Proto 48

Discussion in 'General' started by Joseph Toth, Jul 20, 2011.

  1. Joseph Toth

    Joseph Toth Member

    Howdy y´all!

    I am a Frisco fan, an Alcohaulic and I love O scale! I have discovered the finer side of 1:48 at www.proto48.org and am impressed with the many master builders and the use of standard gauge track instead of regular O scale track that is gauged to 5 feet.

    Anyone who models the Old South during the Civil War era is indeed correct by using 5 foot gauge track, or Southern Gauge as it was known. Thus, The General, star of the Andrews Raid or as it is better known, "The Great Locomotive Chase" filmed by Walt Disney in 1955, is correct! The movie was shot on location in Georgia on the fallen flag shortline, Talulah Falls Railroad.

    If you go to the proto 48 site and view the gallery you will find a real neat Frisco single sheathed wood 40 foot boxcar. It is painted and lettered for SL-SF 160158. It was built by Robert Leners.

    I would like to know if there are any listings at Frisco.org for O scale models that are prototypically correct for the Frisco? The Atlas diecast and US Hobbies brass pulpwood cars come to mind for example.

    If I do construct a layout it will be along one wall of my livingroom which is 18 feet in length. A single track, which will receive no scenery, will be installed around the rest of the walls to permit running longer trains and shake-downs on locomotives after serivicing.

    The shelf layout concept was introduced to me through construction of the O scale Pioneer Valley that was run in Model Railroader and later reprinted in one of Kalmbach´s layout books. If you Google Pioneer Valley you can bring up photos of this layout.

    The other souce is Lance Mindheim´s www.shelflayouts.com site. His CSX Miami area industrial layouts in HO have given me ideas on how to plan and design a layout in O scale that will fit my requirements. I lived in Florida and you have to look twice at his layouts featured on his site to determine if they are real or model!

    You will also find a link on the proto 48 site to Mike Calvert´s Gilmaur O scale brass etched brass kits for several diesels and freight cars that are perfect for the Frisco. And what about the older All Nation and Athearn O scale models and the current Atlas, MTH, Weaver, and other plastic models on the market. Which models are correct for the Frisco? The cabooses for example!

    Thanks Frisco Folks!

    Joe Toth
    The Trinity River Bottoms Boomer
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 12, 2011
  2. Joseph Toth

    Joseph Toth Member

    The 18th edition of the Proto48 Modeler is now posted at www.proto48.org with new product announcements. Mullet River Model Works (www.mulletrivermodelworks.com) has released a neat Mopac wood caboose kit in O scale. They offer several SP cabooses including one for the T&NO. Their next caboose will be a Louisville & Nashville crummy. It would be great to see them add a Frisco caboose to their ever growing line of products. They offer models in HO, S and O scale. Also, www.protocraft.com has some neat (brass) steel 1937 modified AAR design boxcars and (brass) wood reefers in stock too.
    Check out their decal line. Mabie they will produce Frisco and subsidiaries if approached?

    I would like to know how many model the Frisco in O scale or tinplate. This can include your pike even if it only has a Frisco interchange. I was giving serious thought about constucting a layout in S scale but find that O scale offers me more possibilities. A series of articals in Model Railroader in 1994 and later reprinted in a layout book shows one how to model in O scale even if you don´t have unlimited space. It was the freelanced Pioneer Valley in Mass. and was built as a 2X12 ft. long switching pike. It was later extended another 6 ft. My 18 ft. long livingroom wall would work great for such a project. Now that proto48 flex track is available I am considering modeling in this finer scale afterall.

    Item: If a railroad is modeled in the 1860s South, O scale track is correct to model the five foot gauge!

    Joe Toth
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 7, 2012
  3. William Jackson

    William Jackson Bill Jackson

    Joe, O scale is real nice. One of the staff members in Prototype Rail, Sunshine Region has a lot of O Scale and displayed it at the 2012 show. I do not have the room or money for O or S. You can pack so much more in HO, the cost and availably is major reasons for selection of scale.
    Bill Jackson
     
  4. TAG1014 (Tom Galbraith RIP 7/15/2020)

    TAG1014 (Tom Galbraith RIP 7/15/2020) Passed Away July 15, 2020 Frisco.org Supporter

    AND if you don't have room for HO, there' always N scale with quite a few Frisco engines among the releases.

    Tom G.
     
  5. pbender

    pbender Member Frisco.org Supporter

    I have some O scale and O tinplate equipment.

    When I buy a new house and have some additional room to work in, I plan on building a small shelf switching layout in O scale. It will definitely be based on a frisco location, though I have not decided which one yet. ( this is a secondary project to my primary n-scale interests. )

    Paul
     
  6. Joseph Toth

    Joseph Toth Member

    The cost of O scale when compared to some of the current HO and N scale isn´t really all that expensive. I won´t have very many locomotives or equipment since the shelf layout will only be 18 ft. in length. Later on, a single track non-scenic mailine will be built around the rest of the room for continuous running.

    I plan to model a generic location to keep the nitpickers off my back. Frisco will dominate but some Katy will be on the roster too. Even a dedicated Frisco modeler should enjoy the video "Busy Day on the MKT" at www.oscale.homestead.com. Too bad there isn´t any Frisco in it!

    Joe Toth
     
  7. meteor910

    meteor910 2009 Engineer of the Year Staff Member Frisco.org Supporter

    Nice ride on the MKT! I particularly like the areas where the ties have been replaced. The new ties are apparent under the track, and the old, pulled ties are still sitting off to the side of the ROW. Neat!

    Ken
     
  8. Joseph Toth

    Joseph Toth Member

    Ken,

    It is a neat ride and beautiful modeling as well. Not many layouts feature track gangs despite a lot of models being manufactured in several scales. Other rail related industries seldom modeled are locomotive and car rebuilding facilities or tie treating plants. Rebuilding facilities are perfect for trackmobiles and tie treating plants great for small narow gauge operations.

    Joe Toth
     
  9. palallin

    palallin Member

    I model Frisco, MoPac, and T&P in 0 3-rail Hirail--that is, 1/48 proportion equipment in realistic scenery. I use Atlas track. The current layout is just beginning the scenery stage. (There is an 0n30 feeder line which my wife "owns," too.) Most of my equipment is Lionel along with a set of K-Line heavyweights in T&P Eagle paint.
     

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