FH&PB Railroad Supply
Out of production Fn3 laser-cut kits for rolling stock and live steam loco upgrades.
The company offered products from 1999 to 2005.
Wood Pilot Kit for Accucraft's Ruby Live Steam 0-4-0
The Accucraft Ruby follows the design of a typical Baldwin side-tank engine usually used in switching or plantation service. But many of Baldwin's small four-coupled locomotives were used in road service, as well. The Denver and Rio Grande's first locomotives were Baldwin 2-4-0s of a design very similar to the Ruby.
A road engine needs a pilot (or "cow-catcher"), however. These were made of wood in the early days, and their use continued long after steel boiler-tube pilots were introduced. I turned to Fall River Productions to help me create a laser-cut wood pilot for the Ruby. I based my designs on drawings from the 1892 book "Modern Locomotive Construction" and photos of engines with wood pilots. The result is authentic-looking pilots made from real wood. The photo below shows the Colorado Eastern's 3-foot-gauge 2-4-0 and its wooden pilot.
A road engine needs a pilot (or "cow-catcher"), however. These were made of wood in the early days, and their use continued long after steel boiler-tube pilots were introduced. I turned to Fall River Productions to help me create a laser-cut wood pilot for the Ruby. I based my designs on drawings from the 1892 book "Modern Locomotive Construction" and photos of engines with wood pilots. The result is authentic-looking pilots made from real wood. The photo below shows the Colorado Eastern's 3-foot-gauge 2-4-0 and its wooden pilot.
The pilots' specifications:
Assembly of the pilot requires only glue and basic tools (hobby knife, sandpaper).
The kits comes with full instructions. (Click on the link to view the short pilot instructions)
The photos above show the completed and painted pilots.
- made from solid wood (strong plywood frames, basswood spokes)
- easy-to-assemble kit goes together in minutes
- laser-cut parts are held together with precision mortise-and-tenon joints
- bolts on to Ruby's front beam in place of steps
- kits include truss rod, pair of link-and-pin couplers and nut-bolt-washer castings
- These kits require the builder to do some shaping of the diagonal members. This is done quickly with basic hobby tools. Parts are scribed with guidelines to insure accuracy.
Assembly of the pilot requires only glue and basic tools (hobby knife, sandpaper).
The kits comes with full instructions. (Click on the link to view the short pilot instructions)
The photos above show the completed and painted pilots.
last update : 2013-12-14
