Can anyone identify this?

GregR, I have the exact model in 2-rail with scale pantographs. Very heavy. I do not know who made the it The model might have been a kit?

Dennis

The Chain mechanism makes me think of early weaver they did something like that. I hated it but don't know if they did that model they also usually had a drive shaft between the two but it appears yours has two motors so that would do away the need for that. 

Why don't you contact the TCA ? 

Wow.....never seen anything like that before......looking forward to hearing what it is.

Peter

I don't mean to disrespect the locomotive, I'd love to own it.

Isn't the drive mechanism fairly standard for an old school scale model locomotive?

This looks like an early postwar piece of some sort... I know in the late 1940's and early 1950's there was a company that sold the plans to make this type of engine, I will have to look through my archives of Model Railroader to know which one though. I think that someone might have made some French bronze castings of the plan, because those look similar to early postwar French bronze castings made by Cussawago Valley Co., in OO gauge, for their E-7 and a few steam locomotive boilers.

Found the ad from International Models, Inc., for their GE ED144 model. It appears to be a modified version of that engine. Posting the ad here:

Question answered.....so what prototype RR ran these?

Cool very interesting 

I'm afraid that engine is not an International Models product.

The International Models engines were constructed of sheet brass - not those heavy castings.

Several manufacturers made different diesel and electric engines using heavy, rough sand castings like those. Adams is one brand that comes to mind.

C.W. is correct in pointing out that those chain drive mechanisms were fairly common in engines of that period. Most could be obtained in either 2 rail or 3 rail versions. Many of the 2 rail models were powered through an outside third rail, which was the norm for scale O gauge layouts of the period.

They are very impressive models if for nothing else but their weight. Often, they are "affectionately" referred to as "boat anchor" models. 

Jim

You should ask this question on the 2-rail forum.  Somebody there, like maybe Bob2, will know.

You may also try to post this on the 2 rail forum.  I know there are some that collect these "doorstops" over there and they don't come here much.  I know I've seen that drive in some of their posts, I just can't remember who's it was.

Gene Anstine

Bowser comes to mind. I have seen several of these in 2r but have not seen a 3r version  before.

Chain drive was often used in 2r engines.

This photograph is of a OO gauge locomotive made in a similar process to that O gauge electric, just to give an idea as to how common this used to be:

http://americanoo.blogspot.com...more-davis-e-7s.html

El Classico posted:

Found the ad from International Models, Inc., for their GE ED144 model. It appears to be a modified version of that engine. Posting the ad here:

$19.50!!!

If they still sold for that price I'd float a loan and  buy a boxcar full of them..... and I don't even like electric engines.

Forty Rod posted:

El Classico posted:

Found the ad from International Models, Inc., for their GE ED144 model. It appears to be a modified version of that engine. Posting the ad here:

$19.50!!!

 

If they still sold for that price I'd float a loan and  buy a boxcar full of them..... and I don't even like electric engines.

Should have seen the cost of the KMS "Stubby" then!

Nice looking model! Have they tried running it yet? Do you know what they are selling it for?

spwills posted:

Nice looking model! Have they tried running it yet? Do you know what they are selling it for?

Yes, it runs. They are trying to figure out what it is, before assigning a price. There has been a lot of interest at the store from customers. This thing is a beast.

I was wrong on International, and, besides, the windows do not match....Walthers used to use chain drive power for their gas electric kits,  two and three rail.  Wish somebody had power (not chain drive!) commonly available in both 2 and 3 for today's projects.

Williams sells those drive kits for conversions in 3 rail, you could build just about anything around those. They also sell frames and motors and stuff for all their models.

GregR posted:

We just had this strange loco come in as part of a collection at our local train store. It is an electric, 3-rail, O gauge loco, made out of something really heavy like cast bronze. It weights at least 15-20 lbs. It has twin open frame AC motors, and what appears like postwar Lionel pantographs. The drive mechanism consists of a worm gear driving one axle which connects to the other axle with a chain drive.

Has anyone seen anything like this before? Is this part of a small production run, or just the work of someone very dedicated to scratch building something very unique?

Hey Greg,

A knowledgeable friend of mine said it looks like it was made by a company called All Nation Hobbies. The chain is a dead giveaway to All Nation. Also he thinks it was a two rail that was converted into to a three rail

International also used a chain drive setup.   I believe the gears and chains are nylon or delrin.  I couldn't help 3 railing this 2 rail BB1 set just to see how they'd run.   Smooth enough but they sure could use the weight of that bronze behemoth.

Bruce

All Nation.... Didn't they do those "O" Scale kits that had cast boilers? As I recall, they were rather found of lost wax castings, so that would make this engine a likely canadaite to have been one of their product...

GregR posted:

spwills posted:

Nice looking model! Have they tried running it yet? Do you know what they are selling it for?

Yes, it runs. They are trying to figure out what it is, before assigning a price. There has been a lot of interest at the store from customers. This thing is a beast.

     I'd love to find something like this. But, no matter what the price, at the cost of shipping to the Philadelphia area I might as well have that behemoth run up here dead-in-consist on CSX.

Regards,