# Kitbashing Mr Roger's Neighborhood Trolley?



## Artieiii

I want to try my hand at a simple kitbashing project. Here is my Idea: Buy a Bachmann cable car like this (about $25):








modify/fabricate it to look similar to this:








Since I don't own a Bachmann cable car I am not sure how much the engine/chassis comes up into the cab of the car which might interfere with the seats. Any suggestions?
-Art


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## Artieiii

The roof looks close enough to my eye....I think a dremel with a cut off wheel would work. the seats are very simple in design as well as the vertical poles and front and rear should be easy to replicate. The rooftop sign also looks easy to make. My LHS carries plastic and brass poles.


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## shaygetz

The Bachmann cars are motorized in the open seat section, it is self contained and clips out, much like a battery pack. The one you see pulled thru the neighborhood on his show was kitbashed from an old TYCO HO trolley. It was not motorized like the larger one and was pulled across the set via a fishing line attached to a stick under the set. The builder did this because there was no way to motorize it without interfering with the seats.


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## tkruger

I do not know if this would work but here are a few ideas I have. Is it possible to hide an N scale drive line in there just add larger wheels? What about steeling a truck from a Bachmann 40 tonner? I have one and it has a separate motor for each truck.


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## shaygetz

I don't see why that drive won't work, you would just loose the see-thru effect, but only from the seat bottom down. It would probably take two cable car bodies to make one long enough---however---that second body can be one of these...



















The castings are the same as the Bachmann ones (pirated?).


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## Artieiii

tkruger said:


> I do not know if this would work but here are a few ideas I have. Is it possible to hide an N scale drive line in there just add larger wheels? What about steeling a truck from a Bachmann 40 tonner? I have one and it has a separate motor for each truck.


tkruger,
Not sure exactly what you mean by a "Bachmann 40 tonner". Can you send me a link to show me what you mean or a picture of yours with and without the body? 
I am sure an N scale drive line would fit in there but the wheels would be too narrow for the HO scale tracks plus the wheels would be really tiny. I'm not sure how to make that idea work.

Thanks for the suggestions. I will stop at my LHS on sunday and ask the owner if he has any suggestions.
-Art


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## Artieiii

shaygetz said:


> The Bachmann cars are motorized in the open seat section, it is self contained and clips out, much like a battery pack. The one you see pulled thru the neighborhood on his show was kitbashed from an old TYCO HO trolley. It was not motorized like the larger one and was pulled across the set via a fishing line attached to a stick under the set. The builder did this because there was no way to motorize it without interfering with the seats.


Shaygetz,
If the motorized unit is narrow enough I might be able to make the seats go from the outer edge of the car up to to motor unit on each side. That might work. The seats would not go all the way across the car but that would still give me the open air look I am after. At $25 for a Bachmann trolley car, it might be worth a try. It would be nice to wire up a headlight and tail light as well as lights in the roof below the "Neighborhood Trolley" sign. Thanks for your suggestions.
-Art


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## Artieiii

tkruger said:


> I do not know if this would work but here are a few ideas I have. Is it possible to hide an N scale drive line in there just add larger wheels? What about steeling a truck from a Bachmann 40 tonner? I have one and it has a separate motor for each truck.


 Is this what you mean tkruger (Bachmann SD-40-2)?








That could work with a cable car body modified to look like the Mr Rogers trolley.
-Art


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## tkruger

Artieiii said:


> Is this what you mean tkruger (Bachmann SD-40-2)?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> That could work with a cable car body modified to look like the Mr Rogers trolley.
> -Art


I miss typed, It is a 44, not 40. The following link has a variety of them: http://www.wig-wag-trains.com/Bachmann-Pages/Bachmann_GE-44Ton_Page.htm. They were sold in both dual and single motor versions. My is currently packed away since I am re doing the switch yard area.


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## tkruger

Sorry, I linked to an N scale page. The HO looks the same.


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## Artieiii

I decided to buy the Bachmann cable car for $24.99 plus shipping. When it arrives I will be able to see what I have to work with.
-Art


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## gc53dfgc

useing an N scale drive system should work. You would just need to switch out the axles and wheels with the proper sized ones. It also won't be able to take major inclines with an N scale drive ssytem most likely.


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## shaygetz

Here's what you'll get...










...I think you'll be pleased with it, it runs quite well for it's size actually.


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## Artieiii

Shaygetz,
That should work nicely. I will only be able to have a single seat on either side of the engine bay but the other side of the car should be able to accommodate the full row of bench seats. Does the cable car have a headlight and tail light? A few days of modifications and I should be off the the magic kingdom LOL BTW thanks for the pics.
-Art


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## shaygetz

You're welcome...no, it's not lighted, but it wouldn't be very difficult to do, the contacts are easy to access.


