AHM 0-8-0 switcher. scale?

Pretty sure it's 1/48 and it's just a rather large 0-8-0.

Host of articles in the model RR'ing lit on modifications and kit bashing - just about anything and everything possible was done.   2-8-2's & 2-8-0's were fairly common, but I recall seeing at least one 2-8-8-0(2?).  Search RMC and/or MR.

@mwb posted:

Pretty sure it's 1/48 and it's just a rather large 0-8-0.

Host of articles in the model RR'ing lit on modifications and kit bashing - just about anything and everything possible was done.   2-8-2's & 2-8-0's were fairly common, but I recall seeing at least one 2-8-8-0(2?).  Search RMC and/or MR.

I have  forgotten the articles in Mrring, The reason I asked is I have a  2-8-2 kit bashed, coming by the end of the week Made from a plastic kit  and  it looked like a familiar drivers and rods

That prototype was a very large locomotive.    However, it may be 1/45 which is a European O Scale.    A good way to figure it out is search for a schematic or diagram that has the major dimensions on it.     Might be hard to find for IHB however,.

I think the IHB 0-8-0 was one of the largest in use in the USA, with their tender truck boosters, they were quite the beast for heavy drag service and switching around Chicago.  US Hobbies also did a brass version of the model.   I have seen nicely built AHM/Rivarossi models with an upgraded motor(original is quite small for an O scale locomotive), running and pulling very well for a plastic model. 

I have the tender from one of these on my desk as I type this; it measures 2½ inches wide and the body 7¼ inches long. That seems to match the draw almost exactly for 1/48.

I built one once; extended the frame a little, added a pilot truck, changed some details and levered in a Pittman motor. It was a decent enough engine...there might be a photo laying around here someplace...

Mark in Oregon

@Strummer posted:

I built one once; extended the frame a little, added a pilot truck, changed some details and levered in a Pittman motor. It was a decent enough engine...there might be a photo laying around here someplace...

Mark in Oregon

This one was purchased to occupy a slot  in the engine house, but the thought of a conie build sound interesting

I have been going through a large collection of MR and RMC dating back to the late Sixties, and I remember seeing a flurry of articles about converting the AHM kit into a 2-8-0 basically by extending the front end of the chassis slightly & adding a leading pony truck, into a 2-8-2 by splicing an extra section into the boiler to make the firebox sit behind the rear drivers, and a 2-8-4 created by taking the 2-8-2 approach to a greater extreme.  I thought the berk looked cute but perhaps not entirely believable, because the 57" drivers are a lot smaller than the wheels worn by any prototype berk I've ever seen.  Even mikes with 57" drivers were not common.  There were quite a few small-drivered connies, tho'.  The NYC rostered 103 examples of class G-46 57"-drivered consolidations, 18 of which even had Baker valve gear like the AHM kit, which is what I'm hoping to build one day.  The NYCSHS has a lot of drawings pertaining to the G-46 in their 'G-class' drawing set, which makes the job a bit easier.

Well it  came today! , and yes it is a 0-8-0 rebuild to a 2-8-2, and very well done.  now to build the  Milwaukee Road  engine house in Merril

How about a picture...or two? 🙂

Mark in Oregon

Yes please pictures, and what kind of drive does it have?

Less well-healed O scale modelers used those AHM IHB kits to model their prototype of choice, I loved seeing them in MR and RMC back in the day (60-70’s) given a new, remotely accurate, steam locomotive class model might as well have been a new Cadillac to me. The smart/flush bash-builders then though did drop the $ to get a decent drive (usually CLW conversion kits though there were others using retrofitted Hines or A&S chassis etc) to replace those stock AHM/Rivarossi HO drives which were/are "Flintstone-ish" but would work as long as you managed them and didn’t expect them to run like a decent CLW, AN or KTM or sadly even the PRC stuff.  

Artful Dodger, 700E and Woodsworks nailed the rest of the aspects of using this model as a bash basis, the prototype booster equipped IHB 0-8-0 U4a were a numerically small (only 3 of them) class engine based on the heavy USRA design, albeit this one on steroids, given its massive boiler diameter, tender booster and three piston cylinders. Big engine, small wheelbase. A kit bashers dream, but the frame and drives were and still are always “the tall pole in the tent.”

Note though, for that very brief period back then if they had an HO version, they did an O version too? How cool was that? I've read in one of the Vane Jones era O Gauge News, that AHM was seriously contemplating reproducing their heavyweight and lightweight passenger cars in O scale, but then, apparently sanity/reality  returned to the production planning meeting and .....    you know

@Strummer posted:

How about a picture...or two? 🙂

Mark in Oregon

Mark..... in the next few days

@atlpete posted:

Yes please pictures, and what kind of drive does it have?

