Bill Hamlin

NJ Custom scale Milwaukee Road Gearless EP2 Loco. Japanese manufacture, made in 1975. An interesting prototype from 1914 which lasted into the 1950s.

MY INTEREST IN AMERICAN O SCALE started with the intention of returning from a future holiday in the US with an O scale memento of the trip. I had heard of a possible problem with the gauge but a conversation with the American Modellers’ stand at York model railway exhibition reassured me there was no problem. That conversation also initiated my first purchase, a Big Boy, not from America but near London and I was lucky enough to be able to purchase rolling stock at the same time.

I later came back from the States with a Sunset 3rd rail Challenger, but by now the dynamics had changed. I had rolling stock so the ‘memento’ could now pull a train. A collection has since grown, and these are my experiences in making that collection. What follows is based on my personal experiences and there will be inaccuracies. But I have been seduced by the variety, style, experimental innovation and brutal audacity of American locomotive power over the years.

The gauge

US O scale is 1:48 which makes it about 6.3mm/Ft. This is useful, as the larger prototypes will still run under UK infrastructure. American modellers seem wedded to three rail operation. There is far more available second-hand than 2-rail. 3-rail is the US DCC version running on AC with all the bells and whistles (literally). I can only think this is due to the need to take sharp curves in basements and rumpus rooms. To help with the tight track radii, many models are not full scale length; shortening may be slight or quite significant. A manufacturer may indeed make the same loco at different lengths and may currently offer short and scale versions. set-track curves are sharp, the tightest being O-27; O-31 and O-48 are common, and O- 72 is the largest. These figures are the curve diameter in inches, not the radius, so the smallest is 13in. radius and the largest 3ft. There is often a mention of the minimum radius the stock will take on the box ends.

History

The import of American brass locomotives to America started shortly after the second world war. American GIs based in Japan noticed the exquisite models being made by Japanese engineers and commissioned models of their own favourites from home. These were very much bespoke and were either single or batches below 10. These are now very collectable and extremely rare. Commercialisation followed, with importers like Max Gray, 1962-1965, commissioning Japanese engineering firms like KTM to make small batches of locos. The Japanese products became more expensive over the years, prompting the moves of production first to Korea and then to China. Uncle Dave’s Train Store lists 139 importers of brass locomotives past and present and this is not a complete list.

Max Gray imported Big Boy. Made by KTM Japan, imported in the 1960s. Despite being over 50 years old, it still looks good and runs well.

3-rail to 2-rail conversion Camel with Gem Camelback behind.

Purchasing

The UK availability of American prototypes is, not surprisingly, limited. I now generally purchase from the States using American eBay. I have found some vendors will not ship to the UK. Some vendors will use eBay’s international shipping system; this I found to be both expensive and slow. I have therefore taken to using an American shipper as my importer. By doing this you have an American postal address and multiple purchases can become a single international shipment, thus reducing the admin costs. When you decide to ship its very quick and cheaper than eBay. Prices in the US are very competitive but appear to have firmed up considerably recently. You must add shipping, 20% import VAT, and a handling charge but it’s still good value if you shop carefully. A good estimate at current exchange rate is the cost in dollars plus 15%, and call the figure sterling, will get your treasure to your door. A word of warning here if searching for O scale: HO sometimes comes up in the O scale lists. I have very nearly accidentally bought HO.

Overland/Ajin Erie Motorcar showing the brass modelers’ skills. Too good to paint?

The manufacturers and importers

This is what I have learned; call it experience. Earlier models by all the brass manufacturers were imported unglazed with no lighting. Cab interiors may be very detailed or rudimentary. The models may be found in their original lacquer finish or offered as ‘Pro painted’ or with no mention of the painter’s level of skill. Look carefully to assess paint quality. Later models are usually factory painted, although the lacquered brass finish may remain an option.

Overland/Ajin P5s as imported unpainted, and painted using UK paints, decals are Microscale.

Custom Brass by NJ

Locos from this importer will all be older, being made between 1972 and 1985. They are of Japanese manufacture and equivalent quality to KTM. Like KTM they use a seven-pole open motor. Drives use gears or Delrin chain. They can be a bit noisy but there are some very interesting prototypes imported by Custom Brass. All will have been imported in lacquer, so painted models will not be factory painted.

