HO scale road vehicles

Hello all. I was wondering how many of you out there were fans of modelling road transport as well as rail? I have been a fan of modelling cars and trucks in HO scale for a long time now, and it's how I first got interested in modelling the scale in the first place!
 
C

Catt

Hi Alan,
I am a big fan of both cars and trucks in both HO and N scales.Not to mention 1/64th (S) and 1/48,1/43,and 1/50 (0).

I probly have about 150 big rigs in HO and N and about a dozen in S.My n scale cars are definately lacking as there aren't that many made(at least the N.A. varieity).If you have some pics to post you might try starti ng a thread in the Photograpy section.
 

TruckLover

Mack CH613 & 53' Trailer
Boy, IDK how many trucks I have, I think that it would take too long to count all them, Thats how many I have!!bounce7
 
Catt said:
Hi Alan,
If you have some pics to post you might try starting a thread in the Photograpy section.
Sounds good. Although I have had problems with posting images on forums before, I might get lucky with this one - at least when I have figured out how to work out my new scanner!
I have been on forums connected with HO scale road vehicles, and it has surprised me how many people from around the world liked British vehicles so much. I have been considering making some patterns for some MG-Rover cars, now that that particular company has led to the end of Volume car production by British manufacturers (Except, maybe, for London Taxis International!). I have also been toying with the idea of making replacement truck cab interiors for right hand drive trucks. It will be nice to see what others do in the way of road transport, though.
 

shaygetz

Active Member
Alan Bickley said:
Hello all. I was wondering how many of you out there were fans of modelling road transport as well as rail?

Oooooohhhh...gotta few to speak of, some scratchbuilt, some kitbashed, most are store bought, all are wistfully waiting for the day they can stretch out on some scale asphalt.:thumb:
 

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TruckLover

Mack CH613 & 53' Trailer
jbaakko said:
Mhmmm, the problem is fitting a "realiastic" number into my Model RR world, without it looking overdone!

Check this out:
http://modelrailroadtips.com/index.php?op=Articles;article=7

Ya, I have run into that problem before with all my trucks, then I thought to myself, all those trucks need some room to move around so now when I go to put trucks on the layout, I make sure they arn't cramed into any spots. When I build yards for loading docks on buildings, I always put a 53' trailer with a Ford Aeromax or Mack CH 613 (My longest cabs) at one dock door with another 53' trailer and long cab right next to it and make sure that it can pull out realisticly. How ever much space the truck needs to pull out is how much room I leave until I put a concrete wall.

That web site is great, I really need to get to walmart and get some more of the those Norscot Construction Equipment and some of those nice looking cabs for $3.97.

Shaygetz, Cool!!

I like the Yellow Freight, CF, Overnite, Mobile Gas, and Texaco trucks!!
 

shaygetz

Active Member
TruckLover said:
Shaygetz, Cool!!

I like the Yellow Freight, CF, Overnite, Mobile Gas, and Texaco trucks!!

I favor the Texaco truck as well, it and the other tankers have excellant detail. The CF and Yellow Freight trucks were purchased to annoy my brother-in-law into copping me an Overnite truck beings he's in Overnite management. It worked but not before I found one myself, now I have two of the little boogers:thumb:

BTW the rigs are Matchbox Collectables Series and can be had for about $5 each on Ebay and at swap meets. Though advertized as 1/100 scale, they are side by side matches for Athearn and Boley, you simply cannot find a discernable difference.
 
I like to collect Herpa models, although I have no real preference. Some people have complained about the price of Herpa's products, but when you consider what goes into producing them I reckon they're worth the money. Also, the range of parts and accessories they offer are ideal for those of us who like to build our own models based on prototypes that we like. I have recently been doing temporary van-driving work for a local builders merchants, and I'm looking to make some models of the trucks in their fleet. I would probably have difficulty in doing this if it wasn't for Herpa!
 

Russ Bellinis

Active Member
TruckLover said:
Ya, I have run into that problem before with all my trucks, then I thought to myself, all those trucks need some room to move around so now when I go to put trucks on the layout, I make sure they arn't cramed into any spots. When I build yards for loading docks on buildings, I always put a 53' trailer with a Ford Aeromax or Mack CH 613 (My longest cabs) at one dock door with another 53' trailer and long cab right next to it and make sure that it can pull out realisticly. How ever much space the truck needs to pull out is how much room I leave until I put a concrete wall.

That web site is great, I really need to get to walmart and get some more of the those Norscot Construction Equipment and some of those nice looking cabs for $3.97.

Shaygetz, Cool!!

