The first what I had to do, ...

The first what I had to do, was to substitute the old, hardened and broken rubber tube as a connection of engine and worm-gear.

I replaced this by a Nylon universal joint that I had divided, shortened and new connected by a screw shaft and I'm absolutely secure that this solution will outlive the model. Now the axle including the gear is free moveable down and up, better then ever before. I think that rubber tube connections as drive shafts were never the best solution!

Next step was to prepare the loco for better current pickup because I planned to use maybe all wheels for electric pickup. First I added a small part of lead into the frame of trailing truck and I screwed on a fine flat spring contact for better current pickup of noninsulated wheel side. Because the truck is fixed with a screw including a coil spring so the power will transferred to frame.

On underside of the truck I mounted a second, insulated pickup contact that I made from a Kadee center spring and that take the current from inside of insulated wheel rim. I can say to you that you will not see one part of this additionally pickup contacts if you are looking from side on model.

Here this is the loco view on the underside and there are two additional contacts on flanges of drivers which are also insulated mounted onto frame and there is also more contact prepared for the wire to decoder of the side of insulated wheels.

So I have received three additional wheels from the loco additionally to the four tender wheels which take current about insulated wheels. There are also three wheels or more or less also five wheels if you include the front truck on frame side pickup. I have had not really good successes with other models where I used first the tender only for pickup and then I modified and included loco wheels also for better pickup.

Tender preparation

Next, I must prepare the tender for decoder mounting inside of tender. This was a difficult work because tender was a closed tube and I had to cut a large hole through bottom and inside soldered weight sheet.

However it was successfully done and the best - the opening is completely covered by the frame which must be screwed under the cutout. Look next pictures.

Tender wheels received contacts on insulated side for power pickup.

Last I added rods from the levers of brake cylinder to trucks and I have given the tender a three-point suspensions - two lateral points at front truck (a simple soldered wire) and a rose third point at center of rear truck.

Here additionally a picture of the simple mounted brake cylinder without the rods. This was the original solution 40 years ago. Today I cannot accept this, on top of that with this free sight under the cylindrical body of the tender.

For all, who can't wait for next steps of progress you can follow the actual work in description of my website - http://us-modelsof1900.de/?p=8654 .

Additional details

Now a few additional details were to mount.

The prototypes were quite flatly looking engines without many of tubes on the outside of boiler - and thus the models were also built. But some parts are lacking after today's opinions of model building. Remember, model is nearly forty years old. But I was not lucky with all these missing parts.

Additions at front:
A completed uncoupling lever, tubes for electric power of classification lights and front lamp and a working front coupler.

A detail view shows how I fastened the coupler into the original coupler guide.

Rear side of loco - and not a tender bridge? (Apron?)

No, not longer without this part!

Here the details with a long thin tube and a mount plate for avoiding damages of paint by soldering.

Two pictures how the wheels follow very uneven rails. I think that this is not a big problem for full equalized trucks however it's a very good solution for the engine drivers, which are well equalized by soft coil springs.

I love such very well running models!

Way to go

This is an absolutely beautiful locomotive and well worth all of the effort you are putting in to it.
It would look great running on my railroad and I am very jealous,

Do you know the manufacturer?

Enjoy......

Rob Clark

Cornhill & Atherton RR
 

Rob, you are right!A very

Rob, you are right!

A very fine und well running model! My first analog running checks showed an excellent performance, on top of that with the new seven point power pickup on each side of wheel sets.

Importer was Westside Model Co. and builder Micro Cast Mizuno, built 1976 in a lot of 950 pieces (dates from Brasstrains.com). So it should exist a good number of it in showcases and store boxes of US-modelers! Or on layouts.

This is the target!

This is the target! A five car Daylight train, that I would like to run on a large modular layout while our next exhibition in February of next year.

The prototype is a train with the SP class A-6 #3000 and five Daylight cars. Especially I am meaning the Sacramento Daylight train, that was run from Los Angeles to Sacramento - from L.A. to Lathrop, CA together with the San Joaquin Daylight (L.A. to Oakland) and than as five car Sacramento Daylight from Lathrop to Sacramento.

However the picture does not show, what I would like to receive. This is one of my old ConCor models, not to mention a dome car, which never were part of Daylights, I think.
The wished models were ordered and I hope for a lot of gifts on my birthday in November.

Engine Mods

Bernard,

Nice post of engine modifications. I've done some of the wiper contacts on two Mantua engines and the performance was greatly improved. 

Always nice to see posts from you. They are always informative. Thanks.

Bernd

SP A-6

Dear Sir,

Bernd, John, thanks!

Bernd, John, thanks!

John, your remarks are a great help to me however I can't realize them all.

Yes, the model is a factory painted one and also lettering is that from builder. And I think it was that what you could receive 40 years ago. And yes, I'm missing also all the specification lettering on cab and tender. Unfortunately decals are not available for this model. Maybe I could make own decals with help of a friend for completing the lettering. It would be a great help if you can give me the needed dates for loco and tender.

A fine weathering and a bit of dust will follow, that is planned. I must give the model to "my" model painter for making a few paint corrections because a few damages were not to avoid especially by re-soldering some not well fixed parts. However I can not realize additional heavy soldering for lowered train no. boards. These are lost wax parts including foundations and so it's a complicate work to shorten them. Also anew heavy soldering is not longer possible because the wiring for lamps is realized already and so I would destroy all that again including leds in front and classification lamps. Sorry, not all is realizable.

However the obstacle shield is fixed to pilot, a factory mounted part. Maybe that this was not well visible on pictures before. (I think that is the mentioned obstacle shield.)

