Hey guys, as most of you elders of TrainBoard know and the new members are about to find out, I have an extensive MOW fleet on my roster. I was thinking, what does everyone else have as MOW on their layouts an or rosters? Like Boom Cranes, (large & small), Boom Tenders, Gondolas, Flat Cars, Ballast Cars, Jordan Spreaders, Snow Plows, or Rotary Snow Plows(blowers), etc.... anyone have tampers an all that from like Custom Finishing or anything???? I been thinking of getting into the brass Custom Finishing kits, an all. Just to add a Tamper, maybe a Ballast Regulator, Maybe a Spike Puller, and a Spiker, an even a Tie Crane an Buggy.... Whats everyone roster for MOW trains?????
Nothing as extensive as that, although I do like the idea of a MOW fleet. I currently have one outside braced 40' box lettered for MOW, and a tie&rail or work flat (depends on how you assemble it) to assemble. I like the idea of getting a snowplow - rotary or other, but am unsure what was used in Eastern Ontario in the 1920s and 30s. Still need to do some more research. Andrew
Nothing, I'm ashamed to say.... However, with a bit of research on what Frisco had for MOW cars, I could come up with something. One interesting note: Frisco had what was called an Emergency Response Team, which was a precursor to Hulcher. This team responded to derailments and wrecks all over the Frisco system. Heavy equipment (with sideboom Cats) on trucks were seen several times rolling thru Afton one summer in the late 1970s on their way to another mishap on the Cherokee Sub (not bad track, just a streak of bad luck)
Well, you've created a problem for me! I thought that stashed somewhere, were a couple of bunk/crew cars. But now I can't find them! Otherwise, I'm poorly equipped for any MOW. Boxcab E50
I am planning to have some basic MOW equipment for my planned switching layout. It will be a shortline switching road, so probably just a couple of flats or gons with some tools and other supplies on them. I would be interested in opinions about what would make sense for a 2-3 car MOW fleet for a shortline set in the 60's or 70'.
On my "home road" (a modern day freelanced shortline dependent on timber and tourists in the mountains of central and eastern Oregon) I have the following m-o-w equipment; 1 American locomotive crane 6 or so flatcars 4 bottom dump ballast hoppers 2 Difco side dumps 2 kitbash side dumps 1 Jordan spreader 2 scratchbuilt bucker/flangers 4 tank cars (fire service) 1 scale test car 1 sand car (tank car body mounted on a flatcar) 1 tool car (MDC Harriman baggage car) 1 tie crane I plan to add to this a Burro crane, a scratchbuilt wooden bucker plow, a tamper, a regulator, a tie exchanger or two, and some other m-o-w equipment. Outside of the home road I have a bunch more m-o-w equipment that is on hand for other purposes (whatever that might be), including a couple more cranes, a boxcar, some more tank cars, two more Difco side dumps, a bunch of MDC hoppers, and some other miscellaneous cars. Perhaps the best course is to study your prototype, see what they did or had. For example, my railroad closely follows the practices of the McCloud River Railroad; for a description and pictures of what they had in the way of m-o-w equipment see the Equipment page off of my website http://www.trainweb.org/mccloudrails. On the other hand, I currently live at a major division point of the Union Pacific; the only pieces of m-o-w equipment that I can depend on seeing here are four to six loaded bottom dump ballast hoppers and two or three flatcars loaded with panel track. Occassionally a tamper and regulator will pass through, but additional equipment (Burro cranes, bigger cranes, other types of equipment) will only be seen if some big project is going on. There is a book that came out a few years ago called Railway Maintenance Equipment; it is good, but a little broad. Perhaps the best source would be the twelve or so part series on railroad maintenance equipment written by a former Penn Central roadmaster that appeared in Model Railroading magazine back in 1994/1995. Hope this helps. JDLX Elko, NV
As said, I too (even with a LARGE fleet of MOW equipment, have to add some bunker cars, such as older passenger cars for the crews! I'm currently working on a sleeper car, thats an ex US Army bunk car, I have a few "junk" cars to custom rebuild for this train of mine! I do alot of my MOW fleet just like the real railroads did. I buy up junk cars missing parts, in bad shape from yard sales, garage sales, places like that an all an then set them aside to be reconditioned to run, an make them something unique to this train of mine! However, I want to add, a tamper, a ballast regulator, tie (bridge) crane, a few tie trailers to the tie (bridge) crane, scale test car, spiker, spike remover, tie plate inserter/ and remover. All to form a "tie gang". I'm currently working on 2 Burro Cranes! One will have a clam shell bucket, the other will have an electro magnet. Both are actual old Life Like litle cranes, that were steam powered, that I dieselized, an then took off that long flat car, an I'm making a powered 4 wheeled flat to sit the crame on, that will spin the crane body, the boom will be 100% functional, an the clam shell will be operational as well, as the other crane with the same, but will have an actual working magnet, (just not electro). And in the works is a Norco (Nalco?) weed sprayer unit, with 3 40 foot triple dome tank cars, an the bunker/sleeper car I had mentioned above. Plus sitting in waits on me, is another Difco side dump gondola, an a tool car, and machinist car. So, I'll have some train when done! PLUS, I'm working on another MOW train, which will be all Western Maryland Railway, as the one I have is B&O! I like maintenance equipment!
