kormsen
in the middle of the westparaguayan semi desert
Foreman
Posts:426
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 | | 03/26/2008 11:27 PM |
| on a lot of fotos from steamlocos, that are adapted or scratchbuilt, i notice wooden cabs.
that makes me curious.
were they so common? or are they just 'fashion' to be modelled?
were they more common on narrow gauge lines, or on mainlines too?
could anybody enlighten me?
korm
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trainmaster1989
Brakeman
Posts:40
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| | 03/26/2008 11:57 PM |
| An interesting question.
I just looked through some of my books on the subject and i haven't seen any definate wooden cabs. I could be wrong of course.
I would imagine that if they were comon, they would be more common on small narrow gauge railroads with shoestring budgets. Also, wooden cabs often seem to have more "character" which might explain it if it is a "fashion" among modelers.
I too would like to know :-)
Scott | |
Scott McKittrick
West Covina, CA | |
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East Broad Top
Moderator
Centennial, CO
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Posts:464
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| | 03/27/2008 12:21 AM |
| Wooden cabs were common up through the 1900s on steam locos, both standard and narrow gauge. After that, most locos left the shops with steel cabs. But many older steam locos ran their entire lives with wood cabs, so you'd see them on locos up through the 30s and 40s, some even to the end of steam. It was also common practice for railroads to rebuild damaged cabs with steel.
Later,
K | |
Tuscarora Railroad
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DKRickman
Salisbury, NC
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Posts:64
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| | 03/27/2008 5:28 AM |
| I checked my "Bible" - John H. White's "A History of the American Locomotive, Its Development: 1830-1880"
He mentions that wooden cabs were made almost without exception until about 1900, as has already been stated. Baldwin's first metal cab was built in 1880 for the Mexican Central Railroad.
So wooden cabs were quite common for those of us that model 19th century railroads. They are also rather nice to look at, and easy to build.
As for being more common on narrow gauge, I would say that a lot of narrow gauge equipment, at least in the US, was built in the 1880s. There was not as much new construction in narrow gauge after the turn of the century, so a lot of older equipment was kept running until the lines were abandoned or upgraded to standard gauge.
Of course, the Rio Grande was an exception, but it was exceptional in a lot of ways. | |
Kenneth Rickman - krickman1@carolina.rr.com
Salisbury, NC
If at first you don't succeed, use a bigger hammer! | |
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kormsen
in the middle of the westparaguayan semi desert
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Posts:426
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| | 03/27/2008 9:16 AM |
| my thanks for the explanations.
i think, my Southern & Gulf RR will introduce some wooden cabs in the next time.
korm
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tacfoley
1st Class Member
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| | 03/27/2008 9:47 AM |
| Korm - up in the USA there is this little company called Banta - http://www.bantamodelworks.com/
They do a series of wooden cab kits for the Bachmann 1/20.3 locos...
Might be something there to whet your appetite for a wood cab?
Best
tac
www.ovgrs.org | | | |
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kormsen
in the middle of the westparaguayan semi desert
Foreman
Posts:426
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| | 03/27/2008 10:30 AM |
| wet my apetite? - more like wet my whole beard...
if i weren't occupied, trying to make a housefront after one of Blackburns photos, i would instantly start on a cab.
thanks for that really inspiring link.
korm
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hcampbell
1st Class Member
Connecticut USA
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Posts:42
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| | 03/27/2008 12:41 PM |
| You might think about scratch building a cab. Though laser cut plywood is rather nice, I do like the look of real hardwood.
This is a walnut cab on my rather messy Ruby.
Harvey C. | | | |
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david bunn
Brakeman
Posts:58
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| | 03/27/2008 1:15 PM |
| Banta cabs nice, make your own out of hardwood,cherry,walnut etc,better by far.
Good luck
Bunny | | | |
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kormsen
in the middle of the westparaguayan semi desert
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Posts:426
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| | 03/27/2008 1:20 PM |
| well, taking everything in account, it will definitely not be lasercut for me, but lesser cut...
mainly from inlaying veneer.
do you have another pic from your lady's backend? | |
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DKRickman
Salisbury, NC
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Posts:64
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| | 03/27/2008 1:36 PM |
| Posted By kormsen on 03/27/2008 1:20 PM
do you have another pic from your lady's backend?
