More very soon!
Dave: Not discouraged; I can see the number tally on the first post when I check in. I am used to two-way conversation (I am a moderator in a photography group elsewhere - those people sure can talk!), so at first it has felt very "quiet" around here!
Thanks for keeping an eye out even if not a steam guy!
Don: The most important thing for break-in/running is good riveting. I use the Bowser rivet tool to rivet the valve gear. A couple of taps with the point/cup side do a lot better than the Mantua instructions to use a small pick and then to flatten the flare with the hammer: some rivets cannot be easily reached with the hammer by itself, plus the hammer head is too large! The joint can be snug: I loosen it by exercising it, then I oil all the joints with a fine machine oil, (the wheel axle bearings too) and the worm gear with silicone grease. I then just follow the Mantua directions and run for half an hour, 15 minutes in each direction.
The Mantua/Tyco zamac is very soft metal. I just use a pin vise and drill it as if it were wood almost. Brass is a LOT harder: I drill a hole clear through my headlights for the bulb, and that one takes time and effort. It is pretty easy to file down too, but shaping can be difficult and tedious because of detail you want to keep that gets in the way. There is a step on the right side below the sand dome that I hit repeatedly with a diamond file and now have to restore. Cutting the catwalks with the molded air tanks and power reverse was the most difficult, as the zamac is very thick. I did it with a very small hacksaw for the cuts along the boiler, with an X-Acto saw perpendicular. I hardly used the Dremel, as it is easy to loose control. I had to use it on the sander valve covers just because reaching them with a straight file is so difficult.
Russ: By far my best source for the Southern Ps-4s is the old Steam Locomotives Cyclopedia by Lynn Wescott, published by Model Railroader, and now out of print. They document almost every locomotive type for various roads, with beautifully detailed drawings (in HO scale) for each type/road covered. An example can be seen on the photo of the half-filed boiler at the beginning of this blog. From it you will appreciate why this is an "almost prototype" job: Tyco/Mantua's boiler is about three feet longer than the Ps-4s, and cutting it down might have affected the frame's length, something I don't want to mess with. There is a second volume of the Cyclopedia, covering the diesel locomotives up to a certain year. It has all the same lovingly detailed photos and drawings and diesel modelers would enjoy it greatly. Both volumes can be found in the big auction site, the second being rarer and more expensive.
I also have three other books with good information and photos on the Southern Railways, and several on the Central of Georgia and the Georgia Railroad, the other lines I model. These have side view photos of each type that are helpful when used in conjunction with the Cyclopedia. The Cyclopedia also has a great introduction explaining the workings of all systems on the locomotives, with additional diagrams and piping options.
