P5se Camelback’s EOY Challenge

[P5se Camelback]

As I mentioned in the first post of this thread, none of the detail parts for this model were in the box when I bought the kit as a teenager back in the sixties. I am still working with the Squadron Green putty to get the smoothest possible surface on this low-tech casting, but since time is marching on, I am beginning to fabricate some of the detail parts.

The first details to be addressed were the Auxiliary/Emergency Reservoir and the AB Valve. The Tichy Train Group AB brake set is a “some assembly required” set so the first step was to attach the Dirt Collector to the AB Valve …



And then I drilled the three 0.020 holes for the break lines …



The next most visible detail is the handrail. I decided to use music wire for the handrail as it is a detail that will be prone to be bumped and I didn’t think that brass wire would be up to the task.

To begin fabrication of the handrail, I needed first to build a fixture to hold the 0.025 music wire while it was being soldered. A piece of basswood was all I could find (hardwood, even pine, would have been a better choice but there was none in the garage) so I laid out the handrail with a very sharp pencil and drilled a pair of pilot holes for a couple nails. After driving the nails in and securing them with a drop of Zap-CA, I grabbed the Dremel and using a cutoff wheel, removed the heads and points of the nails.



I then added a couple of “sticks” to hold the middle two verticals in place while they are being soldered to the main handrail …



It was at that point that I realized the main handrail piece needed to be “captured to keep it from moving during the soldering process …



I then fired up the soldering iron to “middle heat,” added some resin flux to the joints and soldered the pieces together. …



After everything cooled, I carefully lifted my new handrail out of the fixture …



After taking a few measurements from a drawing found on the Web …



... I cut the verticals to length …



And then … the money shot! The first test fitting of my Scale Test Car’s new handrail!



O.K. … I’m pleased with the results. A little cleanup and it will be ready for final attachment.

The next installment will deal with the poorly cast “access doors” on the sides of the car, which seem to follow the Pennsy prototype but beyond being really bad castings, they are incorrect for the Reading Company’s # 91210 Scale Test Car.

Now hang on … from here on it’s going to get a little dicey! Some very small pieces will be involved! I'm probably going to have someone check my sanity when this is all over!