Overland Diesels--anyone have them?

I, like you, have bought some 20 yrs ago overland diesels and have never put them on a layout or even a test track. I was more interested at the time, as I was into HO,  to have mantle pieces to just look at. Just the bulk of O was so enjoyable and buying a piece a year was managable at the time.

We moved and the new house wasn't big either but had land so I got an old office trailer, 11x 40 and started a HO layout in it. I had so much trouble with the rails expanding and contracting  I gave up as I wasn't living in it to wish to keep the temp. even at say 75'. That was about the time I decided to try O scale as the rail wasn't as tempermental as HO and I could leave a little space between the rail joints for the expansion. The O scale wheels would be able to ride over the gaps easier than the HO.

So, I ripped up the HO track and in its place putting O scale track using the same framing. The hardest part in all this is to get a grasp on the dimensions of scale, just how much one can use the space and with O, it ain't much. 40 ft. with a turn around at each end leaves less than 30ft. or about a train of 20 cars on one side of the room. One can get dizzy going around an around following his trains as I liked mainline running.

BUt back to the Overland, I'd be a buyer of 1 or 2  more in the future at the right price especially some newer 3rd gen  GE units.

But since you mentioned the overland question I need to unpack them from their green boxes and take a look at my 2  U50s and one SD 40-2. A nice something to do this weekend.

Phil

Phil,

I understand; my layout is 30x50 which as I understand is a fairly generous amount of space and frankly its amazing how a string of passenger cars wraps around half a curve----sure wish I had more space; ideally in O I would want 70 x 300.    This would allow two full curves on each end with adequate space for long runs, spacing for towns, industry and passenger stations.     Of course I would like to win powerball too....

Brad,

The FM H-12-44 is one of Overland's nicer efforts and a good looking (my opinion) loco. I would think after 20 years a lube job would be a good idea. I think they also made an H-16-44.

Simon

Very few Overlands have come through here.  I understand the newer ones are quite good, but based on my experiences with the older imports, I will not work on them.

Before purchase, at least look at the gearboxes with a magnifying glass.

I have several mid to late production OM PRR diesels and am very pleased with the quality and performance.  These include  Alco FA1 A-B-A, Baldwin RF16 A-B-A sharks, EMD F3 phase 2 A-B-A, and EMD E8 A-A, and Baldwin A-A Centipedes..  They have seen 15+ years of service and are smooth reliable runners. The Centipede was relatively early production and I re-motored them and added flywheels.  Early production OM/Ajin had well deserved reputations for week drive trains and body assembly issues.  Early production OM diesels can be easily identified (and avoided).    They feature center gear reduction towers and prop shafts  with U-joints passing through the fuel tanks to the trucks.  As a PRR modeler, I have a fair number of OM diesels on the roster as they offered the prototypes I was looking for.

Ed Rappe 

Brad,

As I said, I have my layout in an old construction trailer that is just over 40' long and it seems to do well for me on my acre of land. BUT, everytime we go out of town I see this abandoned mobile with windows out and gutted. It loks like 60'+ and wider than mine and think how I can get that to my property and make it fit attached to the far end. I'd have about a 100' run with it. I am sure there all sort of them around the states that cna be used for O scale layouts. I got mine for $400 and $600 to haul it to my property. I found some laminated floor free just remove it, click click. stack. haul.

But it would be nice to add another trailer to the end if I could get it for free but the hauling and whatever it takes to cover the inside exterior walls. One just has to make sure they remember to take the coach stands to relevel it where ever it is set up. No water or sewer. I just had electric set to it. In the desert it would be great to have a big basement and smart too withthe heat we have but thye build as cheap as they can here. A cement slab.

Phil