Need some Quality logging Cars for behind my Legacy Shay

Dave, Lionel did some very nice log skeleton cars in the past. You might look for some of these as they would be perfect.

Is Santa coming early with your Shay? 

PTC,

   Brian I sure hope so, Patrick has to test her out and ship her from just down in Wheeling, WV, to just outside of Pittsburgh, Pa for me here in Turtle Creek (Churchill),

Pa.  I even have the original K-Line swivel, given to me by one of the forum members,

so even the 036 curves will not be a problem for her.  Needless to say Santa is being very generous to me this year, I was very very good, have a belly full of food and nobody even shot at me this year, retirement is great.  The skeleton Cars are just what I had in mind where do I look for them?

PCRR/Dave

Hello Dave

These might not be what you want, but its what I use they are cheap Atlas/Pola cars. They come in different roads usually with a wooden crate load. Lionel as the die for this(scale) car now.

Clem k

BUILD THEM!!!

Easy, cheap, fun......and look a lot like the real ones at nearby Cass.....

These cars are K-line and Lionel. The key is to cut your own realistic logs. I used wild grape vine for these with chain from the cheap jewelry dept. at Michaels craft store.

Jim

PCRRDave  -  I've been on the same hunt (for skeleton log cars).   I've found examples by doing a "search" for K-line skeleton log car and/or industrial rail skeleton log cars.  The industrial rail cars are short like the ones found on smaller logging jobs in rough terrain, and the K-line cars are longer (and for my use better looking). Cost runs from very reasonable to very expensive.  Search E-bay under O gauge trains and you will find an assortment, many of which are listed by familiar hobby shops.  I recently found a set at TRAINZ.com but did not make that purchase  -  they may be gone by now. Try searches at some of the forum sponsors, they can probably help.

Steam Rules

"a country boy can survive!"     (Bocephus, 1981)

Like Jim said cut your own logs, and now is the time to get them, all the moisture is out of the the trees and brush now. look for the bark you want, more from brush than trees.

Gentlemen,

   Thanks for all the advise I really appreciate it, Clem the flat cars are not what I really wanted, but thanks for the idea.  Maybe some time I might give them a try also.

Jim your Shay with the skeleton cars look incredible, which K-line Cars did you use to build your rolling stock with, and were do I purchase/order them from.

steam rules,

    I have been looking around at some of those myself.

PCRR/Dave   

Dave here are some I made , I have another set in development I will be listing for sale but don't anticipate I will complete them for a month or so. Enjoy the video

Steve

Dave,

I don't know much about the K-line cars. I found them without boxes at a train meet. I have no idea about numbers or when they were made. Might be worth some searches on the auction sites.

Steve,

I really like those small 4 wheel cars, as well as the log cars. They make a great addition to the train. I'm going to have to make a few of those.

Jim

Contact Loco-Dan.  He has several logging engines and cars on his layout.  He may have a suggestion

.....

Dennis

Dave

The old K-Line K663 skeleton cars are now sold under the Williams by Bachmann banner. They are the only 3 rail skeleton cars long enough to represent typical west coast big wood logging.   Lionel and MTH make shorter cars which are OK for eastern hardwood operations.  The Atlas/Industrial Rail shortie skeleton car has nice detail if you don't mind the roller bearing trucks.

Forty foot flat cars are also a realistic option.  They were often used where a logging line interchanged with a common carrier.  Lionel, MTH and Weaver all make good candidates for modeling this practice.

For more info on O scale skeleton cars have a look at the O Scale Freight Car Guide.

https://ogrforum.com/t...heavy-duty-flat-cars

Thanks, Ted.

I'm going to have to keep an eye out for more of those ex-K-line log cars.

Jim

Pine Creek Railroad,  Since you are from PA, short flat cars, 36', are more prototypical.  The best cars are MTH 19th century gondola cars.  Cut the gondola slat sides off leaving the stakes.  This is the closest to prototypical.   The K-Line, KBL, WbB cars are prototypical for the west coast like Ted said.

Dan

I am a fan of the Industrial Rail Shorty log cars " replace the loads with real wood"

They are cheap to find on ebay and at closeout dealers.

They are pretty decent cars......replace logs as you said.

I can't find 'cheap' ones....but less than Lionel yes.

Just wish they'd not use modern roller bearing trucks over arch bar!!!

