model train set on track

After the USSR:  Flexing the Rules

e*Train Issue: Sep 2023   |   Posted in: , ,

by Larry Good, TCA #16-72073                    Fall e*Train 2023

Has any train collector ever bent a rule?  Of course not!  (Well, maybe just a little.)  This narrative is about Pioneer, O gauge, tinplate trains made by the Moscow Cable Factory in the former Soviet Union over a half century ago.  Back then and there nobody would have dared challenge the authorities by bending Soviet rules, but we’ve escaped that, and this is a new time and a new place.

Pioneer trains, made from 1951 to 1969, did not really encourage kids’ creativity since the manufacturer allowed just one layout configuration after the first year.  For the entire 19-year production run, every set came with 7 pieces of straight track, 16 pieces of curved track, two switches, one bridge and one grade crossing… no more or no less track.  Each piece was numbered and intended to fit only in its place.  The railroad came with a wiring harness, constructed with appropriate terminals to serve this layout.  The instruction manuals explained exactly this configuration and nothing else.

Track Plan from Instruction Manual

After building and operating a couple of these layouts by the book (most recently in Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia), I finally dared to challenge the authorities.  The inside of the oval seemed empty and boring.  Yes, we could fill it with scenery or other distractions, but this is a railroad!  What if we could build a yard there?  That’s when my mind started challenging convention.

Beginning of Author’s Tbilisi Layout per Instruction Manual

My first thought was to replace two sections of straight track, one on each side of the layout, with two switches as starting points to build a yard.  But instead of replacing with a switch, I tried adding a switch on each side.  It worked!  The wiring harness was long enough that it still fed all of its terminals with slack to spare.  The blocks stayed the same, just a few inches longer.  All signals and accessories worked the same.  Best of all, this choice allowed the spurs all to be one section longer.

New Tbilisi Track Plan with Two Added Switches and Yard

That last point is the winner.  With an extra 10” section of length, each spur can hold exactly one whole Pioneer train, a notable coincidence.  There is room for six such spurs (three coming off of each side of the oval).  To complete their length, two of the spurs need a half section of track, provided by bridge ramps.  Result: Instead of stacking display shelves vertically on a wall, we can display up to six trains’ worth of rolling stock horizontally in a yard.  Moreover, the consists are all queued up, ready to roll.

New Tbilisi Layout with Yard Populated

In the pictures you will notice a row of transformers.  Two of the three variable voltage “speed controllers” give each group of spurs its own adjustable power supply.  The third speed controller is for the mainline.  The three fixed voltage “auto-transformers” are to step down the former Soviet Union’s post-1964, 220 V line voltage to operate the pre-1964 speed controllers at their rated 127 V.

Warning:  Wall sockets stayed the same after the voltage change-over, so sometimes people forget to step down the voltage.  They plug the old speed controller directly into today’s wall socket and cook the controller.  Don’t forget the auto-transformer!

Pioneer locomotives were designed with a manual, 2-way directional switch.  One position runs the unit in one direction with its corresponding headlight, and the other position does the opposite.  Fortunately, between the two positions is a dead spot where the locomotive will not run, and both headlights come on together.  This feature makes for a nice display.

For readers interested in 1:45 model cars, the parking lot inside the circle of track corrals a collection of “Siharuli” automobiles, produced in the 70s and 80s in the Republic of Georgia when it was part of the Soviet Union.  The brand name means “Joy” in the Georgian language.  This factory produced models of French, Italian and British cars; boats and other toys for the whole Soviet Union.

Getting back to the railroad, you can of course insert other manufacturers’ 3-rail switches and track for sidings since they are interchangeable with Pioneer track, and you can display anything you like in the new yard.  Suddenly Soviet Pioneer trains have become flexible!

Copyright © 2023, Larry Good