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Working on the Railroad, Again......Locos and the foreground Truss Bridge Journals/Blogs
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New member 28 posts GW New member 28 posts
GW

Hi all...as promised I have some in progress photos of the 2 On30 steamers that I've been working on lately, as well as the beginnings of the scratch built through truss bridge I alluded to earlier on this blog.

First the lokies, the larger is a Bachmann Mogul that is undergoing a major (for me) mod. I'm backdating it to the 1890's by shortening the smoke box and fitting a diamond stack and box headlight, also, added a larger compressor, air reservoir, a proper whistle, pop valves and bell. A plow pilot is being built for her and early style tool boxes. I'm enlarging the cab and opened the back so it looks more like a standard South Park wood cab. Coal boards and a new load base were added to cover the DCC install in the tender and a back up box light was added. 

Plumbing and other details will follow as I have time to complete them.

The 2nd loco is a modified Bachmann 4-4-0, again following backdating protocols. Shortening the smoke box, fitting a diamond stack, adding a nicer whistle, installing a cord wood load to indicate she's a wood burner. I added an air resevoir to the top of the tender and have since added the appropriate plumbing which left inadequate room for a tool box, so I will add one to the pilot deck after I change the deck braces locations.

As you can see, they are both sitting on the deck of the longer, scratch built truss bridge. I finished work on the sub structure and deck, then spiked down some rails, but that's as far as I've gotten on it as the locos have taken all the modeling energy lately. It does show that the sub structure and deck are strong enough to support 2 locos without the superstructure adding to its strength, talk about over engineering, sheeesh!

I'll send more photos as progress ensues.

GW

Moderator add - photos inline:
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Life changed in an instant but I keep going on 2 to 2.5 feet at a time!
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Benny MRH Author 7,125 posts
Benny

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I'd bend an L bracket with a fott [Like a "5" without the top - and half the bottom curl] so your tool box isn't simply sitting on the air tank...one on each end and one in the middle.

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Benny's Index or Somewhere Chasing Rabbits
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GW New member 28 posts
GW

Tool box

Thanks for the suggestion.

Can you show me an illustration of these brackets as I can't find any on the narrow gauge equipment photos that I have.

GW

Life changed in an instant but I keep going on 2 to 2.5 feet at a time!
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Benny MRH Author 7,125 posts
Benny

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You might find them on a tender with the toolbox mounted over the tank, but I was under the assumption that this is a freelanced arrangement.  If you don't have a mounting setup, the toolbox will either fall off or you won't be able to open it [seeing how the top rotates up].

They would be subtle, perhaps even only an upside down U bracket with the sides of the U each as long as the diameter of the tank, and then the feet turning in towards the empty space on either side of the tank, with a small nut and bolt casting through the foot.

A third option would be an L bracket bolted to the tank itself, with one leg going down the tender wall and the other leg resting on top of the tank.

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Benny's Index or Somewhere Chasing Rabbits
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GW New member 28 posts
GW

Tool box

Again, thanks Benny, for the suggestion, while these comments seem reasonable I am trying to follow Colorado and West Coast narrow gauge practices of the 1890's. Having said that, since I wasn't alive yet (some would argue that point) and able to witness the mounts first hand, I am constrained by what I can see in old fotos and drawings, to wit. (See photos and drawings I've posted on the previous blog under the model shots) I've been told by those with more experience in these matters, that the mounts for the tender tool boxes were attached through the inside back and floor of the box into the tender tank and air tank bodies, if anyone else knows for sure how it was done let me know, in the mean time, I'll continue with hidden attachments for the tool box. 

Photos and drawings are from the book "The Rainbow Route" and show typical D&RG Class 56 and 60 arrangements of the items in question.

Thanks again for reading and commenting,

GW

 

Life changed in an instant but I keep going on 2 to 2.5 feet at a time!
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