Varney "Little Joe" Dockside

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Several manufacturers have made this little engine, I believe LifeLike along with Rivirossi as well as Varney did plastic, with early Varneys being cast metal, But Varney wasn't the only one in cast. Sakura imported a version in the 60's. Here's mine, cast on details removed, replaced with brass detail pieces, and DCC/sound installed.:D

97%20at%20shop.JPG
 
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blackz28 said:
do they make those docksiders in articulated :p:p
Click to expand...


Back in the mid-1970's someone DID in fact bash 2 docksiders into a 0-4-4-0. I wish I had saved the article as I later became quite the Bowser engine builder. My favorite kit was their last series PRR H9 2-8-0, followed by the PRR I1 2-10-0. Most hated for me was the "Old Lady" 2-8-0.
 


I built the Bowser (Varney) Old Lady kit about 15 years ago, things went to gether well and the loco was a very strong puller. I liked mine! Since I'm not a Pennsilvania RR modeler, there wasn't much else Bowser offered I was interested in.
 
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I got mine off Ebay for $12. The front railing was broken off, so I cut the step porch off of an old caboose and stuck it on... ;)

IMG_4320.jpg


Still need to find a holder so that I can pull the upper railing back out to the front.
 
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tooter said:
I got mine off Ebay for $12. The front railing was broken off, so I cut the step porch off of an old caboose and stuck it on... ;)

IMG_4320.jpg


Still need to find a holder so that I can pull the upper railing back out to the front.
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I'd leave it just the way it is! Looks great.
 
Hello, I am new to the group and not really sure how to start a discussion. I found these discussions on Google about the M472 and want to ask a question. I have an IHC M472 Dockside B&O Locomotive that I purchased in the 70"s. It still runs and started having some stalling problems. After some investigation, I found that one of the Brass Strips that contact the wheels had gotten separated from the wheels. as I was repairing this problem, one of the wheels came off and I put it back on. Now, it seems to be running with a wobble, like the wheels are not in sink. Does anyone have an ideas on how to synchronize the wheels to make it run smooth again. Thanks for any input.
 
wizard of wheels said:
Hello, I am new to the group and not really sure how to start a discussion. I found these discussions on Google about the M472 and want to ask a question. I have an IHC M472 Dockside B&O Locomotive that I purchased in the 70"s. It still runs and started having some stalling problems. After some investigation, I found that one of the Brass Strips that contact the wheels had gotten separated from the wheels. as I was repairing this problem, one of the wheels came off and I put it back on. Now, it seems to be running with a wobble, like the wheels are not in sink. Does anyone have an ideas on how to synchronize the wheels to make it run smooth again. Thanks for any input.
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Yes, steam engines are very sensitive to the position of a wheel on the axle one side to the other. It is said the wheels have to be "quartered" because the attachment point for the side rod has to be exactly 1/4 a rotation off from the one on the other side.

Check where the drive-rod on the non-broken side is, and make certain the wheel you repaired has this attachment positioned 1/4 a rotation ( 90 degrees) away. The more exact the better.
 


At one time I had a really nice brass model of a docksider, but I sold it off when I was contemplating moving over to Thailand. I forget the specific brand, but it was a sweetheart.


When I moved to FL I found this little gem at an estate sale,..someone had added a few extra wheels,..
F4318%281%29.JPG

F4319%281%29.JPG




https://forum.mrhmag.com/post/044t-switcher-identify-small-steam-engine-12213177
this subject thread brought out a lot of discussions on the docksiders
 
Feb 10, 2020

2 more switchers
I was at the Jacksonville train show this weekend and I happened upon several more small switchers. I couldn't resist it, I bought 2 of them.




There is no doubt that the one with the tender is a Rivarossi. I was wondering if that 'extra' valve gear was stock, or aftermarket?
The other one is unknown at the moment,..it was actually in a box with a bunch of old Marklin engines in it,...and it has some sort of euro coupler on the front??

It also has smaller flange drivers on it.

Haven't had much time to do extra research on these 2 yet,...hopefully soon. ...but here is a reference page that might suggest it is a Varney model?
http://hotraincollector.com/the-little-engine-that-could-the-ubiquitous-dockside-switcher/

Notice the difference in the in the drive train gearing in the photo on that linked page.


This is also a heavy little engine.
 
0-4-0 in Naval Yard in Maine
Having been associated with the Navy in my past, I still get several publications of theirs. This photo of a small steam switcher attending a drydocked submarine in the 2020 Feb issue of the Naval Institute Proceedings caught my attention,...appears to be a 'docksider'....

%20photo.jpg
 
RivaRossi 0-4-0, Repower- Regear Group
Just found this posting & photo link in this group,...

Quote:
I just repowered a RR (rivarossi) Dockside with a CD tray motor, and an Atlas/Kato worm that halves the speed.

http://tinyurl.com/ych9uuk

The Atlas worms are great, because they mesh perfectly with the axle gear, but are single lead instead of twin lead like the original worms.
Nelson



Quote:
Thanks. there was a guy selling a bunch of them on eBay a few years ago, and I bought myself 7 of them for use in Mehano diesels, but never gave it a thought to see if they meshed with any Rivarossi gears until a week ago. He listed them as an Atlas Alco part #707315, but all I can find on Atlas part sheets is 707305.
http://www.atlasrr.com/hoparts.htm

The Dockside runs so smooth and quiet now that it's like a whole different engine. This is a much better option than putting a NWSL gear set on and having the original motor screaming at top speed. There was a large hole in the motor that I tapped for one of their 2.5 mm mounting screws, but I came close to damaging the windings, and the burrs were really hard to clean out of the motor.
Nelson

Quote:
https://groups.io/g/RepowerAndRegear/message/6969
Hi Nelson,
I was looking at the photo you provided in the URL and can't quite figure out what you did. It looks like you installed the Atlas worm on about half way onto the CD tray motor shaft and then somehow you got the CD tray motor up close to the original AHM motor mount. Did you modify or grind off some of the frame area just aft the original motor mount to get the motor tight up against it? I am trying to use this same setup, Atlas gear and CD tray motor (13 volt) and can't seem to get it. I can add an extension bushing onto the motor shaft and then fabricate some kind of brass motor mount, but if I can do it easier, I would be up to that instead. This is for my AHM C-16a. I was going to go ahead and use the original motor and while it seems to run ok, has significant sparking on the left hand brush. The left hand brush is made out of some kind of tightly wound brass/copper screen and I don't want to chance burning up a decoder if a brush gets welded on me. So, since I have a bunch of decent can motors, I will go ahead and remotor. I also have a pretty decent size motor that fits pretty darn good, but it is very visible from the back of the cab, so I would prefer the CD tray motor, so I appreciate any pointers you may have.
Thanks and regards,
Vic Bitleris
Raleigh, NC
https://groups.io/g/RepowerAndRegear/topic/8769909?p=,,,20,0,0,0::,,,0,0,0,8769909

(PS: I went to the trouble to post these text quotes fearing I might lose them,...when I experienced trouble with trying to read more pages of this discussion, ...Brian)
 


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