BACKGROUND

First some history. Railroads used ditchers to clean out drainage ditches along the right of way. They usually coupled dump cars to each end, then slowly worked the ditcher down the tracks. Ditchers performed almost any maintenance chore needing a power shovel. The Rio Grande Southern used one to clear away slides and Otto Mears' Silverton railroads sometimes used a ditcher to clear snow (see Robert E. Sloan and Carl A. Skowronski, The Rainbow Route, Sundance Publications, 1984, page 293). Most ditchers were self-propelled and a number of narrow gauge lines had them: Denver & Rio Grande Western, RGS, Uintah, and others I have forgotten. AH&D manufactured about 1700 units between the first one in 1905 and the last in the 1940s. They offered several styles; the later models were gasoline powered.

I have no idea whether any still exists but an example of the ditcher's first cousin, the AH&D log loader, is on display in Cass, West Virginia and I think another is in the transport museum at Green Bay, Wisconsin. If you prefer to model a log loader you may still use my techniques but you will need to fashion a different boom.

Most of my information comes from Robert Sloan's two-part article in the 1975 Narrow Gauge and Shortline Gazette. I only had Part One when I built my model, so blame any inaccuracies on that. Sloan also printed a passable plan in The Rainbow Route. My model represents a post-July, 1913 Model "J" ditcher.

Finally, before we start building, a few notes about adhesives. For styrene-to-styrene joints I used Testor's Liquid Cement. For ABS-to-ABS, ABS-to-Plexiglas, and Plexiglas-to-Plexiglas I used methylene chloride (MEC), usually available at plastics supply houses. It also goes by the trade name "Plexi-ment". Be careful when you use it; it may be hazardous. DO NOT use methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) under any circumstances; it is hazardous. For all other materials and sometimes even for the kinds of joints I just mentioned, I used Hot Stuff Super-T along with Hot Shot accelerator. That is my personal favorite of all CA type glues. When I needed more strength, I also used a screw or a bolt, especially in areas with operating parts.

FINALLY WE BEGIN

I started with a pair of LGB archbar trucks but Delton's or Model Die Casting's would better have matched the prototype. I drilled the journal holes completely through the sideframes and cut longer axles from .125-inch diameter brass rod. My counterweights are from LGB's spare parts line (from a 2095 diesel) and may no longer be available. You could substitute Grandt Delrin chain and sprocket sets (#7006) to simulate the chain drive version or model the shielded chain drive version or just make your own counterweights from thick styrene or ABS.

The siderods are styrene strips with overlays for detail. If you build the version with counterweights you must quarter them just as you would a steam locomotive or the model will not roll freely.

Next, the flatcar body. I built it almost entirely from Plastruct shapes. Plastruct is a product of Engineering Model Associates (EMA) for industrial piping and engineering models. Their catalog shows many parts often unavailable from the average hobby shop. [The Oakridge Corporation carries an extensive line of Plastruct parts. See their ad in this issue. If they are unable to help you, write to Engineering Model Associates, Inc., City of Industry, CA 91748 or call them at (818) 912-7011.-Ed.]

The ditcher frame is mainly channel and I-beam stock with body bolsters from Plastruct's square "fireproof column" stock. The frame measures about 20 feet 10 inches long by 9 feet 10 inches wide and is 18 inches deep. The truck-to-truck wheelbase is 12 feet 8 inches. Those dimensions are close to the prototype's but, overall, mine is too wide. 7 feet would be closer.

The corner plates are styrene with rivet impressions or Grandt Line #23 nut-bolt-washer detail castings. The blocking points and a representation of the main drive transmission are under the frame. I used Delton knuckle couplers. Yes, they are too large but when I began building in half-inch scale they were the only ones available.

The last items I added were Grandt brakewheels, wire and chain for the coupler release levers, and the other usual stuff for details.

THE RACER

Next, the racer, where the boiler, engines, clutches, and water tank sit. In short, it is the center of the whole operating mechanism. I made the unit from channel and the decking is McKean Models treadplate. The racer frame is 14 feet by 6 feet 10 inches by 15 inches deep. The decking itself is 14 by 10 feet. Appropriate gussets support the decking overhang; I built them up from sheet stock. The large bull gear on the underside sits 5 feet in from the front edge and is centered side-to-side. It came from a used copier toner cartridge. I made some simple shafting. When I rotate the racer, the pinion gear revolves. As you will see, I added even sillier touches. A 1/4 x 20 bolt runs through the racer and the flatcar and a nut on the underside keeps the two parts together.

I scratchbuilt my boiler but now that Ozark Miniatures offers a donkey engine, the less fanatic among us may be able to use it. Anyway, I embossed rivets into a sheet of .020-inch thick styrene sheet, then wrapped it around a shell of Plastruct's 1.75-inch diameter ABS tubing. I applied Trackside Details fittings and some I scratchbuilt. The cone is from Plastruct. Then I mounted the boiler to the decking. (Here is another instance of idiocy: My conical stack bonnet unscrews so the model will fit in a carrying case so I naturally had to include the then-exposed flue sheet).

