I did an internet image search for something, and among the results were this neat looking truck.
It looks like a booster engine from a tender, but not 100% sure. The link that went with the picture did not work.
I am not even sure if it is HO scale.
Does anyone know what model this truck goes with? What scale is it? Is it a booster engine?
Thank you.
-Kevin
If I had to guess I’d say it might be a chassis for a British-style 4-wheel switcher, the kind that would use one traction motor or gearbox and drive the other pair via rods. Might be a power truck for a railcar of some kind.
Those angle brackets at one end are likely diagnostic clues.
I’d expect a tender booster to be heavier construction, with heavier counterweights, for any North American prototype likely to justify installation of a tender booster…
In retrospect, thd very rudimentary detail says to me that this might be intended to mount up underneath some sort of vehicle or locomotive, so you’d see the mechanical action of the rods working but not the utter absence of sideframe detail or practical counterweighting for American practice…
Looking closely, theres a big stack of leaf springs that center at a pivot. That indicates it’s a pivoting bolster mounted truck such as, but not necessarily limited to a booster.
Wouldn’t a pair of those under a diesel, or electric body shell make for an interesting locomotive?
Early diesel shunters (switchers) would be built in the UK using external rod connection to drive all the axles from one gear driven axle just as for steam driver sets. Railwaymen were and remain very conservative engineers. The old joke about W O Bentley being trained as a locomotive builder and he didn’t ever change his style …
That truck (bogie) will be from a British model
That is a good possibility. I wish I had more to go on than just one random picture.
That is exactly what I was thinking! It even looks like there might be a gear tower. I never saw a part much like this one before.
-Kevin
Could this be Jouef or Lima, from something like a French BB 71000? No, I think those had inside-frame trucks
That looks to be a remarkably narrow wheel tread for HO, or thereabouts.
Ed
From the treads and the gauge of wire, combined with the utter lack of sideframe construction detail, I’m tempted to say a relatively large scale. Note that it has that funky four-cast-ear snap-on gear tower cap construction that Hawks Rule had such trouble with on his 844 model… does that whittle down the potential manufacturers any? Bachmann?
It is a truck assembly to a Bachmann On30 Wittcomb switcher.
https://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/dwg/dwgs/On30%20Whitcomb%20Chassis%20Assembly.pdf
Sheldon
Thank you Sheldon!
What a neat looking locomotive, and the power truck is available as a detail part!
I just ordered a power truck for this, and a spoked 4 wheel pilot truck from the Bachmann 4-6-0.
This will be the core of a great little locomotive.
-Kevin
Here’s a preserved prototype diesel built by CLC in Canada:
https://www.trha.ca/trha/collections/locomotives/50-ton-whitcomb-centre-cab-switcher/