I may be mistaken, but didn't Roundhouse at one time, produce a 'Ma and pa' 2-8-0?  There is-at this time-much in the parts of manufacturers, If one looks hard enough, one can usually find it.  I recently purchased some chassis and drivers I had been looking for a long time; however, I wanted the eccentric cranks, etc. and had to scrounge around looking for them-I found them. 
As for the oil bunker;  I don't know how far you looked, but there is an oil type tender, both frame and superstructure are there.  To me, I would gather what I thought I would need-Bachmann parts are very good quality-and just plan it out as I saw fit.  Most guys here would probably tell you something similar.  One thing:  I am not sure of the composition, but the plastic Kader uses doesn't appear to be styrene.

Rich C.   

If this is new, there should have been some written material as well as a warranty.  If not, I suggest going on line and finding the manufacturer and going from there.  For an opinion, it sounds like something is binding up.  Possibly a lube or misalignment issue.  Go to the mfgr.

Rich C.

Jonathan et al;
I did get what I needed.  I know any A-5 locomotives had more valve gear then these (Model Power et al) had produced.  This worked out well.  I had heard of 'Yardbird" before.  It is too bad that [they are] going away.  In terms of building or re-building locomotives, I have a good-sized roster-at least one that satisfies me; so I am going to concentrate on other facets here.  Jonathan; good photos.  Glad you, Len and others, are here.

Rich C.   

Sid;
One of the interesting facets of this hobby is the re-building 'tinkering'-as Jonathan puts it...  I have used Bachmann's parts dept. extensively, with mostly good results.
In the 'old days', there was a lot more available than now; but that is because there is less interest in actually 'getting under' a locomotive.  Sad?  Maybe; or just the normal evolution of things.
I have two 'model power A-5 (0-4-0) that I thought "less of", but Bowser just sent an E-mail with some pretty low prices for stuff.  So, now I have enough 'stuff' (parts) to reconstruct them both-with real valve gear, for openers. 
There are a few good sites upon which parts not normally found anywhere-are found!  It would be for the modeler to find them.

Rich C.

Just picked up some Bowser 0-4-0 chassis and drivers.  Save the drivers, basic rods, and frame, there isn't much-I hadn't expected more than that.  I plan to use one in a "little joe" body, and with the other two, for an A-6 switcher(s).  Again, these frames are pretty basic (no motor, gearing, etc.);  I would appreciate some feedback on the gory details of motorizing, and gears.  Thank you ahead of time.

Rich C.

Another trick that was employed at least once by John Allen is to take that block, and just cement the 'lumber' around it.  It looked really good-
-and no stegosauruses...

Rich C.

Noise in a motor is characteristic of induction.  This can vary muchly by many influences.  In your case, you failed to mention what type of motor it is making that noise?  Is it an older motor?  That kind of information is really needed in order to assess what may be the culprit.
Noise can be caused by things like:  lead/lag differences in voltage and current (AC), excessive internal resistances, mechanical issues like crud build up on the commutator, scarred stator, etc. 
DC motors are, essentially, series-wound motors, until you get into the much newer stuff, which I am not all that familiar with.
When approaching this problem; remember that, in the case of DCC; even though your track current is 14-18VAC, the decoder will rectify the motor current to DC.  I hope this helped you out a little-Oh, by the way;  If you want to hear noise, you ought to hear a 50HP three-phase motor "single-phasing" (lost one leg)... at 480 and up...

Rich C.

Len;
you are right about those instructions.   Thinking back, they were a real hoot!! At one time, some wag told me that these wood and paper kits were the offerings during the war because of the shortage of metals.  As I said, I am constr-no; scratch-building some wooden cars.  I have done this periodically.  When I was in SEA, This guy-Papa-san is what we called him-actually had some of these old strombecker kits-and he actually tried to sell them-to me!  He told me how much he liked American prototype equipment.  I am not sure what made me do it, when I got stateside later in '68, I picked up some kits-Roundhouse, Athearn, and sent them to him, via one of my buddies still there.  I never heard back, but I assume he was happy.

When I was assigned to Wheeler AFB in Hawaii earlier, I had stumbled upon a set of rails-across the active runway, and the apron, three feet wide!  These were used at one time, by the Oahu Railway and Land co., a narrow-gauge railroad that actually worked the docks at Honolulu, Dole Co; and the windward side..  They ran north, up the island from Waipahu to Haliewa, by the North Shore.  Pineapples and sugar cane were the primary reason for it's existence.

Rich C.

 

A long long time ago, when I was a kid, I had happened upon some Strombecker wooden box car kits.  At the time (early fifties), I thought that these were the cat's pajamas!  Now, compared to the current fare, these things came right out of Fred Flintstone.  For some reason, these 'kits' sat gentle on my mind all these years; so I decided that, sometime this summer, I will be doing some wood boxcar kits-yep-the REAL McCoy!  Real wood!!  Wood roof, wood ends, wood floor, and wood sides;  Only, with the usual stuff from Mr. "Northeast Wood Products"; as well as some better things-like kadee trucks...etc.  I suppose that this will represent a "milestone" mark in my model-making history.  Or maybe not...

Rich C. 

Bill;
If you go to Bachmann's 'Parts, service and information' section here, you can find the parts needed to do conversions to models, or even the whole tender.  I haven't looked yet, but if you look to the other models of steamers, parts, etc.; I am sure you can find any compromise.  Of course, there is always cross-kitting, etc. 
I am not a big fan of low-boiler locomotives, other than in Narrow-gauge.
Me?  I am not particularly afraid to rip into something to make changes I like; a lot of modellers share my sentiments.  I am not saying I will wind up with a contest winner, but I will have what I want.
An oil bunker shouldn't be a particularly daunting challenge.

Rich C.   
 

Whenever I see posts like this, I am glad that this aspect of the hobby is still alive.

Rich C.

Addendum...
The subject of "black smoke" reminds me of yet another photo of a bit 2-10-2 'Santa Fe' type locomotive sitting at the north end of the Middletown, Ct. yard, just totally causing it's own version of a total eclipse-and that smoke was BLACK!  Bet the union BA and the management sat up banging heads long after 6PM on that one...

RIch C.

Sort of a little off centre, but the New Haven, a coal-burner, was subjected to the mandates of the New York City coal-abatement 0rdinances of the 1900's.  That having been done, the New Haven had really started to push electrification on the "west end", from New Haven to GCT in The City.  A big coal-consumer was the power plant at Cos Cob, Ct.  I do not know how much coal was chewed up per month, but I would bet it was plenty.  In one of my books, there is a photo of a big EF-3 roaring past that power plant-a photo of New Haven's greatness all by itself.
East and north of New Haven, as well as on the Maybrook line, coal was the bad boy.  The big coal dock at North Cedar Hill still stands-silent sentinel to bygone days.  And it was BIG!!  Wished I'd been around here 70 or so years ago.

Rich C.

Roger;
What fuel did the Canadian railroads burn mostly?  I had thought it was a good deal of lignite, but no anthracite.
Rich C.

We used to walk the tracks and pick up that coal.  I am not sure just how much difference a 7 0r 8 year-old boy made, but the old man never squawked.  Some of the trains screamed through Quincy station, and just past, toward Braintree, there was a slight dip in the right (south-facing) rail, causing the train to lurch slightly, causing coal to slip off of the tender pile.  Oh, the memories...  I tell my grandson sometimes, and he just can't understand...

RIch C.