First steps for digitalizing

How I said, there were not many problems with this model and it was a great runner. Nice speed and smooth running because a former owner of model reworked the gear. He replaced the original motor and changed the gear. He built in a fix mounted worm gear with an additional tooth wheel for reducing the speed of loco and that all with a great success, however using a very unorthodox fixing method - all parts, motor, gear and wheel sets in frame were fixed by a two component resin. Irremovable and not changeably!
Here two pictures.

Maybe that you not can see that also the gear axle with tooth wheels is fixed with this method, however in second picture you can recognize the glued and blocked axle bearings. However you are right, at last the driven wheel set must be fixed in frame because the tooth wheels are fix mounted in frame and therefore the distance is defined.
And so I must work and repair the model with inserted wheel sets all the time!

First step was a simple work, adding power pick-up contacts on isolated tender wheels using center springs of no.5 Kadee couplers.

Would be this eight-wheel power pick-up a warranty for interrupt-free running of this model?
The answer will come a bit later.

This is the inside of tender with a great speaker and the decoder, here to see on upper wall of tender shell and two cable sets for the connection to loco.
You have seen with first pictures that the loco has a very small boiler and there I could not install a speaker with an acceptable size. However this relatively large tender has given enough space for a large speaker (20x40x12mm including a sound chamber) and that was a really good solution with result of a really noisy sound for this small model! It was the first action in programming this decoder - reducing the loudness, a change that I never did before on all my models!

And last a look into shell of loco.

Not much to see, cables, connectors, some resistors for leds - and the keep alive unit masked by a short adhesive tape which is well positioned inside of boiler front and smoke box.

Second step and finished ...

... maybe.

A first test run on a test track showed that the tender power pickup was not an absolute safe solution. Maybe because I have not used the connecting cables to engine for lights and so the keep-alive unit did not work? Maybe because the rails were not clean enough or maybe that the tender did not have enough weight for a permanent all-wheel contact on rails?
My decision was that I have to add the power pick-ups on loco and additional eight wheels should solve this problem. However the problem was that I could not remove the wheel sets from frame! But no, it was not a solution to me, to add pick-up wires under the bottom plate of frame like spider legs!

My idea was to install contact bolts inside of frame which are sliding on inner side of insulated wheel rims. The second pole is given by the mass of frame and so there were enough space for pick-up contacts inside of frame. However, the contact bolts must go through one wall of frame, well insulated!

However there was a lucky solution!
Some times ago I received a few new high-speed milling cutter from a dental laboratory and so I could mill four cut-outs in one frame side - using small brass sheets for protecting the wheels, which I have set on axle bearings between frame and wheels. This picture shows a first step of these cut-outs, at end they must be enlarged a lot.

This picture shows one of the brass contact bolts guided in short steel tubes which are glued into styrene blocks which I can fix with small screws on connection sheets of frame. The contact bolts are pressed by soft flat springs against the wheel rims (not visible here) and the longer tube ends are secured by black insulating sleeves against short circuit with frame. And last, the red cable is prepared for the connecting to decoder.

With this solution and together with the milled cut-outs I could build all parts of power pick-up on my worktable. That all would have been much more complicated if I had had to build everything part by part inside of frame.

This is the frame with mounted pick-up contacts which slide on insulated wheel rims now. (The red cable does not touch the large tooth wheel or second axle, there is enough space between. This is only the bad perspective of photo which gives this impression of touching parts.)
After completing the model this all looks so ...

A new running test showed very good results now, without spider legs, however with an eight wheel power pick-up on each rail and also without the capacitors of keep-alive unit! You see the absence of second cable connection from tender to engine yet and so there are no power to leds on loco or from/to capacitors. All in all I was very lucky with this result!

And this is an interesting side effect for solving problems with motor, gear or all other problems at loco.

Such an equipped brass model can run now also without its tender by this complete power pick-up ont all wheels at the loco.

A short addition too.
Today I received two long wished pictures of G1 from N&W Historical Society which I have added to my gallery now. One of it should be of a special interest - a drawing (blue print) of class G, the predecessor of G1. However there are no big differences between these both classes and so you can find a very close drawing of this engine.
For viewing open my gallery please, because I received permission for using these pictures on my website only. Sorry!

Last picures?

Today, yes!

A photo of finished model taken short before midnight.
Maybe that you can see the lighted front lamp and white classification lights - marking an Xtra-train!

A picture very close to that at beginning, not many changes. Ok, a new apron for closing the gap between loco and tender, some small repairs. All!

And a picture yet for documenting the large size difference of this small engine and the very large pressure boiler, unpainted yet.

