Hello Folks!
Newbie here. This is my first post in this forum. My name is Lutz and i live in Hessen/Germany.
My English is not so good, please excuse me for that.
Since the early 1970's i am an "Modelleisenbahner", a moderrailroader in english terms. The first years i was modelling in German prototype, but sometimes in the earlier times i bought some few models of American origin. The US-modelrailroading seed was laid but did'nt grew on. This changed in the summer of 2006 when the infect of US-modelrailroading broke out and i became an full time US modelrailroader. The ignition point was the purchasing of an Trix Mikado on
e(lectric)-bay.
Now things rapidly grew worse (in terms modelrailroading is fun) , modelrailroading indeed becomes a lot more of fun.

I was lucky to get one of the last Bowser kits of the PRR L1 two years ago. It was a de-luxe kit with all the brass parts. When the most building of the kit was done, i got my first digital camera. So only the later steps of building the kit was documented.





Two pictures showing the konstruction and modifications of the kit.
At first i looked several dozen photos of PRR L1 locomotives in the www. , rr-fallenflags, northeast railfan and others. Also i purchased the Kalmback book of steam locos.
The first alteration was the complete drivetrain. On the bottom right of the photos you see the Bowser motor, the worm and the worm gear which was removed from the third pair of drivers. On the bottom left there is the first attempt of making an nes gearbox. I don't use it because it would be full visible as the original worm beneath the boiler.
Instead there is an brass spur gear mounted on the fourth pair of drivers. Yes you have really demount a wheel from the axle and remount it after mounting the gear. Also there is an step gear an then an Escap coreles coil motor. To make room for the gear on fourt axle i milled the frame here.

Next was the equalizing of the running gear. In original form all 4 driving axles are beared stiff in the frame.
The modifications i made were:
- first axle can rock
- second is sprung loaded
- third is sprung loaded
- fourth is still stiff for gear mesh
For realizing this i milled the Axle bearings in the frame. But be careful, the axles should only move up and down like the prototype, but not forth and back.
The bearing for the first axle was only milled left and right of the middle. A small portion of app. 1mm broadth exactly in the middle of the loco frame was untouched. The loco bears here only on this small strip, enabling this axle to rock.
Second and third axle bearings are milled on the complete broadth. The loco bears here via small springs her weight on thos axles.

The gear ratio is 1:62 and the power of the motor is app. 4.5W. Thus and in conclusion with the loco weight without tender of 760g (app. 26.8oz) and a fully equalized running gear enables a slow and powerful run.

If you like it, i continue th description.
But aware i had to tell a lot only about this kit.




Greetings Lutz

Welcome to Big Blue Lutz..!! It's always gratifying to see new members here, particularly those with the skills you have...
That is one excellent "conversion" of the Bowser kit. I particularly like the modifications to the drive train and the sprung axles. That is sure to have made it a great runner...
Of course we'd like to see more. The more-the merrier..!!

Nicely done! And welcome!

Excellent work, both the details and the mechnical work.

--Randy

, Lutz!

Nice work on your build and subsequent modification and upgrades!

Keep it up! We all like this kind of model work!

Lutz,

I'm enjoyed here from you modeling and your model changing. Nice to read about your loco conversations because that will help me to conquer my start problems with rebuilding, changing motor and gearing of steam loco models.
Let see your work again when you find time for writing here in forum. Greetings to Darmstadt from Dresden/Germany.

I can't wait to see that thing painted!

YES!! Another steam modeler!! Wilkommen!

Galen

Nice work on the L-1. I am currently working on a similar 2-8-2. Mine is one that was purchased by the LNE second hand from the PRR. http://www.the-gauge.net/forum/viewtopic...=22&t=3421 Currently I am waiting for parts from the Hobby shop. Again, nice work and keep the pics coming.

Thank you for the warm welcome.


This is a photo of the underside of the L1. On the right there ist the new Spur gear on fourth pair of drivers. It is mounted outward of the centerline for the reason the idler is a step gear an the motor can now be mounted in the centerline of the loco.
The gearbox was made of 1.0mm styrene and glued together with industrial type CA. It is strong enough to withstand all forces in this drivetrain.

The brass bottom plate was cut in halves. The rear 1/4 section is screwed directly to the frame for stiff bearing the last axle.
The beneath forward 3/4 section are shims of 0.5mm sheet. This gives more space and enables the axles to travel up and down.
A further modification was made on the coupling rods. The bearings of the second and third pair of drivers were milled verticaly producing short vertical slots enabel them traveling up and down.
NEVER, NEVER do this in horizotal manner, this will give jerky opereation and produces a show case model.

As you see, all 8 drivers are permanently in contact with the rails. That made the loco real pulling.

Next was current pick up. I made additional wipers out of 0.5mm brass wire as seen on the photo. The small patchwork sheets are made of 0.3mm styrene and insulates the pick up. This an an 8-wheel tender pick up gives an steady current flow.

