# Hot Loco Carriers



## David Leech (Dec 9, 2008)

Hi,
A couple of you have asked me for more details on my 'Hot Loco Carrier' that I showed with my Accucraft Royal Hudson sitting on it.

For those who have not read the facts in The Accucraft Royal Hudson lising, here is what I said:
The Hot Loco Carrier.

The one in the photo was actually the very first one that I built.

I have supplied about 20 over the years to customers, and the later ones had folding handles so that when they were not in use they would take up less space.

As far as instructions are concerned, 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" x 1/8" aluminum angle, with a 1/16" plate screwed underneath so that the angles are rail width apart.

The plate stops about 6" from one end, and the aluminum angle is chamfered on the underside to nearly nothing, so that it will fit over the outside width of the track when the other end of the carrier is lifted and will lock into alignment with the track. I have a piece of dowel wood in the handle that I use to put under the carrier for this use and don't have to hold up the end.

The handles can be made as you like. I like to have at least a foot of handle to allow for ease of balance when carrying.
This will mean that it is not as critical where your loco is placed on the carrier, as you can still make it balance when carrying.
The loco is stopped from rolling in the carrier by use of 'sliding window' locks, the ones with a groove and a locking screw, one on each corner, and a suitable piece of wood to hold the loco back.

I normally glue some foam, or a sponge, onto the wood so that the loco has something soft to press against.
For the 2860 I had to do some cutouts so that the pressure was against the front beam.

Here are a couple of photos that show how I use the sliding window locks at both ends. They are of course adjustable so will accommodate any length of loco that will fit on the aluminum. 

This brand has nice sharp point on the end of the adjusting screw, so it really locks the loco in place. Other brands do not, and I found that they are not quite as safe, and tend to move as you tighten them up. 

Incidentally, I chose to build them in aluminum because it make then strong, heat resistant in case there is dripping fuel, and also fairly light.
You can also see how the one end is chamfered about half way through the aluminum. This was the first and I have made later one a little thinner at the ends, but you don't want to go too thin because it will break off and also becomes a sharp weapon! 

Have any of you other ways to carry hot locos around. Perhaps we can share ideas.
All the best,
David Leech,
Delta, Canada


----------



## weaverc (Jan 2, 2008)

David,
Now the window locks make sense. Thanks for the enlarged view. A hot loco carrier will be my winter project.


----------



## cnengineer (Jan 2, 2008)

Hi: I really like the carrier and want to make one for my Hudson when I get around to picking it up in January. Can you tell me how long the carrier needs to be to get the engine and tender in.


Thanks 


Bruce


----------



## Steve Shyvers (Jan 2, 2008)

David, 

Thank you for the detailed info and the photos. Excellent advice about the handle length and dowel. 

Steve


----------



## David Leech (Dec 9, 2008)

Hi Bruce,
This carrier is exactly 36" long, and as you can see the Accucraft Royal Hudson just fits on.
If you wanted to make some fancier 'blocks' with foam or something, you would probably need to make it longer.
Regards
David Leech,
Delta, Canada


----------



## Jerry Barnes (Jan 2, 2008)

I made one sort of like David's, but used some wood. Wish I had done it his way!








Another view:


----------



## steamtom1 (Jan 2, 2008)

Carl,

Do you remember the carrier I had at DH last year? It started out as part of the track system that Walt Swartz used to bring to DH. 









I purchased it a few years ago at DH and mad a few modifications. For one thing, I cut a hole in it...









so I could see the alcohol burner while firing up.











Removable ramps allow the loco to run onto the rails...











And it folds up neatly for carrying...










I will have it with me in January at DH. You can take a closer look.

See you then.


----------



## Steve Shyvers (Jan 2, 2008)

Got to advise some caution that David's Hot Loco Carrier is proportioned for 1:32 locomotives. The use of 1-1/2" aluminum angle 
to substitute for rails as well as provide longitudinal support is ingenious, but the distance between the vertical "walls" of the aluminum 
angle might be too narrow for some 1:20 locos. 

After seeing the Hot Loco Carrier's photos I wandered out to the garage with a ruler to see how 1- 1/2" aluminum angle would work 
with my 1:19 (and 45 mm gauge) Roundhouse loco. Well, it looked like there could be interference with the homemade cab and the clearance 
at the cylinders would be tight. Don't think a K-27 would fit at all, at least how David has described the Hot Loco Carrier's construction. 

