Western Hobbycraft trolleys

Hello Allan,

I totally agree that they are magnificient models. I have a Johnston car number 350, a Los Angeles car number 1543, and a Chicago (number of car escapes me) that I donated to my club, Central Operating Lines, based in Bohemia, Long Island. Additionally, I previously sold one of the Texas (I believe El Paso) models, the color of which is identical to the Third Avenue Railway System scheme. All 3 rail versions. Let me know what you have available for sale.

Sincerely, Mike Herer

I will check through some old emails to see if I have a list . I have one New Orleans version standing in for a Charlotte trolley and would not mind getting another like it or any other road name

I have a Johnstown, a New Orleans and an LA Railways one. 

Here's a fuzzy screenshot I took from my Editor's Corner column in our Oct./Nov. 2009 issue. I believe five of the six I have are visible here. My Western Hobbycraft trolleys were displayed in a glass-fronted case at one time (a couple of homes ago), but have never been run. I love trolleys, but I'm kind of running out of space in my current home, especially with the O tinplate taking up so much space.

If you list what you have on your shelf, how can it be incorrect?  Plus, your "fuzzy" screenshot never showed up?

Chuck

I decided to do a bit of research tonight and located this ad from, of all places, O Gauge Railroading magazine! Appeared in the October 2000 issue, along with a review of the Western Hobbycraft trolley (actually two reviews: one for 3-rail version and one for 2-rail version). The ad gives me all the info I was looking for, and also gives me some idea of what I might be looking to get when I get around to selling the cars.

I have 3 three rail Western Hobbycraft trolley cars, Johnstown Cars 350 & 357, and one Third Ave Railway car. My hope was that Walt would have done a Connecticut car, but I do not think he did. I would trade one of my Johnstown cars for a custom painted Western Hobbycraft car in Connecticut colors.

@Allan Miller posted:

Do any of you fine folks have a list of all the 3-rail trolleys (roadnames/numbers and/or colors) that Walt Cameron offered under the Western Hobbycraft label some years ago?

I have six of those fine trolleys (best ever made for 3-rail O in my opinion) that I hope to sell, but want to make sure that what I list is correct in terms of road, car number, and colors.

They are very nice looking, it’s a shame no manufacturer in O gauge has made a scale/details street car.

Craig

PennCentralShops

I have wanted the Johnstown #357 in two-rail (for the scale-flanged* wheels) to operate with the rest of my trolleys/interurbans off the overhead. And because I had the opportunity to run it at a Branford Members' Day:

(my photo taken at the 2007 Members' Day at the Branford museum)

Maybe one day I will find one.

*autocorrect suggested "scale-fanged"

I have two Johnstown in proper colors and one that was supposed to be a PTC green car with the Johnstown logo before they covered it up with paint. All 3 Rail.

I have 6 of the cars-- Johnstown, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Third Ave Rwy (NYC) , Chicago, Los Angeles

Lew Schneider

Question, I am determined to run a Western Hobby Craft Trolley (3 rail) on a point to point trolley layout using "2 rail" track and overhead wire for power.   Does anyone know if the 3 rail wheels will run on MICRO ENGINEERING O SCALE 10-128 2 RAIL FLEX-TRACK CODE 148 track?    If that works I will add a K-Line interurban to the city scene. If not I suppose I can yank out the center rail on Gargraves flex and bury it in the road way so only the rails are visible.

@AGHRMatt  in a 2015 post seems to say it will. At this point I am concerned with the "pizza cutter" flanges on the 3R wheels hitting the ties. No switches to be concerned about it this specific case.

Thanks for any insights. Jeff

@ScoutingDad posted:

Question, I am determined to run a Western Hobby Craft Trolley (3 rail) on a point to point trolley layout using "2 rail" track and overhead wire for power.   Does anyone know if the 3 rail wheels will run on MICRO ENGINEERING O SCALE 10-128 2 RAIL FLEX-TRACK CODE 148 track?    If that works I will add a K-Line interurban to the city scene. If not I suppose I can yank out the center rail on Gargraves flex and bury it in the road way so only the rails are visible.

@AGHRMatt  in a 2015 post seems to say it will. At this point I am concerned with the "pizza cutter" flanges on the 3R wheels hitting the ties. No switches to be concerned about it this specific case.

Thanks for any insights. Jeff

I couldn't find the post, but the three rail trolley doesn't have insulated wheels, and mine appeared to have capability of being run from overhead wire. I'll have to find it so I can check it against Code 148 track.

@AGHRMatt  Matt I was searching for the 2015 post this morning and am not seeing it. Odd how those things happen from time to time.

While I could just run the trolleys on 3 rail using the overhead wire to power the cars, I really dislike the 3rd rail in a street scene.  In all other cases the middle rail does not bother me at all. The outer rails would simply go to common. Both cars can take power off the trolley pole(s). So at this point the question is whether the flanges will run on the code 148 rails.

Aside from seeing multiple posts on this forum that there is no NMRA 3R standard, then found this -  NMRA spec  - 

this post indicates there is enough clearance between HighRail wheel flanges and code 148 3-Rail Wheel Gauge???

I am going to go ahead and order the track. 

@ScoutingDad posted:

Aside from seeing multiple posts on this forum that there is no NMRA 3R standard, then found this -  NMRA spec  -

this post indicates there is enough clearance between HighRail wheel flanges and code 148 3-Rail Wheel Gauge???

I am going to go ahead and order the track.

I can confirm the big flanges will clear code 148. I am using it on my gantry crane track. Should work with the trolley. My only disappointment with these trolleys is they require a fairly large diameter like 027. No way would they run on 016 Super Streets which is more typical off city street running.

Pete

@ScoutingDad posted:

......... the question is whether the flanges will run on the code 148 rails.

Almost all "modern" 3 rail wheel flanges will run with adequate clearance on code 148 rail; issues may or not arise with clearance of rail joiners and spike heads, as well as all aspects of switches & turnouts