Toby the tram engine - two faced?

N

Nibbs

45mm Gauge, 16mm scale narrow gauge garden railway
Hi all,

I have just finished a narrow gauge 45mm, 16mm scale model of No.7 Toby the tram engine. See pictures below. But I can't make up my mind whether he should have a face at each end or just the one. As you can't see both ends at the same time I guess it doesn't matter much but I don't like the thought that he can't see where he's going when he's going backwards!

Anyone got any ideas?

Cheers!

Keith N. (Nibbs)

Toby with troublesome trucks:-
11bf56622b084bb8946e3f4c20242b05.jpg


Toby meets Thomas, Annie and Claribel:-
ed1dd87aa8d04737be91d4f6bf69b6cd.jpg
 
I can only suggest you research the Rev. Awdry's books and film/tv models to see how they tackled the problem.
I'm reminded of a children's story based on the F.R. when one of the double engines requests that the author doesn't paint a face on his smokebox. The loco asks that if he were to paint a face on one end's smokebox whatever would he paint on the other?! :rolf:
 
vasim said:
At the other end you could have two fat cheeks and a cigar

:bigsmile:
Click to expand...
Why bring Monica Lewinsky into this?
 
Hi again,

I can now answer my own question as todays edition of Thomas and Friend Channel 5 8.25am was "Toby gets a new shed" and there were quite a few views of Toby's back end and you guessed it there is no face on the back just bare boards!

I still don't know how he sees when he's going backward though but it's the same for all the other Sodor engines except Mighty Mac of course.

Happy modeling.

Cheers!
Keith N. (Nibbs)

d3604c3acfee431c959fe77d3ea08ebc.jpg
 
Erm sorry to point this out, but 'Toby' is a Standard gauge engine that used to run on the Wisbech and Upwell line.
JonD
 
Oh that cracks me up...............................
 
dunnyrail said:
Erm sorry to point this out, but 'Toby' is a Standard gauge engine that used to run on the Wisbech and Upwell line.
JonD
Click to expand...

And, to be pedantic, in 16mm scale this would equate to old 5/8" scale ie Gauge 4.

Duck!! No, Toby!!
 
Shhhh - dont tell the chil;dren - you'll spoil it for them! :rolf:
 
MRail said:
dunnyrail said:
Erm sorry to point this out, but 'Toby' is a Standard gauge engine that used to run on the Wisbech and Upwell line.
JonD
Click to expand...

And, to be pedantic, in 16mm scale this would equate to old 5/8" scale ie Gauge 4.

Duck!! No, Toby!!
Click to expand...

Hence the reason for the existence of Rule 8 - Tis a lovely Rule :bigsmile:
 
Hi George, Hi Tony,

Many thanks for the complements but I have to own up I didn't build this model originally.
No I bought it on eBay! I believe it was an IP Engineering model, now sadly discontinued although I see GRS do a tram engine kit of an earlier model.

The kit has been cut down by about 1/2 an inch in height so as to fit a narrow gauge loading gauge.

The pictures below show what the original kit looked like from IP and then how it looked when I got it. I had to regauge to 45mm as it was build for 32mm gauge. The wiring needed a bit of tidying up and I re-hung the bell and replaced the wire pull cord with a rope (thick black cotton) one. Then gave it a couple of coats of brown paint, a couple of number 7s (printed on the computer and a face cut and pasted from the internet.

He looks very fine now and after a few adjustment and replacing a few missing screws he runs well too. Yes I know the original tram engines were standard gauge and that it should have proper buffers and not a central buffer/coupling but the kids love it and they are not counting rivets!

Cheers!
Keith N. (Nibbs)

IP Engineering model?
5e0a2a3bdfed4b949ddb7115fe6bb96c.jpg


How Toby looked when I got him:
8fad6c712feb4ac89aa58f801fe1c3bd.jpg
 
One very simple solution

have the face demountable, say in side sliders, so face can be mounted in direction of travel
 
I built a Toby out of a IP tram kit and a playmobil RC chassis for the kids to play with

and sometime old blokes:rolf:
woodrow027-2.jpg
 
dunnyrail said:
Erm sorry to point this out, but 'Toby' is a Standard gauge engine that used to run on the Wisbech and Upwell line.
JonD
Click to expand...
True enough Dunnymate, but there is this narrow gauge (2 ft) version of Toby at Bressingham Steam Museum in South Norfolk, built around a Simplex loco....
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top