Hello Folks!

At the ending of last year friends of mine incited me to join the FREMO, especially the South West Division. So i did, but all my rolling stock was of eastern prototype, no doubt this will be misplaced on a module arrangement of Western Roads.
The result was the purchase of an Mikado of AT&SF prototype:


A used model of an AT&SF Class 3160 2-8-2. Model was made by Samhongsa and imported by Sunset. And definitely not made on Mondays


Not quite cheap, but a really bargain in the price range of an DCC-ready Athearn Genesis Diesel.


Here just out of the box immediately after arrival.


The tender as delivered with coal bunker.


This was also included. The oil bunker and the additional sand dome was clear, but the two brass angles :?:
Until now i have no idea for what they are, what they represent or were to mount.

So, that was as purchased. This engine will ready made for operational sessions with DCC.

Lutz

Lutz, some brass steam locomotives came with removeable ashpan covers - if you needed to remove the boiler/cab assembly from the running gear, you first had to remove these pieces, otherwise there was insufficient clearance for the motor to pass through the opening. However, all of the ones I've seen were screw-mounted, and there don't appear to be any holes in those parts. :?
Is there a chance that they might have something to do with fitting that oil tank into the coal bunker?

Wayne

An interesting aspect Wayne!
I just shot two photos to show.
The first attempt:

As ash pans. It seemed to me that they may fit. But there are no provisions made to fix them. And i don't believe the plumbing from the injector to the check valve has run through the ash pan :?:
There is a rather big Canon motor mounted inside and the removing of the shell is a millimetre act.

Second attempt:

As extension for the coal bunker. Also no means of a fixature.
And for the oil tank i see also no places where they may fit.

But anylike, i have mounted the oil tank. I have read, all the AT&SF steamers in the West were oil fired and lateron post war all of the steamers.
For this reason whether a ash pan or a coal bunker extension make sense.

Lutz

O.k. let me tell the next chapter of the story.
When i got her, there was absolutely nothing thread and flange wear to see. Ergo this engine was not run and have had until now a calm being as shelf queen.
On the tracks with her and fired her up with analogue DC. Yes she began to run, probably the first time after 30 years.
3 m forward, she runs quiet, no noise, 3 m back and 1m forward again.
1 m ??? Yes, then she stalled
Nothing,even no motor hum.
So it was time to took her apart an have a look under the shiny brass.
A big fat Canon motor and the inadvetable detoriating rubber tube.
So i took two crocodile clips and give the Dc direct to the motor.
Motor tried to run und rubber tube tried smear due a blocked gear box input shaft.
Removing the gear box and took them apart

A cracked idler gear.
Searching my collection of gears i found an suitable replacements:
a) a spur gear with the same dimensions but made out of brass
b) a Roco with the same number of teeth and the same module, made out of Delrin, but with a different bore
I decided to take a)
I mounted it and put the gearbox together.
Next test run, the gearbox is still quiet an smooth running, so there is no need to replace it.

The next bug was the left front running board:

The soldering points were partially broken and there was a kind of space conflict beween the pilot deck stancion and the feedwater line from the feedwater heater to the check valve.
Here i show my first attemt with an reinforcement angle made out of a piece of brass sheet to give more strength for the soldering point.
Later i drilled four holes, two into the boiler and two into the running board, put four pieces of 0.5mm hardened brass wire into and solderd the whole together. Then the reinforcement was strong enough to keep the things square.


Here is one of the controlling photos taken before the reinforcement. You seen the left stairs and the running board are not in a right angle.
And i shows more work which has done or have still to be done, encircled by red lines:
- pilot stancion ist bend
- head light has to be cored for LED
- plumbing fron feedwater punp the feedwater heater must be adjusted
- also from heater to check valve
- maker light was bend


- the same snakes's nest from the side.
- readjusting the feedwater pump
- relining the plumbing feedwater pump - heater, so the valve gear actuating lever is clear from the plumbing
- adjusting the numberboard case
- refitting the long step between cylinder block and side ladder according to prototype photos.
- adjusting the trailing truck
- reinforcing the rear traverser beneath the cab in just the same manner as i have done it with the 2-10-2:





A control photo from the right side. The long step between cylinder block and ladder yet still not fixed here on the photo



- here the long step is fixed
- adjusting the injector, not much, but now it sits square
- adjusting the power reverse, here i elongated and reinforced, by soldering a strip of brass onto the rear, the connecting rod to the actuating lever
- and the numberboard case on this side

will be continued.

Lutz

The next thing was to create the necessary sprung loading for pilot and trailing truck.


Here i have coiled a spring for the pilot truck out of 0,3mm hard bronze wire and soldered to the truck. The upper end of the spring will encircle the bolt head going through the cylinder blocks.


