What's on you bench 11/2018

[Jim Courtney]

Another modeling coincidence, Mark!

Your original 26 foot Litchfield flat car looks great, I particularly like the brake beam hangers and small safety chains.


Just so happens I am building an Sn3 version of the same car, after it had been rebuilt in the late 1890s with a heavier underframe and straight side sills and looked like this:








I work on my little flat car from time to time, when I think of it. I started with an extra Leadville Shops 26 foot stock car kit, using only the underframe parts with new end beams. Ignore the Peninsular trucks, they are stand ins until I can get my brass Litchfield trucks (also from the Leadville Shops) assembled. The brake castings are by Grandt, the link and pin couplers from McLeod (light weight On3 logging couplers). The 4 new truss rods are to be supported by Grandt O scale 4" queen posts.

You make a great point, the prototype's stake pockets are tiny. I've tried to match them with HO scale parts, without much luck, tho' there are some Tichey parts that are pretty close.

[Jim Courtney]

But I digress, mistakenly identified my CONX tank car as #8, should be #5. Anyway, got to the couplers using the Wiseman box assuming Kadee 26s would work, no dice, need advice.

It's a Wiseman kit and I don't have instructions. I don't need instructions but I imagine they would indicate what couplers to use. Anybody have an idea what Kadees might work?


Mike,

The Wisemann coupler pockets are the old Triangle Scale Models parts. They are designed for the old, original Kadee No. 4 coupler. The narrow coupler shank on the No 4 has two little tabs on the sides and a narrow rectangular cutout to accommodate a spring behind the draft gear box center pin.

Unfortunately, Kadee stopped manufacturing them quite a while ago.

From time to time you'll find a package ( 2 pair) offered for sale on eBay, like right here: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Magne-Matic-Couplers-HO-scale-4-Two-pair-with-draft-gear-Kadee/372507692112?hash=item56bb304c50:g:E7IAAOSwjq9bvX4m:rk:18:pf:0

Hope this helps you complete a beautiful model!

[Keith Hayes]

Mark and Jim, neat flat car projects!

Jim I confirmed that Mike has the correct Kadee #4 couplers for his model of CONX 5.

Keep the project updates coming,  folks!

[NarrowTracks]

Jim, great flatcar project!

Those late 1890's rebuilt cars are really neat with all of the overlapping construction styles and parts. Are you going for the full machinery load too?

[Keith Hayes]

Jim loves that photo. You bet he is going to model that load!

[Jim Courtney]

Actually, I was thinking of modeling the end of the photo sequence at Idaho Springs -- after the car had been unloaded.

Maybe include some of the supporting timers lying on the flatcar floor, and Chris's pinch bar. The one the guy with mustache and stocking cap is holding . . .

[Pat Student]

Keith

You didn't specify which 4000 series.

4000 - 4099


4100 - 4499, 4900 - 4999


4500 - 4549


or how about one of the remaining 24 footers? 2611, 2617, 2823, or 3752
 

Pat

[John Greenly]

Well, it's not 11/2018 anymore.  Work in  the 1:1 world has been much to time-consuming of late.  But I hope you'll excuse my posting a couple of photos from my bench this month.  I have finally started to try to make the roof for my Kokomo depot, as you can see (I'll post that on the Kokomo thread) , but mostly I've been spending a little time on an old labor of love, an engine that I started scratch-building in, as best I can remember, about 1970!  It's one of the F&CC engines that in later life became C-18's on the Rio Grande.  I started this way back then with only a C-18 drawing and a photo or two from John Maxwell.  It was my attempt to emulate the beautiful work by Mel Thornburgh that I admired in his articles in Model Railroader.  



Originally I had a motor in the cab, but now I put in a nice NWSL motor that exactly fits in the boiler, with an idler gearbox to the rear driver.  So now I've put in a backhead, and in the last few months added the smokebox door clamps, the firebox, the air pump and governor piping, the cab roof ventilator, the tender rear coal board, rear beam and coupler pocket, etc.  







I decided originally to make everything that I had enough information on to do a good job.  I bought the headlight, stack, bell, whistle, generator,  air pump and governor, and the wheels, cylinders and steam chests were from Kemtron, otherwise it's homemade.  With more information available now, I've now decided to make it basically as it may have been at the end of the F&CC, except for one big discrepancy. The smokebox I originally made was a later shortened D&RG version.  But I like the way it looks, and it reminds me of my youth, so I'll keep it.  Maybe in another 10 or 20 years I'll get some hinges on the smokebox door, add the cab windows and doors, get the backhead details put in, and then there are the brakes, and....

But I really want to get back to the snowplow installation on my Rhode Island No. 59!

This post was way out of C&S land, thanks for indulging me!

Cheers,
John  

[skip]

Yeah, it's not C&S. but even so that is a beautiful little locomotive. Thanks for sharing the photos and let us know how it comes along.

Skip

[Lee Gustafson]

John,

Beautiful work in brass. You clearly did your homework. The time it has taken has indeed been well spent. Thanks for sharing.

Lee Gustafson

[Jim Courtney]

Beautiful work John!

And in such a small scale -- without scale, it could be mistaken for an On3 locomotive.

You should start a thread, showing us how you solder parts onto a brass locomotive so cleanly. Do you use an iron or resistance soldering? This is still a skill set that I haven't yet mastered.

[Paul R.]

Excellent work John, are you using various types of solders, or just quick to heat and get out?
My C&S job is still Leadville depot, run out of shingles so a wait until some more from Wild West turn up. Work is slow on my S loco but getting there. Paul R.
 can't seem to upload an image try again later! Happy Christmas to all.

[Paul R.]

[Keith Hayes]

Awesome,  Paul

[Al Pomeroy]

Its beginning to look like a stock car. type 1 version.

next up is the second deck and the roof, then add all the detail castings.

AL P.