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One-of-a-kind Dick Mayer O-gauge BiPolar

N navy.sealOGR Forum Member
 
Originally Posted by electroliner:

Bob

The paint job on the BiPolar looks really good. Any closeups?

Bruce

Bruce,

 

A while back you asked to see closeups of the Dick Mayer (RichArt) O-gauge BiPolar that Dick custom painted for me in the Milwaukee Road's version of the Union Pacific's livery.  When he completed it, Dick told me that it was unique, a one-of-a-kind Dick Mayer (RichArt) BiPolar.  Based on the photos below, I think you'll agree, it's a beauty! 

 

For comparison, I am also including some photos of another more common RichArt BiPolar in my collection.  This one is painted in the Brooks Stevens designed livery for the original OLYMPIAN HIAWATHA train.  This livery was so expensive to paint that Milwaukee only applied it to the first OLYMPIAN HIAWATHA BiPolar.  All other BiPolars were painted in the first version of the Milwaukee Road's classic tri-color paint scheme and the first was soon repainted in the tri-color livery too.

 

I also have in my collection two other RichArt O-gauge BiPolars.  These include the classic Milwaukee Road tri-color version and Dick's original "prototype" for these O-gauge BiPolars.  The latter contains several interesting differences in its basic design versus Dick's final "production" O-gauge BiPolars.   When I locate them, I'll take photos of both and post them here.

 

Bob Nelson

 

Dick Meyer and his O gauge tinplate Milwaukee Road Bipolar 

 

RichArt O gauge BiPolars 012

RichArt O gauge BiPolars 017

RichArt O gauge BiPolars 013

RichArt O gauge BiPolars 001

RichArt O gauge BiPolars 006

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Images (6)
  • Dick Meyer and his O gauge tinplate Milwaukee Road Bipolar
  • RichArt O gauge BiPolars 012
  • RichArt O gauge BiPolars 017
  • RichArt O gauge BiPolars 013
  • RichArt O gauge BiPolars 001
  • RichArt O gauge BiPolars 006
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R RAKOGR Forum Member

The paint on the Richart locomotives was always first rate.

 

I have the Standard Gauge Bi-Polar with a custom paint job (I sent Dick Mayer a copy of a painting from a book, and he did an incredible job on it).

 

The mechanics, sadly, don' live up to the paint jobs (I have four Richart locomotives, only one was fine mechanically when I got it).  The Bipolar is running fine, after being re-motored).

N navy.sealOGR Forum Member
Originally Posted by RAK:

The paint on the Richart locomotives was always first rate.

 

I have the Standard Gauge Bi-Polar with a custom paint job (I sent Dick Mayer a copy of a painting from a book, and he did an incredible job on it).

 

The mechanics, sadly, don' live up to the paint jobs (I have four Richart locomotives, only one was fine mechanically when I got it).  The Bipolar is running fine, after being re-motored).

Any chance you could post a photo of your custom painted RichArt Standard Gauge BiPolar?  I know we all would love to see it!

 

What motors/gears did you use to re-motor your RichArt SG BiPolar?  Did you maintain the original RichArt chain drive or install something else?

 

Bob

 


 

R RAKOGR Forum Member

"Any chance you could post a photo of your custom painted RichArt Standard Gauge BiPolar?  I know we all would love to see it!"

 

I just got out of the hospital, so lifting it to get a photograph of it would not be possible right now.  Maybe in a few weeks.

 

"What motors/gears did you use to re-motor your RichArt SG BiPolar?  Did you maintain the original RichArt chain drive or install something else?"

 

When I got mine, one of the chains was missing, so Dick Mayer had to send me one (which he did, immediately).  It has been quite a few years since I remotored it-I think I used LGB motors in it.

 

The problem with it was that it ran too slow.  When I saw the one demonstrated at Cal Stewart, it ran fairly fast (like a tinplate train, which is, afterall, what it is).  At full throttle (25 volts on my Lionel Type K Transformer) it moved very, very slowly.

 

Clearly, the motors and/or gearing, were not the same as in the demo model (upon which I had based my purchase).

 

The replacement motors, although still not completely satisfactory, sped it up quite a bit.

 

Again, it is beautiful, and I am glad to have it, but mechanically, it is less than impressive.

 

I did later modify it to work with TMCC, so that I could run it on the big floor layout with TMCC through DCS.

 

 

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