The Buddy "L" Outdoor railroad is Non-electric, Non mechanical. Here's a Buddy "L" that will keep you busy in the backyard for hours, days, yes months, You can build your own railroad as complete as a regular one. Notice the locomotive and tender and did you ever see a toy more real looking; the cars just like the big ones. The track is made of regular rolled section, true in proportion to rail used on regular railroads. You can get curved track, switches, cross-overs, in fact everything needed for a layout in your own backyard. You can sit on the cars and go scooting around. Be the president of your own railroad. Think of the hours of fun you and your buddies can put in building miniature cities and operating your own railroad. Buddy "L" toy trains were not electric or powered like other toy train manufacturers like Lionel Trains or American Flyer Trains.

Buddy "L" Steam Locomotive with Tender - No 1000

This model locomotive is a faithful reproduction on the big compounders used in the fast freight service. The big drivers are 3" in diameter with big steel axels. The cab is 4" long by 5 1/2" high with 2" canopy. Boiler is 4" in diameter by 17 1/2 in long with 5" in hinged door firebox and 1 1/2" diameter stack. It is completely equipped with domes, air tanks, whistle, brass bell, running boards, steps, headlight engine couplers, cowcatcher, brass rail trim. Dimensions: Length 26 1/2"; height, 9 1/2' ; width 7".

Buddy "L" Boxcar No. 1002

Regular Merchandise Type with 3 1/3" Sliding door on each side. 1 1/4" steel ladder on sides and ends. Finished with body boxcar red; trucks black. Dimensions: Length 22'; height, 7 1/2"; width, 6 1/2".

Buddy "L" Locomotive Railroad Pile driver No 1022

 A very true-to-life reproduction of the large outfits used by railroads in sinking piling for bridges,
trusties, embankments, etc.

OPERATION: The guide mast is hinged and while outfit is traveling, mast rests in horizontal position on top of cab—arriving on the job, the mast is lifted to a vertical position by means of hind wheel Cab is now turned on bed of car, by Tiller wheel, until weight is directly above piling—windlass now draws weight to top of Guide mast—trip releases and drops weight with a bang—striking the piling and driving it into the ground.
GUIDE MAST is 20” long, 2¾” wide and 1 “ thick with 1’2” weight-groove, 1” cable sheave and bumper stop at bottom to keep weight enclosed in guide grooves, and is hinged and supported by heavy steel frame.
HOISTING WINDLASS is operated by hand crank and has special clutch release and brake so as to control weight stroke. CAB is 912” long and 5’/2” wide with steel floor and corrugated steel roof and turns in a complete circle on car bed by hand tiller wheel. BOILER is 2’ 2 in diameter, 9’/2” high with hinged fire door and
dome type stack. CAR has steel platform 17” long, 51,4” wide and oscillating type trucks with 2” flanged wheels, steel axles, spring boxings and draw bar type couplers. During operation of driver, car platform is locked to track with adjustable chain clips and supported by telescoping extension beams. FINISHED in two coats black enamel with red cab roof and trim. DIMENSIONS: Length 23”, width 7’2” (13¼ with supports extended), height 23”, weight 21 pounds.

Buddy "L" Locomotive Shovel Number 1023

Built just like the big railroad shovels that dig their way through hills so as make a road bed. The shovel is 2 1/2 x 2 3/4 x 2 1/4" deep with 1" digging teeth and automatic dump door lock. Movements of shovel are controlled by crank and fitted with double set of clutches.

Buddy "L" Railroad Dredge no. 1021
Every railroad has a fleet of locomotive Dredges operating to supply materials for keeping the road bed in good shape and also for digging or building new right-of-way for extensions. This Buddy “L” model is a reproduction of one of the big outfits.
OPERATION. Lower the grab bucket— turn the windlass and bucket closes and up comes the load. Turn the tiller wheel and cab turns around on car platform to desired location—pull a cord and bucket opens and drops the load exactly where it is wanted. THE BOOM is all steel and is easily controlled by heavy ratchet type windlass. BUCKET is clam shell type, all steel, 3’/2” long, 35/s” wide and 2” deep with 33/4” jaw opening. It has strong steel hinges and fittings. CAB has solid steel floor with rein forced and corrugated steel roof and turns in a complete circle on car bed by means of hand tiller wheel. EQUIPMENT includes miniature steel boiler, fire box, double drum hoist with ratchet lock, L-rake, clutch, cable, etc. CAR is built with steel platform 17” long and 5’/2” wide, which during operation of dredge is locked to rails with chain clips and supported by telescoping extension beams. It is equipped with oscillating type bricks with steel axles, flanged wheels, couplers, etc. FINISHED in two coats of black enamel ‘with red cab roof and trim. DIMENSIONS: Length, with boom ex tended, 34”, width with supports extended 131/2, height with boom up 23”, weight 21 pounds.

Buddy “L” Locomotive Wrecking Crane
Number 1020
Wrecks are bound to happen on all railroads so the Buddy ~L” model railroad
must have its locomotive wrecking crane copied after the big ones.
OPERATION arriving at the scene of the wreck, the big boom is swung into position by turning the cab in a circle on the bed of car—the tackles are lowered and a bite taken, in two places if necessary..... Hoists are set in operation by hand cranks and the wrecked equipment is placed back on the track or loaded into cars for removal, HOISTS control all operations of boom and tackles and are properly built with clutches, brakes, ratchet locks, etc. CABLE SHEAVES are made with deep cable grooves and extra wide flanges. Tackle blocks are designed for heavy lifting and pulling. BOILER is steel 234” in diameter, 9” high with hinged fire door and dome type stack. Equipment includes coal storage water tanks, etc. CAR is standard Buddy ~‘L” work-train type with heavy steel platform with rail clios beam support, couplers, steel axles, flanged wheels, etc.
FINISHED in black enamel with red cab and roof and trim.  DIMENSIONS. Length with boom ex tended 35”, width with Beam supports closed 7”, height 23”, weight 21 pounds.

Buddy "L" Track Materials

Buddy "L" Outdoor railroad cars are built to travel on a specially constructed steel track which comes in four foot sections with the two 4" gauge 5/8 high rails welded to steel ties 6 1/2 long and 1 1/4 wide. The sections are bolted together by miniature track bolts and splices just like the big track. Curved sections are supplied in accordance with the needs of the particular Buddy "L" Division being built. We are also able to furnish steel road bed plates, steel bridge or trustle section and steel piers.

All pictures and content copyright MetalToyMuseum 2008