As a former occupant of the bunk cars (we called them camp cars) there were a few good one and some real bad one. The B&M used old open platform wooden coaches while other railroads converted boxcars. We always hated it when we finished a job and had to move to another location. The B&M insisted they had to be just ahead of the caboose as they were afraid on breaking a drawbar or knuckle. This meant a real rough ride on most trains. We finally got them to move the cars in local freights only and had much better results. No one was sorry to see them replaced by motels.
texasdon- Recommendation for your 2 or 3 car shortline maintenance fleet...2 bottom ballast hoppers and a flat car would make the most sense. Or 1 bottom dump hopper, 1 side dump hopper, and a flat. Or, a Burro crane, a flat, and a bottom dump hopper (that might be even better). A couple quick examples of "real" shortlines... Yreka Western in extreme northern California, 7 miles long, has had but one piece of m-o-w equipment in the last 30 or more years; it consists of a single ex-Great Northern ore jenny used in ballast service. Almanor Railroad (13 miles long) in NE California had a pair of ballast hoppers. Amador Central had a flat and a pair of ex-Western Pacific hoppers Arcata & Mad River had a Burro crane and a bunch of four wheel carts. There are others, but I can't think of them right now. JDLX Elko, NV
JDLX, Thanks. These are great ideas. I know I can easily get a flat car and a couple of old ore jennies for ballast service. I can add some tool boxes and other stuff to customize the flat car for my MOW guys. I like the idea of a burro crane....does anyone know if they come in S Scale?
The Burro Crane, open bottom ballast hopper , an a side dump gondola or Difco side dump gondola , with a flat car, an possibly a small caboose would be a decent short line MOW train! Everything customized to the specific needs of the road! The flat car, I could think a way to make it at least a 50 foot car, while all the rest being 40 foot cars. Being tool boxes on one end of the flat car, for stored supplies, an the other end left open for loading rail to sites where its needed, or old rail from being replaced (might justify 2 flat cars, one with old rail, an one with new rail. As for avalability in S scale, I'm not to sure if the Burro is or not! That might take some looking into. The rest of the cars shouldn't be to hard to come up with however..... HTH
My MOW fleet is not too exotic. I try to make each car functional so it can be used in a regular freight train. About every other operating session, I create a switchlist that generates activity in the maintenance yard. I just rotate one of the 15 or so cars there to be moved to a destination somewhere in staging. That way, I do not operate a regularly scheduled MOW train, but I do get to move the cars. They look pretty neat at the end of some freight manifest. Prototypical, I hope, but what the heck! Here is my latest MOW car from the MT series. Most of my other cars are flat car, box cars, or the Dimi Trains series.
Flash, It be nice to find those same trucks on that MOW car you pictured, in HO scale! So, that they could be used on Bunk, Sleeper, and Crew cars in any MOW fleet in HO scale! I know I could use a few sets.... Anyone know of those type trucks in HO scale?
I have several Athearn quad hoppers in dedicated chat-hauling service, as well as a couple of old Varney hoppers equipped with Kadees and lettered for the O&NE. SO perhaps for ballast service, they would come into play. And somewhere I have a short flatcar for hauling tracctors.....and an old Athearn 40-foot box for parts.......and a cabosose gathering dust in a box under the layout....... Moral, gang, is that you can come up with cars for MOW service in your collection, or at swap meets. In HO, those Athearn clerestory-roof passenger cars will work well in MOW service as bunk cars, commissary cars, etc., with a silver paint job.
Right now I have no MOW cars on my layout, which is probably why the whole thing looks a bit neglected! I have a few vehicles which could go into MOW service, so maybe the condition of my trackage will improve somewhat
I must say, Bob is right! I currently have 2 small "old time" Mantua passenger cars for crew cars, an currently got a busted up US Army "Sleeper" being customized to my B&O MOW train, BUT I plan to remove the 2 old time Mantua passenger cars, an replace with the 1920's Athearn passenger cars, an then It may be that I add 3 Athearn passenger cars! I want to add one coach, one combine (mail an bagage car) an possible a RPO to the set for various reasons that can be done with each of the 3 cars....Wich I plan to use the clerestory-roof type cars! Then the 2 old time Mantua cars, might be reconditioned for regular revenue service, an the start of an old time B&O passenger train to go with my lil Mantua 4-4-0!
7600EM_1 - When I wa foreman of a signal gang on the B&M we had a steel baggage car for tools and supplies, a coach for a diner/cook car. a combine for a shower and rec car and a coach for a sleeper and office car. All cars except the tool car were old wooden open platform coaches. Not too bad in the summer but a little bit cool in the real cold winter months.
