Model Train Journal

Hello all you might enjoy seeing the SP Mountains of 1936
Scale craft introduced September
Lobaugh December

Donnelly's first engine after buying SC
Lobaugh's first engine
Both RTR sold for 195-200
Kit price SC a bit cheaper
SC Mountains are out there ... Lobaugh ones not so much
Both engines stopped production in 1941 never to return again

Cheers Carey


https://youtu.be/_hTY-PWvii4

I guess I should put Carey's Mountains here, instead of the Carey thread below.

My notes: I have four Lobaugh Mountains, and one Scale Craft Mountain, thanks to Allan and Maroon. I think I agree that the Lobaugh is the rarer of the two, but they exist.

There may be some boiler differences, but the major differences are the frame, driver spacing, and tender. On the Lobaugh, all drivers are set up for springs (I often use pads, since on my railroad, springs do not help at all). Cabs are different, although I simply replace them unless I am on a preservation kick (I am leaving the Scale Craft in essentially stock condition).

Tenders are vastly different - Scale Craft is a lead casting, and Lobaugh is bronze castings wrapped with a pretty good brass wrapper with embossed rivets. Lobaugh tenders are slightly different from the Adams variety, in that the wrapper goes all the way around, under the belly and up the other side.

Here are Carey's Mountains:



And both:



I don't have a broadside of the Scale Craft, but it is on the right - the one with the rather crude pilot. Note that both have really good smokebox rivets. I shall have to check mine to see if Scale Craft always did that on the Mountain.

A final difference is the wheelbase - Lobaugh got it more or less right - Scalecraft failed to model the extra space between #s 1 and 2, and didn't leave space for an all-flanged version.

And since I am doing the stills, I think I shall add my Lobaugh Mountains. Here's one:



That is a Max Gray tender and a stock "no rivets" cab. The rest is Lobaugh and Floquil, mixed per Bob Church in his 4-8-2 book.

Wow, &195-200 for a RTR loco. That would be hard to explain to the wife. It was a rich man's hobby if you couldn't fabricate your own models.

Bob thank you for pointing out the extra space between #1&#2 axles .. never saw that till you pointed it out
Donely was able to get Scale -Craft in many hobby shops & department stores ...
Donely lived near the Fields ...Marshall Fields that is and was able to get a "hobby" section to open in the flagship store in Chicago ...so all the "older" boys could buy their own "gifts" ...around the year ...stock with SC product.
SC took out ads in Playthings 1938-40 period in the newly formed hobby section of the magazine ...
It is easy to make a small fortune in O scale trains if you start with a large one ..
Cheers Carey