PLease, this isn't that kind of site! | |
Kenneth Rickman - krickman1@carolina.rr.com
Salisbury, NC
If at first you don't succeed, use a bigger hammer! | |
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kormsen
in the middle of the westparaguayan semi desert
Foreman
Posts:426
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| | 03/27/2008 1:39 PM |
| | are you singing: "Ruby, don't take your love to town" now? | |
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hcampbell
1st Class Member
Connecticut USA
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Posts:42
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| | 03/27/2008 2:35 PM |
| This the view you're after?
Y'know, I may get the hang of this photo business yet.
Harvey C
SA1838 | | | |
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kormsen
in the middle of the westparaguayan semi desert
Foreman
Posts:426
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| | 03/27/2008 3:09 PM |
| yes, this is exactly, what i wanted. it gives me an 'insight' on the construction of the cab, and stills some of my curiosity about the valves of live steam.
thank you. | |
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james brodie
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Posts:26
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| | 03/28/2008 2:55 PM |
| Dear Sir, The choo choo's I worked on had a mixture ie steel cab sides with sliding glass windows and wooden roofs. The tank engines didn't have side windows just an opening cut out but still had wooden roofs.
The modern choo choo's had all steel cabs and even doors!
We were still using pre 1923 engines up to the end of steam infact in 1953 the passenger tank loco I was on was built in the 1890s.
Jim Brodie Ex steam engine cleaner etc and after starting at the bottom worked my way down the ladder. | | | |
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kormsen
in the middle of the westparaguayan semi desert
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Posts:426
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| | 03/28/2008 3:43 PM |
| so even combinations of wood and steel are prototypical.
that lends itself to many adventurous modelling. thank you very much!
but please do not "Sir" me. when you stopped working on steam engines, i was still so young, that my only accomplishment consisted of being 'housebroken' allready.
and, by the number of your posts... a heartily wellcome. (even if i am new hereabouts myself)
korm
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Semper Vaporo
1st Class Member
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Conductor
Posts:764
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| | 03/28/2008 3:50 PM |
| Posted By james brodie on 03/28/2008 2:55 PM
Dear Sir, The choo choo's I worked on had a mixture ie steel cab sides with sliding glass windows and wooden roofs. The tank engines didn't have side windows just an opening cut out but still had wooden roofs.
The modern choo choo's had all steel cabs and even doors!
We were still using pre 1923 engines up to the end of steam infact in 1953 the passenger tank loco I was on was built in the 1890s.
Jim Brodie Ex steam engine cleaner etc and after starting at the bottom worked my way down the ladder.
I had to laugh twice about your missive...
one, there is another thread about what constitutes "modern"... you need to read.
http://www.mylargescale.com/Community/Forums/tabid/56/forumid/4/postid/19664/view/topic/Default.aspx
two, "after starting at the bottom, worked my down the ladder"... that is a great description of many of our careers!
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 C. T. McCullough
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
SA #37469
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MarkLewis
1st Class Member
Mustang, OK
Foreman
Posts:161
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| | 03/28/2008 4:50 PM |
| The cabs may have been changed to metal, but the floors in many steam locos where still wood. If you've ever seen the floor of SP 4449 then you know it has a wooden floor with an SP logo burned into it.
Mark | |
Mark Lewis
Mustang, OK
email: oktrains@oktrains.com
Don't anthropomorphize your trains. They hate that. | |
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james brodie
Brakeman
Posts:26
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| | 03/29/2008 4:38 AM |
| We always had wooden floors , they were in module section so could be lifted out if the fitters needed to deal with anything. Also when I was a fireman (but even when a driver and used to share the shovel**for firing as well as cooking on**) we needed a wooden floor otherwise we could have slipped when turning/twisting/while stoking. In thoses days we wore hob nailed boots for protection against scrambling over coal in the tender and when throwing fires out after a turn of duty. Our choo choos didn't have drop firebars so it was a pricker to break the slag up in the firebox then a long slag shovel to empty the firebox or "half " the box and move the good burning coals to one side,then dig down and throw out the slag..then move the burning coals over to the clean bars and then throw out the slag on the other side of the box. Then spread the fire all over the box, fire round,,fill the boiler and leave for the next set. If it was a tender engine and the pit road was on a curve we sometimes had to throw the hot slag out the cab side window*after first opening the window*!
Yours Jim Brodie
We can tell tall stories but cooking food on the shovel was true. I in the early days used to toast my bread and treacle sandwiches to revive them also we used to warm pork pies on the boiler end on top of the injector valves..that is the water putter inner thingy. Jim. | | | |
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kormsen
in the middle of the westparaguayan semi desert
Foreman
Posts:426
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| | 03/29/2008 5:36 AM |
| wooden floors , they were in module section
do you remember, how many modules and where they were more or less? | |
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