Iron Horse Precision Scale Railcars of Korean manufacture. The McKeen Is factory painted

Gem

These were imported from Korea between 1958 and 1982. The models are again high quality and were imported in lacquer finish. The two examples I have required a little adjustment to the motor gearbox alignment to make them run smoothly.

Pennsy power. Lionel Smithsonian K4/Westside KTM J1 /Sunset 3rd Rail Chinese manufacture S2 Turbine.

KTM KTM models were made in Japan, they were imported by Max Gray, Westside, US Hobbies and Iron Horse. Models by Comet also look to be KTM though this is not acknowledged. KTM still exists but now only manufactures Japanese prototypes for the domestic market.

KTM

KTM is my favourite manufacturer. Their models are beautifully constructed. The bodies are well made and solder quality is good, though they may lack a few details. The chassis are cast machined brass, wheels are all sprung and motor and gearbox are what you would expect from a Japanese manufacturer. Most if not all these were imported in lacquer, so painting is not ‘factory.’ They may also have been imported as kits, to use a tax loophole. KTM kits generally consist of five pieces and 10 screws – boiler, chassis, tender body and two tender trucks, with screws to assemble these.

Lionel

Established in 1900 Lionel is the largest supplier of models of good quality. Their steam outline is diecast; diesels and rolling stock are ABS but Lionel only manufacture in. All 2-rail I have seen advertised with the exception of the Smithsonian models have been converted after purchase. Lionel have an O27 range which is very short as they are designed to navigate 13 in. radius curves.

Lionel Smithsonian

In the 1990s Lionel commissioned a small batch of locos and passenger cars, designed and imported by the Kohs brothers of Fine Art Models. The NYC Dreyfus Hudson (500 made) is reputed to be the best US RTR model made and it certainly is as good as the top UK brass imports, with full brake gear and fantastic detail, even to the working coal screw in the tender. There is a train of coaches made to the same standard to go with it. They also commissioned a streamlined PRR K4 Pacific (300 made). But only a few coaches were produced. These were all marketed under the Lionel Smithsonian Logo.

MTH

MTH manufactures in 2- and 3-rail, though 2-rail is less than 10% of the advertised second-hand market. Like Lionel, MTH is a mass manufacturer. Bodies may be of ABS for the diesels and are diecast for the steam locos. Quality and detail are good and they run well. They are very heavy. My Baldwin Centipede with four motors and four fanned smoke units plus lights draws over 5 amps with everything switched on; not surprisingly the little red light on the controller also comes on. This is a legacy from the DCC version, which also has sound and runs on 14V AC. The wheel profile of the 2-rail steam locos is to my mind not quite as good as Sunset or KTM. However, the price point is excellent. Watch out for their European 2-rail prototypes. MTH are a good example of a manufacturer who makes shorter versions. Their Premier range is full scale but the Rail King range is considerably shorter. MTH’s owner is retiring and has recently announced that the company will close in 2021 unless there is a works buyout.

Overland

Another Brass importer (whose principal manufacturer was Ajin Precision Engineering which existed 1979 to 2006), Overland still exists. It has not imported from Korea now since 2006 but most models advertised are more than twenty years old. The majority of its available models are diesel but logging locos and steam outline have been produced. Most that you see advertised are in lacquered brass. The weak point with the diesels is in the drive train. The motor is connected to the gearbox with a rubber tube and though this might have worked when new, it slips now. Easy to rectify once you know what the problem is. Their original cost was high and detail levels are consequently better.

Precision Scale/Iron Horse

Precision Scale now has a huge range of lost wax castings made in the US. It also marketed very upmarket models under the Iron Horse label. These were made in Korea, beautifully detailed with full brake gear and high-quality paint, though older models may be lacquered. Like the Smithsonian models, they are as good as the top UK brass models. They tend to fetch high prices. The company’s locos and kits may be advertised either as PSC or Precision Scale.

