doctorwayne's Get off yer duff Challenge (Part I)

[doctorwayne]

Still plodding along with this locomotive, which right from the start was intended to be a locomotive and tender with a tender behind.

I've shown the locomotive and its tender, now here's the tender behind. It started as a standard Model Die Casting coal tender...



I added some supports, cut from .060" sheet styrene, in preparation for adding a new deck...



...then, once the cement had cured, sanded them flush with the top of the tender's sides...



I also added an extension to the front of the cistern, then topped the whole shebang with a new deck cut from more .060" sheet...



Added atop the new deck was a bead edge made from Evergreen 2"x2"HO strip styrene.
All of the rivets were sanded off the tender's body, then automotive spot putty was used to fill any blemishes and anomalies in the casting - this stuff is extremely easy to use, and I found it to be superior to similar products intended strictly for hobby use.









I also added all-wheel pick-up added to its trucks, like the main tender shown previously. I've modified the front end to extend it closer to the main tender, and added wires from the truck pick-ups to allow it to be electrically connected to the main tender and thereby, also to the locomotive. This 28-wheel pick-up should ensure electrical continuity to the motor. The trucks are from an Athearn Mikado.

Next, it was time to add some details. The front end got a brake wheel, useful on a tender which would need to be uncoupled and parked while the loco and main tender were turned on a turntable too short to accommodate all three. This was the reason the main tender was shortened in the first place, too.
I also added assorted grabirons and steps to make things a little easier for the fireman and brakeman. The platform sticking out from the front of the deck matches a similar one on the rear of the main tender - basically a stub-roofwalk to allow the fireman easy access from deck-to-deck at water stops...





Here, the auxiliary tender, at left, is coupled to the main tender, and the electrical pick-up wires plugged into the receptacles on the rear of the latter...



The rear of the tender got a scratchbuilt ladder, a back-up light from PSC, and a pilot - this one is from a Bachmann USRA Light 4-8-2, and its use here is based on a similar set-up used on two NYC Ten Wheelers operating out of St. Thomas, Ontario. Looks like I should add another horizontal handrail for anyone needing to cross-over on the endbeam, too ...



The tender deck got a music wire handrail around most of its perimeter. The handrail stanchions are Cal-Scale, while the tender hatches are from Precision Scale. The hatch rests were bent from Detail Associates .010"x.030" flat brass bar, and the stand for the back-up light was made from a piece of stamped-brass ladder stock...



Both tenders will get rivet decals applied to their sides, and the auxiliary tender will also have them applied to its deck.

Wayne