Locos with loading gauges bigger than 1:32 models might need some design changes to the Hot Loco Carrier, such as moving the aluminum angle 
pieces farther apart and adding additional aluminum strips (1/8 x 1/2 ?) 45 mm apart (or 32 mm for some locos) to serve as rails. Then the bottom 
piece would maybe need some stiffeners underneath it, or use thicker material. 

Steve


----------



## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

Don't set an aluminium carrier on powered track either!


----------



## David Leech (Dec 9, 2008)

Steve,
Your comments about clearance are quite correct.
The 1 1/2" angles will only give you 4 1/2" between the 'walls', which is not even enough for a Daylight, so I used 2" x 1 1/2" angle for that to give me 5 1/2" between the walls.
I don't think it would be worthwhile to try and make a 'one size fits all' carrier as there are so many different widths, and heights required in our hobby.
I think that you would tend to build for what you are most normally going to carry, if that makes sense.
All the best,
David Leech,
Delta, Canada


----------



## David Leech (Dec 9, 2008)

Semper,
Good thought about the powered track.
Perhaps if the aluminum plate underneath is replaced with plastic, and the handles are insulated, you would be okay, and then if you have an electric loco you can tip the carrier to make contact with the track power and drive your loco on and off.
All the best,
David Leech,
Delta, Canada


----------



## Captain Dan (Feb 7, 2008)

Just a "what I did this afternoon."

Using David Leech's idea, I made a loco carrier with a door kick plate for the bottom The kick plates at Lowes was 6"x30." I bought their aluminum one (also the cheapest one.) I then used the 1 1/2 angle and also bought a couple of 1/2" flat strips (all 1/8" thick) I then drilled and tapped holes in the plate and strips and angle and screwed in from the bottom. Even though the plate is thin, it has 24 machine screws going thru it into the aluminum. It all seems to be quite sturdy. I also used the 1/2" x 1/8" strips for the handle straps and a wood dowel for the handle.

The door kick plate let me make the carrier 6" wide. I used the extra 1/2" alum strips for the rail tops. So even with a rather thin door kick plate, I have a total of 4 inches of 1/8" thick aluminum to stiffen the carrier. I built the carrier 18" long for my wife's Catatonk Climax. We will have it at Diamondhead.

Dan Fuller
Carrollton, Texas


----------



## Chris Scott (Jan 2, 2008)

A start to a loco carrier: 
RailRite: https://www.railrite.com/productcart/pc/viewCategories.asp?idCategory=4 

A very hard ridge 3/8" plastic. Does not bend under loco weight. Add handles, maybe sides and end stops.


----------



## emartin187 (Jan 19, 2008)

Hey Guys If you have other "winter projects" than making a loco carrier, consider the Martin TrakrTote. It takes care of most of the issues discussed above. 

TrakrTotes handle valuable Live Steam locomotives, especially heavy locos with tenders, easily, quickly, and safely. And TrakrTotes are available for any scale locomotive running on either 45 mm or 32mm track. 

If you carried your live steam loco on a TrakrTote, you could: 

Run directly onto track in seconds, without. fumbling to get all wheels on the rails. 

Avoid having to re-connect drawbars, fuel, water, or R/C servos, on locos with tenders. 

Steamup your loco while still on TrakrTote. When steam is up, run your steamer onto track in seconds. 

Pickup an out-of-fuel or “ailing” locomotive from nearly anywhere on the railroad. 

Recover a derailed or overturned Live Steam loco without burning your fingers. Simply tow the up-righted loco backwards onto TrakrTote, letting wheel flanges drop into flangeways, and return it to the rails. 

Turn your loco to reverse direction, from nearly any location; like a portable turntable. 

Use TrakrTote like a portable mini-hump yard for “railing” your train cars. 

Service and repair locos, even turn your loco on its side on the TrakrTote for repairs. 

Set TrakrTote with your locomotive onboard into a carry case. When you arrive at the visited track, set your loco on rails in seconds. Impress your friends! 

How does it work? Set TrakrTote down on reasonably straight track at a slight angle. Using carry straps, TrakrTote with loco onboard, can be picked up and moved to storage or where ever you choose. For railroads on the ground, TrakrTote saves your knees. 
Now that’s a Live Steam necessity! 

