This release features Mike's (Secret Weapon) Kenworth W900! http://www.train-worx.com/16-11customtrucks.pdf Really cool! Carter
Sorry Mike, I did not mean to usurp you posting this. When I got the email this morning, I surprised to find nothing had been posted yet! Carter
Mike, That is a great looking truck. I sure wish we could get Pat to tool a W900 hood with the rectangular headlights! Carter
I'm honored that he's doing what he's doing. It's N Scale. It's hard to tell with the naked eye anyway. Maybe I'll get vehicle of the year in Pittsburgh. How cool is that?
Pat must be a fan of Movin' On. That would explain why he insists on going retro. Where do I get a Diamond Reo Raider in HO? Or do you only do trucks from carbuilders like Pacific Car and Foundry?
HO modelers have had them for some time. http://trucksnstuff187.com/ http://www.promotex.ca/ Sent from my LG-H631 using Tapatalk
Carter, How do you get e-mail announcements from TrainWorx. I have once again checked their web-site and couldn't find anyplace to sign up. Thanks
Go all the way to the bottom of the Trainworx home page: http://www.train-worx.com/ There you will find a link to subscribe to the email newsletter. Carter Edit: Make that almost all the way to the bottom. There are a few things below it.
Here is what Pat has tooled so far. He also has an N scale Freightliner Cascadia under development. So, it is not just PACCAR products from Trainworx. Carter
Mike, They probably won't be released in time to qualify for the 2017 N Scale Vehicle of the Year Award. However, these trucks will certainly be contenders for the 2018 N Scale Vehicle of the Year Award. Carter
Here is the text about the specific trucks from Pat's email newsletter: Vern Henderson 351 Logger This 1956 Peterbilt 351 logger was owned by Wesley LaVern (Vern) Henderson of Pendleton Oregon. It had a 220 Cummins with 3x5 transmission. It received many paint jobs in its life, this is the final Vern Henderson paint scheme. "I got to ride in this truck as a boy every once in a while, though my mom thought it was always too dangerous... some of my best memories of growing up. I distinctly remember my dad shifting the 'Brownie' gears with both hands and steering with his knee! Dad would have been proud to see his old truck as a model. He loved collecting 1:18 die cast 'old cars'--I have most of his collection of those still."(Gary Henderson) John Zwergel Kenworth K100 This 1973 Kenworth K100 was owned by John Zwergel. It was set up with a 350 Cummins, 4.33 rears and Dayton wheels. "I always had the Dayton wheels. I hauled mostly steel and watermelons and was usually overweight. I found the best tire for me was Michelin. Running in the south, the roads could get really hot and with Michelins I never blew a tire. This is stirring memories from probably the best time in my life."(John Zwergel) John Patten Heavy Haul Pete This custom heavy haul Peterbilt was owned by John Patten. "The edited truth!! This custom heavy-haul Peterbilt owned John Patten! This yellow truck was my last 'Pete'. The drive-train was a CAT engine (well tuned) in front of a 6x4 transmission on a 300 inch wheelbase. Lots of heavy-haul power!!"(John Patten) Mike Sabia Kenworth W900 Mike Sabia from New Jersey owned this custom KW with 3406 CAT engine. "ON MY STEEL HORSE I RIDE" is on the back of the sleeper. These are lyrics from (Bon Jovi, Wanted Dead or Alive). Wanted Dead or alive? There must be more to this story but Mike won't say. "If you notice, it says "SECRET WEAPON" on the sleeper (my CB handle). NO PROBLEM! The reason I put that on the bug shield is I was a big fan of the comedy ALF in the '80's. If you remember, that was ALF's saying for everything. I also had a stuffed ALF doll hanging in the passenger side window."(Mike Sabia) Sandy Smith Peterbilt This 1997 Peterbilt was specified for light weight with the highest horsepower possible and maximum longevity. The truck was owned and operated by Camionnette, Ltd. (camionnette, is a French word for little truck) which was a small fleet of tractor trailers, owned by Sandy and Kris Smith, hauling dry bulk Portland cement and other commodities. "A Caterpillar C-13 (electronic 3306 engine) was used with a light weight 13 speed transmission and lighter weight drive line components all to save weight and increase payload. A "Day Bunk" 36 inch sleeper was specified along with smaller fuel tanks, and aluminum components from the front bumper to the cab. The weight savings added up to over 5000 pounds compared to a truck bought two years earlier. The smaller engine and lighter empty weight yielded 1 mile per gallon fuel economy over it's bigger brother with a Cat C-15 (3406) engine. The greater payload made this truck a financial winner even if it arrived at the concrete plant 10 minutes after it's sister truck with the larger engine. The truck accumulated over 980,000 miles prior to being sold and with no major engine repairs required and a rust free cab and frame structure."(Sandy Smith) Mark Morris Peterbilt 379 This beautiful 2001 blue Peterbilt 379 was bought new by Mark Morris in 2000. It is powered by a CAT 6NZ C15 engine. Custom work on the truck was performed by Truck Rods, part of Peterbilt of Joplin Missouri. "Should never have traded it. The new owner has over 1 million miles on it. He keeps the truck in a heated barn during the winter." (Mark Morris) It did not paste very well, but at least the story is there. I hope to get the info up on the N Scale Vehicle Association's web site this weekend. Carter
Sure, the vehicle selection in HO overall is much larger than in N scale, and I applaud Trainworx for trying to tip the scales in the other direction. I am excited to see some of their past N scale releases coming out in HO scale, such as the drop frame trailer and the reefers with and without curb doors. If that trend continues, HO may get a nice K100, which it doesn't currently have. There's the old Tyco model, which represents and earlier prototype than the one shown in the Trainworx announcement, and the old Yatming diecast model, which is undersized for HO scale. Both require tons of work to make into decent HO models. Having dealt with both versions over the years, I'd rather buy a Trainworx version than take on another conversion. That's why I follow the N scale releases and support the HO releases with my dollars. In this case, I'm very excited for you N scalers. Each of these models will greatly exceed the quality of the same/similar models currently available in HO scale.
I just noticed there is a typo in the photo "caption" for the built dates for the Peterbit 351. The dates should be 1954 to 1976. But, the Peterbilt 359 was introduced in 1967, so few were made after 1968. Carter
Here is an update from Pat on these models: "Good Morning all, The Custom N scale trucks have started to ship. Unfortunately there was a production issue with the Sandy Smith Peterbilt and my quantities are way to small to release this model at this time. I do not have any idea when I will be able to release this truck but I am working to solve this problem and get these shipping as soon as possible. The Vern Henderson Logger, John Zwegel K100, John Patten Heavy Haul, Mike Sabia W900, and the Mark Morris 379 have all been released. At your service, Pat" Pat had samples of these trucks on display at the National N Scale Convention in Pittsburgh, and they looked great! Carter