And a last picture before first run an a large layout at weekend - the loco received back its "golden" bell! Together with a bell cord.
Now all is ok for use! Or?

very nice work

Clever installation on the inside of the frame.   never would have thought to put contacts inside.

I also liked the gallery of photos for the G-1 class.   Do you know where the picture of the real #7 was taken?

Thanks, Loren!

The #7 is positioned in Bluefield City Park, Bluefield, WV - click here for map or satellite photo.
Click also for many more pictures on rgusrail.com.

Very Very Nice

Bernhard, Nice mechanical and electrical work and great modeling. I am looking forward to seeing the train and load painted and running.

Thank you, Ken!

Two, three pictures of last weekend, running the model on a large layout.

The G1 as pulling engine for the Xtra-train through a more Autumn landscape.

The next running weekend is in sight - next great meeting of US-modelers in Germany follows in four weeks.
Unfortunately again with unpainted and unlettered tank and flatcar, yet.

For all non-swimmers, nobody needs a swimsuit or trunks in first picture, this should be a way, not a small river.

Nice Thread

Bernard,

A very interesting and informational thread. Thank you.

Bernd

Bernd, ...

... thank you very much. I think that I can add new pictures in June.

Prototype photo

Today I received permission from Norfolk Southern Corporation to show this photo of prototype here in my blog.

• Courtesy Norfolk Southern Corporation.
  Permission for use on MRH forum is given. Thank you very much!

I think that such a small engine must be loved! (Click on picture for enlarged view.)

Edit: Picture URL edited.

I suspect that when that

I suspect that when that engine was fairly new it was the big power on the road as around 1900 2-8-0s were still the dominate freight loco if my recollection of trivia is correct. It is amazing to me the rapid advancement in technology between 1900 and 1950 that took place in the world. Steam power to jet engines and nuclear reactors with in 50 years. Some folks had horses for transportation at the turn of the century, and all of this was pretty much on display for all to see. There might not ever be such a huge change in peoples lives ever again.

I almost forgot to add what a beautiful model and train you have put together. Truly inspiring work.

Rob, thanks!

Yes, are right about the rapid technology jump in early years of 20th century and later also. I see this especially in two things, both where I was and I'm involved.

First railroads. I'm a fan of steam engines what not is a wonder, I was steam engine worker and back shop foreman in my young years. US railroads and US steam engines was a new and fascinating theme to me since I did hold a nearly ready brass Big Boy in my own hands - 1964.
Look the development of mallets and articulateds after 1900. The first mallet on American continent was the 0-6-6-0 Old Maude of B&O in 1904, an engine many times more powerfully as their European forerunners. Already in 1908 the Erie 0-8-8-0 class L-1 was built, an extreme powerful engine as helper of heaviest coal trains in that time. And 10 years later in 1918 the VGN 2-10-10-2 class AE the left erecting shops of ALCO. What for a development in 14 years from a first Mallet to one of greatest, heaviest and most powerful engine which was until 1953 in service. I love both engines and both models are in my collection and these are under my favorites!

Second - electronics. I grew up and studied in the Seventies of last century after my time on railroad. In a company of my second job after study it was time to replace the first commercial used computer and I have seen and held in my hand a first time era main processor with a toroidal core memory with some thousands of small magnetic rings where each were standing for a bit with values "zero" ore an "one" - single bits, in my own hand! And all the time until today I followed the developments of electronic circuits and processors and I see that today such processors are equipped with many hundreds of contacts for doing millions and millions of operations in each second - and all these values and dates of speed or performance are no longer to realize in our brain. However I see how the processors are growing and growing or they will be reduced in size smaller and smaller and they can do more and faster with a permanently growing number of functions! And change and speed of development raises with this all!

Yes, you can ask what will be new in our technical world tomorrow and you can ask this each day on a new!
Unfortunately "my" time of steam locomotive is over however it was started here in forum a very interesting and new blog whereto the railroads could go in future, maybe? Times will never stands still!

Great

Bernhard, that is a great looking prototype and great work on your model! It has a lot of charm, and beckons back to the earlier days of steam on one of the greatest steam railroads of them all!

The newest picture

... of my small Xtra train.

The last pictures and description about this large and heavy load can you find on gallery of my website or here on my blog.

That is a truly beautiful

That is a truly beautiful model Bernd, I never get tired of looking at the great models you build. I am really looking forward to your 2-10-10-2 model when you get that one sorted out. It will be a most impressive model when completed.

@Rob, sorry!

Maybe that I must disappoint you. I'm not sure if and when I will rebuild my 2-10-10-2 in next times. I have to realize too many other modeling jobs.

