Varney Dockside Switcher

[J3a-614]

Was looking at your tool and parts selection, and the one thing I didn't see was something to use as an anvil for driving rivets.  I assume you have something; I've improvised with a steel car weight.

Good luck, take your time.  An easy mistake to make is "layer" the valve gear parts incorrectly, which means parts may not line up right vertically.  That's another reason to have spare rivets, in case you have to cut them apart to reallign valve gear parts. 

Have fun.  And I'll mention that there really was an editorial in Model Railroader in the 1950s that did suggest kit building would be as effective as visits to a psychiatrist!

[pdlethbridge]

If all else fails, use a big, very big hammer. Did you notice my new avatar?

[pdlethbridge]

I came across an unusual NH 0-6-0t switcher you might like.

[Johnson Bar Jeff]

Good luck, take your time.  An easy mistake to make is "layer" the valve gear parts incorrectly, which means parts may not line up right vertically.  That's another reason to have spare rivets, in case you have to cut them apart to reallign valve gear parts. 

Have fun.  And I'll mention that there really was an editorial in Model Railroader in the 1950s that did suggest kit building would be as effective as visits to a psychiatrist!

I should think that assembling valve gear might result in some people needing to visit a psychiatrist. ... 

[Woody Elmore]

The first HO engine I ever tackled was a Penn Line mikado. I read the instructions and riveted the valve gear without a hitch. Only later, after I joined a club, did I find out that the valve gear was the tricky bit! After that my hands always shook a little if I worked with valve gear.

If you mess with kit engines, you need spare parts - little screws strip, parts loosen up. You might wonder why anybody bothered with those things at all. The answer was simple - there was no Bachmann or similar company supplying excellently done rtr steamers. The fact that so many kit engines are still around a half century after they were  manufactured is testimony to the quality that was built into these engines. Some were state of the art at the time.

[ebtnut]

One thing you might keep in mind.  It might be possible to use 1mm valve gear screws instead of the rivets, assuming the holes in the parts are small enough to be tapped to 1mm.  I believe you can still get 1mm valve gear screws (and the tap) from the new NWSL.  They are different from regular screws in that they have an unthreaded shoulder under the head of the screw to clear the moving part.  Otherwise, I do recommended the Rivetool. 

[jonathan]

Just one more decision has to be made.

A couple of months ago, I picked up a bottle of Blacken-it and started to experiment with it.

I took a spare drive rod (from the G5 project), pretreated it, and dunked it in the blacken-it for 24 hours.  It looked nice and black until I rinsed it.  The black flaked off and I was left with a gross looking greenish brown color.  Not to be outdone, I dunked it a second time (24 hours again).

This time the finish did not rinse off.  If the following picture is clear enough, you can now see it is a dark grey, with some sparkly flecks.  It does not rub off.  While not exactly prototypical, it is somewhat attractive.  In fact, I have seen a finish like this on some models sold at train shows (the expensive kind).




Need to make a 'go, no go' decision on whether or not to perform this step on the dockside's mechanism, either before or after I assemble it.  I don't know what adverse affects this procedure will have on the small metal parts.  

Hopefully the valve gear will arrive within the week.

Thoughts?

Regards,

Jonathan

p.s. I might still consider neolube, but I can always do that after the engine is done.  The blacken-it really has to be applied before final assembly.

[pdlethbridge]

Go with the neolube only. Blacken it is a waste of money.

[J3a-614]

What you want to do may be determined by the prototype effect you are looking to simulate.  Different railroads had different approaches to this, and even the same road would change things over time, usually with an eye to saving money (which very often meant things didnn't look as good over time, or at least some would argue that was the case).

Some roads polished the rods on their steamers, which resulted in a shiny, silver look to the rods.  The B&O, the C&O, and the Southern did this with passenger power almost to the end (although it truthfully was neglected after diesels started to come), and this is the look C&O 614 has in the photos and videos you've seen.  It's rather difficult to "scale down" visually for some reason; the bright plating commonly used is way too bright and shiny, and looks like a toy.  I've used silver paint, but even it can look garrish.  The builders' photos of N&W power I've seen also show polished steel rods.  On many roads, they would not stay this way, either being painted or just covered with dirt and grease.  To keep them in this condition required very regular work with wire brush and steel wool, and even then light surface rust would show up quite rapidly; I've seen photos of N&W Js that exhibited this.

The C&O used white or very light grey paint on the rods of freight and yard power; this would often show up on Pennsylvania locomotives as well.  In the latter case, this was a coat of whitewash that had been used in metal fatigue testing, either by hammer or magnaflux (iron filings on a steel part with a magnetic current running, the filings would show the locations of cracks in the steel).

Most photos of B&O freight and yard engines I've seen taken after the early 1930s just show rods, tires and everthing painted black.  It's spartan, but I have to say it still looked good on a freshly-shopped engine.  Problem is, you can loose sight of a lot of detail this way.  Many modelers like to avoid using pure black paint for just this reason.  As for myself, I've never been able to blend a toned down black that looked right.  Surface finish (flat, glossy, or semi-gloss) can make a big difference.  

Can anybody else offer better advice?

[jonathan]

Yeah, this is tough.  After further study of the tested rod, I have to admit this is not the look I want.  I have to agree with you, PD.  I painted the Mike mechanism all black.  It's okay, but a little lumpy.  I dry-brushed the Bowser mechanism so it looks grayish and dirty.  It's just okay, too.

The straight metal look is certainly the easiest, and cleanest looking, approach.  If I keep them bare for now, I believe I can try the neolube approach later.  Anyway, I can delay the decision until after assembly.  I will definitely paint the valve hangar black. 

Thanks for input, gentlemen.

Regards,

Jonathan

[pdlethbridge]

Jonathan, I provided a picture of a NH 0-6-0t to help with the placement of a speaker if you ever wanted to go with sound. Tanks like that were added for more fuel and funny shaped because they needed to see good both ways. It's only a idea, but in the eventuality you add sound, you'll need extra room.

[J3a-614]

P.D.,

I did notice that new avatar of yours.  I've got to ask, what made a New Englander like you pick it?

[pdlethbridge]

I've got several avatars to choose from and I'd thought you'd like the B&O tank engine

[Doneldon]

Jonathon-

There are two brass docksiders on ebay right now.

          --D

[Johnson Bar Jeff]

If all else fails, use a big, very big hammer.

My grandpa's philosophy of last resort for fixing things.