Model Railroader Magazine (old issues)

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

When I was in my early teens, in the 50s, my father built an HO setup around the
basement wall. Great fun to help him build the track.

Anyway, he made from scratch a brass steam locomotive. He didn’t have a lathe so
used a hand saw and pin vise to fashion the cab, boiler attachments etc. It took
him over five years. If I remember correctly he used plans from Model Railroader
magazine as his basis. I think it was a Mikado-type loco but can’t really be sure
after all this time. Can anyone confirm that plans were published in Model
Railroader, during the 1950s, which one could use to scratch build a Mikado steam
loco. If not a Mikado maybe it was possibly a Mountain (it was a large loco). I haven’t
seen the loco and tender in 30 years or so, but do know he sold it here in Victoria, BC. so I
guess it is scrap metal by now.

2

It sounds like you might be thinking of a 4 part series that appeared in MR starting back in November 1954. Here’s the link to the magzine index.
http://index.mrmag.com/tm.exe?opt=S&cmdtext=MIKADO+MR&sort=A&output=3&view=0

3

i have alot i might go through and see what i can come up with.

4

Actually, there were several series of articles in the fifties and sixties on scratchbuilding locos. If I remember correctly Mel Thornburgh did some on scratchbuilding with tools the average modeler would have. Search the index of Magazines at the top of the page.
Enjoy
Paul

5

There was also a series in the early-80s as well. I think it ran an entire year. Eventually, I’d like to build that engine :slight_smile:

6

Thanks guys. It may have been the series that ran from 1954-55 (4 issues) which was about making a Mikado. Now I’ll have to see if I can locate the actual articles. If I had known that I was going to get back into MR in my retirement years I would have paid more attention! I also wish I had known that he was going to sell his work when he was in his retirement years! Love to get my hands on that loco even if it doesn’t run. But that is too much to ask.

Thanks again.

Chris. Spratt
Victoria, BC

7

There was a great series in MR from Nov (?) 1997 to May 98 on scratchbuilding a 4-6-0, Great Stuff! Building the frame, rolling the boiler the whole works! It’s helping me on a project I’m starting right now.
That’s the stuff Iwish MR would do more of- i’m tired of looking at someone elses mega dollar layout that takes a crew of 6 to run.