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## Artieiii

shaygetz said:


> You're welcome...no, it's not lighted, but it wouldn't be very difficult to do, the contacts are easy to access.


The trolley is scheduled to be delivered today. I also ordered some LED lights with built in resistors and a diode bridge which should make the job a bit easier for me as I am solder challenged LOL.
-Art


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## gunrunnerjohn

Which LED's did you order? Do they just have resistors, or do they have diodes as well?


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## Artieiii

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Which LED's did you order? Do they just have resistors, or do they have diodes as well?


They include diodes as well.....the advertisement says ready to hook up. Good for AC, DC or DCC. Pics coming soon, I spent several hours working on the trolley. The lights will be added when they come in the mail (if I don't have too much trouble hooking them up).
-Art


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## Artieiii

*Mission Accomplished!*

Here are some pics of my Mr. Rogers trolley project. I used a dremel to remove parts of the cab, made a sign for the roof and painted it red and black. Sorry for the bad photos I had to use my camera phone.
Before:








After:








It's not perfect but I think pretty good for a first attempt. I realize now just how small HO scale is to work on.
-Art


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## tooter

Hey Art, 

That is truly an amazing transformation. 
It's inspiring to see your concept become reality... 

Greg


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## tjcruiser

It's going to be ...

"A beautiful day in this neighborhood ..."

... with great progress like that!!!


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## Artieiii

*Better Pictures*



tjcruiser said:


> It's going to be ...
> 
> "A beautiful day in this neighborhood ..."
> 
> ... with great progress like that!!!


TJcruiser as Fred Rogers would say "I like the way you say that" LOL
I got out my good camera for some better photos:thumbsup:.
















Time to go off the the magic kingdom!
-Art


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## Artieiii

I ordered some LED's but I have no idea where I could hide the wires, I may have to use them to light my truss bridge.
-Art


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## sstlaure

I'd color the wires black and just run them along the inside edge of the body or just underneath it.

Maybe add a little clear red film in the windows of the cupola. Looking at it you could also remove the pillars on either end that support the roof (cut off along upper/lower window edges) and put in a small thin piece of clear window film along the curve.

Not sure how thick those side pillars are, but you could also add metal grab wires near the seats.

Here's the side by side.....looking great.


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## Artieiii

Scott, 
I agree lights in the cupola with red film would be great. I was thinking the same thing. This model is so damn small though If I try to add a headlight and taillight and 2 cupola lights the thing is gonna be full of wires! It also could use some additional weight in the floor, it does allot of slipping on the tracks. I appreciate the input.
-Art


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## sstlaure

Don't even know if you need to light the cupola. I was only thinking head/taillights. I think the clear red film would finish the top off nicely. Oh yeah...just noticed the bottom below the pillars is all black (vs. red) You could even hand paint the brown on the sides of the seats exposed around the pillars.

One of these days I'm going to do a project like this.


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## gunrunnerjohn

Perhaps inside you could just run a small tube down from the light location to the floor and paint it to match the rest of the car.

Looking great, what a difference from where you started!


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## Artieiii

If anyone is interested here are the steps I took for this project.








-Art


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## Artieiii

*Soldering Retardation*

Well I got my LED lights for my trolley mounted 1 in the cupola, 2 in the passenger compartment and one in the front of the trolley. I got the wires pretty well hidden in the cab then tried to solder the wires to the engine pickups. Well after multiple failed attempts I managed to overheat the engine and now it won't run . Today I looked online and Bachmann sells a replacement for $15 so I will order one. 

I knew my soldering skills were poor but I thought I could make 2 simple connections. Today at work I looked online for soldering tutorials and apparently I made every mistake in the book. 
1. parts not properly cleaned
2. did not "tin" the tip of my iron
3. heated the solder not the parts
4. tip of iron not kept clean
5. did not "tin" the parts
6. overheated my project
7. too much movement of the parts
I will practice on the broken engine before the new part arrives. 
-Solder Challenged LOL


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## sstlaure

That sucks. I highly recommend using soldering flux as well. Causes the solder to flow into the joint much better.


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## gunrunnerjohn

Keep at it, just following those steps will help a bunch! 

Soldering is a bit of an art, once you catch on, it goes pretty smoothly. Some of those tips aren't 100% correct, don't put yourself in a straightjacket. For instance, I normally apply heat to the joint and then feed the solder in to allow it to flow and heat up the joint. Many times, applying heat only to the joint is difficult to actually get things soldered. Remember, a little solder goes a long ways, you just want to parts secured, you don't need a huge blob of solder on the connection. Normally with my connections, you can see the individual wires, they're just all coated with solder.

I use rosin core solder, the only time I use flux is doing plumbing work with acid flux. Another key is to buy really find solder, find the stuff made for circuit boards. It's easier to do a proper job.


