My Last Locomotive Project

[jonathan]

Doneldon,

I will check out Harbor Freight for the cleaner.  Upon my last visit, I used a coupon for a FREE ohm meter, or volt meter, whatever you call it.  Still learning how to use it.  Will be a handy tool for testing current flow as I reassemble the locomotive.  A cheap jewelry cleaner would be just the ticket.  Thanks.

Regards,

Jonathan

[Doneldon]

jonathan-

Be sure to take a 20% off coupon along.  I think the larger cleaner was
about $60 so the savings is worth carrying a scrap of paper to the store.

                                                                              -- D

[jonathan]

Progress,

The L-2 has its steam generator back (turbo, ooh la, la).  Can't tell from the prototype photos, if this is the correct one, but I like it anyway:



And the smokebox is coming along nicely so far:




In case you're wondering, I won't be soldering the headlight on.  I will be using a soft bond of some sort.  It has to do with the difficulty of changing light bulbs, if necessary.  You'll see what I mean when we get closer to the end...

Regards,

Jonathan

[Woody Elmore]

Jon: More impressive work! Incidentally, I was thinking about my prior tinkering with brass engines. I noticed in your pictures that you put the springs into the axle bearings then you put the axle in the frame. I used to mount the springs on the little pegs, then seat the driver bearing. I found that easier for me.

Good idea in making the headlight moveable.

Is it too late to ask Santa for an ultrasonic cleaner?

[jonathan]

Here's the tender underframe.  Just cleaned it up, shot a coat of grimy black and a little dullcote.  The underframe isn't getting the painting or detailing attention that others would give.  I just don't spend a lot of time looking at the bottom of my equipment, except to clean wheels.

Although, I did clean and buff the contact area for the trucks and the draw bar post:





I wonder if one of those shiny silver posts would be a better conductor than the brass post?  Or if I could even get one?

Regards,

Jonathan

[jonathan]

Double Post...

Here's a few more pics.  After many attempts at drilling small holes for wiring, I'm going to have to use a 1.5v bulb like the circuitron constant lighting circuit.  Even the GOR bulbs would strip their insulation trying to fit through all the little turns.  Anyway,  here's what it looks like:





The headlight will remove, it's just press fit.  In this way I can change bulbs when needed.  The plastic lens is epoxied to the brass headlight.

The tender has wet paint right now:



The finish will smooth out once it dries, and I've had a chance to bake it.

Homemade, removable coal load:



Regards,

Jonathan

[J3a-614]

She's looking great!  And it looks like this is one engine with relatively little work to do, at least compared with some previous projects!  And best of all, it's really B&O. . .

Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!

P.S.:  What does your family think of this hobby and this newest project?

[jonathan]

Thanks, J3a.  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

A little more progress:







I will be putting a chain between the coupler and the lift bar.  The coupler is plastic, to prevent shorts:






New wire for the draw bar:

[Woody Elmore]

Jon - I can't wait to see how you power up the rear headlight. Have you decided how to mount the motor?

[jonathan]

Woody,

I can't wait to see it, myself!

Actually, I've measured and calculated every way I can think of.  Using even the smallest of bulbs, there doesn't seem to be a practical way of putting a bulb in that tiny reverse light.  Drilling up through the bottom will upset the integrity of the solder joints holding the light.  Drilling through the back will be, well, unattractive when the wires  come through the back and down through the tender.

I haven't given up, but that's going on the back burner for now.

After studying various methods, I believe I will be using silicon to mount the motor to a separate, small bracket, that will screw to the present stand.  The advantage will be that the motor is still removable and adjustable, plus electrically isolated from the frame.  In addition, I can use the present mounting screw to attach the right side motor wire to the frame.

Speaking of the motor, I ordered the NWSL remotoring kit that has a 2032 flat can motor and installed flywheel.  It also comes with connecting parts for the gearbox.  That motor will be a very tight fit.  I will have to stand it up instead of laying on the flat portion.  It is probably a little too powerful for this loco, but I'm told it's better to overpower than underpower.

I also have some Athearn connecting parts leftover from some old Geep projects.  The connecting rod is two keyed pieces that fit together nicely.  I 'believe' if I install a couple of set screws on the the connecting rod, I can forego the torsion bar that stabilizes the gearbox.  Sounds like alot of mumbo jumbo right now.  I will be spending a lot of time studying and tinkering when the motor arrives.

Hopefully, I can mount the motor close enough to the gearbox, so I will still have room for a backhead.  Keeping my fingers crossed...

Regards,

Jonathan

[jonathan]

Tender done for now.  Will visit the light problem when I get a good  plan.

You gotta love 'holiday' vacation:







Somehow, I lost the screws that attach the frame to the shell.  Lucky for me, my spare screw box had a couple that fit.  They are screws off a Bachmann project by-the-way.  Coincidence?


Regards,

Jonathan

[NMWTRR]

Jonathon,

As always your projects inspire.

Thank you for sharing, it keeps me trying to improve my meager skills on rebuilding locomotives!

[J3a-614]

As NMWTRR said, your projects inspire!

I do have to ask, though, why place a new wire between engine and tender?  I've never worked on one of these brass beasts, but it's my understanding that the whole tender is "live," and the drawbar conducts current to the engine, with the mounting on the locomotive being in an insulated block of some kind.  Seems like you shouldn't need that wire, at least for motor power. . .

A bit about the tank being "live," a notorious problem with these and die-cast metal engines was a potential problem of handrails touching on curves, resulting in short circuits.  This was a problem the prototypes never had, being "live steam!"  As it is, though, I remember watching C&O 614 being turned on the wye at Martinsburg, W.Va., and noting the extreme angles between engine and tender on this very sharply curved track, very extreme for such a large locomotive.  Rocker centering devices on the trailing truck were virtually horizontal, likely at the limit of their travel, you could see how the drivers moved sideways in the frame like our models (and something you normally don't see, as prototype curves are much more generous), and the lead truck must have moved sideways on its centering rockers by almost a foot.  And of course, you could not walk between engine and tender on the inside of the curve.  I didn't hear it, but supposedly someone yelled up to Ross Rowland, (owner of the locomotive and engineer on this day) that he had better make sure he didn't get a short circuit on this curve, that he might blow the circuit breaker on the power pack!

[jonathan]

NMWTRR & J3a-614,

Thanks, you are too kind. 

I hope I didn't confuse too many about the new wire.  That attaches to the left side (negative?) of the motor.  I call it the draw bar wire because it's what connects the draw bar to the motor. 

I will be changing the wire yet again.  I found some prewired micro mini plugs at my LHS.  I bought two sets.  This will be handy--a quick disconnect for the lights and the motor.  I really loathe unsoldering.

You know, I never anticipated shorts on curves from the tender touching the loco.  This is something I'll need to look at during testing.  I wanted to be able to run this on 18" radius curves, in other words, complete freedom to run anywhere on my layout.  Worst case scenario is the loco is limited to my 22" and 24" loops.  There are worse things...

Regards,

Jonathan

[Doneldon]

jonathan-

It's always such a pleasure to look at your modeling.

Why not try an LED in your back-up light? Or, if your light housing is brass or another metal, just run one wire to the actual light and use the light housing as the other side of your circuit. I know it's not completely desirable, but a slightly longer drawbar will let your loco traverse sharper curves without requiring any surgery on the parts which may touch. Or (I'm full of ideas tonight) use plastic grab irons on either the loco or tender so contact won't lead to a short. Plastic may not be the favorite material for carefully detailed models but this could be a reason to do it.
                                                                                      -- D