Spectrum Mountain to a B&O T Class (with video!)

[jonathan]

Initially, the loco did not run.  Discovered there was no jumper plug (DCC ready).  Took the jumper plug out of the original tender and plugged it in.  Locomotive ran 'correctly' in forward and reverse.  I do not yet know if the speed matches the other Mountain (with the old tender). 

I will be faced with a decision.  If the speeds don't match, I can either wait until I find another vandy long tender for the other loco, OR I can switch out the PC boards as rogertra suggests.  The coal is still drying in the tender, so I'll have to wait until morning to reconnect the tender and run both locos.

If I do switch out the PC board, I will have to do it with the next vandy tender as well.

A little test running will help me decide.  Thanks for asking.

Regards,

Jonathan

[ABC]

Sorry about that I had a decoder in the tender at one point in time, and removed the decoder when I decided I would not use the tender. I am not sure what I did with the jumpers.

[jonathan]

It happens 

[jonathan]

Roger,

You were absolutely right!

The locos were not matched during testing.  So I swapped PC boards.  #5500, with the Vandy tender now matches perfectly with #5501.  It took about 2 hours to exchange the boards.  It was well worth the effort as the loco with the vandy tender now purrs just like #5501.

I even found a few extra minutes to install a working reverse light in the vandy tender.

You can now proceed with the "I told you so's".

When I get a vandy tender for #5501, I will perform the same surgery.

Regards,

Jonathan

[Logan_Southern/SP]

After a recent question to Athearn, I was recently informed that they will soon (no exact date) be releasing the Vanderbilt tenders that are currently running with their Genesis SP Mountains.  Perhaps, when they are released, they could be modified and work with your B&O 5501?

[jonathan]

I believe it would be possible to put my PC board in their tender.  The only drawback would be that their loco models an oil burner, not coal. 

I have not seen an oil burning B&O 4-8-2 so far.  Granted I haven't done an exhaustive research either.  I suppose one could cut off the oil receptacles and glue coal to the top. 

Thanks, Logan... some food for thought.

Regards,

Jonathan

[Logan_Southern/SP]

Not a problem. I'd recommend cutting off the square coal top all together.  A fellow club member showed me an interesting trick.  He replaced most of the coal load in his tender with a black open sponge-like material, I think it was part of a fish filter or something, and then put just a little coal on top.  This served as an escape rout for a top-firing speaker.  The black sponge material looked good, and allowed the sound through very well, and the sprinkling of coal on top completed the look.

[OldTimer]

Jonathan,
I don't think the B&O ever had any oil-fired steamers.  Are you familiar with B&O Power by Sagle and Staufer?  It is a wonderful book and deserving of a spot in the bookshelf of any B&O modeller.  I don't know if it's still in print.  My copy is from the 7th printing (!) which was run off in 1980. 
OldTimer

[ebtnut]

I'm sure Johnathon already knows this, but I'm posting it for others who read this thread and aren't B&O foamers.  The two Mountains, 5500 and 5501, were built at Mt. Clare using the boilers from two Class S 2-10-2's.  The left-over running gear became the basis for the two Class U 0-10-0 switchers.  The boilers on the Class S locos was a bit smaller than on the S-1's.  However, one could certainly get away with using an old Rivarossi S-1 boiler over the heavy Mountain mechanism.  To be really correct, the second set of sand domes should be removed.  The Vandy tenders for the Mountains appear to be the same type used on the S-1's, and you can sometimes find those Rivarossi tenders at the shows.  Now, the big drawback is that the Rivarossi models have not been produced for a good long while.  They do show up occasionally at the train shows, but are usually snapped up in short order.  B&O modelers can use the superstructure and tender along with a new heavy USRA 2-10-2 mechansim to get a good-looking and good running engine.  The Rivarossi models had the undersized drivers with the big flanges typical of the time, and used the 3-pole pancake motor so they weren't very good runners. 

Re:  B&O Power: It's a must have if you can find one.  I have the first edition, which I paid $13.50 for!  The dust jacket is getter pretty threadbare from constant use.  The other book to look for is "Q", published by Barnhard Roberts.  It is a paperbound book the covers every aspect of the B&O's Mikados. 

