doctorwayne's Get off yer duff Challenge (Part I)

[doctorwayne]

Some more progress....

On the front end, I changed-out the stock inside-bearing lead truck for an outside-bearing version from a Bachmann Berkshire (available as a separate part). I had to remove most of the portion through which the screw is passed, in order to lengthen the truck's frame sufficiently that it would not strike the cylinders on curves:



It was my original intention to equip this locomotive with a Worthington BL type feedwater heater, but the pivotting rear engine left little in the way of options for a good place to put it, as did the relatively high position of the running boards closer to the front of the loco. I had also intended, like many prototype examples, to move the dual airpumps from the front of the smokebox to a position on the engineer's side of the boiler, an attempt to balance the over-two-ton weight of the BL.
Instead, I opted for the more modern (and more compact) Worthington SA feedwater heater.
Even then, finding space to mount the components was a problem. The cold water pump ended up beneath the fireman's side of the cab, partially hidden by the steps and fairing of the vestibule cab, while the heater itself will go atop the smokebox, just ahead of the stack. However, the same conditions which precluded use of the BL unit also left little room for the SA's hot water pump, and I chose to mount it in a rather unorthodoxed position on the side of the front engine. Since it will be in the shadows and mostly hidden by the valve gear of the front engine, I chose to save the nicely-done brass casting which I had purchased for this loco, and instead substituted one scratchbuilt from styrene:





It's a fairly loose interpretation of the real one, and even then, had to be trimmed fairly radically just to get it to fit. I didn't want to omit such an important detail, though, even though its position on the pivotting engine might, on a real locomotive, at least, make connection to the boiler rather difficult. I'm uncertain as to what type of high pressure swivel joints might have been available when this loco is supposed to have been in service.

The valve gear hangers on this loco are of all-plastic construction, and that on the new rear engine was somewhat distorted, allowing the linkage for reversing the valve gear to rise somewhat, bringing it in contact with the area where new air tanks will be installed. This retainer, cut from brass sheet using a cut-off disc, forces the distorted parts back into position and improves the clearances:



Also added was a small filler piece atop the extension which accommodates attachment of the trailing truck and tender drawbar...



...which not only blocks what should be a no-see-through area, but also represents part of an extension of the loco's frame, which I modelled using sheet and strip styrene, and Grandt Line nbw castings:



That's the Worthington cold water pump at right, with scratchbuilt ashpan hoppers on the left. The latter are a bit wider than intended, but were a nuisance to build and will not be revised. Also visible are overfire jets installed on what remains of the firebox. I purchased them back in the '70s for use on a heavily-modified Tyco Mikado...



...but decided to not use them. They've languished in my "parts department" for all those years and this locomotive seemed like it might be my only opportunity to use them:



Still lots more to do, but time for a break to work on some other stuff.

Wayne