The Rolling Ruffed Grouse

Dave Wingrove, a US On30 modeler, came up with a great idea for a kitbash. The result is an excellent and unique model, the Rolling Ruffed Grouse. Here's how he did it:

Ruffed Grouse - A chickenlike North American game bird, having mottled brownish plumage, as can be found in the Adirondack mountains. (A good name for a backwoods contraption I think.)

The guys on the maintenance crew, being a tad jealous of the bosses Tin Chicken Express, cobbled together a bunch of parts laying around to build their own rail car. While they were at it they built themselves a mobile shop car to go with it.

I think the idea of using a powered box car, or shop car creates many possibilities. Some time ago Andy Leininger uploaded a creation he called "The Thundering Turkey". It was a diecast car body that was built onto a caboose frame and pushed by a powered boxcar behind it. This had me thinking about this sort of project for a long time. Thanks for the inspiration Andy!

The whole thing is powered by a Model Power Casey Jones, 4-6-0 powered tender under the mobile shop car. (pictured in foreground). The 4-6-0 loco was cheap but the tender runs good and works well for this application. It creates the possibility of using it to push other insane unpowered monstrosities. :)

PARTS used on the Rolling Ruffed Grouse Rail-Car unit

Grandt Line

• #141 C&S CABOOSE PEDESTALS JOURNAL BOXES, SPRINGS
• #53 D&RGW STAKE POCKETS 2 U-BOLTS
• #3017 STANDARD GAUGE COACH SEAT (I had to cut two and glue them together to get the width I needed.)
• #106 REO RADIATOR FOR RAILCARS ETC.
• #3087 CAST METAL FIGURE-PLYMOUTH ENGINEER (had to cut bend and fill on leg a tad to fit)
• #8 1 ¼" NUT, BOLT

Precision Scale Company

• #5329 TROLLEY PILOT (cut down each end for proper width)
• #31290 HEADLIGHT W/ VISOR (HO SCALE)

Other

• ENGINE: Cut down from one of the Life-Like, HO compressor car loads things.
• Step Straps are bent brass stock.
• WHEELS: from a Bachmann James the Red Engine tender. (They were kind enough to sell me just some wheels)
• BELL: simple HO loco bell I had laying around, cored each end to accept .020" wire to make a hanging bell.
• ROOF: thin sheet brass that was formed over Evergreen plastic corrugated metal siding sheet
• The rest from styrene strip and sheet stock.

Mobile Shop Car unit Parts

Chivers

• Chivers way-car sides (cut to fit)
• One Chivers Way-Car end

Boulder Valley Models

• BVM baggage car sides (cut to fit)

Grandt Line

• #43 D&RGW 16" BRAKE WHEEL
• #80 2 ½" SQ. NUT ON 6" SQ. WASHER
• #139 1 ½" NUT W/4" CAST IRON WASHERS-CORED FOR .020" WIRE
• #3820 RPO BAGGAGE CAR STIRRUP STEP
• #83 FREIGHT CAR STIRRUP STEPS- BLACK

Other