2-8-2 - THE BUILD

[doctorwayne]

- this loco appears to have a jacketed smokebox, as I see no rivet lines delineating the smoke box from the rest of the boiler.
- between the turret shroud and the auxiliary dome is a dynamo (electrical generator).

Personally, I would cut of the dynamo and check valve and replace them with brass castings, and file off all the piping and replace that with brass wire. Getting rid of the feedwater components or doing more work to the smokebox would be more difficult.

Oops! Yeah, I missed that generator. :oops: You're also correct about the lagged smokebox, and the firebox is also partially lagged - fortunately, the lagged area makes it easier to remove the cast-on piping. Both Cal-Scale and PSC offer replacement generators and top feed injectors, and both in several variations, too. Replacing those two items will go a long way in making your loco look well-detailed.
To get rid of the cast-on fwh components, a coarse-cut mill file will make short work of the majority of the smokebox-top "lump", while a hacksaw will help to remove the bulk of the hot water pump on the fireman's side of the loco. For the latter part, remove the remaining bits using a cutter bit in your Dremel, then finish with needle files as required. If you're installing a new, better-detailed hot water pump, you only need to clean-up that which will show, plus whatever is required to mount the new part.
For mounting brass detail parts to an existing boiler shell, regardless of whether it's brass, Zamac, or plastic, make use of the mounting pins which are part of most brass detailing parts. If the part doesn't have a mounting pin, consider adding one by drilling the rear of the part to accept a short length of brass wire of a suitable diameter - use solder or ca to secure it in the part (solder is a must if you intend to solder the part to the boiler). A mounting pin will strengthen the joint considerably, and is especially important if you're using ca or epoxy to affix the parts.
If you're adding brass piping to connect cast brass detail parts, drill the detail parts to accept wire of suitable diameter (note that many Cal-Scale info sheets list required pipe sizes, but the sizes may be for inside diameters - adjust accordingly). Temporarily affix the parts to the boiler using masking tape or wet, wadded-up tissues, and, after bending the pipes to fit, clean their ends, apply a little flux and insert them into their respective holes. A quick touch with some resin-core solder and a hot iron with attach them to one another permanently. You can then remove them as a unit, or attach them permanently to the boiler, using ca or epoxy.
This technique will also work on plastic boilers: use wet tissues to protect all areas where the metal parts being soldered touch the plastic - for example, if you're soldering a water pipe to the top feed injector, the pipe where it last makes contact with the boiler shell before entering the check valve should be covered with a wad of wet tissue. The check valve itself should also be covered, except for the area immediately adjacent to the pipe, along with the nearby areas of the plastic boiler. Make sure that all areas to be joined are clean and shiny, with a small amount of resin flux in the joint and use a clean, hot iron. In most cases, the joint will be made in a second or so, with no damage to the plastic.

Wayne