I built up the engines with cylinders and rods from an old AHM "O" scale Genoa 4-4-0 locomotive kit, the drum frames from .125-inch thick styrene, and the drums themselves from more Plastruct tubing with "flanged caps" (catalog name VHF-#) for the drum ends. I added the spokes on the caps from styrene strip.

All the shafting is .125-inch brass tubing. 0-80 bolts on the ends plug the holes. I wrapped strips of Evergreen styrene corrugated roofing around one side of the drum's endcap for gears. Evergreen clapboard siding makes the brake rachet on the other endcap of each drum. (I know what you're thinking. Yes, when I rotate the drums by hand the gears do engage, the rods flail, and the booms raise or lower almost as on the real thing.)

I used styrene or ABS tubing for the clutches, water tank, and various other bits. The mast running up through the roof to support the return sheaves comes from Central Valley's excellent HO scale set. The rest of the roof and sides are ABS angle and styrene. The roof access hatch over the operator location opens and closes.

I made the roof removable so I could better see the detail in the cab. I think it was worth the extra effort. A shovel in the coal bin and a siphon head/hose on the water tank finish off the interior. You also may want to add a Trackside Details or Precision Scale air compressor on the rear of the cab wall between the coal bin and the boiler. It would supply air to dump cars if you plan to run them with your ditcher.

A disclaimer: The real purists among you may notice inaccuracies in my version. Please keep in mind I had very little information available when I built the model. On the other hand, that same lack of information and the effort of trying to discern from old photos "what part did what job" made the project enjoyable, if frustrating-particularly for a piece of equipment I'll likely never see.

THE BOOM AND BUCKET

The boom was easily the most tedious part of the entire model. It involved a lot of repetitive work. For instance, mine has over twelve actual feet of rivet strips. You may want to spread out the work on the boom while you build the rest of the model. The sides are ABS sheet. I cut them to approximately 28 scale feet long, tapering from 30 inches deep in the middle to 12 inches at each end. I used Evergreen styrene for the rivet strips and hand impressed each rivet with a home-brew rivet press, using Northwest Shortline die sets. Then I made 9 inch front, 30 inch middle, and 56 inch rear spacers for the boom. I used Plastruct angle and Evergreen strip stock for all the lattice work.

The main boom then has the smaller dipper arm with the attached bucket. I built it approximately the same way as I built the main boom. It measures 10 feet 10 inches long, 10 inches deep, and tapers from the width of the main boom, where they join, to the width of the bucket.

The bucket itself is styrene with various nut-bolt-washer castings and rivets. It is about 30 inches square and between 30 and 36 inches tall. I made the teeth on the bucket a little "craggy" since they often broke in service. I hinged the floor of the bucket at the back so it could dump its contents. The cable running from the bucket goes back to the trip lever on the racer deck.

The boom pulleys and sheaves use an old trick: I glued the road wheels from Tamiya 1:35 scale Panther V and M-113 tank kits (if I remember correctly) back-to-back so both faces would have detail. I used heavy-duty, stranded nylon thread for all rigging, first waxing and oiling it so it would stay supple when following all the curves of the pulleys. I copied the rigging pattern from an instruction sheet for a Rio Grande Models HO scale ditcher kit.

PAINTING, WEATHERING, AND A SHORT DIGRESSION

I painted my model with various colors. The base coat is one of my favorites, Pactra Scale Black. I used Clover House Railroad Roman dry transfers to letter my model. It took forever to apply correct-looking, arched "American R.R. Ditcher" lettering to the side of the coal bin. I picked out the brasswork with a color my wife found for use on ceramics, Studio Stain's Pearl Gold. It has a really nice luster. I painted the handles, valve wheels, pedals, clutches, and various other operator "thingies" red.

I weathered the ditcher with oversprays of Pactra Rebel Gray, Floquil Dust and Rail Brown, a thin wash of Polly-S Midnight Black for assorted greasy streaks, and dry brushed Pactra Steel here and there for scuffs and metal wear. I applied a wash of rust and muddy brown to the bucket.

Altogether I spent about 80 hours on the model. That may surprise you but it helps to remember I am a professional model builder; you either get fast or you get out of that line of work. As a final note, not only did I receive the satisfaction of building an interesting model and the enjoyment of having a unique piece of equipment; I won the First Place Award, Maintenance of Way Equipment, at the 1988 Narrow Gauge Convention in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, truly an uplifting and edifying experience.

That finishes the ditcher but alternatives abound. The same general body appeared not only on the ditcher and log loader but, with slight modification, as a type of locomotive crane. An add-on pile driver attachment was available for the ditcher, too. The D&RGW had at least one such pile driver. The log loader's boom was similar to the ditcher's main boom but it had straight steel beams, was slightly shorter, and used log tongs or grapples. The locomotive crane was larger than the ditcher and had a longer boom with hooks.

You may not build anything as big as a ditcher, but I hope you now realize such a model may be less difficult than it looks. As a result of reading this, maybe you will try your hand at some kind of model. If you do, be sure to send photos of your work to Uncle Russ at OUTDOOR RAILROADER so we may all enjoy them.