Less well-healed O scale modelers used those AHM IHB kits to model their prototype of choice, I loved seeing them in MR and RMC back in the day (60-70’s) given a new, remotely accurate, steam locomotive class model might as well have been a new Cadillac to me. The smart/flush bash-builders then though did drop the $ to get a decent drive (usually CLW conversion kits though there were others using retrofitted Hines or A&S chassis etc) to replace those stock AHM/Rivarossi HO drives which were/are "Flintstone-ish" but would work as long as you managed them and didn’t expect them to run like a decent CLW, AN or KTM or sadly even the PRC stuff.  

Artful Dodger, 700E and Woodsworks nailed the rest of the aspects of using this model as a bash basis, the prototype booster equipped IHB 0-8-0 U4a were a numerically small (only 3 of them) class engine based on the heavy USRA design, albeit this one on steroids, given its massive boiler diameter, tender booster and three piston cylinders. Big engine, small wheelbase. A kit bashers dream, but the frame and drives were and still are always “the tall pole in the tent.”

Note though, for that very brief period back then if they had an HO version, they did an O version too? How cool was that? I've read in one of the Vane Jones era O Gauge News, that AHM was seriously contemplating reproducing their heavyweight and lightweight passenger cars in O scale, but then, apparently sanity/reality  returned to the production planning meeting and .....    you know

great info

I used to have one of the factory built IHB locos, wish I still had it.  If I get the chance, I will buy another one.  I have seen them used on small switching layouts with just a motor upgrade and some extra weight.  If you just pulling lightweight plastic freight cars, the original drive seemed to do ok with just a higher quality can motor.  Now for true heaving pulling, the KTM brass IHB loco would be better, but also a lot more $$.   AD

I built one, still have it. Never bought the power kit though. Made it for display.

I do remember the box said 1/48.

Yup. 1:48. Not to divert this thread too far but for any of you considering using those woeful stock AHM drives, there are issues with them you might want to know, if not already--

• Caveat that if they’re new from the factory they’re often NOT set up correctly to begin with; these once “new” or virgin drives often come with their gears locked up due to over-tightening of that bottom cover for the gear box(s) I blame their (likely) teen-age labor force back then. 8^)
• This next one is the most common I’ve encountered and it’s very bad. The same factory also under-tightened some of the cover screws which in turn slips the gears, potentially damaging them irreparably within the first 60 seconds of out-of-the-box mayhem. If you pay attention and catch this on your first test, you can fix this quickly by finding the "sweet spot" for each truck or wheel base relative to how tight those cover screws should be, which IS the eternal secret of these weak a** drives (aside from obviously replacing them.) Adjust screws, re-test then (very important) re-adjust/repeat if needed etc. and you’ll get there shortly. Note, the drives often don't like running upside down as a test, which gives you an idea of how absurdly tight the gear to worm clearance/tolerance is and how much vertical slop is in the axle paths(holes) of the gear box itself with this HO design.
• On that last  point, given there are virgin models still out there thanks to Ebay and fossilized estate sales you can at least be assured of a plentiful and often inexpensive source of parts. I go for the cheapest new-in-box mdt switcher, which is barf-awful as a model, just for the motor-dual worm assembly, screws and covers. I don't prey on the Proto-Euro (Italian Motor, German and French Diesels etc) models or any of the steam examples because they pricier and I don’t like to vandalize the nicer models or kits just to throw or give away the remains. I do resell those c**p MDT shells and chassis though too with replacement freight car wheel sets as "industrial scenery"
• Per the earlier posted wisdom here; avoid loading your model up with cars having anything not riding on delrin or bearing equipped trucks etc. likewise with minimally weighted car bodies (bass wood kits, white styrene kits, Rocos or AHM's come to mind) It does not take a lot of tractive load weight to kill these drives

I have both an IHB U4a 0-8-0 with the stock drive and a pair of C-liners with all trucks powered accordingly. They're a lot of fun to run and I love 'em,  irrationally will likely never sell them either, despite just being no more than "cheap plastic junk."   Just remember these are O scale models running on HO drives. 8^)

For my very small planned switching layout, the old AHM will be perfect once I find a nice example to buy.  Tuning them is no problem for me.  If I had more disposable income to put toward O scale, I would get the US Hobbies brass IHB loco.  But for shifting around lightweight plastic gondolas and a few other lightweight cars on a small layout, I think the AHM will be fine and keep the outlay of $$ right now low.   That said, anybody got a nicely built kit or factory built model that needs a new home???   AD

this is the static  conversion of the 0-8-0 to a 2-8-2, it not bad and fits a need I have on the layout

What a cool looking build!

Though you gotta admit, looks a lot more P&LE than AT&SF.

Awesome model!