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## Artieiii

I just placed my order for a new engine from bachmann to replace the one I ruined. Hopefully I will be able to post a pic of my trolley with lighting in a few days.
-Art


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## sstlaure

I just saw an ad for what looked like a self-powered truck (not vehicle, but RR engine truck) The motor was tiny and fairly self-contained within the truck. It looked like it would be perfect to make a streetcar. (Can't find the stupid ad now)


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## Artieiii

sstlaure said:


> I just saw an ad for what looked like a self-powered truck (not vehicle, but RR engine truck) The motor was tiny and fairly self-contained within the truck. It looked like it would be perfect to make a streetcar. (Can't find the stupid ad now)


I think you mean this stanton drive unit. I considered it but the whole cable car from bachmann was only $25. A stanton drive is like $85.
http://www.nwsl.com/motors-power-drives/stanton-drive
-Art


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## sstlaure

Yep....that's the one. Neat little drive unit though and DCC Ready.


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## Artieiii

too pricy for this small project. Plus there is NO room in that itty bitty cable car. I barely have room to hide the wires and the diode bridge thingy. There is no way I could fit a DCC decoder in there. It would be sweet if it would make the Mr Rogers trolley sounds though LOL.
-Art


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## gc53dfgc

you could easily fit a DCC decoder in there. I could put a Z scale one in that would run the motor and lights all seperatly and still be unseen.


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## Artieiii

gc53dfgc said:


> you couls easily fit a DCC decoder in there. I could put a Z scale one in that would run the motor and lights all seperatly and still be unseen.


I never thought of that. I will keep that in mind. Right now I am running DC only so it's not really needed. I don't mind that the lights will dim with the throttle. All of my Lionel trains have been working that way all my life. Someday I will convert to DCC. I only have 3 HO engines that don't have dual controllers including the trolley.
-Art


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## gunrunnerjohn

My Lionel trains all have constant intensity lights, they all run on 18V all day.


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## gc53dfgc

I thought this was an HO scale trolley? If so how did O scale trains get brought into it?


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## gunrunnerjohn

gc53dfgc said:


> I thought this was an HO scale trolley? If so how did O scale trains get brought into it?


You can get the same thing with HO, that was my point.


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## Artieiii

*Mr Rodger's Trolley with LED lights*









Ok, I got my replacement engine and worked on my soldering technique and here it is. HO version of Mr Roger's Neighborhood Trolley (DC). It came out pretty good I think for my first kitbashing project. Sorry for the bad picture...I hate camera phones!. I put 1 light in the cupola, 2 in the passenger compartment and 1 as a headlight. 
-Art


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## gunrunnerjohn

Great job, glad you got the lights working.

Looks good, a bit fuzzy. I'm sure that's not the actual trolley.  I use a cheap digital camera, but it's far better than camera phones for pictures.

I'll bet your soldering is improving a bit as well, nothing like an expensive lesson to make it sink in.


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## tjcruiser

Art,

Great fun! Fred Rogers would be proud!

TJ


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## BigMike350

I'm building one right now out of a g scale Bachmann streetcar, but the site won't load my pics....


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## Ace

In my neighborhood Mr Rogers runs an unmodified cable car.


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## DonR

BigMike350 said:


> I'm building one right now out of a g scale Bachmann streetcar, but the site won't load my pics....



Have you read these instructions for posting pics?

http://www.modeltrainforum.com/showthread.php?t=2595

Don


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## gunrunnerjohn

With only one post, the new poster limits may have kicked in.


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## shaygetz

Nice work...I eventually finished mine, using two cable car shells spliced together...



















Those cable car mechs are quite versatile, and made a great power unit for my Burro crane bash as well...


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## BigMike350

http://ogrforum.ogaugerr.com/topic/mister-rogers-trolley?reply=57742617919083328#57742617919083328

My photos are posted in a comment towards the end of the discussion and I'm about to update what little I was able to get done today


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## BigMike350

Looks like I may finally get to post one. Here's how it sits now. Just gotta do bumpers, finish the seats, install handrails, then prime, paint, assemble, and off to the neighborhood of make-believe lol. I just tracked my last two packages (straight track pieces, and a toggle switch) and they are still set to come today, on King Friday the 13th. Was expecting one more but it came a day early


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## BigMike350

*Finished*

I have been trying since Sunday to post this. My phone apparently doesn't comprehend this site. Anyways, I finished. And I've decided to hold off on building the bench for now, but within the next 48-72 hours I WILL have the track done in the same layout behind my couch. Just gonna have the "tunnel" on one side, where it will be stored out of the sun beating down from that window. Will build a control box to set next to the couch, rather than built into the side. 
Here's the first test from right after I finished. That's how the track will be laid behind the couch, but a few feet longer run. Feel free to share and comment on the video.


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## gunrunnerjohn

Very cool, you need a couple of kids and Mr. Rogers at the controls.


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