Post by Muleskinner on Jul 25, 2013 11:39:01 GMT -8
This model was done off of some old napkin drawings and memory of a rig described to me some years ago by a guy who in my opinion was a true to life rough and ready logger , who worked the sites from Oregon in the winter, to Alaska in the summer. His name was Ike and had a lot to do with me getting involved with the making of logging models and collecting pictures of such. He taught me a lot about the Lidgerwood's, Jammers, and just how it was done in the old days. Well one day we were sitting in Dicks place (A long gone loggers hang out in Myrtle Point) and he started describing the old trucks he used to drive when he first started out in logging. The one that really caught my attention was an old chain driven Sterling which he had driven in the first part of the fifties. When Ike talked about anything logging, he would sit and sketch as he talked on Napkins. This model came to be off some of those old napkins which I was lucky enough to save and the memory of what he told me. The truck started out as a water truck he said and the shop totally rebuilt her with Mack running gears and designed the chain drive which powered the duel wheels of both axles. Everything on this truck was shop built except for the Sterling cab and fenders.
The trailer was an old Reliance trailer which had seen its days and was rebuilt to accompany the rig and was the only thing which had water cooled brakes. That was the reason behind the small water tank stuck into the Head ache rack behind the cab. The rig also he said had only two gauges which worked and that was the reason behind the GI Jockey Can which he always carried on the left side of the truck. One of the gauges which didn't work, was the fuel gauge!! The rig he said was finally abandoned and left to the weeds of the island where he was working and as far as he knew, he went on to say its still there with her trailer and the wheels stripped off her. As I listened to him I came to realize this was a rig which deserved a lot better fate than the ravings of Mother Nature and made it a point to one day model it. I completed the Model late last night and photographed it this morning. Though Ike has long passed on to that great Logging crew in the sky, his memory will live on in this model.
The cab is a long outdated cab which I received and cropped the fenders on for this model. The frame is an old Kenworth 123 frame which I cut and modified to fit the Sterling Cab, which is extended in the rear, by adding a slip in piece of frame which I built from scratch. This had to be done , as the trailer in the carry position had to ride behind the front bunks on the rig rather than straddling them like most rigs. The bunks, Reliance trailer and grab all box under the door on the drivers side are all scratch built from Evergreen and the tires and wheels are from Ap40. I also used two old Mack chain drive systems from my chain drive grave yard for the running gear of the truck. Since Ike said the rig was diesel powered but he couldn't remember what kind of engine it had in, I chose to take an old cummins out of the Auto Car and use it. The stack is one of my standard drinking straw stacks added to the rig. I had no head lights for the unit so I made a set using Evergreen tubing and sheet plastic and Squadron Green Putty. I made the rings for the head lights and then added a gob of Putty to the back and formed it into a cone and let it dry. Once it was dry I sanded them into more perfect cones and added them to the rig.
One thing which I thought was neat on this rig when he was describing it to me was the link and pin coupler which, Ike said, was off an old narrow gauge logging cart which one of the mechanics had laying around. I had to do a little research on the Logging railroads which were around at the time and found one which matched Ikes description and scratch built it from evergreen plastic. The rig also had a signal Wig Wag mounted on the headache rack but Ike said it never worked but did look good just hanging there. I also scratch built this item and added it to the rig. The Red flag on the end if the wooden reach is made from Tissue paper and brass wire. The wooden reach itself is Evergreen square tubing panted to look like wood. The rig also has a wooden timber bumper mounted instead of the more familiar steel. Below are the results of this build as close as I could get it to the way Ike described it to me so long ago. A fitting tribute to a logger who taught me so much about the industry.
Thanks for reading my long winded story and I hope you enjoy the model.
The trailer was an old Reliance trailer which had seen its days and was rebuilt to accompany the rig and was the only thing which had water cooled brakes. That was the reason behind the small water tank stuck into the Head ache rack behind the cab. The rig also he said had only two gauges which worked and that was the reason behind the GI Jockey Can which he always carried on the left side of the truck. One of the gauges which didn't work, was the fuel gauge!! The rig he said was finally abandoned and left to the weeds of the island where he was working and as far as he knew, he went on to say its still there with her trailer and the wheels stripped off her. As I listened to him I came to realize this was a rig which deserved a lot better fate than the ravings of Mother Nature and made it a point to one day model it. I completed the Model late last night and photographed it this morning. Though Ike has long passed on to that great Logging crew in the sky, his memory will live on in this model.
The cab is a long outdated cab which I received and cropped the fenders on for this model. The frame is an old Kenworth 123 frame which I cut and modified to fit the Sterling Cab, which is extended in the rear, by adding a slip in piece of frame which I built from scratch. This had to be done , as the trailer in the carry position had to ride behind the front bunks on the rig rather than straddling them like most rigs. The bunks, Reliance trailer and grab all box under the door on the drivers side are all scratch built from Evergreen and the tires and wheels are from Ap40. I also used two old Mack chain drive systems from my chain drive grave yard for the running gear of the truck. Since Ike said the rig was diesel powered but he couldn't remember what kind of engine it had in, I chose to take an old cummins out of the Auto Car and use it. The stack is one of my standard drinking straw stacks added to the rig. I had no head lights for the unit so I made a set using Evergreen tubing and sheet plastic and Squadron Green Putty. I made the rings for the head lights and then added a gob of Putty to the back and formed it into a cone and let it dry. Once it was dry I sanded them into more perfect cones and added them to the rig.
One thing which I thought was neat on this rig when he was describing it to me was the link and pin coupler which, Ike said, was off an old narrow gauge logging cart which one of the mechanics had laying around. I had to do a little research on the Logging railroads which were around at the time and found one which matched Ikes description and scratch built it from evergreen plastic. The rig also had a signal Wig Wag mounted on the headache rack but Ike said it never worked but did look good just hanging there. I also scratch built this item and added it to the rig. The Red flag on the end if the wooden reach is made from Tissue paper and brass wire. The wooden reach itself is Evergreen square tubing panted to look like wood. The rig also has a wooden timber bumper mounted instead of the more familiar steel. Below are the results of this build as close as I could get it to the way Ike described it to me so long ago. A fitting tribute to a logger who taught me so much about the industry.
Thanks for reading my long winded story and I hope you enjoy the model.
