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I made this new cab for Lanakila and mounted it, then I thought; Wow! that looks great, but the tender still looks wrong /DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/sad.gif
Its suppose to look like this, with the long hand rail and the steps front and back.
So, I bent me some long hand rails out of 3/64" brass tubing, and bought some cool trackside steps that would only require minimal modifications and started to mount the steps when I noticed, that the original tender platform over hands the side beams a good 6 scale inches, but the modern tender, fitted for oil runs flush and in addition to running flush, the deck isn't solid but has some huge spaces between each plank.
Never one to leave well enough alone, I built this out of some old cedar and Popsicle sticks. Sorry, I couldn't wash the chocolate out of them, but what the heck, it'll be painted and covered by my rc stuff.
The only images I have of Lanakila are not clear enough to make out the bolt patterns so I did the best I could and admit that they maybe off in alignment as well as spacing. But it looks much closer now.
And since it looks so much closer to the original, I decided on some other modifications. That rear step needs to be replaced with something sturdier. The tool box lids need to have a better
hinging system hat just some bendable plastic, and the boxes themselves need to look more like wood instead of a non determinable material.
I was also inspired by the thread about the home made pin couplers. The way all model trains couple the tender (even my O and HO trains) is a major pane because you have to lift the tender a little to fit it on the engines draw bar. I decided, I'm going to use a home made pin coupler but with a slight twist; I'm going to spring load it so that I can pull up on the pin then push the tender coupler over the loco draw bar and let the pin drop into the hole in the draw bar with the spring providing a stead downward pressure to make sure the pin doesn't rattle free.
Hopefully this will be as simple as I imagine it to be

Its suppose to look like this, with the long hand rail and the steps front and back.
So, I bent me some long hand rails out of 3/64" brass tubing, and bought some cool trackside steps that would only require minimal modifications and started to mount the steps when I noticed, that the original tender platform over hands the side beams a good 6 scale inches, but the modern tender, fitted for oil runs flush and in addition to running flush, the deck isn't solid but has some huge spaces between each plank.
Never one to leave well enough alone, I built this out of some old cedar and Popsicle sticks. Sorry, I couldn't wash the chocolate out of them, but what the heck, it'll be painted and covered by my rc stuff.

The only images I have of Lanakila are not clear enough to make out the bolt patterns so I did the best I could and admit that they maybe off in alignment as well as spacing. But it looks much closer now.

And since it looks so much closer to the original, I decided on some other modifications. That rear step needs to be replaced with something sturdier. The tool box lids need to have a better
hinging system hat just some bendable plastic, and the boxes themselves need to look more like wood instead of a non determinable material.
I was also inspired by the thread about the home made pin couplers. The way all model trains couple the tender (even my O and HO trains) is a major pane because you have to lift the tender a little to fit it on the engines draw bar. I decided, I'm going to use a home made pin coupler but with a slight twist; I'm going to spring load it so that I can pull up on the pin then push the tender coupler over the loco draw bar and let the pin drop into the hole in the draw bar with the spring providing a stead downward pressure to make sure the pin doesn't rattle free.
Hopefully this will be as simple as I imagine it to be