Another technical modification was the short coupling device between loco and tender.

I use a Roco short coupling device an similar mounted as on this Spectrum 2-10-2. Also i made the trailing truck sprung loaded as shown above. Also the front truck.
But this Spectrum 2-10-2 is another chapter.
This modifications were similar done on the L1.


The next big chapter is making her look good.

Greetings Lutz

-will be continued-

Nice work, Lutz!

This should be a fine locomotive when you finish the cosmetic stage of the construction! It's looking very nice already!

Very nice work, Lutz and nice to see so many here interested in steam, too. Oh, by the way, to Big Blue.

Wayne

Hello!

Still more technical modifications. At first the plastic wheels on pilot truck was replaced by Intermontain car wheels. The axle end were grindes down so they are now flush with the dics. On the trailing truck i mounted a pair of Romford wheels.
Both trucks were mild sprung loaded to raise operational safety.
Then i added lead into the boiler shell. This is roofers lead in form of app. 1.5mm sheet. As it is very soft you can bend, fold, hammer down, cut with an old pair of scissors to any wanted shape. Before glueing the lead into the boiler i installed a pair of electric wires for the front light. Glueing was done with plumbers silicone and i filles every small space avialable.

Making her looking good.
When first test fitting the shell to the chassis i found a lot of "looking thru" and air between boiler and chassis in comparison with prototype photos.
I made an underside for the boiler out of styrene sheet. This helped a little bit.

Next i made the leaf sprung packages.
Therefore i cut several small stripes of 0.3mm styrene sheet, each stripe as broad as the length of a leaf is.
Then this stripes were packed atop of each other and plastic cemet applied.
The sprungs have a characteristic bend-upside shape.
To get this shape the packet of stripes were tensioned to get in the right shape.
Let dry over night, or better let dry 2 days.
Then you have a package of stripes which show in the profile the correct shape.
All you have to to now is to cut crosswise the package of stripes to get your leaf springs.
Further details like hangers i made also from 0.3mm styrene.

To show you how, the photo again:

The scratchbuilt gearbox above the fourth pair of drivers is very small. I glued some small pieces of styrene sheet besides the motor in contour of the firebox front, thus hiding the motor away.
Two stripes of styrene, v-shape monted under the frame above the trailing wheel created the massive look of the ashpan in this area and do not hindering the trailing truck to svivel.
The trailing truck in original kit form looks to me rather amputated compared with prototype photos. So i made two blinds that captured the look of the prototype.
I found some suitable plastic brake shoes in my scratch box and mounted them on brass wire soldered to the bottom plate.


The next modification was the running board.
Bowser actually has here the casting with running board of the right side correct for the K4, but this is an L1.
So i took my saw an removed the not correct portions of the running boards. The rest was milled and filed away.
New running boards were made of 1.0mm styrene, the angles reinforced by thin triangular copper sheets to capture the look of the prototype.
The power reverse could then mounted on the correct position.

I was not satisfied with the air reservoirs Bowser has included with the kit. New ones were made of brass tube an plastic end caps out of my scratch box.

The brass castings and plumbing were then mounted in accordance with the kit instructions.
They were completed by additional parts and plumbing found on prototype photos.

Lutz

-not yet completed, will be continued-

I'm green with envy....
What more can I say..?? It's going to be a gorgeous model..!!

O.K., i am back from five days of exhibiting on the model train show in Cologne. But that is my dark diesel side.

Now i have time to tell you some of the the story of my L1.

The firemen's side. Beneath the cab was a massive accumulation of cast on parts. In comparison with prototype photos there is not such an massive structure at this place. So i took a saw and removed it.
From this point on the fitting of the brass castings was rather simple. I mounted some additional plumbing an details as shown on prototype photos.
I mounted a scratchbuilt movable pass over sheet to the tender made of brass.


The tender. I added footboards sratchbuilt of styrene. Also coupler lift bars, tubing for the electric wire on the back. The brake rigging and the details were mounted thanks to the blueprints in Kalmbach's Steamlocomotives fairly exact.

Next step was the "electrification" of the model. As i use DCC there is some brainstormint to to how.
There are six wires from loco to tender:
2 for current pick up
2 for motor
2 for front light
Six wires with black insulation were soldered to an 8-pin socket according NMRA rules.
Long enough to lead into the tender shell.
There is an second 8-pin socket glued on the bottom of the tender.
Sideways to this fixed socket i soldered the wires from tender pick up an back up light.
The fixed Socket can be plugged from both sides.
On the front the first socket with wires from the loco, on the rear the plug from the decoder.
In conclusion there are pick up from all eight tender wheels and additional from four loco wheels.



The first coat of paint. As i have no airbrush it has to be done by an conventional brush.
This pictures were taken outside in the full sun of August.

So long Lutz

will be continued.