At the rear end i was a little confused of what kind of trailing truck this was. At least it became clear it is Baldwin's own Hodges trailing truck.
Here i planned in a first attempt to place the spring and soldered this cross bar onto the truck.


The final solution is this here. A stiffer spring soldered direct onto the main frame and a sliding shoe. The front traverser of the trailing truck will take the sprung force.


A look into the boiler, still not yet cleaned of excess wire ends.


I was lucky the original weight was enclosed in the box too.

The next steps of "electrification" and enlighting for DCC operating were routine. So i renounce to post it here again.

Lutz

One of my headaches were the tender trucks of this Santa Fe 2-8-2.


Here in comparison with an older Rivarossi Commonwealth tender truck.
You see the outer truck frame out of brass casting, the another brass casting with the brake shoes and at least the wheels.
So the trucks are very broad and the brake shoes does not match the wheel threads.


A closer look of the rear truck, marked "H" like hinten = rear.
Because you have to remove the trucks before to get acess to the tender shell mounting screws, i made a plug connection for the pick ups. So the acess to the inner is easy possible without soldering required.

Until now my excursion to the West was a kind of late X-mas present. But then i found another Santa Fe model:




This was simply a case of "could'nt resist"






This was one of the rare chances of "buy it or forget it", for the price of an Athearn Genesis diesel.
My purse is made out of onion leather...
... every time i look into it, i must cry :cry:


Looks innocent, ya?
But it least there was a lot of work done to get her running and looking square.

Lutz

AT&SF Class 3160:
Here i have some pictures how i fixed the problem with the long steps:

They were soldered in the middle of the cylinders and for this the steps could not match the side ladders. Unsoldering and resoldering to the right place solved the problem.


So they got the prototypical apperance.


The handrails on top of the oil tank were also rightened and resoldered.

This is how this engine which got at least #3164 is presenting today:






There were at least until this stage as pictured 25 hours of work spent onto this engine.
So i took her to the Fremo US meeting in Mutschelbach. The engine was running good, but there was a fault on a certain place where two modules were bolted together and the rails on this transition from one module to the other had an pit like shape. The cowcatcher (i think, a AT&SF loco has a cow catcher) touched the rails and caused an short.



Back at home i made this modification by glueing two stripes of 0.3mm styrene under the cowcatcher.
So equipped i took her to the Fremo US meeting in Unna. No problems.

So this is the progress until today. Next steps will be painting, decalling and weathering.
In spring i shot a airbrush equipment on e-bay:

Here i am a totally greenhorn :? :?: :?: :?: and a brass loco will definitive NOT being the first spraying project although the AT&SF 2-8-2 shows up in the background.

Lutz

Here are some more problems for me which i have started to solve them.

First one of the two AT&SF locos should have a matching caboose.
There are a lot of well detailed ATSF caboose, or better said waycars as Santa Fe called them, models on the market. So i hope patience until the "right offer" appears will be the only thing required.

Second the other loco should get a rider car in substitution of an caboose as it was practice on Santa Fe branchlines.
The rider cars were usually combines running at the rear of a freight train. Acting in dual purpose as waycars and offering seating capacity too for those willingly to made the journey by train.
There for is nothing available on the market. The SF heavyweights have a special characteristic sign, they show their distinctive open U-channel sills over their entire lenght:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/atsf/atsf-c1303ab.jpg">http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/atsf/atsf-c1303ab.jpg</a><!-- m -->
Here in this linked photo the open U-channel sill is clearly visible. All of the heavyweights models in H0 i have seen had the Pullmann Standard closed sills. And according to Murph's Law no offers for heavyweight combines were on the market. Wether in plastic, nor in brass. So i started out with an stone old Rivarossi combine which a friend sold to me at a reasonable price.

A first overlook and deeper resarch discoverd the Rivarossi Combine was too long. The Rivarossi model represent a car with a lenght of 77' 6", while the ATSF combine has a lenght of only 72'. So i start cutting up the old Rivarossi car:


Here the removed section is shown. The sills on both sides were also removed. They will be lateron replaced by suitable plastic U-channels.


The other end. The truck in not fixed, it is lying loose in the box. The grab irons will to have go also.


The car and the roof already glued together again. I am still unsure concerning the underframe detailing and placement of the devices. The brake gear will be made completely new, there were only coarse mouldings and rudimental onto the floor underside. But battery boxes, tanks and so on where to place it :?:

Lutz

The 2-6-2. Something was not quite right with this loco.



But when i was comparing this loco with prototype photos and drawings i found the reason why:

Have a closer look to the front end of the Loco.
- the rods from the pilot deck to the smokebox rods were not in the angle as seen on photos and drawings
- the shape of the stairs, they are not in ai 90° shape, but instead angled about 100°
- the pilot deck is stretching too long forward, don't know why perhaps for mounting Kadee boxes


First step, bent the stairs as seen on prototype photos.
Uhm, better but :?

