For quite some time, I’ve wanted to build a low speed, high powered steam articulated mining locomotive. The power would come from 2 Hartland 0-4-0 locomotives which were selling for $49.95 on the Specials pages of their website.
We started by tearing them apart to the bare bones.
Connecting 2 power truck together,
Adding part of the Hartland boiler and reinforcing it with a piece of 2 inch ABS drain pipe,
Fitting a portion of a Bachmann 10 Wheeler boiler and cab on the frame and adding the plow.
Started the finishing process with detail pieces and parts. Adding some interest features like piping, tubing, a bell, trim, paint, lettering, flags, etc.
The time came for the unvieling and bring it out of the shops. The first showing of the fresh out of the PCSRR/Dewey Branch shops. Proudly displayed, pristine locomotive and tender have been turned over to the Mining and Lumber Division of the PCSRR.
The bright, clean locomotive and tender started the day by hooking up 11 heavily loaded log cars, 3 flat cars, (2 empty and one carrying the shell of an old 0-4-0 steam locomotive) and a caboose.
The 2 Hartland trucks are powered from the tender using an Aristo Craft Li-ion 21.5 Volt battery, a QSI decoder programmed with steam sounds and cam chuff to provide positive chuff with the rotation of the wheels.
Removable coal load off to show quick change battery placement…..
The guts of the power are shown here with the QSI decoder at the back of the tender and the G-wire receiver along side the battery. The 2 bare wires showing at the top of the tender are connected when programming the QSI decoder. A SPST toggle will be installed when they arrive from the supplier.
After a day of running through the mining and logging sections of the PCSRR, the locomotive really changed. The logging crew added chains, rope and generally got the locomotive filthy…. Full consist after a long day….
Front view with plow showing the LED Warm White headlight.
Closer inspection shows how the locomotive was weathered and “abused” in it’s first day of service.
Locomotive and tender weathering.
Then the tender with all the stuff the loggers threw on her. Just don’t get no respect, no how…
Front of tender………
Then from the rear
MLS has been a wonderful influence to get my mind working to put this locomotive together. The first hint of desire to do something like this came, those many years ago when Bob Baxter posted the images of his wonderful model, PEE WEE…..
Many thanks to all for your input.
This locomotive/tender combination is a fine, reliable, powerful model bash that will run upwards of 6 hours per battery charge. We just replace the battery and keep running.
