Re: CB&Q #537's asymmetrical Handrail.

Posted by Mike Trent on
URL: http://c-sng-discussion-forum.254.s1.nabble.com/CB-Q-537-tp550p8838.html

Yes, I believe that to be an air strainer. Big enough to feed both pumps, so yes, like on a cross compound pump.

The color was what I have typically preferred. Scalecoat Graphite and Oil with a bit of Floquil Engine Black to tone it down. The base color was Floquil Grimy Black, with a light overspray of  (Flat) Engine Black. The two tone color on the tender was done after a light dusting of Engine Black, masked off with tape behind the bunker and on top of the bunker and then given a little heavier weathering with Engine Black. When the tape was removed  it gives the appearance you sometimes see where water overflow has washed off some of the soot.

This engine got heavier weathering after I got it back due to some repairs that had been made to damage from shipping and handling that occurred after I had sold it to Overland Models. Recent weathering was made using some chalks, and my old standby, Vintage Reproductions "Soot". In some lighting conditions you can hardly see lettering on it, but that's OK, because that's just how #537 looks in a lot of photos.

I've thought about rebuilding the tender, widening it to George Lundberg's notes. If I do that, I'll probably repaint the whole engine, to freshen it up some. At the time I built this engine in 1984, I'd never done any serious work to a tender like that. Now, after narrowing the tenders of the B-4-F's, and rebuilding the frames from scratch, I'm up to the task. I also really need to replace that oversized air tank on the rear of the tender. That big tank was used under the engineer's side of the cabs, the PSC castings for the rear tanks, are way undersized. It should be 33" long, 12" diameter, like #74, and others. To make them I now use 1/4" tubing cut to length and plug the ends. That will happen for sure. The whole tender rebuild probably will too. That would take this engine over the goal line.