Editing Joe Crea’s Pitkin Sand & Gravel article on page 22, brought back memories and may have pushed me into doing something. One of Joe’s quarry locomotives was converted from a Regner Diesel. Joe converted his model to 1/2n2 and described it in the September/October 1993 GAZETTE.
About that time, Regner sent me a train set for review. It consisted of an 0-4-0 Diesel (Joe’s model), four gondolas, and a circle of snap track. If you are not familiar with Regner, it is a German company producing five different ½-inch scale industrial Diesels including a center cab, and two open cab models. There are also disconnected log trucks, high and low side gondolas, two little flat cars with stakes, and a small animal (stock) car.
ABOVE: This little Regner vertical boilered live steam locomotive was fun to assemble.
The models run on 30mm gauge track. They are designed to run as industrial feeder lines on LGB layouts. Flextrack and turnouts are available, and at one time, Regner made dual gauge track and turnouts for running with LGB track. Today, Regner RSSB also lists seven kits for small scale steam locomotives with adjustable gauges. I have assembled a vertical-boilered loki and had a lot of fun doing it.
Over the years, Regner sent examples of their rolling stock, but no track. I kept taking the models out and wondering what I could do with them. They are plastic with LGB type loop and hook couplers and oversize flanges. But as Joe showed me, they could be converted into nice scale models.
ABOVE: My ½-inch scale gas station needs signs, and details.
But before I could do anything, I needed track and turnouts. I just wasn’t in the mood to hand lay track, and my attempts to convert pieces of the snap track into turnouts were a disaster. So, starting with Regner, I contacted hobby shops around the world. Finally, I found a shop in England with 30 feet of flextrack, so I bought it. I could find no turnouts, so I again put everything away. A year later, the English shop emailed to say he had four left hand Regner turnouts and did I want them? I opted to buy two turnouts giving me a Diesel, cars, a partial circle of snap track, 30-feet of flextrack and two left hand turnouts. What to do?
I sketched out a little switching line with an engine shed, crossroads with a rural gas station, and some sort of sand and gravel transfer. Maybe a river barge? I even built the ½-inch scale gas station.
But I really did not have room for my switching layout and put everything away again. So maybe Joe’s quarry line will help me decide what to do and I will design, and maybe build, a line with two left hand turnouts.
—Bob Brown, Editor
