Central Locomotive Works (CLW) + List of O-Scale Diesel Models Kits they manufactured?

I know CLW did the sd40-2, at least one tunnel motor, and the sd45-2.  I dont believe they did anything after the sd45-2, meaning the sd50 and onward.  I also dont know if they did the the sd38-2.  It would have made sense, given the number of parts that are shared with the sd40-2.

Jim

I have never heard of CLW putting kits together for other companies.   I also don't think they bought/acquired the Kemtron line.    P&D Hobbies ended up with the RS3 kit and parts from Kemtron.

I have heard of lots of drive kits and/or parts.    They were a primary source for building up a nice drive for a diesel for  years along  with All Nation.

the GPs I have seen are the GP35 and GP40.    I think they also did the SD-40.    Not sure about the GP38 but it makes sense.

I have never personally seen a GP7, GP9, SD7, or SD9 from CLW.    

Their Alco PA is pretty common, there are often a couple for sale at every 2 rail show.    I am pretty sure they also did an FA model, either 1 or 2.   

I have seen a cast bronze version of an FM H20-44, but not an H16-44.   

I have heard talk of EMD F units and E  units, but again I have never seen one.

To expand they did acquire the Saginaw molds and offered the PRR H10 for years as a kit.    They also did a Southern PS4 Pacific kit.     At the end they were working on a UP 4-8-4 and had the frame and mech done along with many detail parts.    The H10 is very common.    The last PS4 kits were shipped without drivers which were back-ordered.    I don't know how that worked out.

CLW was the most part a one man operation owned operated by a nice guy named Bob Smith when I knew it.

His brass detail castings always attracted a large crowd at O scale shows.    he would get one or two tables and just spread castings loose all over them.    The crowd would gather and browse and buy pretty much through the whole show.

 Another note to confuse matters:    There was another company in the 70s and 80s perhaps longer called "Locomotive Work Shop" (LWS) owned operated by another nice modeler named Jan Lorenzen.      LWS put out a very broad range of kits but they were even much more in the Craftmans kit range than CLW.     I agree with the other post that illustrated an FM H16-44 kit that the kit looks more like LWS than CLW.    

I forgot to add that CLW also made an EMD GP-30...

CLW is still in business.

Jay C posted:

CLW is still in business.

 

I think Lou shut down the business some time ago. Don't recall him selling it off.

Hi PRRJIM,

Yes, CLW did make an RS-3 Chassis Kit.

Here is a pic of a CLW F-7...

...

Here is the box for an H16-44 Chassis (unconfirmed)...

Regards, Steve

Nope, he's still there.  He's geared mostly to building the models and selling them RTR.  Selling kits isn't worth it anymore.  At least that's the impression he gave me.

Jay

I understand CLW's last diesel kit was to be of a Baldwin 2000 HP DT-6-6-2000 center cab  transfer unit like the ones owned by  the EJ&E.   A pilot model was built by Bernie Gallagher for Bob Smith but I believe Bob passed away before the kit went into full production.   Has anyone seen a CLW  transfer diesel - kit or built-up?    Bernie was the chief mechanical officer on the restored Dover Harbor Pullman owned by the DC Chapter of the NRHS as well as a talented DC area O scaler.  He had a close relationship with Bob Smith and built somewhere around 10  CLW Southern PS4 pacifics.

Questor posted:

I forgot to add that CLW also made an EMD GP-30...

The GP30 body was imported by NJ Custom Brass and had a CLW drive installed.

"Has anyone seen a CLW  transfer diesel kit or built-up.?"  Yes, CLW did a few.

Jay  

Keystoned Ed posted:

I understand CLW's last diesel kit was to be of a Baldwin 2000 HP DT-6-6-2000 center cab  transfer unit like the ones owned by  the EJ&E.   A pilot model was built by Bernie Gallagher for Bob Smith but I believe Bob passed away before the kit went into full production.   Has anyone seen a CLW  transfer diesel - kit or built-up?    .

I've seen 2-3.

Keystoned Ed posted:

I understand CLW's last diesel kit was to be of a Baldwin 2000 HP DT-6-6-2000 center cab  transfer unit like the ones owned by  the EJ&E.   A pilot model was built by Bernie Gallagher for Bob Smith but I believe Bob passed away before the kit went into full production.   Has anyone seen a CLW  transfer diesel - kit or built-up?   

I am not allowed to link here but The O Scale Resource january-february-2016 issue page 58 has a picture of one built by Bruce Morally and now owned by Frank McCabe  of the Rockford O Scalers.