I have to build or I would like to rebuild and change around 15 cars in next time and this will be my work of next two years, I think or maybe longer yet. There are included also two new engine projects for planned trains, my 1930 freight train and a V&T passenger train because I like to have complete trains after my great mixture of different cars.

And second there is not a realistic use for this nice and extra large engine. This loco was used only as a coal train pusher and that only at the Virginian Ry. and only with trains of Virginian's large battle ship gondolas. My only coal cars are three 27' old time hopper cars of the 1900 era and this will not give a train for the VGN AE mammoth. And I do not plan to build or to buy such VGN gondolas.

I do not know what I should do with this model - to hold in my collection without a change? Sell it? Rebuild without a chance to use them? I don't know what will be the best. Maybe that I will set back it into my showcase in next time or It will stand furthermore on the upper board of my worktable where it will be visible on new photos in background from time to time.
Sorry, there is presently not an answer or idea.

Sorry to hear you wont be

Sorry to hear you wont be working your magic on that one anytime soon but I am sure your next project will be another very interesting one to follow.

For the love of a loco

Bernhard, you can tell that this is a very special loco for you. The quality and care you took in the restoration to make this a great runner is incredible. I have some old Toby Minarets ( 2-6-2T and 2-8-2T ) that I have been putting off tuning up with can motors and DCC, with the possibility of sound. With sound decoders getting smaller and smaller each year, it has now become a very real possibility. Thank you for the excellent photo's of your workmanship.

Michael

Bernhard,  that is a gorgeous

Bernhard,

that is a gorgeous model, I love your work! I found it sort of funny though, the number of your model is 2156 which is the number of the sole surviving Norfolk & Western y6a 2-8-8-2. is there a reason for that? 

Sorry for late answer!

Michael and Ian, thank you very much for your friendly comments!

Ian,
the wrong number of this small G-1 is a remains from pre-owner of this model.

There are two things to do yet.
Changing and detailing the back head of firebox after this picture - http://us-modelsof1900.de/wp-content/gallery/locos-nw-g1/nw_g1-04k.jpg and second a re-lettering on tender including a re-numbering to no. 6 or 7 and a last aging. After last work on this model there was to do a lot of other projects and so small last things were moved - until today. However I think that I can finish the model as one of next jobs.

Last details

It's a long time ago, that I worked on this small loco model however it needed also this time to receive the wished brass part, a fire door, in this case a “Franklin Butterfly type no. 8 fire door” made from PSC and seldom to find on market.

I know that I have posted some pictures of first use of this small N&W G1 consolidation on various WPF however now I could add this part and detail the whole very "naked" back side of fire box.

The question was, which devices were mounted on the backside of fire box? How realistic is this rear end of fire box modeled?
This picture shows definitively a not very realistic work! And yes, a brass part of a fire door must be added, at least!

The only availably information of prototype was to find on http://www.rgusrail.com website with this picture - the N&W G1 no. 6 on Virginia Museum of Transport in Roanoke.
And there were a lot of small items, the fire door, many flexible staybolts and two large handles. What were these for handles? But there were not water gauges or valves mounted or all other typical items which you can find on back side of a fire box!

Yes, this small consolidation is really an old engine, built in 1897 without many changes in comparison to class G steam engine of N&W, the predecessor of this loco built ten years ago in 1887.
The "clean" firebox at my model was the last thing that I would like to detail! However all the typical items mounted regularly on back side of a fire box were mounted at this engine inside of cab on sides of fire box and the fireman must go outside through the rear side door of cab behind the fire box if he had to fire the boiler. Steam engine technology of 125 years back!

What was to add on this fire box back side? This picture of engine in museum gave me the ideas how I should model a new back side of fire box with exactly these missing items, a butterfly fire door, staybolts of two different types, two handles - which were the things for working with the shaking grate while cleaning the fire after each run of loco!

This is the first step of change, a new back side made from black styrene.

And the full detailed back end of fire box, yet without paint.

The arrangement is not exactly that from the picture but you can find all these parts in a very similarly assembly like on picture of prototype.
I think that this will be a good addition and it’s a big difference to original model. However who looks on back side of fire box if the model train passed by?

Some more step by step pictures are to find on my gallery, English captions, of course. Enjoy!

However, thre was a small valve, yet!

A last addition, again a very small part.

If you ought to study the picture of prototype and also the sketch of firebox in gallery of my website you will find a small valve which is mounted before the operating valve of fire door. And this was the small item that I would like to add, too. However waiting for a new order again?
So I built my own valve from a piece round brass and wire as pipe.

The hand wheel looks a little bit too large, however this is the new view on backside ...

... and I think that this will be acceptable.
And this was the last change at this model, only the lettering must be corrected yet together with a bit black paint for back side of fire box.