Reading P7sa back to a C1

[toptrain]

* In my search for info on different projects like this one. I like to search through the e-books on Google. You read thro some old Railway Age or Locomotive Engineering publications. The sections where people have written in with replies are also very interesting. I read through a May 1896 article on "Old Reading Locomotives". Now these are really old locos. The list was, Catawissa, Rocket, Planet, Comet, Spitfire, Dragon and others. Built by the Stevenson's Company. It speaks of the Milholland Engines, Hiawatha, and Kosciuseo. Look thru the old photos. Really enjoy the read. Then the index shows another article on "Old Reading Locomotives", and low and behold, it is written by the master mechanic of the Reading assigned to accept, and break in various new engines. John Dodsworth, He posts corrections to the article I just read.
* Now he goes on " The Engines referred to were built by Braithwaite and Ericson, and were received at Philadelphia, for the Philadelphia and Reading Railway Company, BY ME". He then corrects tha names of the locomotives. Talk about getting information right from the mouth of the man himself ! The stuff you can find. And it reads like it was written yesterday.
frank

[doctorwayne]

Frank, it shouldn't be too difficult to bend those ash chutes from sheet brass. It looks like the ash pans on your model are part of the loco's frame, so if the frame is brass, the chutes could be soldered in place. If the frame is cast metal (or even if it's brass but you'd prefer not to solder) you could cut slots in it (using a cut-off disc) and make the chutes with integral tabs - assembly would be simple yet secure tab-in-slot.

The CNR used external ash chutes of a different style on some of their locos. I used square brass tubing for the chutes, soldering them to the loco's frame, then fabricated the doors from styrene:


Wayne

[toptrain]

Doc. Your ahead of me, I spent today working on the Cab. Really got no place. My trash can has alot of drawings in it. My work bench , one. My cab I think will be much larger than the one that came on the Mantua model. When you look at the photos of the P7 and C1 you see two different cabs. I am realizing that to make this cab, I have to start with a roof, of a certain size, and curvature, and design and build my way down from there. I spent all day trying to do it the match the measurements the change scale way. It doesn't work because the mantua boiler is not to scale. Not shaped right. I need to make a cab the same with as the Mantua one. It must be a scale foot longer. It also need to be higher to allow for the 4 curved windows in the front wall of the cab.
* Doc, the ash pan dumpers will be tackled later on. If it is possible to do all four with everyone different. This is a real big challenge. You mainly see them from the sides, unless you pick up the train and look underneath. I may just do the two side ones. Lets see what happens when I get the cab done.
frank

[toptrain]

Well today I got my tender kit from Dan Hicks. Very interesting ! It should do nicely.
Frank

[e-paw]

cool, I was hoping that tender was still available. Looks like the same tender I used on my K1-as.     Good luck with it.

[toptrain]

Hello ! I have finished building the tender. The only noticed change is the beam ( white Plastic ) running front to back above the trucks. The unnoticed change is the lowering of the trucks to clear the new side beam.
frank

   

   

   

   

[toptrain]

* Well after making a new cab I have come to a decision that it is too small. I'll just keep it to look at, and make another.
* I want to get ready for the NY Society of Model Engineers train show this Sunday.
A link to it. <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://modelengineers.org/">http://modelengineers.org/</a><!-- m -->

frank

[Sumpter250]

You built up that tender kit very nicely !! This is an interesting project to follow.
Pete

[toptrain]

My stumblings today !

* Having made a mistake on my first locomotive cab, and knowing the analogy " Your learn from your mistakes" I am wishing, and hoping this saying to be true. On my first cab try, I took the measurements placed on the loco design drawing and considered them to be true. I made a scale print of the locomotive drawing by scaling it down to where all measurements matched the measurements noted on the drawing in HO scale. Now my base locomotive is a Mantua Reading P7sa. To date it. It would be 1917 to 1940s. I am rebuilding it back to its as built in 1914 and 1915. There were four built in these years.
* Things I didn't take note of (see), while making plains for this first cab. I do see it now ! The Reading as built photo of #110 shows a very rounded Wooten fire box. The model doesn't have this feature. it has a sort of a wooten fire box. Not the same as in the prototype photo. The front of the models fire box is the same, a well rounder wooten. The rear at the backhead is tapered in with some flat surfaces coming down from the arch at the boiler top to where the another bend brings the edges in. Well my little hammer and anvil has reshaped the fire box rear section to as close to a rounded wooten as in the photo. Next I used a contour gauge to reproduce to exact arc of the fire box. Transferring this shape to a piece of plastic sheet. I rescaled the drawing to match this arc. matching it to the drawing print as I scaled it up and down till I had a match. In other words I made a bigger cab.
* I went to work on the front 4 windows and reproduced them nicely in my new front cab wall. 1 down 3 to go.

[toptrain]

Bergen Point Locomotive Works has just released it new cab parts. It is a set of wall castings for a Reading C1 4-4-4 cab. A little flashing is still to be removed.
toptrain1

   

[e-paw]

oooooooooooooooo!

[toptrain]

How does it look? What do you think.

Reading Cab


   

   

[Puddlejumper]

WOW! That is incredible. Fantastic! I am very impressed. That cab will definitely change the look of this locomotive.

Dave

[toptrain]

TODAY WHERE I AM AT !
The Reading C1 4-4-4

   

   

[doctorwayne]

Very nice work, Frank, on both the cab and the tender.

Wayne