Who was/is Bob Gale

I seem to remember an article about him in OGR in the mid-late 90's.  He did projects like this, and cobbling together a PRR T1 from a couple of #675's.

Jon

There was also a fellow named Bill Roberts who cobbled together PostWar locomotives like this in the 90s. OGR the Video did two segments on him.....Vol II, numbers 5&6. I bolded them.....

I've heard this name before, too.....but, just can't place him.

Peter

OGR, the Video     Table of Contents

Volume 1, #1

Rich Melvin on locomotive hardware.

The Carnegie Science Museum layout

John Sapita and his scratch-built circus wagons.

Jim Barrett in the Backshop, gear fix on MPC engines

Matt Pfall and his Lionel collection

Jerry Petro and his scratch built wood structures, the 115 Station, the Hellgate Bridge

Volume 1, #2.

Jerry Petro, and putting a brakeman with a lantern on the back of caboose

Matt Pfall and his layout room.

Rich Melvin and the Baker Valve Gear

Doc Colvin's layout

Jim Barrett in the Backshop, multiple unit, simultaneous operation.

Bill Hoffman's trolleys.

Volume 1, #3.

Chuck Civitovic's layout

Jim Barrett in the Backshop, hot shoe fix.

Cab ride on the 765 in the New River Gorge

Rich Melvin on railroad signals.

Making trees at the Carnegie Science Museum layout

Marty Fitzhenry and his passenger train showcase layout.

Branford Connecticut, Trolley Museum.

Volume 1, # 4

Myron and the MP&K railroad.

L-girder bench work by Rich and George.

Rich Melvin on locomotive theory

Stamford Model Railroad Club.

Conneaut, Ohio Railroad Museum.

Volume 2, #5

Myron takes us to Kutztown Publishing

Brandywine Museum Layout

Jim Barrett in the Backshop, installs uncouplers anywhere

Bill Roberts' custom kitbashed locomotives

Myron and painting brick buildings

Dick Foster's 3 rail layout.

CSX' Jacksonville Dispatcher

Volume 2, #6.

Myron builds a Delta Lines kit

Bill Roberts' carpet layout

Jim Barrett in the Backshop, replacing/repairing a Lionel smoke unit

Wharther Museum in central Ohio.

Roy Everett's Little Lakes Lines.

Myron paints a Buildings Unlimited Cape Cod house.

Operation Lifesaver.

Volume 2, #7.

Myron at the former Lehigh and New England train servicing yard.

Phil Klopp's layout

Jim Barrett and the Backshop, ZW repair

Ed Boyle, previews in 1995 Lionel line.

Rich Melvin and diesel mechanics.

Horseshoe curve

Volume 2, #8.

Lycoming County Pennsylvania Museum, the collection of LaRue Shemp.

Jim Barrett in the Backshop, installing motors with flywheels.

Conversation with Bob Weaver/Joe Hayter

tour of the Weaver factory.

Bob Weaver's 2 rail Union Pacific layout

Ohio Central steam trains

Volume 3, # 9.

Myron requests video of your Christmas trains.

B&O Museum, Baltimore, Maryland

Rich Melvin and Hydrocal scenery

Hazlett train shop and layout

inside of a steam locomotive boiler

Frank Battaglia's attic layout.

Volume 3, #10

Myron at the hobby trade show in Chicago

the operation of a swing bridge in Buffalo, New York

Jim Barrett repairs old whistles/horn relays

Dave Birmingham's Shenago Flume Co.

Dave Birmingham's photo backgrounds

Shay and Heisler locomotives, described

Rich with the bonded ballast technique

Volume 3, #11

Myron at OGR office

Cass Scenic Railroad

Jim Barrett tests tractive force

Winter 1996, Lionel Line

Bill Flickinger's Lakeland Central

structure weathering with Frank Barillaro

Rich on railroad signals

Volume 3, #12

Myron on clubs

Steamtown, Scranton Pennsylvania

Frank Barillaro and roof detail

Jim Barrett and E unit repair

Rich Melvin on railroad signals, part two

Brooke Evans, his carnival, and his O scale carnival layout

Volume 4, #13

Charles Wood and tinplate restoration

Jim Barrett installs tortoise switch machines

Brad Markowski, and the Midwest Central Railroad

Brad' s bits: ballast, switching

Lionel for 1997

Rich on steam versus diesel power.

Volume 4, # 14

Myron and Nancy show their scratch built summer place on their layout

Olgelby Park Layout

Fred Dole and Bob Lavessi on cutting Homasote for roadbed

Morris & Essex Road, Whippany Railroad Museum

Jim Barrett cleans up old postwar trains

Hackensack Medical Center train layout

Volume 4, # 15

Myron and the future of model railroading in cyberspace

Fort Wayne Railroad historical society

Jim Barrett repairs postwar milk cars

Lee Wood and the Edgewater Park model Railroad

Keith Blackhall and installing Gargraves track

Jim Ford's Niagara

Reggie Shilliken and O gauge in a small space

Volume 4, #16

Myron on the future of OGR, and makes the sad announcement

Jack Hager's layout

Jim Barrett, and what tools to have in your workshop

Virginia Transportation Museum in Roanoke

a day on the Ohio Central Railroad

Goodbye

  According to the article in the Train Collector's Quarterly for  October 1986 Bob Gale was a big steam fan who, in 1973, wanted to have engines that were then only available in 2 rail brass.  He decided to modify lower end Lionel engines to build  more prototypical engines with wheel arrangements that were not available in 3 rail.

  He said his first models were crude compared to the engines he was then currently building (some of which appeared on that issue's cover).  He developed a method of cutting the boilers in sections and re-arranging and joining them using epoxy.  He would add copper tubing  and other elements to the boilers to give them the look of the desired prototype (bells and stanchions from Gordon, ladders and handrails from Tebolt, Walthers trucks and headlights). In addition to cutting and gluing he also made boilers by casting them in molds made of reinforced synthetics.

The drive mechanisms were all Lionel.  He had a kit which would allow him to change a 6 wheel driver configuration to an 8 wheel in about 15 minutes.  For engines with 10 or more drivers he used two motors which were synchronized and geared together.  His largest engines required 0-72.  He stated in the article that none of his engines required a radius larger than 0-72.  In the 1986 article he said he was working on making articulated locomotives and the Quarterly cover featured a picture of one of his 4-8-8-4 UP Big Boys.

  The article has several pictures of his locomotives and one of them is the PRR 6-8-6 steam turbine.

You'll find some Bob Gale engines mentioned in this old OGR post:

https://ogrforum.com/...d-post-war-big-steam

Personally, I find the outlines and creativity of his O Gauge custom steamers more interesting than today's scale, mass produced ones. His still retained the look and feel of Postwar Lionel production, so to speak.