Trucks at Tractor Supply

I saw them last week.  I was thinking about the Mack crane truck.  don't really have a ned but at 25% off I may find a need.

Picked up a crane and a cement mixer today. I may go back for a dump truck. Unfortunately my local store did not have (and never had) any of the bucket trucks; I would have bought all of them. I am thinking that the bucket truck may be 1/43 as I have one already that exactly matches the one in the photo above. The manager told me that they (again, my local store) never got any and probably will not. He did suggest their website, though.

I found a bucket truck at the local TSC yesterday.  Turns out it solved a problem I didn't know I had:

I was wondering how I was going to replace the bulbs in my floodlight tower

Tom

Thanks for the tip! I got there today and bought the only one left. I was really hoping to find the Mack cement mixer, but the hunt continues!! I was able to get this garbage truck for $9.60 which is a great deal.

My store was only 20% off but I grabbed the crane truck anyhow.

Tom Densel: After seeing your picture, I had to get the bucket truck.  Found a TSC 20 minutes away and they had one in stock.  Thank you for the idea.

Does anyone know the model year for these trucks?

@Tom Densel posted:

I found a bucket truck at the local TSC yesterday.  Turns out it solved a problem I didn't know I had:

I was wondering how I was going to replace the bulbs in my floodlight tower

Tom

Where did you get the figure that is in the bucket?

Nice little "scene".  The truck w/ cherry picker, working a light array- great idea.

We sometimes get lost in the weeds planning BIG upgrades, buildings etc.   

But, a small scene adds a lot of detail and interest for visitors easily in 20-30 minutes. I place them on strips of styrene that can be moved around.  I place them on small sections of track that are not used regularly for running trains. 

if you are "operating" the railroad, you could even have say a track gang (Maintenance of Way or MOW) as a delivery point on the line for flatcar loads of ties and/or rail . The train supplying them would need a crane car, several flat cars, a work caboose to go with the crane car, a gondola w/ ballast, and maybe a backhoe for transferring ballast to trackside, and a couple of pickup trucks..  Then in a yard, have a "MOW base" where the track gang gets its supplies- piles of ballast, (another) backhoe, stacks of rail and ties.  A second stop in an operating session.

(I will post pics later,but...)

- I have a Harry Truman (1948) campaign train, I have people listening to his speech- Harry and Bess on the "porch" of the Observation car.  The speech location moves around from scene to scene.

Any other ideas??

That scene is wonderful @Tom Densel! Since on the subject of MOW, has anybody ever seen or know if the pickup trucks fitted with train wheels (that I see CSX using all the time around WV) have ever been made or if someone has modeled them???

@Bob Paris posted:

Where did you get the figure that is in the bucket?

Good question.  I've had that figure for over 20 years.  Possibly Plasticville or K-line.  I do remember it was plain pink plastic that I painted.

Tom

@Mike Wyatt posted:

But, a small scene adds a lot of detail and interest for visitors easily in 20-30 minutes. I place them on strips of styrene that can be moved around.  I place them on small sections of track that are not used regularly for running trains.

I really like the idea of moveable scenes. I can see moving things around once in a while giving new life to the layout. Can't have the cops always arresting a guy outside the bowling alley after all. Stuff happens at the pool hall, too.

@LT1Poncho, I have put decorative hyrail wheels on a couple trucks. I used stiff wire and the roller wheels from cassette tapes cut in half.

I have a pickup too, but it is packed away right now.

Thanks for the heads up. I was planning a trip out to my "local" Tractor Supply to get some chick starter grit. The trucks sound like winners.

@Ross, great idea! Thanks for the response and photos. I’m gonna try fitting some wheels on a truck this weekend. I was thinking of 3D printing a set of smaller train wheels to provide the illusion. Yours look great!

A close-up of Hi-Rail equipment on an NS pickup:

Note that the rear tires actually "ride" on the rail and propel the truck.

As an aside, what ever the speedometer shows in MPH, that is what speed it is traveling at; a friend and I were on an authorized inspection trip on the line to Atlantic City, NJ (long before Amtrak and no trains had used it for several years) and he had the thing up at least 65 mph; far above any rule book speed restrictions. We asked him to slow down (no measurable result) and then I had a brilliant idea; I asked if I could drive. "Sure." he said; we switched and 25 to 30 mph was the result; I remembered that figure from some rule book that I had read. All-in-all, it was a fun weekend. BTW, end result of the inspection trip was that there was not enough industry on the line to justify a return of freight service.

Here is a photo of the front end of a hyrail pick up truck.

Thank you @PRRMP54 and @Ross for the photos and insight. I have found my next project!

I am thrilled to find this topic. I bought 8 of the dump trucks for my Cleveland Collin-wood coaling facility. I know they are not period correct but we don't care about prototype here in the rust belt. I have included some pictures of them weathered. 4 inbound with coal loads I installed, and a few outbound after dumping.I plan on getting some figures of the guys standing around shooting the shi$$ while waiting to go in.See what you think.I love these tractor supply trucks!

Nick