ALCO from ALCO or another 0-8-0

[modelsof1900]

Lutz,
nice to see "your" improvements to this brass model. I respect your courage with soldering at loco and tender and I know that I have the greatest stomachache doing same at my models.

However you should try to get better results with brake detailing by simple changes. Add real small klamps to rod ends which you can made also from brass sheet or strips. Drill a hole at bottom of such an U for inserting the rod and drill two more holes through the long ends. For better fixing you can form a small head similarly to a nail head and fix this rod from inside of U through the clamp (and solder again). Second make small "nails" (pins) again for a correct mechanical connection of rods and levers through three metal layers. So you must not solder these connections, you can fix the pins by a drop of ACC at undersise of clamp and you will see a fine small head as connection. Compare my pictures where I build brakes and you will see the diffence - and I'm sure that everyone can build these small parts. What you need are small drill bits for the holes and a small hammer for forging the heads, and small knifes for shorten too long ends of pins.
I'm sure you can do this all and the view will be better yet - if you will look the model from below.

Here a picture yet on one of my last brake modifications and you can see the small pins in position how I would do it.