Old Steamers

[gna]

Lately, old steamers are finding their way to me. To go along with my Big Boy, I just acquired this old Mantua Pacific:

   

The paint is peeling, the seams were never filed off, the pilot is missing, and it sounds like a blender, but it runs strong. A little cleaning and lube should help it out. It also came with a brass tender.

I also got this Bowser H-9 mechanism. I had an old junky shell, which I think is an IHC:

   

I modified the mounting areas, drilled holes for mounting, and put lead in the boiler. It's a little loud as well, but quieted down with just a few minutes of running.

Finally, I enjoyed building my Bowser Casey Jones so much, I've been looking for other Bowser kits at shows and on eBay. I finally won a Pennsy K4 on eBay, and it arrived today, along with my ladders and grabs from Intermountain (see Reefer Madness):

   

   

I'm also working on valve gear from Bowser with an MDC Harriman Connie. OK, I've got a few questions.

I looked for pilots for the Pacific. I don't really like the plastic kit pilot. I have a Cal-Scale brass pilot; I'd like to solder it to some sheet brass pieces and build a pilot. Anyone ever done that? Any advice? Also, the cab looks small--are there better cabs available?

The IHC shell has two sand domes. Is it from an 0-8-0? I want to cut the back one off and patch with styrene, to look more normal.

Finally, the K4 has a Belpaire firebox. I don't model PRR, so is it possible to grind off the square box? Does it resemble any other Pacifics without the Belpaire?

[doctorwayne]

Many years ago, I ordered an MDC Santa Fe Atlantic from Hobbies For Men, but they sent a Pennsy Atlantic with a Belpaire firebox. I used a mill file to remove the "shoulders" from the firebox. As long as the boiler is thick enough, it should be easy to do. Mine turned out fine, but I don't have a photo.
If you want to use a brass pilot, Cal-Scale (Bowser) and PSC both have several types. Soldering it to some sheet brass should allow you to use a screw to affix it to the loco's frame.

This modified Bachmann Northern got a Cal-Scale GSC cast pilot, which comes with an integral deck. This allowed it to be attached using a screw...




...and the same for this Bachmann USRA Light Mountain:



I re-worked this Athearn Mikado for a friend to more closely resemble a CNR locomotive, and he supplied a PIA (PSC) CNR-style pilot. It, too, had a deck cast as part of the pilot, making installation both easy and solid...



Same friend's locomotive and same pilot on this one, but I modified the cast deck and soldered it to a piece of sheet brass. The whole works was then soldered to the frame...





Wayne

[twilight]

Another option is, Cary Locomotive Works made a USRA light mikado boiler that could also be used for pacfic's. Mainly Mantua & Varney drives. But one could possibly be creative enough to put one on a Bowser drive. Occassionally, these show up on Ebay.

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[gna]

Here's the brass tender:

   

It doesn't have any rivet detail, so I wonder if it was a kit or even scratchbuilt. Along with the loco and tender, I also got a brass cab and some brass pilots:

   

I like the pilot in the middle--it has a coupler that swings out--so I need to get some sheet brass and start cutting and soldering. Not sure if I want to put an all-weather cab on it, though.

The project for tonight, though, was to work on an MDC Harriman consolidation kit:

   

I have been tinkering with this one for years. I bought the kit and built it per the instructions, and it ran ok. Then I put a decoder in the tender, and it stalled alot, so I added pickups on all the wheels of the tender, and it ran really well. I added a generic Soundtraxx steam decoder in the tender, and it sounds pretty good. What it was missing was valve gear. Someone once on a forum told me Bowser H-9 valve gear would work just fine, and lo and behold, a guy at a show was selling H-9 leftovers, including valve gear, side rods, and cylinders, so I bought them. I have been trying to put the two together, on and (mostly) off, for the last couple of years. Finally I figured out a way of screwing the Bowser gear to the third driver by drilling and tapping some small bits of styrene and CA-ing them to the back of the drivers. I needed longer 0-80 hex head screws, but I got them last night and cut them down. It worked! Tears of joy!

I have a Cal-Scale detail kit for this loco, so I guess I've got my work cut out for me...

