high headlight on connie

[spla13]

i note that on the picture of jon millers connie he has a high headlight. did you just rotate the smoke box door, un glue the headlight and rotate it - file down the flag bosses-unscrew the serkit board/smoke pot and move it back? and if so what methed did you use to un glue the headlight? i see the two pieces sticking through but it seems to be glued well and i do not want to break anything. thank you ,any advice would be appreciated. bob.

[Cascade Northern]

You have to remove the headlight and brackets.  Drill new holes for the brackets and glue into place.  That is not exactly how you do it, but that is the theory behind it.

[Jon D. Miller]

When the Connie was first introduced years ago there was a flurry of activity as owner's moved the headlight to the top of the smoke box front.

Here is a way to move the headlight on the Connie.

Start by removing the smoke box front from the locomotive.

When I did mine I cut the headlight wires leaving enough wire coming from the headlight so the wires could be soldered back together and shrink wraped.

A X-acto hobby knife with a chisel point blade was used to free the headlight bracket from the smoke box front.  It is important to support the smoke box door while doing this work.  The hinges are fragile and easily broken.

It will take a little time, working carefully, with the X-acto knife to cut the bracket free from the smoke box front.  Working along the edges of the tabs that mount the headlight bracket cut through the cement that attaches the bracket.  Important to not overly damage these two mounting tabs when removing the bracket.

Take the bracket and center it at the top of the smoke box front.  Mark the front with the location of the mounting tabs.  Cut rectangles for the mounting tabs.  Use the rectangles where the bracket was mounted as a guide for size.

Once the mounting rectangles have been cut in the smoke box front, drill a small hole for the headlight wires.  The bracket can be mounted with any good liquid plastic weld, CA, or 5 min. epoxy.

Fill the rectangles in the center of the smoke box door.  I used Squadron White Putty.  Once it dries, sand it smooth.  Paint the smoke box door to match the smoke box color.  I mounted a Baldwin number plate in the center of the smoke box door.

Once modification is completed, solder the headlight wires back together and install the smoke box front.



Backside view of the center rectangle holes filled with Squadron Putty.



Backside view of smoke box front with headlight bracket moved to top and cemented in place.



Headlight in place with Baldwin number plate mounted.



James O'Connor's Connie with headlight moved to top of smoke box front, along with other modifications/upgrades accomplished.  James ended up with a good looking locomotive.

Moving the headlight bracket on the Connie is a piece of cake.

JD

[Kevin Strong]

When the large-scale 2-8-0 came out, the vast majority of folks moved the headlight, and many extended the smokebox as well. (Me included.)


Those improvements made quite a difference in the appearance of the locomotive.

When Bachmann brought out the 2-8-0 in On30, they saved those modelers the trouble, extending the smokebox and moving the headlight right out of the box.  I keep thinking the O-scale guys owe us something for that...

Later,

K