# New Freight Motor Build



## Ted_Roy (Jan 2, 2008)

All,

The attached link has images of my new build, a Interurban Freight Motor. I was looking around for a project to pull my C&LE cars that I built over the past 2 years. I wanted something that I could have complete by Thanksgiving, allowing the cars and the new motor to be used at the Connecticut Trolley Museum's Winterfest. I usually bring a bunch of cars down for them to run in the big train layouts that they have on display.


The motor is an eBay purchase of the roof, and power brick. It originally was going to be a combine, but I have changes the car body to a Bachmann baggage shell. The shell was added to, by cutting up to combines to get the end-side end windows. I just cut out the middle window next to the baggage compartment as I could adjust the amount of siding to fit the space.


The car is going to have the both a trolley pole and a pantograph (Hartland). And a set of Light Rail castings for the controllers, retrievers, stirrup steps and headlights. I am going to ask for a pair of Interurban lights and a compressor etc for Christmas. My wife takes very good care of me for supplies at Christmas. Teh trolley boards supporting the trolley port are from a Bachmann open cars. The bel is an Ozark casting. I do not know if it is too big yet. Thoughts?


Images can be found here! 

I will have better images coming, my train table has no lights at the moment. 


All comments, questions, concerns are welcome,

Ted.


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## Paulus (May 31, 2008)

Ted. 

Those trolleys do have a very unique charm; even a bit whimsical. Your freightmotor is comming along very nicely!!! 
The pictures are a bit blurry but the idea shows right. I'm looking forward to more pictures 

Actually, I thank you for posting because your pictures inspired me to rebuilt/bash a Christmas Toy train set I have bought (and that refuses tu run) in a simular sort of trolley, but in a Christmas theme... 

By the way; what a nice Trolley Plow (the "038"). Lovely!!!


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## ohioriverrailway (Jan 2, 2008)

Lookin' good, Ted.


With a platform on the roof, that would make a great line car.


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## Ted_Roy (Jan 2, 2008)

Yes, The pictures are horrible. I plan on taking more as I work on the ends. And thank you for your comments on my plow. It was the second build I did, and I am very fond of it. 


Rick, It does look like a line car that I saw in one of the Kalmbach books. A west coast car, IIRC. I kinda have a thing for non-passenger carring equipment, except open cars









More pictures tomorrow. 


Thank you for your kind comments, 

Ted.


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## John J (Dec 29, 2007)

I saw something like that in Durango on the Durango and Silverton. They use it for pushing cars around.


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## Ted_Roy (Jan 2, 2008)

Much better photos..

I just posted new photos, the originals were horrible, to say the least.



Ted.


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## Dennis Paulson (Jan 2, 2008)

Looking really good , are the roof ends from Light Rail ? 
You have captured " the look "


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## Ted_Roy (Jan 2, 2008)

Dennis, 

Yes, the ends are light rail. I was hoping to do that. I still have on my list to build a C&LE steel freight motor. But I like the version when they were sold to Central California Traction. I like the looks of the pole and pant, and dual cowcatchers. So I kinda transposed those features to a wooden car. 

Ted.


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## Paulus (May 31, 2008)

Much nicer pictures indeed! It's becomming beautifull. 
It reminds me of Bob Hegge's Crooked Mountain Lines. 
I was surfing the internet to try to find some pictures of that great layout, but without result sofar... 

Do you leave the trolley car blue or repaint it in some other color?


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## Ted_Roy (Jan 2, 2008)

It is either going to be dark pullman green with white lettering, black details, and terracotta roof, or box car red with white lettering, black roof, black details. At least with each scheme I will use the same lettering. Looks like I will be talking about decals/ vinyl soon. I will be looking to get matching lettering for my 40' interurban box car also. I am still working up the lettering. But it will be for the Boston and Worcester Air Line. It ran between Boston and Worcester MA, till the early 30's. My premise is that it survived long enough into the 40-50's to acquire equipment from the midwest interurbans like; C&LE, IT, LSE, etc. So long with big open cars, small single truckers, and other older equipment, I can run big interurbans too. It would have been nice to have had the B & W consolidate trackage across MA from the New Haven's holding companies. This would lead to an interesting interchange in Worcester of Interurban cars, street cars, freight etc. from the Boston and Worcester, Worcester Consolidated, Union Street Railway in RI, and The Connecticut Company.


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## Ted_Roy (Jan 2, 2008)

I just finished working on the A End of the motor. I just had to pick the toughest type of end to build for my first radius-ed end build. It was not fun bending the styrene for one 2/3's of the sheathing. And bracing the top was not fun either. But it does capture the flavor! 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/sets/72157622617164857/ 

Ted.


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## Paulus (May 31, 2008)

Ted, it's looking just great! The door on the frontside gives it an unique appearence. 
You used a grooved styreen sheet I guess? Bending the sheet becomes much easier if you carve the grooves with a hobbyknife (take care not to cut through the sheet, only carve). The sheet will bend itself and is much easier to work with.


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## Dennis Paulson (Jan 2, 2008)

Looking very good , there were two of the end door type cars that look a lot like yours that were used in this area , long ago . 
Your motor is great , thanks for all the photos .


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## ohioriverrailway (Jan 2, 2008)

Yep. Quite tasty!! What are you going to use for bricks?


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## Ted_Roy (Jan 2, 2008)

Thanks Guys! 

I am going to run it on block that I got with it. The roof and block were an ebay purchase. The block looks like a railbus motor with two tabs on the back side of the block for feeding the lighting,etc to the body. It is a perfect match to the Bachmann coach side frames, I just needed to replace the Bachmann wheels on the other truck with USA wheels to match the wheel diameters. If anyone can id the block, I would appreciate it as I like how it works with the Bachmann cars and side frames. 

Ted.


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## Ted_Roy (Jan 2, 2008)

The B end is now complete! Now on to details, smoothing the roof, electrical and paint! I am hoping to have to complete by Thanksgiving.

Ted.


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## Ted_Roy (Jan 2, 2008)

Well, I missed Thanksgiving. But here is have the car minus detail painting, the catchers for each end, electrical, and letterling. I guess the todo list got smaller,







. 

There are new photos in my Flickr Set here.

Ted.


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## tom h (Jan 2, 2008)

Great job Ted, I really like that! That has really gave me some ideas that I probably should not have since I have so many winter projects now as it is









Tom H


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## Ted_Roy (Jan 2, 2008)

More Pictures added, lettering and more roof details. I found marker lights from Tomar Industries. Just the right size and brass to boot. I have a second set for the pantograph end of the motor coming shortly.

The images can be found here! 

Ted.


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## Dennis Paulson (Jan 2, 2008)

Thats BEAUTIFUL ! 
Nice work , looking really good .


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

I notice you have both a pantagraph and a pole. I don't know much about electric, so I thought I'd ask. Perhaps this is so it could operate on different systems?


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Will you be fitting a sound system? Does anyone make the appropriate sounds? 

The model looks GREAT. 

Regards, Greg


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## Ted_Roy (Jan 2, 2008)

Yes, the two methods of pickup were usually for systems that had trackage under two different voltages ie 600v and 1200v. Many California systems ran that way. As for sound, I have a crossing interurban horn module from RAMtrack that I am going to install. It sounds good and there really is no interurban sound out there. Reasonable numbers for streetcars not much for their big brothers. 

Ted.


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## Paulus (May 31, 2008)

It's becomming more and more beautifull!


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