Trucks for Small Gilpin Cars

Using the suggestion from GrantLine to use HOn3 trucks for the small Gilpin ore cars, I widened the truck bolsters of some Rio Grande Models, West Side Lbr. Co trucks. GrandtLine suggested using Precision Scale or Kemtron trucks but I couldn't find any suck trucks available today. I had some of the Rio Grande Model trucks left over from my Hon3 days.

After a miserable attempt at making new axles for the HOn3 wheels, I purchased some NWSL 28-inch HO wheelsets. Then I made up extra spacers for the bolsters. Two 0.08 thick styrene pieces glued to two 0.01 pieces (yeah, should have used a 0.02 thickness but was testing as I went along).

I then glued a small brass strip across the truck, brakes in the future, maybe.......

While the cars and trucks look really small, it does seem appropriate, i.e very close to what the prototype did. Wow, these are small cars....now I just need to paint them.....

Small Gilpin Cars

I've had several of the smaller Gilpin cars for a while. I never finished them as they are so small and I hadn't come up with trucks for them. After reading in the Gilpin book about how the actual cars were modified by by raising the sides, shown below.

So, I modified two of mine the same way. Due to the small size of the rivets, I used MicroMark rivet decals. We'll see if they show up after painting. Next, the trucks.....

Local On30 Get Together

Mike held a local get together today at his On30 Bridgton and Harrison RR. Mark, Steve, Rick, Hank, John, Mike and I in attendance. Great to catch up on all the great modeling these guys have been up to.

Took some pictures of Mike's little on2 switching module. Quite nice and fun for such a small space.