Pennsy 2-8-2 L1

[Schraddel]

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-