[jonathan]

Thanks ebtnut and Old Timer.  I will keep an eye out for B&O Power.  I've certainly heard enough about it in the past few months.

You are right.  I did some research before I started on these locos.  I realize my models have got a few dimensional problems.  The Spectrum Mountains are a few scale inches under-sized.  The domes aren't quite right, markers should be lower--the list goes on.  I find myself choosing function over form most of the time.

The Spectrum Locos run very, very well.  Likewise, the Spectrum Vandy Tender, while not an exact match, does perform quite well after the board change.  Plus, they look pretty good.  They are a reasonable facsimile for my layout.  Let's not forget the most important part... They Pull A TON!

Here's  a couple of videos for your enjoyment.  The train will creep much slower, but I didn't want to bore you.   Also, I'm a little light on B&O rolling stock, which will change for certain.  I've been concentrating on locos for the past year or so.  Now it's time to start collecting some freight and passenger cars.  

For you C&O fans,  I have a little treat at the end.  It wasn't necessary, but terribly fun! (The second video is better than the first.  How did one Connie become two?)

Regards,

Jonathan

Click on the photographs to receive a couple minutes of my little heaven.




Addendum:  I believe I've mentioned this before, but I'm using a point-and-shoot digital camera for my shots.  It's takes terrible video.  The jerkiness you see is the camera, not the trains.  Thank you. jev

[Doneldon]

jonathan-

Thanks for the explanation about the jerkiness of your videos.  I was afraid it was you and we'd have to have a little talk about cutting back on the sauce, if you take my meaning.  Seriously, nice pics and a nice layout.
                                                                                                                                                                          -- D

[jonathan]

Thanks, Doneldon.

Since I work on my trains in the wee hours of the morning, there's no 'sauce' involved.  My fun budget goes to trains, can't go in for the fancy cameras.

Layout is coming along.  Lot's of unsceniced areas that need work.

Still looking for a long Vandy tender for the second mountain.  I've found a few on line, but the shipping charges are so outrageous, I can't bring myself to order one.  Timonium is coming next month.  Perhaps I'll get lucky.  That's a pretty big show.

Regards,

Jonathan

Addendum:  9/22/10 - I have found an unopended, unlettered, Spectrum Long Vandy Tender for $30 USD (good deal, I think).  While it is being shipped, I have removed the pc board from from the original tender and cut the necessary decals.  When I have finished, I will submit the final post.  

The black paint is chipping off the connecting wires, which exposes the color coding.  Could be useful in the future.  jev

[jonathan]

OK, mission complete.  I couldn't let the thread go without finishing.

Let's start with the storage boxes.  I used two Acela passenger car boxes, as they were the right size to hold the locos without having to detach the tenders.  From there I cut down the plastic and foam to fit the boxes:



Now I can safely store the locos in the winter, and if I ever have to sell them, I will have some sort of Spectrum box.  I used the Vandy Tender boxes for the original Mountain tenders.  Perhaps someone will want them someday... with vandy tender pc boards. 

#58 couplers in front, #148's in the back.  Reverse lights work.  I'm still looking for a pair of Nathan Double Top Feed Check Valves to complete the boilers.  They'll show up eventually.

Still not brave enough to attempt weathering a steam locomotive.  They're so nice and clean...

For the curious, the total cost of the project was approximately 260 USD.  That included the locomotives, Vandy tenders, brass parts, couplers, bulbs, and dullcote.  Other details were made from my scrap box.  If that sounds expensive, consider this:  brasstrains.com has a Precision Scale B&O T-4 available for $1720 (ka-ching).  It's beautiful and perfect.  I could never put it on my layout and run it.

I've established that these babies run well, so I won't torture you with one of my bad videos.  However, here are a few shots of the completed locos (below).

As always, thanks for your help and advice.

Regards,

Jonathan

[RBMN #425 Fan]

i use acela car boxes to hold my pcm t-1

[J3a-614]

They look good!

Of course, these engines, at least initially, were passenger locomotives on the B&O; it's likely they would have been used in freight service later on.

Out of curiousity, are you planning on picking up some B&O passenger cars and perhaps other passenger power?  That classic blue and grey paint looked good on any passenger car (wish my C&O had used it!), and a number of available models, including Walthers' current heavyweight coaches, are based on B&O prototypes.