Where to start in O scale Traction modeling?

The "O Scale Resource" on line magazine, March/April issue, was almost all O scale traction.  You can view it at oscaleresource.com.  

There are very few kits for traction locomotives currently in production.  As far as I know, that is limited to the resin body steeple cabs offered by Q-Car who also sells the drive trucks, and just about every detail part you'd need.

 

The Pittman freight motor, usually a Lehigh Vallley Transit express car, stopped being produced decades ago but NIB kits show up on the secondary market as well as assembled kits, and partial kits.  The drives in these was not the best vs. today's Q-car drive, but all sorts of variations of drives were employed.  These seem to be fairly available in both 2 and 3 rail configurations.  You can get the sides and a roof section from Bob Trimble who sells them on eBay.  Ends are something that have to be searched out.

 

La Belle still sells a kit for the LSE freight motor and again you can get all of the parts and drives to finish that off from Q-Car.

 

After that, you're really into the secondary market - every so often there's a flurry of traction items on eBay and prices there can go through the ceiling surprisingly fast, but then supply approaches zero and demand is great.  One of the best places to find just about anything traction related would be the East Penn Meet that's held every other year; next year in Phila. 

 

http://eastpenn.org/meet.html

 
There are also a number of Yahoo groups that are dedicated to traction & trolleys.

On October 11th the New York City Model Transit Association will hold its annual meet at Rutgers University in New Brunswick N j. You will find many traction items available for sale. There will also be dealers at the show with items and parts. Go to the NYCMTA web site for more information. Http://.nycmodeltransit.org.com/2014details.htm

The meet is held in association with the Shore Line Trolley Museum and All profits go to the museum. 

Happy hunting!

Thanks for the replies! I've checked out the places that everyone mentioned to me. Some I've seen before, others I haven't. On the meets that were mentioned, I'd like to go but I live in California. I'll be lucky enough if can make it up to Train Mountain in Orgeon for their triennial.

Any who, thanks for mentioning the Q Car Company to me. They seem like a good place for trolley poles and powered trucks for a future project. If I can't find a Pittman Freight motor kit, I'm thinking of a La Belle kit that can be built as a freight motor. That's where I'd use the Q Car Company parts at.

Those Pittman motors show up fairly frequently - at the Strasburg O scale meet this coming Saturday I fully expect there to be 3-4 of them available.

There's a Pittman freight motor on eBay riight now that's about as pristine as I've even seen one in the box - price on it is for the collector market,

I've already seen that one, to bad it's set up for three rail.