for a layout, but built some HO cars for my uncles. He had the hole basement .....Curt

 

[indian22]

Annie's posts are forum treasures for those who are relative newcomers, posted under "Intrepid Wheelwoman" always good reads.

Thanks Curt for bringing her railway interest to our attention.

Rick C.

 

[curtisfox]

As far as i know she is still alive, just dropped the forum..........Curt

 

[Mr.B.]

American logging? Amazing, the thread shifts that pop up on this forum. My main modelling interest these last 25 years was centered around obscure US narrow gauge logging railroads and their motive power and rolling stock. Odd that, considering I'm located in the UK. Spent many a happy trip exploring some of the old railroads in the Pacific North West and elsewhere with US pals.
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Nice nice nice! Bravo!

When i was young my Father used one corner of the basement for his shop and gave my 2 older siblings and myself each our own corner to do with what we wanted. I traded drawings to the rich kid at school for his 15 piece "Tyco" HO train set and started adding from there. Soon my little corner became a child's crude but fairly elaborate train layout.

¢75 a week allowance meant nothing too fancy from the hobby shop, and lots of thought into creating budget substitutes: Ma saved used coffee grounds, dried, glued and painted for track ballast- Trimmed window screen and finish nails became miles of fences- Buildings made from cardboard and finished with little bottles of Testers model paint- Strands of clear Christmas lights to lite those buildings- Plaster soaked styrofoam and newspapers made rock cropping's and mountains- Kite sticks built long river crossing truss and arched bridges- And any bits of 2x4's or scraps of plywood i could finagle from every walking distance construction sites were the foundation it all sat upon...

Long gone and no photos to even prove it. But really wonderful memories!

In the back of my mind i thought perhaps i'd do it again someday and over the years have amassed a sizable amount of flea market treasures just in case. I'm still a sucker for a cheap HO rolling stock or buildings, LOL!

 

[PeteMcP]

Steve, Tavern photo album now up and running - so I'll apologize for the temporary thread hi-jack and look forward to you regaling us with tales and images of the Tadpole's inaugural run.

 

[PeteMcP]

Mr. B, ...You and me both had similar attitudes to creating train layouts as kids. My daily paper round financed my empire back then. My original enthusiasm for the hobby petered out aged about 12 when football and girls seemed to take up my free time. Never thought I'd ever get back into the hobby but I managed to solder together my first photo-etched brass loco kit aged 26 and it grew from there - ending up being my source of income from 1990 when a hobby turned into a business.
One thing's for sure, ever since I can remember, I've had the gene that gives me a kick from being able to say..."I built that". That never changes.

 

[fasteddy]

Steve, Tavern photo album now up and running - so I'll apologize for the temporary thread hi-jack and look forward to you regaling us with tales and images of the Tadpole's inaugural run.

Pete, as I always said this thread is like a Saturday afternoon spent in the garage with friends. The intent was to build a bike but the conversation wondered where it did. Your models are a valuable addition to the conversation and everyone is admiring what you brought with you to show us.

They are beautifully crafted like your bikes.

Steve.

 

[fasteddy]

The Diamond chain is on the bike. It's as smooth as polished glass and the popping and snapping as the cheap chain went around sprockets before it jumped off is of course gone.

Just cleaning up the work bench then I can push it outside and see what we have in the next couple of days. Arthritis and I are having our usual battle.

Steve.

 

[Tom from Rubicon]

Blasted Arthur! Hang in there Steve,
That Diamond chain is the real deal. I need to get a length of #35 for the reduction drive, the chain currently being used is rather elastic. I had used brand X #41 on the final drive first time around and it may be fine driving a Huffy with a 49cc engine, but not a heavy Flyer.
Tom

 

[fasteddy]

Thank you, Tom. Not what your wife and Pete's wife and brother in law are going through however it does put a bit of a damper on some great plans.

Had to spend a lot of time on repairing the camper this week. I ran out of, "Don't worry it will be fine." The fuel pumps last about 2-1/2 to maybe three years and then the diaphragm is destroyed by the gas. It isn't a joy to install and when working overhead when lying on your back is difficult there is even less joy.

I stretched the muscles in my shoulder and neck and the spasm slowly ran down my back, then my leg until my toes curled and released then curled again. It lasted for at least two minutes happening over and over again. Interesting in it's own way as it travelled along and you could follow it but unmercifully painful and I couldn't move.

Got everything done and released some magic smoke doing electrical repairs. That did make finding the problem easier. Not hard to spot the charred areas and the burnt wire.

Always surprises me how long the odour of burned wiring lingers

Another one of life's adventures.

Steve

 

[Tom from Rubicon]

Adventures indeed Steve, your spine damage is probably in text books. Electric fuel pumps may be something to look at. My Homelite/Bearcat outboards.http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/history/bearcat.html
When cam driven diaphragm pumps fail on these OB's
Correctly calibrated electrical pumps keep them running.
Tom