Steamheads - ATSF Articulated Mallets

[Walkercolt]

Kiwi, what do you plan on using for those tiny drivers? And where can you put a motor in that thing with such a small boiler and all the space below the boiler and between the frame? That thing's boiler was quite small in diameter(one of it's multitude of problems), had a tiny fire box, and leaked lots of steam from all the fittings and hoses and everywhere else! I've seen a photo of it "under steam" and you can barely see the engine for the steam leaks. PS: how are you going to gear it for 25 MPH? That was a good speed for the beast on level ground. Keep us posted on this. This is close to a "masochists delight"! ;D

[Mark5]

This is close to a "masochists delight"! ;D

Hehe, at least he's not trying to build a Triplex ...

[Chris333]

Triplex?  That is my job 

[squirrelhunter]

A couple of prototype notes-

The whaleback tenders some of these wound up on small 2-6-2's assigned to helper service on Curtis Hill in Okla. Pictures are in Joe Collias' Last of Steam.

That picture of 1301- the engine looks to have a Jacobs-Schupert firebox, which was a rare thing. They were designed to be bolted together without staybolts using channel plates I believe. Anyways, the bolts worked loose and the things leaked badly.

All in all an interesting, if flawed prototype.

[kiwi_al]

Gotta start watching this one.  How DO you put a hinge in an N scale boiler?

Sorry Randy this prototype didn't have hinged boilers so it will be a straight rigid boiler (this may come back to bite me) ;D

[kiwi_al]

That picture of 1301- the engine looks to have a Jacobs-Schupert firebox,

Yep sure did have those and that's what I'll be trying to recreate on this one.

[kiwi_al]

Kiwi, what do you plan on using for those tiny drivers? And where can you put a motor in that thing with such a small boiler and all the space below the boiler and between the frame? That thing's boiler was quite small in diameter(one of it's multitude of problems), had a tiny fire box, and leaked lots of steam from all the fittings and hoses and everywhere else! I've seen a photo of it "under steam" and you can barely see the engine for the steam leaks. PS: how are you going to gear it for 25 MPH? That was a good speed for the beast on level ground. Keep us posted on this. This is close to a "masochists delight"! Grin

I'll keep quiet on the drivers til I've seen how it looks - it'll be a compromise but it has to look right. The motor shouldn't be a problem but the leaky steam will 
If I have to change my plans it'll get a custom built chassis and will be geared down, it'll be made in Australia (OMG did I actually say that Noooooooooooooo!!!! ;D) The hard part will be getting the rigid boiler to swing properly around turns.

It's gonna be a slow build and painstaking but worth it I hope.

[randgust]

Hey, you get this to work and we'll all celebrate!

http://www.ausbcomp.com/~bbott/WINRR/wrsfd8.htm

Note that in the Wikipedia shot - and in this one - it shows the steam pipes for the hinged boiler going from one to the next on the top.  It doesn't have that screwy 'harpsichord' folded look that the others did, but I do think it was hinged.  If it was a continuous boiler, you wouldn't need that 'jumper' from one to the next.

This is interesting, it discloses something I never heard, that ATSF supplied a 'back end' 2-10-2' to Baldwin, and Baldwin only built the FRONT of the locomotive new, as a low pressure unit.  But it doesn't answer the question of whether it was hinged or not.  But that may also explain 'why' the big steam pipes from the old smokebox of the old boiler are 'jumpers' on to the new.

http://books.google.com/books?id=Kggw_LfUIF4C&pg=PA230&lpg=PA230&dq=Santa+Fe+2-10-10-2+hinged&source=web&ots=FYgqsekvH3&sig=yag--T_xEToKe1ri2V-46EEjSYE&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=4&ct=result#PPA230,M1

I'm wondering if the smokebox fed right into the rear tube sheet of the low-pressure boiler, but the high-pressure steam from the original cylinders had to be 'jumpered' to the new low-pressure boiler.  You'd only hit that if you were literally patching two boilers together, hinge or not.

[kiwi_al]

Ummm regarding the boiler have a look at Model Railroader Magazine  1989 page 90. I'm using the plans in there to build the Mallet. The plans are in S gauge and I'm converting those measurements into N scale. I'm also going through Santa Fe Locomotive Development by Larry E Brasher  ;D.

Some of the 2-6-6-2's and 2-4-6-2's had hinged boilers - I've worked out how you could do that - the old ball receptacle trick
I've soldered the boiler up and am looking to make the domes.

Check this out

http://www.trainzitaliafoto.com/contenuti/magazzino/index.php?action=view&filename=atsf3014.jpg&directory=alm/usa/matex&PHPSESSID=f41f80b3892a4d67a582cbd13c0f67e2

[randgust]

What's wrong with that picture?

3014 isn't in the locomotive class.  That's one of the later cut-off front ends made into a 2-10-2.

http://atsf.railfan.net/atsfstea.html

Apparently the wierd 2-10-2 front ends kept their floating front ends...????

Or is it really 3004 and they got the tag wrong?  I think that's the answer.

Hmmm.  Cast or fabricated?

[kiwi_al]

Checking my books that should be 3004. - I didn't notice the tag ;D oops!

[Mark5]

Kiwi, what do you plan on using for those tiny drivers?

Actually, if this Wiki is correct, the drivers are 57", which match up nicely to as built USRA 2-8-8-2s (N&W somehow later rebuilt them to 58").

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2-10-10-2

[Walkercolt]

I thought I remembered from the MR plans that those were 52" drivers, but I've slept since then. Marc M. has the Stagner ATSF "bible". Maybe I can "steal" some images from it.

[kiwi_al]

Here's some progress, I need to tidy up the Domes after I've finished (One is in place the other will need to be ACC'd in not soldered) all the soldering. I'm using low melt solder (now that I found it!).



I've worked out the mechanism but it will almost need to be remanufactured by me ;D ;D

[atsf_arizona]

Hi, all,

Here's some ideas that may help you, Al, as
well as be of interest to many.

Hans Starmans (custom locomotive builder from
the Netherlands - http://www.n-stars.com ) built under
commission, the following could-have-been
Santa Fe Triplex 2-8-8-8-2:





This loco was built perhaps 10 to 15 years ago. 

Uses *big* German/Swiss motor mounted in the tender.
This tender drive design (similar to the way the Athearn/MDC
2-8-0 has a tender drive) allows the loco itself
to be very heavy, and no space problems.  The motor is
mounted in the tender labeled "3010" in the above photos.
(the additional-range fuel tender in the above
photos is not powered).

This loco's chassis uses components from pair of old Atlas/Con-cor Y6b
2-8-8-2s.   The driver sizes on the prototype Y6b and the old
Santa Fe Mallets were almost exactly the same.

I saw this loco (and layout) courtesy of the owner, Jim Blattau, 
in the summer of 2008.  This loco runs like a super
champ, smooth, slow, and will pull the paint off the walls.

There's some good ideas here.  Based on my several
conversations with Hans over the years, I'd 
suggest serious consideration of building a custom tender
drive for your Triplex, Al, it may be a better way to
go than trying to marry two Kato Mikado chassis.

Just my 2 cents worth.

Generous thanks to Jim for giving permission to post
these shots.  Hope everyone enjoys the photos, what a gem of
craftsmanship of a N scale loco.