Two vastly different PAs were produced.  The earlier sand-cast was far more accurate.  Apparently an all sand-cast center cab was produced, and a brass/bronze cast NW-2.

Hello all ... Bob Smith / Central Locomotive Works ....  involved with many many locomotive projects ... here are a few  

The EMD E7 

The cast PA's ... the later ones are all different ...( not as nice in my opinion) 

The Berkshire ...which was a Lenoir / Hines piece...which Hines failed to pay Adam and Son for ...so it went to Bob Smith ...

You like the GMC GM switcher ???  that was Bob's also ..a few of the cast brass versions are out there ..not many before the project went to GMC 

As Bob mentioned ...Bob Smith had the Saginaw tooling for a while ..but only produced the H10... why or why not the E6 ????

O scale was a small pond to swim in and all the fishes know each other ....

It would be great to see a definitive work on Bob Smith and his Central Locomotive Works .

Cheers Carey 

Attached are two pictures of the center cabs that Bruce Morrall built  and now owned by Frank McCabe as mentioned by Dan Dawdy.  Unfortunately Bruce passed away on October 22.  Frank also has a CLW Pennsy center cab that has a lot of extra detail added to it but I'm not sure where it is at the moment.

Those are neat! And I do not care for the big transfer Diesel.  The orange and green is striking!  I take it both are the etched versions with lost wax trucks?

Thanks for posting the EJ&E photos John.  The word "rare" is at times misapplied to O scale 2 rail models (especially on eBay) - it is apropos for a CLW Baldwin  transfer diesel. I believe the only other commercially made transfer diesel in O scale were the Lima-Hamilton ones done by MTH. 

I have built and three railed aF3, a GP 35 and a Kemtron Rs 3.

Is it an optical illusion, or do the hoods actually gain some height as they go from cab to end?

Hi All,

Here are some photos of our other CLW Center Cab which is a Pennsylvania unit.  We are not sure who the builder was but it is finished with a high degree of detail for a CLW kit.  And, of course the CLW mechanism is bulletproof and it runs well.  So, The Rockford O Scalers are very pleased to have three of these CLW Center Cab models on the layout.

Same optical illusion.  I put a straightedge on the photo, so either the locomotive is supposed to be swaybacked, or Smith made a mistake.  I have some prototype photos in a Stauffer book somewhere.

Frank McCabe posted:

Hi All,

Here are some photos of our other CLW Center Cab which is a Pennsylvania unit.  We are not sure who the builder was but it is finished with a high degree of detail for a CLW kit.  And, of course the CLW mechanism is bulletproof and it runs well.  So, The Rockford O Scalers are very pleased to have three of these CLW Center Cab models on the layout.

I would love to get a kit like that and throw an MTH 3 rail drive into it. It's definitely different than the MTH Lima unit.

Regarding the Center Cabs, the EJ&E mainline ran behind my grade school in Park Forest, IL and I was fascinated by these locomotives which I saw every day.    When I heard CLW was going to make a kit, I knew I had to have one.  As mentioned above, Bruce Morrall built the kit and I had it custom painted in the orange and green “football” scheme.  We also had an EJ&E caboose custom built by Malcolm Byrd to run with the Center Cab.  So, now I am reliving my youth!

BTW, EMD re-engined some of the EJ&E Center Cabs and as a result the new locomotive hoods sloped up toward the cab and overhung the walkways.  The CLW model is a stock Baldwin unit as delivered which has the original straight hood.  Here is a prototype photo of an EJ&E unit in its original configuration.

The Rockford O Scalers have a number of other CLW locomotives on the layout including EMD E8s, SD40, GP30 and Alco PAs.  Here are some pictures of the SD40 and GP30.

By us we have two Santa Fe Centercab at the clublayout. Also I have asket CLW for an Specialkit to build an BN SD40-2B. The BN SD40-2 is kitbash from an CLW Kit.

Nice looking locomotives!

I agree.  CLW did very nice kits.  It takes real skill to get them as nice looking as the above models.

Questor posted:

Which Brass O-Scale 2-Rail Diesel Locomotive Kits were manufactured by the former "Central Locomotive Works" (CLW) company?

Google has limited current search results and past Internet listings to favor companies that pay Google a monthly advertising fee.  This Google profit motive (no pun intended) results in a loss of information and history about O-Scale Brass model kits from companies that are no longer in business.With passing generations of modelers it seems hobby magazines may have reviewed some, but not all of these Kits from OEMs like CLW. 

