04-01-2021, 03:03 AM
Here's the current state of the surplus tenders, with some details already added......
The one in the foreground was nothing but a body shell when I bought it around 40 years ago, for a couple of bucks, off the "used" table at a now-long-gone hobby shop (that's a block of lead in the coal bunker, and there'll be a bigger one inside the tender's cistern).
The two in the middle were complete kits, with cast metal underbodies, trucks with metal wheels, and one-piece plastic bodies. They were on sale at the same store (very unusual at that store) perhaps 30 years ago. I've added the Kadee couplers and some grabirons.
The one at the top is an older Mantua tender, with the cast-in coal load and the coal bunker's sides removed by a previous owner. There was also some damage to the water-leg on the near side, which I've corrected. The underbody is cast metal. There were no trucks on the model as-bought, but it cost only a buck.
My plan is to make these into water cars for MoW service, but convert the coal bunkers into small mobile tool sheds.
The two complete kits will go to my two accomplices, while the body-shell version and the Mantua cast-off will be for my own layout.
The work on these four cars won't be overwhelming, so I hope to have at least this part of my Challenge finished by the time the Challenge ends. We'll see how Part I fares....like most of my past Challenges, I'll continue on if it's not finished in time, as I don't like giving up on projects.
Wayne
The one in the foreground was nothing but a body shell when I bought it around 40 years ago, for a couple of bucks, off the "used" table at a now-long-gone hobby shop (that's a block of lead in the coal bunker, and there'll be a bigger one inside the tender's cistern).
The two in the middle were complete kits, with cast metal underbodies, trucks with metal wheels, and one-piece plastic bodies. They were on sale at the same store (very unusual at that store) perhaps 30 years ago. I've added the Kadee couplers and some grabirons.
The one at the top is an older Mantua tender, with the cast-in coal load and the coal bunker's sides removed by a previous owner. There was also some damage to the water-leg on the near side, which I've corrected. The underbody is cast metal. There were no trucks on the model as-bought, but it cost only a buck.
My plan is to make these into water cars for MoW service, but convert the coal bunkers into small mobile tool sheds.
The two complete kits will go to my two accomplices, while the body-shell version and the Mantua cast-off will be for my own layout.
The work on these four cars won't be overwhelming, so I hope to have at least this part of my Challenge finished by the time the Challenge ends. We'll see how Part I fares....like most of my past Challenges, I'll continue on if it's not finished in time, as I don't like giving up on projects.
Wayne