Sunset Models/Sunset Third Rail

This is probably the largest current US importer of good brass locomotives and stock. Sunset Models have become Sunset Third Rail, the name change was to promote true-scale models. Models were initially made in Korea in the days of Sunset Models but are now made in China. All their models are batch-made in varying numbers, but the majority of any batch is 3-rail. Some but not many may have had a second batch made. Quality is generally good, with the Korean models being better in my opinion than the early Chinese ones. Later Chinese models have improved. The bodies are very good, but the chassis are not so detailed: brakes are there but crude, and there is no brake rodding. However, a 4-12-2 with all wheels flanged will comfortably take 8ft. radius curves. Early models are lacquered brass; now all seem to be factory painted. The quality of painting is good, the paint is hard and will cope with the heat of a soldering iron if repairs are needed. Most but not all have a reliable toothed belt drive from the motor to a horizontal drive shaft. The Sunset Models diesels were brass-bodied, but they have now moved into ABS for the bodies of the diesels and electrics. There is at least one die cast loco that I have seen. Very occasionally you will see a Sunkits model. This is a kit version of one of their locos made in Korea. They were cheaper than the same loco completed but, unlike the KTM kits, were a proper kit involving solder and screw assembly. Instructions are very poor, consisting of only two sides of A4 showing photographs of the completed loco.

Early Sunset Korean Union Pacific 9000. With all axles flanged and sitting comfortably on an 8ft.radius curve.

Westside

This is another high-end importer whose models I can recommend. They are highly detailed but they can be fragile. Initially Westside partnered with KTM of Japan, then moved to Korea using Samhongsa and Ajin as builders. I can find little about the company but it looks as if it ceased to exist in 1986.

Steam superpower. The Virginian triplex of 1916. The model is Samhongsa/Westside from 1975 and was made in a run of 110. A masterpiece, but fragile.

Williams

Williams, owned by Bachmann since 2007, is a good general-level brass manufacturer. The overall proportions of the models are right though some detail may be missing. Like ACE Trains, the paint is gloss and the price point of the models low when compared with the models of the importers above. I do not have the experience to comment on the many other importers listed by Uncle Dave’s Train Store. Because of the size of America, many small importers commissioned models of prototypes known to their local communities and stocked only by their local model shops.

Sunkits. Korean manufacture and very different from UK kits.

Passenger cars/coaches

Passenger stock models are produced in three common lengths: 15in., 18in. and 21in. The same prototype may be available in all lengths, the shorter models being for the tight radii of the 3-rail track. Sunset produce brass passenger stock to prototype length and are very closely linked to Golden Gate Depot, which produces extruded aluminium bodies for the smooth coaches and ABS for the heavyweight stock. These have lit interiors, available in 2- and 3-rail. K Line produces aluminium and ABS bodies, some have interiors, others frosted glazing with black shadow people. This frosted glazing with silhouettes is remarkably popular. I have only seen 3-rail stock advertised by MTH and Lionel and so 2-rail stock from them will likely be an aftermarket conversion. Weaver also produce passenger stock in 2- and 3-rail, but they ceased trading in 2015 with retirement.

Freight cars

These seem to be made to prototype length, although MTH do Rail King freight cars. Brass ones are available at a price but there is huge availability and variety of good cheap plastic stock so trains can be created very easily.

Gauge

The back-to-back on 2-rail wheels is usually about 28.3mm. This will cross PECO pointwork but bumps a bit over any hand-built pointwork. If you only have PECO points, then everything should be OK and you can pass on this section. I have found that 29.0 mm back-to-back clears the finescale scratch-built points on the Preston Club’s layout, so there is no need to make the back-toback the 29.3mm of UK finescale. Most US O scale is screwed together, which makes disand re-assembly straightforward. For loco drivers, I take 0.015in. off the back of each rim with a lathe. This is a fairly simple operation as the driving wheels are easy to remove while still on the axles. The lathe work can be done with the wheels still on the axles, and the flanges are thick enough to cope with the reduction which at the same time improves the profile. Tenders, Diesel wheels and bogies are gently tapped out to gauge. Do not try this with KTM locos as the non-driving wheels are screwed onto the axles. On these I unscrew the non-insulated side and reset the gauge with a washer. Freight cars usually have plastic wheels on a steel axle and are easily regauged. For longer trains this is definitely worth doing as otherwise one is sure to derail on a point. Passenger cars usually have lights and are steel wheeled; again these can be gently tapped out to UK gauge.

