The Bear, sadly, has a propensity of starting new projects before the last is finished. With a look of earnest righteousness on his face, he will give all sorts of reasons for his actions, (really Lack of), including the legitimate one of stopping because of frustration because he couldn’t get a particular idea/technique to work and was in danger of making a pigs ears of the whole project. However excuses are by definition, just excuses!! :oops:

Now while I have to finish the car ferry and CISX500 the depressed centre flat car, I consider entering them in the challenge as cheating, because there is really so little to do to finish them!!! (Though I do have to get off my duff to do so!!)

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Several years ago I came across this locomotive partially hidden under a pile of stuff on a vendors table at a train show. “Can’t tell you much about it” he said, “came as part of a job lot of brass locomotives. The body falls off and it’s got an N scale decoder even though I think it’s HO, and I don’t know if it works.”
On close examination I found a two digit number written underneath and upon gaining his permission to try the locomotive, took it to the DCC modular layout I was helping to exhibit and after placing it on the test track, found that the number, the decoder and the locomotive worked!!!

At the time I wasn’t sure about the provenance of the shell, neither were the other guys, except that it had to be a cast aftermarket one, I suspect that the previous owner had privately imported it, as well as the brass locomotives, because to my knowledge they haven’t be available over the LHS shelf here. No matter, apart for the overly Thick gloss black paint, lack of decals, glazing and lights, it ran very well and as I was in the market for an Alco switcher, the only possible sticking point could be the purchase price.

Going back to the vendor, I explained that it did run, so what did he want for it? Without too much dickering, I bought it for not much more than the price of the decoder, a very happy Bear. (Well you’ve got to win one every now and then!)

So the challenge for me is to fix the deficiencies noted above and add a completed locomotive to the Lachlan River RR roster.

looks like stripping that paint will be a challenge all in itself.

Bear, I think that this will be a really great challenge! Wish you success!

If that's a cast metal body, it's likely the Cary (Bowser) model of the Alco S-2/S-4. It should be pretty easy to strip off that paint with lacquer thinner.

Wayne

" starting new projects before the last one is finished " .....now WHOM does that remind me of ?

I should have mentioned that if you're using lacquer thinner to strip the paint, put the body shell and the thinner into a large glass jar with a screw-on lid. That way, you shouldn't have to scrub too much or breathe the noxious vapours, either. There's a good chance that the paint will peel off of its own accord, and drop to the bottom of the jar. After removing the body shell, you should be able to pour most of the lacquer thinner back into its original all-metal can. Label the can as containing "used" thinner, as it may not be suitable for paint thinning. If left in the glass jar too long, the fumes will degrade the plastic-like seal on the jar's lid, and eventually all of the thinner will evapourate...you can imagine how I learned this.

Wayne

Thanks for the encouragement Bernhard.

teejay Wrote:.....now WHOM does that remind me of ?

I have been well aware teejay that I’m not the only one suffering from that particular affliction, but that others had it was never a justifiable excuse to my Mum, “If everyone else jumped off a cliff” she said, “is it necessary for you to follow?” It was an argument that I would never win, End of Story!!!

doctorwayne Wrote:If that's a cast metal body, it's likely the Cary (Bowser) model of the Alco S-2/S-4. It should be pretty easy to strip off that paint with lacquer thinner.

As the forums can be a mine of information, I had, later on, assumed that it was a Cary shell Wayne, but thanks for the conformation.

e-paw Wrote:looks like stripping that paint will be a challenge all in itself.

Not only was the black top coat thick, but so as the grey primer, but in reality it’s removal was only a challenge because of a self inflicted Blockhead Moment!!

Explanation!! Through the forums it would appear that Isopropyl Alcohol, is the paint stripper of choice but here in NZ, due apparently to its use in the manufacture of illegal drugs, is not only very expensive but comes in very small quantities, so what I have is used very sparingly.

I use Methylated Spirits as paint stripper for plastic, it requires a reasonable time to work and still can need a fair bit of elbow grease to completely remove the paint.
The first photo was after I had had that shell soaking in the Meths for about a week, but it wasn’t until I was writing my challenge preamble that I finally clicked that because it was cast metal I could use something with a bit more grunt, that I have in quantity and is far cheaper than bottled water, and apparently banned in California, Meythl Ethyl Ketone.

