Need Help Solving a Mystery

[Gandy Dancer 1]

A photo of a large scale Bachmann shay turned up in the many downloads I make of interesting models.  I've learned to jot a quick note as to path so I can get back if I need to, but this must have been before I learned my lesson.

It is a very distinctive vertical boiler 2 truck Shay.  It's been converted to 2 pistons and is nicely weathered.  It's a wood burner and has a long peaked veranda.  I can barely make out it's lettering: "Possum Grove & Oil (something). 

I'd like to find out who the builder is and ask some questions as to whether it was built from a prototype or freelance, etc.  I've done repeated searches on what little info I have to no avail.

If you can help me locate this modeler/model I would appreciate it - not being able to get some answers is killing me.

Best,

Bill (Gandy Dancer1)

[smcgill]

Could this be the one?

Jerry Barnes made this one.
http://thescrr.com/

[Gandy Dancer 1]

Have been trying for days to upload pictures of the locomotive I'm seeking information on.  This forum keeps rejecting because the "upload folder" is full. I have uploaded this pix to other forums with no problem.  I have communicated this to the site manager but to no avail.  I'm hoping Mr Bachmann can intercede so we can get on with this.

Gandy Dancer1

[JerryB]

Bachmann's website does not support direct photo posting.

You need to first upload your photo to a (free) photo hosting website like photobucket or flickr. See:

http://photobucket.com/

--or--

http://www.flickr.com/

Then you post a link to the photo in your message here.

Happy RRing,

Jerry

[Gandy Dancer 1]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/95433789@N02/8709439447/

[Skarloey Railway]

sn-8 from http://shaylocomotives.com/data/dataframe.htm is close. Click on the link. Click on The Full Data Base by SN, then on numbers 1-200 and finally on sn-8.

It's close but notice that the prototype is much more primitive around the cylinders and below the footplate than is the model. The model has the upperworks of a very early shay and the bottom half is of much later design.

[Gandy Dancer 1]

Hi Skarloey Railway,

Thanks much for finding this and for your input.

Because a lot of railroad buffs have seen my pix and no one seems to recognize it yet, I'm theorizing that the pix are of a model (vs. prototype) that someone made using a chassis from a Bachmann 1:20.3 Shay (modern) and removing and replacing the superstructure to backdate it to Class A level.  I was hoping the pix were of a model of an actual prototype.

Still, I'm going to wait a while longer and hope I'm wrong.

Smcgill - Thanks for finding the pix you posted.  Hope you have seen my subsequent post of the actual model in question.

Best to all and much appreciation to those who have participated so far,

Bill (Gandy Dancer1)

[JerryB]

Gandy Dancer 1:

The pix are definitely of a model. A great modeling job, but some clues are that there is no visible track, the figures are in the same pose in both the left side and right side shots, and the couplers are Kadees!

As to scale, that is a little more difficult. The couplers are again perhaps the best clue. They look to be 'finer' than the large scale Kadees. My guess is they are H0-scale, repurposed to fit a larger scale engine. it's my opinion that the engine is 0n30. As you wrote, probably built using a Bachmann 2 cylinder Shay. Also still possible that it is 1:20.

To find a prototype, get hold of a copy of the book "Shay, Titan of the Timber." I'll take a look through mine when I find time and let you know what I find.

Happy RRing,

Jerry

[Gandy Dancer 1]

Hi Jerry,

Many thanks for lending your insight to my question.  You are absolutely correct that this is a model.  After I read your reply I wondered, "How could I have missed what is so obvious?  Then I realized that I was working from VERY small pix that got enlarged through putting them upon Flickr.  After I posted them there I never looked at them again.

I agree with everything you said except that they look like Bachmann 1:20.3 trucks to me.

I have yet to find out who built this fine model.  It appears to closely resemble the NWSL HO Class A Shay imported years ago with steps added front and rear for switchmen.  So I'm speculating the builder liked the NWSL lokey and made a 1:20.3 version adding front and rear steps to "bring it down to the ground" if you will.

Not sure now if I'll build a model like it or another Class A.

Either way I'm going to have to make my 3 cylinder donor into a two cylinder.  I know there are articles on doing this but am wondering if anyone who has done this would comment on its complexity?

Many thanks to all who were interested in helping.

Bill

[scottychaos]

Found it! took some tricky searching, but in the end Google knows all..
Its the "Possum Grape & Oil Trough" by Bruce Stockbridge:

http://www.largescaleonline.com/cgi-bin/whoswho/show.cgi?id=brucstoc

Contact info for Bruce on the club listing:
http://www.largescaleonline.com/cgi-bin/clubs/show.cgi?id=cagrs

and here:
https://www.facebook.com/CentralArkansasGardenRailwaySociety

Scot

[smcgill]

Clapp Clapp Clapp !

[Loco Bill Canelos]

 

[Gandy Dancer 1]

Hey Scot,

Outstanding   

I don't know if you share your secrets but my guess is you found it through figuring out what the lettering on the model read and then Googled that.  In any event good thinking! 

I'm going to see if I can call Mr.Stockbridge and see what more I can find out.

Bill

[smcgill]

Keep us informed!

[scottychaos]

Glad to help!
actually, I didnt figure out the lettering in the photo..
all I could make out what was people had already said, possum (something) and oil (something)..
couldnt make it out clearly from the photo..

I dont remember which search combination ended up finally doing the job,
but I searched on several variations of the words possum, oil, railroad, shay, bachmann and On30.
eventually I hit on something, and it all fell into place..
just takes a bit of trial and error!

The links say that Bruce does model in Large Scale (Fn3) but IMO its pretty clear
the original photo is of an On30 shay..the couplers give it away.

(edit/update)

actually..I just went back through my browser history to find it!
Here are a bunch of google searches I tried, that didn't work!

possum and oil railroad On30
possum and oil railroad HO shay
"possum grove" railroad HO shay
"possum grove" railroad
possum railroad "oil vaccum"
possum railroad shay

After each one of those, I poked around a bit on the results..but didnt find our guy, or the shay...Nothing was working..I thought "if this guy has a photo on-line, the name of his railroad must be out there!"..what else to try..another combination of terms,
this time! a hit! found it!

here is the final combination of google search terms that solved it:

possum "& oil" railroad shay

(copy and paste that line into google to see what it found)
It was the "& oil" that did it..because with the quotes, google treats it as one term..
so thats really four search terms:

(possum) (& oil) (railroad) (shay)

Those four things together is what finally clinched it..with the "& oil" being the most important.

Scot