Second step, shorten the front end of the frame.
To do that:
- unscrew pilot deck
- unsolder the two coverlays with the riveting left and right of the frame front part.
- shorten the front end of the frame
- resolder the coverlays now onto the right position
- refit the pilot deck
- shorten and bent pilot deck rods to fit.
But something is'nt still square. hock:


Still not square.


Bent pilot deck coverage, now it appears square.
But still something missing


Make and mount gussets.
Now more closer to prototype, but stil not satisfied. Searching what it is.

Found in www several photos which are showing the prototype from front end.


Here is the reason. The upper photo shows before and die lower one afterwards.
Have a closer look on the steps of the stairs. There were additional layers of brass sheets with safety thread pattern soldered onto each steps. And the edges of these sheets were bent upwards. So far, so o.k., but this steps on the model are far too wide and too coarse.
And there were other members of the class who have this feature not:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.steamlocomotive.com/prairie/atsf1108-wessel1.jpg">http://www.steamlocomotive.com/prairie/ ... essel1.jpg</a><!-- m -->
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.steamlocomotive.com/prairie/atsf1108-wessel2.jpg">http://www.steamlocomotive.com/prairie/ ... essel2.jpg</a><!-- m -->
So i decided to remove the step overlays by unsoldering them.
It seemed to me every member of this ATSF class of steam locomotives is different, i have found no two locos which are really equal.
Now the question to replace the coverlay steps or to do nothing with the stairs.
I choose the latter option to get a moere filigrane apperance.


So it looks alike when i cleaned the excessive solder.
Meanwhile a Kadee coupler in a narrow #272 box is mounted.

To be continued.

Lutz

Here in this thread i will describe how i have modified rolling stock for taking part on activities on FREMO conventions. These locos and cars are separated from my other US modelrailroad activities which are settled in the East.

I got some more stock second hand:

This older Kato GP35 in Santa Fe's 1980ies coulors


The pre owner has done a lot of detailing work on this loco to bring it closer to prototype appereance.
A problem is durable couloring of the handrails out of elastic plastic. Nearly unbreakable but also nearly unpaintable, as you see the paint is flaking off when the handrails are bended, unavoidable when running the loco on conventions. :cry:
Any idea to solve that problem :?:

Also i get a couple of older Spectrum heavyweights in ATSF livery.
But there is this big bugbear of ATSF Heavyweights with their special Santa Fe sills.


Here i made an attempt to correct this.
Right side the original sills as Bachmann delivered them. Correct for many roads.
Left side i have milled away a part of the sill. The lower row of nits, they have the seize of those nits which bridge builders used for their constructions.


A U-channel 3 x 1 x 0.5mm out of ABS was laid loose onto. Here is still some work to do for plaining the area.


Here ths same is done with the Rivarossi combine. The new sill is glued in place.

The Spectrum Heavyweights are lacking the centersills:

Here i made the attempt to complete this. Pieces of 0.5mm styrene sheet will give the vertikal members of the fishbelly shaped center sill. And stripes of 0.3mm styrene will made the horizontal portion.


The new center sill. If battery boxes, air reservoirs and water tanks (?) are in their right locations i do not know now.



The car with new sills. As the photos uncover there is a lot more to do to smoothen the surface on the border of sidewall and outer sills.
But undoubtful the Spectrum heavyweights are even in this modified stage still stand-ins.
This was an first try how to modify those cars to bring them nearer prototype apperance.
Here i have to do more researching of the prototypes.

Lutz

A local model railroad I've operated on is AT&SF. Approximately 70 sq meters. I particularly like their 2-6-2s and 4-4-2s, but since it is a mainline in California, most of the power is 2-8-2s, 2-10-2s, and such.

For a cheap caboose, the classic Athearn steel caboose is an AT&SF prototype. I recall seeing article by Andy Sperandeo (Model Railroader) on dressing them up a few years back. <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.trainlife.com/articles/806/detailing-the-santa-fe-steel-caboose">http://www.trainlife.com/articles/806/d ... el-caboose</a><!-- m -->

The MDC/Roundhouse AT&SF 4-4-2 is a fairly good model of a class of AT&SF engines. A cheap way to add more power to your roster. The IHC Mogul is a Harriman engine, one of the cheapest decent models out their of a common SP branchline engine...if you are interested in more general SW power...but it really needs a replacement tender...a vandy...
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.atsfrr.com/resources/MooreJB/StmClnic/MDC4-4-2.pdf">http://www.atsfrr.com/resources/MooreJB ... C4-4-2.pdf</a><!-- m -->

I offer these cheap ideas because you mentioned that your pocket book was getting drained by the recent additions. I love those 2-6-2s...I applaud you for splurging on one.

