Milepost 609
A long time ago, one of the first kit locomotives that was available was an old 0-4-0 Dockside made by Varney. It was a very popular kit and most anyone who was a model railroader in HO scale had one.
Well, it didn't take long for someone to make a cab forward casting for the model and those became very popular as well. I'm not sure who made it originally, but I'm thinking that the first Walthers Catalog that I bought in the late 1970s had the part listed by Kemtron.
About two months ago, I got an email from my friend Jerry and he was telling me that he found a "gold mine" on Craig's List. It seems that an older gentleman had a collection of older trains that he wanted to... "find a good home for." So Jerry gave him a call and one thing led to another... the next thing you know, Jerry bought the collection including the pictured cab forward.
Jerry reports that there are quite a few very interesting pieces in the collection, older kits, etc. This isn't at all what he thought he would find when he first inquired. He also shared with me what he paid for the whole lot and... let's just say, he did get a very good bargain. So the old trains now have a new home and my friend Jerry had a very unique cab forward.
The original loco should actually be called an 0-4-0T since it has no tender. Extra water and a little fuel were stored in the box located immediately behind the cab. If I'm not mistaken, the original loco was a B&O prototype that earned its living on the docks in Baltimore. The conversion was a simple one as there is only one part to be added. The extra Kemtron part was made to fit that particular engine and simply was attached with one screw.
The only thing that puzzles me is this: once the conversion was complete and the engine's front now became its rear, would it be properly called an... 0T-4-0??!?
dlm
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