There was an article in one of the trains magazines a while back on how to make your own.  The author used old trucks he bought from junk boxes and attached a center wooden beam and a couple cross pieces on each end.

I did a online how-to on that great OGR Forum back in AUG 2013

https://ogrforum.com/t...ing-a-log-car-fleet-

I noticed a bunch of the WbB/K Line skeleton cars show up on ebay.....run about $50 plus shipping per car. Too high in my book for what they are. Just an FYI

Dave, what would look absolutely terrific behind your new Shay is another Legacy Shay as a double-header!!!     I have one Legacy Shay remaining in my current OGR for-sale listing, and I heard it calling your name!  

David

Rocky Mountaineer,

    David wait let me see if I can re-mortgage my house again, would love to have a double header Legacy Shay but not just yet, took me a long time just to get into

Legacy and my wife surprised me with this incredible Christmas gift, I wanted another Masonic Train that I lost, that will have to come before I purchase an additional Legacy Shay, for sure.  Thanks for the offer however, I would love to put the Pa Legacy Shay on the layout with the WV Meadow River Lumber Company for sure.

I dug out the old Lionel Gray solid steel Lumber Cars and some Gray hoppers filled with chunk lumber, for behind the Shay, they look real cool, and with the Doodle Bug lumber Crane from the early 50's, the lumber train is starting to come together, will take some pictures in the near future to post on the OGR.  I still want some of the K-Line skeleton Log cars also, but it looks like they are tuff to find at any reasonable price, right now.

PCRR/Dave

Dave,

I have a set of six skeleton log cars, MTH 20-90596, that look fine. I use only three on my layout, for Judy's Shay. The other three are still in their original boxes.

This video shows the Shay with two cars.

In the following video, I used only one of the skeleton cars, between the Shay and a log dump car. The purpose of the video was to show the automatic operation at the saw mill.

I hope you find cars that YOU like!

Alex

Dave I have 5 of the Industrial Rail shorty log cars in Black.

4 un run and one displayed. all with boxes and inserts.

They are matte black unmarked and very nice.

asking $100.00 plus shipping from 15139

Mark harleyhouse4@hotmail.com

About all the photos I have right now are in this post. It's a little bit of a how to on building them. Thanks

https://ogrforum.com/t...ing-a-log-car-fleet-

Mark,

   Check your e-mail

PCRR/Dave

Alex,

    Incredible just incredible, I do have that same log dump car in Black & Gold Northern Pacific, where did you get the incredible automated logging loader & Mill?

PCRR/Dave

Love the load loader Alex, I echo Dave's comment, where in the world did that come from?

Dave, John –

The Log Loader is an old Lionel 6-49810, and the Saw Mill also is an old Lionel 6-32989 with older buzzer that makes it sound as a real saw mill. I bought both at the forum For Sale section, and then weathered them.

The control circuit for the log dump and saw mill is my design, see below. I use an Azatrax MRD1 Detector to sense when the Saw Mill is out of 'Flat Lumber’ pieces .

When the car arrives, a detector similar to the ones I use for the Non-Contact Turnout Points True Position Detector, senses a magnet that is glued to the dump car on the dumping platform.

1. Providing the circuit is enabled manually, when the dump car is in position, the LED changes from Red to Green, the detector latches on and the car dumps the load.

2. While dumping, the magnet is out of detection range because it is attached to the dump platform, LED back to Red,  but the operation is latched on, in 1.

 3. When the dump is complete, the detector senses the magnet again because the platform is back down, unlatches the dump operation, starts the saw mill and latches it through the relay on the Azatrax detector.

4. The Saw Mill saws the round log into flat lumber and ejects them.

5. When the Saw Mill is all done – no more flat lumber to eject – the Azatrax relay, which was holding as long as there were flat lumber pieces, opens and the Saw Mill stops.

It was fun to do, and I started doing the same with an Arduino, but with so many other things that I wanted to so, I left the Log Dump and Saw Mill as they were/are.

 Under the layout:

The control circuit:

Thank you for your comments!

Alex

I hadn't seen that loader or sawmill before, pretty slick operation.

I'm near Cass....my son lives in Huntington....Mom and Dad went to Marshall....

Alex,

   As usual your work is top shelf engineering, wish I had the time to make something similar to your loader & mill, I simply want to put them both on my layout!

PCRR/dave