Bowser USRA Lt Mikado, Deluxe Kit build

[Bigsteel]

Josh, there is a distinction between a heavy or big mike and a USRA heavy mike. The C&O did have some "heavy" mikes...but they weren't built to the USRA Heavy design. IIRC, they had a couple of their large mikes as part of their collection prior to most of it being shipped to the B&O museum.

oh,ok.i new they had heavy mikes but i didnt know the distinction between them and the USRA mikes.so it looks like im getting the light mikes from bowser.ill have to get the C&O super power book for more detailed drawings and pictures. but while looking for models of C&O heavy mikes,thers not alot of C&O stuff out there is there? i figured there would be more in the way of locos seeing as how big C&O was.

Unfortunately, the mikes were cut up instead

--i dont understand why they would cut something up like that :| ,its such a waste.id rather see it as a park monument than as a new import car.--josh

[nachoman]

That is looking real good I am curious to hear how it runs and how much "tweaking" is needed.

[iis612]

Josh and Kevin, thanks. It has not been track tested yet. If I have a bout of insomnia tonight I will put some power to it.

Josh, the deluxe kits have all the bells and whistles. If you want working classification/marker lights you will have to either look to Tomar, or order some fiber optic line. Walthers sells both. They also don't come with a light for the tender. The standard USRA design didn't have them, but the PM added them, so I ordered the parts from Cal-Scale (Bowser).

NKP, the predrilled holes are nice. Some of them are cast holes, and have a fair amount of flash in them. A few haven't lined up the way they should. If you are going to build one, make sure you have a dremel, some micro bits, a pin vice, flush cutter and some jeweler's files. I have had to ream quite a few of the holes. Fortunately I have not had to tap any of them. Also, some of the screws are too long and have to be cut after installation.
The casting is not the best quality, but it is soft metal and a jeweler's file cleans it up nicely.

This kit has it's quirks, as all kits do, but all in all it has been fairly smooth sailing so far. I have noticed that the casting at the top of the steam dome is pitted, but I can fix that with some solder, or JB Weld. The rivets for the valve gear require some patience, double and triple checking, and a light touch. If the rivet is under flared, it will fall out (and best of luck finding it, fortunately they include a fair amount of spares). If they are overly flared the gear will bind. The kit includes a flaring tool. You will need a solid surface, like a pice of metal, and a light hammer, like a jeweler's hammer, to tap the flare tool with. I would also recomend a multi-meter, or at least an ohm-meter. It is hard to tell which side of the drivers are insulated by sight. You would eventually need one to determine the electrical stats, such as current draw, if you are going to add a decoder to it. This is the kind of kit for people who really like kits, and have time. If this is rushed, there is a BIG chance for some serious mistakes. I have made a few, but they have been small and easily corrected. That is largely due to my approach to building kits. Before I move on to the next step, I double check the last step.

When I finish the kit, I will do an over-all review of the build if enough people want to read it.

Matt

[Russ Bellinis]

Unfortunately, the mikes were cut up instead

--i dont understand why they would cut something up like that :| ,its such a waste.id rather see it as a park monument than as a new import car.--josh

They were cut up because the railroads were paid for the scrap value of the steam engines. Very few railroads saved locomotives to donate to parks. Most looked at what they could get for scrap metal without regard to historical significance. It also didn't help that by the time they were ready to scrap out and cut up the steam engines, the C&O had disappeared into the B&O. Any locomotives that the B&O saved or donated would have been B&O prototypes not C&O. What I find sad is that while I'm not a New York Central fan, it is a shame that not one NYC Hudson or Niagara was saved.

[eightyeightfan1]

What I find sad is that while I'm not a New York Central fan, it is a shame that not one NYC Hudson or Niagara was saved.

Or a New Haven I-5. But then again, the list of steam engines NOT saved from the scrappers torch, could probably fill a whole server.

[iis612]

Sorry, no insomnia last night. I am really hoping to get to track test it today. With 2 kids running around, and some errands to run, it is not likely to happen today. I am alone all day monday. That is my time.

Matt

[nkp_174]

Actually, the B&O was taken over by the C&O. The scrapping of the C&O mikes is very different from the scrapping of the NYC or NH hudsons. The last C&O mikes were cut up long after everything else. I believe that it was in the mid 1970s. The C&O had kept a small collection of modern steam: a 2-6-6-6. a 2-6-6-2, a 4-6-4, a 4-8-4, a 2-8-4, and a 2-8-2. They sent them to the B&O museum a decade or more after acquiring the B&O. That is what makes the scrapping of their mikes all the more sad.

A small number of locomotives have been cut up that should have been saved...here are a couple that I can think of:
-Dick Jensen's GTW 4-6-2
-two N&W Y6b 2-8-8-2s which sat in a Roanoke scrapyard (I've heard to versions: 1976 and 1988)
-The C&O mike & a couple 2-8-4s (there are still 12 of them)
-The Louisiana Eastern gets partial credit...it was a private collection of 40 locomotives, including 3 NKP hudsons, which were scrapped with the sudden untimely death of the owner in the mid 1960s...I give it partial credit because it wasn't late enough to fit into the above category, but still they were supposed to be saved.

The B&O and NYC were poor at the time of preservation. The modern steam that survives from them was more of a special circumstance...the B&O pacific & mike, iirc, were hidden by some employees...which led to their survival. I don't know the story behind the two mohawks. Other locomotives ended up surviving due to being sold. Railroads which were in a decent financial position and saw donating locomotives as good PR saved engines.

