A 3' Gauge NNG 16 Garratt

[Keith Stamper]

Hello Guys,
As a youngster, I lived in Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) and South Africa where I was born. As a teenager, I used to visit the 2' Gauge Railways near my home in Durban and I have always enjoyed the 2' Gauge Garratt's. I now live in Canada and model Colorado Narrow Gauge.
Nick Dunhill's beautiful NNG 16 build encouraged me to purchase a Backwoods Miniatures kit and when an opportunity came along to purchase a kit in On30 gauge, I bought the kit and decided as I was building the 30" gauge model why not build it to run on my Colorado layout which is On3 gauge. Track gauge is 3/4"
I replaced the kit )n30 spoked wheels with Proto 48 freight car wheels from a fellow in The USA. These wheels were mounted onto 1/8" axle stock.
I scratch-built numerous components in cladding the vacuum brake system and Wakefield lubricators. Also, the cab interior was further enhanced with some scratch-building such as gauges and various appliances. I built two Wakefield type lubricators to replace the white metal parts as supplied in the kit.

The model is now complete and it is powered by a Dead Rail system called CVP Air-Wire and sound is by a Soundtraxx Tsunami 2200.

The purists will hang me out to dry for deviating from the prototype 2' gauge. However, I have a beautiful model to run on my home layout. (I created a back story to justify a Garratt on my Colorado and Southern Railway) Maybe some scratch built rolling stock will follow.

Here are a few photos.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas.

Cheers,
Keith Stamper

 

[simond]

Keith,

we‘d all like to see your loco a bit better - bigger! Please can you post “full”. The forum doesn’t seem to mind!

 

[Keith Stamper]

Trying to attach my photos in "full" format.
Thanks,
Keith Stamper

 

[simond]

Very nice!

 

[Keith Stamper]

Thank you for your comments. I think I could write a book on the trials and tribulations of building that model. It is not for the feint of heart. So many times, I would have to put it aside for a few days break. The mechanisms were very difficult and the kit solution on using tiny plastic bushings on the ends of the threaded axles to hold the counterweights on with Loc-Tite was not good. The mechanisms would not stay in quarter and despite being totally free rolling as the mechanisms ran on my test track they would eventually jam. Especially if I loaded the loco down with a few cars. I finally reamed out the counter weights and soldered them to the axles. That was scary as the drive axle has a Grandt Line Delrin Gear which I had to wrap in wet tissue paper. I used my resistance soldering iron to attach the cranks to the axle.
I know the loco is out of place on my Colorado layout. However, the three major Colorado lines did investigate articulated power and my "back story" is they tested a Garratt.
I am working towards attaining my MMR accreditation and last week, the Garratt and two other rail car type locomotives were evaluated and I am pleased to say they all passed.
Onwards and upwards......
Regards,
Keith

 

[simond]

What is the “MMR accreditation”?

 

[PhilH]

What is the “MMR accreditation”?

MMR — Master Model Railroader. One who has completed the requirements established by the NMRA by obtaining certificates in the Achievement Program as a "Master" of at least seven areas of model railroading.

 

[simond]

Wow…

 

[Keith Stamper]

What is the “MMR accreditation”?

Oh sorry, I am a member of the National Model Railroad Association and it is possible to go through a series of categories pertaining to the hobby such as Motive Power, Structure building, Electrical, Civil Engineering, Scenery and more.
Each category consists of certain activities such as in the case of a Dispatcher, one has to operate on a model railroad with a full blown control system and work in the dispatchers position. To pass the dispatchers certificate, a certain number of hours must accumulated. Also, there is service to the hobby in the form of a volunteer at NMRA functions.
I am a member of the Hamilton Ontario Model Engineers club which is an HO scale group of modellers with an operational layout. We run trains in accordance with the schedule that was used in the 1950's on the Toronto Hamilton and Buffalo Railway. I am busy working on my Dispatchers certificate.
Also, I am working my authors certificate and have written a few articles for publications such as the Railroad Model Craftsman.
There is a huge amount of work to obtain the MMR (Master Model Railroader) accreditation and it involves a lot of paperwork to support the various activities.
I am sure a lot of people in the UK are members of the NMRA and would be aware of what I am trying accomplish.

 

[PhilH]

Keith,
Why don't you post some details of your home layout, I'm sure that there would be interest on here and there's even one or two of us that dabble in 0n3.

 

[simond]

I’m aware of the NMRA, I had no idea they operated accreditations.

As Phil says, do post more of your modelling, there’ll be plenty of interest on WT. LOTS OF PHOTOS!!!

 

[Keith Stamper]

MMR — Master Model Railroader. One who has completed the requirements established by the NMRA by obtaining certificates in the Achievement Program as a "Master" of at least seven areas of model railroading

I’m aware of the NMRA, I had no idea they operated accreditations.

As Phil says, do post more of your modelling, there’ll be plenty of interest on WT. LOTS OF PHOTOS!!!

Okay,

I could bore you all to tears with my home layout. I am heading out to the family for the Christmas Holidays and I will post photos on my return. We are home on Boxing Day.
In the meantime if you would like to see some videos of my layout, I will try to post a few links to my Youtube channel. I have several videos and some show the Garratt running on my layout.

 

[Keith Stamper]

Here's a link to a video showing the Garratt soon after I completed it and did some test runs. In the first part I had not placed a coal load or a crew.

 

[Keith Stamper]

In this video, I had to build 6 pieces of rolling stock for my certificate and one car had to be a passenger car. I model the Colorado and Southern and they had a short car called a Combine.
I scratch built the Combine known as number 20. It is entirely scratch built and to form the roof, I made a vacuum box and then cut wood forms which I placed on the vacuum box surface. After heating 040" styrene sheet in the kitchen oven for 5 mins, I pressed the sheet down over the forms with my shop vac running which drew a vacuum and formed the warm styrene. This video shows a test run.
I also built 3 Hi-Side gondola cars from wood and styrene components. I was happy to have the three cars score merit points.

All my locomotives are battery powered and thus run very reliably. No dirty track and my layout has zero track wiring. The track is hand laid.

Here's a video of my combine and freight train in action.

If you want to watch other videos, go to Youtube and search me out. I have some HO videos on a friend's layout showing a NYC Hudson loco

Regards to you all.
Keith