[cnrglen]

I had a mantua Pacific a long time ago. Boy could it pull. The mantua pilots come along for sale on ebay every so often if you want to go that way. I seem to remember someone making a plow pilot for the locomotive as well, which would go along with your all weather cab.
I just finished a MDC Connie a few months ago, building it up to make it look like a Canadian National engine, but I used an Athearn Genesis tender behind it. Nice work on your Valve gear, it's something I didn't add to mine.

[Schraddel]

Anno 2006 when i became US model railroader, one of my purchases was this 0-6-0:


A very old MDC Roundhouse 0-6-0 out of pre-war times, so i presume.





A later version of the MDC Roundhouse 0-6-0 with plastic shell, extensively rebuilt.

Cheers Lutz

[toptrain]

Well here is a old United Santa-Fe consolidation. You should be seeing it sometime after E-paw redoes it. It is his now. Can't wait to see how it comes out.

POP

[MountainMan]

Nice...there is a lot of potential in those old locos.

[doctorwayne]

.... Can't wait to see how it comes out.

I'm guessin' maybe as a camelback?

Wayne

[modelsof1900]

I have the biggest esteem to all of you who build, rebuild, change and detail their locomotives to excellent looking and well running models.
Here in this post are to seen a lot of such samples and I wish all enough patience and success who starts such a project often from very crude basic models.
I'm waiting to see the progress and hope for finishing of all these models which are presented here in forum by their master model builders!

[gna]

I had a mantua Pacific a long time ago. Boy could it pull. The mantua pilots come along for sale on ebay every so often if you want to go that way. I seem to remember someone making a plow pilot for the locomotive as well, which would go along with your all weather cab.

I don't really like the way the Mantua pilots look, though I do like the ladders. I'm not sure I want to put the all-weather cab on, either, so I soldered the pilot to a piece of .030" brass, drilled a hole, and mounted it. Looks good to me. Still playing around with cabs.

   

Noticed the valve gear wasn't quite right on the connie and fixed it, too.

I just finished a MDC Connie a few months ago, building it up to make it look like a Canadian National engine, but I used an Athearn Genesis tender behind it. Nice work on your Valve gear, it's something I didn't add to mine.

You mean this thread? http://bigbluetrains.com/forum/viewtopic...=17&t=8413 Oh, I've been studying that one.

[modelsof1900]

This will be my "old steamer" project in next time, changing and adding some details and digitalizing of this old Bachmann/Spectrum PRR K4s and ...



... adding this coast-to-coast tender after these pictures of prototypes.



I present time I do not own PRR passenger cars but I think that it will be correctly also using this loco in front of a freight train. The Walthers caboose could be a good addition to this loco for my 1930 (+) freight train. More info will follow if the project has started.

[gna]

I'd like to make my connie look like this:

   

Still looking for a picture of the other side. Some similar models look like they have a power reverse above the cylinders.



Anyway, I need to:
1.Grind off the cast on details
2. Add a top feed check valve and piping
3. Coonskin lamp holder/numberboard
4.Pyle head lamp, and
5. Build a doghouse

I managed to get a Cal-Scale superdetail kit for MDC Harrimans a few years ago, so I have some pieces to choose from. I'm not sure how to make the smoke density lamp, though.

[doctorwayne]

The tender behind the 1303 looks a lot like the MDC oil tender with an added doghouse. The arch bar trucks are a bit of an anachronism on what looks to be a fairly modern Consolidation, though.
As for the power reverse, I would've missed it if you hadn't mentioned it.

Both of those locomotives would have been fairly simple conversions starting with the Bachmann Consolidation, although the drivers don't appear to be quite as large as those on the Bachmann.

Wayne

[gna]

The tender behind the 1303 looks a lot like the MDC oil tender with an added doghouse. The arch bar trucks are a bit of an anachronism on what looks to be a fairly modern Consolidation, though.
As for the power reverse, I would've missed it if you hadn't mentioned it.

Both of those locomotives would have been fairly simple conversions starting with the Bachmann Consolidation, although the drivers don't appear to be quite as large as those on the Bachmann.

Wayne

I think I'll try building a doghouse out of styrene. I missed spotting the archbar trucks, but I think I have a set around here somewhere. The Frisco Connies had 63" drivers, so they match the MDC kit, and the domes and boiler taper line up pretty well.

The Bachmann Consolidation boiler and domes matches some Frisco Brooks-built consolidations 1281-1292. Here's a mod someone posted on Frisco.org:



It's a nice match to the Spectrum Russian Decapod.