This Birney project is at a good stopping point anyway (if a project coming to a stop could ever be a good thing). I’ve done as much as I can at the moment while I’m waiting for parts orders to come in.
A very important component I’m waiting for is this: Hollywood Foundry has announced that they are putting into production a “Ready-to-go” chassis for HO 4 wheel Birneys! According to their website, this chassis will feature:
* Fixed 28mm wheelbase, suited to 8 foot wheelbase Brill 21E trucks
* Mashima 1015 motor with 15:1 gearing, both axles driven.
* Cast brass Brill 21E sideframes.
* Etched brass life preservers under both ends.
* Operations mode switching between 2 rail DC, DCC and common rail with trolley pole switched overhead.
* Provision for LED head-lamps and interior constant brightness lighting.
* Choice of HO Gauge (16.5mm) or HOm (12mm)
Perfect timing on that announcement! Any later and I would have missed it.
So it’s with some disappointment that I have to box up this project for a while. I never really gave Birney cars much thought until this one showed up on eBay for cheap. I knew that San Diego Electric Railway had Birneys on their roster, so I bid on it ~ and won! My excitement for the project grew as I researched this funny little car. Coincidentally, even my Yahoo groups HO Traction Modeling and Interurbans (and of course Birney Cars) were having a flurry of Birney topics! Then came the announcement from Hollywood Foundry! It was in the stars! I was on a real high, feeding off my infatuation of the Birney car to keep this project moving forward. So, yeah, it sucks, but I got to box it up.
The thing about boxing it up is, that it will be out-of-sight, out-of-mind. Then when the day finally arrives when the chassis shows up in the mail, I’ll open up my Birney-in-a-box and I’ll experience a renewed rush of Birney Mania, yessir! Birney Mania!!!
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