AHM Rivarossi

It's one heck of a kitbash from the IHB 0-8-0 kits.

AHM offered four Rivarrossi O scale steam locomotive kits:  Reno/Genoa 4-4-0's, IHB 0-8-0 and a German 0-6-0T with parts for Americanization.

Rusty

Wow .. someone did a great job on that! I once took an 0-8-0, extended the frame, added a front truck, put in a Pittman can and made a 2-8-0. It ran well enough, but the overall mechanism was too frail and light weight to be much of a puller.

Have fun with that; it's pretty cool. 🙂

Mark in Oregon

Here's the thing that's all well and good. But where did the shell come from. It's not pieced together like some others would be. What's more the frame mounts up quite perfectly.

What are the frame and boiler/superstructure made out of?     Is it possible that someone  used two AHM 0-8-0 mechs and scratch built the frame and boiler.

It certainly looks very well done in the photos.

That's certainly possible. But it's molded plastic. That would be my guess cause it is Rivarossi stamped into the drivers framing. But man how would you go about getting this shell? It is perfectly done. Right down to the cab back head detail. Scratching my head. I had a similiar kitbash a couple of weeks ago, but that one was pieced together boiler sections. This is seamless plastic.

@eddiek posted:

Here's the thing that's all well and good. But where did the shell come from. It's not pieced together like some others would be. What's more the frame mounts up quite perfectly.

I would say it was built by very talented pair of hands.  There are folks out there that can do such work.

Rusty

I think I've seen this model before, want to say it was on Ebay and drew some commentary on another 2 rail forum as well, personally I think it's VERY cool.

After their introduction in the late 60's early 70' the AHM 0-8-0 mechanisms (frame/drivers/motor) were periodically employed (quite creatively) in kit bashing;  I believe a N&W Y6b, bashed from (at least)  a pair of these once graced the Trackside Photo section of MR during the seventies.  I was most impressed reading about it back then, though I was familiar with the negative rep/CW on AHM/Rivarossi stuff, primarily from my HO buddies.

Likewise, this model and choice of road and class prototype (Reading N1...... mmmmmYEAH!) is brilliant. Kudos for landing it.

Negative?  Even in 1975 $12 for a full scale fully detailed steam model was stunning.  Even I, a plastic hater, had one.  Truly impressive!  Motorize it for another twelve bucks!

Yeah Bob- pretty much uniformly "Negative"  due to the extremely short service life of the drives, failing for the same reasons as their O versions. All the HO-ers I knew back then, though while they loved the carbodies/shells and comparatively low cost etc, were inevitably re-powering them with Bowser, Cary and Hobby Town drives.  Not just my more well healed classmates either but also the established layout builders like McClanahan, Robertson, etc.

Even if it made it around the layout only once, $24 was an unheard-of bargain.  (The IHB 0-8-0).  I kept mine for decades, even though I have disdain for plastic models and knew the drive was destined to fail.

As usual, opinion.

The thing of it is, as was said. This type and road is only showing up in one other scale or run. There was a NJ BRASS HO Scale run but just that one. And of course unpainted brass.

Makes this a pretty uncommon item to find. Just run it till it needs new drives. Certainly will need some weight added to pull anything. We will see. But I've got some cosmetic repairs to do first. It does run on the stand pretty smoothly however. As was described pretty nice drives. Just not built for longevity.

”This type and road is only showing up in one other scale or run.”

No doubt , this is absolutely a rare model.

"Makes this a pretty uncommon item to find. Just run it till it needs new drives. Certainly will need some weight added to pull anything. ……… As was described pretty nice drives. Just not built for longevity."

No, not really good drives at all, BUT I have run them for awhile (15 years ) now so here's what I've learned. Note you can weight these, using the factory plates, to a maximum height that is proscribed by the stack allowed over the drive frame. So following  these unique "Rivarossi Rules" -

Since these are HO sized motors and have a very basic small worm-spur transmission (that you actually adjust by fiddling with the bottom gear box cover screws (as in new-good grease, find the sweet spot in the screw torque, and you get it) I limit them to pulling cars that resemble the original stock AHM cars they were sold in sets with; as in minimal (if any at all) weighting and delrin/low resistance axle trucks. Though not a scheme that lends itself to easily drill house tracks or switch yards with, otherwise they run fine in mainline (continous running) and yard lead deliveries.

Bonuses include the C-liners emitting an excellently noisy truck motor sound under load and the 0-8-0 mechanisms like yours running like a watch in either direction.   I love them, but I avoid tempting fate and don't run them at club events or put them on any real length train with cars having full NMRA weight standards.

They don't compare with what most of us strive to get out of our model power, but they do have their charms.