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4.28.2005

wiggly jiggly



Moffett Models custom made this great Sn42 kit for the local Newfoundland modellers group. It represents a 25T ore car from the Buchans Railway (later ASARCo.) used to carry lead and zinc concentrates. The cars were known as "wiggly jigglies" as they were unstable at higher speeds.

An unfortunate mishap rendered the masters unusable for future moulds, and we wore out the initial RTV moulds making nearly 60 of these little cars. They are amazingly accurate, having been made from the original erection drawings. The kit included sprung (working!) Andrews trucks. The short wheelbase does make the cars act like the prototype; they do wiggle back and forth on the track.

The wonky looking grab irons on this example were my attempt to duplicate the look of the original's oddly shaped fittings. My remaining units will be assembled slightly differently. Certainly none of the in-service units had metalwork that was this "pristine" and flat. I shall have to find a reliable way to "beat up and dent" the resin castings without rendering them unusable.

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