Railroad Forums 

  • Bob Darwin and his Tenshodo Big Boy

  • Discussion related to everything about model railroading, from layout design and planning, to reviews of related model tools and equipment. Discussion includes O, S, HO, N and Z, as well as narrow gauge topics. Also includes discussion of traditional "toy train" and "collector" topics such as Lionel, American Flyer, Marx, and others. Also includes discussion of outdoor garden railways and live steamers.
Discussion related to everything about model railroading, from layout design and planning, to reviews of related model tools and equipment. Discussion includes O, S, HO, N and Z, as well as narrow gauge topics. Also includes discussion of traditional "toy train" and "collector" topics such as Lionel, American Flyer, Marx, and others. Also includes discussion of outdoor garden railways and live steamers.

Moderators: 3rdrail, stilson4283, Otto Vondrak

 #1405061  by centennial
 
In 1962 Bob Darwin wrote a series of articles in Model Railroader magazine about superdetailing a HO scale Tenshodo Big Boy. His efforts produced a model that is still unsurpassed (in my humble opinion) even by the later brass offerings by manufacturers such as Precision Scale. I marvelled at his supernatural skill and patience. The model featured, for example, a self-centering front truck that used a roller bearing acting on a ramp to effect the self-centering action. It was eye-popping in every aspect.

In 1987, he would write a definitive and wonderful book on the Union Pacific in Cheyenne.

Does anyone know what happened to Bob Darwin and his superdetailed Big Boy?