Victor Shattock
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The late Victor Shattock of Oakland, CA. Founder of the Golden Gate Live Steamers in 1936. "Vic" was regarded as the "Dean of Live Steam" in the Western United States. He built an extensive 2 1/2-inch gauge railway layout in the basement of his home that operated on steam like the real thing. The layout had switches, yards, turntable, signal system, bridges and was enjoyed by thousands of visitors for many years!
Lester Friend of Danvers, MA who was a pioneer in offering live steam locomotive kits to interested live steam hobbyists visited the 19th Annual IBLS meet in Oakland, CA in September-1951 along with Carl Purinton. In this photo taken in Vic Shattock's basement are: (left to right) Frank Dee, Vic Shattock, Lester D. Friend, Fred Braasch and Harold Collins.
Fact Sheet
VICTOR SHATTOCK’s BASEMENT RAILROAD
Oakland, California
Location: 1877- 38th Avenue, corner of Foothill Blvd; Fruitvale District—Oakland…
Total trackage: Approx. 400 feet.
Scale and Track Gauge: ½ inch scale; 1/24th full size; 2 ½ inch gauge.
(Known in the United Kingdom officially as “Gauge Three”)
Fuel: Denatured Alcohol (wood alcohol)
(Known in the United Kingdom officially as “Methylated Spirits”)
Burner Method: Vaporizing Burner of Vic Shattock’s personal design.
Boiler construction: Standard fire-tube boiler construction (all copper) using staybolts
Asbestos boiler lagging, and other accessories.
Boiler pressure (operating): 85 to 100 psi …
Feed Water: Axle-driven pumps; Horizontal feed water pump, steam operated.
Lubrication: Steam cylinder oil via Mechanical Lubricator
Direction of travel: Standard johnson bar in the cab on engineer’s side.
Throttle control: Manual… Throttle handle extended just a little thru the cab roof.
Radio Control: NO… Not available…
Locomotives:
TWO (2) 2-8-2 “Mikados” : # 3217 and # 3254
TWO (2) 4-6-2 “Pacifics” : # 2422 I and # 2422 II (# I built in 1929)
ONE (1) 2-8-0 “Consolidation” # 2753
ONE (1) 0-6-0 “SP Switch Engine” # 1207 (Stolen from basement in 1946)
Rolling Stock:
Twenty-two (22) freight cars of various types.
One (1) Central Pacific “Harriman-style” Chair Car (coach)
One Turntable: SP 110-foot common standard (55 inches long) containing 2500 rivets.
Three tunnels
One ballast deck trestle
One steel girder bridge
Two signal bridges
Three two-track stub end yards
Twelve turnouts plus One double-slip switch
Roundhouse with Five(5) stalls and electrically operated turntable.
One water column standpipe (operational)
One water tank with spout in Roundhouse (operational)
Fully automatic block signal system
Notable Guests and other visitors:
Various Southern Pacific Officers
Various Southern Pacific Division Managers
Al Kalmbach, Publisher, Model Railroader
Linn Westcott, Editor, Model Railroader
Bill Walthers, The Walthers Company
John Allen, Gorre & Daphetid RR, Monterey, CA.
Eddie “Rochester” Anderson (Jack Benny Show)
Walt Disney
Dick Bagley, Publisher, The Miniature Locomotive
Whit Towers, Editor, NMRA Bulletin
Bob Bast, NMRA
Various civic, school district, and other community leaders
News Media (various)
Movietone News
Lloyd Combs, Professional film maker…
Ray Maker, Amusement Park Train builder
Billy Jones, Los Gatos
Louis McDermott, Overfair Railway builder
Charles “Budge” Garbett, local oldtime modelmaker
Rollin J. Lobaugh, Model Railroad Manufacturer
Jack Collier, Jack Collier’s “Toys for Men”, Oakland.
Walter I. Brown, founding member, Eastbay Model Engineers Society
Plus hundreds and hundreds of other visitors.
All railroad locomotives, rolling stock and accessories totally “scratchbuilt” from raw
materials in Victor Shattock’s workshop… No kits of any kind were used…
Notable Events:
Founding location and Headquarters: Golden Gate Live Steamers (1936)
National Convention Layout Tour (NMRA)-- Oakland, CA. (1947)
Radio Appearance: The Old Craftsman, KFRC, San Francisco (1938)
Radio Appearance: Hobby Lobby, New York City (1938)
In the 1940’s , Victor Shattock and his friend and fellow club member, Walter Brown,
were National Co-Chairmen of the NMRA’s “Live Steam Standards Committee” …
Victor Shattock was employed by the Southern Pacific Railroad for thirty-six years !
(1923—1959)
Within the railroad’s maintenance of way department (Western Division) he was the “Water Service Foreman” (railroad plumbing//HVAC) ,
responsible for anything on the railroad having to do with plumbing, HVAC, tinsmithing, train and ferryboat fueling, and so forth.
He was a member of the Brotherhood of Maintenance-of-Way Employees (BMWE) and was Secretary—Treasurer of Subordinate Lodge #407
at West Oakland. He was also Division Grievance Chairman and Asst.Chairman of the Pacific Federation.
I hope these facts about Victor T. Shattock are helpful in some way. He died in Alameda, CA in April-1974 at the age of eighty-seven years…
Bibliography
- "An Alcohol Burner for Live Steam Locomotives" by Victor T. Shattock, "The Modelmaker", Feb-Mar 1939 --- Page 87
- "A Denatured Alcohol Burner” for 2 ½” gauge locomotives operated by Steam" by Victor T. Shattock, "The Miniature Locomotive", Mar-Apr 1953, Page 19
- "Piston Packing" by Vic Shattock (‘’Out in the Tool Shed’’ Dept.) "The Miniature Locomotive", Jan-Feb 1954, Page 22
- "Mechanical Lubricator" by Victor T. Shattock, "The Miniature Locomotive", May-June 1952, Page 19
- "Helpful Hints" by Vic Shattock; “Split Smokebox” access, "The Miniature Locomotive" (date unreadable), Splitting the smokebox so that the top half is removable for better access to piping and feedwater/ superheater appliances
- A great photo story on Vic running in FOUR consecutive issues of "Live Steam Magazine", December 1973, January 1974, February 1974, March 1974
- "The Models of Victor Shattock", A spectacular photo story about Vic (SIX pages), "Narrow Gauge---Shortline Gazette Magazine", March/April—2007
- "Denatured Alcohol Burner", by Kenneth V. Shattock, "Live Steam Magazine", March/April 1976
- "Vic Shattock and the Golden Gate Live Steamers Part 1", Kenneth V. Shattock, Live Steam Magazine, Dec 1973
- "Vic Shattock and the Golden Gate Live Steamers Part 2", Kenneth V. Shattock, Live Steam Magazine, Jan 1974
- "Vic Shattock and the Golden Gate Live Steamers Part 3", Kenneth V. Shattock, Live Steam Magazine, Feb 1974
- "Vic Shattock and the Golden Gate Live Steamers Part 4", Kenneth V. Shattock, Live Steam Magazine, Mar 1974