Problems

Really, considering the age of most of these locomotives, problems have been very few. I have had to bend things straight, but Oriental brass is very soft and generally will straighten without breaking. Some solder joints have been fractured but will re-join with a good flux and a bit of fresh solder. I have found a resistance iron very useful for neat local solder repairs. Many of these models have been display-only so will require oiling before running. It is worth cleaning and re-oiling the gearboxes as they were assembled when new with grease. This has definitely passed its sell-by date but, as they come apart so easily, this is not difficult. Some people change the KTM open frame motors for Pittman can motors but I have found no need for this. I have had one belt failure on a Sunset model but a replacement was sourced. Overland drive rubbers can be tightened with a wire band. I found superglue didn’t work. The motor shaft and gearbox alignment had become out of adjustment on two Gem models, but this was easily realigned. One or two missing parts have had to be fabricated. Just occasionally I have bought something which has obviously never been run and has been advertised as such. I have had one steam loco where the crank pin centres on the rods were wrong but this was sorted with a bit of gentle filing. I bought a set of paired locos which, although they ran well singly, when joined shorted each other out. The solution was to change the metal Kaydee couplings for plastic ones. Generally purchasing an advertised non-runner has been easy to sort out and presented me with a cheap locomotive.

Painting lacquered items

As previously discussed, the earlier models were imported to the US in lacquer. Some are such beautiful examples of the modeller’s art that it is a shame to paint them. The lacquers used are soluble in cellulose thinners but they will act as a good primer. I have found no need to remove them; after all they have been fixed to the brass for a number of years. Acrylic grey primer bonds well to the lacquer and is a good base for the topcoats. US railroad colours are not readily obtainable in the UK and are difficult to import from the US. However it is fairly easy to match the liveries using UK railway paints, for instance to match PRR Very Dark Loco ename,l mix black and North British Olive in equal parts. The PRR museum has also supplied me with RAL paint details, to get the Tuscan red made up here. For transfers I use Microscale which are good quality waterslide.

3-rail to 2-rail

If you have access to a lathe it is worth considering a 3-rail purchase for 2-rail running. I have said above that 3-rail is the commoner variant available and is considerably cheaper on the secondhand market Conversion requires modification or replacement of the wheels, construction of a new pickup system, replacement of the huge 3-rail coupling system, which is part of the bogie; and in the case of Lionel and Williams dropping the body by 3mm. 3-rail steam locomotives are only flanged on two axles no matter how many axles there are, so conversion of most classes would probably require new wheels. Diesel and electric Co-bogies will only have two flanged axles. On all locos, one set of flanged wheels will be rubber tyred. I have converted one steam loco and fortunately the prototype was only flanged on the outer wheels. Despite the relatively narrow 3-rail back-to-back of 24mm, the flange thickness makes the face of the flange OK for UK gauge. You can just take 0.040in. off the back of the wheels and trim down the flange. I then use a resin rim insulation on one side, as demonstrated by Dave Brooks on the Guildex 2020 videos. The tender flanges are also turned down and the tread width reduced, insulation on these being done with fine plastic tube on the axle. The loco is converted to American pickup, with loco and tender picking up on opposite sides. The same system works for a 4-6-4 PRR P5 electric loco. The bogie wheels are replaced with Peartree Engineering 2ft. 8in. Lomac wheels and the drivers turned down and insulated on one side of the tyred rim by cutting the spokes and filling with resin and the other wheels with rim insulation. Disassembly of diesel locos is easy due to the screwed construction. I change the wheels and have used both Slater’s and Peartree wheels, though I prefer Peartree as its wheels are all metal, so replacing the pickups is easier. The old wheels are removed from the drive axles, the axle ends are then carefully turned down to the same diameter as the Slater’s or Peartree axles and the new wheels pressed on. The outer frames may look better if narrowed, as they have been set to accept very wide tyres. Ease of conversion of coach and freight cars can vary. Coach bogies usually have diecast sides and are screwed together, while there is a variety of freight car bogie construction. 3-rail bogies will have the couplings attached to the bogie and probably a roller centre pickup. These need to be removed. Williams and Lionel 3-rail stocks are about 3mm higher than 2-rail stock from other manufacturers and the bodies have to be lowered. Sunset and K Line do not need this additional modification. I find Peartree 2ft. 8in. Lomac wheels excellent. The size is right and the brass cups fit well in the bogie axle holes; or you can grind a pinpoint on the axle. Lighting pickups can be fabricated fairly easily. Kaydee couplers are then attached to the body of the coach or freight car to replace the coupling detached from the bogie. The cost is £20 per coach. As I said, these are my personal experiences. I have had a lot of enjoyment from collecting and running the US stock. If this article can help anyone put a toe in the water, then it has been worth it. After Covid, Preston O gauge Group will again be holding American Open days, so if you are interested come along.

American Open Day at Preston.