I like the Yellow Freight, CF, Overnite, Mobile Gas, and Texaco trucks!!

Boy that sure makes you different thsan the prototype! I would imagine it has long since been torn down, but 30 years ago when I worked for the Thermo King dealer in Syracuse, N.Y. we used to have to go to Flickinger's warehouse to repair refrigeration units. They had a wall directly opposite the loading dock, and trucks had to back in and turn 90 degrees while backing to get to the dock. A lot of trucks left paint on that wall. I think it was built in the era of 35 foot trailers, when I was there the trailer length was up to 42 feet. There is no way anyone oculd back a 53 footer into that place. In addition there were probably 3 or 4 routes from the New York thruway to Flickingers, but only one route did not include a low bridge! One bridge was only 9 feet high. It felt weird going under that one in a car!
 
Judging by your post, Russ, you seem to have some varied trailer lengths over there! I suppose I should be used to it as my Father used to work as a truck driver for the local airbase used by the USAF. There was every kind of trailer from single-axle 35 ft. boxes to big triple-axle flatbeds that I believe were designed to transport armoured personnel carriers. The one thing I do recall about those trailers were the positions of the kingpins. As they were set further forward than the European versions, the coupling to the British tractor units (Seddon Atkinson 401's mainly, though they did have some Internationals and the odd GMC) was a bit odd-looking. I remember once when I was on my school holidays I went with Dad in one of a few Mercedes-Benz 2636 tractors that were used mainly for pulling some German built container lifting trailers that they had. When I went to connect the airlines to one of those flatbeds, I found myself having to walk halfway down one of the tractor's chassis rails. Very precarious!
 

jbaakko

Active Member
I remember those old Matchbox collectables, I got a Fedex one with a Mack cab & another, black one with a KW COE.

As for fitting them in, I have the conveinence of havimg a major intermodal yard & the I-15 freeway!
 

Russ Bellinis

Active Member
Alan Bickley said:
Judging by your post, Russ, you seem to have some varied trailer lengths over there! I suppose I should be used to it as my Father used to work as a truck driver for the local airbase used by the USAF. There was every kind of trailer from single-axle 35 ft. boxes to big triple-axle flatbeds that I believe were designed to transport armoured personnel carriers. The one thing I do recall about those trailers were the positions of the kingpins. As they were set further forward than the European versions, the coupling to the British tractor units (Seddon Atkinson 401's mainly, though they did have some Internationals and the odd GMC) was a bit odd-looking. I remember once when I was on my school holidays I went with Dad in one of a few Mercedes-Benz 2636 tractors that were used mainly for pulling some German built container lifting trailers that they had. When I went to connect the airlines to one of those flatbeds, I found myself having to walk halfway down one of the tractor's chassis rails. Very precarious!

What has happened over here is that laws have changed, partly as a result of the interstate highway system. Until the mid fifties or so trailers were limited to 35 feet overall length. Later, the length was changed to limit the overall length of the entire rig to 65 feet, except that all of the states along either side of the Missippi River limited the overall length to 55 feet. The result of this was that trucks driving on the highway coast to coast in America had to be able to get under 55 feet along the Missippi. A cabover tractor could pull a 42 foot trailer and keep the length under 55 feet, but a conventional tractor could not haul anything longer than 40 feet and still get under 55 feet. The laws were changed a few years ago. I think the federal government threatened to withhold highway trust fund money from any state that did not go with the standard federal law on truck length. The result is that now single trailers are limited to 53 feet overall length, but there is no limit on the overall length of the entire rig. Of course 40 foot trailers are still produced. A friend of mine drives for a beer distributor. The trucks are still restricted to a maximum weight of 80,000 lbs. A 40 foot van loaded with beer will bring the overall weight of the rig in at @ 80,000lbs, so there is no point in a beer company buying a trailer that is longer than 40 feet since they can't load it.
 
Nice rigs there, Catt! Although they wouldn't fit in with my British modelling, I would look for some just for my display collection. Though having said that, I have been toying with the idea of doing some Australian road train models, which mainly consist of American-built trucks!
 
Alan, are you any relation to Bob Bickley formerly of Intermountain Railway in Colorado?
Heck of a nice guy!!

Dick
Texas Chief
 
Alan, are you any relation to Bob Bickley formerly of Intermountain Railway in Colorado?
Heck of a nice guy!!

Dick
Texas Chief
 
Alan, are you any relation to Bob Bickley formerly of Intermountain Railway in Colorado?
Heck of a nice guy!!

Dick
Texas Chief
 
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