This is a Winans Camel I built using a HO Roundhouse 2-8-0 old time loco. The water pump is non-working.
It is over size as the Camels had 43 inch drivers. These drivers are 51 inch but the loco captures the flavor of the era. A couple survived until the late 1890s.
Rich
Nice work. Can you provide some more details?
Peter Smith, Memphis
Boy, does that bring back memories! The very first Model Railroader I ever purchased, six decades ago, featured a Mel Thornburgh article on building a Winans Camel.
Very nice job! You definitely caught the flavor of the original design, far more important (IMHO) than having every detail exactly to scale.
The one thing I wonder about is, why was it called a Camel? With that howdah on top of the boiler, it looks more like an elephant… (But, as you noted, not a white one.)
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
The project was from a RMC September 1999 issue. I essientially copied what someone else did and added a few more items. I am not good enough to think this up on my own. I did not have a camera when I did the project. The plastic smoke box was cut off and reinstalled backwards to give the impression of a wood fire loco smoke box. If you look closely, the stack does not line up with the cylinders because of this change. People generaly do not see this. The link & pin coupler and old time sand box is from PSC. I installed wood beam brakes on the tender along with NS wheels. The wheels have to be darkened. My version is a “short furnace” version.
I rubbed a damp mixture of silver plating powder into the brass drivers. The newer Roundhouse 2-8-0s have NS wheels. Styrene was used for cab and steps. The tender roof was from an old Roundhouse/MDC unpowered Climax. I installed the headlight side saddle like I have seen in a couple Civil War photos of the Camel.
This project was done while the old Roundhouse/MDC company was in existance some years ago.
http://index.mrmag.com/tm.exe?opt=S&cmdtext=winans+camel&MAG=RMC
I plan to put DCC sound (SoundTraxx Micro-Tsunami) into the tender but I have to build a new tender frame as the stock frame is mostly metal and mot enough room. Someone has already put a Tsunami (Micros were not available then) in a 2-8-0 frame by making a new frame. Here is a link to his conversion.
http://www.pacificcoastairlinerr.com/1905/roundhouse_sound/
Rich
Other Links
http://www.smrtrains.com/winans_camel.htm
http://www.catskillarchive.com/rrextra/abboc.Html
Notice the large steam dome on the engine which some people thought resembled a camel.
Around 1900 and a little after many locos where made with cab astride
Nice work, I think you did a great JOB on it![tup]
In regard “Camelbacks”: They were indeed often called that, but the more accurate (IMHO) designation, which was also common, was “Mother Hubbard” because of the fanciful resemblance to an old-fashioned sunbonnet. A beautiful rendering of the Camel, BTW.