New Guy Checking In...

[Jim Massfeller]

Hello Everyone,

I am Jim Massfeller from Bunnell, FL which is on the east coast between Daytona Beach to the South and St Augustine to the North.

I model in 7/8" scale and specialize in the Maine two foot railroads. I draw my inspiration from all of the 2' railroads but hope that by joining this group I can get more info and photographs of the WW&F cars for future models.

My first major 7/8" scale model was from a kit that Steve King offered many years ago. It is still running today and is my favorite.



The model was based on the James Wyman, often called "Old Star" because of the star on the number plate on the front of the boiler.



If anyone knows what the "thingie" on the right end (in the photo) of the pilot beam was and/or its purpose, I would really like to know. It loods like some sort of small wind mill like device but I have no clue as to its purpose. The James Wyman started in North Carolina but ended its career in Maine.

To give you an idea of the size of these 7/8" scale models which run on 1 3/4 gauge track, the building flat in the background of this photo is 48" wide.



One of my most fun models was a sway back version of a B&H box car.



My home railroad (not built yet) is the "King's Mountain Railroad" based on a supposedly 2' gauge railroad that once ran near my former home in Fort Mill, SC. However, as I researched the history of the old railroad, I eventually found out that it was not narrow gauge but broad gauge with 5 feet between the rails. But I am keeping the name.

I also model some whimsical stuff.

[Jim Massfeller]

Last month my Wife and I moved to a nice house in the country with five acres and room for a large raised, outdoor railroad in the back yard.





Here is a rough plan for the future railroad but I have no clue what it will look like in the end after I fit it in among the trees.



My friend Steve King put my sketch above into his CAD Program and produced this scale drawing for me.



The 4 car garage will be my domain. It will hold my Corvette, our Kubota Side by Side, and our 61" cut Bush Hog, Zero Turn Lawn Mower.

The photo below shows the inside of the garage where I will start building my workbench and model building area later today. We had the garage finished and a nice HVAC system installed.

[Jim Massfeller]

My current modeling project will resume when I finish my new shop area in the garage.

We call these "NKP" which stands for "No Known Prototype."

This one is based on a drawing in the Narrow Gauge and Short Line Gazette last year of a standard gauge "Combination Box & Stock Car" that once ran on a railroad in Ohio. I assume that these cars never became popular because the crews didn't like cleaning out the cow poop in order to load general cargo.

I took the concept and converted it to 2' gauge and had the major pieces laser cut. I am using detail parts from Ozark Miniatures.

[Keith Taylor]

If anyone knows what the "thingie" on the right end (in the photo) of the pilot beam was and/or its purpose, I would really like to know. It loods like some sort of small wind mill like device but I have no clue as to its purpose. The James Wyman started in North Carolina but ended its career in Maine

The "thingie" is called a whirlygig. They were basically just a wind driven decoration. Some have the wind turned into a rotary motion used to drive an animated scene such as a woman churning butter. Basically....it is a weather vane with an element of motion from the rotating blades.

Keith

[Steve Smith]

Welcome, Jim. You've treated us to some great work there! Here's hoping various items on the Forum from time to time will be helpful to you.

Got a kick out of the Toonerville Trolley, which brought back fond childhood memories of reading Fox's daily "Toonerville Folks" comic in the paper my dad brought home each evening.

My favorites were the trolley car itself, and "Mickey Himself McGuire," the tough little kid who always wore that black derby.

In a box of railroad miscellany out in our garage I have a little cast toy model of the trolley, unfortunately in very poor shape. Worth keeping, though, as it always reminds me of all those laughs more years ago than I care to think about.

[Jock Ellis]

Beautiful. What is the old building in the background of the first photo?