For info and price email: [email protected] Or phone 916-773-0933


----------



## F7 (Jan 29, 2008)

Please could we see some action pictures of the famous TrakrTote? 
F7


----------



## emartin187 (Jan 19, 2008)

I tried three times to upload and submit photos wiithout success. Email me at: [email protected] and I'll reply with photos or a video clip. 

SA 360


----------



## aceinspp (Jan 2, 2008)

Well I do not have any other winter projects so looks like you guys gave me some Ideas to start on a carrier for my LS. Thanks for the good ideas guys. Later RJD


----------



## GNSteamer (Jan 16, 2008)

http://www.mylargescale.com/Communi...rumid/11/postid/52631/view/topic/Default.aspx 

I've posted some pictures of the carriers that I made for my locomotives as well as for others in our group in this past thread. These are very light weight and because the platform is made of wood, you will alleviate any problems with transmitting shock from movement during transport when you have direct metal to metal contact with the drivers and pilot trucks.


----------



## artgibson (Jan 2, 2008)

I have two of the carriers GNSTEAMER talks about and they work fine. Thye are light weoght. A couple of the guys in our group use the Emartin carriers in the above thread but I find it no so secure for long haul transport.
Also I am clumsy and movig thee engine with straps is not my cup of tea.
For moving the engines from the carrier to track, I have made a tapered wooden piece to transfer engine to track. Have not had to use it yet though. engine is easily trasfered from carrier to track.


----------



## weaverc (Jan 2, 2008)

I've built two of these carriers out of Poplar, one for my K-27 and one for my K-28. They secure the locomotives and the handle will protect the loco in a rollover. I find the handle allows balance. My only issue is that I have not yet devised a way to roll directly on to the track, but am working an alluminum solution. I carry the tenders in padded plastic tool boxes.


----------



## Ed Hume (Jan 3, 2008)

Here is a photo of the aluminum carriers that I have been making. This one has screw down clamps to hold

my Climax locomotive. 












There are 1/32" recesses for the wheel positions. At the end the ramp swings down for rolling on to the track.

There are sash locks on the side to hold a wood cover and the carrier also functions as a test stand for holding rollers.


----------



## dwegmull (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By weaverc on 01/06/2009 2:58 PM
I've built two of these carriers out of Poplar, one for my K-27 and one for my K-28. They secure the locomotives and the handle will protect the loco in a rollover. I find the handle allows balance. My only issue is that I have not yet devised a way to roll directly on to the track, but am working an alluminum solution. I carry the tenders in padded plastic tool boxes. 

Hi,
I've just built a ramp to unload my Accucraft Garratt from its tray. The Accu trays use U shaped steel plate wrapped around a piece of plywood with track grooves cut into it. The combined thickness of the ply wood and steel happen to match the height of LGB track, so I built my ramp out of two 30cm sections: the first one with a handfull of ties left brings the track down to the rail heaight, the second one tappers to a point. I'll post some pictures over the weekend...
Next step is a couple of "doors" with foam blocks for the ends of the carrier. Right now the foam blocks are held in place with a ratchet strap ;-)


----------



## Walt_Linn (Jan 3, 2008)

Ed,

Thank you for taking the time to document your locomotive builds. I have thoroughly enjoyed following your progress at Flickr.com (search for edhume3). Your work is both inspirational and instructional and I just wanted to pass along my gratitude. Must confess I saw one of your hot locomotive carriers there and shamelessly copied the design...










Cheers, Walt


----------



## Ed Hume (Jan 3, 2008)

Walt, 

Thanks for the compliment. Your carrier looks even nicer than mine - looks like you have cleaned up the aluminum and maybe polished it a little. 

Keeps us all posted on your project work - we can see you are a real craftsman!


Best Regards,
Ed


----------



## Jerry Barnes (Jan 2, 2008)

Nice neat job Walt.


----------



## aceinspp (Jan 2, 2008)

Great looking loco carrier. Looks lite weight. Later RJD


----------



## Walt_Linn (Jan 3, 2008)

Ed, Jerry and RJD, 

Thanks for the kind words. I purchased the aluminum for this project on-line and it was a small order. They must have pulled the material from the "shorts" bin because the aluminum was in pretty rough shape. Ed makes metalworking look easy. Sometimes looks are deceiving.







It took a bit of effort to make the carrier so I figured I may as well put forth the extra effort to make it look pretty. A quick once over with the random orbit sander and some 320 grit sandpaper, a few strokes with 0000 steel wool, a light application of Renaissance micro-crystalline wax and voilà... it shines.