An Internet search of he NMRA online index and The Kalmback Library Collection do not seem to have any article or discussion nor list about brass kit manufacturers' O-Scale product lines over the years...

As far as I am aware, CLW may have made the following Brass O-Scale 2-Rail Diesel Locomotive Kits over the years until CLW went out of business and product lines were sold off:

EMD GP-7

EMD F-7

EMD E-8

EMD GP-20

EMD GP-35

EMD GP-38

EMD SD-9 (?)

EMD SD-35/40/45

ALCO FA-1

ALCO PA-1

ALCO RS-3 Drive Kit only (?)

FM H16-44

GE U-25B

Baldwin AS-616 (?)

 

A current text and image search of the Internet through Google does not show a comprehensive CLW list of:

1.) which Brass Diesel Locomotive models Kits were made by CLW,

2.) when these Kits were manufactured,

3.) which parts with pics were included within each of these Brass Kits,

4.) what phases or variations of the Kits were produced? i.e. U-25B Kit's Cab inner framing construction

5.) did CLW relabel or co-produce Brass O-Scale 2-Rail Diesel Locomotive Kits with other companies?

I realize that CLW may have acquired some of the product lines and Kits from the former Kemtron company.

Which CLW Brass Diesel Kits am I missing or mislabeled as CLW? Any comments or suggestions regarding these questions would be appreciated!

Regards, Steve

Cincinnati, OH

Thanks to all people sending in pics/info about additional CLW Brass Kits such as EMD GP-30, EMD SD40-2, EMD SD40-T2 and Baldwin DT-6-6-2000... 

Can anyone post pics of a CLW H20-44/H16-44/H15-55 with matching CLW Box or a CLW H12-44/H10-44 with the matching CLW Box?

Are there any other Brass Diesel Locomotive Kits that were cast by CLW which have not yet been mentioned?

Apparently there was a GP-40 kit also.  Here is a picture of some of Bruce Morrall’s kits, including the GP-40.

Here are a few more Center Cab photos. Regarding the earlier question of the hood contour, they look flat to me.

You can add F3a and F3b along with the F7a and b.

Hi Bob,

Did CLW manufacture complete F-3A/B Brass Kits and/or did CLW make a Motorized Chassis Kit that adapted for use with other OEM F-3A/B Kits such as Adams & Son, Kemtron, US Hobbies, All-Nation, LWS, or KTM?

I have noticed that CLW sometimes made specific Motorized Chassis Kits for some of these companies' brass models.  For example, Kemtron Alco RS-3, Adams & Son cast F-3A/B, Adams & Son H16-44, etc...  Early model CLW Motorized Chassis Kits seem to have cast brass casings and later model CLW Motorized Chassis Kits use Weaver Drive components.

Does anyone have pics of original CLW boxes for F-3A/B assembled brass kits?

Regards, Steve

Hi Frank,

I own a later production CLW Kit that could be adapted to a GP38/GP38-2/GP40/GP40-2 with the included parts and depending on the CLW Blomberg type of Trucks obtained.

I wonder if they made an earlier GP-40 Kit as shown in your posted pic and a later "generic" EMD GP kit that could be adapted to different GP-38/40 model types...

Regards, Steve

Did CLW make a Brass Kit for an Baldwin Diesel Locomotive other than a DT-6-6-2000?

I seem to remember seeing a CLW Baldwin DS-4-4-10 or AS-616 Roadswitcher at one time...

Regards, Steve

Hello all ..below you'll find a Central Locomotive Works  listing  of available kits on their letter head from 1950 , PA and Baldwin listings from Carmen Webster's 1950 catalog ...and chassis and PA's available in 1962  found in the 1962 Box Car Ken catalog. 

Anybody know about the NYC H10B  listed in the 1950 price list by CLW?   who's was it ?  The Limb Berk is the one I posted before. Note the Saginaw items are not available at this time ... I have a later letter that states just the H10 will be available . 

Cheers Carey  

Neat!  I think the NYC Mike got only to the parts stage.  You could buy a few lost wax parts for it until Smith gave up.

What is surprising is you could buy the all cast PA at the same time the etched version became available.

Frank, I agree.  A straightedge on those fine photos shows dead straight.  Must have been lens distortion.

I am pretty sure that the GP30 was marketed as an NJ Custom Brass and had a CLW drive. I have the PRR version that I modified to D&RGW.

Hello all here is a CLW ad for the 1500 HP FM   January  1949 MR 

How many of these are out there ? any photos ? Thank you Cheers Carey