# An old project revisited -- Steam Dummy



## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

Some years ago my eldest daughter had this thing for "Toby" the tram engine from Rev Awdry's railway series, I had an Aristo 0-4-0 and a Bachmann coach, so I figured I'd make her an American version of Toby - a good old fashioned steam dummy.










She ran it a couple times in my garden, then it got put on a shelf in the diningroom. When my ex was boxing up my stuff it got sent over by 'mistake'. It got kind of bashed up in the tote, so my daughter asked me to 'fix it up' for her again.... Not one to leave well enough alone, I just HAD to re-do a few things. Especially since the fit and finish of my workmanship that was 'good enough' back then, bugs me when I look at it now. 

I wasn't exactly sure how a dummy was laid out under the coachwork, but a friend of mine was kind enough to find me these two pics:


















The first order of business was to get the coach body off. I don't remember what glue I used anymore, but I used WAAAAAYY too much! Here we are back to square 1









Then I made a water tank and air pump similar to the ones on the SP locomotive in the above picture. I also cut and spliced the stack to make it 3/8" taller. After I got into it I discovered it would have been MUCH easier to just mill off the top ring and slide the plastic tube over the stub and lengthen it that way, because of the way the smoke unit is designed . 









I'm not going to go whole hog on piping details on this, but it absolutely needed a few bits of jewely. Johnson bar and throttle are Ozark. The firebox door is scratchbuilt. I'll also add a simple water column made of picture nails and a bit of plastic tube, and maybe a lubricator.









The rear overhang kind of bugged me since I first built it. So while I was at it I added half a B'mann ten wheeler pilot as a trailing truck. This thing can use extra pick-up points anyway. Mairi said she wanted it to stay green and red, so It's going to be PRR Tuscan and a green-black.









That's as far as I got with it today.....


----------



## Les (Feb 11, 2008)

Neat project, Mik. What were steam dummies used for, track inspection?

I'll be interest in the sight glass when you fab it up, and thanks for posting the pixes.

Les


----------



## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

Quick history lesson, or is it biology? Steam dummies came about in the late 19th Century for use on urban railways. Locomotives were noisy smoke belching things that tended to scared the crap out of horses. Sooo, the theory was, if you made a small tank engine LOOK like something that they were familiar with, the old railway horse cars, then they wouldn't panic, bolt, and hurt somebody. It didn't work. Horses may be stupid, but they're not THAT stupid. Most dummies ended up stripped of their car bodies, or at least all the windows, at some point because they were a maintenance headache on top of everything else. A few lasted into the 30's in logging service, of all things. (Nobody else wanted them, so they were CHEAP!) I've seen a few pictures of them, the car bodies rotting and practically off, dragging log cars in the Pacific Northwest. 

Inspection locomotives, while from the same era, were a diffrent kettle of fish. They were usually tender engines that had well appointed seats for the railroad brass and investors on either side of the boiler (whereas most dummies seemed to have side tanks filling that space). They fell out of favor fairly quickly as well. Probably because they were too noisy, cramped and hot for said officials to enjoy their ride.


The roof on mine is wrong. It should have one that looks more like a trolley. I didn't HAVE a trolley shell, and still don't. So it stays.


----------



## Les (Feb 11, 2008)

Okay, thanks. I sorta knew that... but like I said in another post, was sick yesterday.

Howsumever, where you wrote: " Horses may be stupid, but they're not THAT stupid." Oh, yes, they are. It's like every once in awhile they regain consciousness, or finally see what's around them, and go nuts. I think they only have very short sampling periods of consciousness, so to speak.







The rest of the time they're flatliners.

Anyway, I have a pic of it now and hopefully one day I'll build one.

Les


----------



## R.W. Marty (Jan 2, 2008)

Hi MIK,

Here is a good picture of what your talking about.

This little 0-4-2 Baldwin built steam dummy originally ran on the Coronado Railroad in San Diego, CA. From there it went to the Reynolds Mill
Lumber Co. Shasta County, Northern California where it operated from 1902-1912 hauling log cars on the 3 mile run from woods to mill.












Great project you've got going there.
Later
Rick Marty


----------



## Les (Feb 11, 2008)

Rick,

Thanks for the pic. Now I don't have to bug Mik for a front-end shot of his. 

I like oddball units like those.

Les


----------



## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

I got it so far, and it was looking great! Then realised that I screwed up. As I slid the car body over it for a test fit, I remembered why the old engineer was cut off at the waist...









Sooo, back to the drawing board. I cut the rest of the Aristo running boards off and made lower ones.










Part of the old cab floor is now the engineer's seat. I need to cut back the fireman's side yet. 










Test fitting the car body. It sets exactly the same height as the bodies on the coaches, so I'll need to make a nice armrest for the engineer, so he stops looking like he's gonna fall out. . I also need to do some interior bracing, make up new window 'glass', and putty the seams before it's actually ready to install.


----------



## Les (Feb 11, 2008)

Lookin' good, Mik. Thanks for the pixes.

What's the story on the headlight? Did it come w. the engine or....?

Les


----------



## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

It's the Aristo factory 0-4-0 light.Too lazy to move it, easier to cut a relief in the roof to clear it. Today's main projects are to make a decent looking pilot, move stuff around on the roof, and maybe paint the shell.


----------



## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

Almost back together.... I still have to find where I put the handrails (so I wouldn't lose them!), do some soldering, add coal, and a little bit of finish work. Before anyone busts my chops about the paint and lettering not being "correct", it's the way my daughter wanted it.


----------



## Bill C. (Jan 2, 2008)

Mik, I enjoy steam dummies/steam trams too. I own an example of the LGB version, which is a good runner.

In fact, the PRR did own at least one for a time. The Yellow Kid, the nickname for 0-4-2T #6043, operated in Ocean City, New Jersey, where it is seen here circa 1903 in passenger service on the PRR's West Jersey & Seashore subsidiary. It was built by Baldwin in 1888 for the Camden & Atlantic. After its service on the Jersey Shore, in 1906 it was sold to the E. H. Wilson & Co., then in 1911 to the Keystone Lumber Co.


----------

