Heavy Metal specs.

[rockymidlandrr]

After seeing and reading jonathon's works of beauty that he has done with the locomotives that he has worked onand included the rest of us in, in kinda leaves you inspired. My hats off to you. I recently acquired a Mantua mikado and pacific at a local train show, and both of them run well too. Ok well the mikado runs smoothly but the pacific needs a little help to start, but both of them are loud. I would like to do a similar job to both as jonathon did with his mikado. I'm hoping to get some tips and advice for this project, and I would like to replace to DC-71 motor with a more modern can motor. What would the replacement be? Thanks for the help.

[jonathan]

Rocky,

Thanks for the kind words.  

I happen to like those old Mantua locos.  The heaviness means pulling power.  Starting at the heart is a good idea.  I recommend you contact Dan at Yardbirdtrains.com.  He makes good can motors specifically for those locos.  Also, something I missed:  there are replacement brass bearings for the axles.  They greatly enhance the rolling ability of the mechanism.  I still need to replace the bearings on my Mikado.   Mantua did a geat job on the rods and valve gear.  Typically, they work just fine.

As far as detailng goes:  the sky is the limit!  I picked up some brass stanchions at a train show.  Some of the piping is literally guitar strings or piano wire.  I used to be a musician in another life.  Again, Yardbird has everything you need to superdetail these babies.

If you can find a better tender, go for it.  I was able to get the stock long distance tender rolling better, but replaced it anyway.  I just never liked the tender.

I hope you find a painting talent I seem to lack.  Try as I might, my paint jobs don't look real professional.  Good enough for my layout, though.

That should be enough to get you going.  Please share your progress, and learn how to post pics on this forum.  I love show and tell!

Regards,

Jonathan

[rockymidlandrr]

Their heaviness is what turned me on to them because when I re-do my layout, there will be grades and I would like a single steam locomotive to pull a 20 car train unassisted. Also it seems there is a vast supply of parts for when something does break. I will def have to contact yardbird (I have been looking at what they offer) but I think the hardest thing for me right now is time, as I'm a full time college student and working full time; essentially a major layout upgrade is waiting and I barely have time to work and hone the modeling side. I wonder how hard it'll be to add a decoder and all wheel pickup...

[jonathan]

Tender all-wheel pick up is possible.  Takes some effort with tiny parts.  I did it with my Bowser and Mantua.  When you get to that point, we can point you to some posts and pictures to see how it is done.  

While it is possible to electrify the left side of the loco, it's pretty involved, and you run the risk of shorts.  I haven't tried it, yet.  I have read where others have done it successfully.

There's plenty of space in a Mantua to put the decoder right in the locomotive.  It would cut down on wires running back and forth to the tender.  Just an opinion.

Take your time.  An education is more important at this point.  There will be more time for tinkering as you get older.  Again, just an opinion.

Regards,

Jonathan

[Doneldon]

rocky-

Be sure to use stranded wire for any connections between the loco and tender, not solid wire which is too stiff. Use very small gauge wire since you are only using pieces a few inches long. The best bet I've found is using super flex wire as it's almost as limp as thread and thus it applies very little lateral or vertical force into the connection between the two.
                                                                                                                                                                                  -- D

[ebtnut]

Just as an FYI for those who came in late - the Mantua Pacific was based on the B&O's P-7 President class locos.  The tender and cab are wrong, being stock Mantua parts used on other models.  The Mikado is generic - not a model of any loco I've run across.  However, an outfit whose name escapes me at the moment once made replacement boiler castings for a USRA Mike to fit the Mantua mech.  Keep an eye out at trains shows and the like. 

[rockymidlandrr]

Thanks doneldon for the tip there. I generally use the stock decoder wires the bridge the gap between the locomotive and tender and have yet to have a problem with that setup.  One of the biggest gripes I have about the castings is the poor headlight details. I'm gonna have to replace the headlight for sure (wonder if a bachmann light would look good) and as for the tender I haven't decided.

From what I have seen the Mikado is pretty generic, but hey the only person I have to keep happy in this hobby is me. Prototypical relevance is not really a factor because the vast majority of the people who see my layout can't tell the difference between steam and diesel. But is it just me or do both cabs look under-sized?

[OldTimer]

Cary Locomotive Works produced boiler castings for several steam locomotive chassis as well as castings for diesel bodies.  In those days we weren't quite so discriminating and the castings were generally considered to be a step up.  I think that Bowser eventually bought Cary but I could be mistaken. 
OldTimer

[Doneldon]

rocky-

Years ago (I won't say how many) lots of modelers who couldn't afford brass locos bought Mantua, Tyco and Bowser cast zamac kits and then detailed them with lost wax brass castings. IIRC, Cary L W, Hobbytown and Max L Gray also sold the zamac models. They pulled like a team of oxen and were very reliable though perhaps not overly prototypical. 

I've heard that the zamac becomes brittle as it ages and can break easily now. That hasn't been my experience though I do have some old CV trucks which turned crispy and fractured. They cannot be fixed. Now I'm down to one virgin Tyco Mike with about $50 worth of Kemtron and Cal-Scale parts (1960s prices!) which I might have to start soon if I'm going to get it done before I die.
                                                                                       -- D

[RAM]

I don't think that Bowser cast locomotives were zamac.  I think it was more of a link.  Zamac was good if it was made correctly.  How ever when making small batches it is hard to get the correct portion of everything that goes into it.  Off a Little here and there and in time it falls apart.

[rockymidlandrr]

rocky-

Years ago (I won't say how many) lots of modelers who couldn't afford brass locos bought Mantua, Tyco and Bowser cast zamac kits and then detailed them with lost wax brass castings. IIRC, Cary L W, Hobbytown and Max L Gray also sold the zamac models. They pulled like a team of oxen and were very reliable though not overly prototypical.

Hence my interests in these models in a nutshell.  Easy to add details galore and won't break the bank when I do it either. 

So what are these models cast with anyways?

[OldTimer]

Zamak is an alloy of zinc, aluminium, copper and magnesium. 
OldTimer

[Doneldon]

rocky-

Zamac.

D