Obsessed with Heavy Metal

[pipefitter]

Thanks Jon for your great photos, and information. I have an eBay find Mantua Pacific in Chessie Steam Specials paint. Runs OK but the motor is a bit unpleasantly buzzy and does not do that well at slow speeds. I will look to Yardbird for a new can motor replacement. I have done business with them before, indeed they are fine folks.

BTW, did you use an airbrush on the B&O project? I remember you said you were not using one during the 0-4-0 Dockside project. I note the detail on the loco and tender look too fine to have been painted with a spray can (?). When I changed from the can to the airbrush it was like the difference between night and day

Robert

[RAM]

Some people have taken the boiler off the pacific and used it on the mike.  I have never liked the boiler on the mike.  It is not round.  I have one which I used a John English boiler on.

[jonathan]

Robert,

I used spray cans this time as well.  However, this time I started with flat black (after a thin primer coat).  On my last two engines I started with gloss black.

I found the flat black went on thinner, more evenly and quickly.  Got into all the nooks and crannies better as well.  The only draw back was I had to spray on a gloss clear coat to decal.  Seemed like, this time, I was forever adding clear coats to get the look I wanted.  From a few feet away, the finish is beautiful.  Up close, it looks pretty bumpy (i.e. orange peel).  Perhaps you can see what I mean in this shot:

I sometimes forget to step back and realize the smallness of the models we are working on.  It's no wonder we get so nit picky and are never satisfied.  It's incredibly difficult to get something so small to look so real.

I can't say enough good things about the can motor.  The engine is surprisingly quiet and strong.  I was very impressed by it's performance.

Just as an aside.  I'm adding a little weight to the front of the tender in the morning.  Under a load (over eight cars)  the front truck wants to derail on a left turn (24" radius).  It could be a little stiff, too, because of my all-wheel pick up job.  Seems like a minor issue I should be able to clear up in a few minutes.

Woody, I can't wait to finish the Bowser myself.  I think I finally found a set of Pennsy decals from Microscale.  They are only in stock at WKW but my LHS was able to order them for me (no shipping).

Regards,

Jonathan

[pdlethbridge]

Try using some neolude on that brass gear to help hide it. That is the only thing I see wrong on that engine. Beautiful job. Micro-mark sells the neolube, check it out and see what it can do/

[jonathan]

Thanks, PD.

I will check into the neolube.  The big worm is very noticeable.  Rye Guy mentioned adding some spring detail above the drivers, to hide the gear.  That would be an interesting project.

I did add a little weight to the front of the tender this morning.  I was able to pull 16 cars, with no derailments.  So that went well. Haven't reached the upper limit of pulling power, yet.

The engine is very quiet and smooth running forward.  It is pretty noisy in reverse for some reason.  Don't intend to run it backwards, so I'll let that go for now.

Regards,

Jonathan

[Daylight4449]

out of curiosity, what kind of noise is it?

[jonathan]

Noise is hard to describe.  There is a general metal quality to it, but not grindy.  I haven't isolated it , yet.  Could be the mechanism.  I have my doubts about that.  It was rolling like glass before I started assembling the rest of the parts.  Also, I ran the engine without the boiler, in forward and reverse prior to final assembly.  It was quiet at that time.  It does seem to work harder in reverse (requires more voltage).

One possibility is the clearance between the worm gear and the boiler.  Once the engine was put together, I turned the worm with my pinkie to make sure it wasn't touching anything but the drive gear.  I suppose there is a possibility when the engine goes in reverse, that the worm gear shifts just ever so slightly, enough to touch the boiler.  If that were the case, I would think the engine would short out and quit running.  I'm hoping this is the answer.  It would be pretty easy to remove the boiler and file out just a skosh more material.

I don't see any detail parts touching the wheels, valve gear or drive rods, but it would be noisy in both directions, if that were the case.  I know sometimes, the linkages attached to the eccentric crank, will shift in and out, depending on the direction of travel.  I haven't noticed that on this engine so far.  Plus, I painted the mechanism.  I would see scratches or paint removal is something were causing friction.

At this point, I consider the issue minor.  If it really starts to bother me, I'll post a video of it's behavior, and we can diagnose it as a group.

Thanks for asking.

Regards,

Jonathan

[uncbob]

Good job and great pics

[Woody Elmore]

to pipefitter - if you change the motor on your Tyco Pacific you'll get a nice running engine. Those Mantua PM 1 motors just aren't up to the task.

[jonathan]

I agree with Woody.

My original Mantua Motor is in great shape--it's just too weak to pull a large engine and a consist.  I'm saving the motor to use in a smaller, switcher loco.  It would be perfect in some sort of tank engine.

Regards,

Jonathan

[pdlethbridge]

The neolube is not a paint, but a lubricant that will darken anything it is out on. careful though, because it also can conduct electricity

Quote micro mark.
"Description
NeolubeTM Lubricates, Blackens Metal and Improves Electrical Conductivity
Neolube is a water-thin graphite/alcohol solution that brushes on metal surfaces smoothly and levels perfectly without streaking. When the alcohol evaporates, a thin, tough, dark matte-gray coating is left behind that works like a dry lubricant, a metal blackener and an electrical conductor all in one. It is ideal for blackening locomotive wheels, steam locomotive side rods and other model linkages for a more prototypical appearance and improved electrical contact. 2 fl. oz. jar includes in-cap brush.

Note: Please use caution when coating insulated model railroad wheels with Neolube. Neolube may electrically bridge the insulation, causing the wheels or driver rims to short to the axle. Running the tip of a knife blade across the gap is one way to open the short if it occurs; it would be better to avoid applying Neolube across the insulating gap."

[J3a-614]

My experience with a club's Bowser K-11 suggests the possibility that you may simply be getting resonance in the boiler casting.  That 4-6-2's mechanism ran freely on a glass sheet, and was nice and quiet running without the boiler, but when the boiler was added, we got a loud buzzing sound.  Nothing seemed to be touching internally (this model didn't have a backhead, and the motor--which was mounted on its side in this engine--came into the cab), yet the noise persisted.  Tapping on the boiler shell revealed the same "tone;" the thing had a resonance in it.  Essentially, it rang like a bell!  In doing so, it amplified all the noises in the engine like a resonator box.  Some electrical tape applied in the shell and in other key locations to dampen the vibrations helped considerably.

I won't guarentee this is what you have, but it may be something to look at.

Isn't this fun?

[jonathan]

PD,

That neolube looks great! I wondered how some folks got their drivers and rods such a nice, even dark color.  That goes on my next shopping list.

J3a-614

I was contemplating puting fiber washers between the frame and boiler connecting points.  Good tip.

Jonathan

[Woody Elmore]

When I was modeling HO and running to keep a fleet of Penn Line and Bowser  engines running, there were lots of tricks . For example pieces of an old bike inner tube would be used sort of like grommets where metal touched metal.  It would be inserted between metal parts like a washer. I also remember one guy who used rubber glue to attach inner tube pieces to the inside of a boiler to cut down on noise.

I also had a NYC K-11 that buzzed along like a bee. Bowser later modified the frame to take a DC-71. I wonder if there is a difference is the way the newer engines sounded and ran.

This noise wasn't just happening in steamers. I had a Hobbytown powered FT A-B unit with all trucks powered from one motor, It made a very distinctive growling noise that was amplified with the cast tops in place. This engine could pull just about anything the club had. We had it up to 50 cars at one time.

[Doneldon]

You can also put little dabs of caulk in safe places to attenuate the vibrations.