Study the pictures of the C&O mikes. For instance, the NKP had USRA light mikes as well...but most of them didn't look very much like USRA 2-8-2s after 1930. The 587 is one of the few which retained a family resemblance to the USRA engines (most notably, it received a new Pyle headlight with visor and AMC illuminated number boards, but didn't have its air pumps moved from the side to the front). The Bowser detail kit includes parts for the as-built style. A 1920s C&O 2-8-2 would probably look much like a stock Bowser locomotive.

I'm probably going to start a Bowser 2-8-2 before Matt finishes this model. It looks like so much fun, I'll probably get one. His attention to the details of construction will make me envious if I'm not building one as well!

Now, I've discovered some gearing issues with my MDC shay and I must fix it. Happy trains!

Michael

[iis612]

The track test results: Bad Motor
It would not respond to power. I took it out of the loco and tried to power it up seperately, but nothing doing.
I then took the motor for the Pacific kit and tried to power it up too... Guess what? Another bad motor. I checked the resistance of the coils, somewhere there is a break in the wires. I am not going to rewind the motors myself. I contacted Bowser, and they are sending new ones.
I think I might upgrade the motors though. I will have to hunt around and see what I can find.
So, until the new motors come, this build is stalled.
I have some building kits that need attention, and a turntable kit to put together too.

Matt

[iis612]

NKP,

I look forward to seeing yours.
Standard Hobby Supply sells these kits at a great price. Their shipping and handling charges are a bit on the steep side, but it is still less expensive than buying directly from Bowser. The downside to SHS is they are not terribly service oriented.

Matt

[nkp_174]

Good luck on the motor replacements. Maybe you'll be able to find either a nice can or coreless replacement. The shaft speed is important with either, since you already have the gearing.

I picked up my motor with gearhead from: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://micro-loco-motion.com/home.html">http://micro-loco-motion.com/home.html</a><!-- m -->

He might have a $10 can for you...and perhaps a sample coreless for $10...try the coreless in one and the can in the other.

I'm currently distracting myself from buying a Bowser by starting an NKP caboose. 7 years ago I measured the real thing and started to build it in scratch in HO. I then put it aside when I lost my 20+ sheets of notes. I recently acquired a book which has provided the missing info, and I'm starting over from scratch since my skills have improved. This particular caboose <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.765.org/photos/141gallery/">http://www.765.org/photos/141gallery/</a><!-- m --> spent many years behind USRA light 2-8-2s! I really should save my money for either repower HO locomotives or On3 projects...so hopefully this will get that HO bug out of me that I've contracted from you!
Michael

[iis612]

Sure, blame me...
I hear that the HO bug is a social disease.
Thank you for the motorman link. I am going to upgrade the motors with their products. I ordered them yesterday.

Matt

[RailRon]

The track test results: Bad Motor
It would not respond to power. I took it out of the loco and tried to power it up seperately, but nothing doing.

Been there, done that!
Matt, I made exactly the same experience like you, although not with a Bowser kit. Built up the frame, wheels, rods, gear train and motor - and then I made the first track test with power: N-O-T-H-I-N-G! No running, no jerk, not even a hum. Yep, the motor was dead, right from the start.

My story wasn't exactly happy-ended though, because the manufacturer (a German firm which shall rest nameless...) flatly refused to send a replacement. They simply insisted that they included only first class motors in their kits, and that it was me who must have made a mistake! And then they offered a new, different (!) motor for a fantastic price - fantastic expensive, that is!

Morale of the story: Although I didn't build too many kits so far, my FIRST thing I always do: Get the motor out of the box, attach two wires to a powerpack and test-run it.

BTW: Your Mikado is getting along nicely. I always liked the lines of the USRA locos, and she is looking very good indeed! I'm looking forward to see her dressed up with all the steam pipes, air pumps, lamps, bell & whistle etc. etc. And I'll second josh: When you have attached the running boards plus the air tanks hanging from them, the gears will become almost invisible.
Matt, I hope your wrists will heal quickly, so we can see more progress on your fine model!

Ron

[iis612]

I received new motors from Bowser today, and installed it. Track test: Fail.
Something is binding. I am not sure if it is the gear spacing, or if it is in the valve gear. I will have to tear it down again and see what needs tweaking.

[doctorwayne]

Matt, I don't recall reading it in your posts, but did you do the "rolling on a sheet of glass" test after every step of the running gear assembly? The time to catch binds when assembling any steam loco is at the time of installation. Every time that you add a part, place the loco (obviously not with the worm and worm gear engaged) on a sheet of glass and see that it rolls freely, with only a slight push. If it doesn't roll easily after it's been pushed, or rolls, then stops abruptly, you have a bind that needs to be corrected before assembly continues. Testing this way ensures that any problems that do show up are as a result of the installation of the latest parts. Much easier than going back, trying to find the problem through dis-assembly.

Wayne

[nkp_174]

A bind or a short? I've discovered that my shay was experiencing both. I managed to remove the seized up gear from the gearbox with a gear puller (I thought it would snap the gearbox before being removed!) and now the mechanism turns again. I then had to re-attach the gear and socket to the motor and gearbox (they busted when the gearing seized up). Then, I discovered that it was shorting out too! The short is undoubtedly related to my complete re-wiring a few years ago...an attempt at isolating the frame.

Perhaps, your problems are electrical and not mechanical? If not, I just wanted to make sure you weren't duplicating my mistake!

Michael