Con-Cor/RivaRossi heavy mikado shell on Kato mechanism?

[bbussey]

Has anyone ever attempted to mount a Con-Cor/RivaRossi heavy mikado shell on a Kato Mikado mechanism?  Just curious as to how involved it would be.

[Nato]

     Bryan, Probably some what complicated. The Rivarossi Boiler as you probably know was /is attached to the mechanism with a screw in the smokestack, Athearn has done this on their articulated's . The Kato Boiler attaches differently, but the Con Cor shell looks like it would fit over the Kato Mec. Nate Goodman (Nato).

[bbussey]

Thanks Nate.  I might have to try it.

[Chris333]

So you want to start with a heavy mikado and turn it into a heavy mikado?

[u18b]

Don't know if he's ever done it, but my son, Chessiefan, has been needing this for years.

He says B&O had different Mikados than the one Kato made.

[mmagliaro]

I wondered about this too, so I let my fingers do the the walkin' and found this:

http://forum.atlasrr.com/forum/topic.asp?ARCHIVE=true&TOPIC_ID=18864

Yes, from the "old days" of the Atlas forum.  That archived thread is still hanging around and contains a lot
of interesting info about B&O and C&O Mikados, and why the Kato engine isn't a match for them.

So now I understand the motivation behind switching shells!

[bbussey]

So you want to start with a heavy mikado and turn it into a heavy mikado?

You have a point.  I mainly was curious, but there are differences between the two shells.

[chessie system fan]

Yeah some day in the future I plan on putting a RR light mike shell on a Kato mechanism to make a B&O model.  Preliminary research suggests the removable weight will need to go, and to get the shell to fit more filing on the mechanism and inner shell walls will be required, and possibly cutting away the boiler bottom half as a separate part like the Kato shell too.   

I would hope a heavy mike would be easier since it's larger, but I don't have one for comparison.

[brokemoto]

I, too, would assume that he wants to put a RR USRA light shell onto the Kato chassis.  The B&O never had any Mikados that looked like that which the RR USRA heavy shell represents.  The C&O did have some that looked something like the RR USRA heavy shell, but, according to one poster on the Atlas topic, those were actually PM Mikados.

As I posted nine years back on the Atlas topic, the B&O did have USRA light Mikados.  The first USRA locomotive built was a light 2-8-2 built for the B&O.  It still exists, but does not run.

I never have tried to do this, but if, in fact, it is the USRA light shell on the Kato chassis, I would be interested to see how it is done and how it turns out.

[Spikre]

 
   Erie never sold off any of the N2 USRA Heavy Mikes.
   they did sell off some N1 mikes to PM that became C&O later.
   Erie sold off some other N1 Mikes early in WW-II, they must
   have gotten top dollar for them to let them go.
   had the Atlas/Rivo Lite USRA Mike about 1969,it ran well until
   it would pick up lint and hairs,the track was on 1/16 plywood,
  but it would be set on the floor to run all that Ancient stuff from
  the Dark Ages of N.
   sold the loco in the mid 80s,the frame was still solid,no zinc pest.
   it still had the original motor,must have gotten a good one.
    can recall the shell being rather small and slim.
         Spikre
         

[draskouasshat]

Yes the light mikado atlas rr shell will fit with some trimming of the body so I'm sure you can make the heavy boiler fit.