My Last Locomotive Project

[jonathan]

Experimented with the chemicals this morning.

I dipped the left pilot steps in lacquer thinner for a few minutes, then rubbed and rinsed.  Didn't notice any change or any lacquer coming off.

Then I dipped said pilot steps in the tarn-x for a few minutes, rubbed and rinsed.  Again no affect whatsoever.

No harm done.

So back to the old reliable.  I thoroughly scrubbed the shell with a toothbrush and hot, soapy water, rinsed and repeated.

Now the shell is submerged in vinegar, where is will sit for at least a day.  Hopefully the current stains will pose no ill affects when the paint goes on.

Again thanks to ebtnut for the warning.  You saved me a lot of wasted effort.

Now the real challenge will be masking off the front of the boiler to get the two-toned effect.  I think the neolube will work well, as it did on the smokebox front.

Regards,

Jonathan

[jonathan]

They say the devil is in the details:



Here's a Dime for perspective:



All the working parts are done and ready to go:





Runs very nicely... without the shell.  Will probably take a week to ten days to complete the boiler and cab.

Regards,

Jonathan

[jonathan]

First Primer Coat. Photos taken ten minutes after shooting the paint.

Don't know if the photo shows it, but there are a couple of little bumps on the steam dome.  I will have to smooth that out and give another shot of primer to clean things up.









I have had issues with the orange peel effect on some of my previous projects... not so this time.  I think I was holding the can too far from the piece in the past.

Regards,

Jonathan

[J3a-614]

Looks good--nice, even, thin coats. . .anticpating. . .

[jonathan]

Thanks, J3a.

This part always makes my heart jump into my throat.

Will be baking between coats.  IIRC, for Zamack, the recommendation is 170 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

I read "somewhere" one could bake a brass shell for up to 2 hours at 175 degrees or a little higher.  Think I'll play it a little conservative (175 deg. at 30 minutes), as baking is optional anyway.

Regards,

Jonathan

[jonathan]

Found some old brass figures to go with this old brass loco:



I drilled out the engineer's shoulder so his arm is posable... weird right?

Anyway, here's how they look in the locomotive:











Gotta do something about their faces.  My color mixture looks more orange than anything else.

Here's a close up of the front of the loco.  I'm using neolube for the smokebox and front of the boiler; the ashpit as well:



Regards,

Jonathan

[ebtnut]

Almost there.  Looking real good!

[jonathan]

Thanks, ebtnut.

OK. Assembly of the locomotive:



Nervous? You bet I am... Hope the motor fits between my crew.  I don't trust my measurements.

Went together without too much difficulty:



Now to deal with some tiny screws:



Shoving the wires over the boiler weight was a little tough, but the smokebox went back on:



I still have some touch up work to do before the glamour shots. So give me a couple days for the action photos.  I don't even know if it runs, yet! Here's a quickie, anyway:


Uh Oh! Your flywheel is showing!

While you're waiting, a little history is in order. Searching through HOSeeker and a couple other sources, I found PFM/United offered the B&O L-2 in 1967 and 1969.  I could detect no difference between the two in either catalog. That puts my locomotive between 42 and 44 years-old. Couldn't find the loco in any other year's catalog. Here's the original ad:



It says the loco can turn on 16" radius curves. Don't think I want to give it a try... The original price was 49.95US.  I found a recent auction in which a PFM L-2 went for $1,100. IT was still wrapped and had never been run. Parts bag was still in the original box... a pretty good sign the loco went untouched all these years.

I know mine has been run quite a bit, based on the missing parts and fingerprint tarnish evidence. Fortunately, the wheels still have their plating, and so far, it has been performing well. Hopefully, adding the shell won't change that.

Well, I should be done in a few days. Will post some final shots then. Thanks for your patience.

Regards,

Jonathan

[BestSnowman]

Looking good. Now that you are almost done have you had any thoughts on your next project

[jonathan]

Thanks, Matt.

To be honest with myself, I have managed to collect more locomotives than I will ever need.  I wonder if that happens to all of us?

The next big train show is mid February.  I will be looking for rolling stock kits--particularly the F&C Box Cars.  They are a challenge to build, but are beautiful when completed.

Aaaaannnd... I still need a B&O wagon top caboose.  The factory painted brass ones are more expensive than a locomotive.  So I hope I can find a plastic kit or an old, unpainted brass one for cheap.

Regards,

Jonathan

[BestSnowman]

Sounds like you still have a good number of projects to work on in the future.

If you do get bored though I don't have any DM&IR steam and lack the finances or skills to fix that

[Woody Elmore]

A friend bought a PFM USRA mikado in 1969. He's been running it ever since. Brass engines are like the real McCoy - they require maintainence from time to time but PFM was the premium brand. Jon's engine should go another 40 years.

Concerning the color of the face of the engineer - the latest On30 Annual has a locomotive article and the engineer is wearing sunglasses! That might be a little hard to do in HO.

[jonathan]

OK, Folks, let's call this one 'done'.

Had a little emergency during assembly.  When I started the initial power up, the locomotive was making a huge noise, like a high-speed jackhammer.  It was frightening.  Turns out my new motor/gearbox connectors take up a little more space than the old rubber tube.  I had to disassemble, yet again, and do a little filing:



The 'horns' of the horned ball connector were hitting the edges of the notch in the boiler.  Didn't take much, but I wasn't too keen a removing any more material.  Anyway, problem solved and I got her running this morning.

Here are some final shots of the completed work.  Try as I might, I couldn't get the little sunglasses to stay on the engineer's face.    Look closely, and you'll see scratches on the motor from taking this thing apart a few times.  Think I can touch that up without too much trouble.  Enjoy:











The loco runs pretty well, so far.  Only problem is going in reverse on a curve. The tender front trucks like to derail.  Think I will have to add some weight to the front of the tender.  Shouldn't be that hard.  

She's not as quiet as I hoped.  Motor is silent.  Gearbox in silent.  Valve gear is silent.  Yet, there is a general running noise... perhaps it's my universal connector, combined with the wheels on the rails.  Something to study when I run the loco on a regular basis this Spring.

Thanks for following me through this, friends.  Enjoyed the company along the way.

Regards,

Jonathan

[BestSnowman]

Wow, looks amazing! You certainly do have a knack for this.

[Woody Elmore]

Jon - I bet the noise is the universal connectors. There once was a line of HO kit diesels made by an outfit called Hobbytown (now out of business.) All their connections were via universal joints and the engines all had a decided whirring or humming sound caused by the universals as well as metal gearing.

Once again you have come up with another fine model. You describe your talents as modest, but you really do some magazine quality stuff.

Thinking about the sunglasses gag you included, I remember seeing pictures of PRR engineers in almost white denim coveralls and wearing a shirt and tie! Try that on one of your little HO guys. The Pennsy, by the way, had  very strict rules about what crews could wear. I was told by an old GG-1 engineer that he was expected to arrive for work wearing a shirt tie and jacket. They would change into their denim bib overalls before getting into the locomotive. Can't say for sure what the poor fireman had to wear. Incidentally, do you know the make of the brass enengine crew you put into the switcher?