One hour soaking in that, a flick with an old toothbrush, and an even quicker flick in the bead blaster, on a very reduced pressure, 45- 50 PSI, et voila!!!

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I must admit I wasn’t prepared for the amount of bits that fell off, but Hooray for HOseeker!! <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://hoseeker.net/lit.html">http://hoseeker.net/lit.html</a><!-- m -->

The big question now is, Just how far do I go??

Thanks for looking, Cheers, the Bear.

JaBear Wrote:banned in California, Meythl Ethyl Ketone.

Yes, a substance known to cause discomfort in the inhabitants of California.

Well I see I’ve been dragging the chain, especially seeing that e-paw has finished one of his challenges, done a great job, and he was crook as well!! But I have progressed!!! I can see why the paint was so thick because of the amount of flash still on the shell, so have spent a bit of time trying to get rid of it all.
I’ve also managed to drill all (?) 35 #79 holes for the grab irons and only broke one drill bit! Yahoo!!!!! ”one small step for man, one big step for a Bear...”

I fortuitously found just enough Tichy drop grab irons but still have to finish the others required, including the lift rings. (I have a confession to make. Once upon a time, while secretly admiring their dedication, I would shake my head over those who would remove cast on grab irons, and especially lift rings, to fit new ones. Madness, I would think, after all how many of the Great Unwashed would notice? Now I’m doing it!!! I can only attribute it to doctorwaynes “Slippery Slope Theory”).

Oh well onwards (and sideways),
Cheers, the Bear.

JaBear,

I am dragging the chain too, but at least you are making progress, unlike me.

I have the same issue of slippery slope, where once you have done something and made it nicer it makes everything else look not as good, so then you have to update everything else.

Keep up the progress!!

Wow, you really picked a major project!

mountaingoatgreg Wrote:I have the same issue of slippery slope, where once you have done something and made it nicer it makes everything else look not as good, so then you have to update everything else.

Gidday Greg, I must admit that for me the “Slippery Slope” generally only involves the current project I’m doing. I have no hesitation of running one of my kit bashed or scratch built freight cars with Athearn Blue Boxes, besides as I mentioned in my previous post, a lot of the “Great Unwashed” don’t notice. There’s only a few ffolkes at the local club that have a close look at what I’ve been up to when I take something down to run. That said, while I do model for myself, I’m not above accepting recognition from my fellows.
For this challenge, I only intended to clean up and lube the running gear add the two lights, some form of glazing, and letter and number the locomotive for my freelanced railroad. Simple, eh!!
Well, as already documented, I’ve ended up stripping the Very Thick paint, and drilled off the holes for the grab irons, and while I was drilling the holes for the lift rings, the cast on hatches on the hood started to bother me; would filling the voids and filing off the mould line do?? As you can see, No!!

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So, there I go, I haven’t actually done any of my original tasks yet.

Tyson Rayles Wrote:Wow, you really picked a major project

Thanks for you for the encouragement Mike, but I think it would be fair to say that there are modellers who could undertake a project such as this and have it completed, with one eye closed, while I’m still pondering how to do it, and wondering where I’ve mislaid my 3x spectacles.
Cheers, the Bear.

Your project looks good, Bear. it almost looks like it's a race to see which one of us finishes first!

Thanks Glen, though while w**k is severely limiting my modelling time currently is a legitimate excuse for my lack of progress, doing the windows has proved a heck of a lot slower than I had hoped for.
Besides I want you to finish first so that I can steal/ appropriate any good ideas you come up with as my own!!!

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Cheers, the Bear.

Well the individual windows have taken a fair bit of actual time, especially when I redid some as I wasn’t happy with them, but at last they’re done.
With glacial speed, I’ve also started reassembly.
These photos were taken on the Club HO modular layout, I decided that seeing it running might re enthuse myself, which it has. Had it on track cleaning duties with three “John Allen” type cars.
It is a very sweet runner l but I’ve decided to improve the electrical pickup connectivity, which I guess is another step backwards, as fa as getting this finished.

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