Meanwhile the links posted by Michael, aka nkp_174 , have helped to solve some riddles according to this 2-6-2.
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.atsfrr.com/resources/MooreJB/StmClnic/IHC4-6-2.pdf">http://www.atsfrr.com/resources/MooreJB ... C4-6-2.pdf</a><!-- m -->
Have a look to the photo on page 22 of the pdf.
There you see behind the ladder a strong vertical bar supporting the rear ends of the crosshead guides. Also the lower end of the ladder has a small flat bar connecting to the support.
Thank you for the link Michael!

Here is my attempt to make the crosshead guide support:



To my regret it was not possible to copy the prototype exact into 1:87. The horizontal distance between the main rods and the coupling rods was on the model about 0.5mm. Thee was too few space to make a support as pictured, may be possible for a shelf queen, but not for a running loco. So i decided to build only the outside part. Here between Main rod and eccentric rod was enough space to model the crosshead guide supports. They were made out of 1 x 2.5mm rectangular brass rod soldered to the valve gear support crossmembers and the the ends oth the crosshead guides.

And have a look onto the reverse schaft lever and the fixature to the main frame. Everey rotation, when the coupling rods were in their uppermost position, they touched the the reverse shaft axle. Causing the loco limping and binding on each turning of the drivers. On both sides.
So i turned down the diameter in the middle part of the axles to create more space even in sprung action and keep the rods clear of the lever axle.
This and a new quartering of all drivers eliminated the "mistery" binding at least.

And the lower ends of the ladders got bars connecting them to the supports as the prototype. So they will stay square even when handled accidental rough.


A further control photo to check squareness.





The chair car with its new side sills and new fishbelly shaped centersill. The centersill was painted matte black and the side sille were painted Chromoxidgrün RAL 6020. Not a 100% match but i think it may be a 95% match.
To come a little bit closer to the prototype every second buttress between the windows were taken out. Now it seemed to me the windows were a little bit too large. But anyway this will not become an exact replica of an ATSF chair car, but an close stand in.

Lutz

Lutz, very good progress. Two remarks for better looking models.

You should replace the big srews at eccentric cranks (Gegenkurbel) by small headless screws.
And second - the trucks at passenger car will be the original Rivarossi trucks I think (including 33" wheels?). They are looking very cheap and less correctly! There you should try to get replacements also. As sample you can find three axle trucks made by Central Valley at Ebay from time to time. They were available in three or four different styles - no. 210-221 was a riveted frame truck especially for older passenger cars. What you must do is to replace the original wheelsets by newer and correct sized one.

Michael, a very good and helpful document also to me as a steam engine enthusiast!

The next step was to eliminate the "Great Nothing" inside the cab.
One of the requirements was to replace the open frame motor with an smaller modern equivalent:


Here a photo with removed boiler. The installation of a new drivetrain was done before, but not descrbed and pictured, so i do it now afterwards.
A new motor bed was made out of a piece of U-channel, drilled, tapped and bolted direct onto the rear end of the main frame.
A clamp was made from 0,2mm brass sheet and bolted onto the U-channel.
The motor is an Faulhaber 1724 for 12V DC.
The original noisy open frame gearbox was replaced by recyled parts. A cast gearbox case filled with the remains of other gears. By carefully selecting and reworking i was able to create a smooth running quiet drivetrain.
The universal joints were configured out of Voith Maxima drive train parts, thus explaining the obsolte worm in this case.
In this case the torque lever was mounted at the front end of the gear box and direct onto the screw which held the valve gear carrier.
Fine adjustement were made simply by clamping the motor.
Upside a 3-pole socket was made for head light and cab interio light. The white plastic striping i have made only to keep the drive train clear of electric wires when the boiler is mounted.




Here i made a movable deck plate to the tender deck. As loco and tender have the same polarity now, no insulation is required between loco an tender.


And here i made a insert consiting out of the boiler backhead, the portion of the boiler inside the cab and the supplemented cabfloor.
The insert was made to pinch into the cab. So it could be easy removed for further detailing and it and glazing the cab winndows lateron.
There were already factory installed cab seats and a partly cab floor.

Then was the time to wait patiently untill the in the US ordered detail parts were shipped across the big pond and passed German customs bureaucracy*.

Lutz

* :?: Bureaucracy or Bureaucrazy

Time to do something on the cars:


The window openings were reduced in their height by glueing small stripes of styrene into it.


Opening the doors. I have seen on many photos the platform doors were removed when the cars were in branchline service.


So it looks like with removed doors. Still some filing and smoothening necessary.

Lutz