Ken,

 

Thank you for all the series of pixes. Thank you VERY much for the one of the spring on the pilot. I've read and read of those, but never found a picture. And here is is. That info must come under the 'everybody knows' header, but your picture was worth a whole article, and the only one I've ever seen. Now I understand better what I've read.

 

Les W.

 

Thanks, Steve!

 

At the moment, I'm planning on asking Stan to make the decals for me.  I haven't yet, because I haven't figured out exactly what I want, or even how big things like the tender will be.  As soon as I have the basics down, I'll see what he can cook up for me.

And the non-denominational, pan-dimensional omnipotent being said "Let there be light!"  And it was done.

 

 

Obviously, it's far from completed, but It's nice to have something there.

 

Those are scrap styrene pegs holding it in place at the moment.  I'll paint everything when it's finished, and either bolt it in place or glue with epoxy.

 

The reflector and bulb are from a mini Mag-light.  I made a plug to fill the hole in the center of the reflector, then drilled new holes top and bottom, for the bulb and chimney.  I've got a small glass tube which will be cut to length and glued in place as a chimney once it's time to assemble everything.  My next task is to make the top and chimney cap.

 

By the way, is anyone familiar enough with the original model (B'mann 0-4-0 side tanker) to know what current the motor draws?  I'm thinking that as small as it is, I could get away with an HO DCC decoder rated at 1 amp or so.  I know that some of them have voltage limitations, which might be an issue, but is the current rating even worth bothering with?

I made a little more progress tonight, while recuperating from a hard day of work laying flooring.  The project of the day is driver centers.  I really didn't like the ones that came on the model (why did almost every part of that thing look toy-like, anyway?), and I accidentally destroyed them while trying to remove them.  So, with nothing to lose, I started in.  Here's the result:

 

The new one is on the left, and still needs a little clean-up and putty.  I'll probably also make some counterweight sections to fit between the spokes, just to add a little more detail.  What doesn't show in the photo is that the ring around the crank pin is actually raised above the rest of the wheel by a millimeter or so.  The red inside is from the red paint that was on the wheel, since I glued everything up in place to be sure it would fit.  That decision caused a moment's trouble, when I realized I'd have to very carefully remove the new creation without destroying it as well.  If you look closely, you can see that the rim and spokes are tapered, which I hope will give them a much finer look on the finished product.

 

I've made up my mind, I'll be casting these, using the one I just made as a master.  There are just too many finicky pieces to bother making 4 identical parts.  I'm thinking I'll make a plaster mold and cast them in lead, to get a little extra weight.  Besides, I've got the stuff, and elad casting is pretty easy - if I can get it to flow into the thin sections.  I may also try casting them in resin, or asking someone else to cast them for me.  While I'm at it, anybody else need a few?

Frustration...

 

Sigh My attempt at making a plaster mold didn't go so well.

In retrospect, I should have known better. The master had some spots with negative relief, and there was very little positive relief anywhere.  There were some very thin sections.  Plus, my plaster had lots of bubbles in it.  I ended up practically destroying the mold getting the master out.  I may have been able to pour lead anyway, and simply clean up the casting, but it wasn't the greatest to begin with.

Like so many of the parts on this engine, I'm having to make 2 for every 1 good one.  In this case, hopefully I'll be able to make 4 (no casting this time) after the lesson of one bad one.

 

I know I can get there, it's just frustrating having to back up and start over.

I've been getting a little done here and there, I promise.  No pictures yet, but I'll post some as soon as I have something to show.

 

My first attempt at a driver center was a failure (yet another lesson in how NOT to make a part), so I sat down tonight to start over.  Just as I was about to cut some styrene strips and bend them to form the rim, I glanced at the original Bachmann parts.  The front is ugly, but the back is almost exactly what I was about to make!  They're even made of styrene, or some plastic that solvent welds like styrene.  Out comes the saw, and in about 30 seconds, the protrusions at the centers were cut off.  I sanded & filed the old counterweights down flush with the faces, and glued the new crank pin rings in place.  Next, I'll add in the two missing spokes (where the old counterweight was located), make a "bell crank" plate to cover the center hole and extend to the new crank pin rings, and round off the edges.  Finally, I'll mount new counterweights and it's off to paint!

 

In other news, The cab is coming along nicely.  I've cleaned up some of the openings, added trim, and puttied the corners.  All that's left is to make a protective plate at the front, to protect it from the heat of the boiler, and paint it.

 

Also, I've decided to glue my headlight bracket in place on the smokebox.  The headlight will slide on from the top.

 

And finally, I've found a plan for a tender.  It's a Mason design for a standard gauge tender used on the US Military Railroad.  I find it interesting that the plan is for a standard gauge engine, but it's printed at a scale which makes the wheels the same diameter as the ones I have on hand.  The only thing I'll change is the height of the tank.  Does anybody know what an appropriate height would be for a tender tank?

Hey Kenneth,

I have some NG loco drawings you can use, one in particular which would be appropriate for this loco.  Drop me an email and I'll attach.  The Mason tender is probably not quite right for this lil loco.

 

Thanks mate,

David.

David,

 

I appreciate your suggestions!  E-mail sent, as per request.

 

Here's a quick and dirty (well, maybe not so quick...) photoshopped idea of what I have in mind for the tender.

 

Now that I see it, I'm not sure I like it.  The wheels seem a bit puny under there.  Unfortunately, I already have the wheels, so whatever tender I build will use them.  The drawing was adjusted in scale to fit these wheels.  I really like the Mason trucks, but now that I see the whole thing, something is not quite right.  Opinions and suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

I played around a little more.  Aside from the obvious, coloring the tender, I shortened the tank a bit.  I think it looks a lot better this way.

I'm thinking about putting a tool box behind the tank, instead of or in addition to tool boxes on each water leg.