However a great help would be a picture of SP #3000 because it is heavily to find one in web, only a small black and white one. Or one of a class A-3 that I inserted on my website and that you find also on Wikipedia.org. If you would like to send the picture of Stan Kistler as appendix of a mail to me, this would be a very great help, especially for re-painting the smokebox details. Were all parts painted in silver or black? You can find one of my mail addresses on my website. Thank you very much for it!

John, thanks for pictures!

Good news, I received two pictures of A-6 and a data sheet from John. Thank you very much, John!
Unfortunately these pictures are private and so I can't show here. However I will ask for permission for using them on my website. And than I will give a short info.

I will try to make a few additional decals and so I hope to receive a better detailed and more correct model. Thanks again!

PS. Lighting of model is in progress.

And your question for camera, John. It's a Nicon Coolpix S 6200. Not a very special type of camera.

Good news!

Yesterday I received permission for showing these both pictures on my website.

Thank you very much to Stan Kistler for given permission and thanks also to John, who has sent me these fine pictures!
In left picture is shown "my engine" - Espee #3000 class A-6 with a Vanderbilt tender and in Daylight colors - and right a second class A-6 #3002 with a rectangular tender.

For seeing pictures in a larger view, click on pictures and open my website, please.
Scroll a bit down to prototype photos. Click anew on pictures to open a full size view.

Today, I will do last steps for finishing this model. New pictures will follow tomorrow, I think.

Ready!

My A-6 is ready and digitalization is done!

Front lamp and classification lamps are lightened, tender also. And front and rear lamp have got also a dimmed light for switching in change with full light.

Also engineer and fireman must not stand in darkness. And now? Where are the scales and needles of armatures?

Two views into inside of boiler.

Wires and resistors and connectors for cables to tender. And left I mounted the speaker into the boiler with smokebox as a closed box behind of it. So I received a large sound box with a very full sound. I'm very satisfied with result!

In lower picture you can see additional lead weights, one that is fixed into boiler already by double-side adhesive tape and so the weight of loco increased from 10 oz. to 11 1/2 oz. I think that should be a need for pulling five 85' passenger cars by 4 driven wheels.

Last picture shows connections from engine to tender and one of two cable beams with 5 wires each.
Because there was not enough free space in boiler I must install the decoder (a TCS WOW-Sound with keep-alive) in tender - and thereby I must use 10 wires for all functions. But it works! By twisting five wires each I have got two very flexible connections.

Next will be some paint repairs by a friend and so I hope for first use in end of November on a test installation of our large modular layout that should exhibited in February of next year, I hope. And then I hope that I can make a few video shots maybe with my new Daylight train already. And then I will show a few impressions from running engine and train, I think.

A short video clip

Today a short video clip ...

... before the model goes to a friend for some paint repairs.

Especially a great thanks to member Volker for his hint where I could buy a complete set for SP loco decals. So I think to receive a correct lettered model. Next pictures will follow however it will ned a few weeks.

As last step model needs a cam for correct chuff synchronization and with this I hope for a really good sound.

Two new pictures ...

... shot while a "train weekend" together with some US model train friends in my home city Dresden, Germany.

Layout was a 71' x 26' modular oval including two yards which worked as feeders to the main track, so that all friends could run their trains including a 78 car coal train. I'm sure that a few movies are in progress whom I would like to insert here after finishing.

It's great to get our trains out to run like that.

Seeing your pics reminds of my N-Trak days.  I too had a love for SP steam.  I remember running a tender driven brass engine pulling a colorful billboard reefer train in excess of 100 cars.  It kept pace with the passenger trains.  Thanks for the reminder to fond memories.

Den

Den, thank you very much

Den, thank you very much for your comment!

One month later I think to own a fifth car and then my model train should be very close to the Sacramento Daylight how it run in 1946 - after a description on Espee Modelers Archive. I'm sure that I can make a new video with train und finished loco. However maybe not before June 2015.

More pics ...

Bernhard

Bernhard, That is just beautiful work from the performance improvements to the novel way of installing sound and a decoder. I always enjoy your posts and your model building, thanks for sharing. Your wiring is fantastic. I really like the look of this model.

Rob,

thank you very much for your interest.

I think that I will receive the fifth car of train and then I own a nice looking passenger train that very close to prototype Sacramento Daylight. In January the loco and all cars will go to my friend how is a fantastic painter and than the loco will get its paint repairs and additional lettering and all models will receive a slight aging and weathering.

Please compare the pictures of prototype engine on top of this page 2.

Some pictures only, I was too

Some pictures only, I was too late with model to show it in action on a large layout on weekend. Unfortunately I received back the model from my friend a bit too late who has made some color corrections, an additional lettering and a good aging. So I must taken the pictures on a powerless layout which was in removal already. However a next chance will com in June already.

However the best of all, I added a cam for chuff synchronization and now I have a real prototype chuff! Maybe that I will make and show a video clip with some comparisons and you will share my enjoy after seeing.
A last change must be done yet, the oil tank on tender must get a bit more dust on side walls because the colors are a bit too brilliant, I think.

Thanks again to all here for friendly comments and help by hints and ideas for completing this model.

Engine

That is a beautiful engine !!!!!!

Nick ...

Thank you very much. I love it also together with my Sacramento Daylight train. And I'm looking forward to visit next meeting in June.

Superb work by both you and

Superb work by both you and your friend. Love the subtle weathering.

Chris ...

... thank you very much also to you. I will send a link to my friend so he can read all the friendly reactions here in blog.
Thanks again!