Freelancers in the steam era often face the same dilemma as prototype modelers in obtaining motive power. Every railroad had unique steam locomotive designs, and that reduces realism when your fictional shortline is running locomotives that are obviously models of another railroad's locomotives. It does not make sense to decorate an N&W J or a UP challenger in your home road's livery because they would obviously be out of place. The problem is, models are often of such distinctive locos, and those that are more "generic" are ubiquitous in the modeling community. I have detailed generic steamers before, but face it, a Bachmann 2-8-0 still looks like a Bachmann 2-8-0 with details added. Some of my locomotives are MDC Southern Pacific prototypes - and despite my detailing efforts - their origin is still obvious. Building a convincing freelance steam roster means obtaining locomotive that look unique to that railroad - as was the case in real life.

I wanted a distinctive little 2-6-0 that keeps other modelers guessing as to its origin. The few available non-brass moguls don't capture the look I am after. I want a relatively small 2-6-0, built around 1890, but modernized somewhat around 1910, and still works hard doing switching on a shortline somewhere. This Frisco loco is about what I am looking for:

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I had an IHC 4-4-0, but thought the tender was too big, and it would not run on my code 70 rail. Then I bought a junker MDC old time 2-6-0, used the boiler on an HOn3 project, and planned on using the old-time tender behind the IHC 4-4-0. The problem was, the 4-4-0 looked HUGE compared to that tender, and then I realized it wasn't just the tender that was too big, the whole loco looked to big to be a 4-4-0 (it is actually a SP 2-6-0 prototype with a 4-4-0 chassis). So, I decided to mount the IHC boiler on the MDC 2-6-0 chassis. It fit reasonably well, the boiler looked to big and long, so I cut the boiler shorter.

[attachment=5867]

This is where I am at now. I like the overall lines of the loco/tender combo, so I think I will start scraping of the rest of the cast on details and put the thing together.

Kevin ...

Am I correct ... that tender is an IHC 4-4-0 American tender? It has a delicious Taylor overall appearance ... I'll have to keep my eye open (well, maybe both eyes -- they're probably not abundant these days!) Taylor Tenders are us in Camelback land! And Taylor Trucks, too.

You're off to a nice start. I can see vestiges of Varney lineage in the boiler lines and a little SP in the cab configuration. But then, I can't be sure ... Varney was a long time ago, memory fades and it took me a while to realize that S.P. and Espee were the same animal. :oops:

Ten-Wheelers are cool little dudes! They go about their day unnoticed and overshadowed by Atlantics, Pacifics, Berkshires and Mountains, with only one more pair of pony wheels than the lowly Peddler Mogul. But cool little dudes, all the same! I'll enjoy this build!

That's actually the stock MDC tender. The IHC 4-4-0 I used for the boiler shares the same tender and boiler with their 2-6-0. I am told the 2-6-0 used to be offered as a tender drive loco by someone else (Pemco?). The former tender-drive is why the IHC tender is too big. I know Dr Wayne has cut that tender shorter, but I decided I like the lines of the MDC tender better. I don't think this 2-6-0 was ever offered my anyone else besides Pemco. I know Varney had a 4-6-0 that looked kinda similar.

Cool! I'll look for an MDC tender. I will need one for an "out-there-a-ways" project.

Thanks, Kev!

I'm currently building two Ten Wheelers on the Bachmann chassis, using Varney boilers from their 4-6-0/2-8-0 and cabs from the Bachmann 2-8-0. I've also rebuilt the cylinder chest to represent one with piston valves. I used the stock tender (sorta), but sectioned-out some of its excess width - I'll need to fabricate new floors and frames.

Kevin, that Frisco loco isn't very far removed from the 1800s - it still has a wooden cab, single air pump and slide valves, along with archbar trucks under the tender.

The IHC is a pretty-good representation of a modernised Mogul and its tender can be easily shortened, altered, or swapped-out completely. I'm going to change the cab on both of my Moguls, using the Bachmann Consolidation cab as my road's "standard".