At this point I have a carrier but nothing to carry.







Little by little (read: as the budget allows) I have been collecting the parts, tools and information to kitbash a Roundhouse "Billy" chassis and boiler into a 7/8ths scale Hunslet. The folks over at 7-8ths.info have been very helpful in pointing me towards information on the English prototype for this locomotive. If all goes well, it will make its debut at the National Summer Steamup in July. 

This is my first attempt at kitbashing and my first experience with metalworking/machining. I am quickly learning to appreciate the skill of a machinist! I've been a termite up to now and never really had to worry about cutter speed or depth of cut. "Fools go where angels fear to tread" is coming to mind for some reason.

Anyway, the build will hopefully be fun and doubtlessly be educational. Maybe in the end the thing will even run!!!









Warm Regards,
Walt


----------



## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Please excuse the dumb question, are all of these designed to be carried by two people? 

By the way, impressive construction! 

Regards, Greg


----------



## Walt_Linn (Jan 3, 2008)

Hi Greg,

...not a dumb question at all.

My little carrier is only 8" x 18". Size and weight are not really an issue.

I would estimate that Ed's carrier is about 32" long (please correct me Ed if I am wrong).
A 32" carrier can still be handled comfortably from the ends without feeling stretched.

The Accucraft Royal Hudson has a combined length (loco + tender) of 37". It is also heavy, hence the center handle on David's carrier.

I am probably the least qualified person to chime in here seeing as how I don't even have an engine yet but I would venture to say that securing the engine to the carrier is a more significant factor than carrier size.
If the engine is not secured well, it is going to be difficult to handle regardless of size.
If it is secured well, then even if the carrier tips, it doesn't result in disaster.

Your question is a valid one because sometimes it is hard to judge size from a photograph.

Walt


----------



## David Leech (Dec 9, 2008)

Ed and Walt,
Nice carriers, both of you.
As you say Walt, the longer and heavier the carrier, the more difficult it becomes to carry with two hands.
I find that I like to have it to one side at arms length, which also means that I can carry my tool box in the other.
I am busy designing a new carrier specifically for my Royal Hudson, which since it has a knuckle coupler on the tender, I am 'thinking' that I might mount a permanent coupler on the end of the carrier, so that when I roll it in, it can couple up, and I don't have to have anything to hold the front of the loco in place.
As I say, I am still 'thinking' about this, and will have to do a test to make sure that I am happy with the concept.
Whilst I trust the knuckle couplers, I hate to think that if I am carrying it at a slight angle, that the loco might suddenly uncouple, and roll off the end!
Of course any such movement will cause the balance point to get increasingly more forward, quickly exaggerating the problem.
I might have to make sure that I always carry it so that it is sloping to the rear.
We will see!
All the best,
David Leech,
Delta, Canada


----------



## Ed Hume (Jan 3, 2008)

Most of the real carrying is done with the aluminum carrier and loco inside of a plywood case:




There are 1/32" deep large diameter wheel recesses along the center rails to locate the loco, and screw down clamps or bungee cords hold it securely in position when traveling. With a shorter case, you could have a central top handle for carrying with one hand. With the larger locos, there is no question but that I will only carry the loco with both hands - they are too heavy and valuable - several years work, irreplaceable and getting near 50 lbs. So the handles on the aluminum carrier itself are mostly used right around the track area such as for removing the empty carrier after delivering the payload.

It is a mistake to make the wooden outer case of high quality hardwood like a piece of fine furniture - you want to be able to crowd it in the car trunk and not worry about protecting it from scratches.


----------



## JEFF RUNGE (Jan 2, 2008)

David, I have used this method in my carrying cases for many years, works great.


----------



## David Leech (Dec 9, 2008)

Hi Loco Carrier enthusiasts,
I just thought that I would add a couple of photos of my latest creation.
My 'normal' design, but with a handle that can fold when not in use, or for traveling.
The total weight is 4 lbs.
The second set of screws and wing nuts are removed for folding.
All the best,
David Leech


----------



## Captain Dan (Feb 7, 2008)

David,
Nice carrier. I like the idea of the wing nuts for easy storage. (As I look at mine taking up a lot of room, looks like wing nuts for me.)

Hey, where is the 10 feet of snow? The last picture from you with your Hudson was in a winter wonderland!!!!!









Dan


----------