Here's IHC's Espee-style Mogul:


...and a PFM Boston & Maine B-15:


This is the Bachmann 4-6-0, pretty-well un-modified:


...and with the modified cylinder block:


Here's the boiler I plan to use:


...and after removing the cab and other extraneous details:


Wayne

I love the way you chock up those "under-construction" boilers on a flat car ...

Wayne, grinding off all that die cast detail is a PITA. I wish more kit manufacturers would have just left that stuff off rather than cast it in with the boiler. I filed off the details of a few MDC boilers - and tried not to file off rivet detail or clog too many files.

Nice work on those piston valves. Ironically, the piston valves are one thing that kept me from using the IHC 2-6-0 and 4-4-0 as-is. I figure a shortline would mostly use secondhand locomotives for switching, about 20-30 years old. So, in 1920, they would be using vintage 1890-1900 locos with slide valves. I still think I will keep the steel cab and maybe the two -stage air pump - thinking my railroad could have added those around 1910.

Kevin,

Looks like you're off to a great start! The logic of how you describe your railroad's purchase and modification of the engine sounds great.

Where do you plan to put the headlight? Up high? Centered?

Galen

I would like to point out to any interested: that "another RR's locomotive looking out of place on a freelance shortline" thing, is actually not entirely correct. Granted, they were re-lettered, but the Kish Valley RR here in Mifflin/Juniata county I think owned to ex-PRR class-D16s 4-4-0s. They were bought second-hand when the PRR was upgrading its steamer fleet. They were just cleaned up a bit, then re-lettered and re-numbered for the KV.

The KV only ever purchased no more than two locos brand new. The others were second-hand from numerous other lines.

A fair observation, to be sure ... however I believe I'd be safe in saying that the point being made was not so much that a diminutive D-Class Pennsy locomotive would be out of place on the Kish Valley RR as would a N&W "J" Class or a UP Big Boy or a Challenger, or say an NP Class "A" Northern.

Small, older and local is one thing, but large and from some distant location is a bit more difficult to justify. My own Lehigh Susquehanna & Western has a motive power roster of almost entirely smallish ex-Reading Company Wooten fireboxed Camelbacks, and half of them are Consolidations. But they are all smaller pieces of equipment, they are far from new in the era that I am modeling and as I model Northeastern Pennsylvania, they are therefore, at least in my book, believable as LS&W power. If I were to acquire a an Espee GS-4 to "haul the mail" to Scranton, THAT would be a dichotomy, no matter how it was painted and lettered!

Wayne - where'd you get that boiler/cab/etc. casting sitting on flat #3445?

Galen

P5se, thanks for pointing that out. Looking at the KV's roster, they also rostered a 2-6-0, #4, purchased second-hand in Atlanta, GA. It was sold for scrap in '32, but it looked much out of place amongst the KV's numerous 4-4-0s, which dominated its roster over the course of its life.

ocalicreek Wrote:Wayne - where'd you get that boiler/cab/etc. casting sitting on flat #3445? Galen

If that's not a Varney "Casey Jones" 4-6-0, it's a right good copy! BTW, that 4-6-0 doesn't look all that bad with a MDC small vanderbilt tender.

ocalicreek Wrote:Wayne - where'd you get that boiler/cab/etc. casting sitting on flat #3445?

Galen

Galen, the modified boiler (with the partial number still on the steam dome) is from my good friend Ed (Mister Nutbar), while the un-modified version is one ordered from Bowser after I received the one from Ed - his was the same as the Bowser one shown, albeit painted. Both have now been modified, and once I figure out something suitable to fill the space under the new cab, I'll start putting them together.

Here's a view of the boiler and cab sitting loose atop the Bachmann mechanism:


I need to fabricate some running boards over the cylinders and some air tanks, plus pilots for both locos and new tender underframes, but all other detail parts are on-hand. Hopefully, these will be quick builds, as I have three CNR locos which could prove difficult.

Wayne

You steam guys are WhAcKy cRaZy